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"Lord Tengen! Where are you?"
"Sob! Lord Tengen, please don't die!"
"Idiot Suma! Lord Tengen's not dead! Help me search!"
Suddenly, rubble shifted nearby. All three wives rushed over.
CRASH!
Wooden planks flew aside.
Tengen emerged, shielding the three boys beneath him.
"Cough cough! That explosion was NOT flamboyant!"
Seeing him unharmed, the three women were overjoyed. Suma launched herself into his arms.
"Lord Tengen! Waahhh... Thank goodness! You're safe!"
"Haha! I'm the flamboyant God of Festivals—how could I die??"
"Lord Tengen, what just happened? Why was there such a massive explosion?" Hinatsuru asked.
The blast had reduced the entire district to ruins. They'd felt its power. At least all civilians had been evacuated.
"That was... Kaidō! Everyone, search for him!"
"You three!" Tengen shouted at the boys. "Help find Kaidō!"
"Yes!"
Just as they prepared to search, nearby rubble shifted.
"Cough cough! Ptoo! I ate a mouthful of dust! What a miscalculation! Ugh..." Kaidō climbed out of the debris. Seeing him safe, everyone relaxed.
"Kaidō-san! Thank goodness you're okay!"
"YAHAHA! Whitey-hair! You're so flamboyant!"
"Lady Chi—er, Kaidō-san! Hehehe, I'm so glad you're safe!"
Zenitsu caught Kaidō's glare and immediately corrected himself, terrified of being put on the grudge list.
"You guys rest here. The Kakushi should arrive soon. I'm going to check the perimeter!" Kaidō said before running toward where Gyutaro and Daki had landed.
Shortly after, Obanai Iguro arrived. Seeing the disheveled Tengen and the exhausted trio, he spoke: "Upper Rank Six, huh? The weakest Upper Rank. But defeating an Upper Rank is defeating an Upper Rank."
"Congratulations! Even if it was only the weakest one, I suppose I'll grudgingly compliment you!"
Tengen and his wives exchanged helpless glances at Obanai's backhanded praise. They had no idea how to respond.
"Who asked for your compliments?? You're way too late! You're slow! You know that? SLOW!" Suma couldn't take it anymore. She stormed up to Obanai and jabbed a finger at him.
"Hiss!" Kaburamaru lunged forward, tongue flicking aggressively at Suma.
"AHHHHH!" She retreated into Tengen's arms, terrified.
Tengen sighed. "Actually, you've got it wrong. I didn't kill Upper Six—Kaidō did. He fought the demon solo and beheaded it flamboyantly! I was watching from the sidelines, blood pumping!"
"Oh, it was Kaidō? Then never mind. He did kill Upper Five, after all. Taking down the weakest Upper Rank is child's play for him!" Obanai's tone shifted instantly—from condescending to gentle. A complete reversal.
"Uh..." The three boys were speechless, mentally commenting on the blatant favoritism.
Nezuko climbed out of Tanjiro's box, tugging his sleeve.
"What is it, Nezuko?"
"Mm-mm!"
"You're worried about Kaidō-san? He's fine!"
"Hmph!" Nezuko puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Tanjiro.
"Okay, okay! Let's go check on him together!"
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"Based on the explosion's trajectory, it should be this way. Didn't expect that blast to be so powerful. My Fourth Form barely held!"
The earlier explosion—despite Kaidō's Fourth Form defense—had been so devastating it sent all five flying. Fortunately, no one suffered fatal injuries.
Tanjiro would need extended recovery time, though. His fight with Daki had left him severely wounded.
Tengen also avoided losing an eye or a hand—only suffering serious abrasions. This was the outcome Kaidō had aimed for. At least he'd protected Tengen.
"Found it." Kaidō stopped before a bloodstain—residue from Upper Rank Six's exploded body. He retrieved a blood collection device and gathered samples.
"Finally got another Upper Rank sample! Excellent!"
"Meow~" Chachamaru appeared.
Kaidō placed the collection device in the pouch on the cat's back and scratched its head affectionately. "Thanks, Chachamaru. Deliver this to Lady Tamayo."
Chachamaru enjoyed the attention briefly before departing.
Just as Kaidō stood to leave, arguing voices reached his ears. Following the sound, he understood immediately.
"Why'd you let that white-haired Demon Slayer kill you?? Big brother, you're supposed to be strong! Why'd your head come off??"
"You idiot! I was fighting a Hashira! And what about you? Why couldn't you kill those three brats and come support me?? You got beheaded too!"
"How is that my fault?? Those three didn't give me any openings! I couldn't support you! The real question is why you couldn't kill that Hashira!"
"You've got some nerve! I was facing TWO Hashira! One alone had me stretched thin! How was I supposed to help you?? You're supposed to be Upper Rank Six! Why are you so useless, you idiot??"
As Gyutaro and Daki argued, Tanjiro and Nezuko approached Kaidō. Watching the scene, they felt unexpected sympathy.
"Kaidō-san, what's..."
"Shh! Just watch."
"...You ugly bastard can't be my brother! We look nothing alike! There's no way we're related! Someone as hideous as you could never be my brother!"
