"We can talk this over. If a real fight breaks out, weak as I am, I could still manage to take the dozens of humans on this train with me to the grave. So, the question is, does the noble Forest Hashira want these innocent people to die alongside me?"
The tip of Shinichi's blade never wavered.
"Are you threatening us?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
His grip on the hilt tightened, his muscles coiling, searching for a single opening to end this in one clean strike.
The demon shrugged.
"Isn't it obvious? I am using every human on this train to threaten you. Oh, and I should remind you, I'm a master of escape. The most likely outcome here is that I kill everyone on this train and still get away."
Shinichi sneered. "The sun will be up soon. Don't tell me you've overcome it. If you had, Muzan would have eaten you alive by now."
"Then there's nothing to discuss?" Kamaro sighed, tilting his head.
The shadows behind him began to ripple, as if preparing to unleash something.
"What could we possibly have to talk about?" Shinobu snapped from behind Shinichi.
"Why would we listen to an Upper Rank? We are Demon Slayers. You are demons. Our job is to send you to hell!"
The shadows behind the demon suddenly stilled.
He smiled. "A good point. But that is precisely why you should listen. If my goal was simply to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered with this conversation. It would have been far easier to use a little trick to make the Forest Hashira… go berserk. Just like last time."
"You—!"
A surge of pure rage shot through Shinichi.
He lunged forward, his blade aimed to cleave that smirking face in two, but he stopped short as Shinobu's hand gripped his arm.
Kamaro, sensing he had pushed the taunt as far as he could, decided to drop his bombshell.
"Our Lord has authorized me to use the power of the demon to lure your corrupt human leaders into submission," he said, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather.
"And it is working beautifully. If all goes according to plan, we will soon command hundreds of thousands of human soldiers, armed with artillery and rifles, to encircle and annihilate you Demon Slayers—the very people you're sworn to protect."
The words landed like a physical blow.
For Shinobu, it was a horrifying thought.
For Shinichi, it was a living nightmare.
The night in Yoshiwara flashed before his eyes—the manipulated police, his own mind lost to rage, the horror of cutting down the very humans he was meant to save.
There was nothing more chilling than being stabbed in the back by the people you would die for.
"It's true, Hashira," the demon continued, pulling a handsome wooden chair from the shadows and sitting down, crossing his legs.
"You have to understand, the nature of our lives is different. For the promise of a long life and a taste of real power, your greedy human leaders have far fewer morals than you could possibly imagine."
He paused, admiring the stone-cold horror on their faces.
The smile on his lips deepened. "Just picture it. You're on the front lines, shouting your vows to protect humanity, and suddenly, the sound of rifle fire erupts from behind you… Tsk tsk. That scene will surely be most… 'exciting'."
"Despicable!" Shinobu hissed, her eyes burning with a cold fire.
"Exploiting human weakness to turn them against each other. A shameless tactic worthy of a creature who lurks in the shadows!"
"Shameless?" Kamaro raised an eyebrow. "No, Insect Hashira. This is simply… reality. We have power. Humans have organization and weapons of destruction. We are merely taking what we each need. It's just that… that man…" He paused, and for a fleeting second, a flicker of what sounded like… contempt… entered his voice.
"…he pursues his own individual perfection, and disdains the masses. A bit of a waste, in my opinion."
Shinichi caught it.
That flicker of insubordination.
'That man?'He could only mean Muzan Kibutsuji.
This demon in front of him was not as loyal as he appeared.
He wasn't Sanemi, who would have charged in long ago.
He forced down the rage, his mind racing.
Why was this demon telling them this? To show off? To demoralize them?
What good did revealing Muzan's ultimate trump card do for their side?
"What is your goal here?" Shinichi's voice was as cold as a blade, his eyes sharp, trying to see past the demon's smiling mask.
"What do you gain by telling us this? Are you just enjoying our despair? Or… is there something else you want?"
The smile on Kamaro's face never wavered.
"Gain?" he chuckled. "Perhaps… I just believe you have a right to know. After all, watching a group of righteous heroes walk unknowingly into a perfectly laid trap, while amusing, always feels a little… lacking in drama."
He tilted his head, his gaze deep and calculating.
"Or maybe… I just want to see what choice you'll make, now that you know the truth. Will you bury your heads in the sand and fight us to the bitter end? Or will you perhaps… provide a more interesting surprise?"
He slowly stood up, and the shadows behind him began to writhe, wrapping around his body like a living cloak.
"As for what I'm planning…" his voice became ethereal, seeming to come from a great distance, "…that is not something you need to concern yourselves with. I am, after all, just a minor character in this play."
He gave them one last, deep look, his eyes filled with a strange, unreadable emotion.
"Enjoy the rest of your journey. When you hear the sound of human gunfire at your backs, I do hope… you can still manage to smile."
As the words faded, the writhing shadow completely swallowed his figure, leaving only a faint, unsettling laugh echoing in the train car.
The compartment fell into a dead silence.
For reasons he didn't fully understand himself, Shinichi had let him go.
He and Shinobu stood there, still gripping their swords, their hearts heavier than ever before.
"Shinichi…" Shinobu's voice was low with doubt.
"What… what does he want?"
He slowly sheathed his blade, his amber eyes fixed on the spot where the demon had vanished, a contemplative and vigilant light shining within them.
"I don't know," he said, his voice grim.
"But one thing is certain. That demon… may be more dangerous than any Upper Rank we have ever faced."