Time flowed and became 1907.
As time passed, Japan, especially its capital Tokyo, was developing even more.
The Akatsuki Trading Company, within the shadow of that showy development, was secretly but surely expanding its influence, evading the Demon Slayer Corps' surveillance network.
And the two butterflies grown under that shade had finally reached the time to emerge from their cocoons and spread their wings. After long training, they had finally crossed the starting line.
A rugged mountain path leading beyond Hachioji on Tokyo's outskirts.
Recently here, frequent incidents of travelers disappearing nightly occurred. In fog vibrating with rotten meat smell, three shadows walked.
"According to Master's information, the one nesting here seems to use a Blood Demon Art manipulating fog."
Tsubaki reported with a calm voice. Now 19, she had completely shed her girlishness and exuded a mature woman's fragrance. The pink Nichirin Blade at her waist and special trading company uniform added to her reliability.
"Fog... obstructing vision will be annoying. Wind direction is also arbitrary for using poison."
Shinobu grumbled. Now 12, she had grown a little taller but remained small and slender compared to peers. But from the deformed sword hanging at her waist, sharp like a needle's end, a bitter wisteria poison smell seeped out.
"Oh my, Shinobu. Tag in the fog isn't romantic? Instructor Tsubaki, may we take the lead this time?"
Kanae smiled, flowing long straight hair. 15 years old, reaching her flowery age, she had grown into a dazzling beauty truly deserving to be called a peerless beauty.
Their swords weren't Nichirin Blades, just good ordinary swords. But enchanted with Tamamo's magecraft, they produced effects like Nichirin Blades.
Simultaneously, like Ushiwakamaru's Ubusumidori, they had effects chasing away evil, special demon attacks, and effects like revolutionary swords hindering oni regeneration. As a bonus, Tsubaki's Nichirin Blade was also enchanted.
"...Understood. But if it seems dangerous, I'll intervene immediately."
Tsubaki stepped back, yielding position. Then, fog gathered and a hideous oni revealing itself, seemingly mixing a giant mantis and human.
"Hehehe... little girls? Looks like having very tender meat for dinner tonight."
The oni emitted murderous intent, clashing sharp scythes on its arms.
"Die!"
The oni swung its scythe through fog. Blades of compressed air surged toward Kanae's neck. Speed where ordinary members couldn't even react.
But Kanae didn't budge. Her teachers' teachings flashed through her mind.
`Kanae, cutting isn't with arms. It's legs. Narrow the distance in one breath.`
`It's hopping! Lightly like a butterfly! Think of above the opponent's head as a playground! Training is play`
Kanae's breathing changed.
"Total Concentration: Flower Breathing."
The moment she stepped with her right foot, the ground seemed to silently cave in.
Tat!
Not simple running. Shinsengumi footwork taught by Okita Souji, Shukuchi (Reduced Earth).
In the oni's eyes, a bizarre phenomenon occurred where Kanae clearly far away had already approached right before its eyes in the blink of an eye.
"Wh-what?!"
The oni panicked and swung its scythe, but Kanae was already not within that trajectory. Innate leaping power learned from Okita and Ushiwaka. She used the oni's swinging arm as a foothold and elegantly flew into the air.
"Flower Breathing, Fourth Form. [Crimson Flower Garment·Modified]."
Originally should have been a simple curved slash. But Kanae's sword was different.
Added with Okita's swordsmanship and Ushiwaka's acrobatics, the sword's trajectory drew unpredictable orbits like swirling scattered cherry blossom petals.
Swish!!!
"Gwaaak!"
The oni's both arms simultaneously flew into the air. Not simple severing. Artistic swordsmanship that sharply dug along muscle grain, scraping off with bones.
Kanae landed lightly like a butterfly alighting on a flower.
"A sad thing. With those arms, you can't harm anyone anymore."
Her smile was benevolent, but her eyes carried a cool gleam resembling Okita Souji's.
"Y-you bitch...! I'll kill you!"
The arm-severed oni attempted regeneration, filled with rage. It instinctively targeted the smaller-looking girl standing behind who seemed weaker than Kanae.
"I'll take even you as company!"
Disgusting poison fog spewed from the oni's mouth, covering Shinobu. But Shinobu didn't avoid it. Rather, she charged into the fog.
"Targeted because I look weak? How stupid. My poison is much more toxic than your fog."
A cynical smile hung on Shinobu's mouth. She hadn't yet completed her own Insect Breathing. What she tried to use now was Flower Breathing, but a form distorted to match her physical limits.
She lacked the arm strength to swing a sword. Then she abandons slashing. Only thrusting.
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form! [Ephemeral Peony·Transformation]!"
Originally a continuous attack technique firing nine elegant, dazzling slashes like peony flowers blooming luxuriantly.
But Shinobu's technique had no elegance, only murderous intent and efficiency.
"[Poison Needle Rapid Thrusts]!"
Like a fencing athlete, or a wasp shooting poison stingers, she unleashed her sword with full-body elasticity. The nine slashes transformed into nine consecutive thrusts too fast to see.
Stab! Thud! Stabstabstab!
"Grugh?! Wh-what? A sword that can't even slash! Ticklish!"
The oni tried to sneer. A needle-like sword that couldn't cut necks. Thought being stabbed would just sting. But the searing pain spreading simultaneously from nine wounds surpassed imagination.
"Does it hurt? Is it hot? My sword isn't for cutting."
Shinobu coldly muttered while sheathing her sword.
"It's for injections."
"Wisteria poison, 50 times lethal dose. Loaded nine times."
"Grr... grr...!"
The oni's purple face instantly turned pale, then blood vessels began bursting.
