Nakime sat quietly in her spot. In truth, she desperately wanted to turn around, because her moody boss was so overcome with excitement that he was on the verge of dancing with joy.
She didn't want to be silenced.
However, even if Muzan Kibutsuji had noticed Nakime's mood, he wouldn't have cared in the slightest. After all, just to get another look at the girl frolicking in the sunlight, he had maintained his gaze, only reluctantly severing the connection after Suzuki Makoto had slain the two demons and their heads had begun to dissipate.
His lifelong aspiration, the flawless immortality he had painstakingly pursued for centuries, was now born right before his eyes!
As long as he devoured that girl, he would gain the same power and once again have the right to walk under the sun!
Even more wonderfully, the Ubuyashiki family had been proven to be there, and even that traitor Tamayo, who had inexplicably escaped his control, was there as well. All his enemies and all his desires were gathered in one place—not even Suzuki Makoto could make him back down now!
The scales were now completely tipped. When Muzan Kibutsuji threw his own ambition onto the balance, his former caution naturally vanished in an instant.
"Summon Akaza and Kokushibo immediately!"
"Yes."
In a moment, the only two surviving Upper Rank Kizuki appeared before Muzan.
"Nakime has found the location of the Ubuyashiki family. My mind is made up. I will completely erase the Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps from this world!"
A flash of surprise crossed Kokushibo's mind. He hadn't expected that after hearing Oda Nobunaga's death poem, Muzan Kibutsuji would actually resolve to fight a decisive battle.
However... it didn't matter. There was only ever one Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and he refused to believe that Suzuki Makoto possessed the same talent as his younger brother.
After all, that man wasn't born with a mark on his face.
Akaza, on the other hand, was much simpler. Since Doma's death, he had been ordered not to engage in any more missions and had been bored out of his mind these past few days. Now that Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly announced preparations for a final battle, he was naturally ecstatic about the upcoming fight.
"The Demon Slayer Corps members are returning to their headquarters from all over. Go and intercept some of them. While you're at it, see if there are any promising candidates. Bring them back, and I will grant them enough of my blood—there are far too many vacancies among the Upper Ranks."
"Your command will be done."
Kokushibo rose, ready to kill.
"Leave it to me!"
Akaza was eager to go.
The two departed through a door opened by Nakime. One of Muzan's arms swelled rapidly and plunged into Nakime's neck.
Gulp, I'm about to be silenced!
But to Nakime's surprise, this wasn't to kill her, but to transfer a massive amount of blood into her body.
"From this day forward, you are Upper Rank Four. I look forward to you eventually reaching an even higher position."
"Thank you... my lord."
Nakime endured the pain of receiving the blood and prostrated herself in gratitude.
"Immediately pull all the other demons into the Infinity Castle. I will promote all of them to the level of the Lower Ranks. To destroy the Demon Slayer Corps, we too need an army!"
"Yes!"
--------------------------------------------------
As the two demons turned to ash, Tanjiro Kamado hugged his sister in the courtyard, happily spinning her around.
"Tanjiro, your injuries haven't healed yet. Take Nezuko back to the Butterfly Mansion for now."
"Yes! Thank you, Mr. Suzuki! And thank you, Miss Tamayo!"
Tanjiro bowed deeply in gratitude. He knew very well that the help Suzuki Makoto and Tamayo had given him and his sister to get to this point could no longer be measured by anything.
"Now that was quite a sight, wouldn't you say, Shinazugawa?"
There was a teasing tone in the Sound Hashira's words.
"Hmph. As long as she's a demon, I'll still be watching to see if she eats a human."
The Wind Hashira was as stubborn as ever. His gaze then shifted to Tamayo.
"Perhaps it's precisely because she doesn't eat humans that Nezuko received this special gift,"
Tamayo merely smiled slightly, offering a vague answer.
"What about you?"
The female demon rose gracefully, walked to the veranda, and stood in the sunlight.
Shinazugawa stood up in silence and began to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To prepare the training materials."
Tengen Uzui rubbed his chin.
"Now that you mention it, I have the most to prepare. There's not much time left."
"Have you all already assigned the training duties?"
Suzuki Makoto asked curiously.
"Yeah, since a lot of the former Hashira have returned, they're better at teaching the Breathing Styles. So we're mainly in charge of combat techniques and such. For example, my Sound Breathing isn't something the average person can learn anyway, and having old Master Jigoro teach Thunder Breathing is enough. So I'll just handle the most basic physical conditioning—though I've prepared a very flamboyant training method, of course."
Tengen Uzui said with great confidence, arms crossed over his chest.
In truth, he never really knew how to teach Sound Breathing...
"Well, I'll still have to be the one to teach Flame Breathing. The old man is engrossed in Sun Breathing, and there aren't many people who actually know Flame Breathing. Besides me, it's probably just you, Suzuki. A pity you aren't participating?"
Kyojuro Rengoku chimed in.
"If Mr. Suzuki were to participate, he'd obviously teach Sun Breathing. I'll be in charge of standard Zanjutsu. I can't teach Mist Breathing, so I'll just have to spar with them."
"As for me, I'll be in charge of flexibility! I'm very good at gymnastics, but I wonder why so few people want to learn Love Breathing?"
"I'll be teaching them combat in special environments. Well, I doubt many will be able to pass. At most, they'll just serve as training dummies to increase the difficulty."
"After they pass those training sessions, I shall help them break through their physical limits—those who cross that threshold should be qualified to fight a Lower Rank Kizuki."
Gyomei Himejima sighed, tears streaming down his face.
"I just wonder, how many will be able to make it before me?"
Giyu Tomioka knelt where he was, still expressionless.
"By the way, didn't you say Giyu Tomioka would also participate in the training? How will he be trained?"
Tengen Uzui asked with some curiosity.
"It's not just the Corps members who need training; I think the Hashira do as well. That's why I think it's necessary for Giyu Tomioka to fight against each of the Hashira in rotation. It's a good opportunity for everyone to spar with each other."
Suzuki Makoto had already thought this through.
"Letting the Corps members witness a battle between Hashira will help them feel their own shortcomings. When they then consider the Twelve Kizuki, who can fight on par with or are even stronger than the Hashira, the members should feel a greater sense of urgency, don't you think?"
____
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