Chapter 68: Kaito Shirogane's Deal
[You have killed Hirano the Farmer. You have gained 5 Dimensional Points.]
[Milestone Update: Slaughterer (Rare) (1/1000)]
"AH! Run!"
The few farmers holding flintlock rifles watched as Kaito Shirogane slowly pulled his leg out of Hirano's caved-in chest. Terrified, they turned and fled.
Kaito didn't give chase. He just wanted to make one thing clear to them: if you shoot at me, you had better be prepared to be killed by me. This wasn't the kind of thing that could be resolved with a simple "I'm sorry, I made a mistake" and a bow.
When Kaito returned to Kyoto, the "riot" had already been suppressed. The noble families who had cultivated their power in the city for centuries had retaken control with ease. Kaito immediately received medical attention and had his wounds bandaged. However, his right arm had suffered a devastating injury. The bones were twisted and shattered, and a great deal of flesh had been torn away. It was not an injury they could fix. Even Kaito himself didn't bother using his healing potions or his last [Konoha Medical Scroll] on a wound that was clearly beyond simple healing.
During this time, the Professor and Yanagi returned once to inform him that the entire Demon Slayer Corps had been mobilized. They were prepared to search every inch of Kyoto and its surroundings to find any trace of Muzan Kibutsuji. They had also allied with the Tsuchimikado and other prominent families to conduct a strict census. For the next few days, every household was ordered to keep their lights on all night, giving Muzan no opportunity to feed and recover from his injuries.
Kaito had no objections. That afternoon, he saw Gyomei Himejima and several other Hashira. These powerful Demon Slayers, with the cooperation of the local nobles, began a house-to-house search. Many hidden demons were slain.
Kaito, however, did not participate in their actions. On the contrary, he remained completely detached. He not only refused Kanae Kocho's offer to help heal him but also declined Gyomei Himejima's invitation to join their operation. He took up residence in an exquisite mansion whose owner, an official under Hirohito, had died in the morning's chaos.
Kaito sat in the courtyard, watching the massive, city-wide hunt for Muzan. He then impassively closed the courtyard gates.
This action brought a wave of relief to the other Reincarnators who had been secretly watching him. In truth, ever since "Mercenary Tao" had returned to Kyoto, Elizabeth and the Professor had been in a constant state of tension. They had been following the Demon Slayer Corps, ostensibly to hunt Muzan, but in reality, it was to… avoid danger. And the source of that danger was, quite clearly, their own most powerful teammate—"Mercenary Tao" himself.
They knew that "Mercenary Tao" had taken advantage of the terrain and the sunlight in his battle with Muzan and the Upper Ranks. They also knew that [Hamon] was one of the most effective abilities against demons. Under those specific circumstances, a [Paper]-tier Reincarnator, driven by enough courage, could indeed pull off a kill against a [Mortal]-tier demon.
But… for a single [Paper]-tier Reincarnator to face the world's main boss, Muzan Kibutsuji, along with his most powerful lieutenants, and not only survive but win… that should have been a suicide mission. The image of "Mercenary Tao" emerging from the battle, holding the heads of the two strongest Upper Ranks, had chilled them to the bone.
Because they had all heard [Hunter]'s dying words. The fact that "Mercenary Tao is a special Reincarnator" was now the consensus of their temporary team. And a Reincarnator's special status was a far more important piece of information than the origin of their abilities. This had led to an extremely awkward atmosphere within their temporary alliance. They were all afraid that "Mercenary Tao" might try to assassinate them in the remaining time. The Professor, in particular, knew that he was likely a [Great Sin] type of special Reincarnator, which made him even more uneasy. He had even considered settling the main quest early just to escape this world. He had only stayed because this was his [Special Trial], and he couldn't afford a low completion rate. Bringing in the Demon Slayer Corps had been a desperate attempt to use the plot characters to restrain the injured "Mercenary Tao."
"By the way, where's Vincent?"
Now that Kaito had closed his gates and seemed to have no intention of interacting with them, the Professor was able to relax his focus. Only then did he notice that Vincent, who was supposed to be with the Demon Slayer group, hadn't arrived with the main force.
During the operation, because someone needed to monitor whether the Upper Ranks had been successfully lured away, Elizabeth and Vincent, who had a [Team Space], had decided to split up and communicate remotely.
Hearing the Professor's question, Elizabeth frowned. "Vincent said he triggered a solo mission and needed to stay behind to finish it." She was suspicious. Their side had made a huge haul, earning multiple Singularities. She couldn't imagine what kind of hidden mission would make Vincent pass that up.
In fact, Kanae Kocho had told her that Vincent had only met up with them on the first night and had had almost no contact with the Demon Slayer Corps since. She hid her doubts and simply said, "It doesn't matter if he's not here. The rest of the mop-up is just small tasks. We just need to cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps to keep Muzan suppressed. Even if we can't kill him, as long as he can't emerge to cause trouble again, our main quest completion rate will be very high."
The Professor, pretending not to notice the shadow on Elizabeth's face, turned and walked away.
The high-pressure city-wide search continued for a full day and was set to continue for the coming weeks. Knowing that the teleporting demon, Nakime, was dead, they were all convinced that Muzan could only escape under the cover of darkness or by using Hantengu's abilities.
Night fell. The members of the Demon Slayer Corps took over from the now-powerless Onmyōji, patrolling the streets of Kyoto. Each of them carried a special signal flare, to be fired the moment they encountered a demon. A curfew was imposed on Kyoto tonight, and the once-bustling streets fell silent. Everyone was waiting for the scream that might ring out at any moment.
But one night passed, and nothing happened.
Two weeks passed in this way. Just as the Demon Slayer Corps was beginning to believe that Muzan had somehow escaped Kyoto…
In the dead of night, Kaito sat by the edge of the crater where he had fought the Upper Ranks. The site still radiated a faint killing intent.
"Muzan Kibutsuji," Kaito's voice was a low murmur in the darkness. "Just how scared are you that you've been lingering here for so many days, not even daring to show your face?"
"My offer still stands. Give me Miss Nakime's ability, and I will grant you the thing you have coveted for a thousand years."
Kaito looked down into the crater, a wild, unrestrained smile on his face.
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