Kurosaki Rei held Demon-Imprisoning, the blade tip lowered. After hearing Gyutaro's words, he paused, then shook his head.
"You really are strong. Even as a man-eating demon, you possess a will to protect. The blade you tempered for the sake of guarding something—I acknowledge that."
Gyutaro's feeling wasn't an illusion. Kurosaki Rei had indeed held back during the fight.
Otherwise, at his current level, with Thunder Breathing layered on top of Flash Step, his speed would have completely overwhelmed Gyutaro. Thunder Breathing could instantly boost one's attributes; in burst state, Kurosaki Rei's stats weren't much weaker than Gyutaro's. Add to that Kurosaki Rei's superior combat specialization and speed advantage, and if he got serious, killing Gyutaro wouldn't take more than ten moves.
Yet he still fought him for several minutes, from one end of the street to the other, as if it were a perfectly matched, exhilarating battle.
It wasn't that Kurosaki Rei wanted to humiliate Gyutaro, nor was he indulging some thrill-seeking impulse. He was waiting—waiting to see if any more explorers from Muzan's faction would show themselves.
Today's battle was built on an information gap. Once the opposing explorers learned how strong he truly was, finding them afterward would become much harder.
So it was best to lure out as many as possible and kill them all at once, reducing future pressure.
After all, he was alone, and the world was vast. If the explorers aligned with Muzan scattered across the land to hunt down the Hashira, he wouldn't have many good counters.
He had dragged out the battle with Gyutaro for quite some time, yet no new explorers appeared. That left Kurosaki Rei feeling genuinely regretful.
"Then use your full strength!" Gyutaro roared as he charged. "You bastard who killed my sister!"
Spiderweb-like cracks lit up across his chest—he was about to self-destruct.
Seeing this, Kurosaki Rei abandoned the fishing plan altogether.
He sheathed his blade, lowered his stance, and drew in a deep breath. Steam surged from between his teeth like a white dragon.
The muscles in his calves bulged violently. Amid resounding thunder and flashing lightning, he transformed into a beam of light that pierced the night.
Lightning tore through the long street, leaving a scorched trail on the ground. Kurosaki Rei and Gyutaro passed by each other in a single instant.
High in the sky, beneath the moon, an ugly head tumbled end over end—its gaze complex.
Gyutaro was filled with self-reproach, blaming himself for failing once again to protect his sister. He hated Kurosaki Rei for killing her, yet at the same time he had to thank him—for granting him a swift end, for sending him to the place where his sister was.
No.
He wouldn't go to the same place as his sister.
He would go to hell—and he hoped his sister could go to heaven.
Thud—
Gyutaro's head hit the ground, landing not far from Kurosaki Rei. The overwhelming vitality of an Upper Rank left him with a final moment of awareness, enough to lock eyes with Kurosaki Rei.
"Go to hell with your sister…" Kurosaki Rei flicked the blood from his blade. "…And after you've paid for your sins, be reborn together."
With that, he sheathed his sword and began rummaging through his storage space for something he had purchased earlier.
As for whether this world truly had heaven or hell, Kurosaki Rei was almost certain it did. Not because of the afterlife scenes and supernatural phenomena often shown in the original work, but because he possessed powers from the world of the Shinigami—he was, after all, a Soul Reaper.
When he killed enemies with a Zanpakutō, he could vaguely sense what followed.
In the world of the Shinigami, Hollows who hadn't committed heinous crimes would have their sins purified when slain, becoming ordinary souls sent to the Soul Society to live anew. Those burdened with great evil, however, would have the Gates of Hell opened for them and be cast down.
Kurosaki Rei believed that after being certified by the Space and brought out of Ōetsu Nimaiya's system, his Zanpakutō had not only shed its original constraints but also retained some of its inherent properties—allowing them to function, at least partially, in other worlds.
As for Gyutaro and Daki, whether they would go to heaven or hell, Kurosaki Rei couldn't say for sure. But judging from the "feel" of the kill, he suspected Daki would likely ascend to "heaven," while Gyutaro would descend to "hell."
