"Bastard, you—!" Sanemi gritted his teeth, unable to stop himself from following.
"All right, Sanemi, Giyu, come back for now," Kagaya Ubuyashiki coughed twice and spoke.
When he spoke, both Giyu Tomioka and Sanemi Shinazugawa listened.
"Yes, Master," they replied in unison.
The two of them sat back down cross-legged.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki continued, "Hardy, Mitsuri, according to tradition, you will be named the Pillars of Separation and Love, after your respective breathing styles. You may go to the Swordsmith Village to have new Nichirin blades forged with the words 'Destroyer of Demons' engraved on them, or have them engraved on your current blades to signify your status."
Hardy nodded slightly.
"Good, my blade has quite a few nicks anyway. I could use a sturdier one."
Mitsuri Kanroji agreed as well.
Now that her Love Breathing technique was fully developed, she needed a specially made Nichirin blade to unleash its full power.
---
---
In the Infinity Castle, the lights blazed brightly.
Muzan Kibutsuji, dressed in a white suit and wearing a top hat, sat in his chair with a dark expression, looking at the three Lower Moons kneeling below him.
Lower Moon One: Enmu. Lower Moon Two: Rokuro. Lower Moon Four: Mukago.
Lower Moon Five, Rui, stood blankly at his side. Not far away, the six Upper Moons stood on the platform, each with a peculiar posture, watching the scene unfold.
"You have disappointed me. In just a single year, I have lost three Lower Moons in succession. Should I take this as a provocation from the Demon Slayer Corps?
Do you think I really have the time to waste, picking out new Lower Moons one by one? In less than ten years, there have been five changes among the Lower Moons.
I am beginning to wonder if creating the Lower Moons was a mistake. I gave you power and status that other demons do not have, yet all you do is waste my time and accomplish nothing for me."
Muzan's face was cold as he stared at the demons before him.
He was deeply irritated.
He had established the Twelve Kizuki among the demons to select the twelve strongest to search for the Blue Spider Lily and to weaken and eliminate the Demon Slayer Corps, which had plagued him for centuries.
But in recent years, he had been constantly disturbed by the frequent changes among the Lower Moons, while the truly important matters saw no progress.
The Lower Moons were so terrified by Muzan's furious aura that none dared to speak.
"Now, now, Lord Muzan, it's only natural for the Lower Moons to be a bit weak. But you still have us, your truly capable subordinates, don't you?" Doma said with a cheerful grin, crawling out from the side to address Muzan.
Doma was the Upper Moon who most enjoyed dancing on Muzan's nerves, but he was also the most effective demon over the past century—having killed the most Pillars and risen to Upper Moon Two in just a hundred years.
"Doma, you've overstepped. Did Lord Muzan give you permission to speak?" A hand marked with blue-gray demon patterns landed on Doma's shoulder, crushing it to pieces.
Akaza spoke coldly to Doma.
"Akaza, you've overstepped as well. Doma is your superior. If anyone is to punish him, it should be me or Lord Muzan, not you."
Kokushibo, who had been standing in the distance, opened his six eyes and appeared before Akaza in an instant, speaking to him.
Akaza's expression changed as he looked down at his arms, which had been severed and then rapidly regenerated, his gaze resolute.
His ability to sense fighting spirit was useless against Kokushibo.
This was the supreme realm—where one's presence could be completely concealed, able to sense and anticipate any threat!
One day, he would reach this domain, defeat Doma and Kokushibo, and become the strongest demon beneath Muzan!
"This time, I will punish you. If you are dissatisfied, you can challenge me to a Blood Battle for position," Kokushibo said coldly.
Hantengu looked on in shock—
Fearful, she hid on the stairs, sobbing, while Gyokko poked half his head out of his jar, watching the scene unfold with Daki, both of them quite entertained.
Muzan's gaze was icy as he turned to look at the Upper Moons.
"You as well. Centuries have passed, yet the Ubuyashiki clan continues to provoke me, and the blue spider lily remains nowhere to be found. Can you really call yourselves competent?"
This time, even Kokushibo had nothing to say.
"The next time the Twelve Kizuki meet, if you wish to keep living, you have only two choices."
Muzan turned his back to the demons and began to walk away.
"First, find the blue spider lily. I'll reward you with more of my blood."
"Second, each of you must bring me the head of a Hashira, and within two years, annihilate the Ubuyashiki clan and the Demon Slayer Corps, begging for my forgiveness."
Muzan's cold, indifferent voice grew fainter as his figure disappeared through the countless doors of the Infinity Castle.
"One Hashira head per person… What if there aren't enough Hashira to go around?" Daki rested her smooth chin on her hand, frowning prettily.
"If you can't get one, you die." Kokushibo pushed open the door and looked at Nakime.
With a strum of the biwa, his tall, sword-wielding figure vanished without a trace.
"Looks like this time, we'll have to stir up some real trouble to draw the Hashira out quickly," Akaza sighed, then leapt off the platform, disappearing to the sound of Nakime's music.
The Lower Moons exchanged glances. Except for the deranged Enmu, the rest looked uneasy.
Based on past experience, the Hashira were rarely a match for the Upper Moons, but the Lower Moons… that was another story.
After all, many Hashira had only been promoted after killing a Lower Moon.
With a sense of unease about the future, the Lower Moons, along with Hantengu and Daki, quickly departed.
Douma sat on the floor, cheerfully waving goodbye to everyone as they left.
The number of Hashira was limited. At most, there were nine at any one time, which meant there would be at least one demon who wouldn't get a share.
In the end, only Douma—so emotionally detached he didn't much care about his own life or death—and the unruffled Gyokko remained.
"Gyokko-senpai, aren't you leaving?" Douma tilted his head, looking at Gyokko.
"Hehe, I have some information that's sure to lure out a Hashira, so I'm not worried at all!" Gyokko rolled around on the ground, chuckling.
"Oh? What kind of fun thing is it? Can you share it with me?"
"No problem. I've been holding onto this intel for years, saving it for a crucial moment like this to please Lord Muzan. As long as we take our time, we're sure to draw out more than one Hashira."
Gyokko shook his deformed head, his voice slippery and oily.
"Really! Thank you for letting me join in, Gyokko-senpai!" Douma lifted Gyokko's jar high, putting on a look of delight.
...
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