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Chapter 171: Wish Fulfilled
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry…"
The young girl named Xiao Hong bowed her head repeatedly, her eyes red-rimmed as she desperately apologized to the man standing before her.
"Hah? You offended me, and you think 'sorry' is going to cut it? Hurry up and tell your boss to get the hell out here!"
Facing the girl's frantic apologies, Kaigaku only grew more arrogant. He had already made up his mind to blow this completely out of proportion.
Just like Suyan, he had received a mission from the Demon Slayer Corps. He was tasked with investigating the Yoshiwara Entertainment District for traces of a demon and eliminating it.
But unlike the overwhelmingly powerful Suyan, Kaigaku possessed a very clear sense of self-awareness. He knew full well that the Yoshiwara's prosperity ranked in the top three of the entire island nation, with the Entertainment District itself serving as its beating heart. If a man-eating demon was truly hiding in such a bustling, heavily populated area, its strength would be nothing to scoff at.
If it were a Lower Rank demon, he might not be able to defeat it, but given his speed with Thunder Breathing, running away wouldn't be an issue. But if he ran into an Upper Rank? He had absolutely zero confidence in escaping with his life.
Because of this, he deliberately chose broad daylight to pick a fight with this woman from the Kyogoku House. He was running a scam, pure and simple.
His goal was to beat the grass to startle the snake—to flush out whatever demon might be hiding in the shadows. And even if nothing came out, it didn't matter. He had the Demon Slayer Corps backing him up to wipe his ass afterward.
Did he care if this behavior offended people?
So what if it did? To him, everything else was meaningless. Surviving was the only thing that actually mattered.
"I'm so sorry, My Lord, please don't do this. I'll compensate you, I promise," Xiao Hong pleaded, panic fully overtaking her at Kaigaku's harsh words.
In truth, she wasn't a standard attendant at the Kyogoku House; she was an Apprentice Oiran still deep in her training.
In the red-light district, an Oiran was a high-class courtesan who sold both her art and her body, but the time and resources required to cultivate one were astronomical. Whether it was the four traditional arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—or the mastery of tea brewing and wine tasting, it all required years of grueling study. The entire process took at least three to five years.
And an Oiran's career lifespan rarely even reached the age of thirty.
Given the massive investment, an Oiran's worth was naturally incomparable to an ordinary working girl. Not only did they have the right to freely choose their clients, but they could even reject a customer halfway through a session if they felt uncomfortable.
However, in stark contrast to the luxurious treatment an Oiran received, the life of an Apprentice Oiran was relentlessly strict. Not only did they have to preserve their purity before their debut to protect their future value, but even the slightest mistake during their rigorous artistic training resulted in severe beatings and verbal abuse.
In the worst cases, they could be stripped of their Apprentice status entirely and sold off to some wretched back-alley brothel to become the lowest class of prostitute.
That was why Kaigaku's threat had terrified Xiao Hong so thoroughly. Even though she didn't possess a single coin to her name, her survival instincts kicked in, prompting her to instinctively offer compensation.
"Compensate me?"
Kaigaku sneered, entirely unmoved. He pressed his advantage without an ounce of mercy. "You think I care about whatever meager change you can scrape together? Hurry up and fetch your boss!"
"I'm sorry…"
Xiao Hong kept her head bowed, repeating the apology over and over like a broken record. If the madam found out about this, it wouldn't matter that she wasn't at fault. She was just a lowly Apprentice Oiran—how could she possibly defend herself against an armed samurai?
"Kaigaku?"
Just as the situation dissolved into a tense stalemate, a gentle voice called out from behind the arrogant swordsman.
"Who's there?!"
Hearing his name, Kaigaku snapped around to look behind him.
He saw a little girl. And trailing right behind her were a group of absolute freaks.
There was a woman draped over a man's back, her face completely obscured by a wrapping of thick sashes. There was another, even more bizarre figure wrapped entirely in a heavy cloak, not even their eyes exposed to the light.
