Well, this is how it goes:
When a soft, perfectly shaped, and very bouncy butt is right in front of you—and it belongs to a girl who is your lover and won't resist no matter what you do—it's only natural that you'd give it a squeeze, right?
Of course, a girl's still got her own tempers, so she'll probably pout a bit.
But Shinobu didn't really mind. After a grueling battle, there's nothing more effective at easing anxiety than a bit of playful groping.
That said—this place was disgusting.
The black sludge oozing everywhere, the rapidly decaying flora and fauna… The way they melted away was satisfying to watch, sure—but there was no denying it: this place was not fit for lounging around in.
"…Let's head back. We're not far from the Demon Slayer Corps HQ, right?"
Ryuji finally let go—only to immediately cup Mitsuri's rear as she approached him.
Soft again. Bigger than Shinobu's, though not disproportionately so. But on the whole? Shinobu's was still slightly better in terms of proportion.
You couldn't help it—Shinobu was just really short. Her curves might have been ideal for childbearing, but stacked next to someone taller like Mitsuri, they just didn't stand out as much.
Anyway, since the situation wasn't all that urgent, Ryuji gave Tanjiro his horse—he still wasn't great at riding—and planned to spend the journey snuggling with Shinobu.
Not going all the way, of course.
But Shinobu rejected him. Said it would slow them down. And she wasn't wrong, so he didn't argue.
In the end, he held Nezuko in his arms, while Tanjiro nervously followed alongside as they made their way toward the Demon Slayer Corps' base.
Just like last time—after taking out the region's boss monster—not a single threat showed up along the way. Even the strange humanoid creatures had vanished.
It was obvious: once a regional leader fell, the monsters tied to them were wiped out as well.
But the moment they got close—and saw the panic on people's faces—Ryuji knew he had made the right call by returning.
Because…
The Demon Slayer Corps was in the middle of a civil war.
As they approached on horseback, the sounds of chaos and blood-curdling screams grew louder.
Shinobu and Mitsuri's faces turned pale. They spurred their horses forward at once, leading the group toward HQ.
But before they even reached the gates…
They saw bodies. Everywhere.
"Damn it! What the hell happened?!"
Shinobu roared, her eyes wide with rage. These corpses—clearly members of the Demon Slayer Corps—were not killed by demons. The wounds were blade and bullet injuries.
Combined with the sounds of battle from ahead, it was obvious what was going on: internal conflict.
Ryuji narrowed his eyes. He already had a theory.
Those parasites—ones that could mimic familiar faces—had already shown their ability to drive wedges between people. If they could mess with his own close companions, it'd be child's play to cause a rift in the Corps.
And even if the monsters were now gone…
The damage had already been done.
Because once blood is spilled, things don't end so easily.
It doesn't matter that the monster tricked you into killing your comrade. You still did it. And now there's blood between you.
If this had been the old Demon Slayer Corps—where members were willing to sacrifice everything to slay demons—maybe they could've resolved things under Ubuyashiki Kagaya's leadership.
But now…
Ryuji looked toward the burning main estate. His chest tightened.
A blind, sickly man like that… how could he possibly have survived this?
"You should prepare for the worst, Shinobu," he said quietly.
She didn't respond.
Kagaya was more than a leader to her. He was like a father or an older brother. Without him, she never would have overcome the pain of losing her sister.
How could she stay calm?
A few paces later, the tragedy became even clearer.
"Kill those bastards!!"
A man in Demon Slayer Corps uniform screamed as he raised a flintlock rifle at his fellow members—and without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
Gunfire rang out. One of the men collapsed immediately.
Shinobu's eyes went wide in horror. She moved to draw her blade, but Ryuji was faster. He hurled a cheap katana like a javelin—imbued with golden dragonfire.
The flames exploded, dividing the battlefield in a blaze of heat, while a second stream of fire surged into the fallen man's chest, healing his gunshot wound.
"What the hell are you people doing?!"
Shinobu's furious voice pierced the noise.
She had never imagined things would descend into this kind of madness.
The Demon Slayer Corps was her home. She would rather die than see it fall apart like this.
But the survivors didn't share her sentiment.
One of the more composed men, a user of breathing techniques, narrowed his eyes.
