For some reason, Makomo rubbed her red eyes sorrowfully, then broke into a tearful smile.
"Makomo loves Master the most, so I'll leave everything to you!"
Ryuya had no interest in witnessing the sentimental master-disciple moment; he only confirmed one thing:
The demon in front of him wasn't that adult. And he was going to kill him.
"Working with humans? You disgraceful demon… you bring shame upon us. Let me eliminate you and clear the path for that adult!"
Black shadows clung to Pero's body, countless hungry wolf eyes emerging from his pitch-black form.
His entire shape twisted into a towering, shadow-wolf figure wielding a katana, his aura ferocious and overwhelming.
"Blood Demon Art: Halberd Domain — War-Strife Wolf!"
"Is that your Blood Demon Art?" Ryuya said indifferently, swinging his Nichirin Blade as he charged straight at Pero.
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon — Evening Palace."
The crimson moon-shaped blade cut through the shadow in an instant.
A heartbeat later, Pero's confident expression froze as his head lifted from his neck, spinning through the air.
Blood erupted, splattering across the ground as his body fell with a heavy thud.
"So fast? Seriously?"
Pero's burning head crumbled to ash, but the terror frozen in his eyes refused to disappear.
He hadn't reacted. Not even for a second.
"Master is still as amazing as ever!" Makomo cheered, bending down to check Pero's burning remains.
In her eyes, a troublesome demon was nothing more than a single swing of her Master's blade.
Makomo clung to Ryuya affectionately, oblivious to the man silently watching from a distant tree branch.
A young man — fox mask, Nichirin Blade at his waist, white cloak fluttering.
He removed the mask, revealing a scar running from his cheek to his jaw.
If Makomo were here, she would immediately recognize him: Sabito, Urokodaki Sakonji's genius apprentice, of the same generation as Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka.
He wasn't a Hashira, yet his strength was comparable to one — a special existence within the Demon Slayer Corps.
"I didn't expect Makomo to be so eager to send me away… only to run into this Moon Demon?"
He muttered, "It seems he's even Makomo's Master? I have to report this to Lord Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
A Moon Demon killing a demon — and a Lower Rank demon at that — was something unheard of.
After Ryuya turned Flower Hashira Kanae into a demon, the Demon Slayer Corps gained intelligence regarding Upper Rank Two Doma, as well as Ryuya's usage of a Breathing Technique.
Because of this, the Corps internally referred to him as the Moon Demon.
Sabito had witnessed everything only because Makomo was originally assigned to a joint mission with him.
The Moon Demon's actions made everyone in the Corps frustrated and furious.
But Sabito was not ruled by anger.
Even Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima had declared:
"If you encounter the Moon Demon, do not act alone. His strength is unfathomable."
Sabito understood perfectly — approaching him alone was suicide. And after what he'd just seen, he was even more certain.
He slipped back into the forest shadows, heading toward the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
He needed to report everything to Lord Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki… at the Corps' logistics center:
The Butterfly Mansion.
Lord Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the demonized Kanae Kochou, formerly Flower Hashira, knelt on cushions, a wooden table between them with two cups of warm tea.
"Lord Master, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?" Kanae asked anxiously.
After accepting her demonization, Kanae discovered many oddities in her condition.
With her imaginative mind, she reported everything openly to Kagaya.
"Perhaps you are not wrong, Kanae. For now, demonization doesn't seem to be a bad thing."
Kagaya smiled gently.
The truth was undeniable:
Kanae turning into a demon was a heavy loss for the Corps, and morale suffered greatly…
But because of it, she survived — and even regained her sight, lost due to using the Higanbana eyes.
"Lord Master is truly wise. Unlike Shinobu, who called me a big idiot and said my brain must be broken!"
Kanae puffed her cheeks adorably.
"After meeting that gentle Mr. Demon, I'm even more convinced humans and demons can coexist peacefully."
Her demonization had caused great controversy.
Only Shinobu and Kagaya were allowed to see her, and through this, Kanae experienced firsthand the bitter hardships demons lived with.
Yet she remained unwavering — neither wearied by hardship nor shaken from her original convictions.
"I'm pleased to see you recovering. And I support your vision, Kanae," Kagaya said softly.
He held no hatred toward demons… except one.
Kibutsuji Muzan.
The source of all suffering — whom he was destined to oppose.
"Is Shinobu still the same?" Kagaya asked.
"Yes," Kanae whispered, eyes full of worry.
Ever since Ryuya demonized Kanae, and Shinobu failed to kill him — even being humiliated by him — Shinobu, who never enjoyed practicing swordsmanship, had become obsessed.
Day after day, she trained herself to exhaustion, sharpening her Breathing Technique and blade skills.
She was determined to cut off Ryuya's head with her own hands.
Kanae tried to persuade her — not to protect Ryuya, but to keep him from harming her sister.
But Shinobu declared:
No matter what, she would personally kill that demon and make him pay.
"Leave Shinobu to me," Kagaya assured. "You must have something else important you wish to do, correct?"
Kanae didn't hide it.
"Lord Master… I want to meet the gentle Mr. Demon."
In Ryuya, she saw the possibility of coexistence.
And she wished to show him — with her own existence — that her hopes weren't foolish dreams.
"Kochou Kanae, please be careful," Kagaya smiled.
She bowed gratefully.
Infinity Castle
Nakime plucked her biwa strings, guiding Ryuya into Muzan's chamber.
"Ryuya," Muzan's cold voice thundered, "what you did this time greatly disappointed me."
A crushing aura erupted.
Ryuya's chest tightened with sharp pain.
Veins bulged across his forehead and his legs buckled, slamming to the ground. Blood trickled from his nostrils and lips.
Even Nakime's hands trembled violently over her biwa.
"Have you finally grown up? Do you have your own thoughts now?" Muzan hissed.
"Who permitted you to kill Lower Rank Two Pero?!"
The pressure intensified.
"Father… he was just a Lower Rank. If he clashed with me, am I not allowed to kill him?" Ryuya's face twisted with pain as he forced himself to look up.
"Still making excuses?" Muzan snarled.