Chapter 120: Entertainment District -10-

Everywhere Akira’s gaze lingered, the very air seemed to freeze.

Tengen was so tense that the hilt of the sword he gripped was slick with sweat.

The entity before him was no mere demon. In all his decades of living as a shinobi and a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had never felt such an overwhelming difference in status.

Akira walked slowly toward him, striking up a conversation. His voice remained deceptively gentle.

“It has been a long time, Sound Hashira. Or rather… have we never actually met in person?”

Akira’s crimson eyes pierced through Tengen.

“It was several years ago. There was a shinobi who almost died while playing with my lovely Shuten. I let him go with his life, and to think we would meet again in such a flashy manner.”

Tengen’s pupils shook as if an earthquake were rattling his mind. An overwhelmingly powerful being he had encountered by chance in the past.

It was a humiliating memory of being utterly defeated by Shuten Douji—a monster who surpassed even the Upper Moons—only to be sent away because she found him boring.

The terror of that day vividly resurfaced with just one word from Akira.

“That demon from back then… is your subordinate?”

“Subordinate? How hurtful. She is family.”

Akira smiled as he wrapped an arm around Mitsuri’s shoulder. Then, he turned his gaze toward Tanjiro.

His crimson eyes scrutinized the boy. It wasn't the look of a predator watching its prey, but rather the gaze of a collector appraising an interesting antique.

“…….”

Tanjiro felt his breath hitch. This man was definitely a demon he was seeing for the first time. Yet, for some reason, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Akira spoke with a thin smile playing on his lips.

“You don’t seem to remember, Tanjiro Kamado. I suppose that’s natural, since I looked different back then.”

Akira gestured elegantly toward his own face.

“Years ago. Do you remember a traveler searching for a blue flower on the mountain where your home was located?”

“Ah…!”

A memory flashed through Tanjiro’s mind. Years ago, on his way back from selling charcoal. A freakishly handsome gentleman accompanied by beautiful women whom he had encountered on the path.

That man had asked Tanjiro about the Blue Spider Lily. Tanjiro had known where that flower bloomed and had kindly given him directions.

“That person… from back then… was you…?”

“Indeed. You saved me a great deal of trouble. I already knew the Blue Spider Lily was on that mountain, but I simply didn’t want to waste time scouring such a vast range, so I asked you.”

Akira shrugged.

“Thanks to your precise directions, I managed to save about half a day’s time. That short shortcut was quite meaningful to me. Thus, I am grateful. You were a fairly useful guide.”

He was treating Tanjiro not as a benefactor, but as a random pedestrian who gave directions to a convenience store.

However, the consequences were catastrophic.

Because of the flower Tanjiro pointed out, the monster before him had conquered the sun and become a perfected being.

“That’s a lie… I… I helped a demon…!”

Tanjiro’s hand trembled as he gripped his Nichirin Blade in despair.

The fact that the kindness he had extended had brought disaster upon the world made his legs feel like they were about to collapse.

“There is no need for self-reproach. I would have found it eventually anyway. I was simply pursuing efficiency. I am a businessman, after all.”

Akira took a gold pocket watch from his coat and checked the time.

Click.

The sound of the lid closing cut through the silence.

“Now then, enough with the trips down memory lane. I am a busy man.”

The warmth vanished from Akira’s expression, replaced by cold calculation.

“Let’s get to the point. I am different from that old man Muzan. I don’t commit slaughter driven by emotion, I don’t create demons on a whim, and I don't enjoy meaningless destruction. In fact, I am quite the Muzan-hater.”

He walked slowly, gesturing with his hand toward the surrounding devastation. Collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, and the terrified, breathless courtesans and customers.

“But I am a businessman. I dislike taking losses. I must settle the accounts thoroughly.”

Akira began to count the damages, folding his fingers one by one.

“First, because of your rampage, the main street of Yoshiwara—my precious business district—has been half-destroyed. The repair costs and loss of business alone amount to an astronomical sum.”

Repairing it would be easy. Tamamo’s magecraft could restore it in an instant. However, the point was that damage had been sustained.

They were ruffians who had trespassed into his territory and caused damage.