"Are you kidding me?? Without me, you would've died a thousand times over! YOU'RE the useless one! Weak and worthless! Protecting you all this time was my biggest regr—mmph!"
Tanjiro couldn't stand it anymore. Before Gyutaro finished that sentence, he covered the demon's mouth. "That's a lie, right?? You don't mean that! Please—make up! You're siblings who survived together!"
"What you did is unforgivable. Many people will hate you, curse you. No one will be your ally. So at the very least... don't turn on each other."
Silence descended. Gyutaro remembered—right before Kaidō killed him, his sister had screamed for him to run, to abandon her. Something had stirred in his chest then.
For years, he'd protected his sister. She was foolish sometimes, weak at others. But they'd survived together since childhood.
Through scorching summers and freezing winters, they'd never abandoned each other. Always caring, always together.
"Sob... I can't accept this! I really can't! I don't want to die! I don't want to die, big brother! Do something..." Daki's words dissolved mid-sentence as she vanished.
"Ume!" Gyutaro called his sister's true name. Memories flooded back.
"Right... my sister's name is Ume, not Daki—that awful name! No, even Ume is terrible! Because it came from our mother's disease!"
Gyutaro had been born in the lowest depths of the Entertainment District. From childhood, his hideous appearance, filthy body covered in grime and oil—always accompanied by fleas and stench—made his mother and everyone else consider him a burden who wasted money just by existing. The district treated him like a monster.
Shortly after his sister's birth, their mother died of syphilis. Gyutaro and his sister survived together after that...
Scene after scene flashed through Gyutaro's mind like a revolving lantern.
"If not for me, maybe you would've had a better life. If you'd worked in a better establishment, you'd have become a proper, beautiful oiran."
"If you'd been born to parents in the next life, you'd become an ordinary daughter."
"If you'd been born into a good family, you'd become a treasured young lady."
"You became this way because I taught you to take before being taken from. To steal before being stolen from."
"Ume... you and I are different. But you'll always be my pride."
With those final thoughts, Gyutaro dissolved into ash.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has completed the mission.]
[Mission: Wear women's clothing and infiltrate Kyogoku House.]
[Reward: 10% Interdimensional Energy.]
[Hidden Mission: Slay Upper Rank Six.]
[Reward: Reincarnation Talisman (Single-use consumable), 10% Interdimensional Energy]
[Current Interdimensional Energy: 85%]
Reincarnation Talisman: Infuse with Interdimensional Energy to send target souls into reincarnation.
Kaidō retrieved the talisman from system storage, falling into contemplation. Then he smiled with quiet resolve.
'System, use the Reincarnation Talisman. Targets: Gyutaro and Daki.'
[Affirmative. Reincarnation Talisman activated. Consuming 15% Interdimensional Energy.]
[Current Interdimensional Energy: 70%]
The talisman ignited mid-air. An invisible wave shot toward where Gyutaro and Daki's spirits lingered.
"Consider this my parting gift. I hope your next lives are better."
COUGH!
Suddenly, Kaidō vomited a mouthful of blood. Confused, he questioned the System.
'System, what's wrong with my body? Why do I feel so strange?'
[Responding to Host: This is karmic backlash. Host may consume Interdimensional Energy to neutralize it.]
'Then do it!'
[Ding! Neutralization complete.]
[Current Interdimensional Energy: 60%]
"Kaidō-san! Are you okay??" Seeing Kaidō cough up blood, Tanjiro rushed forward to support him, assuming something was seriously wrong.
"I'm fine. Just felt a bit off. Let's head back."
Seeing Kaidō didn't want to elaborate, Tanjiro didn't press further. He understood—whatever had just happened was the reason for the blood.
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Hell.
Gyutaro stared at the scene before him. On one side—hellfire. On the other—Heaven's gate.
"Big brother!" Daki called from behind. She'd reverted to her human appearance.
"I'm going this way. Don't follow me!"
"Is that the exit? Wait for me, big brother..."
"I SAID DON'T FOLLOW ME! Didn't you hear??" Gyutaro roared.
Tears streamed down Daki's face.
"Are you still angry about what I said earlier?"
"I'm sorry, big brother. I shouldn't have said those things. I never thought you were ugly. You're the best brother in the entire world. I just... I couldn't accept that I was the reason we lost. I... I... I'm sorry! It's my fault for dragging you down!"
"I'm going this way. You go toward the light behind you. Starting now, we're not siblings anymore!"
Hearing this, Daki sprinted forward and threw herself at his back, sobbing: "No! No! I want to stay with you forever! No matter how many times we're reborn, I'll always be your sister! Don't hate me! Don't yell at me! Don't leave me alone! Sob... You promised we'd always be together!"
Hearing those words, Gyutaro remembered something he'd told her during a freezing winter long ago: "We'll be together forever! We don't fear cold or hunger! We're invincible. See? There's nothing to be afraid of."
He hoisted his sister onto his back and walked toward the hellfire—only to be stopped by an invisible barrier. Behind them, only Heaven's gate remained.
"I hope your next lives are better!" A voice echoed around them.
They recognized it immediately. They understood.
"Thank you."
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