Daki had no memories from before becoming a demon. Debts had their owners; the sins she committed as a demon should be laid at Muzan's feet. Gyutaro was different—he had committed many evils even before becoming a demon. Hell was almost certain for him.
As for why Kurosaki Rei said those words—if the original story was any indication, and if there truly was a transit station for souls, then Daki—no, Ume—would absolutely choose to walk the same path as her brother.
"Can… we really… be reborn together?"
Gyutaro looked at Kurosaki Rei and asked hoarsely. He could feel his soul nearing extinction.
"Yes," Kurosaki Rei said.
He lied.
He had no idea how reincarnation worked in this world. This wasn't the Shinigami world, and he was only a part-time Soul Reaper at best.
"Thank… you…"
As if granted immense salvation, Gyutaro murmured those words and slowly closed his eyes.
Once Gyutaro was gone, Kurosaki Rei took out a box filled with empty syringes. These were items he had exchanged for in his private room before entering the Demon Slayer world.
In the private room, furnishing it for the first time was free. Any later changes or additions cost varying amounts of Endcoin. Ordinary furniture was cheap—dozens of points could buy a whole pile.
Food, clothing, and daily necessities could also be exchanged for Endcoin at very low prices. Common medical items like syringes were no exception. Kurosaki Rei had spent just ten Endcoin to buy an entire box, which he stored away.
Knowing he was coming to the Demon Slayer world, he hadn't arrived unprepared. Syringes could be used to collect demon blood—something that might help with his future plans.
Because he killed demons with a Zanpakutō, even after death their souls merely passed on; their bodies didn't disintegrate like those slain by Nichirin blades. That gave him ample time to collect blood afterward.
"He… he won! He defeated an Upper Rank!"
"For centuries, this is the first time someone's done that, right?"
"Alone against eight demons, and he wiped them all out… Even the strongest, the Stone Hashira, might not be able to do that!"
From a nearby rooftop, Hinatsuru and the others watched the battle's end, stunned as they came back to their senses.
Hinatsuru reacted first, jumping down to Kurosaki Rei's side to check whether this powerful Hashira was injured.
"Lord Kurosaki Rei, what are you doing?"
Her tone was respectful, but puzzled—she saw him using syringes on the demon corpses.
She wasn't too surprised that the demons hadn't vanished after death. The Demon Slayer Corps had the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, who killed demons with poison; poisoned demons didn't disappear immediately either.
"Don't mind me. Go calm the civilians. Leave the cleanup here to you," Kurosaki Rei said.
He had no intention of chatting with Uzui Tengen's wives. Explaining blood collection would be troublesome, and his thoughts were already pulled elsewhere.
After this battle, his side quest gains were clearly massive. That explorer team seemed to have all been classified as "Twelve Kizuki," meaning the Space judged them eligible for guaranteed loot drops.
He had just made a round—not only to collect blood, but also to pick up loot chests.
Because Daki and Gyutaro were only considered Upper Rank Six together, only a single purple chest dropped after Gyutaro's death. Still, Kurosaki Rei was very satisfied—especially with the six Fallen Chests provided by the explorers.
At this moment, he could hardly wait to open them. Since arriving in the Space, he hadn't opened a single chest yet; his excitement was only natural.
Moreover, while collecting demon blood with the syringes, he had triggered a hidden quest.
[Hidden Quest: Tamayo's Research]
Objective:
Provide blood samples of the Twelve Kizuki to Tamayo. This can greatly increase the Demon Slayer Corps' chances of victory.
Each unique Twelve Kizuki blood sample that Tamayo has not previously obtained will raise the overall evaluation of this quest. The final evaluation will affect the ultimate reward.
Time Limit:
Duration of this world stay
Difficulty:
Easy ~ Nightmare
Rewards:
5,000 Endcoin ~ ???
Failure Penalty:
None
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