[Meanwhile, at the Alchemy Commission.]
[The setting sun burned like blood, the evening breeze stirring the lingering smoke of battle in the Alchemy Commission. A heavy air of slaughter and desolation hung over the scene, with the broken limbs and bodies of Cloud Knights scattered across the ground, filling the mountains and valleys. Crows circled low treetops, ready to feast on the carnage.]
[As one crow opened its beak, pecking at an eyeball, sudden footsteps shattered the silence, startling the flock into flight.]
["The battle was intense…" Seeing such a scene for the first time, March 7th instinctively shrank behind Stelle.]
["Looks like we lingered too long at the Artisanship Commission, and Master Diviner Fu Xuan has already moved out," Tingyun speculated.]
["Good thing the General didn't make us follow the Cloud Knights… Fighting a war is so different from adventuring," March 7th shivered. "All these people on the ground… I-I can't handle this kind of scene."]
["Benefactor, how can you say that? This is hardly a 'scene,'" Tingyun said, arms crossed, glancing at the corpses strewn below the steps. "Hundreds of years ago, an Emissary of Abundance, aiming to seize the Ambrosial Arbor, led an army against the Luofu, nearly destroying half its realms and decimating the Cloud Knights to a tenth of their numbers."]
["For long-lived species, such a past isn't even history—it's practically yesterday. Compared to that, this is just a minor skirmish."]
["Wow, is that how you comfort people?!" Tingyun's words made March 7th retreat even further.]
"These Cloud Knights…"
Stark lowered his gaze, his heart aching at the thought that these Cloud Knight brothers had their own siblings, wives, children, and parents. A sharp pang of sorrow surged within him.
…On the Xianzhou, there must be people they cared for and who cared for them, right? Yet the mara-struck pierced their hearts with a single blow, extinguishing all beauty and hope in an instant.
Seeing the pained or twisted expressions on the fallen Cloud Knights' faces, memories of his hometown flooded Stark's mind. He saw again the bodies burned by the Demon King's army, smelled the scent of iron and fire in the air…
He suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
As he trembled, a warm current dispelled his discomfort. Turning, Stark saw Sein casting a divine blessing from a holy tome.
"What's wrong? Not used to big scenes?" After the blessing, Sein patted his shoulder reassuringly. "If you're still feeling off, rest for today."
"Scenes like this aren't rare on the Demon King's army's front lines. You could say they happen every day," Frieren reminded him from the side. "If we're to cross the northern highlands in the future, we'll pass through the front lines… You'd better get used to it, Stark."
"Mm," Stark said, his gaze low. "It's just that seeing these dead Cloud Knights brought back some old memories…"
["I wonder if Master Diviner Fu Xuan won or lost this battle?" Welt, observing the devastation in the Alchemy Commission, was visibly concerned.]
["Conservatively, I'd say a one-to-one draw," Stelle guessed.]
["…You think this is a competition with a tie?" March 7th shot her a look. "I see more mara-struck bodies than Cloud Knights. The Xianzhou probably fought brilliantly."]
["…Not necessarily," Welt shook his head gently. "If it were a decisive victory, there'd usually be outposts and troops left behind for support, but there's nothing here. Let's look around—there might be clues."]
[Stelle examined several mara-struck corpses, noticing sword and blade marks on their armor. Shockingly, these wounds were all inflicted by the victims' own weapons. These mara-struck… committed suicide.]
[How could this be? With doubts in mind, Stelle and the others followed the main path and soon spotted two figures in a nearby corridor.]
[One was dressed as a medic from the Alchemy Commission, while the other was a Cloud Knight clutching his head in agony.]
[It appeared the medic was treating the Cloud Knight. Stelle was about to ask about the troops' whereabouts when the woman, upon seeing them, said in surprise, "Oh, you're not Cloud Knights… What are you doing here? It's dangerous."]
[Welt: "We're aid sent by the General. Where have the others gone?"]
["Heh…" The medic suddenly let out a sinister chuckle. "To think Jing Yuan's resorting to short-lived species as reinforcements… Heh, he's truly out of options."]
[Her words immediately set the group on edge.]
[Sure enough, the trembling Cloud Knight, with all his strength, forced out a warning through gritted teeth: "Run! This woman is… from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!"]
["Loose tongue!" the medic woman said coldly. "If I heal you, you'll become one of us."]
Demon Slayer World—
"Oh? They can turn a gravely injured Cloud Knight into a mara-struck?"
"And then make the mara-struck fight living Cloud Knights… The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' ideas align perfectly with mine."
In the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji nodded in approval.
Over centuries, he had deliberately tried turning Breathing Style swordsmen into demons, pitting them against the Demon Slayer Corps with remarkable results.
Unfortunately, few swordsmen were willing to become demons. Some, even after transformation, remained loyal to the Corps, choosing suicide over serving him.
But Muzan never thought the problem lay with himself.
—Choosing death over becoming a demon only proved these people were utterly irrational! Absolute fools! Forsaking near-infinite life to cling to a fleeting few decades as humans—utterly foolish!
…Just like the Cloud Knights on the screen, who, after turning mara-struck, would rather kill themselves than embrace their perfect, immortal bodies. To Muzan, they were as foolish as the Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmen.
"Gyokko."
Muzan's eyelids twitched slightly, and a bizarrely shaped pot appeared before him. Gyokko's head cautiously poked out, ensuring his lord wasn't angry before fully emerging respectfully. "My lord…"
"After you and Hantengu go to the Swordsmith Village, bring me a living swordsmith."
Muzan looked down at him coldly. "I want to conduct some experiments on those fools loyal to the Demon Slayer Corps…"
[Golden branches burst from the Cloud Knight's body, golden ginkgo leaves sprouting from the hair at the back of his head. In the blink of an eye, before everyone's eyes, the Cloud Knight transformed into a mara-struck!]
[His consciousness seemed utterly chaotic, swinging his blade wildly at Stelle while struggling to speak. "Hurry… get out of here…"]
["I can't control myself anymore—!!"]