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Kaido's estate.
"What... what just happened?" Kagaya stared at his surroundings in complete bewilderment.
His last memory was detonating the explosives, critically wounding Muzan Kibutsuji—and then in the blink of an eye, he'd arrived at Kaido's residence.
"Forgive me, Kagaya. This was my decision. Please don't blame the Dragon Hashira." Amane's voice was gentle but firm.
"I could never blame you, Amane. This outcome... I simply didn't anticipate it. I should have known Kaido would figure out my plan."
"Oyakata-sama!" Jigoro Kuwajima approached from the courtyard, followed by ten Kinoe-ranked swordsmen.
"Kuwajima-san, this is—"
"Everything has been arranged by the Dragon Hashira, Oyakata-sama. Please remain inside where it's safe."
"Please take care of yourself, Oyakata-sama!" The ten swordsmen spoke in unison.
Kagaya smiled softly. In the end, Kaido had anticipated everything—prepared for every contingency. He'd probably even accounted for the battle against Muzan itself.
Shortly after, Risa and Tamayo arrived at the estate, guided by Kuroha.
"Lady Tamayo, your arm—"
"I'd planned to die alongside Muzan. But Kaido-kun saved me. I suppose he predicted this outcome from the very beginning."
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Infinity Castle.
"Mist Breathing, Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist!"
Muichiro's blade carved through the air eight times in rapid succession, eliminating the surrounding demons before he continued forward with Gyomei, searching for Muzan's location.
"There are so many demons here."
"They've been elevated to Lower Rank level strength. Muzan's trying to wear us down through sheer numbers."
"Oyakata-sama... what happened to him?"
"He went ahead of us. Dignified and resolute until the very end."
"...I don't believe Muzan could have found him. Did Oyakata-sama sacrifice himself as bait?"
"Yes..."
Rage flooded through Muichiro at Gyomei's confirmation.
"First my brother, and now Muzan's taken our father figure too! I'll never forgive him! I'll make him suffer—force him to witness hell with his own eyes before he dies!"
"Don't worry. We all feel the same way."
What they didn't know was that Kagaya hadn't died at all—and Kaido had deliberately kept this information from them.
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"Sis, I smell blood here. It's thick—coming from behind this door..."
SLIDE!!
Shinobu opened the wooden door beside them. The sight that greeted them was grotesque—puddles of blood covering the floor, several young women's corpses scattered across the room.
Doma, mid-meal on a female victim, sensed their presence and turned around. His eyes lit up with delight.
"Oh? Oh my! Visitors! Two beautiful young ladies! You both look so young and delicious~ I'll have to thank Nakime properly later! Though why do you seem so familiar? Have we met before?"
Doma held a severed arm casually, blood still dripping from his smiling lips.
The moment Shinobu saw him, pure hatred blazed in her eyes. This was the demon who'd killed her sister—or rather, who had killed Kanae before Kaido resurrected her.
Her sister had described him perfectly: hair that looked blood-splattered, always wearing that infuriating smile, wielding a pair of razor-sharp iron fans as weapons.
Even though Kanae had been brought back to life, the hatred Shinobu harbored couldn't be erased. Now, face to face with Doma, old wounds tore open fresh.
"Oh my! Beautiful young lady, you seem to really hate me! But I don't recall ever meeting you before~"
"You haven't met me—but you hurt my sister. Even though she's alive now, I still hate you with every fiber of my being!" Shinobu's face contorted with fury.
Kanae gripped her sister's hand tightly, terrified she'd do something reckless.
"Your sister? You mean the lovely lady beside you? She does look familiar! Wait, let me check..." Doma inserted a finger into his own skull, stirring his brain matter around casually.
"Ah! Found it! I remember now—you're that girl who used Flower Breathing! But didn't you die? How are you alive again?"
"Well, this works out perfectly! I didn't get to grant you eternal salvation last time. This time, I'll definitely rescue both of you—including your adorable little sister!"
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting—True Strike!"
While Doma rambled on, Shinobu struck—a vicious thrust that pierced straight through his eye socket and into his brain. The blade carried concentrated wisteria poison.
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice!"
Doma showed no panic. He casually waved his fan, scattering lotus-shaped ice crystals. Several attached to Shinobu's exposed skin, forming thin layers of frost.
Shinobu retreated quickly, feeling the intense cold and sharp pain in her lungs.
"Shinobu, you were too reckless!" Kanae immediately drew her Nichirin Blade and positioned herself protectively in front of her sister.
