Before their departure, Kagaya Ubuyashiki handed Shinobu Kocho a letter: "Please deliver this letter to Mr. Allen."
Shinobu Kocho carefully put away the letter, a complex emotion flashing in her wisteria-like eyes: "Master... aren't you coming with us?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled and shook his head: "My body is not suited for long journeys, and besides, I trust you all to make the right decisions."
And so, the group set off on their journey to Kyoto. The sights along the way astonished them; the villages that should have been ravaged by Man-eating Demons were now peaceful, with some villagers even discussing a "Demon-extermination squad sent by the Emperor."
"It seems they really are taking action," Giyu Tomioka said in a low voice.
Kyojuro Rengoku walked at the very front, full of spirit: "Mmm! I knew Mr. Allen wouldn't do anything bad!"
Shinobu Kocho remained silent, only quickening her pace. She was both expectant and anxious, wondering what the outcome of this meeting would be, and if she could truly see her sister again.
When the walls of Kyoto finally appeared in their sight, the group instinctively stopped. At the city gate stood several soldiers in black uniforms, their eyes glowing with an unnatural red light in the sun.
"Are those Man-eating Demons standing in the sun?" Mitsuri Kanroji nervously clutched Shinobu Kocho's sleeve.
But even more surprisingly, these "demon-soldiers" were diligently checking the luggage of those entering the city, their attitude even polite. A child accidentally bumped into one of the soldiers, who not only didn't get angry but crouched down to help the child pick up a dropped candy.
"Are these really Man-eating Demons?" Gyomei Himejima murmured, tears streaming down his face.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the city wall: "Yo, isn't this the Demon Slayer Corps? You arrived sooner than expected ~"
Everyone looked up to see Douma casually sitting on the edge of the city wall, his golden folding fan gently swaying, and a playful glint in his ice-blue eyes.
"Upper Rank Two!" Shinobu Kocho immediately took a fighting stance, her nichirin blade drawn.
Douma dramatically clutched his chest: "Oh dear ~ Don't be so tense ~ I'm an officially certified commander of the special security forces now ~" He rattled the shining badge on his chest: "Under orders to wipe out those disobedient Man-eating Demons ~"
Giyu Tomioka asked coldly: "Where is Allen?"
"The Ancestor is waiting for you at the Imperial Palace ~" Douma leaped lightly from the city wall, landing without a sound.
"Follow me, but..." His gaze swept over the nichirin blades at their waists, "You'll have to temporarily hand over your weapons, that's the rule ~"
Kyojuro Rengoku laughed heartily, patting his sword hilt: "That's impossible! How can a samurai casually hand over his sword!"
Douma pouted: "So troublesome ~ Then at least promise me not to casually cut people ~ Especially our new colleagues who are working hard ~"
Led by Douma, the group walked through the bustling streets of Kyoto. To their surprise, the streets were orderly, even more prosperous than before.
They occasionally saw "demon-soldiers" in uniform patrolling, but instead of attacking humans, they were helping elderly people cross the road and mediating disputes.
"Is this... truly a world ruled by Muzan?" Mitsuri Kanroji asked softly.
Douma turned back and winked: "Surprised, aren't you? This is all thanks to the Ancestor ~ He made us understand that ruling living people is much more interesting than eating them ~"
In front of the Imperial Palace gate, Muzan was waiting with his hands behind his back. Seeing the group arrive, he nodded slightly: "Welcome, the Ancestor is waiting for you."
Shinobu Kocho stared at Muzan warily: "Are you truly not eating humans anymore?"
A hint of impatience flashed in Muzan's eyes: "That low-level desire was long ago helped to be overcome by the Ancestor. Now we have more important things to do."
In truth, it wasn't that Muzan and the other Man-eating Demons didn't want to eat humans, but rather they were compelled by Allen's threat. This made them suddenly feel as if they didn't really want to eat humans that much anymore, after all, they didn't want to be tortured by Allen with extremely cruel methods and then die painfully just for eating one human.
He turned and led the group into the Imperial Palace. Passing through several palace gates, they finally arrived at the Imperial Garden, where Allen was sitting under a cherry blossom tree, sipping tea. Seeing the group arrive, he put down his teacup and showed a familiar smile.
"Long time no see, everyone."
This smile was so familiar that the group felt a momentary flashback to the days when they were trained by Allen. Kyojuro Rengoku was the first to step forward: "Mr. Allen! What exactly are you planning?"
Allen gestured for everyone to sit down: "Don't rush, have some tea first, and we can talk slowly."
After everyone was seated, Allen personally poured them tea. Shinobu Kocho handed him Kagaya Ubuyashiki's letter: "This is from the Master to you."
Allen took the letter, quickly scanned it, and a slight smile played on his lips: "Mr. Kagaya Ubuyashiki is indeed a sensible man."
He put down the letter and looked around at everyone: "I know you have many questions. Now, feel free to ask anything."
Giyu Tomioka was the first to speak, his voice low: "Can you really revive the dead?"
Allen nodded: "Yes, but I need to wait until I return from another world, but the prerequisite is that you must accept my conditions."
"What conditions?" Shinobu Kocho asked warily.
"It's simple, become my subordinates. During the time I am away, I want you to form a new Demon Slayer Corps to supervise the Man-eating Demons. If any Man-eating Demon dares to eat a human, kill it directly. I don't want my forces to fall into chaos because of a small Man-eating Demon."
Shinobu Kocho's eyes widened slightly, the teacup in her hand trembling gently: "Supervise the Man-eating Demons?"
Allen picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "That's right. Although Muzan and the others are now under my control and no longer eat humans, over time, there will inevitably be some who slip through the cracks. I need a professional team to maintain order."
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together, tears constantly flowing: "Amitabha, if that's the case, I believe the Master and the others would also be very willing to help."
Allen put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "You can understand it as me wanting to establish a completely new order, where Man-eating Demons no longer feed on humans, and humans no longer need to fear Man-eating Demons."
Kyojuro Rengoku burst into hearty laughter: "That sounds like a great idea!"
Shinobu Kocho's slender fingers gently rubbed the rim of her teacup: "But how can you guarantee that those Man-eating Demons truly won't eat humans anymore? After all, it's their nature."
"It's simple." Allen snapped his fingers, and Muzan immediately stepped forward respectfully: "Ancestor."
"Tell them what the consequences will be if a Man-eating Demon is found eating a human."
A hint of fear flashed in Muzan's eyes: "They will be personally executed by the Ancestor, and it will be an extremely painful death."
Allen nodded with satisfaction: "Not only that, I have also prepared a complete supervision mechanism. The new Demon Slayer Corps will be responsible for supervising the behavior of all Man-eating Demons, and once a violator is found, they can be directly killed."
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