Late night, Tokyo.
A man dressed in a suit with deathly pale skin walked along the street.
As a city that never sleeps, the night was not the end for Tokyo, but a new beginning.
All sorts of sounds echoed around, and the crowds surged, filling the entire street.
"How lively~"
Enmu watched the passing pedestrians.
His eyeballs, engraved with Lower Rank Three, twitched slightly, and a twisted smile appeared on his face.
If he were to make a move here, he could probably create an unprecedentedly grand spectacle.
"Pity, it's not time yet."
Crossing through the crowded throngs, Enmu arrived at a mansion on the next street.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard; a thick scent of incense wafted toward him.
The noise from the outside world vanished, and the entire world instantly fell into silence.
"Hmm~ Is this a welcoming ceremony?"
Seemingly sensing something, Enmu stopped and looked not far ahead.
"You're too slow!"
In a dark corner, Enmu stood up, his face showing 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 at full speed after receiving the message."
Enmu had a faint smile on his face, seemingly unfazed by the other's words.
"Is this Blood Demon Art yours?"
"It's not mine."
Enmu looked toward the nearby residence. "Hey! Everyone's here! How much longer are you going to keep playing house inside?"
"How rude."
A crisp female voice rang out from within the residence.
Along with it came a hair-raising sound of swallowing.
A few seconds later, the mansion's main doors were opened.
A beautiful woman with crimson eyes and long black hair walked out, licking the corner of her mouth.
"To call the act of caring for children 'playing house,' your childhood must have been very dull."
"Tsk! So much nonsense! If you keep spouting that useless crap, I'll blow you away!"
"Oh? Are you challenging me?"
"Why not!"
"You two~ please don't fight~"
Seeing the two about to come to blows over a disagreement, Enmu tilted his head and issued a reminder.
"If we waste too much time on such things, Lord Muzan will be unhappy."
"..."
The arguing stopped abruptly.
Looking at the two who had fallen silent, a pleasant smile appeared on Enmu's face.
"It seems you both have calmed down~"
"In that case, let's introduce ourselves."
Enmu raised his left hand, and a mouth appeared on the back of it, speaking.
"I am Enmu, and I can manipulate dreams."
"Enmu, my Blood Demon Art is shadow manipulation."
With a thought from Enmu, the shadow beneath his feet surged into mid-air, with numerous gun barrels appearing on its surface.
"Shadows~ that seems like a very interesting ability. Perhaps we'll get along."
Enmu praised him, then turned his head toward the beautiful woman who had just walked out of the residence.
"Ubume."
The beautiful woman with Lower Rank One engraved in her eyes raised her hand, and the incense in the air slowly dissipated.
The next second, a thick scent of blood rose, and dozens of mangled corpses appeared in the courtyard.
"My ability is... creating illusions."
...
Three days later, Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Having received a message from the Kakushi, Lynn and Kocho Kanae arrived at the Ubuyashiki Residence.
Unlike the previous meeting in the courtyard, this time the two went directly inside the residence and met Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
After greeting each other, Lynn didn't waste time and went straight to the point.
"Have you found Tamayo's whereabouts? Or have you found the blue spider lily?"
"Sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya shook his head. "The reason I called you here is that a change has occurred in Tokyo."
"Tokyo?"
"Tokyo is the jurisdiction of the former Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjuro. However, Shinjuro has become despondent since his wife's death, and Tokyo has lost its administrator."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya took several letters from his robe and placed them on the table. "Starting about three days ago, incidents of demons harming people have begun to appear frequently throughout Tokyo, and members of the Demon Slayer Corps sent to investigate have also gone missing one after another."
"I suspect this is related to the Lower Rank Demons. Yesterday, I sent Tengen to Tokyo to investigate, but I haven't received any reply until now."
" Tengen has gone missing too?!"
Kocho Kanae's brow furrowed, her expression instantly becoming serious.
Uzui Tengen came from a shinobi family, and his emphasis on information far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Since the other party went to Tokyo, there has been no message for a long time, which is a hundred percent indication that they have encountered an unexpected situation.
"Could it be... that an Upper Rank Demon is on the loose?"
"That's possible, which is why I called the two of you here."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked at Lynn: "If an Upper Rank appears, are you confident you can handle it?"
"If all the Upper Ranks gather, it might be a bit troublesome."
"That is truly a reassuring answer."
A faint smile appeared on Ubuyashiki Kagaya's face: "In that case, I'll leave Tokyo to you to handle."
"Kanae, you take the tools and go to Tokyo with Lynn. If something unexpected happens on Tengen's side, I'll rely on you to provide treatment."
"Leave it to me."
Kocho Kanae nodded.
After bidding farewell to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Kocho Kanae returned to the Butterfly Mansion to pack her belongings.
To deal with the Upper Ranks, she had prepared various potions over the past few days.
Without knowing the exact situation in Tokyo, she had to bring all these potions.
Kocho Shinobu, who happened to be passing by, saw this scene, paused for a moment, and then entered the room.
"Sister, are you going out?"
"Yes, there's a problem in Tokyo. Master has entrusted Lynn and me to investigate."
"Two Pillars are being dispatched?"
Kocho Shinobu's expression instantly turned serious.
Pillars are the elite combatants of the Demon Slayer Corps and are not easily dispatched under normal circumstances.
Deploying two Pillars at once could only mean that the situation in Tokyo had spiraled out of control.
"Could it be that an Upper Rank Demon has appeared?"
"That's possible."
Kocho Kanae responded without mentioning Uzui Tengen's disappearance.
"Don't worry, Shinobu. Lynn is accompanying me on this mission, so nothing will go wrong."
"But..."
Kocho Shinobu hesitated, her words trailing off.
Although Lynn was very strong, Upper Rank Demons were also monstrously powerful beings.
Over the past several hundred years, the Lower Rank Demons among the Twelve Kizuki had changed repeatedly, but the Upper Ranks had never once changed, and they had even killed a large number of Pillars.
The thought that Kocho Kanae might encounter such a monster during the mission inevitably filled her with worry.
"Sister, can I go with you?"
"Of course not."
Before Kocho Kanae could reply, Lynn's voice came from behind.
Pushing the door open and entering the room, Lynn greeted Kanae first, then turned his gaze to Kocho Shinobu.
"Upper Rank Demons are very strong. Someone who isn't even a Pillar yet shouldn't tag along."
"...Then I'll wait for you at home."
After a moment of silence, Kocho Shinobu chose to compromise.
Just as Lynn had said, she was too weak.
With her current strength, if she encountered an Upper Rank Demon, she would only hold the two of them back.
"Lynn, if something unexpected happens, I'm counting on you to look after my sister."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Lynn patted the nichirin blade at his waist, his face full of confidence.
"Even if an Upper Rank Demon really appears, I'll cut them down one by one."
"You're just the same as always."
Looking at this scene, reminiscent of their first meeting, the tension in Kocho Shinobu's heart quietly dissipated.
"Then I'll wait for your good news."
This time, Kocho Shinobu chose to believe.
...