“Second, my lovely child, Daki. She is the top Oiran of this district. You cut the neck of a girl whose face is her greatest asset and inflicted burns over her entire body. I must account for medical bills, compensation for mental distress, and the opportunity cost of her being unable to work for the time being.”

His voice grew increasingly low and heavy.

“And third… most importantly, you injured my wife, Mitsuri.”

When Akira pulled Mitsuri close, she giggled and said it didn’t even hurt, but Akira’s eyes were murderous.

“The blood flowing through my wife’s body possesses a value beyond anything in this world. And yet, you caused that precious blood to spill, and you even stole it. Blood that is effectively my own.”

He looked down at Nezuko, who was lying on the ground, with cold eyes.

“How do you plan to compensate for these massive losses? To pay with your lives… well, your lives are a bit too cheap, aren't they?”

To him, their lives held little value. Did they have value as employees?

They were talented and had worth. But did he want to go as far as brainwashing them to use them as staff? Not particularly.

It was unpleasant.

While a businessman should not act emotionally, as a man in love, he found it difficult to tolerate.

Before being a businessman, he was the head of a household who cherished his family.

Akira looked at Tengen and curled the corners of his mouth into a wicked grin.

“So, I’ve drawn up a reasonable repayment plan. First, you, Uzui Tengen.”

“……Ugh!”

“Your three wives—Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma—already belong to me. Their abilities as shinobi are excellent, and after undergoing training by our Tamamo, they have become very competent employees. I shall hire them on a ten-year contract. I’ll be generous with their valuation and deduct it from your debt.”

“You bastard…!! Don’t make me laugh! Give my wives back right now!”

Tengen screamed, the veins in his neck bulging. The thought of his beloved wives being used as slaves in the brothel district made him feel like his sanity was snapping.

“The contract has already been established. They are happy here, are they not? Don’t be difficult. In the first place, do you even have the strength or the right to resist?”

Akira lightly brushed off Tengen’s anger as if mocking it, then turned his head to Tanjiro.

“And Tanjiro. I have a special offer for you.”

He pointed at the fallen Nezuko.

“I will be taking this child, Nezuko.”

“……What?”

“She adapted even after taking in my wife’s blood—which is to say, my cells. In fact, she has awakened a power rivaling an Upper Moon. Her potential far exceeds Daki’s. Besides, Mukago seems to want Nezuko for herself.”

Akira’s eyes gleamed greedily.

“In exchange for Nezuko, I’ll call it even for the repair costs of this district and Mitsuri’s treatment. Don’t you think that’s an exceptionally generous offer? You get to clear this massive debt with just one sister. Isn't that right? There are countless humans who sell their own families for money or to pay off debts, you know. Even if you accept, it doesn't mean you're wrong. Even if it's considered 'bad,' it's a method many humans already use.”

In that moment, something inside Tanjiro snapped. Fear and the overwhelming gap in power were meaningless in the face of his single-minded determination not to have his sister taken away.

“DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!!!”

Tanjiro wailed as if vomiting blood.

“Nezuko isn't an object! She isn't a collector’s item! She’s my sister! She’s my only remaining family!!”

Forgetting the pain of his broken ribs, Tanjiro staggered to his feet and leveled his Nichirin Blade.

“I’ll pay you back everything, money or whatever else… so don’t touch my sister! Give her back! Give her back right now!!”

Tengen also gritted his teeth and readjusted his grip on his blades.

“That’s right… my wives, and this kid’s sister… I’m never handing them over. Whether you’re a god or a devil… we are the Demon Slayer Corps! For the sake of protecting people, our lives mean nothing…!”

The two swordsmen radiated killing intent toward Akira, burning with a desperate will to resist.

“……Sigh.”

Akira, watching them, let out a deep, heavy sigh. With that sound, the surrounding air sank as heavy as lead.

The businessman’s smile was wiped clean from Akira’s face. In its place remained only the boredom and displeasure of an absolute being looking down upon mere insects that dared to defy a god.

As he extended his index finger, an intense pressure dominated the street.

BOOM!!!

It was as if an invisible, gargantuan hammer had struck the earth. The ‘Spiritual Pressure’ contained in a single word took on physical mass and crushed the space itself.

CRACK! SNAP!

