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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters!

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Agatsuma Zenitsu gaped at the dazzling streets ahead. Lanterns bathed the district in golden light, transforming the night into day. His jaw hung open, eyes wide with amazement. Meanwhile, Inosuke dashed off into the crowd like a wild boar on a sugar rush, overwhelmed by sensory overload.

"Don't run off! And stay in the carriage!" shouted Uzui Tengen, reaching out to restrain both Zenitsu and Inosuke. Outside the city, the group had opted to take a carriage into Yoshiwara—not just to blend in and hide their Demon Slayer identities, but because some of them were flat-out exhausted.

These guys are hilarious. James watched from behind, amused. What a shame I won't get to see them in women's clothing later. That would've made my year. Wait… when did I get so twisted? Must be all this breathing training with no one to spar against.

He chuckled quietly to himself before stepping down.

"Everyone, I'll take my leave here. I'm staying at this inn. If you need anything, feel free to drop by."

James waved at the group before heading back to his inn. He knew what was coming—and it wasn't going to be easy. He needed to rest and realign himself before the chaos started.

This wasn't like a school tournament.

In tournaments, you lose, maybe get embarrassed. But in this world—evil spirits won't just defeat you, they'll rip you apart.

Every big moment demanded clarity. And in the face of life and death, there was no such thing as "too cautious."

A heat slowly began to rise in James' chest. His heart pounded, not in fear, but anticipation. His eyes shimmered as if catching fire.

Was he a battle junkie now?

---

Meanwhile, Uzui Tengen gathered his team together for a strategy meeting.

"That James guy… he's no ordinary wanderer," he said, drawing puzzled looks from the trio.

"Mr. Uzui," Tanjiro asked, "he doesn't seem like a Demon Slayer. He doesn't carry a Nichirin Blade, and he's definitely not a demon."

"Exactly," Uzui replied, his eyes narrowing. "Because he's neither, I didn't feel the need to confront him directly. I used the ride here to observe him."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage wall.

"He doesn't seem hostile. That gaze—sharp, but not malicious. Still, we can't rule anything out. Our priority is the presence of demons in Yoshiwara. That's what we're here to uncover."

The group nodded in agreement. Then Uzui, with typical flair, revealed he had three wives and had sent each undercover into separate houses within the geisha district.

And now, the boys would be going undercover themselves—to infiltrate and gather information. In women's clothes.

James, now resting back at the inn, let his thoughts drift.

---

The world of Demon Slayer… The name said it all: a world built around the destruction of demons.

The history was dark and twisted.

A long time ago, a nobleman suffering from a terminal illness hired a doctor in desperation. The doctor began treating him with strange medicine. The noble didn't realize—he was a test subject.

When the treatment didn't seem to work, he lost patience and killed the doctor. But shortly after, his illness disappeared. His body became powerful—supernaturally so.

The only side effect? He now needed to eat humans, and worse—he could no longer withstand sunlight.

To solve this, the man began turning others into demons by injecting them with his blood. His goal? Find the Blue Spider Lily, a mythical flower that could grant immunity to the sun.

As more demons emerged, so did the deaths. Communities were terrorized.

That's when the Demon Slayer Corps was formed—spearheaded by the Ubuyashiki Clan, a family with insight into the demon threat. Their warriors trained to hunt and kill these monsters.

Demons couldn't be killed by conventional means. Their healing was instant. Their strength—inhuman. Only sunlight or a Nichirin Blade to the neck could end them.

Breathing techniques were developed to give humans a fighting chance—amplifying the body beyond its natural limits. Among them, the Sun Breathing style, created by the legendary swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni, stood at the origin of all techniques.

The elite among the Corps were called Pillars—not determined by rank, but by strength and contribution. Uzui Tengen was one of them—the Sound Pillar.

James sat cross-legged on the floor, breathing in silence, reviewing it all mentally.

"For me, the real treasure in this world isn't just breathing techniques—it's the swordsmanship."

To master the blade, he had to learn from the best—spar, observe, and grow. This world was filled with sword users at every level. Every battle was a lesson.

"Kendo duels, the Red Blade, the Transparent World, and of course, Breathing Techniques. That's what I'm here to master."

He exhaled slowly.

---

Suddenly, a vibration pulsed through the floorboards. The windowsill rattled slightly.

James's ears twitched.

He focused—and caught the faint slither of something long weaving through nearby homes. A ribbon-like presence was wreaking havoc, slashing through walls and tearing structures apart.

Simultaneously, the ground shook from the force of impact, stone and dust flying.

He didn't hesitate.

In one fluid motion, James grabbed his blade and leapt through the window.

"It's far... but not too far. I should make it in time."

---

At the same time, Tanjirou was locked in a fierce standoff with Daki, one of the Twelve Kizuki.

Or rather, Daki was toying with him.

Her belts whipped through the air like living blades—sharp and agile. Tanjirou's ordinary strikes couldn't cut them.

His body ached. He could barely keep his wounds from reopening, using breathing techniques to hold himself together.

Gone was the gentle blue aura. Now his breath burned red with fury.

"Hinokami Kagura: Dance of the Fire God – Burning Bones!"

Flames spiraled into a blazing vortex, slicing clean through Daki's belts.

She reeled.

Snarling, Daki launched more belts. But Tanjirou was calm—focused. His blade hummed as it sliced through the air, generating heat and sparks with each swing.

One slash. Two. Three…

He parried every incoming belt with precise, burning strikes.

Daki's pupils trembled.

"What is this? Fear? Of… him? That ugly little human?!"

Blood streamed from Tanjirou's forehead into his eyes. He didn't even blink. His focus was absolute.

Daki jumped back, retreating to a rooftop. But Tanjirou was faster—already waiting across from her, his blade poised.

She launched a barrage of ribbons—yet he struck through them all, cutting open a path straight to her.

His sword burned with intensity as he swung toward her neck—

Clang!

Her neck turned to ribbon. Tough, elastic. The blade couldn't bite through.

She slipped away, countering with a storm of ribbons.

Tanjirou moved like fire, slicing and dodging—gritting his teeth through the pain.

Once again, he reached her.

His blade surged toward her neck—

But this time, he couldn't move.

His body had hit its limit.

He collapsed, gasping, vomiting from the strain.

The entire exchange had lasted mere seconds.

Daki stared at him, her smirk returning.

"Humans are so pitiful."

---

"I don't think humans are pitiful."

A clear voice rang out from the rooftop.

James stood there, staring down at the first true demon he had encountered in this world.

She was… beautiful, in a twisted sort of way. But the stench of blood clinging to her body made him recoil.

"Pretty on the outside, rotten to the core."

He tightened his grip on his blade.

The fight had just begun.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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