The only relatively normal person in the group was the man carrying the sash-wrapped woman—though the fact that he was carrying her in broad daylight made him look just as suspicious.
This group, naturally, was Suyan, Daki, and Gyutaro.
"A pretty boy? What, are you trying to play hero for her?" Kaigaku tapped the hilt of the longsword at his waist, shooting Suyan a look of utter disdain. "I don't know where you heard my name, but don't think for a second that I'm afraid of you."
But instead of taking offense to the blatant provocation, Suyan simply smiled.
Kaigaku was born rotten to the core; there was no debating that fact. But as wicked as he was, his luck was also genuinely abysmal.
Many people might not know it, but aside from being the senior martial brother to Agatsuma Zenitsu, Kaigaku actually shared a deep history with the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei. In fact, one could argue that Gyomei's entire reason for joining the Demon Slayer Corps was entirely Kaigaku's fault.
Before joining the Corps, Gyomei had been a blind monk running a small, impoverished temple. At the time, the temple had taken in ten orphaned children, Kaigaku included.
But a blind monk trying to raise ten children who couldn't work was a recipe for crushing poverty. Their daily lives were warm and loving, but starvation was a constant companion.
One night, unable to endure the hunger any longer, Kaigaku decided to steal the temple's meager savings and run away. He was caught in the act by the other children, who quietly chased the rotten kid out into the night without telling Gyomei.
Unfortunately for them, that was the exact night the exiled Kaigaku crossed paths with a wandering demon.
Right as the monster prepared to devour him, Kaigaku successfully struck a deal: if the demon spared his life, he would guide it back to the temple and extinguish the Wisteria incense protecting the grounds.
He sold out his fellow orphans without a second thought.
The demon kept its word and let Kaigaku go. But after slaughtering almost every child in the temple, the demon was suddenly pinned to the ground by an enraged Gyomei, who relentlessly beat the creature to a bloody pulp with his bare hands from midnight straight until dawn.
Because the demon's corpse burned away in the morning sun, the villagers who arrived the next day only saw a blood-soaked Gyomei standing over the slaughtered children, alongside one surviving little girl who was too traumatized to speak coherently. Naturally, they assumed Gyomei was the murderer.
Ultimately, Gyomei was saved from execution by the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and was guided into the organization, eventually becoming the strongest Hashira of his generation.
And as for Kaigaku?
The boy who feared death above all else miraculously resurfaced years later as a formal member of the Demon Slayer Corps. He became Zenitsu's senior and was even positioned to eventually inherit the title of Roaring Hashira.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, there were only two ways to become a Hashira: slay a Lower Rank of the Twelve Kizuki, or accumulate a kill count of fifty demons.
Right before the final battle at the Infinity Castle, Kaigaku had already earned the right to patrol the nights completely alone. He was likely only a few missions and a handful of kills away from reaching the rank of Hashira.
And then, on the very eve of the final battle, he had the sheer misfortune of running into Upper Rank 1, Kokushibo—a demon who hadn't left his stronghold in centuries. Kaigaku was instantly defeated.
To save his own life, he groveled and accepted Kokushibo's blood, eventually filling the vacant seat of Upper Rank 6 left behind after Daki and Gyutaro's deaths.
But the very next day, the Infinity Castle arc began.
Before his newly awakened Blood Demon Art was even fully warmed up, he was decapitated by his junior, Zenitsu. And within twenty-four hours, Muzan's entire lineage of demons was permanently eradicated by the Corps.
Talk about boarding a sinking ship.
But Suyan couldn't care less about the Corps' history. What he truly cared about was the Blood Demon Art Kaigaku would awaken once he became Upper Rank 6.
It was the exact ability Suyan had been dreaming of—the power to freely manipulate lightning, something he had failed to acquire from Hantengu just a few days ago. And not just any lightning; Kaigaku's Blood Demon Art manipulated visually striking, devastating black lightning.
