A few days had passed since Akira became the master of Infinity Castle.
Once a place where Muzan Kibutsuji hid, filled with terror and silence, Infinity Castle had now transformed into a completely different space under Akira's command.
The gloomy lighting was replaced with subtle, elegant amber lanterns, and the maze-like corridors were divided into systematic sections under Nakime's precise manipulation.
The upper level was the luxurious residential area for Akira and his women: the Heavenly Palace.
The middle level was the Infinite Warehouse, storing supplies and resources.
The lower level was the training ground where demons and Servants practiced.
The morning in this massive fortress began not with Nakime's biwa sound, but with lively noise.
"Hey! Aren't you moving those wooden boxes straight? You break 'em, you pay!"
Sekido (Anger) shouted, swinging his lightning staff.
"Ahaha! Heavy, so heavy! This is really heavy!"
Karaku (Joy) laughed cheerfully as she used her fan to create a breeze and push a cart.
Her playful wind made the cargo float around.
"Wah! High, so high! Nakime, can I fly up to the ceiling?"
Urogi (Joy) fluttered around the high ceiling of Infinity Castle like a swallow, scattering feathers.
"Sigh… So noisy. Urogi, you're dropping feathers. I have to clean up…"
Aizetsu (Sorrow) swept the floor with a gloomy expression, holding a window.
These Hantengu girls were in charge of the chores and security of Infinity Castle, injecting a strange vitality into the dreary castle.
And at their center was the little queen, Zohakuten, commanding them with her arms crossed.
"Stop the chatter. Master is watching. Once the cargo is sorted, patrol the eastern area."
At Zohakuten's authoritative voice, the four sisters immediately scattered to their positions.
In the best spot of Infinity Castle's middle level, Shuten Douji's Ooe Mountain Tavern had opened its doors.
In the spacious tatami room created by Nakime's space manipulation, high-quality sake barrels Shuten had procured from outside were piled up like mountains.
She had decided to play at running a tavern, as if her life as an oiran had ended and she was now in the liquor business for fun.
"Welcome!"
Shuten Douji greeted customers with a gourd, her face slightly flushed.
"Chirp! Shuten's orders are piling up! Keep up with the side dishes!"
In the kitchen, Benienma was preparing dishes with dazzling knife skills.
"Woof! Made a special cocktail for Master, woof!"
Tamamo Cat was shaking a shaker, dressed as a bartender.
Though it started as play, it was quite professional.
It became a resting place where the company's demons came to relax and unwind after a day's work.
Meanwhile, in the personal training ground on the lower level, a tense atmosphere lingered.
Swish! Slash!
Kokushibo, now in a female body, was swinging her sword as if dancing. The hem of her kimono fluttered like petals, and the white legs and graceful waistline revealed between were as beautiful as a work of art.
"Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: [Malignant Transformation—Ten Thousand Slashing Moons]."
Countless slashes filled the space. Slashes that would have been linear and destructive in the past now bent and twisted like living snakes, penetrating blind spots.
"…Impressive."
Kokushibo swept back her sweat-drenched hair and took a rough breath.
Thanks to the flexibility of the female skeleton and the lowered center of gravity, her rotational power had dramatically increased.
She(?) stood in front of a full-length mirror.
In the mirror, a seductive yet cool beauty with six eyes was looking back at her.
"This body… is certainly suitable for martial arts. But…"
Kokushibo sighed as she looked down at her ample chest.
"Master dislikes this appearance. He called me a six-eyed geezer."
She frowned.
In her human days, Tsugikuni Michikatsu had been renowned as a handsome man of his era. Even as a demon, she prided herself on not losing that dignity.
But being treated like a creepy old man by Akira struck at her pride, not just as a warrior but as a being.
"Am I not charming? Or is Akira's taste too demanding?"
Kokushibo pondered seriously.
She had lived as a warrior, abandoning wife and children.
At this point, she didn't have feelings like wanting sexual attention from others, but her pride was scratched.
The desire for recognition.
That desire to be acknowledged had taken a strange turn.
And Akira was strolling through the top floor of Infinity Castle, in an open corridor. Nakime had used her Blood Demon Art to harmonize with the outside, allowing warm sunlight to enter and a gentle breeze to blow.
"Hoo… The system has stabilized now."
As Akira leaned against the railing and looked down,
Rustle.
The sound of clothing dragging came from the other end of the corridor. When Akira turned his head, he saw a woman walking toward him, backlit by the sunlight.
A purple kimono embroidered with elaborate patterns. Long crimson hair. She had transformed not into a demon's form, but into a perfect human woman's appearance.
Not six eyes, but two. A classical, cool beauty, as if Michikatsu from her human days had been feminized.
"…Kokushibo?"
When Akira asked, she turned her head and looked at Akira, greeting him.
"Master. Are you out for a walk?"
Her voice was still low and calm, but the resonance from a woman's vocal cords was strangely sensual.
"You, what's with that appearance? Why are you walking around in female form if you're not training?"
Akira asked, crossing his arms.
"It is adaptation training."
Kokushibo answered nonchalantly as she approached Akira.
