Butterfly Mansion.
Vincent Fox had just finished his training for the day. On the way back, he happened to run into Tanjiro, who had returned from completing a mission on his own.
"Mr. Fox, are you heading out on a mission too?" Tanjiro greeted him familiarly.
"No. I just finished today's workout. Maybe because of my strength, Master Ubuyashiki hasn't been assigning me those low skill missions."
Tanjiro fell silent.
"With your level… your training must be intense, right?" Tanjiro glanced at Vincent, curious. "What do you usually do?"
"It's not too bad." Vincent scratched his head, thought for a moment, then said, "A light ten kilometer jog, a hundred sit ups, a hundred push ups…"
Tanjiro went quiet again.
"Just that, Mr. Fox…"
"Not always. Sometimes when I feel like it, I do a few extra."
Tanjiro, usually cheerful, suddenly did not feel like talking.
Maybe he should start running ten kilometers tomorrow too.
He remembered the sight of Vincent crushing Akaza with sheer force, then compared it to this so called "workout." The numbers did not match at all.
The two of them were walking back toward the Butterfly Mansion when a sudden commotion erupted inside.
"Put me down!"
"Bad guy, let go of Sister Aoi!"
"Kidnapper! You're a kidnapper!"
Tanjiro's face changed. "Something's wrong! The girls are in trouble. Hurry!"
Vincent nodded, and the two of them rushed in.
They shoved the door open and saw a tall man holding Aoi Kanzaki under one arm, while lifting Naho up with the other.
"Watch your language when you speak to Lord God!" the man barked.
In the next instant, the little girls swarmed him and latched onto his legs and waist like tiny, furious barnacles.
"Put the girls down!"
Tanjiro shouted automatically, then stared at the scene.
Wait… who was bullying who here?
Kiyo came running over in tears, grabbing at Tanjiro as if he were a lifeline.
"Please save Naho and Sister Aoi! That kidnapper is taking them away!"
"Let her go!" Tanjiro roared, charging forward and preparing to slam his head into the man.
The man vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing on the roof.
"So fast!" Tanjiro gasped.
"Put them down, you kidnapper!" Tanjiro pointed up at him, furious.
"Do you even know who you're talking to?" the man scoffed. "I'm the famous Tengen Uzui of the shinobi world. Watch your mouth!"
"I don't believe you're a Hashira at all!" Tanjiro snapped back immediately.
Uzui choked for a moment, then said darkly, "Try paying attention. I'm taking them to carry out a mission."
"Aoi is medical support. She doesn't need to go to the front lines to fight demons!"
Uzui snorted, glancing at the struggling Aoi in his grip. "Someone who can't even face a demon. Pathetic. I'll change your fate myself."
"Sister Aoi doesn't need you!" Tanjiro shot back. "Everyone has their own path. Stop acting like you decide everything, you heartless butcher!"
"It's exactly your kind of soft pity that made her like this!" Uzui barked.
Tanjiro realized arguing was useless. He immediately changed tactics.
"Then take me with you!"
"You?" Uzui looked amused.
"And us too!"
Two voices cut in, and Inosuke and Zenitsu appeared. They had just returned from their own mission.
Inosuke crossed his arms. "It took some effort, but it's nothing."
Zenitsu trembled as he spoke. "L l let go of Aoi! I I I'll go with you!"
Uzui looked the three of them over, then shifted his gaze to Vincent, who had arrived with Tanjiro.
"And you?"
Vincent shrugged. "Sure. I'll go too."
Uzui finally released the two girls, then jumped down from the roof.
"Then come with me."
He led the four of them out of the yard.
They walked a long distance before Zenitsu finally realized something felt off.
"Where are you taking us?"
Uzui turned around, grinning like he was about to reveal a secret. "The biggest pleasure district. The holy ground of release. The Entertainment District."
The trio reacted like they had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.
Vincent had already guessed the arc, so his expression barely changed.
"Why are you taking us there?" Zenitsu demanded again.
"My wives have gone missing. You're going to investigate and find them."
"What?" the three shouted in unison.
They immediately protested. "You're abusing your authority to make us look for your wives? Why aren't you going yourself?!"
Uzui's face darkened. "First, you don't have the right to question me."
"Second, they disappeared while gathering intel on demons."
"I'm Lord God. You're trash. You do what I say."
"If I tell you to act like dogs, you bark. If I tell you to act like monkeys, you dance. Got it?"
Zenitsu went speechless.
Vincent stared blankly.
A god? This guy was not a god, he was a walking diagnosis.
Tanjiro, on the other hand, took it seriously and asked with pure curiosity, "Then… what god are you?"
Uzui nodded approvingly. "Good question, kid. You've got potential."
Zenitsu's face twitched. Potential my foot. Are there any normal people left here?
He turned his head and saw Vincent wearing the exact same exhausted expression.
Instant relief. There was still at least one sane person in the world.
Zenitsu hurried over to stand near him.
Uzui struck an annoyingly proud pose. "I am the God of Flashiness. The Festival God!"
Tanjiro froze.
Even Tanjiro finally realized this man might be unreliable.
Inosuke, however, went "Oh," placed his hands on his hips, and declared solemnly, "I'm the King of the Mountains. Nice to meet you, Festival God."
Uzui stared at him with pure contempt. "Are you an idiot?"
On the side, Zenitsu and Vincent both ran out of energy to complain.
After a long stretch of chaos, Uzui finally waved a hand and issued his next order.
"Before we go to the Entertainment District, I'm taking you somewhere else."
"It's a great place. Lots of girls there."
"Girls?" Zenitsu instantly lit up.
Uzui led them to a shop decorated with carved flower petals.
"Wait here. I'm going to buy you some clothes."
He walked inside.
The four of them peered through the gap and immediately felt their souls leaving their bodies.
"This… looks like a women's clothing shop," Tanjiro said uncertainly.
"Maybe… maybe he's buying clothes to deliver to his wives," Zenitsu said, already sweating coldly.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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