───

     GOJŌ HAD DISAPPEARED TO WHO KNOWS where, as himari's execution date was literally today.

the woman was tied up to a t-shaped board, as everyone — even the peasants from all over the land — got to attend himari's demise.

     "LET LADY HIMARI GO!! SHE'S DONE WAY MORE FOR US THAN YOU DAIMYOS WHO ABUSE YOUR POWERS!!", the women from the olden brothel protested.

     "YEAH!! LADY HIMARI SAVED US FROM FURTHER MOLESTATION, MEANWHILE YOU WERE ALL SITTING ON YOUR ASSES DOING NOTHING!!", the women from the sakedo village claimed.

     "SHE GAVE US FEMALES A CHANCE TO BE MORE THAN JUST A BIRTH GIVER AND A STAY-AT-HOME WIFE!", maki joined in.

"SHE BELIEVED IN OUR SKILLS, EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD NO REASON TO!", miwa chimed in.

"AND NEVER GAVE UP ON US, NO MATTER WHAT!", rumi and itadori shouted, meanwhile the samurais were trying their hardest to keep the protesters from crossing the line.

himari then started tearing up at all of the people that were there to support her, though the elites just ignored it.

"shut it with your complaints! nakajima himari has committed a grave sin of assassinating the shogunate. and with no sufficient evidence to guarantee her innocence, she shall pay the price with her own life!", lord miyoshi declared.

"let the people speak, mr. uptight. this is why you won't win the election", himari chuckled, to which the man had deeply frowned — very tempted to slice the woman's head off right there and then.

"shut up! I don't want to hear it from a woman", lord miyoshi snarled, causing himari to snort.

"ah yes yes, but I'm just being honest. I mean...if you noticed, lord rokkaku was the one that suggested the election.

     you'd think that someone as smart as you would realize that he's probably rigged it, since he seems so confident about it", himari bluffed.

     "you're lying! the election's going to be fair and square!"

"mhmmm!! that's what all politicians say until the opponent starts digging out your past and exposing you in front of this riot", himari hummed, causing the daimyo major paranoia.

"and plus, look at that piss-haired—I-I mean naoya...he looks so cocky and for what? he probably has some plan up his ass too, because ya know, he's going for that throne and is always a power freak", himari stated, to which the male had actually started doubting all of this.

"why are you even telling me this?! you're about to die anyways!", the man huffed.

"well...yeah, but I mean, not gonna lie, you're my third favorite daimyo after my father and satoru", himari whispered, causing the man to raise a brow.

     "why's that?"

     "because I think you're swag", the woman answered, purposely delaying her execution time, as the people continued to shout in protest.

     "s-swag? what does that even mea—"

     "HIMARI!! GRAB YOUR SWORD AND YUMI!!", getō shouted, arriving on a horse, as everyone witnessed hotaru following with an army of people.

     before anyone could even react, himari had escaped from the bindings, as she caught both weapons, slinging the bow across her shoulder, as she held the sword like a pro.

"WHAT IN CARNATION ARE YOU DOING, LORD NAKAJIMA?!"

"my daughter would never kill lord yoshiaki!! I believe in her, and anybody that doesn't is just trying to frame her!", hotaru boldly stated, to which the other daimyos had choked on their spit, meanwhile himari had almost cried.

"father...YOU A REAL ONE!", the woman sniffled, giving the man a thumbs up, as he unsurely gave one back to his daughter.

"y-you...YOU'RE ALL BREAKING THE LAW!!", lord imagawa screamed.

"bitch, the shogunate's dead; dead as hell! what law?", himari asked, to which the men had nearly experienced a heart attack from the audacity and vulgarity spoken.

     "HOW DARE YOU—"

     before the man could even finish speaking, his head had dropped onto the floor, causing all humans to glance over in utter silence.

     there stood a blue-haired male with a patchwork face and a shit-eating grin.

     "hey~"

     "FATHER, GET THE KIDS AND PEOPLE AWAY FROM—"

     immediately, hundreds of thousands of demons had infiltrated the palace, terrorizing all of the humans, as they were all trapped like a huge glob.

blood started splattering everywhere, as screams of agony had filtered through the murky air of ichor.

"PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!! THE CHILDREN ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT!!", himari yelled, to which hotaru — who has never wielded a sword in his life — had immediately led the group of peasants, and those who could not fight, towards the throne room, where the nakajima samurais were protecting them all.

the rest — the students that were sorted into the gold, silver, and bronze groups — had unsheathed their weapons, slicing and dicing demons left and right.

     "ugh, where the hell did all these damn demons come from?!", himari complained, stabbing one after another, as it seemed like a never ending saga.

     "RETURN OUR KING TO US!!", one demon shouted, to which himari had looked up in utter disbelief.

"BRO ARE YOU HIGH?! WE NEVER TOOK HIM!!", himari shouted back.

     "LIAR! MAHITO AND URAUME TOLD US THAT SOME HUMAN WOMAN SEDUCED OUR KING AND HID HIM AWAY!"

     himari's jaw then dropped.

     "AND YOU BELIEVE THAT SEWER SMELLING RAT?!"

     the demon then scoffed, as he attempted to behead himari, meanwhile pseudo-uraume had made an appearance.

     "without sukuna and gojō...everything else seems like a piece of cake", the monk chuckled, totally disregarding getō — who was currently about to destroy mahito and all of those transfigured humans around him.

     "getō suguru, is it? I heard you're gojō satoru's best friend and subordinate. tell me, isn't it tiring to constantly be outshined by him?", mahito playfully asked, causing getō to grit his teeth in annoyance.

"and aren't you tired of being outdone by sukuna? I must say, compared to the rest of you lot, he's in a whole other league", getō calmly insulted, summoning hundreds of demons at once, as they were controlled to attack their own kind.

mahito suddenly chuckled, causing getō to raise a brow.

"that may be true, but at least I don't have to fight him for a woman's love", mahito mocked.

     "isn't that sad, getō-san? knowing that your best friend will forever one up you, especially gaining the upper hand on the woman you love?", the blue-haired demon pouted, cleverly agitating the man.

     "and what does my personal love life have to do with you?", getō fake smiled, snapping the neck of a demon as he stomped on another, nearly breaking the ground.

     "mah~ you could always use this chance and turn things around", mahito darkly whispered, grinning like a madman.

     "if you know what I mean..."