Early the next morning, officials from the Magistrate's Office hurried to Oboro's residence to report to him immediately.
The incident was straightforward: during the night, a massacre had taken place in the pleasure quarters, leaving hundreds dead and injured.
Oboro, who had already expected such events and felt no surprise at all, led the officials from the Magistrate's Office straight to the scene of the crime.
Even after an hour or two had passed, the sight that greeted them was still deeply shocking. Several buildings had collapsed into piles of rubble. Lined up along the street were countless bodies covered with straw mats... and everywhere, the ground was stained dark with dried blood.
In fact, the Magistrate's Office had received news of the incident long ago and had already sent people to handle it. However, they had delayed reporting to Oboro until morning because it had happened late at night and they had feared disturbing him.
"My Lord, witnesses say the culprit was a teenage boy, an orphan who lived in this area. His name is Sawakaze, and he seemed to be accompanied by a ferocious dog..." the official explained.
"Good," Oboro replied calmly, paying little attention to the details as he thought to himself.
The fact that Sawakaze had not unleashed his rage randomly on everyone, but had instead chosen his targets carefully, showed that he had not let sudden power go to his head. On the contrary, he was carrying out his plan with clear-headed determination.
All those who had died were criminals, drunkards, and other troublemakers who had preyed on the weak. There were also several samurai who had abused their power and bullied others for a long time.
A small number of ordinary citizens had been caught in the violence, but they made up only a tiny fraction of the total victims.
This meant that the fates of Gyutaro and Daki would not be affected in any way.
The death of hundreds of people was an extremely rare and serious event. Once word spread, it would surely cause great alarm throughout the entire city.
"Keep this matter quiet. Send a few people to investigate, but that is all—they are nothing but commoners from the slums anyway," Oboro said casually.
"Yes, my Lord," Daisuke Hayata, the official addressed as Yoriki, responded obediently.
Yoriki was a position equivalent to a police chief. Oboro's attitude did not surprise him at all, for in places like the slums, people died from all kinds of causes every single day. The officials rarely visited such areas on patrol, and the lives of commoners were rarely taken seriously—even by someone as influential as Oboro, who had connections to the Shogunate. Still, the fact that hundreds had died at once was an unusually large number.
Moreover, there was something strange about the perpetrator. How could a single teenager possibly be capable of something like this?
After giving a few brief instructions, Oboro returned to his residence. The entire case was treated with the utmost negligence and indifference.
Business in the slums would likely be affected for a while, but it would return to normal within no time.
Time had a way of healing all wounds, after all. The people there needed to earn a living and survive, and life would go on.
"Hmm?"
Just as Oboro was about to board his palanquin, he noticed several swordsmen dressed in unusual uniforms—members of the Demon Slayer Corps. At this point in time, their standard attire was not the same as what would appear in later generations.
"They move quickly, don't they..."
He watched as the men walked through the streets, questioning survivors nonstop about what had happened the night before, and a faint smile crossed his face.
Oboro was certain that Sawakaze had already left the pleasure quarters. Since his goal was to save the world, he would naturally begin by targeting those in positions of power. There was little doubt that he had already headed straight for Edo Castle.
This was exactly the difference made by differing ideals. Demons like those created by Muzan would never act in such a way. Attacking the Shogunate would draw the attention of the official authorities and force the Shogunate—an institution that had turned a blind eye to many things for so long—to take action. This was something Muzan would never want, as it would only make life much harder for demons in general.
Additionally, Oboro's blood carried his own unique will. When absorbed by Sawakaze, it would suppress the power and curses inherent in Muzan's cells. In simple terms, it freed him from Muzan's control, though he would still be vulnerable to sunlight and the deadly blades of Nichirin Swords.
Still, to grow stronger, he would eventually need to consume human flesh.
Although the events in the pleasure quarters were significant, Oboro had managed to ensure they did not cause any widespread disturbance.
For the time being, Oboro remained at home, training his body and honing his physical strength every day. He did not push himself to the extreme levels he had reached in his previous life in Quan Zhi Gao Shou; he trained for only three or four hours each day.
He gathered information continuously from the Magistrate's Offices in both the northern and southern districts, as well as from the Shogunate, using it to monitor the situation across the entire country.
...
