The unexpected outcome earned him a bit more reverence from the surrounding demons. Even Upper Moon Five turned his gaze towards him. Muzan, who had been looking bored, also perked up slightly, narrowing his eyes.
It seemed Doma's talent was even greater than he had anticipated. Such a significant improvement from just a little blood... in comparison, the decades or even centuries the other demons with Twelve Kizuki potential had lived seemed like a waste. Even giving them more blood wouldn't result in much improvement; it was simply a waste of his blood.
Thinking this, Muzan found Doma much more pleasing to the eye. In the face of such talent, he could tolerate the minor, harmless issues the boy had.
"Talented demons are simply too rare. The skill level of the Upper Moons is uneven." Thinking of the former Upper Moon Six who had been slain by two Hashira, Muzan's face clouded over.
"What, no one else is going to issue a challenge?" Muzan swept his gaze over the now-silent arena, his brow furrowing in displeasure. He looked at the platform where the Upper Moons were. He was more interested in seeing competition among the Upper Moons than the boring scuffles of the Lower MoMoons
He turned his gaze to Upper Moon Five, his frown deepening. This one was not much stronger than the previous Upper Moon Six; his potential had reached its limit. As for Hantengu, he had no expectation that he would show any ambition.
Finally, Muzan's gaze lingered for a moment on Upper Moon Three, Akaza, and Upper Moon Two, a demon known as Enyo (Calamity Woman). He disliked Enyo, a crazy woman with an uncontrollable ability who had caused a lot of trouble everywhere she went. He would much rather see Akaza challenge her. In his opinion, Akaza had a decent chance of defeating Enyo and climbing to the position of Upper Moon Two.
But Akaza stubbornly adhered to his foolish principle of not fighting women, preferring to risk his life challenging Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, rather than ever challenging Enyo. Seeing Akaza looking down, completely unfazed, Muzan grew even more annoyed.
Finally, he turned his gaze to Doma.
"Then, from this day forward, you are the new Upper Moon Six."
Muzan's arm once again transformed into a thorny whip, stabbing straight into Doma's forehead, transferring enough blood to make him an Upper Moon, along with all the information an Upper Moon needed to know. Whether Doma could withstand it was not within his consideration.
"Ah, again~"
Doma pressed his hands on the floor. The intense pain and unprecedented impact made his vision go black, and his mind grew faint.
Kibutsuji Muzan, meanwhile, glanced at the few demons on the other side, his eyes cold and grim. "Too cowardly to even issue a challenge. What use are you?"
Before they could kneel and beg for mercy, Muzan's arm transformed into a monstrous maw and swallowed them whole.
"Go find and destroy any strongholds related to the Demon Slayer Corps. Teach them a lesson," Muzan commanded the Twelve Kizuki.
"As you command."
Twang—
The sound of the biwa echoed again, and the figures on the high platform vanished one after another.
By the time he regained his senses, Doma shook his head and sat up straight. His pair of rainbow eyes now bore the engraved characters: Upper Moon, Six.
"Ahh I'm finally an Upper Moon. Now I can deepen my bonds with Lord Akaza and the others"
Doma looked joyfully towards the Upper Moons' platform, only to find it empty.
"Eh—" He looked at the other platform. "Eh?"
How come I'm the only one left?
We have a new comrade, shouldn't we get to know each other a little?
Doma looked around blankly for a moment, then lowered his head in dejection, a pitiful expression on his face.
"I feel like everyone abandoned me..."
"Maybe everyone is just very busy."
"Doma."
Before he could wallow in his feigned self-pity for long, Muzan's voice came from above.
"Ah, Lord Muzan!" Doma looked up, his expression instantly brightening. "Have you been waiting here for me all this time? How embarrassing."
A vein throbbed on Muzan's forehead. He looked down at Doma and said in a cold voice, "Control the number of people in that cult of yours. I don't want to see it become too conspicuous."
"Eh?" Doma's eyes widened. "But everyone stays in the cult to pursue happiness," he said with a sad expression. "I really can't refuse their requests." He couldn't bear to see people suffer.
"Besides, I think with more people helping, it will be easier to find the Blue Spider Lily," Doma said sincerely, looking up at Muzan with hope.
"Do you think I haven't tried that method?" Muzan's expression grew darker, and the aura emanating from him seemed to make the surrounding buildings tremble. "Do not try to defy me, Doma."
The pressure from his very blood made Doma's body tremble instinctively. Every cell seemed to scream, and sharp pains shot through him. Doma, feeling no fear in his heart, grandly ignored his body's warnings, tilted his head, and began to think seriously.
"Mmm—but the cult can earn a lot of money, and some of the believers have wealth and status." His rainbow eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands together. "If there's anything Lord Muzan needs, the Eternal Paradise Cult will do its utmost to fulfill your requirements."
Muzan fell silent for a moment, retracting his aura. That was indeed useful. None of the Twelve Kizuki bothered with managing human organizations, because the wealth and power that humans sought were meaningless to demons. Although he had ways of getting money himself, having an organization to support him would be much more convenient.
Muzan narrowed his plum-red eyes. He was still annoyed but finally stopped harping on the matter of the Eternal Paradise Cult.
"From now on, you will be responsible for collecting the things I need and delivering them here," he ordered directly.
"I understand! I will definitely not disappoint you~"
"Contact Nakime with your mind. She will transport you to the Infinity Castle."
Doma: Wow— ?▽?
"..."
Muzan paused, suddenly feeling he might have made a mistake. Oh well, it wouldn't be him who was annoyed by it anyway. At most, Nakime would be harassed.
"Keep a low profile. I don't want to see your cult causing any major trouble someday." After a final warning, the wooden door in front of Muzan slammed shut. He didn't want to see Doma's annoying face again anytime soon.
"Oh my, Lord Muzan is actually quite easy to talk to," Doma said, his carefree smile returning. "He must really like me." Although Lord Muzan's expression had been terrifyingly grim just now, it seemed he had been like that all night. So it couldn't be used as a basis for judgment.
He never thought of secretly using Hisōten to sense his boss's emotions; that would be very disrespectful. Likewise, he must never use it on his comrades; that would be going too far.
"Mmm, there will be plenty of time to build good relationships with everyone in the future." Doma nodded, looked around, and when he saw no one, he called out, "Hey, the lady playing the biwa, you're Miss Nakime, right? Could you please send me back?"
Twang—
The biwa sounded. Doma's vision blurred, and he found himself back in that remote alley. The mutilated corpse was still lying there, and no one had come to clean it up.
"Oh my, what an interesting night~"
"Mmm—time to go home."
-------
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