Lu Li stood with Qiu Mo in hand, the tip of the blade pointing toward the ground. Hearing Gyutaro's words, he paused, then slowly shook his head. "You are indeed strong. Even as a man-eating demon, you possessed a conviction to protect. The blade you sharpened to protect your loved one... I acknowledge it."
Gyutaro's instincts weren't wrong. Lu Li had indeed been holding back during their fight. With his current stats, buffed by Thunder Breathing and [Shunpo], his speed completely outclassed Gyutaro's.
Thunder Breathing instantaneously spiked his attributes. In a burst state, his stats were barely inferior to Gyutaro's, and his combat mastery was leagues ahead. Combined with his overwhelming speed advantage, if he had fought seriously from the start, killing Gyutaro would have taken less than ten strikes.
Yet, he had deliberately dragged the fight out for several minutes, brawling from one end of the street to the other, making it look like a close, grueling battle.
It wasn't because Lu Li wanted to humiliate Gyutaro or because he was enjoying the thrill of the fight too much. He simply wanted to see if any other Explorers from the Muzan Faction would emerge to help.
Today's battle relied heavily on an information gap. Once the enemy Explorers learned of his true strength, finding them would become incredibly difficult; they would all go into hiding.
Therefore, his best strategy was to bait out as many as possible and kill them in one fell swoop, significantly reducing his workload later. After all, he was only one person. If the remaining Muzan Explorers scattered across Japan to assassinate the Hashira individually, he wouldn't be able to stop them all.
But after fighting Gyutaro for quite a while, no new Explorers showed up, leaving Lu Li feeling slightly disappointed.
"Then use your full strength, you bastard who killed my sister!"
Gyutaro roared, charging at Lu Li. The skin on his chest began to glow with spider-web cracks. He was preparing to self-destruct.
Seeing this, Lu Li abandoned his fishing expedition. He sheathed Qiu Mo, lowered his stance, and took a deep breath. Superheated steam billowed from his teeth like a white dragon.
The muscles in his calves violently expanded. Accompanied by the roar of thunder and the flash of golden electricity, he transformed into a beam of light piercing through the night.
Lightning tore through the street, leaving a long, charred trench in its wake. Lu Li and Gyutaro crossed paths. High in the air, a hideous head tumbled beneath the moonlight, its eyes filled with complex emotions.
Gyutaro was deeply remorseful—remorseful that he had once again failed to protect his sister. He hated Lu Li for killing her, but at the same time, he was grateful the man had given him a swift death, sending him to wherever she was.
No. I don't want to go to the same place as her.
He was going to Hell. He only hoped his sister could go to Heaven.
Thud.
Gyutaro's head landed heavily near Lu Li. The resilient vitality of an Upper Rank allowed him a few fleeting moments of consciousness, their eyes meeting one last time.
"Go to Hell with your sister..." Lu Li flicked the blood from his blade. "...And when you've both atoned for your sins, reincarnate together."
With that, he sheathed his sword and began rummaging through his spatial inventory for something he had purchased earlier.
As to whether Heaven or Hell actually existed in this world, Lu Li was almost certain they did. Not because of the afterlife scenes or supernatural phenomena occasionally shown in the manga, but because he wielded the power of a Soul Reaper from the Bleach universe. When he slew an enemy with his Zanpakuto, he had a vague, innate perception of their soul's destination.
In the Bleach universe, when Hollows who hadn't committed unforgivable sins were purified by a Zanpakuto, their earthly sins were cleansed, and they were sent to the Soul Society to live a new life. Conversely, those guilty of heinous, irredeemable crimes had the Gates of Hell opened for them.
Lu Li felt that since his Zanpakuto had been certified by the Terminus Space, it had not only broken free from the systemic limits set by Oetsu Nimaiya but also retained some of its core properties, functioning in other worlds.
Given the siblings' history, Lu Li wasn't entirely sure where they would end up. But judging by the "feel" of severing their souls, he guessed Daki was likely heading to "Heaven" (or purification), while Gyutaro was undeniably bound for "Hell."
