Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

Kocho Kanae wasn't entirely sure what that emotion was. After all, she had never experienced such feelings before, so how could she accurately describe them?

But if what Koinatsu said was true, then the emotions in her heart must be "love," right?

Probably?

But if she had to say... Kocho Kanae actually understood her own thoughts very well.

Three years ago, she had already missed her chance once... Could she really afford to miss it again now? What if, like three years ago, Li Mo left again?

She had a feeling that Li Mo was a man like the wind—he wouldn't stay in one place for too long.

Night fell.

Kocho Kanae quietly slipped out of her room.

For a Pillar, agility was essential. No matter how much one trained their body, they would always be at a disadvantage against demons. There were exceptions, of course—Kocho Kanae had seen one three years ago. But Li-san's strength wasn't just his physical prowess; it was his skill that gave him the edge.

She made her way to the rooftop. There, she saw Li Mo, the "Pillar," standing against the backdrop of the bright moon. The breeze gently swayed the haori draped over his shoulders.

For a moment, Kocho Kanae thought she saw fox tails behind him.

Two of them?

"Shall we take action tonight?"

Li Mo called out to Kocho Kanae.

"Li-san, aren't you going to ask why I wanted you to come to Tokito House as a guest tomorrow?"

"That's tomorrow's matter, isn't it? Tonight, we have things to do. For example, wouldn't it be better to celebrate by killing an Upper Rank demon?" Li Mo said.

The three shikigami had already spread out across the Red Light District and located where Daki was hiding her "food." However, since she was also using Blood Demon Art, it wasn't the right time to strike yet. The shikigami, imbued with power from Li Mo, were waiting for him to launch the attack on Daki before they would act.

"I see. Do you need my help?"

"Just follow me."

Li Mo leaped down, landing lightly on the adjacent rooftop. Like a migratory bird, he glided over the ridges of the roofs.

Kocho Kanae followed his steps, but she was surprised to find that keeping up with his speed was somewhat difficult.

—It wasn't that she wasn't fast enough.

—It was that Li Mo was simply too fast.

Perhaps only Makomo-chan could keep up with Li-san's speed effortlessly. But was this really Li-san's full speed?

"Not human."

That was the evaluation Li-san had given himself. What had he experienced in those three years? How much had he grown? He had started to feel that he was no longer human.

All her doubts would be answered in the upcoming battle.

Kyogoku House.

Like Tokito House, it was one of the establishments in the Red Light District. Every shop in the Red Light District appeared glamorous on the surface, with the courtesans on stage looking so beautiful. But in essence, they were all wallowing in the mud.

Kocho Kanae knew a bit about this particular establishment.

The top courtesan, Warabihime, was a beautiful woman, but her beauty was different from Koinatsu's and her own. Warabihime's beauty was more arrogant.

Yes, she was a very arrogant woman. Her haughty gaze seemed to look down on everyone, as if she didn't care about anyone in this world.

Kocho Kanae knew that this type of woman was highly sought after by certain men. The rarer something was, the more valuable it became.

"The target this time, Upper Rank Six Daki, is the top courtesan of this establishment."

Li Mo calmly revealed the information about this Upper Rank demon—her current identity, her connection with her brother, and the method to kill her.

To him, Daki seemed to have no secrets.

Why did Li-san know so much about a demon?

Kocho Kanae blinked. After listening to his explanation, she asked, "Then, Li-san, what do we do next?"

"Just stand here. Just now, I've already removed the soundproof barrier. Kanae-san, what do you think a hunter would do if a second hunter appeared in their territory?"

Two tigers cannot share one mountain.

Kocho Kanae, of course, understood this principle, but she still played along with his question. "What would happen?"

"Don't you know?" Li Mo glanced at Kocho Kanae.

Then, a third voice answered the question. "In my eyes, you are nothing but food. Hunters? What a ridiculous notion. Why would you even think that?"

Daki stood there, as if observing her prey.

Still dressed in her courtesan attire, she looked stunning, like a poppy flower—beautiful yet dangerous.

"Three years ago, didn't an Upper Rank just die? Why do you still have the delusion that you're not the prey?"

No more words were needed.

The broken blade from the past appeared in Li Mo's hand. In almost the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Daki. They were so close that Li Mo could draw his blade and slash at her neck in an instant.

One moment, Daki had just seen Li Mo pull out that half-broken Nichirin Blade and was about to mock him for thinking he could defeat her with such a weapon.

The next moment, he was right in front of her.

The terrifying part was...

She hadn't even reacted!

He was about to swing his blade.

Daki had fought many swordsmen. The only threat they posed to her was decapitation with a Nichirin Blade.

It's fine, even if I'm decapitated...

"Thud—!"

She wasn't decapitated!

Daki felt a hand pierce through her abdomen.

She couldn't move.

Daki saw his other hand resting on her shoulder, but despite its seemingly weak appearance, it exerted a force that made it impossible for her to move.

What was even more terrifying was his aura.

In that moment, a horrifying presence emanated from him. It felt like the natural enemy of demons... No, it felt like the natural enemy of humans as well.

Fear! Terror! Dread!

Daki understood.

This man wasn't human.

Even though his hands were empty, she didn't dare swing her powerful arms to kill him. Even though he stood there like a wooden statue, she couldn't.

"Ah, got you."

Li Mo spoke.

The hand that had plunged into her abdomen seemed to grab something. He pulled it out forcefully, and a male body was dragged out of Daki's own.

Then, he was thrown aside.

Almost simultaneously, Daki regained control of her body.

She didn't counterattack immediately but instead created distance.

"Brother, this man, this man!" Daki rushed to the man who had been pulled out of her body, shouting.

But she couldn't articulate her thoughts; the fear had frozen her mind.

The man who had been thrown aside stood up. He didn't respond to his sister immediately but instead looked at the man before him with a grave expression.

And then...

He saw a pair of golden fox eyes.