"Using a heavily wounded Upper Rank Three as bait to lure out the core combat power of the Twelve Kizuki and wipe them out in one strike… that's my plan."
After hearing these words, the scene fell into complete silence.
Kyojuro Rengoku's eyes widened, his chest rising and falling heavily.
He looked at the young man before him, the awe in his heart reaching its peak.
Such far-reaching strategy. Such confidence in manipulating an Upper Rank demon as if it were nothing.
Compared to this, the Demon Slayer Corps' past tactics—simply charging in and fighting demons to the death whenever they encountered one—suddenly seemed painfully naïve.
"Mm! I understand!"
Kyojuro Rengoku suddenly straightened his back and gave Rin a deep bow.
"Kyojuro Rengoku is in awe of Rin-dono's wisdom and courage! You are absolutely right. If we wish to end this thousand-year tragedy once and for all, this risk is entirely worth taking! From this moment on, if you ever require support, the Flame Hashira will willingly follow your command!"
Tanjiro also looked at Rin with open admiration.
Not only was his strength overwhelmingly powerful, but his mind was equally brilliant. To deceive that cold-blooded Upper Rank demon so completely… something like that could probably only be done by Mr. Rin.
[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully used genjutsu to alter an Upper Rank's memories, establishing a long-term hunting strategy!]
[Flame Hashira 'Kyojuro Rengoku' has been fully won over, increasing the cohesion of the protagonist's group!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining dimension points: 3,000!]
A clear notification sounded in Rin's mind.
Including the rewards from crushing Akaza's pride earlier, the total gains from tonight's Mugen Train incident had already surpassed ten thousand points.
On the horizon, the first rays of sunlight finally pierced through the clouds and spread across the wilderness.
Rin stretched lazily beneath the morning light.
"Alright, let's wrap things up. Time to head back to the Butterfly Mansion for breakfast."
[Dimensional Template System]
[Host]: Rin
[Current Template]: Uchiha Sasuke (Mangekyō Sharingan Period)
[Dimension Points]: 51,990 (Original accumulation: 48,990 + Memory tampering and winning over the Flame Hashira: 3,000)
...
Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
As the absolute center of politics and power in Japan, the streets here remained spotless even in the middle of the night.
Western-style buildings stood beside high-end traditional Japanese estates. The people living here were, without exception, members of the wealthy and noble upper class.
Inside a three-story luxury Western villa, the mahogany study on the second floor was illuminated by the warm yellow glow of a gas lamp.
A gentle cello piece played softly from the gramophone.
At the center of the room, over expensive Persian rugs, a boy around ten years old sat quietly in a high-backed leather chair.
His handsome face carried a faint, sickly pallor as he slowly flipped through a thick German medical textbook.
"Young Master Toshikuni, it is time for your medicine."
A servant in a maid's uniform stepped inside cautiously, carrying a silver tray.
On the tray were several Western pills and a glass of warm water.
"Leave it on the table and go. Do not let anyone disturb my reading."
The boy did not even look up. His voice was youthful, yet it carried an unmistakable chill.
"Yes, Young Master."
The maid did not dare say anything more. She set the tray on the table, bowed respectfully, and quietly withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.
As the door shut, only the music from the gramophone remained in the study.
The boy slowly closed the book in his hands.
Under the lamplight, his originally black eyes quietly changed, turning into plum-red vertical pupils.
Kibutsuji Muzan.
In his search for the Blue Spider Lily, the flower said to grant immunity to sunlight, he continuously changed identities, hiding himself among different layers of human society.
Currently, he was living as the frail, sickly adopted son of this wealthy merchant family in Chiyoda Ward.
Suddenly, the temperature inside the study dropped without warning, and even the flame of the gas lamp began to flicker violently.
In the shadows before the window, a figure kneeling on one knee slowly appeared.
Short pink hair, a body covered in deep blue tattoos, and clothes torn to tatters. The muscles in his right arm twitched slightly, as if they had just undergone some intense reconstruction.
It was Akaza, Upper Rank Three, who had rushed back from the site of the Mugen Train.
"Lord Muzan."
Akaza bowed his head deeply, his voice carrying an irrepressible sense of shame and humiliation.
Muzan slowly turned the high-backed chair and looked coldly at the subordinate he had always valued highly.
In his memory, Akaza was a pure martial arts fanatic who could easily slaughter a Hashira upon encountering one. It was rare for him to appear in such a miserable state.
"I sent you to search for the Blue Spider Lily and deal with those meddlesome Demon Slayers along the way. Is this pathetic appearance of yours meant to tell me that you failed?"
Muzan's voice was not loud, but every word carried an invisible, crushing pressure.
"This subordinate ..is incompetent."
Akaza clenched his teeth as the images of that fierce battle from a few hours earlier surfaced in his mind. His fists tightened.
"I encountered the Flame Hashira, a boy wearing hanafuda earrings, and a bizarre swordsman who used lightning techniques. They joined forces to stall me… until sunrise. In order to preserve my life, I had no choice but to retreat."
"Stalled until dawn by three swordsmen?"
A flash of cold violence passed through Muzan's eyes. He did not care about the process, only the result.
For an Upper Rank demon to fail to kill a few Demon Slayers was, in his view, an unforgivable dereliction of duty.
However, suspicious by nature, his gaze swept over Akaza and quickly noticed the disturbance in his aura.
Without saying anything further, Muzan raised his right hand and lightly pointed his index finger toward Akaza's forehead from across the room.
The suppression of their blood connection activated instantly.
As the progenitor of all demons, Muzan could easily read the memories and experiences of any demon.
A bridge of consciousness was immediately established, and the "battle record" of Akaza's experience near the Mugen Train began to replay rapidly in Muzan's mind like a slideshow.
In the images, on the wilderness where the train had derailed:
The Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, suddenly manifested flame-like Demon Slayer Marks on his forehead and cheeks while facing Akaza's killing blows.
With the appearance of the Marks, the Flame Hashira's speed and strength increased dramatically. Wreathed in blazing flames, he clashed head-on with Akaza.
On the flank, the boy wearing hanafuda earrings grit his teeth, using sword techniques burning as fiercely as the sun to interfere.
Finally, there was a black-haired young man wearing a black haori and wielding a black Nichirin Blade.
He did not use a traditional Breathing Style. Instead, he coated both his blade and his body in lightning. His speed was terrifying, moving along the edges of the battlefield like an elusive shadow, striking with various tricky lightning thrusts that constantly disrupted Akaza's rhythm.
The battle within the memories was extremely brutal.
The Flame Hashira was coughing up blood, his body covered in wounds.
The boy with the hanafuda earrings had collapsed from exhaustion.
The black-haired swordsman using lightning was also panting heavily, his left arm hanging limp, clearly badly injured.
Just as it seemed Akaza was about to unleash his final Destructive Death technique and crush them all..
On the distant horizon, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the darkness.
____
12 Advance chapters:Patreon/slept01