The collapse of the Kyogoku House finally woke the courtesans and patrons, who, covered in blood, scrambled to escape outside. The massive noise also shocked all of Yoshiwara, making even the stubborn fools who ignored Hinatsuru's warnings finally realize that death was already upon them.
Previously, the sudden fall of night had already unsettled many. Now, panic erupted in full. The crowds raced to escape Yoshiwara, fleeing toward the light outside.
Gusion turned in midair and landed on the rooftop next to Kyogoku House, looking down at the five Explorers and the already bisected Daki.
"Not bad reaction speed."
Gusion glanced at Daki. Her overall stats weren't much higher than Cannon's, but she had managed to react, which meant that even though Daki had lived a pampered life, hundreds of years had still honed her battle instincts—stronger than a first-rank Explorer.
"Ah—it hurts! Damn it!"
Daki, sliced in half, screamed. She struggled to reconnect her two halves but found it extremely difficult.
In the past, she had fought many Demon Slayers, and as long as her head wasn't cut off, injuries like lost limbs or being bisected could be quickly healed. But this time, for some reason, recovery was very difficult.
"Damn, the other side has a prodigy!"
The Explorer who'd missed his charge with the tower shield cursed, finally realizing something was wrong.
They had long felt this world was a bit too strange. The End Space would never give them an easy world as a gift. The Muzan camp already had the advantage, and there were 33 Explorers on Muzan's side—eleven times more than the opposition. Shouldn't that make it impossible for the Demon Slayer Corps to win?
But now, it seemed not to be the case. The opposing side, though only three Explorers, were likely all super-strong monsters like this man before them—abnormally strong.
How many days had it been since they entered this world? He had already mastered Thunder Breathing? And was using it so skillfully—one slash cutting the whole Kyogoku House in two!
"Steelplate, don't be afraid. Trust your tankiness!"
The white-clothed swordsman landed beside the main tank, staring solemnly up at Gusion. "No matter how strong he is, he's still only one man, while we have the power of teamwork."
"But he's too fast. Even my Blood Demon Art can't hit him."
The team's enchantress, the beautiful sorceress Mohr, climbed out of the ruins, brows furrowed. She'd thought she was soaring ahead after obtaining demon bloodline, but now found herself in an awkward situation.
Muzan's demon bloodline was one of the best early on for low-level mages—high regeneration, high resistance, hugely increasing survivability, and boosting physical stats to make up for the mage's physical frailty.
She was a top-tier first-rank mage with 30 points of Spirit—the team's main damage dealer—but now awkwardly discovered her spells couldn't hit Gusion.
"Brother Dragon, Thunder Breathing really counters the two of us—he's too hard to lock onto."
The sniper also spoke up, expression grave.
"It's fine. Steelplate, work with me. We'll tie him down, then you guys can strike."
The white-clothed swordsman, Brother Dragon, stepped forward, his aura rising. In the moonlight, he revealed the number in his eye: Upper Moon Nine.
"So, it's just you left," Gusion said with a hint of regret after sensing the area.
After his rampage, the crowd had already fled to Yoshiwara's outskirts—there were hardly any humans left nearby.
Though he'd sliced Kyogoku House in half, he had deliberately avoided people inside, thanks to his prior sensing. Since the building was wooden, there was plenty of space after it collapsed—no one was killed, only injured.
Now, a few figures were already crawling out of the windows, scrambling away without needing to be told.
"With the field cleared, it's time to start reaping."
Gusion stood atop the building, moonlight shining down. His Zanpakutō trembled lightly, purple-black mist spreading out, and chains wrapped around his right arm like vines—he had entered Shikai.
In the senses of the Explorers below, Gusion's figure seemed to grow even larger. The pressure from above made their legs tremble involuntarily—an invisible aura of killing intent crashed down on them.
"The difference in level is just too much..."
The sniper's voice trembled. He could tell the opponent was definitely someone who had killed before entering the End space, and now had highly specialized combat skills. That kind of aura was fundamentally different from theirs.
Even with higher basic stats, they couldn't suppress this man. They'd thought they were hunters waiting for prey, but the one who'd fallen into the trap was no mere rabbit—but a tiger!
