The world was black, a bizarre spectacle.
In that instant, Gyutaro seemed to see many things.
He saw his younger self, born at the very bottom of the pleasure district, ostracized for his ugliness. For in the pleasure district, beauty was everything.
Thus, everyone thought his mere existence was a wasteful burden, even his mother.
Until Daki was born, when she was still called Ume.
Ume possessed beauty that overshadowed adults even in her youth. Gyutaro, proud of this, gradually lost his inferiority complex and found his footing in the pleasure district.
Everything was heading in a good direction. Gyutaro firmly believed his sister would become an oiran, and they would have good lives.
They would be together forever then.
Forever and ever...
But when his sister was thirteen, in defiance, she had stabbed out a samurai's eye with her hairpin. Enraged, he had set her aflame, leaving her a mangled, dying mess.
At that moment, Gyutaro felt the sky collapse.
A cold night, snow falling.
His spirit on the verge of breaking, he roared his deep-seated resentment into the sky.
Why?
Why was fate always so unfair?
His hatred piqued the interest of a demon. The then Upper Rank Six brought them before the Demon King, and they received the Demon King's blood.
Many years later...
Upper Rank Six became two people: one called Gyutaro, the other Daki.
His sister became an oiran.
They were still together.
Alas, they were going to die now.
In a daze, Gyutaro saw that beautiful girl, crying, running towards him.
At least, they were still together.
...
"You have successfully defeated the Twelve Kizuki Upper Rank Six, receiving mission rewards: Upper Rank Six Random Blood Demon Art x1, Upper Rank Six Random Blood Demon Art x1, Shard of God's Stone x15."
Bai Ye stood amidst the ruins, a light screen appearing before him.
The final hidden mission was complete.
At the same time, Bai Ye understood why there were two identical rewards and not "x2".
It was because one reward was for Gyutaro's random Blood Demon Art, and the other was for Daki's.
Ultimately, Bai Ye received two Blood Demon Arts: Daki's Eight-Layered Obi Slash, and Gyutaro's Flying Blood Scarecrow.
However, neither held much meaning for Bai Ye. If he didn't become a demon, he couldn't use Blood Demon Arts anyway.
But they could be traded. Still, Blood Demon Arts were relatively difficult to trade, as not everyone was willing to become a demon.
Fortunately, Bai Ye had the Sound Breathing, an advanced version. Paired with the Blood Demon Arts, he wondered if he could trade for another black item.
Bai Ye mused as he left the ruins.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Tengen Uzui should be appearing with the Demon Slayer Corps. His part was over; he had completed his mission, and the Demon Slayer Corps' story would unfold next.
Soon, Bai Ye disappeared at the end of the street.
The inn where he was staying was far away and undamaged by the battle. Bai Ye bypassed everyone, climbed through the window, and collapsed on the floor, splayed out like a starfish.
"I'm exhausted!"
Bai Ye was confident in his ability to kill Upper Rank demons, especially with the Aries Cloth and the Lightning-Fruit.
But he was still tired. Gyutaro was not as easy to deal with as he had imagined.
Or perhaps, higher-numbered Upper Ranks would have been easier to handle. After all, Gyutaro and Daki's twin abilities were truly troublesome. Without unraveling their secrets, they couldn't be killed.
As Bai Ye was thinking...
"Buru buru, buru buru buru, buru buru..."
On Bai Ye's person, the Iron Slime condensed into a Den Den Mushi, and its ringing sound echoed.
"Hmm? Gao Ming, is he that impatient?"
Bai Ye glanced at the Den Den Mushi, then paused. The Den Den Mushi that appeared was not Gao Ming's, but Jin Sha's.
Bai Ye casually answered, "Hello?"
A weak voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "Hello, Bai Ye, I'm dying."
Bai Ye blinked. "Huh?"
Jin Sha repeated, "I'm severely wounded, I might die."
Bai Ye paused, then indifferently said, "Oh."
Jin Sha asked, "You won't save me, will you?"
Bai Ye replied, "That depends on what price you're willing to pay for me to save you."
In other words, if there were no benefits...
Then Jin Sha's life or death had nothing to do with Bai Ye.
Having worked together in the past meant nothing. Bai Ye only acted when there were benefits; without them, it was none of his concern, and he had no intention of wasting time on matters that didn't involve him.
"That's so like you, truly devoid of humanity..." Jin Sha said, then suddenly began coughing violently. After a while, she continued, "I want to pay anything to beg you to save me, but I think it's useless. I'm really dying, you can't get here in time."
Bai Ye thought for a moment. "Considering we know each other, there's some connection. What do you want to engrave on your tombstone? I can do it for you."
"I'd rather you didn't consider that connection." Jin Sha coughed violently again, then said, "I've sent something to you via Delibird Express."
Bai Ye was puzzled. "Hmm?"
Jin Sha said, "Your objective is definitely the central tower, to leave this place, right? After all, you're so strong."
Bai Ye nodded. "Yes."
Jin Sha continued, "Then do you know? You don't need to go to the central area to have a chance to converse directly with a god."
"Oh?"
Bai Ye became interested. This was something he genuinely didn't know, something he hadn't even heard of in his past life.
Jin Sha explained, "Some forbidden zones or hidden missions may feature gods. These gods were originally deities from various worlds. You know that some worlds truly have gods."
Bai Ye nodded. "Yes, the mythological civilization worlds."
Jin Sha said, "But gods cannot bring themselves into the world battlefield. After all, they are gods. Thus, the gods in the world battlefield will replace the original gods and play their roles."
Bai Ye suddenly understood. "By finding these kinds of forbidden zones or hidden missions, there's a chance to speak directly with gods?"
"Yes, however, chosen ones from mythological civilization worlds are very rare, and these kinds of forbidden zones and hidden missions are naturally even rarer." Jin Sha gasped for breath. "But I found one, and what I sent you is related to it."
Bai Ye was silent for a moment. "What do you need me to do?"
Jin Sha replied, "Liu Shiyue, the vice-president of the Hidden Dragon Society."
"Hmm, I understand." Bai Ye said, "He will die."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Jin Sha's laughter was heard. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Bai Ye said, "Now that I've received it, fulfilling the agreement is what I should do."
Jin Sha was silent for a moment, then said, "Goodbye."
Bai Ye replied, "Goodbye."
...