Suyan hadn't even gone looking for him, yet the man had delivered himself right to his doorstep.
This was incredibly lucky.
Suyan tilted his head, feigning mild curiosity as he asked, "Do you still remember Himejima Gyomei?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Kaigaku's heart violently seized in his chest, but he quickly shook his head, intentionally playing dumb.
The name Himejima Gyomei was an absolute nightmare that had never stopped haunting him. After surviving the demon attack all those years ago, he had eventually stumbled upon the former Roaring Hashira, who took him in as an apprentice. He mastered every single form of Thunder Breathing except for the First Form, effortlessly passed the Final Selection, and became a formal Demon Slayer.
Just as he was starting to forget his disgraceful past and prepare for a good life, he was hit with a shocking revelation—there was a Hashira in the Corps named Himejima Gyomei.
In Kaigaku's mind, that blind monk should have been slaughtered by the demon alongside the other brats. When he first heard the name, it nearly scared the soul straight out of his body.
After doing some discreet investigating, he confirmed that the Stone Hashira was indeed the very same monk who had taken him in. Not only had Gyomei survived, but he had climbed to the absolute pinnacle of the Corps.
Kaigaku was terrified. He lived in constant, paralyzing fear that Gyomei would discover he was the one who led the demon to the temple. It was the sole reason why someone of his skill level intentionally slacked off during missions, deliberately avoiding promotions so he wouldn't draw the Stone Hashira's attention.
"Don't want to admit it? That's fine, I don't really care either way," Suyan continued effortlessly. "I'm just curious… knowing that Himejima Gyomei became the Stone Hashira, how do you still have the nerve to stay in the Demon Slayer Corps? Aren't you terrified he'll take his revenge?"
The words hit like a physical blow.
Kaigaku instantly realized that the man standing before him absolutely knew his darkest secret. He subtly shifted his hand, resting it on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword. Murderous intent flooded his heart.
"Thinking of making a move?"
Kaigaku's subtle shift didn't escape Suyan's eyes. He shot the swordsman a brief glance before turning his head toward the cloaked Gyutaro, casually withdrawing the Nen chains binding the demon.
"Go on, Gyutaro," Suyan ordered flatly. "Teach him a lesson."
The sudden disappearance of his bindings made Gyutaro pause. He glanced at Kaigaku, then back at Suyan, and finally looked at his sister resting on Suyan's back. For a brief moment, the Upper Rank demon was at a complete loss for what to do.
Seeing this, Daki, still clinging to Suyan, urged him impatiently. "Brother, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and go!"
"Oh, right."
Gyutaro scratched his head. He couldn't wrap his mind around the situation, so he decided it was best to just listen to his sister. Even though this guy wasn't a samurai, but a Demon Slayer, it was all the same to him.
With a swift motion, Gyutaro threw off the heavy cloak, revealing his emaciated, sickly frame. He manifested a pair of vicious blood sickles in his hands and launched himself straight at Kaigaku.
"Don't kill him," Suyan added casually. "I need him alive."
By the time the words landed, Gyutaro was already practically in Kaigaku's face. Hearing the command, the lethal momentum behind his blood sickles instantly deflated, pulling back thirty percent of his raw physical power.
A demon?!
Kaigaku's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He had just been trying to beat the grass, but he had actually managed to flush out a real demon! And worse, this group knew his history.
Could it be? he thought frantically. Are they connected to the demon I made that deal with back then?
Before he could process the thought, Gyutaro's blood sickles came crashing down.
Kaigaku inhaled sharply. Golden electricity crackled across his body as he drew his Nichirin Sword in a flash, desperately parrying the incoming strike.
"Mr. Customer?"
The little girl, Koharu, tugged on Xiao Hong's sleeve, pulling her closer to Suyan. She looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. She had brought Suyan here hoping he would stand up for her Sister Xiao Hong, but she never imagined it would escalate to a full-blown battle!
