Horitake and Kokushibo's brief clash ended. Kokushibo fled at sunrise, leaving Horitake safe.
Horitake stared at Kokushibo's vanishing point, face grim.
If he heard correctly, a biwa sounded as Kokushibo disappeared.
Narume?
It must be. Kokushibo resides in Infinity Castle, where Narume's summoning teleportation is instant and convenient.
At that moment, Miri, worried below, couldn't hold back. She leaped up, eyeing Horitake with concern: "Horitake-nii, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Horitake sheathed his blade, turning with a reassuring smile.
Miri's pupils shrank, seeing his shoulder. Heart aching, she scolded: "Saying you're fine? Look at that wound! Let me bandage it."
Horitake glanced at his shoulder. A deep gash from Kokushibo exposed bone, blood soaking half his clothes.
His focus had been on Kokushibo, ignoring the injury. It wasn't light.
Testing his shoulder, sharp pain hit. He winced: "Seems it hit bone."
Miri, more distressed, urged: "Don't move, Horitake-nii! The bleeding's worse!"
Frantic, Miri moved to tear her clothes for bandages. Horitake stopped her: "No rush, Miri. It's fine."
Lightning flashed at his shoulder. His face paled, cheek twitching.
Miri smelled burnt flesh, eyes wide, glancing between his shoulder and face.
Horitake, pale, forced a smile and nodded: "Lightning cauterizes wounds—fastest way to stop bleeding and kill bacteria. But… it's a big wound. I'll need stitches at the Butterfly Mansion."
Miri's gaze transcended admiration.
This man… so ruthless to himself!
Ruthless to enemies isn't rare, but to oneself? A true beast!
Horitake's impact on Miri was profound, sparking joy and excitement.
This is my man! Handsome, fierce, and so reliable!
Snapping out of her daze, Miri asked: "Horitake-nii, who was that? Such terrifying strength!"
Horitake grew serious: "Upper Rank One, Kokushibo."
Miri paled: "Upper… Rank One!? Why was he here!?"
"Byouyo planned a grand show and feast for Kokushibo. It flopped. He met me instead and we clashed hard."
"So, Horitake-nii, is Kokushibo dead!?"
Horitake smiled bitterly, patting Miri's head: "Not that easy. After our clash, he left before sunrise."
"Left?" Miri recalled: "I didn't see anyone flee."
"They have a spatial ability user who teleported him away."
Miri's expression darkened: "Spatial ability… special Blood Demon Art? Teleportation… that's…"
She knew how troublesome such an enemy was.
Horitake smiled, comforting her: "Don't worry. We'll find a way."
Miri nodded, accepting his reassurance.
Her focus shifted: "Horitake-nii, who won?"
Initially eager, Miri's voice softened, seeing his blood-soaked clothes, fearing he'd lost.
Horitake, unfazed, recalled their clash, a thrilled smile forming: "Who won? Hard to say. I didn't lose. Nor did I win. Kokushibo nearly took half my shoulder; I almost split his chest. Even as Upper Rank One, my lightning counters him. His wound will take weeks to heal—months for full recovery!"
Glancing at his throbbing shoulder, he gave a wry smile: "I'm about the same. We're evenly matched this time. A fight to the death? Hard to predict."
Miri listened quietly, absorbing his words.
Meanwhile, in Infinity Castle, Kokushibo returned, grunting, clutching a wound that wouldn't heal, blood pouring.
His chest bone nearly split, bleeding heavily.
How long since he'd been injured like this? He couldn't recall…
Thinking of the man who wounded him, Kokushibo's heart surged with battle lust and hatred. Never again will I lose to anyone! This man, impressive but not his match! Next time, I'll cut him down!
Pride refused him to clutch his wound or show weakness. Kokushibo stood tall.
Then—Infinity Castle looked demolished! Like a wrecking crew hit it!
Staring at the devastation, a question mark popped into his mind.
Just one night out, and this?
An invasion? Unlikely. An earthquake? No.
Puzzled, Kokushibo glanced at Narume.
She was a wreck, clutching her biwa, bloodied, body seemingly pieced together.
Was Infinity Castle truly invaded!?
Narume gave a weak smile: "Kokushibo-sama, if I were hurt worse, I couldn't have used my Blood Demon Art to bring you back."
A second question mark appeared in Kokushibo's mind: "Narume, what happened?"
Miserably, she replied: "I don't know. Muzan-sama went berserk, destroying everything. I got caught in it but survived."
Just then, Muzan, in fresh clothes, emerged, calm. Seeing Kokushibo's baffled look, he seemed uneasy: "Oh, Kokushibo."
A third question mark formed in Kokushibo's mind.
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