“Guh…!”

“Ack…!”

Tanjiro and Tengen were slammed into the ground, unable to even scream properly. The pressure felt like it would shatter their kneecaps.

Lifting their heads was impossible. Under a crushing weight that felt as if a great mountain was pressing down on their shoulders, the blood vessels throughout their bodies swelled as if they were about to burst.

“Know your place. You are the weak. You have neither the means to resist the strong nor the justification for it. You are absolute subordinates.”

Akira looked down coldly at the two men prostrate on the ground and continued.

“I am not negotiating with you. I am informing you. When a creditor demands just compensation from a debtor, how dare you raise your voice and show your killing intent?”

Daki lightly grabbed the unconscious Nezuko by her hair and lifted her head. Nezuko couldn't even struggle.

“Tengen. I am disappointed in you. If you expected an Upper Moon to be here, you should have been prepared for your wives to die. You should have come with that resolve.”

“Kuh, bullshit.”

“Does it sound like nonsense? From my perspective, you are merely laughable. Is this how a man acts? A certain general of a nation led a suicide squad of a mere five thousand to fight an enemy nation of over fifty thousand. Even knowing he would be defeated. Because he knew his family would become slaves if he lost to the enemy, he killed his family with his own hands and followed them after dying on the battlefield himself. Did you not even have that kind of resolve?”

Akira looked down at Tengen with freezing eyes.

“To take responsibility for the consequences of one's choices is what it means to be an adult. Because of your foolish judgment, your wives have become mine. Even so, I do not violate them. That is my minimum of humanity and consideration. This is what mercy looks like. Or, I will give you a chance even now. Stand up and kill your wives with your own hands. If you do that, at least they won't have to suffer disgrace.”

As if this were an act of mercy, he gave him the opportunity to choose.

Could he do it?

No, he couldn't. He could never bring himself to kill his own wives with his own hands.

“Losers cannot even choose their own deaths. The Persian King, defeated by the Conqueror King, had his beautiful wife and two daughters plundered. The Conqueror King violated that wife, who eventually died in prison after giving birth to his child. The two daughters became the wives of the King and his close friend. After the King died, they were murdered by his first wife. Yes, historically, the wives of men have suffered such fates. Did a shinobi from a prestigious clan not even know this reality?”

History was full of stories of men who failed to protect their wives. Especially in Tengen’s case, it was a result of his own wrong choices.

It wasn't just that they were plundered because he was defeated; it was an absurd outcome equivalent to him handing them over himself.

“Do you think I’m doing this because I’m a demon? No, my heart is human. Infinitely human. That is why this is happening. This is the human way, isn't it? Even now, humans make slaves of countless others through war. Just as the number of humans killed by fellow humans is far greater than the number of humans killed by demons. The kindest thing in this world is humanity, and at the same time, the most evil thing is also humanity. Demon Slayer Corps, you may be close to good, but you are not absolute good. That is why I dislike you.”

He spoke as if venting feelings he had long held toward the Demon Slayer Corps, addressing it as if he wanted it delivered back to them.

“Truly, this is such a kind era for humans. Though the law of the jungle hasn't changed since the dawn of time. Why must I listen to the whining of losers? Logic cannot persuade monkeys. Remember, Tengen, Tanjiro. To be 'human' is to be a creature that cannot live without making sacrifices. Today, you are surviving by sacrificing your wives and your sister.”

Akira waved his hand as if shooing away a bothersome swarm of flies.

“The only reason you are leaving this place alive is because I happened to see Mitsuri after a long time and I'm not in a bad mood today. Normally, I could just kill you without needing compensation. That is the way of war, is it not? Do I look like evil to you? But what can be done. The high-and-mighty people in power in this land you stand on are far more evil than me beyond comparison. Your mistake was coming here. Take responsibility for the results of your choice.”

“Ugh… uuuuugh….”

Tanjiro couldn't even twitch a finger. Tears soaked the dirt out of sheer frustration, but the gap in absolute power was cruelly clear.

The Night King picked up the fallen Nezuko and vanished leisurely into the darkness, followed by Daki and Mitsuri.

Left behind were trampled spirits, stolen treasures, and the long night called despair.

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