“Crack!”
A man dressed in a suit crushed the glass in his hand, and the clear liquor spilled onto the rather expensive carpet.
This man had handsome features and slightly wavy hair, and his well-tailored suit made him look like a man of high status.
In fact, his status was indeed very high.
His current name was Tsukihiko, and on the surface, he was the big boss of a company, with a beautiful wife and a newborn daughter at home.
But in the shadows, he was the powerful Demon King who had lived for over a thousand years, the Progenitor of Demons—Muzan Kibutsuji.
“Nakime, inform all the Upper Moons.
We are holding an Upper Moon Meeting!”
At this moment, veins bulged on Muzan’s face.
His mind was filled with the memories sent by Douma before his death.
The girl wielding the snow-white katana reminded him of some unpleasant things.
That calm, rippleless gaze was exactly the same as that of the red-haired man who had once driven him into a corner.
That kind of overwhelming power, that gaze that looked upon everything as mere ants—it was as if he had traveled through time back to the Sengoku period four hundred years ago.
Every cell in his body was wailing at this moment, his body trembling uncontrollably, and a low growl like that of a wild beast escaped his throat.
“Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
You can’t even stay quiet in death; you still have to cause trouble for me.” The black-haired girl in his mind now overlapped with that man from four hundred years ago.
“Yo-ri-i-chi Tsu-gi-ku-ni, is this the person you’ve found to end me?
I will not die.
I will find the blue spider lily and become the ultimate being of this world—eternal, immortal, and indestructible!”
After venting his rage, a door appeared behind Muzan, leading to the brightly lit Infinity Castle.
Here, there was no distinction of direction; space and gravity seemed to be jumbled together like a ball.
“Zheng!”
With the sound of a biwa, the four Upper Moons, who were originally in different locations, gathered on a single floor tile.
“Huh?
Only the four of us?
Where’s that guy Douma?
He couldn’t be dead, could he?”
The speaker was a young man with short pink hair, his body covered in deep blue tattoos signifying a criminal.
At this moment, he was asking about Douma’s whereabouts with a look of disgust.
To Akaza, it was better for a guy with such a foul personality like Douma to be dead.
As a demon who never killed women, Akaza loathed Douma, who fed on young girls.
Furthermore, a hundred years ago, Douma had initiated a Blood Battle for rank, ousting Akaza from the position of Upper Moon Two.
This made Akaza, who already disliked Douma, view him even more poorly.
“He might be with that lord.
After all, this isn’t the first or second time.”
The speaker was a grotesque-looking monster with only his head exposed, the rest of his body hidden inside a pot.
His two eyes were located at his mouth and forehead respectively, while his mouths were where his eyes should be—and there were two of them.
His head was also covered in tiny arms of unknown purpose.
This was Upper Moon Five—Gyokko.
“Stop guessing, they’re here!”
Said Nakime, who was kneeling on a high platform.
At this time, she was not yet Upper Moon Four, but merely served as Muzan’s secretary.
After all, Nakime’s own power wasn’t great; her truly useful ability was her bizarre Blood Demon Art that could manipulate space.
With the opening of a door, two figures stepped out.
In front was Muzan Kibutsuji in his suit, and behind him was a powerful black-haired samurai with six eyes.
“Ha, Douma isn’t here either.
Could he really be dead?” Akaza said, seemingly half-joking.
“We are holding an Upper Moon Meeting today,” Muzan said.
By now, he had composed himself and was no longer in the pathetic state he had been in earlier.
An Upper Moon Meeting hadn’t been held for over a hundred years.
The last one was because of the Blood Battle for rank initiated by Douma.
What was it for this time?
Hantengu thought as he looked at Muzan on the high platform.
“Douma is dead!”
“What?!” *4
The four Upper Rank Demons below the stage all let out cries of surprise.
The positions of the Upper Ranks had not changed for over a hundred years; even during Blood Battles for rank changes, only the rankings shifted, and no demon had ever died because of it.
This time, an Upper Rank had actually died outright, and it was Douma, whose rank was second only to Kokushibou.
“That’s impossible.
Although I hate that guy, I don’t know anyone in the current Demon Slayer Corps who could kill him.
Moreover, his Blood Demon Art is ice, which heavily counters the Demon Slayer Corps!”
Akaza had a look of disbelief on his face.
If anyone knew Douma’s strength best besides the Demon King Muzan, it was him.
As the loser of a rank-changing Blood Battle, he was very familiar with Douma’s Blood Demon Art!
“Douma was killed by a human girl.
Furthermore, she also uses ice, and she defeated Douma head-on with ice!” Muzan once again delivered news that surprised all the Upper Ranks, and Kokushibou was no exception.
“That guy was actually killed by a woman?
And with ice?
How ironic.
He spent his whole life eating women only to die at the hands of one.
Whether it’s his experience or his ability, it’s truly satisfying for a demon to hear!”
“That is the first matter.” After saying this, Muzan released his powerful pressure as the Progenitor of Demons.
This oppressive force, stemming from their bloodline, forced all the Upper Ranks present, except for Kokushibou, to drop to one knee.
“As for the second matter, have you Upper Rank Demons become degenerate after hundreds of years of comfort?
The prestigious Upper Moon Two was actually cut down by a human girl—and she was alone?
Have you lived for hundreds of years only to have your brains rot like a dog’s?”
“And the blue spider lily—how long have I had you searching for it?
To this day, there is still no news at all.
What use are you all?”
“Now, find that girl immediately.
Black hair, purple eyes, one hundred and fifty centimeters tall.
Find her and make her leave this world to ensure she never interferes with me again.
After that, everyone go search for the blue spider lily!”
After Muzan finished speaking, he turned and left the Infinity Castle, leaving the six demons staring at each other.
“Alright, everyone understands the Master’s orders, right?
That’s all for today.
Meeting adjourned!” Nakime said to the demons below the stage, then plucked her biwa to send the four of them back to their respective locations.
As for Kokushibou?
He had been staying in the Infinity Castle to begin with.
Muzan was truly a bit afraid of Rukia.
He feared a repeat of what happened four hundred years ago.
If Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s brother, Michikatsu, hadn’t turned into a demon back then, he might not have survived.
Adhering to his usual cautious (cowardly) attitude, Muzan decided to let the Upper Ranks go and scout first.
Once they had clarified the opponent’s strength, he would use a ‘righteous’ gang-up to surround and annihilate her.
If the opponent was too powerful, he would just hide for several decades and wait for them to die of old age before coming out again.
After all, as an immortal existence, he had plenty of time.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”