Daki had no memories of her life before becoming a demon. Every debt has its debtor; the sins she committed after her transformation were likely attributed to Muzan. Gyutaro, however, had committed numerous atrocities even while human; his descent into Hell was almost guaranteed.
The reason Lu Li said those words to Gyutaro was because, referencing the original story, if there truly was a transit station for souls, Daki—or rather, Gyutaro's sister, Ume—would absolutely choose to follow her brother, no matter where he went.
"Can we... reincarnate... together?"
Gyutaro looked at Lu Li, his voice a hoarse whisper. He could feel his soul beginning to dissipate.
"You will."
Lu Li lied. He had absolutely no idea how reincarnation worked in this specific universe. This wasn't Bleach, and he was only an amateur Soul Reaper anyway.
"Thank you..."
As if receiving the ultimate salvation, Gyutaro murmured his final words and slowly closed his eyes.
Once Gyutaro passed, Lu Li pulled out a box filled with empty syringes. This was something he had exchanged for in his personal room before entering the Demon Slayer world.
In the personal room, the initial furniture setup was free, but adding or modifying items cost Terminus Coins. However, ordinary, non-magical items were incredibly cheap. Dozens of coins could buy a massive pile of goods. Basic medical supplies like syringes were the same; for 10 Terminus Coins, Lu Li had bought a massive crate and stuffed it into his inventory.
Knowing he was entering this specific world, he hadn't come unprepared. Syringes could collect demon blood, which might be highly useful for future plans.
Because he killed demons using a Zanpakuto, their souls passed on, but their physical bodies didn't instantly turn to ash like they did when slain by Nichirin Swords. This gave him plenty of time to draw blood post-mortem.
"He... he won! He defeated an Upper Rank!"
"For the first time in centuries... someone actually did it!"
"Fighting eight demons alone and annihilating all of them... I doubt even the Stone Hashira could do that!"
Standing on the distant rooftop, Hinatsuru and her sisters watched the battle conclude, finally snapping out of their shock and marveling at the outcome.
Hinatsuru was the quickest to react. She leaped down to the street and approached Lu Li, wanting to check if this powerful Hashira had sustained any injuries. "Lord Lu Li, what are you doing?"
She spoke with deep respect, but her tone was laced with confusion. She watched as Lu Li methodically jabbed syringes into the corpses of the demons.
The fact that the demons hadn't immediately vanished didn't shock her too much. After all, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, killed demons using poison, and those demons didn't turn to ash instantly either.
"Don't mind me. Go comfort the civilians. I'll leave the cleanup to you three."
Lu Li had no intention of having a deep conversation with Tengen Uzui's wives. Explaining the blood collection would be tedious, and his mind was entirely focused on something else right now.
Following this battle, his Side Mission had yielded a massive harvest. This Explorer team had apparently all been certified as the "New Twelve Kizuki," fulfilling the condition for a guaranteed Treasure Chest drop.
He had just walked around the battlefield not only to draw blood but also to pick up his loot.
Because Daki and Gyutaro were collectively recognized as Upper Rank Six, they only dropped a single Purple Treasure Chest upon Gyutaro's death. But Lu Li was more than satisfied, especially considering he had also collected six Dead Man's Chests from the Explorers.
Right now, Lu Li couldn't wait to crack them open. He hadn't opened a single chest since arriving in the Terminus Space, so he was naturally bubbling with excitement.
Furthermore, while drawing the demon blood, he had triggered a Hidden Mission.
[Hidden Mission: Tamayo's Research]
Objective: Provide blood samples from the Twelve Kizuki to Tamayo to significantly increase the Demon Slayer Corps' odds of victory. Every unique 'Twelve Kizuki Blood Sample' provided will increase the overall rating of this mission. The final rating will dictate the quality of the rewards.
Time Limit: Before exiting the Mission World.
Difficulty: Easy ~ Nightmare
Reward: 5,000 Terminus Coins ~ ???
Failure Penalty: None
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