On the battlefield between Nightingale and Hantengu:
Though Hantengu's four clones had all regenerated, they'd stopped attacking, now eyeing Nightingale with deep wariness and dread.
"Pathogenic unit, confirmed neutralized… Cleanup complete."
Nightingale's gaze wasn't on Hantengu's clones, but on the pitch-black night sky above.
A bandolier of green ampoules circled around her, and in her hand was a weapon both umbrella and machine gun, its barrel still trailing white smoke.
Let's not forget, just because Nightingale has monstrous physical strength… her class is Archer.
Most Archers are supposed to have [Clairvoyance], but she didn't—hers was replaced by Berserker's class skill, [Madness Enhancement], and at EX rank no less. Sometimes it made you wonder if the system got something mixed up…
But when you remembered even a certain Grand Archer dealt most of his damage with fists and bow-bashing, maybe her fighting style wasn't so off after all.
She might not have [Clairvoyance], but Nightingale possessed an extremely wide-range [Mana Perception] skill. Unless someone had A-rank [Clairvoyance] or higher, her perception was likely even sharper.
"She's pulled out something weird again…"
"Did any of you see where she got it from?"
"Looked like… from inside her clothes?"
"Could her outfit even fit something that big?!"
The four demons clustered together, each broadcasting nervousness, fear, confusion, and hesitation—feeding off each other's anxiety.
Nightingale's power in battle had already put them under tremendous pressure. Now, after seeing her pull a gun out from inside her clothes, their nerves were even more frayed.
Please don't tell us… that wasn't even your full strength just now…
"Honestly, do we even need to keep fighting?" Urogi swallowed, voice still shaky. "Wasn't our mission already accomplished?"
"After all, our orders from that man were just to investigate whether this woman had any connection to Sun Breathing," Karaku agreed. "And from the looks of it, she doesn't even know what Sun Breathing is."
"Even if she hasn't learned Sun Breathing, this woman is still outrageously strong!" Sekido snarled. "She's bound to become that man's greatest enemy! Even if he's lost interest in her, we should eliminate her here and now—to clear the way for him!"
"So it's come at last… our tragic ending," Aizetsu murmured, eyes half-closed. "It doesn't matter. We were born for destruction—our lives will be an offering to him."
After a quick, tense exchange, the four demons reached a consensus.
That sensation… That's not a demon, it's a summoned beast?
Though Nightingale appeared to gaze at the sky, she was actually analyzing the battlefield through her mana perception.
Such wild, violent life force… just as strong as Hantengu himself. An Upper Moon with summoning skills? Dōma's already been killed by me, so that must be Gyokko over there.
She remembered Gyokko—the only Upper Moon with a truly grotesque appearance. If you removed Gyokko from the lineup, the average looks of the Upper Moons would jump several notches.
Besides, every other Upper Moon got a "life-flashing-before-the-eyes" flashback before dying. Gyokko alone gave the audience nothing, just kept whining as Tokitou Muichirou chopped him to bits.
And, come to think of it… Every other Upper Moon died in a group beatdown, but only Gyokko, with no dignity, got soloed by a Marked Muichirou.
Still, that was because Muichirou was just that powerful. At the moment, Shinobu was barely at Hashira level. Taking on Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, would be a stretch.
Which left Nightingale debating whether she should head back.
Suddenly, her gaze sharpened, snapping toward Hantengu's four clones.
Even as she tracked Gyokko and Shinobu's situation via mana sense—continuously firing shots to intercept Gyokko and his summoned fish monsters—she never forgot Hantengu's clones. Her awareness was ever-present.
Just now, something changed: the aura of Sekido, Urogi, Aizetsu, and Karaku vanished.
In their place: a new, stronger, younger-looking demon.
After Sekido devoured the other three, he transformed into Hantengu's strongest clone—
—Zohakuten.
"To keep us weak ones from being bullied, to let us survive in this world…"
With eyes full of hatred, the childlike Zohakuten glared at Nightingale, voice trembling with venom.
"I'm going to destroy you, villain!"
"Unfortunately, your disease is terminal."
Nightingale leveled her gun at Zohakuten, her voice calm as ever. "There are too many lives waiting for me to save—I can't waste much time on you. The next stage of your treatment may hurt a bit, so bear with it!"
She pulled the trigger. The muzzle flashed, and a hail of bullets rained down.
Zohakuten hammered his drum, the ground for a hundred meters around collapsing as titanic wooden dragons roared toward Nightingale.
To be honest, every time Nightingale saw this Blood Demon Art, she had a sense of déjà vu…
Don't tell me the inspiration for this was the First Hokage's [Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu]…?
…
By the time Nightingale made it back to the temple, a faint glow was already brightening the horizon.
No matter how chaotic the night's battle had been, the sun would still rise as always.
The giant wooden dragons, conjured by Zohakuten's Blood Demon Art, crumbled now that his power was gone—but the damage left by their rampage would not vanish so easily.
Stepping into the temple, Nightingale immediately saw Afune, Tasuke, Shinobu, and Kanae standing at the door.
"You're all up already?"
"What do you think?" Shinobu shot back, hands on her hips and a pout on her lips. "After last night, how could we not wake up?"
Kanae greeted Nightingale with a gentle smile, though worry flickered in her bright eyes.
"Was it Upper Moons?"
"It was," Nightingale nodded, striding past them into the temple as she explained, "Upper Five and Upper Four."
Kanae, still smiling, kept her eyes fixed on Nightingale's back. "Two Upper Moons… so you defeated them both?"