If they kept fighting like this, they were going to tear the entire Kyogoku House to the ground! And knowing that she was the one who started it… the blood instantly drained from Koharu's face.
The older Xiao Hong didn't look much better.
Suyan offered them a reassuring look. "Don't worry, this has nothing to do with you. This is a personal grudge."
With that, he turned his attention back to the clash between the current Upper Rank 6 and the future Upper Rank 6.
After only a single exchange, Kaigaku immediately realized that the green-haired demon in front of him was absolutely no ordinary monster. The demon was clearly holding back, yet the sheer force of the blow had left Kaigaku's sword-arm completely numb. He was hopelessly outmatched.
Factor in the woman calling the demon "brother," and the terrifying man effortlessly barking orders at them… continuing this fight was suicide.
"Thunder Breathing! Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Kaigaku instantly adjusted his breathing rhythm. With a burst of blinding speed, his entire body transformed into a streak of lightning.
The Fourth Form boasted speed and explosive power second only to the First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
As for why he didn't just use the First Form? Simple. He didn't know how.
There were two reasons. First, the First Form was an extreme, high-speed draw-slash. Kaigaku wielded a massive nodachi that, when stood upright, was only a head shorter than he was. Executing a standard draw-slash with a weapon of that length was physically impossible. Second, the First Form was a straightforward, linear attack that left the user incredibly vulnerable. He refused to learn it.
He firmly believed that bigger was better and longer was stronger. He had never once considered abandoning his massive blade just to learn a dangerous technique.
However, Kaigaku didn't aim his Fourth Form at Gyutaro. He aimed it straight at Suyan.
Attack what the enemy must defend.
Kaigaku's logic was crystal clear. He couldn't beat Gyutaro in a straight fight. But Suyan was a different story. If he was successful, he could kill the man holding his darkest secret. Even if he failed, forcing Gyutaro to turn back and defend his master would create the perfect opening for Kaigaku to flee.
It was still broad daylight outside. All he had to do was burst out of the building and stand in the sun. These creatures of the night wouldn't be able to touch him.
No matter how he calculated it, this outcome was infinitely better than fighting Gyutaro to the death.
Unfortunately for him, reality was about to prove much, much worse.
If he had stuck to fighting Gyutaro, he could have at least survived a few minutes longer.
But attacking Suyan?
I've got him!
Kaigaku briefly wondered why Gyutaro hadn't turned back to save the man, nor taken the opportunity to strike Kaigaku's exposed back. But as Suyan's face rapidly closed in, a twisted look of triumph spread across Kaigaku's features.
Then, the very next second—
SNAP!
A catastrophic wave of kinetic force reverberated down the length of the Nichirin Sword. Kaigaku gripped the hilt with everything he had, barely preventing the weapon from flying out of his hands.
But as he looked down...
Kaigaku stared in absolute, unadulterated horror at the shattered blade in his hands. "It… it broke? How is that possible?"
What had just happened?
Right before his Fourth Form could connect, this man had simply flicked a single finger against the flat of the blade.
And the Nichirin Sword had completely shattered?
With that kind of apocalyptic physical strength, combined with the way he effortlessly commanded an Upper Rank demon… was this man an Upper Rank himself?
"I'm sorry, I was wrong!"
Kaigaku didn't hesitate for a microsecond. He threw the useless hilt aside and threw himself onto his knees, pressing his forehead directly against the floorboards. "Please, don't kill me!" he begged, his tone drenched in pathetic subservience.
"Since you know what happened back then, you know exactly what kind of person I am! If you spare my life, I can be your spy! I can find out exactly where the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters is located!"
"You definitely want to wipe out the Demon Slayers, right? I can help you!"
Even Suyan was momentarily stunned by the sheer lack of dignity.
People always said that a wise man submits to his circumstances, but a man as utterly shameless as Kaigaku was a rare breed indeed. The fluidity of his groveling was so seamless that it left Suyan speechless.
Even Daki and Gyutaro, demons who had lived for centuries, had never seen a human fold this fast.
