Chapter 65: Reputation Store Unlocked
[Side Quest: Bloody Purge bonus reward acquired. All mission participants gain 1 D-rank Singularity. EX051 (Mercenary Tao) gains 2 C-rank Singularities.]
[Hidden Quest: The Fading Miracle updated. Shintoism Faction reputation has increased. Current: Revered (15/100)]
[Main Quest progress updated. Current power balance for Demon Slayer Corps vs. Muzan Faction is 63:37. Settle the mission now?]
"No."
[Demon Slayer Corps Faction reputation has greatly increased. Current: Revered (45/100)]
[Your reputation with the Muzan Kibutsuji Faction has been permanently set to: Hatred.]
Kaito Shirogane held the heads of the two Upper Rank demons in his left hand, only now finding a moment to read the lines of notifications scrolling past. He wasn't sure if it was a bug in the mission's judgment or if this particular advancement quest was intended to allow for multiple heads. Both heads were now flagged as quest items that could be brought out of the world. He placed them into his inventory.
He then ignored the Professor and Elizabeth, who were attempting to use their tech to find the escaped Muzan Kibutsuji. He looked down, his gaze sweeping over the now smoke-free basement.
As the sun rose higher, its rays began to pierce into the underground chamber. From within the chunks of flesh that had been sliced from Muzan's body, points of blue starlight began to gather. As Kaito watched, a blue card materialized directly in front of him.
[You have obtained a Drop Card (Blue).]
Kaito looked at the [Drop Card - The Biwa Demon, Nakime (Blue)] in his hand. A thought struck him, and he stored it away. Nakime's Blood Demon Art could be of extraordinary value.
At that moment, his body began to shrink back to its normal size, and an intense wave of pain washed over him. It wasn't just the feeling of his hands being broken, but also a sharp, agonizing pain from his abdomen.
Kaito walked out of the wooden house and into the sunlight. He sat down cross-legged, and his muscles began to spasm violently as his physical condition rapidly deteriorated.
Meanwhile, with the death of Prince Hirohito, the city of Kyoto had been thrown into chaos. The Professor and his allies used their modern weapons and high-explosive grenades to rout the remaining defenders. The city was now back in the hands of the traditional noble families like the Tsuchimikado. They had already sent messengers to the former city of Edo, now Tokyo, to report the "assassination of Prince Hirohito by man-eating demons" to the Taisho Emperor.
The Shinto and Onmyōdō religions, which had once been the state religions of Japan, held considerable influence over the Emperor. Now that Muzan's chosen partner, Hirohito, was dead, they would not allow Muzan to continue consolidating his power. They had to counter-attack with everything they had, spreading the word of the terror and danger of the demons. The deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, in Kyoto would be the best possible proof.
Kaito leaned against the ruins of the wooden house, the stench of blood clinging to him. The passing Onmyōji were so frightened of him that they didn't dare approach.
"Our god did not misjudge you. You have truly thwarted Muzan Kibutsuji's plot."
The head priest, dressed in a white robe and a formal cap, appeared before Kaito. The old man's face, with his white hair and beard, was flushed with triumph. He reached out to help Kaito up, but when he pulled, he found he couldn't move him an inch. The priest tried again, then gave up and stepped back, looking at Kaito, who was now regarding him with a playful expression. The old man finally dropped the act.
"Your injuries are severe. Why don't you come back with me to the shrine? I can treat your wounds."
The Professor emerged from the shadows of the ruins, looking at the old priest with a wary expression. He, too, had noticed that the reputation gained from killing Hirohito was vastly different from killing the Upper Rank demons. In other words, these so-called hidden faction leaders weren't fundamentally opposed to Muzan; they were just acting in the interest of their own power and status. He had to intervene to prevent the old man from driving a wedge between them and the Ubuyashiki Clan, which could cause their main quest completion to plummet. And besides… seeing Kaito's injuries, he was worried this old priest had other, more sinister motives.
But Kaito just smiled and followed the priest.
"Professor," Kaito called back, "Muzan likely escaped by splitting into thousands of pieces through the hole Hantengu dug. If you're aiming for a perfect clear, you should try to lock down Kyoto and coordinate a city-wide sweep with the noble families. Nakime is dead. Muzan can't get far."
With that, Kaito followed the priest toward the [Fushimi Inari-taisha] outside the city. A trail of blood dripped from his hands as he walked, but soon, the bleeding began to slow.
The Professor held a shattered piece of blue crystal in his hand. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared at Kaito's departing back. "Moon Breathing?" he whispered in disbelief.
As Kaito walked behind the priest, the rhythm of his breathing was indeed completely different from before. And as his breathing pattern changed, the wounds on his hands began to contract, the bleeding stopping. However, the abnormal, sharp pain in his abdomen was still intensifying. The muscle spasms left him in a visibly weakened state.
They walked through the fields, past the destroyed train tracks, and through the mountain gate with its thousands of torii gates, finally arriving at the shrine entrance at the summit.
The priest turned to face Kaito. "How did you know it wasn't a divine revelation?"
A grin touched Kaito's lips. If Lord Inari could still grant divine revelations, he thought, how could these great religions have been so thoroughly crushed by Muzan Kibutsuji? But he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"I don't care about your goals," he said. "What you do is none of my business. But I killed Hirohito and made things convenient for you. You must pay me my reward. Otherwise…"
Kaito looked up at the old priest, who, within Kyoto's largest shrine, could wield some strange powers thanks to centuries of accumulated faith. A cold, hard smile spread across his face, the taste of blood still lingering between his lips and teeth.
"Otherwise, I don't mind causing a little more slaughter."
Kaito's tone was casual, his gaze not even focused on the old priest. But in that moment, the old man felt a chill run down his spine. An inexplicable killing intent radiated from Kaito, an aura that could only be accumulated after killing countless people.
At that moment, the small fox girl appeared behind the old priest again, her crimson eyes fixed on Kaito. But Kaito was completely unafraid. If this thing had any real combat power, this old man, who was willing to plot the assassination of an Imperial Prince for the sake of power, would have sent it out long ago. The reason his group's operation had gone so smoothly was that this old man and the other traditionalist factions had already been working together in secret. He and the other Reincarnators had simply been a convenient, sharp knife.
"Heh, you jest, sir. You have slain evil demons for us and done a great service to Kyoto and all of us. How could we not reward you?" The priest bowed low and held out a paper talisman with both hands. Kaito took it, and a flood of information appeared before his eyes.
[Plot Character Ōgami Masaya has opened the Reputation Store for you. You may now use your reputation to exchange for items from the hidden faction.]
Kaito looked at the list that appeared before him. It was filled with all sorts of items and training methods left over from the Shinto faith, once the largest religion in Japan.
~~~
Guys We cross the 1200 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1300 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 2 extra chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter