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The memories ended abruptly.
Muzan cut off the memory reading and withdrew his finger. Leaning back in the leather chair, his plum-red eyes flickered with an uncertain light.
"Demon Slayer Marks…"
For a brief moment, Muzan's heart trembled uncontrollably.
Hundreds of years ago, the man who had driven him into a corner and cut him into over eighteen hundred pieces—Tsugikuni Yoriichi—had borne similar marks on his face.
Those were cursed marks obtained by pushing Breathing Styles to their absolute limit, burning away one's lifespan in exchange for power.
The moment Muzan saw the Flame Hashira activate the mark, a trace of instinctive fear did arise within him.
But the next moment, that fear turned into a cold sneer.
"I see. Even after activating the mark, he could only barely withstand Akaza's attacks and was still beaten to the brink of death?"
Muzan evaluated the scene coldly in his mind.
The memories were very clear.
Those three humans had exhausted every trump card they had just to barely stall for time.
If sunrise had not arrived, Akaza would have crushed them into pulp without a doubt.
This proved that although the strength of the Demon Slayer Corps had improved, it had only improved to this extent.
No monster like Tsugikuni Yoriichi, someone capable of overwhelmingly crushing an Upper Rank demon alone, had appeared among them.
As for the black-haired young man who used lightning, in Muzan's eyes he was nothing more than a nimble clown.
Although he had killed Rui at Mount Natagumo, his true strength could not even break through Akaza's defenses head-on. He could only rely on harassment tactics to stay alive. From this perspective, he was not worth worrying about at all.
Muzan's suspicions were perfectly calmed by the false memories Rin had carefully woven.
He did not sense anything unusual because the memory was far too logical.
Humans unleashing hidden potential in a desperate situation and narrowly surviving under the protection of the sun was the most common pattern Demon Slayers had displayed over the past several hundred years.
"Useless trash."
Muzan looked down at Akaza kneeling on the floor, his gaze icy.
With a single thought, the Muzan blood within Akaza's body instantly went berserk.
"Gah—!"
Akaza suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.
The blood vessels across his entire body felt as though they were about to burst. The overwhelming pain made him curl up on the floor, cold sweat soaking his clothes, yet he did not even dare to let out a scream.
"Unable to even finish off a few dying humans. You've completely tarnished the reputation of the Upper Ranks. Akaza, you have disappointed me greatly."
Muzan rose from his chair, walked over to Akaza, and looked down at him coldly.
"Get out. Continue the mission to find the Blue Spider Lily. As for those Demon Slayers…"
Since the Demon Slayer Corps liked to gather together, and even swordsmen with Demon Slayer Marks had begun to appear, they could not be allowed to continue developing.
"Inform the other Upper Ranks to pay close attention to the movements of the Demon Slayer Corps' bases. Since the Demon Slayers are beginning to gather, we will use even greater force to uproot them completely."
"Begone."
"Yes… I obey your will."
Enduring the agonizing pain of his cells being torn apart, Akaza forced himself to bow deeply. Then his body sank into the shadows on the floor and vanished.
Silence returned to the study.
The young boy walked to the window, pulled aside the heavy velvet curtains, and looked out at the prosperous nightscape of Chiyoda Ward.
"As long as I find the Blue Spider Lily… this world beneath the sun will belong entirely to me."
…
The next morning.
At the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, the Butterfly Mansion, hundreds of kilometers away from Tokyo.
When Rin entered through the gate with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, the sun had just risen.
Rengoku Kyojuro had parted ways with them earlier, as he needed to personally report the situation of the Mugen Train to the Master.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw Shinobu Kocho standing on the veranda. In her hands was a small tray holding several cups of freshly brewed tea.
The moment she saw Rin walk in safe and sound, without even a tear in his clothes, Shinobu Kocho visibly let out a sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders relaxed, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a faint smile.
"Didn't sleep all night?" Rin walked to the edge of the veranda and asked, noticing the faint dark circles beneath her eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself. I was just researching a new pharmacological formula," Shinobu Kocho said, smoothly averting her gaze as she handed him a cup of tea. "How was it? You didn't run into any troublesome problems, did you?"
Rin accepted the teacup and took out the parcel from his robe.
"Here, your rice balls. I was too busy beating people up last night and forgot to eat them."
Shinobu Kocho looked at the untouched parcel, her brows knitting slightly. "They're stone cold. I'll have Aoi throw them away or feed them to the dogs in the backyard."
As she spoke, she reached out to take them, but Rin avoided her hand.
"Who says cold ones can't be eaten?"
Rin opened the parcel and picked up one of the ice-cold rice balls. A faint spark of reddish chakra flickered at his fingertips. The high temperature of Fire Release was controlled with precision so the food wouldn't burn. Within seconds, steam began to rise from the rice ball.
He took a large bite, chewed twice, and commented, "A little too salty, but the plum flavor is pretty strong."
Watching Rin finish the remaining rice balls in just a few bites right in front of her, Shinobu Kocho's cheeks gradually flushed a faint red.
"You… you really are quite crude," she muttered softly, though the smile in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Fishing is physical labor. Of course I need to replenish some energy." Rin brushed the rice crumbs from his hands, savoring the lingering taste.
"Fishing?" Shinobu Kocho looked at him with mild confusion.
"Yeah. I cast a very, very long line."
Rin looked up at the azure sky as the memory he had forcibly implanted into Akaza surfaced in his mind.
If nothing unexpected happened, that cowardly piece-of-trash boss hiding in the shadows should have already taken the bait.
Not killing Upper Rank Three on the spot did mean missing out on a few thousand points.
But in exchange, it meant a VIP home delivery of the entire Twelve Kizuki, arriving one by one to deliver their own heads.
"Next, we just wait for the prey to come knocking on the door."
Rin turned his head and looked at Tanjiro and the other two still fooling around in the courtyard. He spoke casually.
"Let these three boys rest for a day. Starting tomorrow, double their training volume. The real trouble will arrive soon."
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12 Advance chapters:Patreon/slept01