Chapter 73: Teaming Up
Inside a luxuriously decorated Western-style house in Tokyo.
Bang!
An antique vase decorated with exquisite blue-and-white bird patterns was slammed violently onto the mirror-smooth marble floor, shattering instantly with a sharp and piercing cry.
"Akaza!"
"Useless! Useless! They are all a bunch of useless trash!"
Kibutsuji Muzan was hysterically venting his inner rage.
He swept everything off the desk, from expensive ink bottles to gold-inlaid paperweights, onto the floor.
"Tsukihiko, what's wrong? Don't be like this, you'll hurt yourself..."
Pitter-patter, the sound of footsteps approached.
Kibutsuji Muzan's rose-red eyes turned toward the door, veins bulging on his face.
A gentle-looking woman dressed in a beautiful kimono appeared at the door. Looking at the fragments on the floor, there was no trace of heartache on her face, only concern for her child.
She was the mother of the child Muzan was impersonating.
She walked quickly across the porcelain shards, not even considering if they would cut her feet, and approached the head-bowed Muzan.
"Don't be afraid, tell Mother what's bothering you..."
She gently wrapped her arms around Muzan, trying to comfort her "son" who was throwing a tantrum.
"Who... gave you permission to hug me?"
Muzan's rose-red eyes looked at the worried woman.
A demon hand, covered in veins with sharp black nails, had already pierced through her chest like lightning.
The concern on the woman's face froze instantly, replaced by extreme shock.
She lowered her head, looking at the demon hand protruding from her chest; her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
"Damn it, this filthy blood has soiled my clothes..."
Muzan's cold voice rang out. He pulled his hand out in disgust, frowning at his blood-stained garments, and let the lifeless body slump to the floor.
"Madam!"
"Young Master! You..."
The servants and the master of the house who rushed in at the sound were scared out of their wits by this bloody scene.
But before they could even let out a full scream, several pitch-black tentacles shot out from behind Muzan, precisely piercing through each person's skull.
Blood instantly stained the ornate carpet red.
Muzan slowly walked toward the corpses, the rage on his face having faded into a chilling indifference.
Those pitch-black arms swept around, and the severed limbs on the floor suddenly disappeared, turning into snacks to restore his mood after his anger.
Perhaps because he had eaten snacks, his demon blood, which had been restless due to anger, calmed down slightly.
"Nakime."
He elegantly wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth with a napkin, his voice returning to its usual calm and arrogance.
"Call all the Upper Ranks to me."
Teng.
The sound of a biwa string broke the dead silence.
Infinity Castle.
Within the twisted and inverted complex of buildings, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt as if it could drip water.
Atop the highest platform, Kibutsuji Muzan sat on his throne, with Nakime behind him, her head forever bowed and holding her biwa.
He said nothing, but the irritation radiating from his bones had caused the atmosphere of the entire Infinity Castle to freeze to the extreme.
"Ah, Lord Muzan... good evening."
After a distortion in space, the first to appear was upper rank two, Doma.
He wanted to say something joking, but as soon as he saw Muzan's cold eyes, he knew today was not the time for jokes.
Lord Muzan is very angry... better not play around. Though I am quite curious, who could make Lord Muzan so angry... Doma thought, and after a simple greeting, he knelt quietly to the side without any overstepping.
Muzan looked at the quiet Doma and gave a cold snort.
He didn't speak further.
Soon after, the figures of the other Upper Ranks emerged one by one. Without exception, they all felt this suffocatingly terrifying pressure.
They knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
Muzan's blood-colored vertical pupils slowly scanned the group of Upper Ranks below, except for Kokushibo's figure, which was always as steady as a mountain.
For the other demons, his eyes were filled with undisguised disappointment and contempt.
Suppressing his killing intent, his cold voice echoed in the empty Infinity Castle:
"Has the blue spider lily been found? No, has any news regarding the blue spider lily been found? Or has the whereabouts of Ryuji been clarified?"
No one answered.
Except for Kokushibo and a young demon standing beside him, all the Upper Ranks remained silent, burying their heads even lower.
Muzan suddenly began to laugh softly, a laugh filled with extreme mockery and speechlessness.
"Useless."
He whispered those two words, then changed the subject and dropped a bombshell:
"Upper Rank Three, Akaza, is dead."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Infinity Castle fell into a silence even deeper than before.
Muzan looked at this scene, a nameless fire rising. This was the second time! The last time an Upper Rank died was only a few months ago when upper rank five Gyokko died!
This moment was exactly like that moment!
This bunch of useless trash only knows how to be silent!
"Lord Akaza... is dead?"
For the first time, the smile on Doma's face stiffened. In his rainbow-colored crystalline eyes, a flash of genuine, child-like confusion and... sadness?
