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THUD!
Daki and Zenitsu—who'd crashed through the ceiling—landed simultaneously on the rooftop. They locked eyes across the distance.
"I remember you. You're that attendant from earlier—Chiko's servant! Though I guess you're male too. Disgusting!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma ignored her words entirely. His voice was calm, almost detached. "I've got something to say to you. Go apologize to that girl whose ear you mangled!"
"Even if the money you earn provides them food, shelter, and clothing, they're not your property! You don't get to do whatever you want to them! Kaidō saved them, but what you did is unforgivable!"
Daki felt no remorse whatsoever. If anything, she looked at Zenitsu with contempt.
"Shut your mouth! Babbling on and on—you think you have the right to lecture me?? In the Entertainment District, women are no different from merchandise. They exist to be bought and sold. Nothing more."
Words were pointless. Seeing Daki's stubborn refusal to acknowledge her wrongs, Zenitsu let his actions speak instead.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A lightning bolt tore through the air, closing on Daki at blinding speed.
She immediately whipped her obi sashes in all directions, attempting to disrupt Zenitsu's assault. But he cleaved through every single ribbon effortlessly. The sheer number, however, prevented him from closing the distance.
Inosuke and Tanjiro arrived moments later. Seeing Zenitsu fighting alone, they joined the fray.
"Beast Breathing, Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Two rapidly moving figures charged forward at high speed, severing all obi surrounding Zenitsu—granting him a brief respite.
While Daki was weak, she was still formidable for the three junior slayers.
Thirteen obi sashes erupted simultaneously, extending several times their normal length. They wove together mid-air into a massive net designed to eliminate all three at once.
"Blood Demon Art: Obi Slash!"
"Hahaha! You three will be shredded to pieces along with your Nichirin blades!"
"Beast Breathing, Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting!"
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Eightfold!"
Inosuke and Zenitsu coordinated perfectly. Their multi-hit assault not only neutralized Daki's Blood Demon Art but also carved a path for Tanjiro—entrusting him with the final strike.
Understanding their intent immediately, Tanjiro refused to waste their effort. He activated his strongest technique, determined to behead her in one blow.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
The more rotations, the stronger the attack. Like a water dragon coiling, the strike bore down on Daki's neck.
She didn't dare underestimate it. Feeling the technique's devastating power, she immediately softened her neck like her obi.
But to her shock—even in ribbon form, a crack appeared where Tanjiro's blade struck. He didn't relent. Gripping his sword tighter, he pushed harder. The crack widened further.
Sensing disaster, Daki lashed out with her obi.
Even so, Tanjiro refused to give up.
Inosuke and Zenitsu rushed to his aid, severing the sashes flanking him. Then, together, all three swung their blades toward Daki's neck.
"Big brother! Help me! Do something!!" Daki could only scream for her sibling, desperately hoping for salvation.
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile.
"Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!"
After regenerating both arms, Gyutaro saw his previous attacks had failed. He transformed his blood into blade-like slashes, hurling them at Kaidō. Even a single scratch would be enough to turn the tide.
Through Transparent World, Kaidō saw every trajectory clearly. He understood Gyutaro's strategy instantly and responded.
"Dragon Breathing, Sixth Form: Tornado Maelstrom!"
Gripping his greatsword, he spun at tremendous velocity, advancing toward Gyutaro. The rotating vortex deflected every blood blade.
Realizing his Blood Demon Art couldn't harm his opponent, Gyutaro changed tactics. He swung his blood sickles directly at Kaidō, hoping to outlast him through rapid regeneration.
But Gyutaro quickly learned how naive that plan was.
Kaidō retreated swiftly, swinging his greatsword in rapid succession.
"Dragon Breathing, Fifth Form: Violent Tempest!"
Hundreds of blade projections shot forward. The surrounding air rippled with the sheer force, creating visible shockwaves wherever they passed.
"Blood Demon Art: Rampant Leaping!"
Gyutaro's defensive technique. He spun both blood sickles at incredible speed, forming a powerful rotating shield around himself.
