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Risa refused to waste the chance her sister had bought with her life. She ran without stopping toward Corps headquarters, pushing her Total Concentration Breathing beyond safe limits just to maintain her desperate pace.
By the time dawn broke and headquarters came into view, she was a wreck—covered in wounds, body trembling from respiratory system overload, skin deathly pale, blood trickling from cracked lips.
"Thank... god... cough... finally... made it... cough..."
Murata spotted her during his patrol shift and rushed over, catching her before she collapsed. "What happened?? What did this to you??"
"Take me... to the Dragon Hashira... urgent intel... Upper Rank... cough..."
Upper Rank intel. Murata didn't hesitate—he hoisted Risa onto his back and sprinted toward Kaido's estate.
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"Dragon Hashira-sama!"
Kaido was mid-training session when Murata's voice echoed from the entrance. He turned to find Murata carrying an injured female swordsman on his back. Something about her seemed familiar. He moved closer—then recognition hit.
"Risa! What the hell happened to you?? Who did this??"
"Dragon Hashira-sama, she was like this when I found her. She said she has critical intelligence—about an Upper Rank!" Murata carefully lowered Risa from his back.
Kaido immediately caught her, cradling her gently. She looked terrible—fragile, broken. He activated his Transparent World and saw the internal bleeding in her lungs.
"Murata! Get the Kakushi here now—tell them to take Risa to the Butterfly Mansion immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Risa, listen to me—you're going to be fine!" Kaido gripped her right hand tightly.
"Dragon Hashira-sama... my squad... my sister... we encountered an Upper Rank... Sis stayed behind to cover my escape... she's already..." Tears streamed down Risa's face as she pulled a blood-soaked envelope from inside her uniform with her free hand.
"My sister... asked me... to give you this... and Kaigaku... he ran... he betrayed—"
She passed out mid-sentence.
Kaido stared at the unconscious woman in his arms and the letter in his hand. Both felt impossibly heavy.
He opened the envelope. The message was short, but every word carried crushing weight.
...
—Dragon Hashira-sama.
My name is Naoko Misa, Risa's older sister. I've heard so much about you. I've always admired your strength—how you protect everyone.
I hope that someday I can become strong like you, strong enough to protect my sister and everyone else. The gifts you gave each Corps member were delicious, by the way!
I've also seen you at the Butterfly Mansion when the Flower Hashira dresses you up. You're really cute—I'd love to dress you up myself sometime.
I planned to confess my feelings after we destroyed all the demons. I know my sister likes you too! But I don't know when I'll die, so I'm writing this letter now. If you're reading this, it means I'm already gone.
So Dragon Hashira-sama, my only regret is leaving my sister behind. Please take care of her.
—Naoko Misa
...
Kaido's chest felt like it was being crushed in a vice. Risa's final words before passing out echoed in his mind—"Kaigaku betrayed us."
He knew exactly which Upper Rank had slaughtered Misa's squad.
"KOKUSHIBO!"
ROAR—
Something between a shout and a dragon's cry erupted from Kaido's throat, accompanied by a wave of killing intent so intense it felt like physical pressure.
Every swordsman training at his estate felt that murderous aura wash over them. Their scalps tingled. Cold sweat poured down their backs. It was like being plunged into an arctic lake.
They'd never seen Kaido like this—but they'd also heard about Kaigaku's betrayal.
Most of them had encountered Kaigaku before. They knew what kind of person he was—selfish, cowardly, someone who'd sacrifice anyone to save his own skin. If Corps regulations didn't forbid drawing blades against fellow members, they would've dealt with him long ago.
Kaido felt rage burning through his veins like wildfire. He didn't notice his body temperature spiking, his heartbeat accelerating to dangerous levels, his blood beginning to boil.
Two small bumps began forming on either side of his forehead, slowly elongating into horn-like protrusions. Something behind him struggled to break free from his back—
The other swordsmen stared in disbelief at the transformation beginning to overtake their Hashira.
[Host! Calm down! Your body is undergoing a new transformation—if you don't regain control, you'll—]
[Calm down?? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN?? This is my fault! The butterfly effect I created put Kaigaku on Misa's patrol! If he hadn't been there, she and her squad would still be alive!]
[Host, stop blaming yourself! What you need right now is to CALM DOWN! If you don't, your blood will literally boil and your body will explode from the inside out!]
[If you die here, everything you've worked for—everyone you've tried to save—it all means NOTHING!]
That got through. Kaido forced himself to take a breath, wrestling his fury back under control.
Just as he managed to suppress the transformation, Sanemi and Kyojuro came rushing through the gate.
They'd been sparring nearby, absorbing the Enhancement Pills' effects through combat, when they heard that roar—and felt the killing intent radiating from it. They'd come to investigate, and the closer they got, the more intense that bloodlust became.
"Kid, what the hell happened?? Why do you look like that??"
"Kaido, are you alright??"
Murata arrived right behind them, leading several Kakushi carrying a stretcher.
Kaido's rage had cooled just enough for rational thought to return. He gently lifted Risa and placed her on the stretcher, instructing the Kakushi to take excellent care of her. Then he drew his greatsword, stepped onto the blade, and shot into the sky.
"What the hell just happened?" Sanemi grabbed one of the nearby swordsmen by the collar. "Why'd he lose it like that?"
The swordsman repeated everything Risa had said—the Upper Rank encounter, Misa's sacrifice, Kaigaku's betrayal.
Sanemi and Kyojuro fell silent. And from the name Kaido had screamed, they realized something else—he knew which Upper Rank had done this.
"This needs to go to the Master immediately. Another Upper Rank sighting..."
"Indeed. No wonder Kaido was so enraged! The betrayal must also be reported—this Kaigaku..."
"Whoever trained that piece of trash should be ashamed! If I ever meet him, I'll take his head myself!"
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"Zenitsu!"
"K-Kaido-nii?? What's wrong??" Zenitsu looked up at Kaido descending on his flying sword. His enhanced hearing picked up Kaido's heartbeat—racing, thunderous, furious. Something was very wrong.
"Take me to Momoyama. Now."
"Why? What happened? Kaido-nii, please tell me—"
Kaido didn't have patience for questions. He grabbed Zenitsu by the collar with one hand and hauled him into the air. "Stop asking questions! If you don't want your mentor to commit seppuku because of what Kaigaku did, you'll tell me how to get there RIGHT NOW!"
The moment Zenitsu heard "Kaigaku" and "mentor," his blood ran cold. He understood immediately how serious this was—and a terrible premonition settled in his gut.
"I understand! I'll take you there!"
"Just give me directions!"
Kaido positioned Zenitsu on his sword's hilt like cargo, then followed his frantic directions toward Momoyama—burning through psychic energy recklessly to maximize their speed.
'Please let us make it in time... Kokushibo, I hope you're ready to die. And Kaigaku—if Zenitsu finds you first, consider yourself lucky. If I find you... heh,'
They flew all day. By the time night fell, Momoyama finally came into view.
But they were already too late.
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