"How can that be? He was so strong, and I wanted to be friends with him forever. It's truly a pity..."
He murmured softly, his voice actually carrying a hint of sorrow.
"Serves him right!"
Daki cursed in her heart, but her face appropriately showed a trace of sadness.
That bastard Akaza actually dared to strike Lord Doma last time. It's better that he's dead!
This way, maybe my brother and I can take his place and be one step closer to Lord Doma!
No, we will likely be able to move up, Lord Hantengu... Gyutaro said nothing, only silently shielding his sister more closely, his sinister eyes flashing with vigilance and calculation.
"So... so scary! Even Lord Akaza... we will be killed too! It's too terrifying!"
Hantengu was even more terrified, shivering all over and curling into a ball while holding his head. Tears and snot flowed together as he kept muttering.
Only in Kokushibo's six eyes, which were usually as calm as a still well, did a violent ripple appear for the first time.
Akaza.
The only junior who dared to challenge him and had an extremely high pursuit of the martial arts.
He had even once thought of cultivating him into a true opponent.
Now, he was actually dead?
"Who was it?"
Kokushibo's voice was hoarse and low, yet it carried an unquestionable sense of pressure:
"Lord Muzan, who killed him?"
Muzan's gaze passed over Kokushibo and fell on the silent figure behind him.
It was a youth with a face almost identical to Tokito Muichiro's.
However, on his face were several strange cloud-like markings, and a pair of small demon horns grew from his forehead. His clear blue eyes, however, were a dead silence, devoid of life.
He was dressed in a Sengoku-era haori with a cloud pattern, and at his waist hung a katana with an ink-blue scabbard.
It was Yuiichirou.
Now called Kanade.
He was the boy Nakime had brought back after her last encounter with Ryuji, though unfortunately, by the time they hurried back to that place, no one was there.
Even the firewood had been cleared out.
This was his proudest work of the past few months, so he had given him to Kokushibo to train. It seemed Kokushibo was also very satisfied with him.
Kokushibo met Muzan's gaze. With his exceptional vision, he could tell instantly that Muzan was observing Kanade behind him.
Understanding dawned on him, and he turned his head slightly to look at the boy who was staring blankly.
Although he had only recently become a demon, his innate talent was shocking even to him; he was a Genius swordsman.
In just a few months under his tutelage, his strength was already enough to exchange a few moves with him while he was holding back.
He had even comprehended his own Blood Demon Art, Cloud Breathing.
Kanade seemed to feel the gaze. His lifeless eyes turned toward Muzan, and he tilted his head slightly:
"Lord Muzan? Do you have business with me?"
The Upper Ranks who heard this all had their brows twitch. This young demon looked like he was about to die!
Offending Lord Muzan at a time like this would get him killed!
"It's nothing. I heard from Kokushibo that your progress has been very fast. I am gratified."
Muzan glanced at the other Upper Ranks and rolled his eyes slightly, regardless of what they were thinking.
He was indeed gratified.
Finally, there was a demon who could actually get things done.
So weary... Muzan's mind flashed with a thousand thoughts, then he turned his gaze back to Kokushibo and answered calmly:
"Fist Hashira, Ryuji."
Kokushibo fell silent.
He slowly lowered his head, his voice carrying a hint of apology:
"It was my negligence. If I could have found him sooner and slain him, Akaza would not have..."
Kokushibo was serious.
He had said last time that he would go find Ryuji, but he hadn't been able to find him after a long search.
Afterward, he had taken the child Kanade from Lord Muzan and began training him.
This had delayed the search for Ryuji, which indirectly led to Akaza's death.
"It has nothing to do with you."
Muzan interrupted him, his tone full of contempt: "It's because Akaza was too much of a waste."
He no longer paid attention to the people kneeling on the ground and coldly announced the new appointments: "From today on, Hantengu shall be Upper Rank Three."
Hearing this appointment, Hantengu held his head and nodded submissively.
Daki looked at Hantengu and gritted her teeth, but she said nothing; he was originally upper rank four after all.
It was understandable for him to be promoted directly to Upper Rank Three... She looked at Muzan, her eyes full of light. Since upper rank four was promoted to Upper Rank Three, then she, as Upper Rank Six, should be able to move up to upper rank four, right?
Nakime was just promoted to upper rank five. Could she be promoted to upper rank four without having achieved even a small merit?
That would be a joke... Muzan glanced at Daki. Daki was secretly delighted; Lord Muzan looked at me, it seems upper rank four must belong to us siblings.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard Muzan's emotionless voice:
"upper rank four will be taken over by Kanade."
"I ag— What?!"
