Just Do It

It was noon.

Outside the dilapidated district of West District 79, a young man with black hair and black clothes arrived. With his arrival, the residents hidden in the shadows of the houses began to stir.

Although they had all agreed to ask Duan Mu for help, everyone except those who had gone to the Yorozuya with Diao Ao felt a bit guilty and fearful upon seeing Duan Mu.

Duan Mu surveyed his surroundings. Nothing had changed here.

The people were scattered, and despite the impending great battle, there was no sense of urgency. However, when he and Iwao had come here last time, these people had looked exactly the same. But once they started their operations, these scattered individuals would immediately gather and surround the enemy.

Disorganized, yet always ready for a fight.

Even if they were to go to the battlefield the next second, they wouldn't feel the slightest bit of nervousness.

These people were truly terrifying.

Duan Mu silently evaluated the residents of West District 79 in his mind.

However…

"The Smiling Asura is here."

"I can't believe he actually agreed to our request. I thought Brother Diao Ao and the others were doomed."

"Yeah, that's what I thought when Brother Diao Ao went. I didn't expect him to come back completely intact. It seems he doesn't like eating people."

"Keep your voices down. Don't be fooled by his smile. We've seen what he looks like when his demeanor changes."

"…"

The residents looked at Duan Mu with a sense of dread.

Although many of them had never seen the great villain of West District 80, the figure who exuded a sinister aura from within a month ago had already formed the impression of a 'great villain' in their minds.

His gaze was like that of a lamb awaiting slaughter, and his methods of killing were extremely brutal.

After the battle, everyone who had fought against him was killed in the most gruesome ways. Some were torn in half, others had their heads forcibly ripped off, and some had their hearts missing…

It was their first time realizing that a person's death could be so varied and colorful.

And as far as they knew, the man had only been in the Soul Society for four years.

Even for villains like them, most had spent decades or even centuries struggling to survive in the later numbered districts to develop their current personalities.

But this person…

Four years was not enough time to change someone. This meant that this young man, who was only in his early twenties, had already possessed this personality in his previous life.

What had he done in his previous life?

"I feel like the gazes of these people… are dangerous."

Upon arriving, Duan Mu sensed the stares coming from all over the town. He secretly decided that it would be better to have less contact with these dangerous individuals in the future.

"Boss Duan Mu!!"

Not long after Duan Mu entered the town, Diao Ao heard the news and rushed over. When he saw Duan Mu alone, he was slightly stunned and kept searching behind Duan Mu.

"What are you looking for?" Duan Mu asked.

"That…"

Diao Ao seemed to recall something and leaned closer to Duan Mu, saying mysteriously, "Is it like last time?"

Duan Mu: "???"

Like last time?

Could it be that they hadn't had enough of a fight last time, and this time they had paid him twenty thousand Ryo to come so they could settle the score?

"It's that elder sister from the Shiba Clan!" Diao Ao said.

The elder sister from the Shiba Clan?

Duan Mu was taken aback. Combining that with what Diao Ao had said that morning, he gradually understood.

These people had commissioned him not because of his strength, but because of Shiba Kūkaku?

However, that made sense.

Duan Mu didn't feel looked down upon, because that was the reality.

He himself had been a bit too quick to judge earlier, thinking that Diao Ao and the others knew he had been training for the past month and had come to him as a last resort.

From their perspective, Duan Mu had almost died at Da Maru's hands a month ago, and now he was facing an enemy stronger than Da Maru. Duan Mu's strength was nowhere near enough to defeat him. Therefore, the only solution was to ask Shiba Kūkaku for help.

Understanding this, Duan Mu said to Diao Ao, who kept glancing around with his peripheral vision, "No need to look. I came alone this time."

"Ah? Huh? Eh???"

After changing his tone several times, Diao Ao was dumbfounded and instinctively asked, "Then why did you come here, you guy? To die?"

Duan Mu's mouth twitched slightly. This guy had been calling him 'big brother' just a few seconds ago, but as soon as he heard that Shiba Kūkaku wasn't coming, he immediately switched to 'you guy.' His change in attitude was as swift as that of the two gatekeepers of the Shiba Clan.

"Customer, should I leave??"