The blade projections hammered against the barrier, producing violent friction. Within moments, Gyutaro couldn't maintain it—the shield shattered. The remaining strikes carved deep into his body.
Wounds exposed bone. But as an Upper Rank, Gyutaro regenerated within seconds.
Yet he didn't attack again. Instead, he observed carefully. From their brief exchange, he understood—this Hashira was different. Stronger than any he'd killed before.
"Big brother! Help me! Do something!" His sister's desperate plea echoed in his mind.
Sensing Daki's crisis, he transferred half his power to her. This allowed him to attack while controlling her movements—simultaneously gathering intelligence for Muzan.
Both warriors locked eyes. In an instant, they charged simultaneously, weapons colliding.
Greatsword and blood sickles clashed, generating violent shockwaves. Blade projections and blood slashes tore into everything around them, reducing the surrounding area to rubble.
❁❁❁❁
Back on the Rooftop.
Having received her brother's power, Daki transformed. A third eye—originating from Gyutaro—appeared on her forehead. This enhanced her perception while allowing her brother to directly intervene. This was Daki's complete form.
Instantly, her obi regenerated and lashed outward, sending all three boys flying.
"WAH! Damn it! How'd the worm-ribbon get so much stronger??"
"Calm down, Inosuke! As long as we coordinate, even with her increased power, we can still behead her!"
"Yeah, Inosuke! Zenitsu's right. If we synchronize our breathing, we can definitely cut through her neck! We don't need to worry about Kaidō-san and Tengen-san yet—I trust they'll handle the other demon!"
Inosuke stared at them both, genuinely surprised.
"You two... are in amazing shape right now! What's going on??"
"Look out!"
CRASH CRASH CRASH!
Daki's obi struck again, demolishing everything in its path.
"Hahaha! Ugly trash stays ugly trash! You think you can behead me? I'll slice you into pieces first!"
She swung her sashes once more—faster, stronger than before. The three boys deflected frantically, clearly at a disadvantage.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Under the obi assault, buildings collapsed into rubble. The trio retreated to another rooftop. At least all the civilians had been evacuated—otherwise, casualties would've been catastrophic.
But it wasn't over.
Daki appeared on the opposite rooftop, launching another wave. Her sashes extended several times their normal length.
"Hahaha! You pathetic bugs said you'd cut my head off! All you do is run! You can't even get close to me!"
Watching her taunt them, Inosuke felt an inexplicable surge of frustration. He began swinging wildly, hacking at her obi.
"RAHHHH! Damn it!"
Seeing Inosuke losing his cool, Zenitsu shouted: "Inosuke! Stay calm! Don't fall for her tricks!"
"This won't work. When we strike her neck, it softens. We need incredible speed or... multiple angles? Multiple angles!"
Something clicked in Tanjiro's mind. He called out to his companions: "Inosuke! Zenitsu! We coordinate our breathing and attack from multiple directions! That's how we'll take her head!"
"Got it! Inosuke, we'll follow Tanjiro's plan. He and I will cover you!"
"YAHAHA! I get it! Multi-directional attacks—perfect for a dual-wielder like me! We've already won!"
"Beast Breathing, Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush!"
Inosuke's muscles bulged as he charged forward like a wild boar under Tanjiro and Zenitsu's cover.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Eightfold!"
Tanjiro and Zenitsu flanked Inosuke, their blades carving through obi relentlessly. Even so, some attacks landed on Inosuke.
He barely felt the pain. Charging forward like a berserker, injuries meant nothing—nothing would stop his momentum.
Reaching Daki, he swung both blades at her neck.
"This guy... he's not even defending! Just charging straight through!" Daki's thoughts raced.
CLANG!
Both swords clamped onto either side of her neck like a beast's jaws, sawing rapidly.
"This time, I'm taking your head!"
"Beast Breathing, Sixth Fang..."
"RAHHHH!"
"You can't cut through! It's impossible! Those flimsy blades can't—"
RIIIIIP!
"Palisade Bite!!"
Daki's neck tore apart like fabric. Her head flew into the air.
"We did it, Inosuke! Yes!"
Inosuke immediately leapt up, caught the head, and started sprinting away.
