Sishu reached out and gently closed his eyelids. To him, Yuube Masaru might have been just a passerby in his life, but for Masaru, Sishu was the turning point, the sun that pulled him out from the shadow of death.
"Mister Sishu, thank you." Yuube Wataru appeared behind Sishu, his eyes red, and gave him a solemn bow. He knew his father's life had long reached its end. The only reason he had held on was for the slim chance of seeing the Demon-Slaying Mister again. Now that his wish was fulfilled, he had passed away without any lingering attachments.
Sishu patted Wataru's shoulder. "He was a good father, a good town leader, and a worthy man."
Hearing Sishu's words, Wataru's tears could no longer be held back.
"I must leave now. I don't know when I will return."
"No matter what, the Yuube family will always be waiting for you, ready to contribute our strength."
Hearing this, Sishu suddenly clapped his hands. "You know, I actually do need your help with something." Scratching his head, Wataru felt that Sishu's smile was a bit strange.
...
Leaving the Yuube residence, Sishu carried a large bag on his back. He hadn't expected that he would just ask for some money to buy clothes, and Wataru would give him several hundred kan. He rushed to the shop and, with the last bit of time, bought the clothes.
Carrying the newly bought clothes, he walked back to the inn. On his way through the market, he also bought some small things like rouge for makeup.
Back at the inn, Sishu gave the clothes and trinkets to Tamayo.
"Did you run into some trouble on the way? You came back so late."
"No, I was just... seeing off a friend."
Although she didn't quite understand Sishu's meaning, Tamayo didn't press further. She was smart and knew some things weren't kept from her because Sishu didn't want to tell her, but because he felt it wasn't necessary.
Taking the things Sishu bought, Tamayo went aside to change. A short while later, a beautiful woman emerged. Her hair was styled in a large bun at the back of her head, secured with a decorated hairpin. She had applied some rouge to her lips and a touch of light powder at the corner of her eyes. She wore a light pink kimono adorned with several cherry blossoms, tied with a light blue wide belt at her waist.
"Very beautiful," Sishu praised sincerely, a smile on his face.
Blushing, Tamayo also nodded shyly.
Just as Sishu was about to say more, Tamayo's face suddenly turned pale. She clutched her heart with one hand and her head with the other, as if under immense pressure. She collapsed to her knees with a thud and then shouted, "No... don't... I won't go!"
After that, her voice stopped abruptly. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she fell toward the ground. In a flash, Sishu appeared at her side and caught her steadily. Although he was curious about what had happened, he had already gleaned much from her words. Tamayo's reaction was like that of an employee refusing a superior's order out of disgust. And there was only one person who could give commands to demons.
Muzan Kibutsuji had issued some kind of command to all demons. The scope and depth of this command were so great that it had even affected Tamayo. It seems I need to find a suitable time to completely free Tamayo from Muzan's control.
He helped Tamayo to the bed and sat beside her, thinking quietly. For the past sixty years, due to his pursuit, Muzan hadn't had much time to recover from his injuries. As a result, his control over Tamayo had become minuscule. But even at that level, this latest command had caused such a reaction in her.
Muzan, what big move are you planning?
He looked at the moon outside and touched the Nichirin Blade resting on his lap. Whatever scheme Muzan was plotting, he would shatter it with Sun Breathing and the blade in his hands.
...
While Sishu was pondering Muzan's intentions, in a distant mountain, Muzan slowly opened his eyes.
"Master, is it done?" Kokushibo, who was on guard, asked when he saw Muzan awaken.
Muzan nodded, indicating he had given the command. He stood up and dusted himself off. Though there was no life in front of him, he spoke coldly, "Have you confirmed the location of the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters?"
As soon as he spoke, the ground trembled, and a large hole appeared two meters in front of him. From the hole, a bizarre-looking demon emerged. This demon had claws on its arms, strong and powerful thighs, and a short tail. Its eye sockets were sunken, and the area around its eyes was black, as if it hadn't slept in years. The demon looked like a gopher.
After emerging, the gopher-demon first bowed to Muzan and Kokushibo, then grinned. "Of course. I have found it."
Muzan nodded, seemingly pleased with the gopher-demon's efficiency. "Very good, Shudo. You will lead the way." He waved his hand, dismissing the demon.
Bowing his head, the demon named Shudo turned, dug a hole, and left.
Once Shudo was gone, Muzan could no longer contain his excitement. Kokushibo, beside him, was the same, his fingers stroking the demon blade at his waist with anticipation. Ever since Yoriichi had brought Breathing Styles to the Demon Slayer Corps, the demons' range of activity had been severely restricted for decades. And now, they had found the most important stronghold of the demon hunters. How could they not be excited about the chance to wipe them all out in one fell swoop?
What Muzan had just done was use his power as the Progenitor of Demons to summon a large number of demons to serve as his army.
Soon, strange sounds came from the sky, the ground, and even deep within the earth. As the sounds grew closer, pair after pair of crimson eyes emerged from the darkness. Demons that would normally fight each other for food were now as obedient as lambs under Muzan's command. They stood there, one by one, without any chaos or crowding.
As time passed, more and more demons appeared before Muzan and Kokushibo. The stench from the gathered demons was almost enough to knock a person out. It was a black mass of them, roughly two to three hundred strong.
Looking at the demons before him, Muzan revealed a cruel smile. It was time to lead them to annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps.
-------
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