"Lynn?"
Uzui Tengen was stunned for a moment.
Realizing what had happened, he slowly lowered his dual blades, his expression relaxing.
"Did the Master send you?"
"Yeah, he said someone went missing after arriving in Tokyo and suspected an Upper Rank might be around."
Lynn looked toward the hostages: "I didn't expect you to be held back by three Lower Rank Demons."
"Their Blood Demon Arts were too troublesome."
A look of helplessness appeared on Uzui Tengen's face.
Even though they were all Lower Rank Demons, there were differences in strength among them.
Facing the top three Lower Rank Demons simultaneously would be a bit of a pressure even for him.
Add to that the excessive number of hostages and how Ubume and the others' Blood Demon Arts could complement each other.
With all these factors stacked together, he had been stalled for an entire night.
However, ...
All this sacrifice was worth it.
Looking at the safe hostages not far away, a bright smile appeared on Uzui Tengen's face.
"Thanks for this time, Lynn."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, at least half of the people here would have been sacrificed."
"No need to be so polite. If you really want to thank me, help me with something later."
"No problem, but before that, let's move to a different place."
Uzui Tengen looked into the distance.
After Ubume's death, her Blood Demon Art was affected and dissipated along with her.
The Public Security Bureau, which had been shrouded in an illusion, now reappeared before the public.
It was currently noon, and the streets were full of pedestrians; it only took a few seconds for people to notice that the Public Security Bureau had turned into ruins.
If he and Lynn continued to stand here, they would be surrounded by a crowd before long.
"Let's go, we're heading to the Hojo Residence."
Lynn had also noticed this and led Uzui Tengen toward the Hojo Residence.
Since he didn't know the specific situation when he set out, Lynn had gone full throttle on the way to the bureau, taking less than a few minutes in total.
By the time he finished the cleanup and brought Uzui Tengen back to the Hojo Residence, Kocho Kanae had only just finished treating Fujiwara Tessuke's injuries.
"Lynn, you're back."
Seeing Lynn safe and sound, Kocho Kanae breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to ask more about the situation, she saw Uzui Tengen walking in behind him.
"Good afternoon, Flower Hashira."
Uzui Tengen waved a greeting.
"Mr. Tengen, you are..."
Kocho Kanae looked over Uzui Tengen's condition, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
As a professional physician, Kocho Kanae's eyes were very sharp.
With just a glance, she confirmed that Uzui Tengen was neither poisoned nor seriously injured.
Rather than having been in a battle, his current appearance looked more like he had just returned from a night-long jog.
"I ran into three troublesome fellows."
Seemingly guessing Kanae's thoughts, Uzui Tengen took the initiative to explain the sequence of events.
"Lower Rank One, Lower Rank Two, and Lower Rank Three were all acting together?"
Kocho Kanae was somewhat surprised after hearing this.
Because of Kibutsuji Muzan's orders, demons rarely acted together in groups.
Three Lower Rank Demons cooperating like this seemed to be a first in nearly a hundred years.
"It seems something strange is happening on the demons' side; we must report this to the Master as soon as possible."
"Since you're reporting, then help me carry another message as well," Lynn's voice rang out.
"Tell him for me that I plan to move ahead of schedule and take action against Upper Six."
Uzui Tengen: "?"
Kocho Kanae: "?"
The two who were still discussing the Bureau incident were stunned and snapped their heads toward him.
Uzui Tengen: "Take action against Upper Six?"
Lynn nodded: "Although the anomaly at the Bureau wasn't in the plan, it's a good opportunity."
"I just killed Lower Rank Five last week, and this time I teamed up with you to kill Lower Rank One through Lower Rank Three."
"In just one week, more than half of the Lower Rank Demons have been killed by the Demon Slayer Corps. How do you think Muzan will feel when he finds out?"
"...Furious?"
"Exactly. Muzan is a cruel, heartless, and extremely egotistical person. He will definitely feel enraged right now, and might even call the remaining two Lower Rank Demons together to ask them what use they still have."
"If at this point in time, we strike again and capture Upper Six alive with overwhelming force, how do you think Muzan will react then?"
"His rage will spill over onto the Upper Ranks."
Without waiting for Uzui Tengen and the other to think, Lynn gave the answer himself.
"The Lower Ranks are nearly wiped out, and the Upper Ranks have suffered casualties. Muzan's dissatisfaction with the Lower Ranks will be entirely vented onto the Upper Rank Demons."
"If at that time, we use the captured Upper Six to intentionally leak our location, do you think Muzan will make a move?"
"Hmm... it's a possibility."
Uzui Tengen understood Lynn's idea.
He wanted to completely enrage Muzan and force him to emerge from the shadows.
If it succeeded, everyone would be happy, as the Demon Slayer Corps would get a chance to face Muzan directly.
If it failed, there was no loss; the Demon Slayer Corps would have only wasted some time without any casualties.
"When do you plan to act?"
"Tonight."
"The timing is a bit tight. Counting travel time, I won't have much time to recover my stamina."
"I know, that's why I didn't plan on having you join tonight's operation from the start."
Lynn took out paper and a pen from his robe, quickly scribbled a letter, and handed it to Uzui Tengen.
"Help me deliver a letter to the outskirts of Tokyo."
"To whom?"
"The Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjuro."
...