"Tsugikuni! Tsugikuni! Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
Kibutsuji Muzan's body trembled uncontrollably, and the wounds inflicted by Tsugikuni Yoriichi's nichirin blade three hundred years ago, which had not fully healed, throbbed faintly.
It was as if a large 'Death' character had appeared on his forehead.
"No, it's not Tsugikuni Yoriichi! Tsugikuni Yoriichi is dead!"
Kibutsuji Muzan clutched his head with both hands, his fingernails gradually sharpening, and his fingers even digging into his skull, as if this could calm him down.
"Muichiro, Muichiro Tokito!"
"Kokushibo, that useless piece of trash!"
The blood vessels in Kibutsuji Muzan's crimson demon eyes bulged, as if his entire eyeballs were about to pop out, completely devoid of any gentlemanly demeanor.
"He actually left behind descendants before becoming a demon! And his descendants even joined the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Kibutsuji Muzan overturned the experimental table in front of him, which was piled high with glass bottles.
"Kokushibo is Tsugikuni Yoriichi's brother, so he more or less shares the same blood as Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
"It's certainly possible for descendants similar to Tsugikuni Yoriichi to appear!"
"Why didn't I think of it! Why didn't I think of it!"
"I thought Tsugikuni Yoriichi had no descendants, and even his brother became a demon, so I could rest easy!"
Kibutsuji Muzan suddenly stopped, his expression freezing as he thought of something, his palm covering his face, his demon eyes through the gaps in his fingers shrinking to pinpricks.
"Wait… this isn't normal! It's very abnormal!"
An hour ago, a female Demon Slayer appeared who could instantly kill Douma using a Blood Demon Art, and now Kokushibo has been slain by a swordsman comparable to Tsugikuni Yoriichi!
Could it be that something far beyond my imagination has happened to the Demon Slayer Corps! To the point where they've gained the secret to easily becoming stronger, and even acquiring Blood Demon Arts?
Kibutsuji Muzan thought of this possibility, and then considered that from now on, there would always be swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps capable of instantly killing Upper Moons. Cold sweat drenched his clothes, and his hands and feet trembled.
If the Demon Slayer Corps were to constantly have Demon Slayers like Tsugikuni Yoriichi from now on, it would be hell for him!
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
He couldn't always hide in the Infinity Castle.
How else would he create demons, how else would he search for the blue spider lily?
"Damn Demon Slayer Corps! Damn Demon Slayers!" Kibutsuji Muzan became uncontrollably enraged at the thought of having to hide his presence like a mouse from now on.
"You've been pestering me for a thousand years! Can't you just disappear quietly into history?!"
He quickly calmed down; being angry alone here wouldn't change anything.
"Something must have happened to the Demon Slayer Corps; killing Douma and Kokushibo in one day can't be a coincidence."
"Perhaps they've even gained some secret that allows them to know where demons are hiding."
"My two strongest demons are gone; the remaining Twelve Demon Moons must provide some value."
"Even if all of them are gone, they must bring me news about the current state of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Before this, he hadn't taken the Demon Slayer Corps seriously at all.
Although the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars could kill Lower Moons, Upper Moons could easily eliminate Pillars.
All his focus was on finding the blue spider lily; he had no time to play mind games with the Demon Slayer Corps.
He just hadn't expected that after several centuries, the Upper Moons had been replaced again and again, yet the Demon Slayer Corps had still not been completely annihilated.
Even if they were temporarily eliminated, they would reappear before him decades later.
"Just the existence of two Demon Slayers like Tsugikuni Yoriichi has made me unable to eat or sleep."
'I hope these are just two accidents, and not that they've gained some secret to becoming so strong.' Deep in Kibutsuji Muzan's demon eyes, fear filled him as he spoke in a low voice, looking in a certain direction: "Nakime, bring Upper Moon Three, Upper Moon Four, Upper Moon Five, and Upper Moon Six to the Infinity Castle."
The female demon, kneeling on the wooden structure resembling a stage in the center of the Infinity Castle, her pitch-black long hair completely obscuring her face, holding a biwa, said.
"I understand, Lord Muzan."
In her eyes, Lord Muzan had suddenly become enraged, perhaps his ongoing experiment hadn't satisfied him.
However, she wondered why Upper Moon One and Upper Moon Two weren't called.
She dared not ask; as Lord Muzan's close attendant, no one knew better than her how cold, ruthless, temperamental, and even cowardly this man was.
Even if she understood it in her heart, she dared not think about it; if she dared, the man would know the next moment, and with his ruthlessness, she would be directly killed.
Clang! Clang!
Two sounds of biwa strings being plucked rang out.
…
At the same time.
Giyu Tomioka arrived at the location of the Upper Moon he was tasked with subjugating.
This was a pottery workshop; although the kiln fires in this workshop were still burning, there were no workers left.
As for the original workers, they had long been twisted into bizarre shapes and stuck into clay pots, while a pungent fishy smell permeated every part of the workshop.
Giyu Tomioka's face showed no emotional fluctuations, but his heart was already filled with rage. His eyes, calm as a lake, swept over an empty pot.
With a hum, the nichirin blade was instantly drawn from its sheath.
"Water Breathing! First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
A flat, direct slash, carrying ripples of water, split the clay pot in two.
Thump thump thump…
After the clay pot was cut in half, all the clay pots in the workshop began to sway, making thumping sounds, as if ghosts were at work.
Sounds intermittently emerged from some of the clay pots.
"What a sharp blade~ If I'm not mistaken, you're a Pillar among the Demon Slayers, ahahaha, you almost cut me just now."
"But it was still a little off, no, I should say very off! A little off is always off!"
"You're angry, I can feel it, pretending to be expressionless is just a disguise~"
"How about it, I've turned all the ceramic workers here into works of art, very tasteful, wouldn't you say~"
Giyu Tomioka expressionlessly scanned the dense array of pots of all sizes within the workshop, meticulously discerning the demon's presence.
Meanwhile, the other Pillars also found their respective targets to slay.
In the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, where the air was usually filled with a decadent atmosphere, a place where one would be stirred by love and desire with just a brief stop, now there were shouts, chaos, and the crackling sound of burning wood.
"Fire! Quick, put out the fire!"
"Someone help! Where are the The magistrate's office people! Quick, save them!"
"Oiran! Get the Oiran out first!"
"What's going on! There's fire everywhere!"
The entire Yoshiwara Pleasure District had become a sea of flames, and people who had come here with various intentions were shouting and fleeing.
And the culprit of the arson stood on a rooftop that had just been set ablaze.
Uzui Tengen grinned, looking at the 'Oiran' who had jumped out, her face contorted with murderous intent.
"After chasing everyone away, it's finally time to slay the demon."