"Tsk!… A Hashira? No… That's not right. The Insect Pillar's supposed to be in another city. She's a monster! Kill her!"
The moment he shouted, he raised a fallen rifle and aimed at her.
But Shinobu had already realized what was going on.
"Ryuji, don't—!"
Too late.
He hurled another blade—this time laced with golden fire that blasted through the man's chest, instantly incinerating him.
Shinobu didn't blame him—not like the heroines in those dumb TV dramas.
She just sighed.
Then she turned to the others, who were now staring at Ryuji with a mix of awe and fear.
"There are no monsters left here," she declared.
"If you continue killing each other, you will be punished. But if you follow me and help restore order—then your past actions will be forgiven."
She didn't have time to argue or reason with them. Her priority now was checking on Kagaya.
The soldiers exchanged glances… and slowly lowered their weapons.
The Insect Hashira still commanded respect. And more importantly, they knew none of them could beat Ryuji.
"Move out!" Shinobu barked, spurring her horse forward into the courtyard.
But just as they charged ahead, a lone man who'd been silent all this time raised a rifle and took aim at Ryuji from behind.
Of course, Ryuji had already sensed it with Observation Haki.
A flash of golden flame burst from his palm, reducing the man to ash before he could even pull the trigger.
But things weren't any better inside.
Corpses lay scattered across the estate.
Those who weren't dead clutched their swords tightly, eyes filled with bloodlust, ready to kill again at any moment.
"Damn it… How did it come to this?!"
Shinobu's thoughts were in chaos—sorrow, rage, helplessness—all swirling into something deeper: a growing hatred toward the monsters responsible.
She had a rough idea of what caused it. Those creatures… the ones that could suddenly appear in the form of someone you trusted—they must've infiltrated the Corps and sown this madness.
She knew all too well. If Ryuji hadn't noticed and eliminated that imposter earlier, she herself wouldn't have suspected a thing.
And if creatures like that appeared in masses inside an organization like the Demon Slayer Corps… well, the results were self-explanatory.
The deeper they went into the compound, the more obstacles they encountered. Corps members, blood-crazed and wild-eyed, clashed like rabid animals. Even when Shinobu tried to stop them with her authority, they ignored her.
Unless Ryuji personally intervened, the madness continued.
And even if they did stop momentarily… Shinobu knew the moment they left, they'd start killing again.
But the worst was still ahead—
"My Lord!!"
She gasped in horror.
The estate's inner sanctum—the home of Ubuyashiki Kagaya—was on fire.
That was where he lived. And if that place was burning…
"Ryuji-sama! Please, help me!!"
She didn't hesitate. Desperation clear in her voice, she turned to him.
Ryuji gave a firm nod. Without another word, he leapt from his horse—straight into the estate's pond.
Unlike his usual fire-based techniques, this time he unleashed his rarely used Water Manipulation techniques.
The water from the pond spun to life beneath his feet—whirling upward in a twisting spiral before coalescing into a massive water dragon, which roared forward and surged toward the burning building.
The crashing wave of water not only extinguished the fire—it propelled Ryuji forward with incredible speed, clearing a path by blasting aside the fighting Demon Slayer Corps members, allowing Shinobu and the others to rush toward headquarters without further delay.
Shinobu did her best to keep up, but then—
She saw it.
There, amidst the flames, sat Amane Ubuyashiki, holding the lifeless body of Kagaya Ubuyashiki in her arms. Beside her, two pale-haired little girls sat silently.
And just above them—the burning ceiling gave way.
"Ryuji-sama!!"
Her voice, nearly a sob, cried out to him.
Without hesitation, Ryuji surged into the flaming structure, riding the momentum of the water.
With a powerful swing of his sword, he shattered the collapsing beams above, while tendrils of water twisted like arms around Amane, the children, and the lifeless Kagaya—lifting them all to safety in an instant.
Moments later, the entire structure collapsed.
Shinobu stood frozen, trembling from fear—terrified Ryuji had also perished in the wreckage.
But he had no such intention.
The water around him instantly crystallized into a shield of ice, wrapping them in a protective cocoon.
Once he confirmed their safety, golden dragon fire flared in his hand. With a single swing of his blade, he incinerated the surrounding debris, revealing himself amidst a cloud of ash and fire.
