Late night, Tokyo.
A man dressed in a suit with deathly pale skin walked along the street.
As a city that never sleeps, night was not the end of Tokyo's activity, but the beginning of another lively chapter.
Various noises echoed through the streets while crowds surged around, filling the entire district with restless movement.
"How lively~"
Enmu watched the pedestrians passing by.
His eyeballs, engraved with the characters of Lower Rank Three, twitched slightly as a twisted smile spread across his face.
If he were to make a move here, he could probably create an unprecedentedly grand spectacle.
"Pity, it isn't time yet."
Passing through the dense crowds, Enmu arrived at a mansion on the next street.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, a thick scent of incense drifted toward him.
The noise of the outside world disappeared instantly, and the entire environment fell into complete silence.
"Hmm~ Is this some sort of welcoming ceremony?"
As if sensing something, Enmu stopped walking and looked ahead.
"You're too slow!"
From a dark corner, another figure stood up, his face filled with dissatisfaction.
"A mere Lower Rank Three making Lower Rank One and Lower Rank Two wait for you. I think you're looking for death."
"Even if you say that, I came here at full speed after receiving the message."
Enmu maintained a faint smile, seemingly unaffected by the other's threatening words.
"Is this Blood Demon Art yours?"
"It isn't mine."
Hairo glanced toward the nearby residence.
"Hey. Everyone's already here. How long are you going to keep playing house in there?"
"How rude."
A crisp female voice echoed from inside the residence.
At the same time, a chilling sound of swallowing echoed faintly.
Several seconds later, the main doors of the mansion slowly opened.
A beautiful woman with crimson eyes and long black hair walked out, licking the corner of her lips.
"To call the act of caring for children 'playing house'... your childhood must have been very dull."
"Tsk. So much useless chatter. If you keep spewing nonsense like that, I'll blow you away."
"Oh? Are you challenging me?"
"Why not?"
"You two~ please don't start fighting~"
Seeing the two demons about to clash over a disagreement, Enmu tilted his head slightly and offered a gentle reminder.
"If we waste too much time on trivial matters like this, Lord Muzan will be displeased."
"..."
The argument stopped immediately.
Seeing the two fall silent, a satisfied smile appeared on Enmu's face.
"It seems both of you have calmed down~"
"In that case, let's introduce ourselves."
Enmu raised his left hand, and a mouth suddenly appeared on the back of his hand and began speaking.
"I am Enmu. My Blood Demon Art allows me to manipulate dreams."
"My Blood Demon Art is shadow manipulation."
With a thought from Hairo, the shadow beneath his feet surged upward into the air, and numerous gun barrels emerged from the surface of the darkness.
"Shadows~ that sounds like a very interesting ability. Perhaps we will get along quite well."
Enmu praised him before turning his attention toward the beautiful woman who had stepped out of the residence.
"Ubume."
The beautiful woman with the characters of Lower Rank One engraved in her eyes raised her hand slightly, and the incense floating in the air slowly dissipated.
In the next moment, a thick smell of blood filled the courtyard as dozens of mangled corpses suddenly appeared on the ground.
"My ability is... the creation of illusions."
...
Three days later, Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
After receiving a message from the Kakushi, Cain and Kochō Kanae arrived at the Ubuyashiki Residence.
Unlike the previous meeting held in the courtyard, this time the two were invited directly inside the residence to meet Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
After exchanging greetings, Cain did not waste time and immediately spoke.
"Have you located Tamayo's whereabouts? Or have you found the Blue Spider Lily?"
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I must disappoint you."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya gently shook his head.
"The reason I invited you here today is because a change has occurred in Tokyo."
"Tokyo?"
Cain repeated.
"Tokyo was previously under the jurisdiction of the former Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjuro. However, since the death of his wife, Shinjuro has fallen into despair and withdrawn from his duties. As a result, Tokyo currently lacks proper supervision."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya took several letters from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
"Starting roughly three days ago, incidents of demons attacking civilians have begun occurring frequently throughout Tokyo. Members of the Demon Slayer Corps who were sent to investigate have also begun disappearing one after another."
