"My lady, I heard a commotion from outside. Is everything alright?" Ihei Mina's voice called from beyond the door, filled with concern for the serpent demon.
"Your 'lady,' I'm afraid, has already turned to dust," Shisho's cold voice replied.
The voice outside went silent for a moment, followed by a loud bang as Ihei Mina burst into the room. The first thing she saw was the serpent demon's body lying on the floor, not yet fully dissipated.
"Ah! My lady!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mind unable to process the scene. She threw herself forward, kneeling before the demon's corpse, her hands clawing at it desperately as if trying to hold it together. But the body of a slain demon only dissolves with time.
Finally, the last trace of the serpent demon vanished, leaving only a pool of blood on the floor as proof of her existence. With her hands pressed against the ground, Ihei Mina's expression crumbled, her pupils looking as if they were about to pop out of her eyes.
Ever since the Ihei clan had stopped producing male heirs, the once-wealthy family had fallen into decline. Accustomed to a life of luxury, the clan members couldn't accept their new reality and sought solutions everywhere. When all the doctors they found failed, the serpent demon appeared. She promised that as long as the Ihei clan regularly provided her with infants to eat, she would ensure their perpetual prosperity. Not only that, but she would also use her powers to find the cause of the Ihei clan's affliction.
Under the demon's coercion and temptation, the clan head at the time agreed. In the years that followed, the serpent demon kept her promise, killing the heads of several wealthy families. The Ihei clan would then seize their fortunes after those families fell apart, using the wealth to fund their lavish lifestyle. This arrangement had continued until tonight when Shisho and Tamayo shattered it.
Watching the last speck of dust dissipate from her hands, Ihei Mina spun around and threw a punch at Shisho's chest. But he was not one to let her act recklessly. He caught her wrist, spun around, and sent her flying with a powerful shoulder throw.
"Cough!" A sharp pain shot through her lungs, and Ihei Mina coughed up a mouthful of saliva.
"Don't move," Shisho said flatly, his gaze like ice. "The number of humans who have died at my hands is enough to fill a mountain. If you wish, I don't mind adding one more to the count."
Hearing his words, Ihei Mina felt as if she had been plunged into the deepest hell, a chill running down her spine. Seeing that she had ceased her struggles, Shisho released her wrist and walked out with Tamayo. Ihei Mina remained on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. After an unknown amount of time, her expression turned vacant.
"It's over… It's all over… The Ihei clan's hope is completely gone." Drool trickled from the corner of her mouth. Ihei Mina was like a madwoman now, her words completely illogical. "Hehe… hehehe… It's over… It's all over."
After leaving the small village of the Ihei clan, Shisho and Tamayo walked along a small path.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Tamayo shook her head slightly, unsure of where she wanted to go herself.
"In that case, let's go to Edo," Shisho said, pointing toward the distant south. "Perhaps there, we will find what we need."
And so, the two of them embarked on their journey to Edo.
At the same time, deep in a mountain range far from them, Muzan and Kokushibo appeared outside a cave. Muzan's face was alight with excitement, the corners of his mouth turned up in an irrepressible, manic grin. This was an expression he had only shown once before—the day he heard from Kokushibo that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was dead. It was clear that something truly momentous must have happened to make the normally cold and aloof Muzan lose his composure.
"My lord, will it truly succeed this time?" Kokushibo asked, looking at the agitated Muzan with a hint of doubt.
"Of course! This time, it will be a success!" Muzan's voice was filled with certainty, his eyes fixed on the cave as if eagerly anticipating something.
Seeing his master so confident, Kokushibo asked no more questions. More than a century had passed since they had first begun their experiments to create a demon capable of restraining Shisho. In that time, they had conducted no fewer than a thousand experiments, using over ten thousand humans as test subjects. Yet, despite all these trials and materials, they had failed to create a demon that met Muzan's requirements.
Until three days ago. Kokushibo had suddenly received a message from Muzan, claiming he had succeeded. He had rushed here immediately, wanting to be the first to see this so-called masterpiece.
"Her power is immense. Though not on our level, she has already surpassed the vast majority of demons," Muzan said, gradually calming down. "When she emerges, you two must get along well."
Kokushibo said nothing, merely looking into the dark cave, his six eyes betraying no emotion. He could understand Muzan's excitement, but if this supposed "success" did not earn his recognition, then "getting along well" was utter nonsense. In Kokushibo's heart, only the strong were worthy of fighting alongside him. Only the strong were worthy of his acknowledgment. Of course, to this day, only one man and one demon had ever earned his respect.
After some time, an immense aura suddenly surged from the cave. Feeling this presence, a rare hint of caution and curiosity appeared in Kokushibo's eyes. If this demon had begun her transformation when Muzan notified him, that meant it had only taken about three days. Didn't that mean her power was comparable to his own when he had first become a demon?
Interesting.
A slight smile touched Kokushibo's lips. He was already eager to meet this newly born demon.
Tap… tap… tap…
Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed from the cave. Finally, a figure appeared at the entrance. It was a female demon. Her long, sky-blue hair was draped casually over her shoulders, and she wore a light blue dress. Her features were exceptionally delicate, down to her blue eyelashes. With her appearance, the very air around them seemed to grow moist. The feeling she gave Muzan and Kokushibo was less that of a demon and more like something else entirely—a pool of water, an unfathomably deep pool of water.
Straightening her posture, the female demon slowly opened her eyes. In the moonlight, Kokushibo saw them clearly. And in that instant, he froze.
Because, carved into the demon's eyes, were three words:
Upper Rank, Two.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (320 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (250 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (120 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (130 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (320 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (130 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (150 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(75 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (196 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (160 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (110 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (80 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (120 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (130 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (87 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (130 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (130 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (90 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (90 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (70 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (70 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (50 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (50 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.