Chapter 124: Lady Muzan, Why Are You Attacking the Birds?!
Kazami's Dojo.
The old master was currently evaluating Masachika's recent progress in his forms when a Kasugai Crow dived into the courtyard, its wings beating a frantic rhythm.
"CAW! EMERGENCY UPDATE!"
"Kokonoe Natsuya has solo-subjugated Lower Moon Two: Enmu, in Nagoya! Mission complete! CAW!"
Master Kazami's hand froze mid-air. His teacup tilted, and hot tea splashed over the side of the saucer.
How many days had it been since Masachika told him Natsuya had left for a new mission?
How did the boy manage to delete a Lower Moon—one that even Kazami himself would find "Tricky"—so quickly? And not just any Lower Moon, but Rank Two.
Does he think the Demon Moons are just cabbages you can pluck from a field whenever you're hungry?
Kazami let out a bitter laugh, though his eyes shone with a sharp, undeniable pride. "That brat... can't he go out for one mission without shaking the entire country?"
Beside him, Masachika didn't quite grasp the "Meta-level" of a Twelve Kizuki kill.
"Master, is that demon... actually strong?"
In the boy's heart, his all-powerful Senior was invincible. He didn't understand why his Master looked like Natsuya had just soloed a World Boss.
"Strong?" Kazami muttered. "Masachika, most rookie Slayers will go their entire careers without seeing a Blood Demon Art, let alone a member of the Twelve Kizuki. A Lower Moon is an 'Out-of-Bounds' existence. Normally, you don't even hear their names until you've reached the high ranks."
But since Natsuya was basically knocking on the door of the Hashira, Kazami figured there was no harm in letting Masachika peek at the high-level lore.
"Listen well, Masachika. In the current Corps, the number of people who can reliably win a 1v1 against a Lower Moon... can be counted on one hand."
The Rengoku Estate, Tokyo.
"Shinjuro, you should drink less."
Lady Ruka, whose complexion had returned to a healthy glow, looked at her husband with a touch of gentle scolding.
The Flame Hashira sat on the porch, staring at the message delivered by his crow. He was grinning. He made a non-committal noise to placate his wife, then used the distraction to sneak another quick sip from his gourd.
"Ruka, look! Good news!"
"The crow says the Kokonoe kid soloed a Lower Moon last night!"
Ruka's eyes widened in genuine shock. Her husband had served the Corps for decades; she knew exactly how terrifying and vicious the Twelve Kizuki were.
To hear that Natsuya had taken one down solo was staggering. That boy was roughly the same age as her Kyojuro. He should have been enjoying his youth, yet he was already waist-deep in demonic blood and achieving legendary status.
How much genius does it take? And how much hidden suffering must he have endured to reach that peak?
A flicker of motherly pity passed through Ruka's heart. Shinjuro, of course, was oblivious to his wife's deeper thoughts.
"Ruka, the light of a true prodigy cannot be buried in the sand!"
He laughed heartily.
"Natsuya is the most gifted swordsman I have ever seen. His raw talent dwarfs my own. I have no doubt that very soon, I will have a new colleague among the Nine Hashira to share a victory toast with!"
Ruka stepped forward, her movements steady as she took the cup from his hand.
"Shinjuro," she corrected him softly. "It was a Western philosopher who said that. Not everything that glitters is gold, but gold will always find a way to shine."
Finding his hand empty, Shinjuro grumbled, "Close enough. It's all the same thing—"
Ruka smiled, her tone brooking no argument. "By the way, I've already donated all the sake you hid in the backyard to the neighbors."
"You're a grown man now."
"You should set an example for Kyojuro. Don't let these vibrant young men show you up in every category, including maturity."
The Flame Hashira's face fell, looking like a scolded puppy.
The Butterfly Mansion Garden.
The news reached the Kocho sisters as they were hanging herbs to dry.
