"Clang-!"
The spectral blue gleam of a blade flashed past like the sigh of the Grim Reaper.
The ugly rat was instantly cleaved neatly in two. Before it could even scream, it dissolved into drifting ash.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on killing Upper Rank Four, Hantengu. Awarded 1,900 points!]
Without even looking at the dissipating ashes, Kirishima Bupai raised the freshly painted "Blue Spider Lily" in his hand with satisfaction, its petals giving off a spectral blue sheen beneath the moonlight.
With a wicked smile, he arranged his face into a carefully crafted expression of unexpected delight, just in time to greet Tanjiro and the others as they arrived, drawn by the last sounds.
"Look!"
Kirishima Bupai's voice held just the right amount of excitement as he raised the blue flower for everyone to see. "I was just over here... well, dealing with a little trouble, when I actually found this nearby! A blue spider lily!"
Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Muichiro, and several villagers who had hurried over all saw the flower, its mysterious, spectral blue sheen shifting in the moonlight.
"What is this...?!"
"Spider lilies actually come in this color?"
"How rare..."
The villagers' faces were filled with shock and disbelief. Tanjiro stared at the flower in thought for quite some time, wondering whether he had seen it somewhere before.
Seeing their astonishment, Kirishima Bupai laughed inwardly. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Clearing his throat a few times, he cradled the flower carefully and said solemnly, "This is incredibly rare! I must head to Suzuran Town at once. They supposedly have special soil and a special climate there. Perhaps I can cultivate it properly!"
"I'll leave the cleanup here to you, then. I have to leave right away, before this flower dies!" Holding back his laughter, he