Night fell, and the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Inside Ogiya, Inosuke had already reached the limit of his patience.
Wearing the full set of women's clothing made his movements slow and awkward. Irritation boiled over inside him.
Rip—!
With one violent motion, he tore apart the female outfit, revealing his well-built body.
He quickly changed back into his own clothes and put on the boar mask.
Now this—this was the form he felt most comfortable in.
"Charge ahead!"
"Little mice! Bring me my swords!"
A woman passing by the door saw the scene.
Her eyes rolled back.
The "girl" had suddenly turned into a boar-headed monster.
Thud.
She fainted on the spot.
"Chi! Chi!"
Two squeaks echoed down the hallway.
From the end of the corridor appeared two mice—each carrying one of Inosuke's swords.
They were the Ninja Beasts sent by Tengen Uzui—Muscle Mice.
Specially trained creatures with extremely high intelligence.
Each mouse was strong enough to carry a full Nichirin blade.
"Hahaha!"
"Time to hunt some demons! Charge ahead!"
With a loud roar, heavy footsteps thundered through the building.
Inosuke dashed off to find the demon hiding in the brothel.
Meanwhile, Aoyama Ren rushed toward Tokito House, where Tanjiro was stationed, after gathering new information.
By the time he arrived—
Tanjiro was already fighting Upper Rank Six — Daki.
Pieces of severed obi ribbons lay scattered across the ground.
Daki mocked Tanjiro's weakness as they exchanged blows.
Within only a few moves, cracks had already appeared in Tanjiro's blade.
Tanjiro gritted his teeth and glanced down at his sword.
The blade truly was cracking.
And the enemy before him—
Was an Upper Rank demon.
"Your sword is cracked."
"Why not try mine instead?"
A voice suddenly spoke from behind Daki.
Aoyama Ren had arrived.
Without hesitation, he drew his blade and launched an attack.
Daki froze for a split second.
Rage immediately flooded her face.
This man—!
She hadn't realized he was from the Demon Slayer Corps.
She had even shared a drink with him.
Just as Lord Muzan had once said—
Demons couldn't perfectly distinguish Demon Slayers from ordinary humans.
They could only rely on small details.
But this man had revealed no flaws at all yesterday.
"You filthy human!"
"You dared to deceive me!"
"Unforgivable!"
Daki released a barrage of her obi ribbons from her body to block the attack.
Aoyama leapt into the air, dodging the incoming ribbons.
With a swift slash, he severed the ribbon trying to wrap around his body.
Blood spilled from the cut.
Seeing Aoyama standing in front of him, Tanjiro finally felt a bit relieved.
From the very beginning—
Aoyama had always stood at the front lines for them.
"Aoyama -senpai…"
"Are you alright?"
Aoyama glanced back at Tanjiro, who looked battered and exhausted.
Daki's Blood Demon Art had been easily countered.
Her eyes moved between the two of them.
Finally, her gaze settled on the wooden box lying nearby.
Muzan-sama's command…
She was ordered to kill Nezuko, the demon who had escaped his control.
And there was clearly a demon's scent coming from that box.
It must be her.
That brat probably wasn't Hashira level.
But this man named Aoyama —
That was another matter entirely.
Aoyama noticed Daki's gaze lingering on the wooden box.
At the same time—
More ribbons shot toward them.
Some of them rushed directly toward the box.
Aoyama instantly flashed forward.
His blade cut through the ribbons before they could reach it.
"Tanjiro!"
"Protect Nezuko!"
"The demon's target is Nezuko!"
Hearing this, Daki sneered.
"So you noticed already?"
"It doesn't matter."
"I'll kill you first."
"And then I'll take the life of the demon inside that box."
"You really think the two of you can stop me?"
"Pathetic."
She laughed arrogantly.
After all—
She had been praised by Lord Muzan himself.
Whether this man was Hashira level or not didn't matter.
She had already killed and devoured seven Hashira.
Elsewhere in the district—
Tengen Uzui was interrogating the brothel owner, forcing him to reveal the location of his wife Hinatsuru.
Hinatsuru had discovered that Warabihime Oiran was a demon.
Unfortunately, that discovery made Daki suspicious.
She couldn't safely send out any information.
So she drank poison and pretended to fall seriously ill in order to escape Kyogoku House.
However, before leaving, Warabihime had given her a ribbon.
The ribbon was meant to monitor her movements.
If anything suspicious happened, Daki would immediately deal with her.
Uzui arrived just in time.
He destroyed the ribbon clone and rescued Hinatsuru.
After feeding her the antidote, he ordered her to flee the Entertainment District as soon as the medicine took effect.
Meanwhile, during her battle with Aoyama —
Daki sensed something.
Her ribbon clone had been destroyed.
That meant Hinatsuru had been rescued.
Veins bulged on her forehead as she bared her sharp fangs.
"You disgusting insects!"
"How many of you came here tonight?!"
"Four? Five?!"
The blond one was clearly from the Demon Slayer Corps.
Two stood before her now.
And someone else had rescued Hinatsuru.
At least four Demon Slayers were present.
"Why ask?"
Aoyama Ren narrowed his eyes.
"All you need to know…"
"Is that you die tonight."
He raised his sword.
"Total Concentration."
"Light Breathing."
Fourth Form — Radiant Flash!
Daki tried to dodge.
But the blinding white light and the distraction of her ribbon clones slowed her movements.
She twisted backward, barely avoiding a fatal strike to her neck.
But the blade sliced across her face—
Leaving a long wound that cut to the bone.
Daki slowly raised her hand and touched her cheek.
The wound healed instantly.
But the fact remained—
Her face had been injured.
That alone was unforgivable.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Her rage exploded.
She recalled her ribbon clones.
Her black hair gradually turned silver.
Even her pupils changed to golden eyes.
Daki adored beauty.
She was arrogant and despised ugliness.
And now—
Someone had scarred her face.
That man had to die.
She tilted her head, glaring at Aoyama .
"Hehe…"
"You've truly angered me."
A terrifying pressure burst forth.
Both Aoyama and Tanjiro felt it instantly.
Tanjiro realized the demon's power had risen far beyond before.
He glanced at Aoyama .
Aoyama calmly watched the transformed Daki.
Right now—
She had entered her true combat state.
"Tanjiro!"
"Protect Nezuko!"
"It's time to get serious!"
The moment his words fell—
Aoyama Ren launched forward.
Inside the wooden box, Nezuko clenched her small fists.
She firmly believed—
Aoyama and her brother would win this battle.
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