"What did you just say?"
Kokushibo stared at Muzan Kibutsuji with genuine disbelief.
"You turned an entire family into demons?"
"That is unlike you."
The revelation truly surprised him.
Among all demons, Muzan was the one who valued secrecy the most. He normally preferred creating demons individually, carefully observing compatibility and survival rates before abandoning failures.
Yet this time, he had transformed the entire Kamado family in one night.
Muzan, however, appeared completely unconcerned.
After all, throughout the past year, he had created countless demons in pursuit of one capable of conquering sunlight.
Compared to that obsession, one additional family meant nothing.
"I was merely curious," Muzan replied calmly as he raised his cup of rare blood wine.
Kokushibo sat across from him within the Infinity Castle and lightly clinked cups.
The liquid inside carried the scent of exceptionally rare blood.
Normally, even powerful demons could become intoxicated from drinking too much of it.
This time, however, Kokushibo deliberately used his own cells to rapidly decompose the alcohol before it could affect his mind.
He had no desire to lose clarity around Muzan.
"Still," Kokushibo continued, "based on your usual methods, you should have turned only one family member into a demon."
"Then allowed that individual to devour the others."
"That would align more closely with your personality."
Kokushibo drank the contents in a single gulp.
Muzan remained expressionless.
"I simply sensed unusual potential within that family."
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"And according to my senses now… there are no survivors."
Kokushibo silently looked away.
Of course there were survivors.
Nezuko had survived.
And if events continued following their destined path, Kamado Tanjiro would become the center of everything.
Naturally, Kokushibo had already interfered enough to disrupt fate repeatedly.
There was no way he would allow Muzan to sense Nezuko's abnormality so early.
Without continuing the topic further, Kokushibo stood up.
Muzan glanced toward him with faint amusement.
"What?"
"You truly dislike staying near me that much?"
A subtle smile appeared on his face.
"Or perhaps you simply dislike remaining alone with another man?"
Kokushibo immediately rolled all six eyes at him.
Rarely did he reveal such obvious exasperation.
"I am going to find Tamayo."
The moment Tamayo's name appeared, Muzan's expression darkened slightly.
"After all," Kokushibo continued calmly, "she is the only person who might possess clues regarding the Blue Spider Lily."
Mentioning the flower instantly caused Muzan to become serious again.
"Indeed."
"That matter must be resolved immediately."
Muzan slowly placed his cup aside.
"At present, we still do not know whether demons can truly overcome sunlight naturally."
Kokushibo left the Infinity Castle shortly afterward.
However, rather than immediately searching for Tamayo, he headed straight toward the Eternal Paradise Faith Cult.
Because compared to Nezuko's current situation, another matter required his immediate attention.
The moment Kokushibo arrived, he was greeted with devastating news.
"What did you say…?"
Kotoha Hashibira collapsed onto the floor instantly.
"Inosuke is missing?!"
Her trembling voice echoed throughout the room.
For a mother, there was no crueler news.
Even Doma seemed genuinely surprised.
"Lord Kokushibo," he said curiously, "was Inosuke not always living safely on the mountain?"
Over the past several years, Doma had secretly accompanied Kotoha during nighttime visits to check on Inosuke from afar.
Although Doma himself barely understood human emotions, he had gradually developed a strange attachment toward the wild child who wore a boar pelt on his head.
Perhaps this was the closest thing he had ever experienced to familial affection.
Yet yesterday, when Kokushibo personally went to check on Inosuke, the child had vanished completely.
Recalling the sudden appearance of the Manju Parasites nearby, Kokushibo immediately felt cold sweat form beneath his skin.
This was bad.
Very bad.
He had searched throughout the entire night yet discovered absolutely no trace of Inosuke.
Left with no alternatives, he could only inform Kotoha honestly.
"…I apologize."
"This was my negligence."
"I will personally take responsibility for finding him."
Although Kokushibo stood far above both Kotoha and Doma in status and strength, he did not avoid responsibility.
The fault genuinely lay with him.
Even after becoming a demon, Kokushibo still retained fragments of his humanity and pride.
Kotoha broke down completely, sobbing helplessly on the floor.
Nearby, Doma quietly watched her.
For some reason, seeing Kotoha cry caused an unfamiliar sensation to stir within his chest.
Was this… emotion?
Doma gently helped Kotoha back to her feet before turning toward Kokushibo.
"Thank you for informing us, Lord Kokushibo."
"We will search for him ourselves."
However, Kotoha immediately shook her head and stepped away.
"No."
"You cannot go outside during the daytime."
Her eyes remained red from crying, yet determination gradually returned to them.
"I will search for him myself."
"And I will definitely return before sunset."
