Chapter 86 86: Not Even a Penny Less!

"I'm glad you told me that, System," Asuramaru said, "but I really don't like that price."

[Ding! One hundred thousand emotion points. Not even one coin less. If you're short by even a single point, don't even think about asking me to teleport you.]

After dropping that line, the system went silent.

Asuramaru's lips twitched.

You really know how to take advantage of people, don't you?

...

Outside, the strengthening finally came to an end.

Tanjirou slowly clenched his fist. Power surged through his body, steady and solid, yet he did not look pleased.

He stared at the place where Gyutaro and Daki had vanished, then lowered his head.

"Thank you."

Only after whispering those words did he turn around.

Sanemi Shinazugawa stood not far away, his Nichirin sword already sheathed. His face was as fierce as ever, but Tanjirou could smell it clearly.

Excitement.

A restrained, almost unspeakable excitement.

"They're completely dead?" Sanemi asked.

"Yes, Sanemi-san."

Sanemi's gaze sharpened.

"Counting those two, there were six Upper Rank positions. Now only four remain." His voice was rough, but the praise in it was unmistakable. "Well done, Tanjirou."

For the Demon Slayer Corps, this was no small victory.

For over a century, the Upper Ranks had stood like an unbreakable wall over humanity. Countless Hashira had died without even managing to drag one of them down.

But now, in such a short span of time, that wall had cracked again and again.

Upper Rank Four, dead.

Upper Rank Six, dead.

Even Upper Rank Three had fled with severe injuries.

And the one standing at the center of it all was the young Sun Hashira before him.

At this rate, killing Muzan Kibutsuji no longer sounded like a desperate prayer.

It sounded like something close.

Something reachable.

Sanemi turned away first.

"Let's go. Call those two idiots. We're leaving this place."

"Understood!"

Tanjirou immediately followed.

The two returned to the Entertainment District.

Zenitsu was still in the alley, crouched in the shadows like a man mourning at a funeral.

"Why...?" he muttered hollowly. "Why did it have to be like this...? This shouldn't be happening..."

Anyone who did not know the truth might have thought Asuramaru had committed some unforgivable crime against him.

Tanjirou stopped beside him, troubled.

"Zenitsu..."

He truly did not know how to comfort him.

Sanemi did.

He walked up and punched Zenitsu in the stomach.

Hard.

"Don't make me kill you while I'm in a good mood, brat."

Zenitsu folded over with a strangled cry.

"What are you doing?! That hurt! That really hurt, you know?!"

He clutched his stomach, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes. His gaze looked faintly dazed, like his soul had wandered off and refused to come back.

Inside the sword, Asuramaru watched with interest.

"System, how many emotion points did this fellow give me?"

[Ding! Zenitsu Agatsuma has provided a total of 600 emotion points this time.]

Asuramaru was genuinely surprised.

Six hundred?

Even a Hashira might only produce around three hundred in a single burst.

But after thinking about it, he found it oddly reasonable.

If someone discovered that the "girl" they had been smitten with was, in a certain sense, more complete than they were, most normal people would probably break a little too.

At that moment, Inosuke appeared at the entrance of the alley, his boar head mask turning toward them.

"That sash is dead!" he shouted. "The women inside all fell out! They're underground now, and I can't get them out! Come help me dig them up!"

Tanjirou's expression changed at once.

"Alright!"

Sanemi, however, clicked his tongue.

"Leave that kind of thing to the Kakushi. They should be on their way by now."

It was not a guess.

He had already used his Kasugai Crow to report the situation. Once the Master received word, reinforcements would definitely be dispatched.

But Tanjirou shook his head.

"The Kakushi haven't arrived yet. Let's rescue them first."

Sanemi stared at him.

Tanjirou stared back with honest, immovable eyes.

After a short silence, Sanemi looked away with a scowl.

"Tch. Fine."

He knew there was no winning an argument with this kind of person.

The four of them headed straight for Ogimoto-ya.

