Gyokko, distracted by Raiden, couldn't concentrate on holding off Muichiro and had several of his pots destroyed one after another.
With Doma dead, he was the only demon left here.
What should he do?
If Doma was defeated so easily, then he would be even more vulnerable.
Gyokko's thoughts raced while Muichiro found more and more gaps in his defenses.
But Gyokko didn't pay attention to the wounds Muichiro had inflicted; only one thought filled his mind.
What would happen if Raiden killed him next?
After watching Doma's head and body turn to ash and vanish, Raiden surveyed his surroundings.
His nose twitched slightly. After confirming that Doma was truly gone, his body relaxed.
Being the third demon not in the original Swordsmith Village arc, Raiden killing Doma had both gains and drawbacks.
The advantage was that Raiden's strength had clearly surpassed Doma's, allowing him to minimize losses in Swordsmith Village.
The drawback was that Doma's death meant Raiden's abilities were fully exposed to Muzan.
Raiden's next opponents would only be Kokushibou or Muzan himself, and both were beyond his current strength. Especially Muzan — before Raiden acquired Pillar-level strength or joined forces with Speckles and the Crimson Blade trio, he wasn't even confident he could survive against him.
However, there was relief in knowing that his next confrontation with Muzan would likely occur in Infinity Castle, giving him time to grow stronger.
"I have to accelerate my training when I return," Raiden muttered, casting a glance with his golden‑red eyes at Gyokko, who was still fighting.
Gyokko was clearly facing away from Raiden, but when Raiden looked over, Gyokko froze as if paralyzed. Then, abandoning his current pot, he changed position.
Is Raiden coming? How will he kill me?
Gyokko hid behind a treetop, pulling his body entirely into his pot. His two small hands gripped the edge, and he peeked out, watching Raiden's movements.
Raiden glanced at Gyokko, then turned back and called to Muichiro, "I'll leave this to you, Muichiro. Remember, the 'Mu' in Muichiro stands for infinity."
With that, Raiden dashed down the mountain toward the village without looking back.
In his current state, dealing with Gyokko would have taken just one strike. But Raiden did not finish him. Gyokko still had value.
To befriend Muichiro, his memories needed to return, and the key to that restoration was Gyokko.
In the original work, Gyokko had managed to control Muichiro before he recovered his memory. From this perspective, Gyokko still had strength.
The reason Muichiro hadn't defeated him was that Raiden was still nearby. Once Raiden left, Gyokko, free from pressure, would naturally reveal his full capability, forcing Muichiro to recall his memories.
Even if Muichiro didn't regain his memories and fell into danger, Raiden had prepared two Lords to handle unexpected situations.
Muichiro's face froze briefly when he heard Raiden's words. He seemed to remember them from somewhere else…
When had he heard that? Who had spoken them? Why did it feel familiar?
But he wasn't called Muichiro then; he was called… Yuichiro…
Watching Raiden's figure become hidden by the trees, Muichiro remained dazed, no longer indifferent, but thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Gyokko, still peeking from the tree, was in a completely different state.
He left? Raiden actually left? Did he not notice me hiding here?
Impossible — he could detect Doma's ice clones, so how could he not detect my little hiding trick?
That meant he didn't take me seriously?
For a moment, Gyokko didn't know whether to feel angry or relieved.
He was angry because as an Upper Moon, being underestimated by a human made him furious.
He was relieved because his life had been spared. Though the situation was strange, he had survived.
Since Raiden had left, he also needed to leave quickly and report the situation to Lord Muzan.
But just as Gyokko began to move, a memory flooded his mind.
"If you fail again this time, don't come back."
Muzan's voice echoed in Gyokko's head, and Gyokko's attempt to escape faltered.
This mission was a failure, there was no doubt about it. As long as Raiden was present, success was impossible.
He would have to face Muzan's wrath upon his return, even though Gyokko strangely enjoyed the moments when Muzan touched him.
But that pleasure relied on Muzan not actually killing him.
What to do? Going back meant certain death, and staying here didn't guarantee safety either.
Could he and Hantengu take on Raiden?
If he hadn't seen Raiden kill Doma, Gyokko might have laughed at the idea.
But after witnessing Raiden's strength, that thought had vanished completely.
Gyokko pondered, his gaze slowly falling upon Muichiro.
This kid — he must be a Pillar too, right?
Killing a Pillar wouldn't erase Muzan's wrath entirely, but at least it would prove his worth.
This was his only choice. He certainly couldn't go to Raiden to demonstrate his value to Lord Muzan, could he?
"You annoying stinky monkey who bothered me earlier, now it's my turn!" With Raiden gone, Gyokko regained his arrogance, grinning at Muichiro.
If Raiden hadn't been looming over him constantly, how could this kid have cut him so many times so easily?
Now it was his turn, and he felt that he couldn't lose.
Muichiro ignored Gyokko, still turning over Raiden's last words in his mind. He didn't know why he was fixated on them, but he just felt they were important.
Meanwhile, Raiden reached the village in just a few breaths.
The village lay in ruins, classic buildings reduced to smoking debris.
Raiden walked into the village, passing corpses of fish demons, the air thick with the scent of blood and fish.
"That Gyokko really is troublesome," Raiden said, wrinkling his nose as the strong fishy smell interfered with his Line of Seizing sense.
Thankfully, he had other sensory techniques besides that one.
Raiden closed his eyes, raised his right index and middle fingers before his forehead.
"Beast Breathing, Seventh Fang, Spatial Perception."
Invisible ripples spread from Raiden's body, forming a three-dimensional image of Swordsmith Village in his mind.
Love Pillar Mitsuri Kanroji was locked in battle with Zohakuten.
And Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Genya Shinazugawa were holding off five Lords.
With Doma's death, the support the Lords received was weakening.
But it wasn't instantaneous; they were still fighting, though their bodies were dissolving rapidly.
Even so, judging by the injuries of Tanjiro and the others, the situation was still dire.
Zenitsu's sword arm was bent awkwardly, and Tanjiro seemed on the brink of running out of strength.
Once Raiden confirmed everyone's positions and conditions, he vanished.
===
Look up "_Zeph" on Patreon to get access to chapters in advance.