"Don't worry. I saved them all."
But his gaze dropped regretfully to the man in Amane's arms, and he shook his head.
"Except for this one… there's nothing I can do. He's already far gone."
His Observation Haki had confirmed it long ago—Kagaya was unmistakably dead.
Mitsuri collapsed to her knees, tears spilling down her face. Shinobu, though equally devastated, remembered something—Ryuji had a way to bring back the dead.
Although she learned from him when they were having sex that it wasn't a true resurrection—only a borrowed life for a few decades at best. But that was more than enough.
"Lord Kagaya isn't dead—just heavily injured!" she declared firmly, shooting him a meaningful look.
Ryuji caught on immediately.
As Shinobu approached, he sighed.
"But… the man's head is gone. Someone's bound to notice. And even if I do bring him back, you know it won't last more than a few decades."
Ryuji had no desire to waste his limited lifespan on strangers. He is not a saint.
Sure, Kagaya was a good man—but there were plenty of good people in the world, and he wasn't about to donate his life for every one of them.
There were no women to sleep with in return either.
He glanced at Amane, who still held her husband. He assumed she must be Amane, and the two girls her daughters. But the children looked only about eight years old.
Eight. Yeah—whatever unholy thoughts he might've had, those were immediately dismissed.
Even he had lines he wouldn't cross.
Amane's willingness to die alongside her husband made it clear—this was true love.He wasn't about to manipulate a grieving widow into bed, let alone bribe her with her husband's resurrection.
That would be beyond sickening.
He couldn't do that.
"…Just revive him for a few days," Shinobu whispered. "I'll get Mitsuri to repay you."
"Deal."
Ryuji accepted instantly.
Amane looked at them, puzzled. She didn't quite understand what was happening.
A moment later, Ryuji raised a wall of golden flame, blocking the view of anyone outside, and extended his hand.
Golden light gathered—flowing into the body of the beheaded man.
Before Amane could even react, Kagaya's severed head lifted from her lap and floated back to his body, reattaching seamlessly.
She gawked in disbelief—her dainty mouth agape wider than Ryuji thought physically possible.
Then, Kagaya sat up.
His gaze was distant, but his head turned immediately toward Ryuji and Shinobu.
"You must be Ryuji," he said calmly. "Kanae just introduced you to me. Thank you… for saving my wife and daughters."
He gently patted the heads of his stunned daughters—who had chosen to follow him into the afterlife moments earlier—then turned back to Ryuji and smiled.
"There's no time to offer a proper thank-you, so I'll get straight to the point: Please… help me restore peace to this place. There's no need for more blood."
"Sure," Ryuji replied.
He was a bit surprised to hear Kanae had been involved, but then remembered—her ghost often lingered around Shinobu.
With a casual wave of his hand, the wall of fire vanished.
Supported by his wife, Kagaya stepped out of the wreckage.
And just like that—the violence stopped.
The warring members of the Demon Slayer Corps, upon seeing their leader alive, dropped their weapons without hesitation. Even those still itching for a fight yielded after just a few words from him.
The brutal infighting that Ryuji had struggled to quell through brute force… was effortlessly ended by Kagaya's presence.
Order began to return.
Soon after, Shinobu and her team located two more missing Hashira that were supposed to be stationed here—Iguro Obanai and Himejima Gyomei, locked in the dungeon.
Both were on the verge of death, poisoned and barely breathing. Only Ryuji's golden dragon fire saved them in time.
Thankfully, the medical unit had not joined the chaos. While tensions had been high among them, their healing facilities remained intact, and the injured could be treated properly.
And finally—Ryuji and the others learned exactly what had happened…
It had all started that very day.
At first, while the atmosphere within the Corps had been strange, no one thought much of it. But soon, deaths began. Two Hashira vanished.
The two later revealed they had been lured by familiar faces and shared a meal with them—only to be ambushed shortly after.
Obanai had sensed something was wrong from the start, but he was outnumbered. Before he could act, he and Gyomei were overwhelmed and thrown into the dungeon.
Back then, Kagaya had still managed to keep the Corps steady. But as more impostors—parasitic demons wearing familiar faces—appeared, the situation spiraled.
Infighting broke out.