"I suppose I should expect nothing less from you," Suyan muttered.
Keeping his head firmly pressed against the floor, Kaigaku forced a sickeningly sycophantic smile. "Yes, yes, whatever My Lord says is right."
"Kaigaku. Do you want to live?"
Suyan ignored the flattery. It was precisely because Kaigaku was so utterly terrified of dying that this transaction was even possible.
"Yes!" Kaigaku's eyes lit up with desperate hope, blurting out the answer instantly.
He had gambled right again. Just like when he sold out the orphans and Himejima Gyomei to that demon all those years ago, his betrayal had bought him another chance at life.
"Drink it!"
Without another word, Suyan tossed a small vial toward him.
"My Lord, what is this?" Kaigaku scrambled frantically to catch the vial, staring at it with hesitation.
"Demon blood," Suyan replied coldly.
If he wanted Kaigaku to transform into a demon so he could harvest his Blood Demon Art, he naturally had to provide the catalyst. This was the very last drop of Muzan's blood in his possession; the rest had been handed over to Tamayo for her research.
But using it on Kaigaku was undoubtedly a worthy investment.
"What?!"
If Suyan had said it was poison, Kaigaku would have accepted it. But demon blood? Drinking this meant becoming a creature of the night, forever banished from the sun!
"My Lord, it's not that I don't want to become a demon. I desperately wish to ascend to your noble status, but…" Kaigaku looked up, desperately trying to negotiate. "If I become a demon, I won't be able to stay undercover and find the Corps Headquarters for you!"
"That's fine, I don't care about that. Or… would you rather just die right now?" Suyan's voice dropped to a freezing chill.
"No, no! I'll drink it! I'll drink it right now!"
With his options completely exhausted, Kaigaku understood perfectly well that if he didn't drink the blood, he wouldn't be walking out of this room alive. He uncorked the vial, tilted his head back, and prepared to pour the crimson liquid down his throat.
"Wait!"
Suyan's voice suddenly halted his movements.
Kaigaku's face lit up with a spark of joy. Had the man changed his mind? He eagerly looked up, his fingers already moving to put the cork back in.
But Suyan's next words plunged Kaigaku's heart into absolute ice.
"I forgot to mention… I need you to awaken a Blood Demon Art that manipulates lightning. You're a swordsman who uses Thunder Breathing, so you should be able to manage that, right?"
"Of course, if you can't, that's fine too. You can just go die."
"Yes! Yes, I understand!"
Kaigaku was shaking uncontrollably. Faced with such a terrifying, impossible demand, he had no choice but to force a stiff, terrified smile and nod obediently. Without his Nichirin Sword, he didn't have a shred of leverage to fight back.
Gritting his teeth, Kaigaku poured the demon blood into his mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp.
As it went down, he focused his mind entirely on Suyan's demand, frantically visualizing every single form of Thunder Breathing in his head. Even as the blood began to tear his cells apart, he forced his lungs to maintain the exact rhythmic breathing required for Thunder Breathing.
It was the only possible way he could think of to satisfy Suyan's twisted demand.
As the blood assimilated into his biology, an agonizing, overwhelming pain instantly engulfed his entire body. But his sheer terror of death drove him forward, refusing to let the Thunder Breathing rhythm break for even a second.
Finally.
Faint arcs of black lightning began to crackle across Kaigaku's skin.
Slowly, the arcs multiplied.
Crackle. Buzz.
In mere moments, Kaigaku's entire body was wreathed in violent, destructive black lightning. His teeth sharpened into jagged fangs, and dark, jagged markings spread across his face.
"I did it!"
Kaigaku clenched his fists, the black electricity surging violently around him. He felt an unfathomable well of power overflowing within his body.
With this kind of strength… even if Himejima Gyomei were standing right in front of him, Kaigaku felt entirely confident he could tear the man to pieces.
"So this is the power of a demon?" Kaigaku muttered to himself, awe-struck. "It's incredible!"
