In the depths of the "Mugen" castle, where souls break before bones, the Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, sprawled over a pool of tainted mud, painting with a brush soaked in human flesh.
Beside him was the ceramic jar that served as his home.
"Boring... so boring..." Gyokko muttered with a scowling face.
He glanced at the already mutilated corpses scattered around him and couldn't help but sigh.
Now he had to search for new canvases to paint… but he was far too lazy for that.
His gaze drifted across the castle, searching for anything remotely interesting. Nothing. Just bodies strewn about, silent and still.
"Oh... I've got an idea," a dangerous thought sparked in Gyokko's twisted mind.
Instead of sitting around in boredom, he could spy on what the other Upper Moons were up to. But… he was conflicted.
Who would he spy on?
He spent some time pondering, then finally spoke:
"Yes... I know exactly who I'll watch."
He plucked a small eye from his own body and dropped it onto the ground.
"Go find Akaza."
The moment he spoke those words, the eye moved swiftly, vanishing from his sight.
---
…One hour later…
The eye Gyokko sent had already found Akaza.
But… something was strange.
The body lay motionless on the ground. No movement. Not even a breath.
"What... did he actually die?" Gyokko said, puzzled.
There was something deeply unsettling about it. No visible wounds on Akaza's body. And what kind of being could kill an Upper Moon demon?
As Gyokko pondered the scene, Akaza suddenly rose from the ground, eyes darting around in fear.
Gyokko stared in confusion. "Was he pretending to be dead?"
He couldn't stop watching.
"What… did they throw me into some abandoned area?" Akaza growled in frustration.
Gyokko's confusion only deepened.
What did he mean by "they"? And why did he call the place he always trained in an abandoned zone?
Akaza kept muttering strange things—saying he'd punish them, that he wouldn't forgive them—as he ran aimlessly through the forest.
The eye continued observing him as he wandered until he reached the edge of the forest.
Gyokko saw sunlight ahead and assumed Akaza would turn back.
But to his shock, Akaza stepped into the sun.
"Has he gone mad?" Gyokko gasped.
He watched Akaza's body burn horrifically in the sunlight… before the demon scrambled back into the shadows.
Gyokko's eye widened in delight. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this entertained.
He simply couldn't understand Akaza's behavior.
The eye followed him deeper into the woods until night finally fell.
Akaza emerged from the forest, still running as if searching for something… until he stopped at a dilapidated house.
Gyokko watched as Akaza opened the door—only to be attacked.
Gyokko expected Akaza to finish the old man off in a flash.
But instead, the old man's strike nearly split Akaza in half.
"Is that man... a Hashira?" Gyokko wondered. No ordinary human could injure an Upper Moon demon that severely.
"I think he's going to kill him..." Gyokko whispered as Akaza raised his hand to sever the man's neck—
Only to stop and throw the axe away.
Gyokko stared wide-eyed. "What is this bastard doing?"
"Why is that fool acting this way?"
Akaza entered the house, but Gyokko didn't dare send the eye inside. He didn't want to risk being discovered, so he continued observing from afar.
After midnight, Akaza exited the ruined house—
But this time, something familiar hit Gyokko.
"The smell of blood."
As Akaza stepped outside, something sharp came flying at his neck. He narrowly dodged it.
The eye darted toward the attacker:
A powerful figure.
"He has to be at least Hashira-level," Gyokko thought.
Akaza charged, engaging the Hashira in battle.
But something was wrong.
He wasn't using his Wind Blades.
Instead… he kept fighting with that sword.
The swords continued to clash, but the Hashira pushed Akaza back every time.Plus, he could cut through Akaza's skin like butter without any...resistance
The battle continued, but Akaza was like a mouse running away from a cat. He continued receiving blows without being able to respond to any of the attacks directed at him.
"Hahahaha... now it all makes sense," Gyokko burst out laughing.
"Could it be that the Upper Moon Three has lost his power?"
"No harm in confirming it," he smirked, though he was nearly certain of it.
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Gyoko's picture in the comments