Bang!!
A crisp sound echoed through the dimly lit room.
Under the faint yellow glow of the lamp, the interior of the room was barely visible.
On the smooth tatami floor lay the corpse of a man who had died with his eyes wide open.
The poor victim had half his neck torn away, and crimson blood had stained nearly half the room.
Kneeling beside the body was a towering figure.
Its ashen-gray body, disheveled black hair, crimson eyes, razor-sharp black claws and terrifying fangs were horrifying enough.
But what was most unsettling were the drums—literal drums—growing from its bare upper body, shoulders, abdomen, back, and even thighs.
Drums embedded in its flesh!
This was unmistakably a Demon, its crimson eyes bearing a single blue iris.
Within the blue iris of its right eye, the characters 'Lower Six' were clearly inscribed.
This was no ordinary Demon—it was one of the Twelve Kizuki, the Lower Rank Six: Kyogai!
Yet now, this fearsome and grotesque Lower Rank Six cowered like a frightened chick, kneeling on the ground, its massive frame trembling visibly with terror.
What could possibly inspire such fear in Kyogai?
The answer stood before it—a tall figure clad in a pristine white suit.
Beneath the brim of a hat, a pair of emotionless crimson eyes gazed down at Kyogai.
The progenitor of all Demons—Muzan Kibutsuji!
"Kyogai."
The moment Muzan's cold voice rang out, Kyogai immediately shrank into himself, pressing his entire body against the floor in a display of utter submission.
"Is this the extent of your abilities? As one of the Twelve Kizuki, is this all you can manage when it comes to devouring humans?" Muzan's voice dripped with displeasure.
Hearing this, Kyogai frantically lifted his head, stammering in panic.
"N-No, Muzan-sama! That's not it! I—I can do better! Please, believe in me! Grant me more of your blood! I'll consume even more humans! I'll grow stronger! Muzan-sama!"
Far from appeasing Muzan, Kyogai's plea only enraged him further.
Veins bulged across his face as he snarled, "Enough! Useless trash! The Lower Ranks are all worthless! Rokuro, Kamanue, Ubume, Wakuraba—within just a few years, the Lower Ranks have been completely replaced! What is even the point of your existence!?"
Ssskrrrt!
"AAAHHH!!" Kyogai clutched his eye and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
The mark of "Lower Six" in his right eye was now slashed through by two deep gashes, carved by Muzan himself.
"Pathetic waste. Get out of the Lower Ranks." With a final disgusted glance at Kyogai writhing in his own blood, Muzan turned and strode out of the room.
Under the cold moonlight, Muzan walked with his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent.
Suddenly, a blur of movement flickered behind him.
Muzan paused, his crimson eyes flicking sideways.
There, kneeling on one knee behind him, was the Upper Rank Three—Akaza, clad in a pink short coat.
"Muzan-sama, I have failed," Akaza announced.
BOOM!!
SPLAT!
Akaza's golden pupils contracted slightly as the ground beside him—along with his left arm—exploded into dust.
A deep fissure split the earth at his feet, and dark red blood gushed from the stump of his severed limb.
Although such injuries would heal in the blink of an eye for Akaza, sensing the fury of Muzan, he simply lowered his head in silence, enduring the wrath without a word.
After a long while, Muzan finally spoke, "Akaza, when did the Upper Ranks become so useless? You're upper rank three, and you couldn't even kill a single human? Tell me, how did you fail?!"
Akaza held nothing back, recounting every detail of his encounter truthfully.
Muzan, who had been in a state of rage, gradually eased his fury upon hearing that Akaza had not only faced the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps but also encountered another extraordinarily powerful Demon.
Veins bulged on Muzan's forehead as he turned, his crimson eyes scrutinizing Akaza's expression as if confirming something.
"You're saying a Demon with strength comparable to yours interfered with your attempt to kill the Water Hashira?"
Akaza: "Yes, Muzan-sama."
Muzan said nothing, only suddenly raising his hand—whoosh!
A sharp, whip-like tendril shot out from his sleeve, lashing towards Akaza like a venomous serpent.
Akaza made no move to dodge, allowing the barbed whip to pierce his skull.
Soon, Muzan's expression twisted into something monstrous, his fangs elongating as he snarled a name Akaza had never heard before.
"SHOKYUU!! A filthy rat lurking in the shadows, a despicable coward!" Muzan growled furiously, his scarlet eyes burning with unrestrained rage as they fell upon the kneeling Akaza.
Yet Akaza remained his most reliable subordinate.
Compared to the other incompetent Upper Ranks, Muzan greatly valued Akaza's loyalty and efficiency—even if his refusal to kill women and children didn't quite align with the nature of a Demon.
Still, Muzan was willing to overlook this flaw.
"Leave!" In the end, Muzan only barked the order at Akaza.
Once Akaza had vanished from sight, Muzan still couldn't suppress his fury.
With a sweep of his arm, the earth split open, gouged with countless deep fissures.
After venting slightly, Muzan clenched his teeth and snapped his fingers.
Clang!
A crisp strum of a biwa echoed in response and the long-haired female Demon Nakime, holding her biwa, instantly appeared beside Muzan.
"Tell Kokushibo to hunt down the rats hiding in the dark—and crush them. Also, inform the remaining Lower Ranks that I am deeply dissatisfied with their performance. If they continue to be this worthless, the Lower Ranks will no longer be necessary!"
Nakime bowed her head slightly. "As you command, Muzan-sama."
Her slender fingers plucked the biwa strings, and in the next moment, she vanished.
Muzan lifted his gaze, his crimson eyes fixed on the full moon hanging high in the night sky.
Some foreign old men had once told him that the moon's light came from the sun.
But why, then, couldn't a perfect being like him stand beneath the true sunlight?
*****
After months of separation, Shinichi and Shinobu returned together to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
To Shinichi, coming back to headquarters was like returning to his second home—everything around him felt so familiar and welcoming.
However, as soon as Shinichi returned to headquarters, he received a piece of news that left him utterly dumbfounded.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of Wisteria Tea sprayed out in shock as Shinichi stared in disbelief at the person before him.
"What did you say? Those brats, Yuichiro and Muichiro, became Hashira??"
(Note: Current plot status—Lower Moons: Lower One—vacant, Lower Two—Hairo—soon to die, Lower Three—Enmu, Lower Four—Mukago, Lower Five Rui —Lower Six—vacant.)
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