"Such a shame~ Piercing attacks won't kill me, you know! You have to sever the head completely!"
"cough... Then what about poison?"
Purple discoloration spread from Doma's eye, the toxin creeping across his entire face like a living thing.
Gradually, Doma's expression shifted. He collapsed to his knees, vomiting blood.
"This poison... cough... it's much stronger than what you used at Mount Natagumo... cough..."
'So they do share information...' Shinobu noted mentally.
"Cough... oh? Looks like I've decomposed it already! Sorry about that! You went to all that trouble to poison me. As a token of appreciation, let me give you both a gift!"
"Blood Demon Art: Spreading Lotus Vine!"
Ice-wreathed vines erupted from his fans, surging toward the Kocho sisters while radiating bone-chilling cold.
Kanae knew Doma's attacks carried freezing toxins—a single touch would bind and immobilize her. But she couldn't dodge. Shinobu stood directly behind her.
"Flower Breathing, Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum!"
Her blade traced patterns like plum blossoms in full bloom, arcing slashes deflecting the incoming vines. But one tendril slipped through her defense, striking her leg. Ice immediately crystallized around the wound.
"SIS!" Watching Kanae take the hit for her, Shinobu felt utterly powerless.
She lacked the physical strength to decapitate demons. Even her specialized poison had been neutralized effortlessly. But she quickly banished those thoughts, her expression hardening with resolve.
Before Kanae could stop her, Shinobu charged forward—ready to face Doma alone and create an opening for her sister.
"Shinobu, NOOOOOOOOO!"
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Centipede—Hundred-Legged Zigzag!"
Doma watched her impossibly fast movements with mild interest. Her footwork was unpredictable, zigging and zagging in all directions, moving with enough force to shatter the wooden bridge beneath her feet.
Suddenly, Shinobu appeared directly in front of him. Doma swung his fan—
But Shinobu ducked beneath the strike. Her Nichirin Blade pierced clean through his throat. Using the momentum from her legs, she drove both of them upward, slamming Doma against the ceiling.
The unexpected force pinned Doma to the ceiling through his throat, unable to move. Massive amounts of poison pumped directly into his neck.
He reached out to grab Shinobu, intending to absorb her into his body.
"Sis! Now!"
"Flower Breathing, Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Ignoring the pain in her leg, Kanae launched herself upward. Her blade carved two successive arcing slashes from below, targeting Doma's neck.
Doma abandoned Shinobu, using both fans to deflect the attacks.
ROAR!!!
A sound like a dragon's cry echoed from above the ceiling. Something massive was about to break through.
Kanae caught Shinobu and immediately leapt away from their position.
CRASH!!!
A greatsword punched through the ceiling, descending like divine judgment. The blade struck Doma—who was still pinned to the ceiling—and drove him downward.
The sword's placement was... unfortunate.
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"Where the hell is Doma? Last time I was too weak to kill you. This time, I'm not letting you escape!"
After demolishing a section of the Infinity Castle with explosives, Kaido had been searching for Doma specifically. He had a score to settle.
During their previous encounter, Kaido had been far too weak. Doma had toyed with him like a cat playing with a mouse. If Doma had been serious about killing him—if dawn hadn't arrived when it did—Kaido would have died that day without question.
While searching, his danger sense suddenly activated.
'This feeling... above me? No—below!'
'And there are multiple human presences down there. Something's happening. Doma can wait.'
"Dragon Breathing, Second Form: Dragon Claw!"
CRASH!!!
A devastating vertical slash shattered the floor beneath his feet. The excessive force cracked everything in a wide radius—including the section Kaido was standing on.
He fell through the hole he'd created.
What Kaido hadn't anticipated was that his attack had obliterated multiple layers. As he descended, his greatsword—still pointing downward—impaled something soft on the way down.
Specifically, it impaled the demon Shinobu had just pinned to the ceiling via his throat.
The blade went straight through Doma's rear end.
"Kanae-nee? Shinobu-nee? What are you two doing here?"
"..." The Kocho sisters stood frozen, unsure how to respond. Shinobu simply pointed at Kaido's feet.
Kaido looked down—and found himself staring at that infuriatingly fake smile he despised more than anything.
"Hello again, adorable white-haired hunter~ We meet again! You look different though. Even prettier than last time!" Doma, face-down on the floor with a greatsword through his posterior, craned his neck to grin up at Kaido.
"Holy shit!" Kaido yanked his blade free and flash-stepped to the Kocho sisters' side—"accidentally" stepping on Doma's face on his way past, leaving a perfect boot print.
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