Hiru's words left Yuichiro silent.
He understood the logic, but reason and emotion rarely aligned. With his thoughts in turmoil, he turned his gaze toward the distant battlefield to distract himself.
The street, ravaged by the storm of blood blades, no longer resembled its former bustling self. Every cut was smooth as a mirror. As he searched desperately for his brother, a sharp tearing sound suddenly rang out right beside him.
His collar tightened, and in the next instant, he was yanked into the air.
At the same time, Hiru's voice sounded by his ear.
"Oh my. Quite the temper."
With a thunderous crash, Gyutaro slammed down where they had just been, twin sickles in hand. His gaze darkened as it fell on Yuichiro, whose complexion had already returned to normal. Shock flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced by heightened wariness toward Hiru.
Without hesitation, he attacked.
"That was close."
Hiru shifted his grip, tucking Yuichiro
"Hey, sir. I'm not a combatant. Mind taking it up with the actual fighters instead?"
The answer came as a storm of blood-red sickle blades, sweeping through the air like a curtain.
"Such a nasty temper. Not cute at all."
Hiru couldn't spare a hand and was forced to retreat again and again to evade the barrage.
"Is it because I'm holding your sister's head? Well, you hurt my kid earlier. Taking her head as a souvenir to cheer him up sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?"
Even now, Yuichiro couldn't help tilting his head to glance at him, his expression openly skeptical.
[What kind of adult uses a severed head as a souvenir to comfort a child?]
That brief distraction gave Uzui and Muichiro enough time to catch up.
While Muichiro merely noted Hiru's relaxed demeanor, Uzui exploded the moment he arrived.
"You idiot! Didn't we agree—no acting on your own?!"
"I get bored."
Hiru stood atop a rooftop, looking down with a grin.
"Besides, I haven't been dismissed. This is just a routine investigation. The Master won't blame me."
Uzui didn't reply, but the way his attacks grew sharper and more aggressive made it clear he was barely holding back his irritation.
Hiru set Yuichiro down and gestured for him to move farther away. Only then did he raise his voice toward Gyutaro, who was already starting to falter under the pressure.
"Hey, Gyutaro, right? How about we make a deal? Hand your sister over to me. I might be able to convince my companions to spare your life."
The moment those words left his mouth, Uzui's pressure spiked.
The rhythm he had just begun to grasp shattered again, and a string of curses surged through his mind, all directed at Hiru.
But Hiru carried on, holding Daki's head as he casually admired it.
"She really is beautiful. Not quite how I imagined appreciating her, but this is interesting in its own way~ Honestly, you can still run now, you know? You're demons. Being a little selfish isn't a bad thing."
Even Muichiro began to feel the strain.
Yuichiro watched the battle anxiously, then glanced back at Hiru, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
"You think I'm in the wrong?"
Hiru turned, casually swinging the head in his hand.
"Feel sorry for them?"
Yuichiro nodded, then shook his head, his expression conflicted.
"I don't feel sorry for them. It's just… what you're doing feels a bit messed up."
Hiru read his thoughts instantly and let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head before raising his voice again.
"Uzui. That guy might be Upper Moon Four now, but he used to be Upper Moon Six.
If you can't take down the weakest of the former Upper Moons without taking a hit, sure—I can heal you afterward. But then you won't be able to keep me in check.
And when the Master asks later, it'll count as your failure. All on you."
Uzui clicked his tongue, irritation plain on his face.
"Um… talking about demons is one thing, but isn't it a bit harsh to say that about Uzui?"
Yuichiro couldn't help speaking up.
Hiru pointed downward with a faint smile.
"Then watch closely."
Yuichiro lowered his gaze.
Uzui, who had been at a disadvantage just moments ago, was now moving faster and faster. The heavy Nichirin Blades in his hands seemed weightless, like toys, and the speed of his swings made them nearly impossible to track.
But the most shocking part was the explosive roar that followed each strike, every impact louder than the last, rattling the air and numbing the ears.
"See? That's him going all out."
Hiru crouched at the edge of the roof, resting his chin on his hand.
"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. He came here to train against the Upper Moons in preparation for Muzan. At a time like this, how could he not push himself to the limit?"
At last, Uzui's roaring Nichirin Blades blasted Gyutaro's arms aside, creating the opening Muichiro had been waiting for. He closed in from behind in an instant, his blade flashing as it sliced Daki's headless body cleanly off Gyutaro before continuing downward to sever his left leg.
Even as his balance broke, Gyutaro refused to yield. The joints in his arms twisted violently, bending backward with a nauseating grind as the flesh-and-blood sickles whipped around, slashing straight at Muichiro.
But in that instant, Muichiro had already exhausted his previous strike, and his next had yet to begin.
There was no way to dodge, yet his expression remained calm. He didn't block. Instead, he turned his blade sideways and struck at Gyutaro's right leg.
Just as Gyutaro's attack was about to land, Uzui's blades struck first. With a thunderous blast, his arms were severed, and in the same instant, Muichiro cut through his right leg.
His previously severed left leg regenerated, but he couldn't stop. If he did, they would lose. And if he lost—with his sister already beheaded—both of them would die.
He had no choice but to keep fighting.
At the very least, he had to protect her.
No… not Daki.
Ume.
His little sister.
A flash of cold steel cut through the air. His neck split, pain tearing through flesh as his vision dropped and his body began to collapse.
…Ah.
He lost.
What a useless older brother.