"What the hell, I was cut in half and can't heal…!"
Daki also sensed the invisible pressure coming from Gusion, her voice sharp, tinged with fear. Now, she no longer blamed the new Upper and Lower Moons who had come to Yoshiwara. She just hoped this man in black would die quickly so the nameless sense of crisis in her heart would go away.
"Brother, I'm being bullied!"
She cried in a spoiled tone, and a lump rose on her back as another demon manifested.
Unlike his stunningly beautiful sister, Gyutaro, the brother, was extremely ugly.
His sclera were yellow, and in his left and right irises were the kanji for "Six" and "Upper Moon." His hair was black with green streaks, his naked upper body was pale gray, and he wore loose blue pants on his lower half. His arms were wrapped with red-and-black sashes.
Gusion glanced at him with Scout, instantly seeing Gyutaro's stats.
[Twelve Kizuki, Upper Moon Six, Gyutaro]
Constitution: 36
Strength: 33
Agility: 33
Spirit: 20
Charisma: 2
[Due to the Pioneer's much higher Spirit stat, you gain some details of his skills and bloodline.]
Advanced Man-Eating Demon Bloodline: Extremely high physical regeneration. As long as the head isn't cut off by the power of the sun, or burned in sunlight, any normal physical injury can regenerate rapidly.
This bloodline grants huge stat bonuses and can further increase base power by eating humans, though at the upper limit eating more won't make you stronger.
The bloodline grants strong defense, especially at the neck.
Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Scythes: Gyutaro can turn his own blood into razor-thin blades and launch them. The blades are highly poisonous and can change direction at Gyutaro's will.
Blood Demon Art: Rampant Defense: Blood blades swirl around his body in all-directional defense, useful for blocking wide-area attacks.
Blood Demon Art: Spinning Blood Scythes: Spiral-shaped blood blades wrap around his hands, usually used in close combat when clashing swords with the enemy.
[]
Gusion glanced over Gyutaro's panel and immediately understood why Upper Moons could rampage for centuries in the original story. Gyutaro had even eaten fifteen Hashira.
The Upper Moons' base stats were just too high. Combined with well-developed Blood Demon Arts and centuries of battle experience, ordinary Hashira were no match.
So, those Hashira in the original who could kill Upper Moons were true geniuses—able to push their human bodies to new heights with Breathing Techniques and, in a burst of Total Concentration, briefly match an Upper Moon's stats. Not easy at all.
Aside from the Stone Hashira, the other Hashira, no matter how hard they tried, could only barely reach Upper Moon Four's level. To actually win, they still needed teamwork or skill.
Gusion's stats before entering this world were already at 27, with his highest Constitution boosted to 31 by titles, and Spirit at 30.
Purely by numbers, after Shikai, he wasn't much weaker than Gyutaro.
"Don't cry, with a pretty face like yours, it'd be a shame to ruin it."
Gyutaro separated from Daki, his hoarse voice a little lazy as he stroked his sister's face. "It's just a cut at the waist—you can reattach it."
"But, brother, it's so hard to reattach..."
Daki spoke through tears. "I really tried hard when you weren't here, but that guy came early this morning to bully me and cut me like this."
Gyutaro gently patted his sister's back in comfort, channeling his own power to help her reconnect her body. Then he looked at Gusion. "You're pretty good, hurting my sister even with so many people attacking you..."
His hoarse tone was flat. "...My airhead of a sister really got your care."
"Brother, it hurts even after reattaching..."
Daki wiped her tears, though one couldn't tell if she was truly in pain or just acting spoiled.
"Yes, yes, it's truly unforgivable..."
Gyutaro's voice grew sharper, and his killing intent soared as he locked his gaze on Gusion. "Anyone who bullies my sister, I'll kill them all."
Invisible killing intent clashed in the air. Gusion, watching the last escaping people in the distance, grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Is that so? Then let me bully you some more..."
As he spoke, lightning erupted atop the roof, sending tiles flying behind him.
With Thunder Breathing-enhanced god-speed, his blade slashed toward Daki's slender white neck!