A person in Japan, a sword that soars to immortality.

puff.

Kokushibo sat down, his six eyes all cut open, oozing red and yellow liquid, but he remained silent, bowing his head to Muzan with a heart full of guilt.

Lean less.

Douma held up a fan to cover half his face, his seven-colored eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Hiss...whoosh...

Muzan's shoulders shrugged and slumped, her heavy breathing clearly reaching the ears of the three. Now transformed into a woman, she turned her head, revealing her delicate jawline, and said in profile:

"Don't you want to say something?"

"I... am speechless."

Kokushibo kept his head down and answered in a deep voice.

Nodding as if he already knew he would say that, Muzan showed no joy or sorrow, calmly scooping a spoonful of black iron powder from a piece of paper and pouring it into the beaker in his hand.

When the black iron powder came into contact with the blood mixed with an unknown substance, the blood initially showed no reaction.

But the moment Muzan's eyes widened, the blood in the beaker seemed to boil, and with a "poof," it condensed into a lump and began to vaporize and dissipate.

whispering sound!

Did I fail again? I really hate this feeling!

Muzan closed his eyes, calmed himself down, and then turned around to look at Mackenyu Takatsu, who was leaning against the wall with a sword in his hand and a wary expression. He carefully examined him.

Then she raised her hand, and a fleshy tentacle snaked through the air toward the other person.

“A warrior with good physical attributes, I see resentment and ambition in your eyes.”

"Don't resist, accept it wholeheartedly, and let me see how far you, as a fellow samurai, can grow."

what!

Mackenyu Takatsu had long ago realized that he seemed to have encountered the legendary spirit.

Furthermore, the people in front of him were clearly not human, and they exuded an aura that he could not resist.

He had originally planned to give it his all, to run if he could, and to die if he couldn't escape, but after seeing the disgusting tentacles slowly reaching towards him and expressing his thoughts, he gave up resisting.

"Ugh... Ugh!!!"

As the fleshy tentacles pierced his throat, the intense urge to vomit, along with the saliva and tears that flowed out, reminded him of certain scenes from his previous visits to the Yoshiwara red-light district.

Muzan's blood was continuously pumped into Shinken Yu's mouth through the tentacles.

As the other party absorbed more and more, his gloomy expression began to improve.

"Yes, that's it. Swallow it all. I'll feed you as much as you want. What happens to it is up to your own fate!!!"

Hehe... Roar!!

As if he had reached his limit, Mackenyu subconsciously bit off a tentacle, then curled up into a ball, and then with a bang, he unleashed a powerful aura.

His upper body was bare, and his flesh seemed to boil, constantly bulging and then calming down, while his body began to grow stronger and stronger.

With a soft "plop," followed by another, and after seven consecutive sounds, including the original arm, a humanoid creature nearly two meters tall with nine arms and explosive muscles stood up.

Then the bone spurs slowly emerged from his palm, eventually transforming into nine katana swords, which he held in his hand.

"Xie Jiuying greets my lord."

Having transformed from a human into a cannibal, and changed his name from Takatsu Mackenyu to Evil Nine-Headed Demon, he took two steps forward, deliberately keeping a distance beyond Kokushibo, and knelt on one knee, speaking respectfully.

"Your aptitude is impressive, and your form is amazing, but your achievements are not yet sufficient. For now, I will grant you the ranking of Upper Moon Six."

"Remember, if you want to climb up, the only way is through a bloody battle of position, killing those who came before you and devouring them."

"There are some rules that are ingrained in my cells. I'll study them carefully when I get back."

After Muzan finished speaking, Xie Jiuying slowly turned his head back and stared at Kokushibo, who was looking down.

Muzan saw it too, but didn't take it seriously at all. Instead, he extended another tentacle and pierced into Kokushibo's body.

As if she had both transferred and extracted something, after Kokushibo's injuries had fully healed, she said calmly:

"Remember your mission: find the Blue Spider Lily, or I will take back all my blessings!"

It's not the energy of Sun Breathing, but it feels very similar, yet something seems to be missing.

Yamada Asaemon Taichi, huh? Interesting. Looks like I'll have to make another trip to Edo...

