While the Demon Slayer Corps was in a peaceful atmosphere, the Infinity Castle once again convened a meeting.
"Infinity Castle... I'm here... Brother, has an Upper Rank Demon been killed?" The beautiful white-haired girl, with the kanji for Upper Rank Six etched in her eyes, looked in astonishment at the intersecting space before her.
Upper Rank Six - Daki.
Hearing her murmur, a grotesque growth of flesh suddenly appeared from her pale back. In the blink of an eye, an ugly figure clung to her fair back.
That figure had dense black spots on his face. Though tall, he was gaunt, and his back was hunched like a seventy-year-old man. His arms were broad, yet his waist was so slender it looked like it would snap with a touch.
Upper Rank Six - Gyuutarou.
They were a pair of twin demons.
Gyuutarou scratched his face and said in a hoarse voice, "Upper Rank, huh~ I wonder who it is~"
Daki was overjoyed: "No matter who it is, this means we have hope for promotion."
Gyuutarou slapped her head: "idiot, Muzan-sama must be very angry. You shouldn't say such things carelessly."
Although both Upper and Lower Ranks came to the Infinity Castle for meetings, there was a fundamental difference between them.
Lower Ranks were, at best, consumables that could be discarded at any time.
Upper Ranks were different; they were Muzan's trusted retainers, responsible for finding the blue spider lily, gathering information on the Demon Slayer Corps, and killing the Pillars. Thus, the atmosphere at their meetings was completely different.
The Lower Ranks would basically tremble and dare not speak, while the Upper Ranks were much more relaxed. As long as you weren't betraying Muzan, Muzan was very lenient.
Following Nakime's biwa music, the two arrived at a platform. What they saw was...
An old demon with a bump on his head, timidly hiding in a corner.
Upper Rank Four - Hantengu.
An asymmetrical pot.
Upper Rank Five - Gyokko.
And a handsome young man with short, ash-blonde hair, smiling and greeting them.
Upper Rank Two - Douma.
Gyuutarou lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Lord Douma."
The twin demons had considerable respect for Douma, as he was the one who led them down the path of demons.
If not for Douma's help, his sister would have died long ago.
No matter how many times he had to do it again, he would choose to become a demon.
"Oh my, so it wasn't you two." Douma's lips curved into a gentle smile. "I thought it was you two who got wiped out~"
Gyuutarou, Daki: "..."
It made them sound so weak.
Douma opened his rainbow-colored eyes and looked around in confusion, as if searching for something: "If that's the case, could it be Lord Akaza?"
"How could that be..." Douma's eyes flickered, and two tears of sorrow fell from his face. "Lord Akaza is my best friend..."
"..."
"Ah, this is..." A strange figure emerged from the asymmetrical pot. Gyokko looked at Douma with a face full of sweat.
He really wanted to say, 'Since it's just us here, there's no need to act so much,' but Gyokko was quite wary of Douma himself.
Other people were easy to communicate with as long as you didn't touch a raw nerve, but this guy was different.
This guy was a lunatic; he might do something outrageous.
While crying, Douma suddenly perked up, shocked: "If it's not Lord Akaza, could it be Lord Kokushibou?"
"How could that be..."
He wouldn't say that Lord Kokushibou was also his best friend, would he?
All the demons were speechless.
However, despite Douma's antics, his status among them was indeed not low.
Fortunately, there was the straightforward Nakime, "No, Upper Rank One-sama was the earliest one summoned by Muzan-sama."
"I... am here..." In the distorted space, from behind a curtain, a majestic voice resonated, causing all who heard it to tremble.
Kokushibou's appearance made the assembled demons dare not clamor as they had just moments before.
Upper Rank One was a formidable demon whose position had remained unchanged for hundreds of years since the establishment of the Twelve Demon Moons system.
He could be said to be the demon closest to Muzan-sama.
Calling him a mere subordinate was no longer appropriate; even Muzan himself referred to him as a 'collaborator'.
This honor was unattainable by other demons.
Among the demons, only the perpetually erratic Douma remained expressionless, a faint smile on his face.
"Then, does that mean it really is Lord Akaza?"
"What a pity..."
"Nakime, where is Muzan-sama?"
The demons' hearts sank. If Akaza had died, then things were truly serious.
He was an Upper Rank Demon, one of the top three; their boss was probably furious.
The Twelve Demon Moons usually didn't gather unless one was missing.
"You seem very happy, Douma." A uniquely authoritative voice sounded faintly.
Douma smiled and turned his head: "How could I be? I'm very sad~"
"Muzan-sama!" All the demons knelt in unison.
Kibutsuji Muzan, dressed in a black suit, looked at the demons with his rose-red eyes.
"An Upper Rank Moon is missing. Akaza is dead."
As expected!
The demons were shocked. Who on earth was it...? Kibutsuji Muzan slightly raised his eyes, getting straight to the point without further ado: "Kokushibou, I want you to personally go this time. Any problems?"
He's directly sending Upper Rank One? It seems normal, after all, even Akaza wasn't a match... Kokushibou slightly lowered his head: "As you command."
Kokushibou slightly lowered his head: "As you command."
"Once you confirm this woman's information, bring me her head." Muzan's calm voice rang out, and he casually scattered a few drops of blood.
Kokushibou respectfully drank the blood, and the outline of a figure gradually appeared in his mind.
Who?
Kokushibou felt a little uneasy.
Before he could think further, the figure gradually became clear.
Kokushibou's body trembled for a moment, and all six of his eyes quivered slightly.
"Huh?" The demons' brows furrowed, and they looked over in surprise.
What did he see?
Even that old fossil showed such an expression.
Did the opponent have three heads and six arms or something?
"You understand now, don't you? Why I want you to go personally." As if he had long anticipated Kokushibou's reaction, Muzan's expression remained calm.
"That monster... and her descendant..."
Before Muzan could finish, a strange name suddenly came out of Kokushibou's mouth.
"Mizuki..."
Muzan paused for a moment. Who?
The other demons were also surprised. In their impression, this guy was very rigid, a true old fossil, with hierarchy ingrained in his bones.
If he wasn't truly stunned, he would never interrupt Muzan-sama.
Muzan frowned slightly: "Is there something you want to say?"
Muzan had the ability to read the minds of demons, but he would never actively read Kokushibou's mind.
Mind-reading was for demons he didn't trust; Kokushibou... he trusted implicitly.
"This person..." Kokushibou's heart, which had been calm for hundreds of years, suddenly had a huge rock dropped into it, splashing a pool of water. "Is my sister..."
"Sister?" Douma blinked. "Lord Kokushibou, could you be seeing things?"
How old are you? If your sister isn't a demon, wouldn't she have been reduced to bones by now?
Among the Upper Ranks, facing this serious situation, only this guy dared to speak up.
Didn't he see how serious the boss and the second-in-command looked?
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