Night, Yoshiwara Red-Light District.
As an officially sanctioned pleasure district, night marked the true beginning of the day in Yoshiwara.
Under the glow of colorful neon lights, gorgeously dressed courtesans swayed their hips and blew kisses toward pedestrians passing along the street.
Invited by the courtesans, men who had finished their day of work revealed knowing smiles and entered the pleasure houses, ready to begin their luxurious nightlife.
"Truly hideous."
Inside a brothel named Satonaya, Daki stood on the second floor and looked down at the crowd below.
As an Upper Rank Demon, Daki's standards for food were quite different from those of ordinary demons.
Simply put, she refused to eat ugly people.
Compared to those disgusting and filthy creatures, she preferred beautiful women and handsome men.
However...
"Not a single one worth looking at."
Watching the bustling street filled with people coming and going, Daki narrowed her eyes in irritation.
She had gained very little these past few days.
"Brother, it's time for us to change locations."
"Then we'll change locations."
A hoarse voice came from behind her.
Faced with his sister's request, Gyutaro supported her decision without hesitation.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Kyogoku House."
Daki immediately gave her answer.
As one of the top establishments in the Yoshiwara Red-Light District, Kyogoku House was famous for the high quality of its courtesans.
If she moved there, even without encountering particularly appealing customers, she would still have plenty of suitable food.
More importantly, she had taken a liking to Kyogoku House's current top courtesan.
That beautiful woman.
"Let's go, brother."
Having made her decision, Daki stopped hesitating. She turned around and prepared to head downstairs toward the pleasure district.
But at that moment, Gyutaro's voice sounded again.
"Sister, there's a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Hmm?"
Daki paused mid step.
"Where?"
"Right on the street. He appeared just after you turned around," Gyutaro replied.
In order to better protect Daki, he usually hid within her back.
With one watching the front and the other watching the rear, the siblings could observe everything happening around them.
Just like now.
After Daki turned around, the street scene naturally entered Gyutaro's line of sight.
"A thunder patterned haori... If I remember correctly, that should be the attire worn by the Thunder Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Which Hashira it is doesn't matter. What matters is that killing him will please Lord Muzan."
Daki returned to the window.
Her gaze swept across the street below, quickly locating the person Gyutaro had mentioned.
It was a black haired youth wearing a thunder patterned haori, with a Nichirin Blade hanging from his waist.
Staring at the youth's handsome face for a moment, Daki subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth.
Good.
Now she had one more reason to attack.
"He's looking over here."
Gyutaro's voice sounded again.
As if sensing Daki's gaze, the black haired youth on the street raised his head and looked directly toward her.
The moment their eyes met, Daki reached up and pulled the hairpin from the back of her head.
As if a seal had been released, her black hair instantly turned snow white.
At the same time, different characters appeared within her pupils.
[Upper Rank].
[Six].
Witnessing this scene, the black haired youth who had only been passing by froze for a brief moment, surprise flashing across his face.
Then, in the next instant, his figure blurred and disappeared from the spot, charging straight toward the pleasure house.
"Heh. Another one who isn't afraid of death. Just as expected."
Daki wore an expression that suggested she had already anticipated this reaction.
As an Upper Rank Demon, she and Gyutaro had killed a total of twenty two Hashira.
Some of those Hashira had been very weak. She could defeat them alone.
Others had been extremely strong, forcing Gyutaro to step in and assist.
But regardless of their strength, none of those Hashira had ever shown the slightest intention of retreating once the battle began.
"Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I'll give you the chance to say your last words."
Watching the black haired youth move from the street to the second floor of the pleasure house in only a few breaths, a mocking smile appeared on Daki's face.
"Before I kill you, is there anything you want to say?"
"My luck today is pretty good."
A smile appeared on Cain's face.
Because he knew the original storyline, he had gone directly to Kyogoku House earlier.
As one of the top establishments in Yoshiwara's pleasure district, Kyogoku House housed an extremely large number of courtesans.
Cain had spent more than an hour wandering among the women before finally realizing something.
The timeline he was currently in was too early.
Daki had not yet moved into Kyogoku House.
"I had already given up on the plan, but I never expected you to deliver yourself right to me."
"Good luck? Giving up on the plan?"
Daki frowned.
"Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You don't need to know that much."
Cain stepped forward, his hand gripping the hilt of the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
"Watch out!"
