Kurosaki Rei rested one hand on the hilt of Prison Demon, making no move. Ignoring Hinatsuru's warning, he stepped forward, grabbed the front-desk woman by the shoulder, and hurled her straight out the door.
He swept a calm glance at Hinatsuru.
"Try to evacuate the people. It's daytime—it should be easier."
Hinatsuru stared at the man in front of her in disbelief.
Why are you so calm?
Do you even understand the situation? I'm trying to save you!
What was wrong with the Demon Slayer Corps these days? Were all the new recruits this bad? Not only did he fail to read her signals, he'd dragged her into it too—outright exposing her identity as an undercover kunoichi.
What shocked her even more was that there was another demon hiding in this establishment.
The man descending from the left staircase was someone she recognized—a client who'd visited their house two nights ago. This completely contradicted their previous assumptions about the demon's identity.
After investigation, she had all but confirmed that the demon was the oiran of this house. So why was there another one?
Demons rarely acted together. Most were lone hunters. If Yoshiwara was a dining hall for demons, who would willingly share it with another?
Worst of all, the long-haired man in pink robes coming down the left staircase radiated an ominous aura—this was unmistakably Twelve Kizuki–level pressure!
Impossible…
Could there be two Twelve Kizuki in this one house?!
But Hinatsuru's shock wasn't over yet.
Footsteps sounded from the right staircase.
"Hahaha, Mousse, learn to be satisfied. After all, this is already one-third of the enemy's combat strength."
Descending from the right was a bald, muscular man, bare-chested. He was actually holding a courtesan in his arms—yet she made no sound at all. A closer look revealed her upper body drenched in blood.
"Steel Cannon, watch the occasion," the long-haired man called Mousse frowned. "I don't want to get stained by your filth during the fight."
"Tch. Life's about indulgence. You ascetics should just join the other side," Steel Cannon sneered.
As he spoke, he casually tossed the courtesan aside like garbage. Her body rolled to Kurosaki Rei's feet, her beautiful eyes wide open in frozen terror.
Hinatsuru's fury flared. She was about to rush forward—
—but in the next instant, the aura erupting from the two demons sent a chill straight down her spine.
"Run… run now…"
She grabbed Kurosaki Rei's arm, trying desperately to drag him into the sunlight.
She had finally realized the truth: both of these demons were Twelve Kizuki–level.
She could never have imagined that a single Yoshiwara would house two—perhaps even three—Twelve Kizuki. Thankfully, her husband had sent them to gather intelligence first. Otherwise, if the Demon Slayer Corps had come unprepared, the losses would have been catastrophic.
She wanted to pull this rookie Demon Slayer outside. In daylight, with the sun's advantage, they could destroy the building from the outside—even if they were weaker, they'd still have a chance.
But what left her stunned was this—
She couldn't move him. Not even a little.
In her panic, she had used all her strength, yet the man before her didn't budge half a step—steady as a mountain.
Before her mind could catch up, another change occurred.
The sky outside… went dark.
"Heh. Did you think we'd make no preparations and just wait to be trapped?"
Mousse mocked coldly. "Even if only you came, it should still be worth the cost. After all—you look quite strong."
Kurosaki Rei glanced at the twilight outside, unperturbed.
Just as he understood that daylight was advantageous against demons, demons understood just as well how deadly the sun was to them.
Before entering any mission world, Explorers were given preparation time—varying by clearance level of their Explorer Mark—during which they could purchase items to deal with the upcoming world.
Knowing they were entering Demon Slayer, and having already chosen to side with Muzan, of course they would prepare items to counter sunlight.
What now shrouded the outside was clearly some kind of遮蔽 item. Judging by the area covered, it had to be a one-time-use item. Otherwise, even a simple sun-blocking effect over such a wide range would far exceed what a rare or even purple-grade item could do.
It wasn't that Kurosaki Rei underestimated the opposing Explorers—he simply believed that if they truly possessed a legendary-grade item, there'd be no need for tricks like this. They could've just come and killed him outright.
"What kind of Blood Demon Art is this!?"