Meanwhile, back at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
As time passed, the swordsmen became more and more skilled in the breathing method, and the overall combat strength of the Corps improved noticeably. The progress was especially remarkable among the Hashira.
Their achievements were outstanding. Within just one year, the number of Hashira had increased from six to eight. They had also succeeded in killing several Lower Rank demons.
One day, at the Ubuyashiki estate...
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's health had continued to decline, and it was clear his time was drawing near. He gathered all the Hashira together to announce that his son, Shuji Ubuyashiki—who would be the next leader of the Ubuyashiki family—would take over his position after his death.
Although Shuji was only twelve years old, he had been by his father's side since he was old enough to understand things, learning and growing alongside him. From the look in his eyes, it was clear he was fully prepared for his new role.
The eight Hashira raised no objections whatsoever.
"Have we found that demon yet?" Kagaya asked, turning to Ichiei, who stood with his head bowed.
"I am sorry, my Lord. We have not found any trace of him," Ichiei replied calmly.
"Ah... it seems this is more difficult than I had hoped," Kagaya sighed.
"That demon possesses power unlike any other we have encountered. The boy, Sawakaze, was a local from the pleasure quarters and was responsible for such a terrible tragedy, killing so many people. There is no way Oboro, who leads the Magistrate's Office, could have remained unaware of what happened. The concentration of demon blood flowing through him appears to be similar to that given directly by Muzan... but it is unlikely that Muzan himself was responsible. More than likely, this was Oboro's doing."
"What exactly is this man planning?"
Worry lingered in Kagaya's eyes as he pondered the question.
Suddenly, he coughed violently, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his lips.
"My Lord!"
The faces of all the Hashira turned pale with alarm.
Over the past year, Kagaya had spent much of his time trying to understand Oboro's true intentions and the motives behind his actions. Focusing so deeply on these thoughts had taken a heavy toll on his health and shortened his life even further.
At first, it had seemed that Oboro was helping the Demon Slayer Corps, teaching the Hashira and guiding them. He had shown nothing but contempt for the nature of demons and the power of Muzan's blood—actions that seemed to align perfectly with the goals of the Corps.
Yet now, he had gone and created a new demon, allowing him to run rampant and kill as he pleased.
Even with Kagaya's deep insight, he could not see through the man's true purpose.
Did he intend to replace Muzan?
If that were his goal, there would have been no need for him to help the Demon Slayer Corps in the first place...
Even without knowing exactly where the boy had obtained his blood, it was clear it had nothing to do with Muzan. Oboro had never formed any alliance with the demon king.
Kagaya had already looked into the boy's background.
He was an orphan...
Around six months before the incident in the pleasure quarters, the boy had received money from a high-ranking official. With that money, he had bought a small dog to keep him company. The dog was named Aramaru. Sawakaze had loved Aramaru dearly, but because the environment in the pleasure quarters was so dangerous, he could not protect his pet if it was seen by others. So whenever he left home, he locked the dog safely inside a wooden box, keeping it hidden and protected.
The two of them had survived together, relying only on each other.
But as the dog grew bigger and bigger, it became harder and harder to hide.
One day, someone finally discovered that he owned a dog. To protect Aramaru, Sawakaze was forced to pay money every day to keep the incident quiet. To earn that money, he did everything he could—stealing, begging, and working any job he could find. Every single day was exhausting and overwhelming.
Kagaya did not need to guess what happened next to know the rest of the story.
The boy was limited by his circumstances and could not always find the money needed to pay the hush money. When he failed to pay, it was easy to imagine what became of him.
And the high-ranking official who had given him the money? From the descriptions given by people who lived in the pleasure quarters, there was only one person it could be—Oboro. His distinctive black haori made him easy to recognize.
"Was he trying to save the boy?"
Kagaya murmured to himself, thinking back to Oboro's appearance, then shook his head slowly. "That is impossible... There are many ways to help someone. With his abilities, Oboro could easily have guided the boy to live a good life without any trouble. There would have been no need for so many people to die. Just like with Kazumi, everything he does... has a deeper meaning. And that meaning is always connected to death and bloodshed."
"Father... please don't think about it anymore."
"My Lord, you must rest."
Seeing him strain his mind so hard trying to solve the mystery, everyone around him urged him to stop and take care of himself.
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