While Douma's words were extremely venomous, Akaza's primary reason for smashing his head was his inherent dislike for him, having little to do with what he said; Douma's words were automatically dismissed as nonsense.
"Get lost."
Akaza spoke calmly, not even glancing at Douma.
This time, Kokushibou did not step forward to say anything, directly telling Nakime to teleport him back.
"Teleport me back, Biwa Woman."
Akaza spoke to Nakime.
"Yes, Akaza-kakka."
Nakime responded and plucked her biwa, teleporting Akaza back, and then, without waiting for Douma to speak, she sent him away as well.
...
After slaying Gyokko, Chiba Yo circled the town once more, confirming there were no other demons before finding a place to write a letter and sending his Kasugai Crow to deliver it to Tamayo, after which he returned to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Upon arriving at the Headquarters, Chiba Yo saw Kyoujurou jogging, who, after a period of treatment and recuperation, was now able to perform some less strenuous exercises.
"Rengoku-sensei!"
Chiba Yo ran towards Kyoujurou with a hint of surprise, then happily asked, "Is Sensei's body alright now?"
Kyoujurou paused when he heard Chiba Yo's voice; his left eye was still bandaged.
"It's Xiao Yang! Kochou said I can do some light exercise now! Lying in bed for so long made my bones feel soft! To get back into battle as soon as possible, I must restore my body to its previous state quickly!"
Kyoujurou replied with high spirits.
"That's great!"
Chiba Yo was very happy about this situation; being able to exercise meant he was not far from full recovery, but then, seeing the bandage on Kyoujurou's left eye, his mood became a little low.
"Then Sensei's eye..."
"Hahahahaha! It's just one eye. Even if Himejima is blind, his strength remains formidable. Even without this eye, I can still slay demons and protect humans!"
Kyoujurou laughed a few times, speaking indifferently.
Hearing Kyoujurou's words, Chiba Yo felt that his left eye was likely beyond recovery.
"I heard your mission target this time was an Upper Moon. How did it go?" Seeing Chiba Yo's mood drop slightly, Kyoujurou changed the subject and asked him.
"I encountered Upper Moon Five and, with some effort, successfully slew him," Chiba Yo replied upon hearing the question.
He did indeed put in some effort, spending an entire day inquiring about the demon's whereabouts, only for it to come looking for him.
Kyoujurou was very pleased upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, happy about his successor's strength.
"Congratulations, Xiao Yang! You are the only swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps to have killed an Upper Moon in the past hundred years!" Kyoujurou congratulated Chiba Yo.
"Thank you, Sensei, I was just lucky," Chiba Yo replied somewhat shyly.
He then said to Kyoujurou, "I hope Sensei recovers soon."
Kyoujurou accepted Chiba Yo's blessing, and after they bid each other farewell, Kyoujurou continued his rehabilitation training, while Chiba Yo headed to the Ubuyashiki Estate to report on the mission to the Master.
Since Chiba Yo's Kasugai Crow had been sent to deliver a letter to Tamayo, Kagaya did not yet know whether Chiba Yo had successfully slain that Upper Moon.
Ubuyashiki Estate
After listening to Chiba Yo's report, Kagaya's mood became excited.
"Well done, Yo! The stalemate of the past hundred years has finally changed!"
Kagaya excitedly sat up from his futon.
Originally, his body was hidden under the bedding, and Chiba Yo hadn't noticed, but now that he sat up, Chiba Yo saw that purple scars, identical to those on his forehead, had appeared on Kagaya's arms, extending even to his forearms, and the scars on his face had almost covered his entire face, even reaching his neck.
"Cough cough! Cough cough! Cough cough!"
Kagaya had barely spoken two sentences before he bent over, coughing violently. Amane quickly supported him.
"Master!"
Chiba Yo also worriedly supported Kagaya from the other side.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
After two breaths, Kagaya raised his head, his mood still greatly excited.
"A major turning point in fate is about to occur! This ripple will constantly spread! Causing a huge vibration across the entire surface, ultimately alarming that man!
Kibutsuji Muzan! We... we must, in this generation, completely eradicate you, the sole stain within our clan!" Kagaya continued to speak excitedly.
For over a hundred years, there had been no changes among the Upper Moons of the Twelve Kizuki, while the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps were constantly diminishing. Now that this situation could be reversed, Kagaya's excitement was simply inexpressible.
Because a deviant like Kibutsuji Muzan emerged from their clan, the entire Ubuyashiki clan was cursed, and all newborn children would die prematurely due to their frail bodies.
Just as the clan was on the verge of extinction, they received advice from a Shinto priest, to pour all their clan's efforts into eradicating Muzan.
From then on, the Ubuyashiki clan, for generations, took wives from the family of Shinto priests, and dedicated all their clan's efforts to the task of eliminating Muzan.
As a result, newborns in their clan no longer died prematurely shortly after birth, but even so, no one in their clan had lived past thirty years of age.
Kagaya knew that their clan's curse could only be lifted after Muzan was eliminated.
He, like all members of the Demon Slayer Corps, was fighting for that "tomorrow," so their children would no longer have to bear such a heavy burden, endure the torment of illness, worry about such a large organization from before the age of ten, or spend their entire lives to eliminate Muzan...
They could do what they liked, they could live long lives, they wouldn't have to lie in bed from their twenties, contemplating the next steps for the Demon Slayer Corps while awaiting their own deaths...
For such a "tomorrow," Kagaya was willing to give his all. Even if he was tormented by this curse to the point of wishing for death, he would live as long as possible, dedicating everything to eliminating Muzan.
"Cough cough! Cough cough! Pfft..."
Kagaya coughed violently again, this time even coughing up blood, staining the carpet on the floor red with his blood.
"Master, you should rest. We will definitely eliminate Muzan! You must witness that day firsthand."
Kagaya's condition worried Chiba Yo greatly, and he quickly urged Kagaya.
Witness that day firsthand, huh... If only I could... I want to see it too...