Hinatsuru cried out in shock.
She couldn't understand what she was seeing. If demons could truly overcome sunlight, wouldn't the Demon Slayer Corps be pushed into an even more desperate situation?
Standing at the entrance, Kurosaki Rei remained calm.
"So… you're the new Twelve Kizuki?"
"Twelve Kizuki?"
Steel Cannon snorted. "That's already outdated."
As he spoke, he and Mousse brushed their hands across their eyes. Numbers manifested within.
In Mousse's eyes: Lower Rank Seven.
In Steel Cannon's eyes: Lower Rank Eight.
"How is this possible!?"
Hinatsuru stared at the numbers in disbelief.
The Twelve Kizuki were called the Twelve Kizuki because there were exactly twelve—six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks.
But what was she seeing now?
Lower Seven and Lower Eight?!
Had Muzan… increased the number of the Twelve Kizuki?
"Heh heh…"
As Hinatsuru reeled, she suddenly heard laughter beside her.
It started low, then grew louder—until it could no longer be suppressed, erupting into wild laughter.
Confused, Hinatsuru loosened her grip on Kurosaki Rei's arm.
Did this rookie get scared out of his mind?
"What's so funny?" Steel Cannon grinned cruelly. "Faced with death, you finally snapped?"
He strode down the stairs.
They were Muzan's newly "certified" Lower Kizuki. Though numbered Seven and Eight, that didn't mean they were weaker than the original six. It was simply because they hadn't yet fought the original Lower Moons in ranking battles.
In terms of raw power, Explorers like them—already superhuman in base stats—were stronger than any Lower Rank. Only the Upper Ranks still stood above them.
Kurosaki Rei covered his face, as if forcing his emotions down. The laughter gradually subsided, but Hinatsuru could still see the upturned corners of his mouth.
"Sorry," Kurosaki Rei said as he lowered his hand.
"I'm just… a little too happy."
In this world, killing enemy Explorers carried a chance to drop a Dead Man's Chest.
Killing a Twelve Kizuki guaranteed a chest.
If those two rules overlapped—
—that meant killing these two Explorers would definitely net him everything they owned.
That was simply… too wonderful.
Steel Cannon leapt from the stairs, heavy hammer raised, smashing down toward Kurosaki Rei's head.
"Die!"
They hadn't bothered with subtlety or traps—not only because Kurosaki Rei had shown up during the day, but because they judged his strength to be formidable.
Based on their own situation, Kurosaki Rei might already be a Hashira.
And given their side quests and faction mechanics, killing him would almost certainly drop his Dead Man's Chest—pure profit.
From their reconnaissance, Kurosaki Rei's overall stats were over 27—an apex first-tier powerhouse. His wealth alone was worth the cost of the item they'd expended.
Steel Cannon himself had once been a mere 20-point Explorer. After gaining demon power, his stats jumped to 28. Combined with rapid regeneration and hardened flesh, he had become a true first-tier peak.
In the past, he would never have dared to fight someone like Kurosaki Rei.
But now—he was the stronger one.
The intoxicating power made him drunk with confidence. Muzan's strength truly was delicious.
Time slowed in his perception. He saw his hammer closing in on Kurosaki Rei's head, already envisioning it bursting apart.
But in the next instant—
Kurosaki Rei crouched.
Steel Cannon's vision blurred. All he saw was a black line.
Then the world spun.
Steel Cannon's bald head rolled across the floor, eyes still filled with confusion and unspent savagery.
Kurosaki Rei, crouched low, had already sheathed his blade.
He reached out, gently closing the eyes of the fallen courtesan before him.
As he slowly straightened, an invisible pressure surged outward, engulfing the entire space.
In Mousse's eyes, the man rising before him was like a towering mountain.
A vast, crushing weight rolled in like a tidal wave, squeezing his heart until it felt as though it might stop beating altogether.
Kurosaki Rei tilted his head slightly, glancing at Mousse from the corner of his eye.
"Weren't you planning to surround and kill me?"
"Come on—attack together."
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