The next day, the sun rose high, casting golden light over the land.
Kasugai Crows, indistinguishable from ordinary crows, flew in all directions, relaying the latest developments.
Each Demon Slayer Corps member had one, highly intelligent birds capable of human speech and self-aware conversation.
They functioned as the Corps' communication network, ensuring news traveled quickly.
The death of Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa had now reached Oyakata-sama and the other Pillars.
Lucien Graves had killed Sanemi without being seen by the pillar's Kasugai Crow.
Almost immediately, all the Pillars mobilized toward the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Mitsuri, even in the Swordsmith Village, did the same.
By dusk, every current Pillar had arrived at the Headquarters:
Water Pillar · Giyu Tomioka
Insect Pillar · Shinobu
Flame Pillar · Kyojuro Rengoku
Sound Pillar · Tengen Uzui
Love Pillar · Kanroji Mitsuri
Mist Pillar · Muichiro Tokito
Serpent Pillar · Obanai Iguro
Stone Pillar · Himejima Gyoumei
All eight knelt before Oyakata-sama, expressions grave.
"It has been confirmed, Sanemi was killed by a demon," Oyakata-sama announced, sorrow etched on his face.
Another powerful Pillar had fallen.
"Was it Kibutsuji Muzan?" Stone Pillar Himejima Gyoumei, a blind giant monk with a scarred forehead and brown haori marked with Namu Amida Butsu, asked, his voice trembling.
"No," Oyakata-sama replied.
"Then an Upper Moon?" Sound Pillar Tengen Uzui, adorned with diamonds and pearls, added, his expression grim.
"It's unclear, but only the six Upper Moons of the Twelve Kizuki, or Muzan himself, could slay a Pillar," Oyakata-sama explained.
The Corps' master coughed, pale.
That day, the atmosphere within the Headquarters was heavy, suffused with tension and grief.
Meanwhile, in the Infinity Castle—a vast structure in a dimension of its own, shaped by Nakime, Muzan's aide—chaos stirred.
Nakime's Blood Demon Art allowed her to manipulate space and teleport objects at will.
Gyuu Mooo, still recovering from his encounter in the forest, was suddenly disoriented, finding himself within the castle.
Before him stood an exquisite figure, long black hair flowing, clad in a kimono.
Plum-red eyes, cold and indifferent, met his trembling gaze.
Gyuu Mooo fell prostrate, body quivering.
At the same time, another figure knelt—Upper Moon Two, Douma.
Rainbow-colored eyes and ash-blond hair marked him, the kanji for Upper Moon Two engraved in his being.
"Muzan-sama, is he the demon you created?" Douma asked, kneeling respectfully.
"Yes," Muzan's voice was masculine yet refined, resonating with absolute authority.
"Douma, did you bestow your blood upon him?"
"I did, Muzan-sama," Douma replied softly.
Muzan's right hand morphed into a sharp spike, piercing Gyuu Mooo's skull and probing his cellular memory.
As progenitor of all demons, Muzan could manipulate life and death and read the thoughts, memories, and locations of every demon.
The reason for Gyuu Mooo's summons became clear: fragments of memory revealed a golden-armored figure, eyes gleaming like purple diamonds, had appeared in his mind the previous night.
Muzan's interest piqued.
Following the traces, he located Gyuu Mooo.
The demon owed his existence to Douma, who had turned him into Upper Moon Two's subordinate.
Reviewing Gyuu Mooo's memories, Muzan was impressed.
"He killed a Pillar effortlessly," he noted.
"As long as you can withstand the blood I bestow, you shall become Lower Moon Three," Muzan declared.
Fresh blood flowed into Gyuu Mooo through Muzan's spike.
His body swelled grotesquely with bulging veins, then slowly settled as the blood's power was absorbed.
Gyuu Mooo had endured the gift.
"Thank you, Master," he said.
His horns turned blood-red, sharper and longer.
His height grew from two to three meters, and the kanji for Lower Moon Three marked his eyes.
Gyuu Mooo had replaced Yamai as Lower Moon Three.
Muzan could not detect the Corps' Headquarters before because of a protective barrier.
Gyuu Mooo's memory fluctuations had accidentally revealed his location, the signal unusually strong like a beacon.
Normally, Muzan did not concern himself with lower-ranked demons.
Night fell.
At Love Estate, the lanterns burned bright, but Mitsuri returned looking weighed down.
"Kanroji-sama," Hanazawa and Sakura greeted cautiously.
Mitsuri's expression was heavy.
"Sanemi was killed by a demon," she said, voice low.
Lucien Graves raised an eyebrow.
"The one who fought me yesterday?"
She only nodded.
"Though I did not like him, I must admit he was strong. I did not expect a demon to kill him."
Lucien, sensing her melancholy, tried to shift her focus.
"Mitsuri, look at me."
"Hm?" she asked, confused, her attention drawn to him.
Lucien spread his hands.
"Nothing in them."
She nodded, curious.
"Now, don't blink."
At his command, a bouquet of roses appeared in Lucien's hands, exquisitely wrapped.
Mitsuri and the others gasped in awe.
"These are for you," he said softly.
Mitsuri, flustered, accepted them, face glowing red.
Lucien then conjured two cans of potato chips for Hanazawa and Sakura.
"Precious snacks," he said, his voice playful.
"Enjoy."
The girls eagerly opened them and crunched the chips, delighted.
Lucien turned back to Mitsuri.
Her flushed, steaming face made her look both adorable and nervous.
He produced another can of chips for her.
"I… I'm going to rest," Mitsuri said, clutching the gifts, and hurried off.
Watching her flee, Lucien pinched his chin.
A fleeting thought of emotional attachment flickered—dangerous in his world—but it passed.
He reminded himself: love is a weakness.
Yet, despite his caution, his gaze softened.
He was still very much in love.
The roses were drawn during his Attack Titan year, and the potato chips were a reward from descending into this world—a New World Dice roll.
Killing Sanemi Shinazugawa had been another.
Sanemi, clearly a secondary character, had awarded him fifty mosquito coil boxes.
Spring sleep, unaware of dawn, mosquitoes everywhere—the effects were surprisingly pleasant.
_____
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