"Don't."

Diao Ao also realized he had misspoke and grabbed Duan Mu's arm. "Big brother, you've already accepted the money. If you leave like this, even if we die, we'll become bricks and tiles for the Shinigami killers in Seireitei, and we'll definitely become bricks on the road. The moment you walk near, they'll collapse immediately!!"

Although Shiba Kūkaku didn't come, Duan Mu's strength was still far superior to these people. They absolutely couldn't let him leave now.

And...

Even if he died, he wanted to take Duan Mu with him. That way, after receiving news of Duan Mu's death, the eldest sister of the Shiba Clan might be able to avenge them.

"I thought you were going to say, 'As you tread, listen to the crunch of the gravel, that is your regret.'" Duan Mu shook off Diao Ao's hand and was about to say something when his expression suddenly turned serious. "There's no time for idle chat. Someone's coming, about two hundred of them."

As soon as he said this, Diao Ao's expression immediately tensed. Without asking how Duan Mu knew, he raised his hand and made a gesture.

The atmosphere in the dilapidated town instantly changed. People hidden in the shadows everywhere simultaneously converged toward one location.

Killing intent quietly arose.

After the residents of West District 79 had gathered, a group of people appeared in everyone's sight.

Leading them was a woman who was two meters tall, wearing a tight-fitting sports tank top-like garment on her upper body and shorts on her lower body, carrying two axes.

Her muscles, which were even more formidable than the Terminator's, made even Duan Mu, a man, feel a sense of inferiority.

Diao Ao was like this, and this woman was also like this. Before they died, weren't all these guys bodybuilding champions?

Behind the woman, nearly two hundred people had blood-red eyes, as if they were possessed. Even without speaking, one could feel their excitement for the upcoming battle.

Duan Mu didn't go forward immediately. Instead, he carefully observed these villains from District 80 from the rear of the formation.

Although their appearances were similar, he had to admit that the Spiritual Pressure of these people from District 80 was generally stronger than those from District 79. Especially the woman named 'Habutae' at the front of the formation, her Spiritual Pressure, while still within the scope of a High-ranking Officer, was much stronger than Diao Ao's.

"Kill them!!"

Just as Duan Mu was contemplating how to complete the commission, Habutae suddenly waved her hand.

The villains behind her responded with a roar, their formation spread out, dividing into three groups. The center group advanced towards the residents of District 79, while the others flanked from both sides to prevent any escape.

"Beat them to death!!"

"Roar roar roar..."

The residents of District 79 also showed no fear, roaring as they charged forward.

Duan Mu: "???"

What the hell?

What's going on? Weren't they here to reclaim the area? Why didn't they ask first?

And normally, wouldn't the two sides exchange some harsh words before a battle?

This caught Duan Mu, who had been preparing to try and communicate and, if necessary, display his strength to avoid combat, completely off guard. He grabbed Diao Ao, who was about to charge forward roaring, and said:

"Hey, what's going on? Do you have some kind of irreconcilable feud with them?"

"What feud?" Diao Ao instinctively struggled, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from Duan Mu's grip. He could only say anxiously, "Hurry up and go! They've already started fighting, what are you still standing here for?"

"...Do you all just start fighting without saying a word?"

"Otherwise?"

Diao Ao looked at Duan Mu with a look of utter bewilderment. "It's been almost a week, and the ultimatum has been issued. Since we didn't go, there's no need for communication. What's the point of all the pointless talk? It's much simpler to just eliminate the opponent!"

Duan Mu opened his mouth. He actually found Diao Ao's words to be quite reasonable...

Indeed!

The other party had given Diao Ao and the others time to consider and had issued an ultimatum, so there was no need for further communication. But even so...

"Besides, didn't you act the same way when you attacked us back then?" Diao Ao said with narrowed eyes. "Compared to you saying nothing, that bitch at least shouted 'Kill them!'"

"..."

Duan Mu released Diao Ao. After a few seconds of silence, his relatively delicate face contorted into a ferocious expression.

"Damn it!!"

Why bother strategizing with these lunatics who only ever wanted to solve things in the simplest way possible?

Just fight!!

He had to admit, Diao Ao had convinced him