Doma instinctively reached out as though wanting to stop her.
Yet Kotoha gently grabbed his hand first.
"Please trust me, Founder-sama."
"Whether I find Inosuke or not… I will come back."
As Doma stared into her tear-filled eyes, the strange stirring within his heart deepened further.
After a long silence, he finally nodded slowly.
"…Very well."
"But you must return before nightfall."
Meanwhile, far away at Mount Sagiri
Tanjiro knelt respectfully before Urokodaki Sakonji.
"Urokodaki-san," he said firmly, "please accept me as your disciple."
Nearby, Nezuko remained hidden inside a small wooden box beneath the shade, quietly sleeping.
Urokodaki sighed heavily as he observed the strange siblings.
Originally, because of Tomioka Giyu's recommendation, he had intended to accept Tanjiro without much hesitation.
However, Tanjiro's circumstances were far too unusual.
Not only did he travel alongside a demon
That demon was his younger sister.
More importantly, Tanjiro himself was far too kind-hearted.
His compassion extended toward everything around him.
Such a gentle personality was extremely dangerous for a Demon Slayer.
Yet despite all logic telling him to refuse, Urokodaki could not ignore the siblings entirely.
Nezuko had not consumed human flesh.
And according to Giyu's report, her earlier aggression had primarily targeted the Manju Parasites rather than humans.
After a long silence, Urokodaki finally made his decision.
"…Very well."
Before Tanjiro could celebrate, however
SMACK!
Urokodaki suddenly slapped him so hard across the face that Tanjiro crashed directly into the ground.
Tanjiro stared upward in complete confusion.
Urokodaki's voice turned stern.
"There is something you must understand first, Tanjiro."
"If your sister ever devours a human…"
"You must personally kill her."
"And afterward, you will take responsibility with your own life."
His words carried terrifying seriousness.
This was not merely a warning.
It was an oath.
Tanjiro froze momentarily.
Then, without hesitation, he lowered himself into a deep bow.
"If Nezuko ever harms a human," he declared firmly, "I will personally stop her."
"And afterward, I will commit seppuku to atone."
Hearing his answer, Urokodaki silently closed his eyes.
Thus, Kamado Tanjiro officially became his disciple.
And the story once destined to begin had finally started moving once more.
Meanwhile, inside Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
Tomioka Giyu's return caused a massive uproar.
Because he had brought back the most complete Manju Parasite corpse the Corps had ever recovered.
Previously, Rengoku Kyojuro had managed to kill several parasites as well.
Unfortunately, Flame Breathing's overwhelming heat had reduced most remains to charred fragments unsuitable for examination.
Tokito Muichiro's attacks were even worse from a research perspective.
Anything caught in his Mist Breathing techniques tended to be sliced into countless microscopic pieces.
But Giyu's kill was different.
Aside from the severed chest cavity, the parasite's body remained almost entirely intact.
Kocho Shinobu's eyes immediately brightened with excitement.
"Ara ara~"
"Mr. Tomioka, I never expected you to bring back such a complete specimen."
"That is honestly impressive."
Giyu stood silently nearby.
"Hm."
Despite inwardly feeling slightly proud, his expressionless face betrayed absolutely nothing.
Shinobu blinked twice.
"…That's your reaction after receiving praise?"
Originally, she had hoped to see Tomioka become embarrassed or flustered for once.
Instead, he merely looked confused.
Giyu tilted his head slightly.
"…Was there another correct response?"
Shinobu stared at him speechlessly before finally laughing softly.
"Mr. Tomioka really is hopeless sometimes."
At first, she had wondered whether Giyu's attentiveness toward her stemmed from hidden feelings.
Now she realized the truth.
Tomioka Giyu was simply painfully dense.
"…Thank you," Giyu answered seriously.
Shinobu could only sigh helplessly.
After Giyu departed, she immediately returned her full attention toward dissecting the Manju Parasite corpse.
At that moment, Kocho Kanae approached quietly from behind.
Although Kanae herself remained a demon, she no longer possessed the overwhelming hunger that afflicted most newly transformed demons.
Because she was not constantly pursuing greater strength, small quantities of donated blood were enough to sustain her daily existence.
Among all donors, however
Her favorite blood belonged to Shinazugawa Sanemi.
The Marechi blood flowing through his veins possessed an irresistibly rich fragrance even to someone with Kanae's extraordinary self-control.
Just thinking about it caused a dangerous impulse to surface within her mind.
For one reckless moment, Kanae genuinely imagined sneaking into Sanemi's room at night and biting deeply into his neck until she was satisfied.
The thought made her immediately cover her face in embarrassment.
"…This is bad."
"I'm starting to think more and more like a demon."