With this kind of power, he could undoubtedly live a very, very long time.
"My Lord!"
Despite his newfound strength, Kaigaku maintained his subservient attitude, looking up at Suyan with deep reverence.
In response, Suyan produced the Contract Parchment he had prepared well in advance.
He handed it to the newly minted demon. "Here."
"This… this… this…"
Kaigaku respectfully took the parchment with both hands, but as he read the contents, his blood ran cold.
He was demanding that Kaigaku hand over the power he had literally just awakened?
How could he possibly accept this?
Kaigaku's eyes darted wildly around the room. He was a demon now, and the sun was blazing outside. Escaping was physically impossible. But with this newfound power surging through his veins, could he fight back?
His mind raced at a million miles an hour. The black lightning around his body flared dangerously, making it look as though he was about to launch a desperate, explosive attack.
But just as quickly, the chaotic energy settled down.
As agonizing as it was to part with this god-like power, he was far more terrified of death.
"Yes, yes, of course, My Lord. I agree! This power was bestowed upon me by you, it is only natural that I dedicate it back to you."
Kaigaku remained on his knees, forcing another grotesquely sycophantic smile as he addressed Suyan.
But the moment the words left his lips, a blinding sphere of crackling black lightning forcefully tore itself from Kaigaku's chest. The orb drifted through the air and smoothly phased directly into Suyan's body.
"I finally got it… Black Lightning!"
Suyan rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and a violent spark of black electricity danced across his fingertips. It was exactly what he had been waiting for—the power to freely manipulate lightning.
"It actually worked?!"
Kaigaku stared at the lightning dancing across Suyan's fingers, his eyes bulging in utter disbelief. To possess such terrifying, reality-bending power… was this man actually the legendary Demon King, Muzan?
Before his shock could even begin to fade, Suyan began moving again.
"Wait, My Lord, what are you doing to me?!" Kaigaku panicked.
"You've outlived your usefulness," Suyan said coldly. "But don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I'm just relocating you."
Without waiting for Kaigaku's response, Suyan conjured several thick chains. He manipulated them to bind nearby wooden floorboards and debris, quickly forming a sturdy wooden box right around Kaigaku's body, sealing him inside.
He then layered a portion of his Nen over the box to keep it tightly shut.
Suyan didn't say another word. He really wasn't going to kill Kaigaku; if Kaigaku died, the Black Lightning would vanish with him. He was simply sealing him in the box. The Nen lock would naturally dissipate once night fell, and Kaigaku would be free to let himself out.
If he left Kaigaku in the Kyogoku House, it would be no different than setting up an all-you-can-eat buffet for the demon. And since Kaigaku couldn't step outside in the sunlight on his own, Suyan was just going to help him out.
Suyan casually picked up the heavy wooden box containing Kaigaku, walked over to the doorway, and forcefully hurled it out into the district.
With a demon's regenerative abilities, as long as the box didn't break open in the sun, the impact wouldn't kill him.
Dusting his hands off, Suyan turned his attention back to Daki, who was still resting on his back.
"Alright, everything here is settled," Suyan said. "Have you thought about it, Daki? Do you want to become my pet?"
"Mmm…"
Having witnessed everything Suyan had just accomplished, Daki's eyes were sparkling with sheer adoration.
Unrivaled power. The ability to casually bestow demon blood. The terrifying power to rip away a Blood Demon Art. And on top of all that, the ability to consume human food and stand in the sunlight.
This man was a far more perfect demon than even Lord Muzan!
And he was willing to let her conquer the sun and eat normal food too?!
If that was the case…
"Then there is only one answer! I pledge my absolute loyalty to you, my Master!"
Daki pressed herself tightly against Suyan's back, her entire body trembling in ecstasy. Unable to contain herself, she playfully darted her tongue out, licking his earlobe.
Her unbridled excitement transferred directly to Suyan, making his own body involuntarily shiver in response.
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