Sol Mirek walked slowly toward Muzan, each step pressing down like an unseen weight. The Demon King, still recovering, felt that pressure bearing into him, suffocating and inescapable.
Sol looked down at him, his voice calm in a way that made it far more unsettling.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is this, will you cooperate so I can study your abilities, or will you keep resisting?"
"Wait!" Muzan shouted, panic slipping into his voice.
"We can negotiate. Tell me what you want. Immortality? Power? Blood? I can give you anything."
Sol stopped, a faint, playful smile forming on his lips.
"Oh? Now you want to talk?"
Muzan steadied himself, forcing his voice to remain composed.
"As long as you cooperate with me, I can grant you power beyond anything the Demon Slayer Corps could offer."
"Interesting." Sol folded his arms, his expression amused. "But you got one thing wrong."
In the next instant, he vanished.
Before Muzan could react, Sol reappeared in front of him, his hand already wrapped around Muzan's neck.
"Now I am the one giving you an opportunity."
Muzan's pupils shrank. The grip on his neck was absolute, like iron closing in. No matter how he tried, he could not break free.
"What do you want?" he forced out, his voice strained.
Sol released him without warning. Muzan dropped to the ground, gasping.
"Call all the Upper Rank Demons you created."
Muzan froze. Fear crept across his pale face, something he had not shown in centuries.
"You… what are you planning?"
Sol casually walked over and sat on a nearby sofa, crossing his legs as if he owned the place.
"I already told you. I want to study your abilities. Call them all. I need more samples."
Muzan hesitated, conflict flashing in his eyes. Then he lowered his head.
"I understand. Kokushibo and the others will arrive soon."
Sol nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Then until they get here, let us talk."
He reached for a bottle of red wine on the table and poured himself a glass.
"You have lived for over a thousand years. That should come with some interesting knowledge, hidden secrets and all that."
Muzan watched him carefully.
"What do you want to know?"
Sol took a sip, then looked at him with a faint smile.
"Forget what I want to know. Let me tell you something instead. The Blue Spider Lily exists, and I know where it is."
Muzan's eyes widened instantly. He leaned forward without thinking.
"If it really exists… where is it?"
His thoughts raced.
Could this man be something beyond even him?
Excitement and greed flickered in his gaze as he stared at Sol.
"Are you…"
Sol gently swirled the wine in his glass.
"Am I what?"
"A perfect existence." Muzan's voice trembled. "You can use breathing techniques without a Nichirin blade. You walk in sunlight. That invisible force… it must be because of the Blue Spider Lily, right?"
Sol did not answer directly.
"How long have you wanted that power?"
"A thousand years!" Muzan rose to his feet, his hands shaking with excitement. "Tell me how to obtain it."
Sol set his glass down and stood.
"I will tell you where the Blue Spider Lily is. But there is a condition."
"What condition?" Muzan asked immediately, his usual composure completely gone.
"First, gather all the Upper Rank Demons."
Sol's tone remained unhurried.
"I need to confirm something."
Muzan paused for only a moment before nodding.
"Fine. I will summon them now."
He closed his eyes, sending the command through the blood connection that bound them all.
Sol sensed the shift instantly, a subtle wave of energy spreading outward.
Somewhere far away, Gyokko trembled inside his pot, feeling the summons. He hesitated, then shuffled slightly, still hiding as if that would protect him.
"They will be here soon," Muzan said, opening his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Now, tell me about the Blue Spider Lily."
Sol shook his head lightly.
"Relax. Wait until they arrive."
Muzan's expression darkened for a split second before smoothing over.
"Once they are here, you will not be able to refuse," he thought, though he forced a polite smile.
"Very well. We can wait."
Silence settled between them.
Sol leaned back into the sofa, glancing around the mansion with interest.
"Not bad. More comfortable than I expected."
Muzan forced a chuckle.
"If you like it, I can give you ten places like this."
"No need." Sol smiled faintly. "I am not that interested in material things."
Now convinced Sol was something beyond him, Muzan relaxed slightly. At the very least, this man was not aligned with the Demon Slayer Corps. That alone worked in his favor.
He walked over to a cabinet and took out another bottle.
"This is a 1787 Lafite. Would you like to try it?"
Sol raised an eyebrow.
"You really know how to live."
"When you live long enough, you learn to enjoy things," Muzan replied smoothly. "As someone like you, you should understand that even better."
He poured the wine with practiced ease.
"Humans may be weak, but they can be… creative."
Sol accepted the glass, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"So that is why you are so obsessed with conquering the sun?"
Muzan's expression darkened instantly.
"You cannot understand that pain. To have eternal life, yet be chained to the darkness."
Sol took a sip, completely unfazed.
"You are right. I do not understand."
He looked at Muzan with a casual smile.
"I have never needed to hide. I live exactly as I please."
The words struck deep.
Muzan's grip tightened unconsciously. The wine glass shattered in his hand, red liquid dripping onto the carpet like fresh blood.
Inside, his fury surged.
Just wait. Once they arrive, you are dead.
But outwardly, he forced himself to remain calm, wiping his hand with a cloth.
"Apologies. I lost control for a moment."
===
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