"No, one got away." Nightingale's tone was almost casual. "Upper Four's true body wasn't here. I searched everywhere but found only his clones."
Even with her mana sense, Nightingale couldn't locate Hantengu's main body. That was strange.
She doubted Hantengu's concealment skills could outwit her mana sense. Most likely, his true body had already escaped the area before she activated her perception.
Not impossible—if the mistress of the Infinity Castle, Nakime, simply opened a door for him, he could vanish into her labyrinthine space, making him utterly untraceable to Nightingale's senses.
She remembered seeing fans online joke: if Hantengu's real body can revive infinitely as long as it isn't killed, why not just leave it in the Infinity Castle and only send clones out? He'd be unbeatable. Similarly, since Daki and Gyutaro can only be killed if both are beheaded at once, why not keep one in the castle and the other outside?
That's not a bad idea… Nightingale mused. Though for Hantengu, who knows? As for Gyutaro… well, that sis-con probably wouldn't let his sister out of his sight anyway.
The only confirmed death was Gyokko—his only trick was that allegedly diamond-hard body.
"You're all unhurt, right?"
After confirming the temple hadn't been breached, Nightingale turned back to Afune and the others. "If anyone's hurt, say so now. Treatment and checkups should never be delayed."
"Uh… we're all fine," Kanae managed, though at the mention of "treatment," her smile turned a little stiff, a tic jumping at her brow. "But the real concern is you, Nightingale. Are you injured? You had to fight two Upper Moons and protect us all… Sorry we couldn't help."
"No need to apologize. Seeing you all safe is the most important thing."
A warm smile blossomed on Nightingale's face. "If the patients I care for are forced onto the battlefield, that's when I've failed."
"Hmph! Muzan really is a moron—sends two Upper Moons after Sensei, and one's killed, one flees," Shinobu scoffed, never missing a chance to ridicule Muzan. I wish I could wipe out every demon on earth… "He'll probably grind his teeth to dust when he sees Upper Four crawl back in disgrace!"
"Upper Four escaped, but only with his fragile true body. I dragged all his clones out into the sunlight," Nightingale added. "Even if he's not dead, he's lost a lot of life force. He'll have to devour at least a hundred or two people to recover fully."
"You mean… after Upper Four escapes, he might do something desperate and dangerous?" Kanae anxiously bit her finger. "We need to tell Lord Ubuyashiki immediately—he'll know what to do…"
Nightingale wasn't sure telling Kagaya would help; Japan was so vast, and there were so few Hashira-level swordsmen. Finding Hantengu was like looking for a needle in a haystack—and even weakened, Hantengu was still a Twelve Kizuki; any regular Demon Slayer who ran into him would just be food.
Still, maybe Ubuyashiki would think of something ingenious.
With the sun up, they gathered their things and left the temple, resuming their journey to Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
---
The Infinity Castle—a labyrinthine fortress managed by Nakime. Here, up, down, left, and right held no meaning. Gravity, space, even the structure of the castle could be twisted at her whim.
Anyone wishing to enter or leave needed Nakime to open a door. Even the destination was hers to decide, and with this power, she could transport anyone over incredible distances.
"So, not only did you not kill that woman, but you let her destroy Gyokko and all your clones… That's what you're telling me, isn't it?"
The heavy voice rumbled through the air. Kibutsuji Muzan, clad in a suit and the form of a young man, stood atop a high platform.
It sounded almost like a question, but the kneeling Hantengu dared not breathe, his whole body shuddering violently.
His heart and throat felt gripped by a giant hand, leaving him dizzy, lightheaded, barely able to keep his balance.
Muzan's crimson demon eyes were cold and merciless. After a long, withering glare at the wretched Hantengu, Muzan finally opened his mouth.
"Useless trash."
Hantengu trembled even harder.
Every cell in his body quaked with terror, death's shadow pulling at his soul.
Every audience with Muzan felt like brushing up against annihilation. No matter how many backup plans he had, Muzan could erase him with a thought.
Just as Hantengu braced himself for death, Muzan's voice came again.
"Still… I never really expected much from trash like you. At least you confirmed that woman doesn't know Sun Breathing."
With that, Muzan lost interest, his gaze drifting away as he said, "You may leave."
If he left now, nothing more would happen.
But even though Hantengu's true body hadn't set foot on the battlefield, the overwhelming threat Nightingale posed was transmitted to him through his clones.
It was as if something in his mind snapped. Hantengu, instead of leaving, did something even he hadn't planned.
"Muzan-sama… that person… is terrifying… Even without Sun Breathing, she's terrifying…"
In the next instant, a monstrous pressure crushed Hantengu, gravity multiplied a thousandfold. Every cell in his body screamed in agony.
Muzan, halfway turned, glanced back with a sidelong stare—his killing aura flooded the Infinity Castle, the air turning thick and putrid with blood.
Behind Muzan, for an instant, it seemed there stretched an endless sea of blood, and mountains of bones piled high.
"Since when… did I need you to teach me how to do things, Hantengu?"
Each word slammed down like thunder from the heavens. Hantengu felt like a single leaf tossed by a storm.
Body, mind, and soul—all were being shattered by the pressure of those words.
Who knows how much time passed before Hantengu's consciousness returned, the pressure abruptly lifting.
"Don't ever let there be a next time, Hantengu."
At those words, Hantengu bowed even lower.
As for Hantengu's warning, Muzan cared not at all.
"As long as there is no Sun Breathing, I am invincible."
"Instead of worrying about those doomed, defective creatures, hurry up and find the Blue Spider Lily for me… My patience is nearly at its limit."