As if sensing something dangerous, Gyutaro shouted a warning.
At the same moment, the ground beneath Cain's feet exploded.
His body turned into a streak of lightning, crossing more than ten meters in an instant and appearing directly in front of Daki.
"Huh?"
Daki's eyes widened in shock.
Instinctively, she raised both hands to block in front of herself.
Sssshhh.
A sharp tearing sound echoed through the air.
Daki's hands and head were severed in a single slash.
Without any hesitation, Cain grabbed her head with his free hand and immediately dashed out of the pleasure house.
"Damn you! Stop right there!"
Gyutaro burst out from Daki's back, roaring with fury as he grabbed Daki's body and began chasing after Cain.
As an Upper Rank Demon, Gyutaro possessed extremely high speed.
Within just a few breaths, he had already closed a significant portion of the distance.
But at that moment, Cain's speed suddenly increased again, widening the gap between them.
"Bastard! Let go of my head!"
Seeing her brother falling behind, Daki completely lost her composure. Her face twisted with rage.
After living as an Upper Rank Demon for centuries, this was the first time she had ever suffered such humiliation.
Not only had her head been cut off, she was now being carried around like cargo.
"You're dead! You damned bastard! I will definitely..."
"Shut up!"
Cain punched Daki directly in the face.
"Keep running your mouth and I'll throw your head into a cesspit."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Heh. I really would."
Cain immediately made a sharp ninety degree turn.
"No! Don't! I was wrong!"
Daki's eyes widened as the rage on her face instantly transformed into terror.
As a long time resident of Yoshiwara, she knew better than anyone what lay ahead in that direction.
Realizing Cain was not joking, she immediately abandoned her pride and began begging for mercy.
"I won't speak! Do whatever you want, just don't throw my head into the cesspit!"
"To be honest, I preferred your earlier unyielding attitude."
Cain raised an eyebrow, then turned again and rushed back toward his original direction.
After losing her body, Daki was reduced to nothing more than a head, leaving her extremely limited in what she could do.
Carrying Daki's head while being chased by Gyutaro, Cain quickly left Yoshiwara's pleasure district and arrived at a nearby mountain range.
"Cain!"
Kochō Kanae, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped out from hiding and met up with him.
"Take this."
Cain tossed Daki's head toward her, then abruptly stopped and turned around.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
The solid ground shattered beneath his feet as Cain shot forward like lightning, appearing directly in front of Gyutaro.
"So fast!"
Gyutaro's pupils shrank.
Instinctively, he dropped Daki's body and raised his sickles.
BOOM.
A deafening impact echoed through the forest.
A terrifying force traveled through the sickles and slammed directly into Gyutaro's body.
His feet left the ground as he was blasted backward, crashing through more than a dozen trees before slamming violently into the earth.
At the same moment, Cain appeared directly in front of him.
Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!
Four slashes descended instantly.
The razor sharp blade severed Gyutaro's limbs in the blink of an eye.
By the time Gyutaro realized what had happened, all four of his limbs had already been cut off, leaving only a torso.
Of course, losing limbs was not a fatal injury for an Upper Rank Demon.
If Gyutaro wished, he could regenerate his entire body within a short period of time.
However...
Feeling the cold steel of a Nichirin Blade pressed against his neck, Gyutaro wisely stopped his regeneration.
"Mr. Gyutaro, you wouldn't want your sister to be exposed to sunlight, would you?"
"At this point, whether she gets exposed to sunlight or not hardly matters."
Daki's head had been cut off, and his own life was now completely in Cain's hands.
If Cain wished to kill him, all it would take was a slight movement of the blade.
Staring at the black haired youth whose strength had far exceeded his expectations, Gyutaro narrowed his eyes.
"Aren't you going to finish the job?"
"That depends on you."
Cain pulled out a syringe.
"I need you and your sister to cooperate with some research. If you're willing to help, I can let you live a little longer."
"Heh. You'll regret this."
"Regret what? Is that useless Kibutsuji Muzan going to suddenly appear and punch me?"
"..."
Gyutaro, who had been about to issue a threat, suddenly fell silent after hearing Cain's words.
Compared with being captured alive by Cain for research, a much more serious concern appeared in his mind.
His boss, Kibutsuji Muzan, probably hadn't heard what Cain just said.
Right?
...
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