Corps members began to accuse and attack each other, especially the newer recruits who harbored more tension and mistrust. Kagaya couldn't contain the chaos.
The Corps descended into civil war.
Units formed into factions, then turned on each other. No one trusted anyone.
It became a hellscape.
Eventually, one faction managed to seize control of Kagaya's residence—only for the parasites to begin rotting away, their disguises melting. The truth was exposed.
But by then, no one cared.
The bloodshed had already gone too far. Family, friends, and comrades had died. The newer recruits, former samurai or civil servants with old grudges or political motives, fought to the death over pride and vengeance.
Ironically, Kagaya didn't die during the parasite uprising, but during the true civil war that followed—decapitated by a fallen samurai turned Demon Slayer.
If not for the few fiercely loyal members who shielded them with their lives, even Amane and her daughters might have died.
But by then, the Demon Slayer Corps was as good as destroyed.
Over three-fifths of headquarters was wiped out. The survivors harbored irreconcilable hatred, unable to cooperate, much less fight side by side.
Even the squads sent out on missions could no longer be trusted—too many had lost loved ones during the chaos, and those grudges ran deep.
At this point, the only miracle would be if the Corps didn't collapse entirely. As for launching counterattacks or continuing the war against demons?
Nearly impossible.
In truth, if not for Ryuji's overwhelming power keeping things in check, the Corps members would have kept fighting until every last grudge was settled in blood.
After the situation had somewhat stabilized, Kagaya bowed his head to Ryuji, while listening to Shinobu's report.
"I'm ashamed. You alone have slain two of the three demonic overlords… while under my leadership, the Corps nearly perished."
There was helplessness in his tone. He had seen the signs—he'd sensed something was wrong—but by the time he realized how deeply the enemy had infiltrated, it was too late.
Even he, the leader, had been killed.
He felt utterly defeated.
But Ryuji didn't agree.
He looked at the frail man—his eyes blind, his body still weak even after resurrection with his conceptual lifespan—and shook his head.
"It's not your fault. These monsters… were just far beyond your league."
He meant every word. Even the female demon he'd fought earlier could've been overwhelmed with enough manpower. But the Golden Giant, the one he'd recently slain, was a different class entirely—thhey wouldn't have managed it without Nezuko's evolution.
If it had been left to the Demon Slayer Corps alone, they might have all been annihilated.
For example, against that female demon, her most outstanding ability is to transform monsters. if she hadn't been there, Shinobu would probably have poisoned herself just to weaken the monster enough for someone else—like Nezuko or Tanjiro—to land the final blow.
Even with help from the golden lights and level-up mechanics, these invaders were just too powerful for the Corps.
"I understand. You're a man with a mission, Mr. Ryuji. We truly cannot compare. But… forgive my boldness, I have one request."
Kagaya suddenly bowed deeply.
"Please… take command of the Demon Slayer Corps in my stead."
To him, Ryuji wasn't just a warrior—he was a divine figure sent by the gods, specifically for this task!
But Ryuji waved him off without hesitation.
"No thanks. Find someone else. After I take care of the last monster, I'll probably be gone for a while. I don't have time for this 'Corps Commander' business. Don't you have a son? Let him take over."
Kagaya was a good man, but Ryuji had no intention of taking on this mess. Giving the guy a few more days to settle his affairs was already enough.
As for managing the Corps?
Forget it.
They were a political powder keg. Even if he did somehow assume command, how long would it be before the Hashira started resisting him?
The Demon Slayer Corps would probably collapse under his "leadership."
More importantly, he wasn't about to waste time in Taisho-era Japan.
There was nothing here but Shinobu and Mitsuri.
So he walked away, not even sparing Kagaya another glance.
Shinobu watched him leave.
Then, after seeing a medic tenderly tending to the wounded Obanai, she turned to Mitsuri.
"Mitsuri."
"Hmm?"
"I have a favor to ask."
"Sure!"
Later that night, Ryuji went to the kitchen with Mai, grabbed something to eat, and found a quiet place to sleep.
He didn't bother Shinobu—he knew she had her hands full.
But in the middle of his deep sleep… he suddenly felt someone parting his lips.
And then—
A faint sweetness washed over his tongue.
He opened his eyes.
And saw Mitsuri, her face burning red with shyness.
~~~~~~~~~~
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