"Got it! I'm taking this far away so she can't reattach it!"
"You ugly bastard! Put me down!" Daki's headless body sent obi chasing after Inosuke, but he dodged everything.
"I'm booking it with the head! You two be careful!"
"Got it, Inosuke! Watch yourself!"
"You damn boar! Let go of me!" Daki used her hair as weapons, but Inosuke sliced through every strand.
"YAHAHA! Your attacks are useless! Cutting off the head really does weaken you! Haha..."
"Inosuke! Behind you!" Tanjiro screamed.
"Don't touch my sister!" Gyutaro appeared from nowhere behind Inosuke, blood sickle aimed directly at his heart!
"Get lost!"
WHAM!
Kaidō arrived just in time, delivering a devastating kick to Gyutaro's face that sent him flying—leaving a deep boot print on his cheek.
"Inosuke, give me Daki's head!"
"Oh! Whitey-hair! Here!"
Inosuke tossed the head to Kaidō, then ran back to help Tanjiro fight the headless body still attacking with obi.
"Let me go!"
"Shut up! You're giving me a headache!"
Kaidō retrieved the white stockings he'd worn during his crossdressing mission from system storage, twisted them into a gag, and stuffed them into Daki's mouth—silencing her completely except for muffled "mmph" sounds.
"Waste not, want not. Recycling at its finest!"
Poor Daki could only shed frustrated tears as Kaidō carried her head toward Gyutaro.
"Damn you! Give my sister back!"
Seeing his sister's head in Kaidō's grip, rage flooded through Gyutaro.
"Sure! Here you go!"
He hurled Daki's head straight at Gyutaro. The demon caught it immediately, pulled the gag from her mouth, and asked: "Sister, are you okay? Don't worry, I'll get revenge for you. Let me reattach your head right now."
"Sob sob... Big brother, kill him! Please! I worked so hard... I hate this! I hate losing!"
"Don't worry, I'll—"
"You're out of time!"
"Dragon Breathing, Tenth Form: Ultimate Art—Judgment Slash."
Kaidō's form vanished—even his presence disappeared entirely. Gyutaro couldn't sense him at all.
ROOOAAAAR!
Dragon roars echoed from all directions. Terror gripped Gyutaro's heart.
SLASH! SLASH!
Both arms severed. Daki's head fell to the ground.
"Big brother! Run! Forget about me!"
For the first time, Daki said those words. Something stirred in Gyutaro's chest.
SLASH!
Another invisible strike severed both his legs.
Strike after strike rained down on Gyutaro's body.
Finally, the tenth slash took his head. Only then did Kaidō's form rematerialize.
Looking at the severed heads on the ground, Kaidō felt an unexpected wave of melancholy.
He placed a hand over his heart, feeling it beat.
"What's wrong with me? Why do I feel this way? This is just another world. I'm just a visitor. So why did hearing about all those Hashira they'd eaten make me so angry?"
As Kaidō stood lost in thought, Tengen and the trio arrived.
'This scent... sadness? Kaidō is grieving??'
"Kaidō! You're absolutely flamboyant! Taking down an Upper Rank solo! Hahaha!" Tengen clapped Kaidō's shoulder.
But suddenly—Kaidō's [Hyper-Awareness] screamed danger.
He looked at Gyutaro's body—still not dissolved.
Understanding struck like lightning.
"EVERYONE RUN!"
Tengen reacted instantly, hoisting Tanjiro and Inosuke over his shoulders. He reached for Zenitsu—but it was too late.
"Dragon Breathing, Fourth Form: Coiling Dragon!"
Kaidō rushed in front of all four, activating his defensive technique. Like a dragon coiling around a mountain, he shielded them with his body, pouring every ounce of strength into the barrier.
Gyutaro's headless body released a devastating explosion—an enhanced version of Circular Slashing Rotation. The blast radius engulfed everything, reducing the entire Yoshiwara district to rubble.
The shockwave hurled Gyutaro and Daki's severed heads in opposite directions.
When the explosion ended, buildings had become ruins. Kaidō and the others were buried beneath the debris.
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