High-concentration poison simultaneously injected into nine vital points collapsed and melted cells. Bones became mushy like water, flesh attempting to regenerate burned in poison.
"Gwaaaaaak! What's this! My body! My body's melting!"
"Farewell. Go to hell."
Shinobu looked down at the melting oni with cold eyes. Until the oni completely turned to bloody water and disappeared, she didn't blink once.
It imitated showy peony flowers but its essence was the cruel hunting method of poison-bearing insects.
The three completing their mission returned to the Taki-no-Gawa mansion under moonlight.
In the underground office, Akira sitting on a red velvet chair took his eyes off documents and greeted them.
"We've returned, Master."
Tsubaki presented her report. Akira rose and lightly patted Tsubaki's shoulder.
"Good work, Tsubaki. How were the children?"
"...Perfect."
Tsubaki answered sincerely.
"Miss Kanae absorbed Okita-sama's swordsmanship and Ushiwaka-sama's techniques, evolving existing Flower Breathing one level. Distance control applying Shukuchi method was chilling even for me to see."
Akira's gaze turned to Kanae. The 15-year-old girl scratched her cheek as if shy.
"Hehe, Shukuchi method is still just imitation level. Still far from approaching silently, faster like Okita-sensei."
"No, at 15 that's enough. Splendid, Kanae."
When Akira praised, Kanae's face bloomed brightly. Next, Akira looked at Shinobu.
"Shinobu?"
"Miss Shinobu... hasn't yet perfectly mastered Breathing forms. But."
Tsubaki swallowed dryly.
"Those poison-using thrusts... would be greater terror to oni than having necks cut. Power where even Lower Moon oni would fall instantly if careless."
"Hmph, of course. My specially blended poison I mixed overnight."
Shinobu boasted, raising her nose.
Wisteria poison. Also used by Shinobu in the original work, a chemical weapon even used by the Demon Slayer Corps. Akira couldn't even approach wisteria, but heroic spirits being different tiers allowed approach. Of course harmed by poison, but receiving Tamamo's recovery made it cleanly disappear.
Thus Tamamo helped study how to make poison together and blending from beside her, adding powerful poison fatal even to lifeforms called oni, not just simple wisteria poison.
Thanks to that, Shinobu could already become a poison-handling swordsman.
Akira smirked and messed Shinobu's small head.
"Right, well done. If no strength, must use brains. A very good direction."
Akira felt deep satisfaction looking at the two sisters.
Much stronger and faster than the original. Above all, with Akatsuki Trading Company's capital power and heroic spirits' guidance added, they were growing into Hashira-level combat power in the shortest period.
"With this growth speed, soon could aim for Lower Moons level of Twelve Kizuki."
Akira muttered quietly, his red eyes gleaming.
"Huh? Lower Moons? That... the Twelve Kizuki, you mean?"
Kanae's eyes widened roundly as if nervous. Lower Moons symbolize strength on a different dimension from ordinary oni. Simultaneously thinking Akira's martial power is also Lower Moon level somehow felt frightening.
Somehow, because thought to be Akira-level. Of course just limited to Akira's physical ability, his Blood Demon Art was a cheat surpassing Upper Moons or Muzan.
"Right. Upper Moons still impossible, but Lower Moons level, with your sisters' coordination should be enough to capture. Getting their blood will make my power even stronger."
Akira recalled his martial power still at Lower Moon lower rank level. Too dangerous for him to personally step forward, but heroic spirits or the current Kocho sisters would bring prey even if he stayed still.
The so-called, pillar husband meta. Knowing if he fell everything ends, had no choice but to spare himself like Muzan avoiding Yoriichi.
This wasn't comfortable either, feeling sorry for the girls working hard for him. Thus treating them that well.
"Prepare. Soon will track Lower Moon traces hiding in nearby areas."
"Understood! Just leave it to us!"
Shinobu answered filled with enthusiasm. Akira smiled and waved his hand.
"Rest deeply today. Kiyohime prepared chicken as late-night snack today."
"Wow! Chicken!"
The sisters cheered and left the room. It was American Colonel-style chicken developed recently.
When Tsubaki tried to close the door, her eyes met Akira's.
"Tsubaki."
"...Yes, Master."
"Tonight, you know?"
A short question, but couldn't not know the meaning contained within. Tsubaki's face burned red like a ripe peach. She bowed deeply and answered with trembling voice.
"...Yes. I'll wash and wait."
The door closed, Akira looked at the moon outside.
"Ubume."
"Yes?"
And Ubume quietly standing like a folding screen, like air beside him.
She who ate humans given by Akira, now able to use Blood Demon Art. She handled illusion-type Blood Demon Art like Tamayo.
"You go wash too."
"...Yes♡"
Ubume bowed in greeting and left.
Tsubaki and Ubume were merely attendants. They were also cherished family, but not heroic spirit-tier. If they were lovers, each a married couple, then they were playmates.
They also desired his body, and since they came to love him, he humored them. No romantic feelings.
Of course, not treating them like toys like a masturbation aid. He genuinely cherished them, treating them well.
Gave Ubume a luxury leather bag imported from the West recently as a gift, and gave Tsubaki a ring made by a famous master as a gift.
Though not lovers, he who terribly cherishes his own people. Repaying them as much as they worked hard.
And crucially.
"If eat Lower Moon, Blood Demon Art will definitely strengthen. Who'll come out next. If not a man, probably the same route again."
If a new Servant, especially a female, was summoned, he wouldn't have capacity to handle them. Thus treating them well while having leisure, and since can't include them in positions firmly guarded by heroic spirits, treating them well in other areas too.
Akira stretched and left the room to wash himself too.
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