The life force flowed through their bodies like warm spring water, mending the horrifying wounds.
Blood stopped seeping from Gyomei's knuckles.
Yuichiro's dislocated shoulder regained sensation, and the deep gash across Muichiro's chest began to heal.
"Enough, Shinichi, that's enough," Gyomei said first, his voice steady. "You need to conserve your strength. There might be more Demons to fight later. Don't waste it on us."
Shinichi didn't stop.
He shook his head. "It's just a little bit of power. Even if I use it all, I can recover it. What matters is you regaining your fighting ability as fast as possible. My strength alone is limited."
Hearing this, Gyomei didn't argue further.
Yuichiro flexed his newly reset left arm, wincing as he felt the warm life force coursing through his bones.
After a moment, he looked up at Shinichi, his eyes sparkling with youthful curiosity and excitement.
"By the way, Master, you still haven't told us where you came from. How are the others doing?"
Shinichi's hand paused before resuming the flow of life force, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Rest assured, everything went well. Upper Rank Three, Akaza, is dead."
"What?!" Gyomei and the others reacted at the same time.
Yuichiro's eyes blazed with disbelief.
"Akaza... I remember that demon. He was strong," Gyomei remarked, his voice filled with awe.
"Shinichi, did you defeat him yourself?"
"Not alone," Shinichi replied, shaking his head as Hakuji's final relieved smile flashed through his mind.
"Obanai fought hard to hold him off, giving me the opening. And... in his final moments, Akaza seemed to regain his human memories. In a way, he... chose his own death."
While it wasn't unheard of for demons to regain their humanity, the news always stirred mixed emotions.
"What about Upper Rank Two?" Muichiro asked, his cold voice tinged with anxiety. "That demon was powerful too."
Shinichi stopped channeling the life force, having stabilized the trio's injuries.
He straightened up, turned to Muichiro, and offered a gentle smile.
"Doma is dead as well."
"Doma? That Upper Rank Two demon?" Yuichiro nearly leaped off the ground. "You took him down too, Master? You're amazing!"
"You're exaggerating, kid," Shinichi chuckled at his disciple's reaction. "Sanemi, Shinobu, and Kanae had worn him down a lot. By the time I arrived, Shinobu had blinded one of his eyes, weakening him. And..." He paused, his gaze softening.
"Shinobu... I don't know what method she used, but she underwent Demon Transformation. Though the side effects were harsh, it played a key role."
"What?! Demon Transformation?!"
"It's all over now," Shinichi reassured them, fearing they might misunderstand. "The effects wore off right as I arrived. She was critically injured, but my life force stabilized her condition. Kanae and Sanemi are alive too, though wounded... but they're all still alive."
"All still alive..." Gyomei murmured, repeating those four words.
Tears welled in his sightless eyes.
Yuichiro and Muichiro exchanged a glance, both seeing the relieved joy in each other's eyes.
Yuichiro couldn't help but smile as he noticed the tone and expression Shinichi used when mentioning Shinobu.
A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes.
"Master," Yuichiro spoke up.
"Hmm?" Shinichi, still examining Muichiro's chest wound, didn't look up.
"You said earlier that when you arrived, Shinobu-san medicine had just worn off, leaving her injured," Yuichiro said, his voice feigning seriousness, though the smile on his lips grew wider.
"So... how did you save her? You must have used a lot of life force, right?"
"Of course," Shinichi replied, oblivious. "Doma's golden fan cut a deep gash across her abdomen, nearly..."
"So you were holding her while you healed her?" Yuichiro burst out laughing. "Master, do you like holding Shinobu-san?"
Shinichi's hand froze mid-motion.
Even Gyomei's stern face softened into a faint smile at this remark.
The aloof Muichiro blinked, his eyes fixed on Shinichi, waiting for his reaction.
"Yuichiro Tokito," Shinichi's voice was calm, but Yuichiro already sensed trouble.
"Master, I was wrong!" Yuichiro surrendered, though he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "I was just curious! So, it turns out..."
"Turns out what?" Shinichi stood up
. He raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers pressed together.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Yuichiro shook his head, but it was too late.
Bonk!
A crisp head-flick landed squarely on Yuichiro's forehead.
The force wasn't great, but the sharp pain left him stunned.
"Ouch!" Yuichiro clutched his forehead, tears welling up. "Master, you hit way too hard!"
"Next time you spout nonsense, it'll be double the force," Shinichi warned, withdrawing his hand.
Yuichiro rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath about how Shinichi was so gentle with Shinobu but so harsh with his own disciple.
Gyomei shook his head, but the smile at the corner of his lips deepened.
'These young one...' he mused, a warmth spreading through him.
...
Deep within the Infinity Castle, Kokushibo's figure emerged from the swirling gray-black mist.
His six eyes burned with fury and bewilderment as he stood, blade in hand, the lingering aura of the Breath of the Moon swirling around him.
Yet there was no target for his wrath.
"Nakime!" Kokushibo's voice cut through the silence like frost. "Why did you transport me here without my permission?"
Instead of Nakime's monotonous biwa music, a hoarse, low voice—imbued with an eerie power—answered him.
"I ordered her to do it."
Kokushibo's six crimson eyes constricted as he whirled around.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was Shokyu.
Yet... not entirely Shokyu.
The familiar presence instinctively made Kokushibo want to kneel in reverence, yet a sense of strangeness left him perplexed.
After a moment of silence, Kokushibo sheathed his grotesque blade and asked the indistinct figure.
"Lord Muzan?"
"Heh heh heh~ Yes and no, Kokushibo. Raise your head."
Whoosh!
Kokushibo obeyed, but as the figure stepped out of the shadows, he couldn't help but recoil half a step.
That identical face! That identical aura!
There was no doubt about it—the figure before Kokushibo was Muzan himself!
Yet, within those crimson eyes flickered the shadow of another person.
"You?!"