Shinobu didn't stop her work. She simply tilted her head, a brilliant, unsurprised smile spreading across her face. She was genuinely, purely happy for him.
He's getting even stronger, the Big Dummy.
Once he became a Hashira, all the people who looked down on him or whispered about "favoritism" would have to shut their mouths. And the ideals he had discussed with the Master... they were getting closer every day.
Her older sister, Kanae, was much more surprised.
"My, my... Natsuya-kun is already strong enough to defeat a Moon?"
When she had met him, he was powerful, but he felt like he was within her reach. But to solo a Moon? That meant he had reached the realm of their savior, Lord Gyomei.
"Of course he did," Shinobu said, acting as if it were a foregone conclusion. "Kokonoe is incredible. He was already suppressing Lower Moons back when he teamed up with Lord Igarashi."
"He's a weirdo, but he's a brilliant one, just like you said, Nee-san."
Kanae smiled gently, but her eyes held a playful, scrutinizing glint as she looked at her sister.
Kokonoe? Big Dummy? 'Lord' Igarashi?
"Yes, Natsuya-kun is indeed an exceptional swordsman," Kanae mused. "This achievement should be enough to push him over the line and into the Hashira seats."
"However..."
Kanae tilted her head, watching Shinobu. "Shinobu, I can't help but feel... like you're hiding some very interesting stories about this 'Big Dummy' from your big sister?"
Did I make a mistake by letting her go to Yokohama?
"Natsuya-kun is a reliable Senior, Shinobu. Make sure you don't develop any... 'unusual' thoughts about him, okay?"
Shinobu's smile stiffened for a microsecond.
Then she beamed even brighter. "Of course not, Nee-san."
Sorry, Nee-san. I only gave my 'respected Senior' a small, hand-made scented sachet. Totally professional.
The news was like ink dropped into still water, rippling through the dark world of the demons as well.
A Luxury Estate in a Human City.
A girl in an exquisite dark Western dress, beautiful yet deathly pale, stared blankly at a shattered glass in her hand. Reflected in the shards were a pair of blood-red, vertical pupils—currently swirling with a bone-chilling coldness and irritation.
Lower Moon Five, Mukago?
She was a slightly durable consumable. If she died, she died.
But Enmu?
His ability and personality were actually interesting. He was one of the only two Lower Moons she actually bothered to keep track of. A loyal dog who had been giddy with excitement when offering his own organs to her.
He was dead too? To the same swordsman?
"Useless trash."
The cold, female voice echoed through the silent room, causing the very air to vibrate and freeze.
"One after another. Failing to handle a swordsman who isn't even a Hashira."
"The Lower Moons truly are disappointing failures."
Her rage didn't stem from the loss of a pawn, but from the insult to her authority. A common Slayer was systemically erasing her board.
In a fit of pique, she crushed the glass to powder. The jagged shards couldn't even scratch her porcelain skin; instead, they were ground into dust by her sheer grip strength.
Tsk.
She flicked her hand. The glass dust shot out like a shotgun blast, tearing through the thick stone wall of the estate. Outside, a massive tree was riddled with holes. The sound of chirping birds turned into a chorus of panicked shrieks.
As if to punctuate her annoyance, a light, inappropriate voice accompanied by the shadow of lotus flowers and a faint frost drifted into the room.
"Ara-ara, Lord Muzan... you seem to be in a rather foul mood today~"
A man in a strange red vest appeared. He had silver-white hair and a perpetual, saint-like smile on his face. But within his iridescent, rainbow pupils, ink-like kanji were engraved.
Unlike the Lower Moons, he had marks in both eyes.
[UPPER TWO]
The man—Doma—looked at Muzan with an inhuman, childlike curiosity.
"Is this about that Slayer? The one who deleted Mukago and Enmu?"
"Would you like me to go take a look?"
"I've heard he's a swordsman who uses many different colored breaths."
Doma's eyes crinkled with amusement. His voice was light and airy. "Just like my eyes... how very interesting~"
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