While Jugo led his group away, on the other side, Toji and Afro were performing their last good deed of the day.
Which boiled down to teaching a farmer, who was beating his donkey for being a "useless" creature that wouldn't move, to have compassion for animals.
How? Well, he, Afro, and the donkey stayed in the cart while the farmer and his three sons were tied up and forced to pull.
Toji felt even better knowing he could teach a lesson not only to the man, but also to his sons.
Afro had a serious expression, but in truth, at some point he stopped caring about what Toji did. In the end, most didn't get really hurt, or rather, they didn't stay hurt, Toji usually healed them.
Of course, the mental damage was another story, like that of the farmer and his three sons who trembled fiercely, it was unclear whether it was from fear or from the effort of pulling the cart.
Toji observed this with a slight smile on his face, because he felt that sequence 8, Unwinged Angel (Coldblooded), had been completely digested.
With that, he finished his performance and was ready to move on again.
Even so, feeling like a good person, he finished helping the man and his sons learn their lesson.
When they finally arrived in the city, the four of them had already collapsed on the ground, exhausted and in pain.
-Well, now you know how the donkey feels, treat him better, okay?- Toji asked with a 'gentle smile', crouching down beside them.
Their eyes were filled with fear, but they all nodded quickly. Toji nodded contentedly, giving the donkey one last pat and talking to it for a bit.
Afro stared at Toji talking to the donkey with completely serious eyes, he couldn't even be surprised anymore.
Toji, of course, could talk to the donkey, he still had his ability to speak with animals since he came into this world, although he rarely used it.
Toji talked to the donkey for a bit, before reaching an agreement, he bent down to the farmer again and spoke.
-The donkey will only work two hours a day, and besides, he needs to receive quality carrots and apples, not that crap you give him. If you want him to work more, the apples and carrots should be doubled.- Toji said with a serious expression.
The farmer's lips trembled fiercely, inwardly he wondered if Toji was insane. Who talks to a donkey? He just wanted to get rid of this lunatic, so he quickly agreed.
Toji smiled and held out his hand to the man. The man was slightly confused, but still shook Toji's hand, his own hand trembling evidently, but the moment their hands met, a chain of flames enveloped both their arms.
Unbeknownst to the old man, a pair of eyes opened above them, they were Jugo's Tenseigan. Jugo's lips trembled fiercely as he understood the agreement.
The first time Toji used this was to grant labor rights to a donkey?!
Shaking his head, he simply accepted the contract and looked away, deciding to pretend it hadn't happened.
The man, of course, saw the chains, he tried to pull his hand away, his eyes filled with fear, but he couldn't, Toji's grip firm as he still smiled gently.
-I must remind you that this was a mystical agreement. You might think of it as something ninja-like, but if you or your family break the contract, your soul will be sucked away by a demon.- Toji explained.
Even Afro was serious, he didn't see Jugo's eyes, but he felt a persistent chill on his back. His hand went towards his katana, resting lightly on it. He swallowed hard, frowning slightly.
He didn't doubt it when he heard Toji's words, that feeling was truly awful.
The man turned completely white with fear. In the end, as Toji and Afro walked away, Afro cast a few more glances at Toji, making him roll his eyes.
-If you want to ask something, just ask.- Toji said irritably.
-Are you a demon?- Afro asked, more curious than afraid. He didn't fear demons, he would still face them head-on with his sword.
Toji smiled, looking at Afro and saying. -No, not yet.
-...not yet, right.- Afro repeated, sighing slightly. He looked away, deciding not to worry about it.
Toji smiled slightly, walking ahead. Soon they found a hotel in the city and decided to spend the night there. They went to a bar, where Toji quickly managed to get a date. Afro wasn't far behind, strong men are always appreciated.
The two enjoyed themselves for much of the night, but still far from dawn, Toji left the inn and headed deeper into the forest.
He asked a bear to let him use its cave, and in return, he gave it a pot of honey. The bear, finding Toji pleasing to the eye, readily agreed.
The bear still guarded the cave for Toji, not that Toji needed it, the Snake clone with him had already assumed Jugo's form, remaining on the sidelines while waiting for the process to finish.
The next moment, Toji's consciousness entered the Tenebrous World.
Connecting deeply with the space around him, he directly extracted the Beyonder characteristics from the next sequence, the characteristic merged directly with him. In the following moment, in the cave, Toji's eyes widened, his black pupils turned a blazing orange, and the cave heated up rapidly as changes began to occur in his body.
A deep roar echoed through the cave and beyond, the bear dropped the pot of honey and ran with all its might. It wasn't just him, all the nearby animals fled as if their lives depended on it.