By the time they arrived, the corridor was crowded with courtesans and the madam of the house. All of them were gathered around the broken floor, whispering anxiously.

"I saw a boar-headed monster go down from here!"

"I think it came back up already, but I don't know where it went..."

"Has this hole always been here? Where does it lead?"

"What if that monster lives down there?"

"I'm telling you, that boar-headed thing was terrifying!"

One of the courtesans turned to speak to her companion.

Instead of her companion, she found herself face-to-face with a wild boar head.

Inosuke leaned forward and snorted.

The gust of air blew her hair back.

"Ah!"

Her scream pierced the corridor.

"The boar-headed monster is back!"

The courtesans scattered at once, sleeves fluttering as they fled in every direction.

Only the madam remained, though even she took two instinctive steps back. Her face was pale as she looked between Inosuke, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Sanemi.

"Who on earth are you people?"

Tanjirou quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"I'm sorry for startling you. We are Demon Slayers. Beneath this hole is a place where a demon kept people trapped. We need to open the path and rescue them. Please allow us to do so."

"A demon?"

The madam froze.

Then, as if a cold hand had brushed the back of her neck, realization slowly surfaced in her eyes.

Daki from Kyogoku House.

That unnatural beauty.

The way she seemed almost identical to oiran from the stories told by older generations.

The courtesans who had supposedly "run away" again and again.

At the time, it had all been brushed aside as rumor, misfortune, or coincidence.

Now, thinking back, every detail felt horrifying.

Her lips trembled.

"Could it be... Daki? Was Daki the demon?"

Tanjirou nodded.

"Please rest assured. The demon has been dealt with. We came here only to save the people underground."

The madam's expression changed at once.

All hesitation vanished.

"As long as you don't collapse my shop, dig as much as you need." She turned sharply. "I'll have shovels brought over immediately."

"Thank you very much!"

Once Tanjirou finished speaking, the group began widening the hole.

Wooden planks were torn up. Soil and debris were dug away. Inch by inch, the narrow passage beneath Ogimoto-ya was opened.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji was on the verge of madness.

Another one.

Another Upper Rank had died.

Even if Upper Rank Six was the weakest among them, the meaning was entirely different.

For over a hundred years, the Upper Ranks had been absolute. They had been his chosen weapons, demons who stood above all others.

Now, their positions were being emptied one after another.

Worse, there were no demons strong enough to replace them.

The current Twelve Kizuki had been carved open like rotten flesh.

"These useless kin..." Muzan's voice was low, each word soaked in murderous disgust. "They really should be purged."

Just as his rage simmered to the boiling point, a pot appeared within the Infinity Castle.

The patterned vase tilted slightly.

From its opening, Gyokko emerged, his bizarre body twisting out of the ceramic mouth. He bowed with a flattering reverence that bordered on grotesque.

"Lord Muzan."

Muzan's gaze turned toward him.

Gyokko lowered his head further.

"The information has been verified. I have located the Demon Slayer Corps' Swordsmith Village."

The air in the Infinity Castle stilled.

For Muzan, this was the first piece of good news in far too long.

"At least you are somewhat useful."

Through his blood, Muzan's command spread to every remaining Upper Rank.

"Gyutaro is dead. All Upper Ranks are to return to the Infinity Castle immediately. Gyokko will lead the way."

His voice sank into their bodies like a curse.

"Wipe out the Demon Slayer Corps' Swordsmith Village."

Across Japan, the Upper Ranks felt the command resonate through their blood.

Some heard it as a whisper.

Some felt it as pressure in their veins.

Some simply stopped what they were doing.

The first to receive it was Kokushibo.

He stood alone on a dark street.

Around him lay several Demon Slayers, their bodies scattered in broken shapes. Limbs had been severed. Blood painted the stones. The night was silent except for the slow drip of red from his blade.

Only one person remained alive.

That swordsman knelt before him, trembling, his breath ragged and shallow.

Kokushibo's sword hovered just above the man's head.

One movement.

That was all it would take.

Life and death hung by the thinnest thread.

.....

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