When Akaza arrived at the Infinity Castle once more, he was filled with surprise.
Hadn't Lord Muzan just assigned them missions? Why was he summoned back so quickly? This had never happened before.
When he was transported before the throne by Nakime, he keenly sensed that something was wrong.
This time, Kokushibo and Muzan were already waiting. He was actually the last to arrive.
"I am late. I await your punishment, Lord Muzan!"
Akaza quickly knelt to beg for forgiveness.
Although Muzan's expression was terrifyingly dark, he did not punish Akaza this time.
"Doma is dead."
Could something so wonderful be true?
Although Akaza didn't say this out loud, before Muzan, it was no different from blurting it out.
In an instant, Upper Rank Three was slammed into the floor, his entire body bursting into a mess of flesh and blood.
After venting his frustration on Akaza for a while, Muzan Kibutsuji finally allowed him to begin regenerating.
Although Muzan also disliked that fellow Doma, Akaza's thoughts at a time like this were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.
"Nakime, report."
"Yes— His name is Suzuki Makoto. After joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he killed the newly promoted Lower Rank Six. Since then, he has been hunting Demons at a high intensity, presumably to meet the conditions for becoming a Hashira, but his Hashira title has not yet been identified. He then disappeared for a period, and it is speculated he was hiding at the Ubuyashiki Estate."
"He later reappeared, killing Lower Rank Five on Mount Natagumo. Subsequently, Lower Rank One, who had been granted your blood, Lord Muzan, was killed on the Mugen Train. Not long after, Lord Gyutaro and Lady Ume were slain by him. And now, Lord Doma has also been killed by him."
As the list was recited, even Akaza couldn't help but be shocked. This guy was hunting them down and killing them almost in reverse order of the Twelve Kizuki!
"In just one month, two of the Upper Rank Kizuki are gone. A once-in-a-generation genius must have appeared in the Demon Slayer Corps again. Doma's death... was it due to his carelessness, or...?"
Kokushibo didn't care about Doma's death either. His previous suppression of Akaza's disrespect towards Doma was merely to uphold the hierarchy of ranks; he himself had no fondness for Doma.
"Aside from being ambushed at the start, Doma fought with all his might. That man not only knows the Demon Slayer Corps' five current basic Breathing Styles, but he even knows the very first one!"
"That's impossible. We should have killed all users of Sun Breathing— I have misspoken. Please punish me, Lord Muzan."
Kokushibo subconsciously retorted before realizing his mistake, immediately kneeling to beg for forgiveness as well.
"Enough! I've summoned you to discuss how to deal with this man!"
Muzan Kibutsuji waved his hand in annoyance. Venting once was enough; he was more concerned with how to handle this new user of Sun Breathing.
"Lord Muzan, if the enemy is that strong, shouldn't we gather all the remaining Upper Rank Kizuki, including Gyokko and Hantengu who are on other missions for you, and use Nakime's Infinity Castle to set a trap and ambush him?"
Akaza still had the mindset of a warrior; since Suzuki Makoto was so powerful, it was only natural to gather all their strength to deal with him.
Muzan said nothing, neither supporting nor opposing the idea, merely turning his gaze to Kokushibo.
The six-eyed warrior sat up straight, already understanding his master's intentions.
Akaza had never met Yoriichi Tsugikuni and naturally knew nothing of Sun Breathing, so he wanted to gather their forces to kill that man. But he, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, had truly faced that man, just as Muzan Kibutsuji had.
"Fifty years of human life is but a fleeting moment, like a dream, an illusion."
He recited this verse, then bowed his head and fell silent.
Muzan Kibutsuji frowned. As a Demon who had lived through the Sengoku period, he of course knew where this verse came from—Oda Nobunaga recited it before the Battle of Okehazama and again at the end in Honnō-ji. Without a doubt, it was a death poem, prepared long in advance.
If anyone else had said those words, Muzan might have thought they were supporting Akaza's idea, like Oda Nobunaga before the Battle of Okehazama, disregarding life and death to seek victory through a desperate decapitation strike.
The samurai Michikatsu Tsugikuni might have been willing to engage in a battle that cast aside life and death, but it was rather unlikely that Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, would be willing to do so.
As a master of timing hated by all, the Michikatsu Tsugikuni who could wait for Yoriichi Tsugikuni's "five seconds of destiny" to initiate a 1v1 duel between men, his purpose in saying this was truly just for its literal meaning.
A human can live for fifty years at most, but to us, that's just the blink of an eye, a passing dream—it's not like we haven't done this before.
Muzan was swayed.
Previously, he had been angered by the deaths of Rui and Gyutaro, but it was only because he felt they were too useless. For all these years, the Twelve Kizuki had not completed a single one of his long-term strategic objectives—be it finding the Blue Spider Lily, destroying the Demon Slayer Corps, or wiping out the Ubuyashiki family. They hadn't managed to achieve any of them.
However, thinking about it differently, as long as Nakime and Kokushibo remained under his command, it didn't matter how many other Demons died—Upper Ranks or Lower Ranks, it was all the same.
Akaza was a loyal and capable subordinate, useful to keep around. But the likes of Hantengu and Gyokko... they held no irreplaceable value for him.
It was a no-brainer that with someone like Suzuki Makoto on their side, the Demon Slayer Corps would be emboldened in the days to come. Even if he wanted to pull back completely, he would need to organize precious assets and information. Sending those two to destroy the Swordsmith Village would undoubtedly buy him enough time.
"Gyokko and Hantengu's mission is very important, no less significant than killing that man. Therefore, they cannot be recalled now."
Muzan Kibutsuji made his final decision. Even if it meant sacrificing Upper Rank Four and Upper Rank Five, as long as they could destroy the Demon Slayer Corps' Swordsmith Village and sever the production line of Nichirin Blades, it would be worth it.
Akaza just nodded blankly—a complete disadvantage of being uncultured.
"Then how should we deal with this man?"
"We will, of course, continue to wait. Wait for the most perfect moment."
Only then did Kokushibo raise his head, majestically displaying the qualities befitting a master of timing.
_____
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