Ascending

Arakawa Riverbank

Kenmochi lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

Mitsuru rushed to his side, shouting, "Kakaro, heal him!"

Kakaro hurried over, placing his hands on Kenmochi. "There's no wounds to heal, Miss Mitsuru," he said, shocked.

"W-What happened?" Mitsuru stammered.

Kakaro's eyes widened. "As soon as the Oni in charge took a step, he froze. In that moment, the other Onis realized something was off and charged Kenmochi, but he… he defeated all of them. Moments later, the Oni in charge fell to the ground."

"B-But how?" Mitsuru said, staring at Kenmochi's stomach—completely healed, not even a scar remained. "I saw him die."

Kenmochi stirred, whispering, "W-What happened?"

Mitsuru, still shaken, said, "N-Nothing for now. Rest up. We still need to get to our destination."

Gintama and Konatsu woke up, groaning.

"My head hurts," Gintama muttered, rubbing his temples.

Konatsu opened his eyes, seeing slaughtered Onis scattered around them. "What the hell happened?"

"We'll do the explaining later," Mitsuru said. "Can you carry Kenmochi?"

"Yes, of course," Konatsu replied, hoisting Kenmochi onto his shoulder.

Mitsuru pulled out her phone and made a call. "There's five—no, six—dead Onis at my location. Take care of the bodies."

"We're on our way," the voice on the other end replied.

"Okay, let's get going," Mitsuru said. "We're almost there."

Oni's Hideout

A rookie Oni knocked timidly on the door.

"Come in," a deep voice commanded. Inside, a one-armed leader Oni in a black cloak sat, exuding menace.

The rookie bowed. "Sire."

"Speak," the leader Oni said.

"Kenaju's squad has been wiped out," the rookie reported.

"By whom?" the leader demanded.

"We got information that it was, in fact, Kenmochi who finished them off," the rookie said.

The leader's rage erupted, a massive wave of blood energy surging from him, scarring the rookie with its intensity. "Get out of my sight before I cut your head off!" he roared.

The rookie scrambled up and fled.

"So his blood is beginning to ascend," the leader muttered, clenching his fist. He snapped his fingers, and a female Oni appeared, kneeling before him.

"Hina," he said, "it's up to you. Don't let me down."

"Consider it finished, sire," Hina replied, vanishing in a flicker of shadow.

Destination: Saitama, Veymars Headquarters

Gintama squinted at the empty landscape. "So where is this headquarters?"

"We're here," Mitsuru said.

"Where?" Gintama asked. "There's nothing—it's an open field."

"For the naked eye, it's a normal place," Mitsuru replied. "But…" She spilled her blood onto the ground, and a shimmering blood door materialized.

"What the hell is that?" Konatsu gasped.

Mitsuru opened the door. "As I said, we're here." They stepped inside, and the door vanished behind them, revealing a breathtaking otherworldly dimension.

"A strong blood user helped create this place," Mitsuru explained. "It's one of our most hidden hideouts, completely blocked from the outside world."

"Wow, this is beautiful," Konatsu breathed, staring at a towering waterfall cascading like liquid crystal, rivers flowing serenely outside the headquarters—a stunning sight.

"Let's see the Headmaster," Mitsuru said.

They entered the Headmaster's room and bowed quickly—Konatsu, Kenmochi, Gintama, and Mitsuru in unison.

The Headmaster turned from the window. "Kakaro, my boy, are you okay?"

Kakaro ran to him, hugging him tightly. "I'm okay, Grandpa!"

"Thank you for taking care of my grandchild," the Headmaster said.

"It's our honor, Headmaster," Mitsuru replied.

Konatsu thought to himself, He's the Headmaster's grandson? Why doesn't anybody tell us the full story?

"Please stand up," the Headmaster said.

They rose.

"You've come a long way," he continued, "and a difficult one, I imagine. So stay for the time being—you must be starving."

"I was hoping someone would say that all day," Gintama said, perking up.

"If I may speak, Headmaster," Mitsuru interjected.

"Go on," he said.

"We're grateful for your hospitality," Mitsuru said, "but we must take our leave as soon as possible."

Gintama's jaw dropped, his voice tearful. "B-But the food!"

"Something really important came up that has to be attended," Mitsuru continued, bowing. "So we must leave immediately."

"Oh, well," the Headmaster said, "if something important came up, then you must go."

"Thank you for your understanding," Mitsuru replied.

"Bye, you guys!" Kakaro called. "I hope I see you again!"

They waved at Kakaro as they left the building.

"What is this urgent matter?" Gintama asked, trudging behind.

"It's him," Mitsuru said, pointing at Kenmochi.

"Who's him?" Gintama said, confused.

"No, it's him," Mitsuru clarified, nodding at Kenmochi.

"What? Look at him—he's fine!" Gintama said. "There's not a scratch on him!"

"Kenmochi," Mitsuru said, "do you remember that your stomach was pierced?"

"Yes," Kenmochi replied, "and I thought I was dying.

So how is it that You're stomach is completely fine?" Mitsuru asked.

"It's because of Kakaro, right?" Kenmochi answered.. "He must have healed me."

"No," Mitsuru said. "Kakaro can heal, but he can't create new organs."

"Then you did that," she added.

"No, that's impossible," Kenmochi protested.

"Your crimson blood is ascending," Mitsuru said, "and it needs to be tested."

Kenmochi swallowed hard.

"What do you mean by 'ascending'?" Konatsu asked.

"It's like evolving," Gintama explained.

"I don't know for sure," Mitsuru admitted, "but we need to go now."

"B-But I didn't do anything!" Kenmochi said. "I was completely useless!"

Mitsuru's tone turned cold. "The one who was useless was me. The one who killed six Onis in a matter of seconds was you, Kenmochi."

Kenmochi stood shocked, unable to speak.

Gintama and Konatsu blurted in unison, "Whaaaat?!"

To Be Continued…