Upon hearing this, Daki swallowed the word "agree" that was at the tip of her tongue. She stared with her beautiful eyes and shrieked:
"Lord Muzan, I object!"
Gyutaro was startled and tried to pull his sister back, but it was too late!
Muzan's cold gaze swept over: "You object?"
Daki's heart grew half-cold, but at the thought of a kid who had just become a demon riding over their heads...
She couldn't stand it!
Gritting her teeth and trembling all over, she said: "Yes, Lord Muzan, I object!"
Muzan didn't answer, but looked at Gyutaro and asked: "Do you also object?"
Gyutaro glanced at his sister and braced himself to say: "Yes, Lord Muzan, I object."
A smile appeared on Muzan's face, but the mirth didn't reach his eyes.
Still objecting?
Just as he raised his arm, he heard Kokushibo's voice:
"Lord Muzan, Kanade has just become a demon, and his seniority is indeed insufficient. It is normal for Daki to have an objection."
Muzan looked at Kokushibo: "Kokushibo, what do you want to do?"
"Just let him demonstrate."
Kokushibo said in a deep voice. He knew his disciple's strength.
Muzan didn't speak, but signaled to Kokushibo with his eyes.
He agreed.
Kokushibo understood and cast an indifferent glance at Kanade with his six eyes.
Kanade slowly stood up. He said nothing, only drawing the katana from his waist.
It was an azure longsword with a flowing mist pattern on the blade.
This was the katana condensed from his Blood Demon Art.
Looking at Daki, his eyes narrowed, and he whispered: "Cloud Breathing, First Form: Cloud-Hanging Canopy!"
The moment the words fell, Kanade swung his arm from bottom to top, the azure blade trailing a lingering white cloud of mist.
A curtain of clouds rose, obscuring the vision.
"Heh, small tricks!"
Daki said softly, and the sashes behind her shot out instantly!
Piercing through the cloud curtain!
The next moment, she was slightly stunned.
"Cloud Breathing, Second Form: Flowing Cloud Advance!"
Kanade's figure emerged from the cloud curtain, his whole body spinning elegantly.
Daki didn't even have time to react before her proud sashes were sliced into countless pieces by this seemingly gentle slash.
So fast! Such an elegant sword technique!
Daki was completely shocked by this incredible move. She stared blankly at the expressionless boy.
By the time she regained her senses, Kanade had already raised his longsword high, aiming for Daki's neck!
"Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!"
Several blood sickles flew toward Kanade. Kanade only gave a slight glance, and his horizontal slashing stance instantly converted into a downward strike!
Piercing into the floor of the Infinity Castle:
"Cloud Breathing, Fifth Form: Heavy Cloud Abyssal Lock!"
Boom!
A massive cloud explosion scattered the blood sickles and simultaneously blew Daki and Gyutaro away.
Kanade rushed out of the mist, turning into a straight cloud shuttle, piercing directly toward Gyutaro's neck.
"Alright, Kanade, stop. You have proven yourself!"
Muzan called Kanade to a halt. Gyutaro was still useful, much more so than that stupid woman Daki.
He couldn't let him be killed.
Kanade's blade stopped in front of Gyutaro's neck, his eyes still devoid of any spirit.
He decisively sheathed his sword and returned to Kokushibo's side.
Gyutaro swallowed hard. That strike just now had made him feel the threat of death.
The Infinity Castle became quiet once again.
Hantengu tucked his head into his chest, stealing a glance at Kanade and muttering about how scary the newcomer was.
Doma's eyes lit up, as if he had found a new toy.
"Are there any more objections?"
Muzan's voice rang out again.
"No, none at all."
Daki, slumped on the ground, became obedient.
Muzan extended a tentacle, injecting a dense amount of demon blood into Kanade's body, carving the characters for upper rank four into Kanade's eyes.
"From now on, all Upper Ranks must act in pairs. No more appearing alone."
Muzan coldly announced the new rule.
"Kokushibo, you are paired with Kanade."
"Doma, you are paired with Nakime."
"Hantengu, you are paired with Gyutaro and Daki."
He glanced at Doma, knowing that such an arrangement was not friendly to this guy who liked to come and go alone, so he added:
"As compensation, you may recruit more followers."
Upon hearing this, Doma immediately laughed uncontrollably:
"Thank you, Lord Muzan!"
"Your primary mission is to discreetly search for the blue spider lily. Kokushibo, you have an additional task: hunt down the Fist Hashira, Ryuji."
After saying this, Muzan's figure disappeared from the Infinity Castle.
He transformed into a glamorous oiran and blended into the Yoshiwara pleasure district.
Amidst the bright lights and bustling crowds.
But his heart was still filled with unease.
These useless trash were still not reliable enough.
It seemed it was time to personally take action and find some more powerful demons..."
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