"I must embody this body's center of gravity and footwork even in daily life to exhibit true flexibility in actual combat. Whether eating, walking, or breathing, it must become as natural as breathing, must it not?"
"Haa… I acknowledge your passion for martial arts. But, wait, your way of speaking feels younger too?"
"According to Shinobu, it seems to be the influence of female hormones."
"Hormones aren't some cure-all."
Akira stared intently at her face. Honestly, she was pretty. Objectively speaking, she was a peerless beauty.
Resembling Yoriichi yet enhanced with feminine lines, she exuded a strange decadent charm.
"Why are you staring so intently?"
When Kokushibo asked, Akira cleared his throat.
"No, just… With two eyes, you're actually worth looking at."
"…Is that so."
Kokushibo's eyes sparkled. She took one more step closer to Akira.
A subtle fragrance brushed past Akira's nose.
"Master, you found my six eyes disturbing, did you not? So I hid the eyes and refined my appearance to match the aesthetics of my human days."
She pointed to her own face and asked seriously.
"With this appearance… Am I not unworthy to stand by your side?"
Akira was taken aback.
'This guy, she's seriously seeking recognition right now.'
Not as a warrior, but as Akira's new creation, she wanted to have her completeness confirmed.
"…Well. To be honest."
Akira averted his gaze slightly as he answered.
"You're pretty. I admit it. With that appearance, you're a beauty who wouldn't be out of place anywhere."
"…!"
A very faint, but distinct smile spread across Kokushibo's lips.
The inferiority complex that had been overshadowed by Yoriichi for hundreds of years felt strangely resolved with Akira's single word of acknowledgment.
"I am glad. I am pleased to have satisfied Master's discerning eye."
"But don't get the wrong idea. Honestly, even if we get close, I want to be friends man to man. Don't get any weird thoughts at night."
Akira shouted as if driving a point home.
"I know. I am merely Master's sword."
Kokushibo bowed her head politely again. But in her eyes as she bowed, a strange sense of victory lingered.
'Heart rate increased. Averted gaze. This is… proof of agitation.'
She was thoroughly analyzing Akira's reaction.
'Yoriichi… I walk a different path from you. Not only in the pinnacle of the sword, but also in the realm of beauty, captivating Master through physical transformation… I will stand at the summit.'
Though the direction had become strangely twisted, Upper Moon One was more motivated than ever.
"By the way, you said you want to be friends man to man?"
"There aren't many men around here, you know."
"Is that not to Master's taste?"
"Well, for eye candy, I deliberately changed a few."
Kokushibo asked as if she genuinely didn't understand.
"Then, what about Hantengu?"
"That guy's personality is messed up. I don't like him. I only accepted him because his ability is useful. That's why I changed him to female for eye candy. Enmu is a pervert like Doma too."
"You mean Doma?"
"No, not him. There's a worse one."
Sometimes it was more comfortable to be with just men, but there were no normal men. So, surprisingly, Akira occasionally spent time talking with Kumoeimon.
It was just that, due to their excessive interest and love, he couldn't do it often.
Yahaba was simple-minded. Enmu was a pervert, and Hantengu's personality was disliked, so they were changed for eye candy.
Because he had no intention of getting involved or becoming friends.
"I see. However, are you comfortable with my current way of speaking?"
"What about it?"
"Ahem. If I return to a male body, my way of speaking will revert to before. Is that acceptable?"
"Hmm, that's a bit of a problem."
The previous way of speaking felt a bit stuffy and elderly, which Akira disliked. So it was truly a dilemma. Should he secrete female hormones in a male state to make him an effeminate man?
That would just be a middle-aged man going through menopause, wouldn't it?
He thought making same-sex friends was hard.
"…Want to play Gomoku?"
"Gomoku is a good game. I enjoy it too. Though I prefer Go more."
"I don't know how to play Go."
"Huhu, I shall teach you. First, let's go play Gomoku."
"Why are you laughing so elegantly? It's annoying."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yeah, a compliment in a different sense."
Thus, Akira went to play Gomoku to get closer to Michikatsu.
And.
"Damn it, why are you so good?"
"On the contrary, why did you think I wouldn't be?"
"Because you're an old fossil?"
"…"
"Hmm, did your brain cells come alive after becoming a woman? No, perhaps your brain cells recovered upon rebirth. This isn't easy. What should my next move be?"
"Shall I let you take a move back?"
"Wow, my pride just shattered."
"I too am a bit hurt by being called old."
"You've lived about ten times longer than me. Here, I'll place it here. Make your move."
"Yes, I shall."
Playing Gomoku, it seemed they were becoming friends in their own way.
In the end, the Gomoku result was Akira's comeback victory, thanks to his businessman skills.
However.
"Master, would you like to play Gomoku?"
"You crazy bastard, we're in the middle of intercourse, and you're barging in?"
"Rather than that, isn't Gomoku more fun?"
"Are you insane?"
Kokushibo had developed a strange desire to play Gomoku with Akira.
Now she even entered Akira's room where he was with Kiyohime and asked to play Gomoku, and when Kiyohime got angry and breathed fire, she cut the breath with Moon Breathing, and so on.
Akira had a headache, wondering if he shouldn't have recruited Kokushibo.