"I suspect this situation is connected to the Lower Rank Demons. Yesterday I dispatched Tengen to Tokyo to investigate, but I have not received any report from him since then."
"Mr. Tengen has gone missing as well?!"
Kochō Kanae frowned immediately, her expression becoming serious.
Uzui Tengen came from a shinobi family, and his attention to intelligence gathering far exceeded that of ordinary Demon Slayers.
For someone like him to go to Tokyo and fail to send any message for so long almost certainly meant he had encountered an unexpected situation.
"Could it be... that an Upper Rank Demon has appeared?"
"That is possible. That is also the reason I summoned the two of you."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked directly at Cain.
"If an Upper Rank Demon appears, are you confident you can handle it?"
"If all the Upper Ranks appear together, it might be slightly troublesome."
"That is a very reassuring answer."
A faint smile appeared on Ubuyashiki Kagaya's face.
"In that case, I will entrust the situation in Tokyo to you."
"Kochō Kanae, take your medical tools and go to Tokyo with Cain. If something unexpected has happened to Tengen, I will rely on you to provide treatment."
"Leave it to me."
Kochō Kanae nodded firmly.
After saying farewell to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Kochō Kanae returned to the Butterfly Mansion to pack her belongings.
In preparation for encountering Upper Rank Demons, she had spent the last few days preparing various types of medicine.
Without knowing the exact circumstances in Tokyo, she had to bring all of these potions with her.
Kochō Shinobu, who happened to pass by, noticed this scene. She paused briefly before stepping into the room.
"Sister, are you going out?"
"Yes. Something has happened in Tokyo. Master has asked Cain and me to investigate."
"Two Hashira are being dispatched?"
Kochō Shinobu's expression instantly became serious.
The Hashira were the Demon Slayer Corps' most elite fighters and were not easily deployed under normal circumstances.
If two Hashira were being sent at the same time, it could only mean that the situation in Tokyo had already spiraled out of control.
"Could it be that an Upper Rank Demon has appeared?"
"That is possible."
Kochō Kanae replied without mentioning the disappearance of Uzui Tengen.
"Don't worry, Shinobu. Cain will be accompanying me on this mission, so nothing will go wrong."
"But..."
Kochō Shinobu hesitated, her words fading.
Although Cain was extremely strong, the Upper Rank Demons were terrifying monsters.
For hundreds of years, the Lower Rank demons among the Twelve Kizuki had changed repeatedly, but the Upper Ranks had never once been replaced. During that time they had killed numerous Hashira.
The thought that Kochō Kanae might encounter such a monster filled her heart with worry.
"Sister... can I go with you?"
"Of course not."
Before Kochō Kanae could answer, Cain's voice sounded from behind them.
Pushing open the door, Cain walked into the room. He greeted Kanae first before turning his gaze toward Kochō Shinobu.
"Upper Rank Demons are extremely strong. Someone who hasn't even become a Hashira yet shouldn't follow along."
"...Then I'll wait for you at home."
After a brief silence, Kochō Shinobu chose to accept the decision.
Just as Cain had said, she was still too weak.
With her current strength, if she encountered an Upper Rank Demon, she would only become a burden to the two of them.
"Cain, if something unexpected happens, I'm counting on you to take care of my sister."
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
Cain tapped the Nichirin Blade hanging at his waist, his expression filled with confidence.
"Even if an Upper Rank Demon really appears, I'll cut them down one by one."
"You're still the same as always."
Watching the familiar scene, reminiscent of the day they first met, the tension in Kochō Shinobu's heart quietly faded.
"Then I'll wait for your good news."
This time, Kochō Shinobu chose to believe him.
T/N- About the rank classification Ubume being lower rank 1 and Enmu being lower rank 3. The story is way behind, before the plot begins and Ubume is still alive so she hold rank 1 and i think Enmu's rank wasn't classified before he succeeded as rank 1. So let's just go along with this setting.
...
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