After analyzing the blood extracted from Kokushibo's body, Muzan suddenly spoke:

"Narume."

"My subordinate understands."

Clang!

The space shifted, and the three demons, Kokushibo, returned to the forest once more.

Xie Jiuying looked at Hei Simou, but before he could speak, the target in front of him suddenly disappeared.

As a strand of his hair fell, Kokushibo, standing behind him and slowly sheathing his sword, calmly said:

"Want to challenge me? I'm ready anytime."

After saying that, he waited for a while and, finding no response from the other party, disappeared.

"Hehe, I saw it, the trajectory of your sword swing... And you? Upper Moon Two?" Xie Jiuying stretched out his nine arms, like blooming flowers, with a forest of blades pointing at Douma.

Seeing that the other party did not answer him, he suddenly swung his sword at the location where Doma was.

【Fallen Nether Blade - First Form - Burning Star】

A wide, dark purple slash appeared instantly, severing all the trees in front of Xie Jiuying in one fell swoop, and continued to extend into the distance.

But to his surprise, Doma had disappeared, leaving only an ice butterfly fluttering in the air.

"Heh heh, so this is your Blood Demon Art..." Xie Jiuying grinned, then looked towards Edo and said hatefully:

"Those who dare not face the enemy head-on are cowards, Taiyi. Sooner or later, I will tear you to pieces!"

......

The moon sets, crows cry; the rooster crows, the sun rises.

a few days later.

In the Ueshiki Ward of Edo Castle, there is a house with a plaque above its main entrance that reads "Number One Under Heaven".

Inside the main room, Seikanji Raizo and Asaka Mai were resting their heads on the tatami mats, bidding farewell to Taichi:

"Thank you for your help, Taiichi. Now that I and Mai have fully recovered, I have come to take my leave of you today."

The two then sat up straight, looked at Taiyi in front of them, and their eyes welled up with tears, their lips trembling slightly.

Li~~~

In the courtyard, a blue peacock, now even larger and nearly two meters long (excluding its tail), chased two ravens around, sending them fluttering about.

"Please give my regards to Mr. Yoshiya Ubuyashiki. As for Mai's eyes, don't worry, I'll figure something out."

Tai nodded, and Zoche, who was sitting to his left and behind him, smiled with satisfaction.

"All good things must come to an end, but I believe we will meet again. The journey may be arduous, so I wish you both a safe journey."

After Taiichi finished speaking, he took the bottle from Sōkiri and continued, "The pills here can replenish your lost vitality. Don't take them continuously, or you'll get nosebleeds!"

"Haha."

Raizo reached out and took it, carefully placing it in his bosom. Then he helped Asaka Mai, whose eyes were wrapped with a pink ribbon, to her feet and left.

After he helped Wu put on his shoes and stood up, the two turned around again and said to Taiyi:

"Taida, I believe in you. You will become stronger, see endless scenery, and have more people changed because of you."

"I wish you good luck in martial arts!"

Upon hearing this, Taiyi first lowered his head, pursed his lips, and then shook his head with a wry smile.

When he looked up again, his eyes shone brightly, and an aura of dominance and supreme power rose around him as he laughed loudly:

"I certainly will, and I wish you... great success in your military campaigns!"

Taiichi placed Futsu-no-Mitama on his knees, stroking the intricate carvings on the scabbard and hilt, and watched the two figures disappear completely from sight.

Lean less.

After he took a deep breath, Zochi, who was beside him, handed Taiichi a folded letter.

"What is this?" Unfolding the letter in his hand, he immediately noticed the signatures of Tokugawa Ichiro and Matsudaira Aoki in the lower left corner. Only then did he carefully examine the contents.

After a breath.

Taiichi handed the letter to Sōkichi, glanced at the blue peacock preening its feathers on the white sand outside the courtyard, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said softly:

"This is truly unsettling. This is a military order from the shogunate urging me to move out. Himeji Castle is on the verge of collapse, and they have ordered me to lead my clansmen... to provide support."

"What does Brother Taiyi mean?"

Zoccher pursed his lips, his long eyelashes fluttering incessantly.

"Didn't the higher-ups say we should bring our people?"

"So this time... let's go together."

Taiyi said with a smile.