Kamado Tanjiro said, "We agreed to wait here, but I didn't see him."
Byakuya said, "Then forget him. We'll meet here again tomorrow night."
Kamado Tanjiro nodded, "Alright."
Byakuya said, "Then I'll be going!"
Byakuya's figure flashed and then appeared on the street, walking forward.
Byakuya had no intention of going back to sleep immediately; he planned to patrol the streets.
Demons operated at night, and the deeper the night, the more likely one was to encounter them.
Moreover, the first half of the night in the pleasure district was too lively. With so many eyes around, it was inconvenient for demons to make a move unless they planned to disappear after their deed. Otherwise, they could only sneak away with their prey.
Therefore, deep night was the best time for demons to act.
The night was deep and quiet, with no one around.
If they didn't act now, when would they?
However, as Byakuya walked forward, he encountered nothing unusual until...
A sharp female voice suddenly rang out from a side alley.
Byakuya was stunned. Had they found him already? It couldn't be that easy, could it?
Thinking this, Byakuya quickened his pace towards the alley and saw a woman entangled with a man.
During the argument, the man's face showed impatience as he pushed the woman to the ground.
The woman bit her lip and said, "We had an agreement."
"You damn whore, I've changed my mind. What can you do about it?" the man sneered, spitting on the ground. "Stop bothering me, or I'll kill you."
The man walked towards the alley entrance as he spoke.
"What are you looking at?" The man brushed past Byakuya, bumping his shoulder. "Never seen someone get it for free? Or are you waiting for the next one?"
After speaking, the man snickered and walked away.
Byakuya looked at the man's retreating back, then at the woman.
Judging by their attire, neither of them seemed to be natives. They were likely Chosen Ones.
Looking at the woman sobbing with her head bowed, Byakuya could roughly guess what had happened.
There were many ways to survive in the World Battlefield, but for the weak, the options were not many.
Don't think that the worst-case scenario would at least be a place like the Neutral Zone for survival.
For some, they didn't even have the ability to reach the Neutral Zone.
So, the most common way was to gamble their lives, risking their lives. With luck, they could gain the capital to survive; with bad luck, they would die.
Alternatively, they could sell their dignity. As long as they were shameless and lowered themselves, living like dogs, eating scraps while others feasted, they could survive with some luck.
And for women, using their bodies was not a bad option either.
After all, it was all they had.
Byakuya shook his head and prepared to turn away.
He had seen enough of this kind of thing in his previous life.
She was just a woman trying to survive.
But just then, the woman seemed to have calmed down. She wiped away her tears and slowly looked up.
Byakuya suddenly stopped, his expression showing a hint of surprise.
The woman was beautiful, exceptionally beautiful.
In fact, Byakuya felt she was no less beautiful than the courtesans he had seen before. Moreover, because she had just been crying, she had an air of pitiable charm that was very captivating.
But these were not the reasons for Byakuya's surprise.
If beauty had value in the World Battlefield, then in his previous life, all the Chosen Ones qualified for the Central Zone war should have been women.
What surprised Byakuya was that the woman's appearance felt somewhat familiar.
"Hana Kioshi?"
Byakuya truly hadn't expected to meet the leader of one of the future three great powers, the pleasure district, in such a place.
"Pleasure district, Hana Machi..."
Byakuya suddenly understood something.
Many people thought that the pleasure district was named after its leader, Hana Kioshi.
Hana Kioshi had named the pleasure district after her surname.
Now it seemed...
This woman...
Had she risen to power in this manner?
At the same time, Hana Kioshi looked up and met Byakuya's eyes. She quickly wiped away her tear tracks and tried her best to smile.
"Handsome, I live nearby." Hana Kioshi stood up, deliberately pulling her clothes down slightly. "If you're willing to help me, you can sleep at my place tonight. How about it?"
Byakuya tilted his head, staring intently at Hana Kioshi.
Her gaze made Hana Kioshi feel a little scared, and she involuntarily took half a step back.
Byakuya suddenly spoke, "How do you want me to help you?"
Hana Kioshi swallowed and said, "I won't ask for too much, just..."
Byakuya suddenly raised his hand and made a silencing gesture to Hana Kioshi.
"Wait for me a moment."
The instant Byakuya finished speaking...
*Zzzzt!*
Current surged from Byakuya's body, and he suddenly vanished into thin air.
The previous man had already moved away from the alley, humming a tune, looking very pleased with himself.
After all, that woman was quite yielding.
But it was at this moment...
A hand suddenly landed on the man's shoulder.
The man froze for a moment, turned around, and then saw Byakuya.
"You again?" The man glanced at Byakuya and asked, "What do you want... Ah..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Byakuya suddenly reached out, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted it forcefully, bending the man's arm completely backward.
The crisp sound of bone cracking indicated that the man's wrist had been completely broken.
The man clenched his left hand, intending to retaliate, but Byakuya's speed was much faster than his.
*Crack!*
Byakuya kicked the man's knee, shattering it instantly.
With the sound of his knee breaking, the man screamed and fell to the ground.
Byakuya, however, showed no signs of stopping. He stepped on the man's other ankle, and the man screamed again as his ankle was brutally crushed by Byakuya.
Byakuya crouched down, grabbed the man's last arm, and said, "Don't scream. It's not good to disturb people late at night."
After speaking, Byakuya pulled the man up by his arm and slowly walked forward, dragging the man along the ground.
On the other side, Hana Kioshi stood at the alley entrance, looking lost from side to side. Byakuya was nowhere to be seen.
Hana Kioshi shook her head, thinking that he had already left.
It was better for him to leave directly than to take advantage and then leave.
But at this moment...
A mournful whimper echoed from one end of the street.
Hana Kioshi looked up, surprised to see Byakuya appear, dragging the previous man behind him.
A bright red bloodstain marked the ground.
Byakuya arrived in front of Hana Kioshi and used his Steel Slime to manifest the Thunder Fang Beast, throwing it in front of her.
Byakuya's expression was indifferent as he looked at Hana Kioshi and said, "Pick it up and kill him."