A corner of the Infinity Castle.
Rengoku Shinjuro gripped his Nichirin Blade as he cut down the demons charging toward him from every direction.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, the number of demons gradually began to decrease. Taking the opportunity to catch his breath, Rengoku Shinjuro turned his head and looked toward the figure behind him.
"Master, are you unharmed?"
"Do not worry about me, Shinjuro."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's complexion was somewhat pale.
Because of the curse placed upon his bloodline, his physical condition had always been extremely fragile.
Simply moving around within a place like the Infinity Castle was already a heavy burden for him.
"Hold on a little longer. It will soon be over."
Rengoku Shinjuro gazed into the distance.
It had already been nearly forty minutes since he and Ubuyashiki Kagaya had fallen into the Infinity Castle.
During that time, violent explosions and blazing flames had erupted somewhere far away. Not long after, several extremely conspicuous fireworks had appeared in the sky.
After hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya's explanation, he understood the meaning behind those signals.
Now that Nakime had been brought under control, the initiative in this battle had shifted from the demons to the Demon Slayer Corps.
If everything was truly as Ubuyashiki Kagaya had predicted, then this battle would soon be ov...
Duang~!
A crisp note from a biwa echoed through the air.
Rengoku Shinjuro instantly tensed, grabbing Ubuyashiki Kagaya's arm.
However, contrary to his expectations, the surrounding architecture did not shift this time. Neither he nor Ubuyashiki Kagaya were transported elsewhere.
The only change was the sudden appearance of a shoji door on the ground not far in front of them.
"This is..."
As if realizing something, Rengoku Shinjuro turned to look at Ubuyashiki Kagaya beside him.
"Let's go, Shinjuro."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya took a slow breath.
If Nakime were still in control of the castle, she would never open a door in such a manner.
With a trace of anticipation rising in his heart, Ubuyashiki Kagaya and Rengoku Shinjuro stepped through the shoji door.
In the next moment, the scenery around them changed completely.
They had returned to the Ubuyashiki Residence.
It was already late at night. The sky was clear and cloudless, and bright moonlight spilled gently into the courtyard.
Under Ubuyashiki Kagaya's watchful gaze, Cain appeared first, followed by Kochō Shinobu and the others.
Seeing that no one was missing, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who had been holding his breath in tension, finally relaxed.
His gaze then shifted to Kibutsuji Muzan, who lay at Cain's feet.
"Would you like to take a few swings?"
Cain raised his Nichirin Blade.
"I can enchant it for you. Don't worry about not being able to cut him."
"No need. Send him on his way directly."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya gently shook his head.
For him, simply witnessing Muzan's death with his own eyes was already enough.
"What about the rest of you? Anyone interested in taking a few swings?"
Seeing that Ubuyashiki Kagaya had no intention of doing so, Cain turned his gaze toward Tamayo, Kochō Shinobu, and the others.
Everyone standing here carried some level of hatred toward Kibutsuji Muzan.
For people like Tamayo and the Kochou sisters, he was the culprit who had destroyed their families.
If anyone wished to personally deliver the final blow, Cain did not mind temporarily enchanting their weapons with Ripple energy.
"I would like to, but after becoming a demon, I can't casually touch that ability of yours, right?"
Kochō Shinobu placed her marble case on the ground.
"Let's not make things complicated. You should do it yourself."
"Alright. Then I will."
After hearing Kochō Shinobu's reminder, Cain also realized that the others could not casually come into contact with Ripple energy.
With that in mind, he did not hesitate any longer.
Raising his Nichirin Blade, he swung it down toward Muzan.
In an instant, the blade wrapped in golden lightning pierced through Muzan's chest. A vast surge of Ripple energy flowed directly into Muzan's body through the wound.
Under the attack of the Ripple, Muzan, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes wide and screamed as he briefly regained awareness.
But before he could speak, starting from the point where the blade had pierced him, his body began to disintegrate.
A few seconds later, under the silent gaze of the Demon Slayer Corps members, the Demon King who had wreaked havoc for more than a thousand years and caused countless tragedies turned into black ash and scattered into the air.
"And that settles it."
Cain returned his Nichirin Blade to its sheath.
Every demon created by Muzan had been implanted with a bloodline curse.
Now that Muzan had died, the other demons bound by this bloodline curse would also vanish along with him.
The only exceptions were Tamayo, who had already broken free from the curse, and the Demon Slayer Corps members whom she had transformed.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
At that moment, Ubuyashiki Kagaya suddenly began coughing violently while covering his mouth.
"Master!"
Himejima Gyomei immediately rushed forward to support him.
"Do not worry. I am fine."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a faint trace of color returned to his face.
After Muzan's death, he could clearly feel the invisible pressure that had burdened his bloodline disappear.
It was as if a cage had finally been shattered.
For the first time in many years, Ubuyashiki Kagaya felt vitality and life flowing through his body.
"The bloodline curse... has finally been lifted."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya let out a long breath.
Looking toward the black haired youth not far away, he slightly bent forward and bowed.
