Chapter 20
"Is it really all right not to call the other Hashira?" Giyu Tomioka suddenly asked.
"Well, I only got some information. We still need to confirm whether it’s true or not." Kiriya looked around, his manner relaxed.
"If we call the other Hashira over and it turns out to be a false lead, wouldn’t that just delay their work?"
What a joke.
If several more Hashira-level fighters really came over, what was he supposed to do if some kill-stealing maniac snatched the target?
Quite a few of the Hashira had impatient tempers.
He did not want to waste time wrestling over something like that.
’I want the experience for myself. Solo leveling, baby!’
"Besides, with the two of us here, even if we really run into an Upper Rank, two Hashira-level fighters should be enough. And even if we take ten thousand steps back and somehow can’t win, running away shouldn’t be a problem. So relax."
Kiriya felt Giyu was being a little too cautious, so he spoke up to strengthen his confidence.
"That’s not what I meant." Giyu shook his head. "If it’s only the two of us, what if the Upper Rank runs away?"
"Damn, Sea Hashira! I didn’t expect you to be this cocky."
Kiriya’s eyes widened.
This guy usually looked so quiet and reserved, but apparently he was a ruthless one.
He was already thinking about killing an Upper Rank outright.
"I’m only stating the facts," Giyu said calmly, his expression unchanged. "Or are you saying you don’t have the confidence to kill an Upper Rank?"
There was a reason he said that.
On the way here, Kiriya had asked this Sea Hashira... no, Water Hashira, for guidance on the Breathing technique known as Total Concentration: Constant.
The principle behind the technique was simple, but actually accomplishing it was extremely difficult. T
he user had to integrate their Breathing into every word, every action, every movement.
Even while sleeping, the Breathing Style had to continue running.
In the original story, Tanjiro and the others had spent quite a long time before fully mastering this special technique and touching the threshold of a Hashira-level fighter.
Kiriya used only one hour.
The Sharingan’s powerful insight allowed him to see the full picture of the technique, down to its finest details.
His strong mental power gave him tremendous control over his own body.
Combined with ability values that had all broken past S-rank, he completed what ordinary people would see as a miracle.
At the very least, after Giyu saw it, he judged it to be a miracle.
Kiriya’s original strength had already allowed him to easily solo a Lower Rank.
He was already at the standard of a Hashira.
Now that he had mastered Total Concentration: Constant as well, his strength had undergone another explosive leap.
At least... Giyu felt that facing Kiriya was even harder to read than fighting the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
He even had the feeling that Kiriya might be able to kill an Upper Rank by himself.
Calling him along was simply for the sake of showing off.
If Kiriya knew what Giyu was thinking, he would probably cry injustice on the spot.
’He’s slandering me! You all saw it! He’s slandering me!’
He had called Giyu here only because of Upper Rank Six’s special nature.
They needed two strong fighters to strike at the same time to guarantee a complete kill.
If he knew the Shadow Clone Technique, he would have come alone long ago. How was this about showing off?
"I feel like you’re thinking something rude about me," Kiriya muttered.
But that thought only drifted through his mind for a moment before he threw it aside.
Today, he had a very important role to play. There was no point arguing with this silent block of wood.
"Come on man. Today I’ll show you the world."
Kiriya laughed and slung an arm around Giyu’s shoulder, leading him toward the liveliest brothel.
"Oh my, dear guests, please come in. Do you have a girl you’re familiar with?"
The moment they reached the entrance, the madam came out to welcome them.
Her tone and attitude were as respectful as could be, as enthusiastic as could be.
It was not hard to understand why she was so proactive.
The pairing of Kiriya and Giyu was simply too eye-catching.
There was no need to say much about Kiriya.
His handsome face, paired with luxurious and elegant clothing, made him look every bit like the young master of some prestigious family.
Young, wealthy, handsome, charming—exactly the type the women in a place like this liked best.
Forget those girls.
Even the madam herself, who had seen countless men, shamefully swallowed several times!
As for Giyu...
To be honest, this Bro’s looks were also very much up to standard.
His cold expression, combined with those magnificent clothes, gave him the aura of an aloof, domineering president.
If he had appeared alone, many young women would probably already have been secretly sending flirtatious looks his way.
But standing beside Kiriya, he could only be reduced to the role of a personal bodyguard.
All the women’s attention poured onto Kiriya.
One by one, they opened their big sparkling eyes, hoping to hear their own names from this young man mouth.
"No one familiar. I just heard that Miss Koinatsu here is peerless in beauty, so I came especially because of her reputation. Madam, arrange whatever you need. Money isn’t a problem."
