Night fell over the ancient manor, and moonlight streamed through the windows into the house.
A flamboyant and aloof man sat elegantly at his desk, holding a thick book in his hands.
His face was handsome yet cold, and his eyes revealed a profound wisdom and ruthless decisiveness.
His long, strong fingers turned the pages gently, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was not satisfied with the contents of the book.
He closed the book and gently rubbed his temples.
Outside the window, Akaza knelt on one knee without making a sound. He had been kneeling there for several hours, but the person inside the house had disappeared and ignored him, as if she had forgotten him. It was as if he himself did not exist. He was clearly there, but his breathing seemed to have completely disappeared.
The man closed his book, slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at Akaza.
"Get up." A deep, magnetic voice rang out, as if from the depths of hell: "Akaza, you have indeed lived up to my expectations of you. Your strength has improved rapidly over the years, which is excellent."
Akaza kept his head down and remained silent.
Kibu Shiki said calmly, "Gyokko has found a site that may be the address of the Ubuyashiki. I need you to go and confirm it."
Akaza raised his head, his calm eyes seemingly concealing a deeper madness, and said in a low voice, "Yes."
"Wait." Muzan called out to Akaza, who was about to leave: "This time, Ryūri will go with you."
Upper Moon Land?
Akaza frowned slightly. He felt he had done enough, but since it was Muzan-sama's order, he naturally wouldn't object.
"I see."
"Longli".
Kibujutsu Muzan's gaze turned to the corner of the courtyard, where a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
With his signature white hair and handsome face, who else could it be but Long Li?
Akaza's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this. Had he just arrived? Or had he been here all along?
But why didn't he sense his presence at all after waiting here for so long?
"Master Wuhan."
Ryuri calmly bowed to Muzan.
"Go with Akaza. Remember, no matter who you find, do not leave any survivors."
"yes."
Ryuji lowered his head and glanced at Akaza, who did the same. The next moment, both of them disappeared from the spot.
...
"Nice to meet you, Ryūri."
Ryūri and Akaza walked slowly along the path, with Akaza breaking the silence first.
"This isn't our first meeting," Ryūri chuckled. "Lord Akaza, this is our second time."
The last time the two met was a few years ago, when Ryuri was promoted to Upper Moon Six, and Muzan summoned all the Upper Moons to the Infinity Castle.
Both Akaza and Ryuri have a certain degree of affection for each other.
The reason is quite simple: Akaza has feelings for Ryuri because Ryuri beat up Doma, and Ryuri has feelings for Akaza because Akaza beat up Doma.
That's right, they all beat up Doma because of each other.
In terms of being universally disliked, Douma truly embodies the spirit of universality, achieving what others cannot.
"But this is the first time we've lived together."
Ryuji smiled and said, "This is my first time working with Upper Moon. I hope we have a pleasant collaboration, Lord Akaza."
"It's just a simple mission," Akaza said. "Gyokko is just as annoying as Doma at times, and his intelligence gathering ability is just as bad. He said that the ruins might be the address of the Ubuyashiki, so we'd better not get our hopes up too high."
Ryuri chuckled: "Lord Akaza seems to be quite experienced."
Akaza snorted coldly, as if he had thought of something bad, and his face immediately turned ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "That guy is good at sending some information to Lord Muzan, but eleven out of ten pieces of that information are inaccurate. Lord Muzan always makes me go and confirm it, and every time it's a wasted trip!"
Akaza was so angry that he clenched his fists.
"...Is that so?"
Long Li stroked his chin: "So that means we might have made a wasted trip this time?"
"Hmm." Akaza still looked resentful. "So we'd better not have any expectations."
That's all he wanted to tell Longli.
"But no matter what, this is still Lord Muzan's order."
Akaza sighed, "I don't know why Lord Muzan always believes that guy Gyokko's nonsense."
"There seems to be some movement over there."
Longli suddenly turned his head to look to one side.
"Is there?"
Akaza looked over, and after a few seconds he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Ryūri, your perception is superior to mine."
Ryu chuckled: "It's just that I'm better at it."
"It looks like they're coming towards us."
Ryu licked his lips: "Is it the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Akaza cracked his knuckles and grinned, "Perfect timing to stretch my wrists!"
Under the moonlight, several figures dressed in Demon Slayer Corps uniforms darted swiftly through the forest.
Suddenly, the person at the front of the group stopped abruptly, her brow furrowing as if she had sensed something amiss. Without hesitation, she turned and shouted to her companions, "It's the aura of a ghost! Right in front of us!"
Apart from the girl in the lead, the people behind her were all members of the Demon Slayer Corps' Hidden Body.
Although they didn't have the same keen perception as the girl, they had no doubt about her judgment.
Upon hearing the girl's warning, they all stopped and prepared themselves.
However, just as the girl finished speaking, two terrifying auras soared into the sky and swept over like a storm.
The aura was so powerful it was suffocating, causing everyone to feel a chill run down their spines.
"Wait, that's..." The girl's eyes widened in horror as she stared intently ahead.
Two figures were slowly walking towards them. As they drew closer, the girl finally saw their faces clearly, and when her gaze fell on their pupils, the hand holding the Nichirin Blade trembled uncontrollably.
Upper Moon Three! Upper Moon Six!
"Up, Upper Moon!!!" The crowd behind them watched the scene unfold in despair, their hearts filled with fear and helplessness.
They were well aware of the terrifying power of the Upper Moon demons, let alone facing two Upper Moons at once.
At this moment, they felt as if they were in an abyss, facing an invincible enemy, their hearts filled with despair and helplessness.
"So it really is the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Ryuri stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the face of the Demon Slayer Corps girl in front of him: "Go ahead, Lord Akaza."
"I don't kill women," Akaza said after a two-second silence.
Long Li clicked his tongue, looking somewhat annoyed. He had almost forgotten his memories of his human days, but a voice in his body kept telling him not to bully girls.
"I don't want to kill women either."
Akaza glanced at Ryūri with some surprise, a look that suggested he was looking at a close friend.