"Cain, on behalf of the Ubuyashiki Clan and every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, I sincerely thank you."
"This kindness will be remembered forever. If you ever require assistance, you may come to me at any time."
"Since you say that, I won't hold back."
Cain accepted the gratitude without hesitation.
"I need the connections of the Ubuyashiki Clan to help me gather medicinal ingredients."
"Medicinal ingredients?"
"Yes. The ingredients needed to create the evolution potion."
Although he had already obtained the formula for the Demon King potion from Kibutsuji Muzan, that did not mean the matter was finished.
Creating the complete Demon King potion required a large quantity of rare and valuable medicinal ingredients.
The most important one was the Blue Spider Lily.
Although Cain knew it grew somewhere near the Kamado family's residence, locating the Kamado family itself was far from easy.
Without borrowing the influence of the Ubuyashiki Clan, gathering all the ingredients within a short time would be extremely difficult.
Cain looked at Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
"If the materials are sufficient, I can make a few extra evolution potions and give them to you."
"There will be no need for the evolution potion. I will help you collect the materials."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya shook his head and declined the offer.
As the head of the Ubuyashiki family, he fully understood what the evolution potion represented.
The fewer of such dangerous things that existed, the better.
After all, not everyone was as cowardly and foolish as Muzan.
If the evolution potion fell into the hands of dangerous individuals, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After thinking for a moment, Ubuyashiki Kagaya suddenly had an idea.
"Cain, after you create and use the evolution potion, I plan to send people to eliminate environments where the Blue Spider Lily may grow. What do you think?"
"That's fine. As long as it doesn't affect my share of the evolution potion."
Cain agreed without hesitation.
For him, as long as he obtained the Demon King potion and strengthened the power of this 'Cain' collective, the mission would already be complete.
As for what happened afterward, even if Ubuyashiki Kagaya decided to eradicate the Blue Spider Lily completely, or even overthrow the Japanese imperial family, Cain would gladly support it.
After a short discussion to confirm the next steps, the post battle meeting regarding Muzan finally came to an end.
Accompanied by Kochō Shinobu and Kochō Kanae, Cain began walking toward the Butterfly Mansion.
The moonlight poured down quietly while a cool night breeze drifted through the air.
Kochō Shinobu walked along the bluestone path, her eyes flickering as if she were thinking about something.
After some time passed, she turned her head and looked at the black haired youth walking beside her.
"Cain, after you finish making and using the evolution potion, what do you plan to do?"
"Hmm... first help the two of you complete your imperfections. Otherwise you won't be able to walk under sunlight."
"And after that?"
Kochō Kanae joined the conversation.
Her purple eyes met Cain's gaze, curiosity visible on her face.
"After we complete our imperfections and gain the ability to walk under the sun, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't have any specific plans yet. I might overthrow the Japanese imperial family and become the boss."
"Huh? Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"You can treat it as a joke."
Cain shrugged and laughed softly.
Although this was a parallel world, history after the Taisho era would inevitably reach a sensitive period.
Considering the circumstances surrounding DanMachi Cain, the most he could do to help was collect a certain deed.
Of course, all of that would happen after taking the evolution potion.
As for before that...
Looking at the Kochou sisters standing beside him, he raised both hands and extended one toward each of them.
"Do you want to become my women?"
"Hey! What kind of strange thing are you suddenly saying!"
A blush appeared on Kochō Shinobu's face.
Her thoughts, which had been focused on Cain's earlier outrageous statement, were instantly thrown into chaos.
"This is the Taisho era! Even if you get married, you can only have one wife!"
"So what!"
Cain declared without hesitation.
"I've fought battles my entire life. Can't I enjoy myself a little now?"
"This..."
Kochō Shinobu was momentarily speechless.
The wording was crude, but the logic itself was not entirely unreasonable.
Not knowing how to respond, she turned toward her sister.
"Sister! Say something!"
"I have no problem with it."
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
Kochō Kanae tilted her head slightly.
"Do you dislike Cain?"
"Well... no, not exactly."
"Then there is nothing to hesitate about."
Kochō Kanae revealed a gentle smile.
Compared to the shy Kochō Shinobu, she showed almost no reaction to Cain's proposal.
Not only was he handsome, he also possessed miraculous cooking skills and was practically perfect in many ways.
Beyond that, Cain had helped treat Kanao's psychological trauma and had personally killed Kibutsuji Muzan, completing her long awaited revenge. These were enormous merits.
All of these factors combined meant that Kochō Kanae's impression of Cain was not merely positive. She actually held him in very high regard.
"If you agree, Shinobu, we can continue living together."
"There is nothing wrong with the three of us living together, right?"
"The three of us together..."
Kochō Shinobu slowly began to feel persuaded by her sister's reasoning.
After their parents passed away, she and Kochō Kanae had relied entirely on each other as they grew up.
Her earlier hesitation had been because Cain's invitation involved Kochō Kanae as well.
But since Kochō Kanae herself had no objections...
Looking at Cain's outstretched hands in front of her, she slowly raised her own hands and gently grasped them.
...
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