Infinity Castle,
Twing!
The sound of a biwa resonated through a vast labyrinth of twisting stairs, disorienting halls, and endless floors that seemed to stretch on forever. Doma, blinked his rainbow-colored eyes in confusion as he found himself suddenly transported here.
After a moment of silence, Doma's lips curved into a fake sorrowful smile. "It seems one of my friends has died. Who is it, Biwa Woman?"
The Biwa Woman remained silent, her expression stoic as her fingers moved across the strings of her instrument. With each strum of the biwa, the figures of the other Upper Moon Demons began to appear—Daki, Gyutaro, Hantengu, and Gyokko, all emerged one by one.
The Upper Moons looked at each other, sharing a single thought. 'Since we were summoned here... it can only mean one thing—an Upper Moon has been killed by the Demon Slayer Corps!'
Who could it be? Noticing that only Akaza and Upper Moon One are missing.
"Is it... Akaza?" Doma wondered aloud, his tone filled with genuine surprise for once. He hadn't considered the possibility of Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, being defeated—no human could hope to kill that monster.
"Doma-sama," Daki greeted with a smile laced with haughtiness and arrogance.
"Oh, Daki! Gyutaro!" Doma's face lit up with a false expression of relief. "You two are here! I thought perhaps it was you two who had perished this time."
"Isn't it... Lord Doma?" a voice came from a porcelain vase. From within the vase, the bizarre form of Gyokko emerged.
His body was twisted, with his mouth where his eyes should be and his eyes where his forehead and mouth should be. Several small, disjointed arms sprouted from his head, each moving independently. The kanji for Upper Rank was engraved on the eye on his forehead, and five was inscribed on the eye in his mouth.
"It's happy to see you. It's been what, 90 years?" Gyokko spoke.
"Hey there, long time no see, Gyokko." Doma waved at him with a friendly smile. "Is that a brand-new pot? It looks absolutely beautiful!"
"You remember the pot you gave me?" Doma continued with a grin. "I'm currently displaying a woman's head in it in my room."
"That wasn't its intended use," Gyokko replied, his tone oddly contemplative. "But I find it... intriguing."
"You should come over to my place sometime," Doma suggested cheerfully.
From behind a nearby staircase, the hunched figure of Upper Moon Four Hantengu cowered, his body trembling slightly. "Terrifying! Terrifying!" he muttered; his eyes filled with fear.
"Gyokko, it seems you forgot to count since we were apart... It's been exactly 113 years since our last summoning. An indivisible number, unlucky and uneven. An odd number. Terrifying! Terrifying!"
"Is Muzan-sama not here yet?" Daki asked her voice a blend of respect and a slight hint of tenderness.
"No," Nakime replied in her expressionless tone the strings of her biwa vibrating slightly as her fingers rested on them.
"What about Kokushibo-sama?" Doma inquired, his gaze shifting around the vast expanse.
"I summoned Upper Moon One here first," Nakime answered.
"I have been here the entire time," Kokushibo's voice came from the shadows of the chamber. His words drew the attention of the other Upper Moons while his imposing presence made everyone silent. He added, "Muzan-sama is here!"
Muzan Kibutsuji's arrival was quiet as he appeared on the ceiling above them, seemingly defying gravity, clad in a white shirt and black vest, an air of superiority radiating from him.
He held a book in one hand, his eyes cold and emotionless as he gazed down at his subordinates.
Flipping through the pages of his book, Muzan spoke, his voice cutting through everyone like a blade. "Akaza died at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps, he was killed by a Nature Hashira named Ryou. The Upper Moon ranks are now incomplete."
The demons remained silent; their faces slightly surprised by Akaza's fall. After all, he was the strongest among them after Upper Moon One and Two. Yet, he was killed. His death was a reminder that even the strongest could fall.
Despite the shock of losing such a powerful comrade, none of them showed a hint of grief or sorrow. Human emotions were a foreign concept to them.
Doma's rainbow-colored eyes flickered with a momentary thought of Akaza, but he quickly brushed it off with a smile. "Well, that's unfortunate," he said with a light tone, almost as if he were commenting on the weather.
Muzan continued, his tone as cold as ice. "If Akaza had used his full strength from the beginning, he wouldn't have been so helpless against a human who merely stalled him until sunrise. How worthless.
But it doesn't matter. I expect nothing from any of you," he added, his words laced with displeasure.
"Has there ever been a time when I failed to meet your expectations, Muzan-sama?" Doma said with a smile.
Muzan did not even glance at Doma. He continued to flip through the book, his irritation growing. He said sharply, "You still haven't annihilated the Ubuyashiki family. And what about the Blue Spider Lily? Why haven't you found it after all these centuries? I'm... starting to question why you all even exist."
As he spoke, his anger seemed to manifest physically, pressing down on the demons with his overwhelming momentum. The book in his hand was shredded into countless fragments.
"Please forgive us, my lord! I beg you!" Hantengu cried out, falling to his knees, his voice filled with fear and panic.
Kokushibo lowered his head and expressed his reason. "I have no excuses. The Ubuyashiki family is master at hiding themselves."
Doma, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced with a downcast expression, spoke up next. "My abilities are not suited for search and detection; I am at my wit's end."
"My frustration has reached the boiling point. I have been far too tolerant of your failures... all because of your status as Upper Ranks," Muzan Kibutsuji said, his voice stern. "I want you all to act with urgency. Find that human named Ryou. I want him dead."
As Muzan finished speaking, an image of Ryou burned itself into the minds of every Upper Moon demon. His face, his aura, his fight with Akaza and Kokushibo, every detail was imprinted vividly in their minds.
Then, the sound of a biwa strumming filled the vast hall, and in the blink of an eye, a door slammed shut, and Muzan Kibutsuji vanished.
"Ah!" Doma exclaimed in a surprised tone, momentarily stunned.
"What is it, Doma-sama?" Gyokko inquired in curiosity.
"I encountered this human named Ryou a few years ago," Doma said, remembering their encounter. "He interrupted me while I was playing with a particularly high-quality meal. If I had known he would grow to such a level of strength, I would have killed him then."
Kokushibo's figure flashed before others, his presence radiating pressure. "I have been searching for his traces these past few days... since our last encounter.
The last time we met, I retreated because of the approaching dawn, but he is indeed strong—stronger than most of you might think."
"If any of you encounter him," he continued, "I suggest not act alone. Pass the message. I will kill him myself."
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