While rumors and gossip continued to spread throughout the halls of the Infinity Castle, the atmosphere within the Demon Slayer Corps was completely different.
A heavy gloom hung over everyone.
The missing members had finally been found.
Unfortunately, they had not been found alive.
Giyu Tomioka stood silently before the collapsed cavern.
His expression remained as calm as ever, yet his eyes lingered on the countless corpses scattered across the ground.
The cave ceiling had completely caved in.
The battlefield was littered with enormous insect carcasses.
Broken shells.
Severed limbs.
Pools of dried blood.
Everywhere one looked, signs of a brutal battle remained.
Nearby, Shinobu Kocho carefully adjusted her glasses as she examined the scene.
Even she looked somewhat bewildered.
"We found them over here."
Muichiro Tokito's voice drifted through the cavern.
Everyone immediately approached.
Before them lay two horribly mutilated corpses.
The bodies were barely recognizable.
Shinobu crouched beside them and conducted a thorough examination.
After several moments, she let out a soft sigh.
"They've already been transformed."
Her expression darkened.
"They became those insect creatures before they died."
The surviving Demon Slayer Corps members silently lowered their heads.
Once the cleanup operation was completed, the Hashira gradually departed one after another.
The cavern slowly returned to silence.
However
Just after the final Hashira disappeared into the distance, a pair of eyes opened within the shadows of a nearby tree.
The figure stared toward the departing Demon Slayers.
"The Twelve Kizuki…"
"The Demon Slayer Corps…"
The voice was almost inaudible.
Then the figure vanished.
Back at the Ubuyashiki Estate, an emergency investigation immediately began.
Inside a specially prepared examination room, Shinobu, Kanae Kocho, and Tamayo carefully analyzed the recovered corpses and insect remains.
As a former physician who had spent centuries researching demons, Tamayo quickly reached a conclusion.
"Most of these wounds were inflicted by claws and bites."
She pointed toward several damaged specimens.
"The creatures clearly fought each other."
Kanae examined another corpse.
"Internal tearing."
"Crushing injuries."
"Multiple forms of damage."
"This wasn't caused by a single combatant."
Meanwhile, Shinobu carefully removed dozens of venomous spines from one of the giant centipede corpses.
She extracted blood samples before beginning a detailed analysis.
Several hours later, the room fell silent.
The results had arrived.
Shinobu stared at the report.
Tamayo narrowed her eyes.
The poison was unmistakable.
It perfectly matched the toxin previously discovered within Giyu Tomioka and Tengen Uzui.
Only one demon possessed venom of this nature.
Upper Rank Five.
Gyokko.
A cold chill spread through the room.
Kanae frowned.
"Upper Rank Five was there."
No one could understand why Gyokko would appear in such a remote location.
More importantly
The ruined cavern had clearly been the nest of those insect creatures.
Gyokko's presence could not possibly have been accidental.
The evidence suggested something far more troubling.
Someone had ordered him there.
At that moment, a weak voice spoke from nearby.
"That possibility is highly likely."
Everyone turned toward the bed.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki lay there quietly.
Although his condition had worsened considerably, his eyes remained calm and intelligent.
"The Upper Moons rarely act independently."
"If one of them was present, there is a strong possibility that the operation was organized."
The implications were terrifying.
As a result, Kagaya immediately called for a Hashira meeting.
Soon, all nine Hashira gathered within the estate.
Tanjiro Kamado and his companions were also invited.
Kanae and Tamayo attended as well.
Although Sanemi Shinazugawa still visibly distrusted Tamayo, he restrained himself from making any hostile remarks.
Partly because Kagaya trusted her.
Partly because Kanae's gentle smile somehow felt more threatening than usual whenever Tamayo was involved.
After everyone had gathered, Tamayo presented the results of the investigation.
"According to our findings, more than one Upper Rank demon was present."
She spread several reports before the assembled Hashira.
"The wounds found on the insect creatures differ significantly."
"Different attack methods."
"Different combat styles."
"Different Blood Demon Arts."
"This indicates the presence of multiple powerful demons."
Silence followed.
Then Gyomei Himejima slowly spoke.
"Could it be…"
His voice was unusually heavy.
"The Twelve Kizuki acted together?"
The room instantly became tense.
Nobody wanted to consider such a possibility.
The Twelve Kizuki represented the strongest forces under Muzan Kibutsuji.
Even a single Upper Rank demon could threaten multiple Hashira.
The memory of Upper Rank Four remained fresh in everyone's minds.
That battle had nearly claimed several Hashira lives.
Had Muichiro not survived through extraordinary luck and circumstances, the Demon Slayer Corps might have suffered devastating losses.
The thought of all Twelve Kizuki operating together was enough to make anyone uneasy.
Several Hashira exchanged glances.
Unspoken thoughts crossed their minds.
If future missions involved Upper Moons, forming teams would be far safer than operating alone.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro found himself thinking about someone else entirely.
Kokushibo.
The strange Upper Rank One who seemed completely different from the other demons.
His scent had appeared within that mysterious house.
Yet the scent present on the night his family was slaughtered had not belonged to Kokushibo.
The mystery only grew deeper.
At that moment, Tamayo revealed another important development.
"I've completed a new poison."
The room immediately focused on her.
Tamayo continued.
"It is specifically designed to affect Upper Rank demons."
