Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Tetsuya brought the three Kamados there. Tanjiro was accepted into the Demon Slayer Corps without any issues, but the Hashira reacted violently the moment they saw Kie and Nezuko,bespecially Sanemi, who immediately launched a ferocious attack, only to be hurled back by Tetsuya's electromagnetic field.
Tetsuya calmly explained that Kie and Nezuko still retained their full human rationality and intelligence. Kagaya Ubuyashiki personally intervened, and after that, none of the Hashira dared to object further. Any more protests would likely end the same way Sanemi's did, and they weren't stupid enough to test it.
"We will also be cooperating with another demon. Her name is Lady Tamayo."
Kagaya seized the moment to explain further. The Hashira were stunned at first, but they quickly accepted Tamayo's existence once the Master finished speaking.
And so, they began executing the plan to lure Muzan out.
The strategy was extremely simple, almost crude, even reckless: Have a member of the Demon Slayer Corps wander around the area openly carrying Blue Spider Lilies, of course, under heavy protection to keep them safe, and talk about the flowers somewhat carelessly. Any demon who overheard would instinctively call Muzan's name in their report, and die instantly from the curse. But everything they saw and heard before dying would be transmitted straight back to Muzan's mind.
A rough, straightforward, borderline idiotic plan.
Yet Tetsuya was certain Muzan would bite. The demon's obsession with the Blue Spider Lily was so deranged it bordered on madness. Once he learned the location of the flower, he would lose all reason in his excitement.
…
Just as predicted, the very next night.
Demons arrived.
An uncountable swarm of them flooded the area.
"Ubuyashiki-sama!"
The entire Demon Slayer Corps forces assembled. Tamayo was present as well. Kagaya took a deep breath, this was the moment that would change the world forever, then raised his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Everyone! Today, we will end a thousand years of suffering! The demons will be eradicated!"
"Eradicate the demons!"
The battle cry ignited the Corps. Their shouts echoed across the battlefield. Nichirin Blades gleamed under the moonlight as they waited to slaughter the invading horde.
Since the core of the mission was about to begin, Tetsuya activated the live broadcast function.
[Tetsuya has started a Live Broadcast!]
[Saeko has joined the live broadcast!]
[Tsunade has joined the live broadcast!]
[March 7th has joined the live broadcast!]
[Erza has joined the live broadcast!]
In the group chat:
[Saeko: Why start the broadcast now?]
[March 7th: Whoa! Oh my god! That's a massive army! Are you guys going to war?!]
[Tetsuya: We've been here for three days already, planning to draw Muzan out. Today is the day we take down Demon King Muzan.]
[Erza: The title "Demon King" sounds incredibly unpleasant. Is Muzan really so powerful that you need this many people?]
[Shinobu: No. Tetsuya-san said Muzan isn't actually that strong.]
[Tsunade: Then why mobilize so many people?]
[Tetsuya: Because this enemy is extremely good at hiding, like a mole. So I made a plan to force him into the open.]
[March 7th: A Demon King who's terrorized the world for centuries… and he's that much of a coward?]
[Shinobu: When Tetsuya-san first said it, honestly, even I found it hard to believe. The Demon Slayer Corps has been fighting him for centuries.]
Shinobu glanced across the battlefield where Corps members and demons were already clashing, yet she still saw no sign of Muzan himself. She couldn't help but feel that maybe Muzan really was the coward Tetsuya claimed.
[Tsunade: Tch, tch. What a pathetic final boss.]
[Tetsuya: What can you do? Muzan really is trash.]
Tetsuya glanced toward Esdeath and added:
[Tetsuya: Esdeath, don't make too much noise. We don't want Muzan getting scared and burrowing deeper into the earth.]
[Esdeath: Understood. Don't forget our fight afterward.]
[Tetsuya: Mhm. Shinobu, Hancock, fight however you want.]
[Shinobu: Understood.]
[Hancock: Hmph.]
…
"Kill all the humans!" the demons roared as they charged.
"Exterminate every demon!"
The Demon Slayer Corps answered with their own war cry and surged forward, blades drawn. The confrontation exploded into full-scale chaos.
The five remaining Upper Rank demons stood out the most, each marked clearly by the kanji in their eyes. Because Doma, Upper Rank Two, was already dead and Muzan had not yet replaced him, the demons effectively had only five Upper Ranks.
Now, nine Hashira faced five Upper Ranks.
But Esdeath immediately targeted Kokushibo. Having already learned from Tetsuya that Upper Rank One was the strongest, she naturally claimed him as her opponent.
That left four Upper Ranks against nine Hashira, a massively favorable matchup for the Corps, since they no longer had to worry about both Kokushibo and Doma.
"People say you're the strongest! Be my opponent!" Esdeath drew her blade, lips curling into a battle-hungry grin.
Kokushibo swung. Black crescent-shaped blades of Moon Breathing radiated outward in deadly arcs.
Esdeath summoned razor-sharp ice spikes that shattered the attack mid-flight.
"Blood Demon Art?"
For a brief moment Kokushibo wondered, then a colossal ice spear plummeted from above, casting a deep, dark shadow over him.
Meanwhile, lesser demons and low-ranking Demon Slayers clashed in brutal, chaotic skirmishes across the field.
At Hancock's position, every kick she delivered was coated in Armament Haki.
"Get away from me!"
She sent demon after demon flying backward. Since most of them were male, Hancock held absolutely nothing back. Each steel-hard kick produced sickening cracks as demon bodies shattered.
"Hmph!"
Dark lightning crackled around her body. An overwhelming, terrifying pressure radiated outward, freezing every demon in the vicinity in place before crushing anything nearby. Waves of deep crimson pressure spread in all directions, demons charging toward her were instantly repelled and slammed into the ground.
Though she had never openly displayed it before, Hancock possessed Conqueror's Haki, one of the rarest powers in her world. Only one in a million people were born with it. It represented the quality of a true king, a ruler of the seas in the world of One Piece, a being "chosen by heaven itself." Those who wielded Conqueror's Haki were dangerously threatening, prized assets to any powerful pirate crew.
Tetsuya deliberately gave her more spotlight so the group chat viewers could enjoy the show.
[Saeko: This is the first time Hancock-san has joined a group mission… She's incredibly strong. Truly worthy of her title as the Pirate Empress.]
[Tsunade: That pressure… It made the demons collapse without even moving. What kind of power is that?]
[Tetsuya: It's called Conqueror's Haki. Part of the power system in Hancock's world. In short, this Haki represents the will of a king, it forces anyone with a weaker will to submit. Very few people have it. They say only one in a million.]
[Erza: I see. That's fascinating. So she truly deserves to be called an Empress…]
[March 7th: Whoa! So cool! This battle is insane!]