As Kiriya spoke, he handed over a thick stack of bills, making the corner of Giyu’s eye twitch hard.
Although Giyu did not care much about money, even he knew that was a huge sum, enough for him to eat and drink well for an entire month.
Seeing that the customer was so generous, the madam smiled so widely her face nearly bloomed.
If such a wealthy guest was served well, he would become a future money tree for the establishment.
With that, she led Kiriya toward the most luxurious private room.
Along the way, she called out to the attendants inside to prepare a banquet, telling them to use only the finest items.
They absolutely had to make Kiriya bleed money properly!
Before long, the banquet was set, and top-ranking oiran Koinatsu appeared.
Kiriya wrapped one arm around the beauty and held a cup of fine wine in the other, drinking freely.
His behavior was unrestrained, carefree, and completely indulgent.
Giyu had gone numb.
In just half an hour, this guy had already spent half a year’s worth of Giyu’s food expenses.
He had never seen someone burn money like this before.
Was this guy really here to gather intelligence?
Why did it feel like he was purely here to use public funds for women—no, for food, drink, and pleasure?
Thinking this, Giyu’s eyes gradually darkened.
He had better actually find useful information.
If he spent this much of Master Ubuyashiki’s money and got nothing out of it, Giyu would absolutely demand an explanation from him.
"Ah, Miss Koinatsu really is beautiful. I dare say you’re the most beautiful woman in the entire Entertainment District."
Kiriya’s face was flushed from drinking, and his tongue had started to loosen.
Under Kiriya’s skillful handling, Koinatsu’s face soon turned red as well.
She could barely keep herself composed and said modestly, "You flatter me, sir. There are countless beauties in the Entertainment District. Koinatsu is only an ordinary one among them."
"Eh, too much modesty is just pride."
Kiriya looked displeased.
"I often hear about some ’Warabihime’ person, supposedly an oiran or whatever. I’ve seen that woman too. Nothing but cheap makeup and an average face. She dares to be mentioned in the same breath as you, Miss Koinatsu? She really has no shame."
"Young man, you’re drunk."
Koinatsu’s expression changed slightly.
Being praised by such a generous guest should have been a happy thing, but this way of speaking drew far too much hatred. Koinatsu had a gentle and cautious personality, so naturally, she did not want to make enemies for no reason.
"I’m not drunk. I’m perfectly clear-headed. That Warabihime chick is just an ugly hag, and somehow she still has such a nasty temper. Who would ever like a woman like that?"
Kiriya shouted loudly.
His voice was so loud that not only the private room, but the entire second floor, and even the street outside the entrance, could hear him clearly.
Immediately, people’s expressions became strange, and they began imagining all sorts of grudges, romances, and feuds between wealthy guests and oiran.
Just like that, pieces of gossip spread out.
The most widely circulated version was: "Warabihime is an ugly woman with a terrible temper."
These people loved this kind of rivalry and jealousy between oiran more than anything, so they happily helped fan the flames.
Before long, the rumor reached the ears of the true main character.
"What the hell? Someone dares call me ugly? I’ll skin him alive, tear out his tendons, and swallow him piece by piece."
Inside her bedroom, Daki’s face twisted viciously, her heart full of malice.
...
After enjoying a very satisfying round of drinking and entertainment, Kiriya returned in high spirits.
Along the way, Giyu had to support him. He could barely walk steadily, yet he was still singing at the top of his lungs.
He played the role of a seasoned pleasure-seeker and lecher with frightening realism.
Seeing this man act as though he would happily disappear into a brothel forever, Giyu wanted nothing more than to throw him straight into a filthy ditch.
In the end, however, he forced down his disgust and dragged him back.
When they reached a remote street, their footsteps suddenly paused.
Both of them sensed an intense malice.
"She finally showed up."
Kiriya and Giyu exchanged a glance, and both saw delight in the other’s eyes.
Kiriya had not wasted so much time in vain.
He had even sacrificed his looks and image to act like a lecher and a loudmouth.
At last, the fish had bitten the hook.
"Hmph. You said all those horrible things about me and still think you can leave?"
A spoiled, arrogant voice rang out.
A graceful figure drifted down from above, stepping through the moonlight.
Sashes fluttered around her body, and her side profile had elegant, seductive curves that easily stirred the imagination.
Especially when one saw that she wore only a bikini-like outfit, with large patches of skin glowing under the moonlight, matched with that gorgeous face, her whole body exuded a fatal allure like a poppy flower.
But Kiriya and Giyu completely ignored her beauty.
Instead, their gazes locked tightly onto her eyes.
In her golden pupils, the characters for "Upper Rank" and "Six" were carved separately.