The statement stunned everyone.
Even Shinobu's eyes widened slightly.
Creating poison capable of harming ordinary demons was one thing.
Creating poison capable of affecting Upper Ranks was something entirely different.
Tamayo's determination to destroy Muzan had clearly reached extraordinary levels.
Kagaya visibly brightened.
For the first time that day, genuine hope appeared in his eyes.
"Excellent."
Unfortunately, his weakened body could not support his excitement.
As he attempted to sit upright, he nearly collapsed.
"Master!"
Several voices rang out simultaneously.
The Hashira immediately moved to support him.
Kagaya smiled reassuringly.
"It's alright."
"I'm fine."
Despite his words, everyone could see the truth.
His illness had progressed significantly.
The sight made the atmosphere grow heavy once again.
After a moment of hesitation, Tamayo spoke.
"Ubuyashiki-sama."
"May I conduct a detailed examination?"
Although he knew the curse affecting his family was unlike any ordinary illness, Kagaya nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
The Hashira remained cautious.
Sanemi's hand instinctively rested upon the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
If Tamayo attempted anything suspicious, he was prepared to intervene immediately.
Fortunately, Tamayo's intentions were sincere.
She carefully examined Kagaya's condition.
His pulse.
His breathing.
The progression of the curse.
The damage to his body.
After a lengthy examination, Tamayo finally stepped back.
A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
"I understand."
Everyone immediately looked toward her.
Tamayo adjusted her glasses.
Then she delivered a statement that stunned the entire room.
"I believe I can create a medicine capable of slowing the progression of the Ubuyashiki Curse."
The room fell silent.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
For several seconds, everyone simply stared.
Then the realization struck.
Hope.
Real hope.
For generations, the Ubuyashiki family had suffered beneath the curse connected to Muzan Kibutsuji.
Countless lives had been shortened because of it.
Now Tamayo was saying it could be resisted.
The excitement was impossible to contain.
Kagaya himself remained composed, but his eyes softened.
For the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, however, the news was overwhelming.
Their leader was irreplaceable.
Without Kagaya, the Corps would lose its foundation.
Even Gyomei, the strongest Hashira, had once said that the survival of Ubuyashiki-sama was more important than his own life.
As long as their Master remained alive, the Demon Slayer Corps would continue moving forward.
Celebration gradually spread throughout the room.
Even Inosuke sensed the excitement.
Although he had only understood half the conversation, that didn't stop him.
He immediately jumped to his feet.
"Let's have a feast!"
The room fell silent.
Then everyone realized Inosuke was completely serious.
Apparently, he simply wanted an excuse to eat something delicious.
Before anyone could respond, Kyojuro Rengoku slammed a fist into his palm.
His eyes blazed with enthusiasm.
"Excellent idea!"
"Let us celebrate!"
Mitsuri Kanroji immediately joined in.
"A feast sounds wonderful!"
Soon, more voices joined the discussion.
What had begun as a serious strategic meeting rapidly transformed into preparations for a celebration.
Even Kagaya couldn't help smiling at the sight.
Far away, within the Infinity Castle, an entirely different situation was unfolding.
A week had passed since Kokushibo's argument with Muzan.
For seven consecutive days, the atmosphere between them remained awkward.
Neither side wanted to admit fault.
In the end, Nakime finally lost patience.
After considerable effort and several private conversations Muzan reluctantly took the initiative.
An apology was offered.
The dispute ended.
Peace was restored.
Nakime nearly sighed in relief.
Pulling out a small notebook, she quietly updated one of her personal observations.
Days spent maintaining a female disguise: Twenty.
After writing the note, she thoughtfully tapped the page.
Lord Muzan appeared increasingly comfortable maintaining his current identity.
Whether that meant anything remained unclear.
Elsewhere, Kokushibo found himself curious about another matter.
Throughout their thousand-year existence, Muzan had constantly hidden among humans.
Surely he had accumulated enormous influence.
Perhaps vast wealth.
Political connections.
Control over countless organizations.
So Kokushibo asked.
Muzan immediately became proud.
He spent nearly an hour explaining his various identities, businesses, and investments.
The longer Kokushibo listened, the more painful the conversation became.
By the end, he was completely speechless.
A thousand years.
An immortal demon who had lived through countless eras.
And this was all he had accomplished?
Kokushibo rubbed his forehead.
He genuinely couldn't understand it.
Muzan possessed immortality.
Superhuman intelligence.
Unlimited time.
Yet his achievements in human society were surprisingly modest.
To make matters worse, Muzan proudly explained how he occasionally inherited his own businesses by pretending to be the previous owner's descendant.
Kokushibo stared.
Silently.
For a very long time.
Finally, he spoke.
"Lord Muzan."
Muzan smiled proudly.
"Yes?"
Kokushibo sighed.
"A thousand years."
"One thousand entire years."
"And this is your grand strategy?"
For the first time that evening, Muzan looked offended.
Kokushibo continued mercilessly.
"You possess endless time."
"Endless resources."
"Endless opportunities."
"And yet your ambitions remain this limited."
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.
Finally, he stood.
His six eyes narrowed.
"Enough."
"If you refuse to think on a larger scale…"
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"Then allow me to handle it."
For reasons neither demon could fully explain, Muzan suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Something told him that Kokushibo was about to become far more troublesome than any Hashira.
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