Inside a pharmaceutical merchant's mansion, Muzan, in the guise of a child, flipped through books on medicinal herbs. Each page described the environment and value of rare herbs. Though he had read hundreds of such tomes, he clung to a small hope. Perhaps within these pages, he could find the location of the blue spider lily.
The flower was crucial, linked to his dream of walking under sunlight without harm. His black eyes, calm at first, scanned the pages with intent. Moonlight streamed through the curtains, sketching the night's outline into the room.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the balcony, kneeling gracefully. Upper Moon Three Akaza had arrived. The room's calm shattered with his presence. Akaza's expression was tense, his steps careful, aware of the gravity of the news he carried.
"Akaza reports, Lord Muzan," he said, his voice strained but steady.
Muzan slowly put down the book, his black pupils shifting to a deep crimson. The air stiffened, thick and oppressive, as though the storm had already arrived.
"Did you find what I instructed?" Muzan's voice was low, calm, yet every word radiated authority.
Akaza lowered his gaze, unwilling to meet Muzan's piercing eyes. "I investigated, but could not confirm its existence. I failed to locate the blue spider lily."
"So?" Muzan's expression remained neutral, betraying no emotion, as though the flower held no weight.
"I will continue my efforts to fulfill your expectations." Akaza's voice was resolute, though faintly strained.
Muzan turned slowly, his face impassive, veins faintly protruding as internal rage simmered beneath the surface. The air in the room grew suffocating, laden with silent menace.
"And Enmu?" Muzan asked, calm but menacing. "Why has no report reached me? Are you ashamed?"
Akaza knelt rigidly, trembling under the immense pressure. His throat was dry; he dared not respond. Before any words could escape, Muzan extended a finger. A shockwave, invisible but palpable, struck Akaza, compressing the air with a sharp whoosh.
Akaza stiffened, submitting to the force. The pressure threatened to crush him entirely.
"You could not even defeat a mere Pillar. Do you still claim the title of Upper Moon?" Muzan's voice was colder than ice. Pages of the book in his hand tore, each rip seeming to echo onto Akaza's very body. With every page torn, cracks appeared on Akaza's skin, blood seeping slowly onto the floor, mingling with his groans.
Muzan moved to the window, eyes fixed on the moonlight, leaving Akaza writhing in pain behind him. His voice was detached, icy. "If you cannot prove your worth, what purpose do you serve?"
Akaza's mind churned: to be humbled by a boy, not even a Pillar. Muzan's words cut deeper than any blade.
"You truly disappoint me," Muzan said, his crimson gaze dark and unforgiving. "I did not expect Upper Moon Three to fall so low."
Muzan turned toward a bookshelf, each step deliberate and heavy, as if each landed upon Akaza's heart. Selecting a finely bound volume, he commanded coldly, "Withdraw." His eyes never left the book, as though Akaza no longer existed.
The rustling pages mixed with the night wind, amplifying the room's oppressive weight. Akaza bowed his head, bloodied but obedient. Slowly, he stepped back and leaped from the window, retreating into the forest.
Muzan opened the book, though his mind wandered. The Transparent World had appeared again on Raiden. Though imperfect, it was unmistakably the same technique from the Warring States Period. Could there be other legacies remaining?
Muzan's grip on the book tightened. Raiden's growth filled him with urgency.
"Useless trash," Muzan muttered, his eyes dark with disdain. Even if Raiden could activate the Transparent World briefly, Akaza was fully capable of killing him. Yet, by underestimating Raiden, Akaza had been forced to retreat. A chance to end the threat had been wasted.
Creak.
"I heard noise. Are you alright?" a middle-aged man asked, entering the room.
Muzan's eyes returned to black. He still needed to maintain the identity of a pharmaceutical merchant while searching for the blue spider lily.
Outside, Akaza moved through the dense night forest. The wind brushed against his face as anger and confusion surged within him. Muzan's words were like a knife, etched into his very being, and the phrase, "You truly disappoint me," bound him like invisible chains, suffocating every thought.