Their hearts instantly settled.
"It really is an Upper Rank."
Giyu subconsciously reached for his waist, only to grab empty air again.
"My sword!" Giyu shouted.
"I know."
Hearing this, Kiriya controlled wooden vines to drill out from underground.
The vines opened like blooming flower buds, revealing two Nichirin swords inside.
"Hmm, that sword..."
Daki narrowed her eyes at the sight.
Even though Muzan Kibutsuji had called her "not very bright," she still understood the situation in front of her.
"I see. Demon Slayers trying to hunt me, are you? You’ve got guts."
At this point, a crazed smile appeared on her face.
"You two weaklings dare come after me? And you even dared spread those rumors? Damn you. You deserve to die a thousand times!"
As she said this, her whole body shot forward like an arrow.
The sashes behind her seemed to come alive, shooting out one after another and surrounding the two men from every direction.
With this speed, this force—she did not believe these two ordinary-looking men could handle it.
"I’ll handle this," Giyu said.
He was very experienced against wide-range attacks like this.
"Total Concentration. Water Breathing, Eleventh Form."
"Dead Calm."
It did not look as though he made any grand movement. He simply drew his sword.
Then every sash coming toward them was cut to pieces, fluttering down like cherry blossoms.
’Holy shit! That move is way too damn cool!’
Kiriya cried out in his heart, while the Sharingan in his eyes spun wildly, capturing and copying every movement Giyu had just made.
’Mine. Mine. All of it is mine.’
While Kiriya was ecstatic, Daki’s mood was far less pleasant.
Everything that had just happened had completely exceeded her understanding and made her feel a bone-chilling cold.
This guy...
Maybe...
Possibly...
Probably...
Very strong!
She instinctively wanted to run, but just as she jumped up, both of her feet were tightly bound by ropes.
She looked down and realized those were not ropes at all, but two wooden vines.
"What the hell—"
Daki had just started cursing when her neck went cold, and her head fell.
Beside her, Giyu stood with his sword in hand, his face full of confusion.
"This... is over? Someone this weak is really an Upper Rank?"
This Upper Rank was far too weak.
And here he had prepared himself for serious injury, even death.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!"
Just then, Daki’s powerful crying rang out.
"I really am an Upper Rank! I have the number Muzan-sama personally carved into me! I’m really strong! Don’t look down on me!"
Giyu was startled.
He turned and saw the demon hugging her own head and sobbing, leaving him slightly stunned.
"Her body doesn’t disappear even after her head is cut off. So what that man said was true?"
Giyu’s curiosity toward Kiriya grew even stronger.
Where exactly had the other party obtained intelligence of this level?
"Crack, crack, crack—"
With the violent growth of wooden vines, Daki was wrapped tightly by Kiriya’s vines.
Even her mouth was firmly sealed, leaving her able to make only furious "mmph, mmph" sounds.
"Seriously, you’re noisy."
Kiriya wore a smile so smug it made people want to punch him.
"Hey, Gyutaro. If you don’t come out soon, I’m throwing your sister’s body into a latrine. Ah, a fragrant oiran tossed into a pit of filth.... that might be one of a kind in the last thousand years."
Daki’s eyes bulged after hearing this.
She looked at Kiriya as if she were staring at a demon.
How could someone this deranged exist in the world?
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Hearing Kiriya’s vile threat, Gyutaro instantly shattered the restraints of Kiriya’s Forest of All Things and rushed toward him like lightning.
"Don’t bully my sister!"
He raised the blood sickles in his hands, first freeing his sister from the annoying vines, then launched a storm of chained attacks at Kiriya.
"Clang, clang, clang—"
In the blink of an eye, the two sides had already exchanged dozens of blows.
The violent impact turned into a gale, battering everything around them.
The old wooden houses nearby were instantly cut into countless broken fragments, collapsing completely into ruins.
’So fast.’
Giyu’s heart shook.
This was on a completely different level from the power Daki had shown earlier.
’This one... is the real Upper Rank? Was that female demon only a substitute?’
Giyu glanced at Daki in the distance, who had already regained her freedom, and pondered.
But he soon denied the thought.
The Twelve Kizuki held a special meaning among demons.
Without Muzan Kibutsuji’s permission, no other demon would have the courage to impersonate one.
Then there was only one truth.
That female demon and this skinny male demon were both Upper Rank Six.
If someone unfamiliar with their secret cut off the weaker Daki’s head and thought the job was finished, they would instead be killed by the far more vicious older brother, leaving everything they had done in vain.
’No wonder they’ve rampaged for over a century without being defeated. So that’s how cunning they are.’
---
Change the mc age to 16/17.