Lower Rank Meeting

He bent down and picked up a stone from the ground. After examining it for a moment, Inosuke threw it away.

"It's no use, it's too small."

"This one won't do either, it's too brittle."

"This is okay, but I don't like it."

After much deliberation, Inosuke finally chose a stone of a suitable size.

Then, in front of everyone, he raised the stone.

"Your Inosuke?"

Scratching his head, Tetsuana Mori had no idea what Inosuke was going to do next.

Are we going to test the knife?

But if you're testing a knife, shouldn't you be using it to chop rocks? Why are you using a rock to strike the knife?

The next second, Inosuke's actions told him why he had to do it.

"Bang!"

With a powerful swing, Inosuke slammed the stone against the blade of his Nichirin Blade.

Although the Nichirin Blade was very hard, it was quickly chipped by Inosuke's force.

Instead of lessening his strength, Inosuke continued to smash down with even greater force.

Soon, a sizable notch appeared at the bottom of the blade.

Then came the second, the third...

At this moment, Tetsuana Mori was stunned.

"Phew~ I'm a little tired."

After smashing all the nicks and chips into the blade of a knife, Inosuke seemed a little tired and subconsciously wiped away his sweat.

"I never imagined that smashing knives was such a physically demanding task."

These words were like igniting a fuse, instantly igniting Tetsuana Mori's anger.

"I'm going to kill that brat with my own hands!"

With a loud shout, he stood up and tried to rush out.

The Scribe patted Tanjiro on the back and pushed him away.

Tanjiro raised his shield, held off Tetsuana Mori, and quickly apologized.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I apologize to you on Inosuke!

Only now did he understand why the Scribe had told him to "be wary" of Tetsuana Mori.

After smashing one knife, Inosuke casually grabbed another.

Upon hearing Tanjiro and Tetsuana Mori's shouts, he instinctively turned his head to look in their direction.

"What are you two arguing about? It's so annoying."

A burst of hot air shot out from under the hood, Inosuke suddenly realized what was happening and clapped his hands.

"You wanted to help me smash the knife, didn't you? You should have said so earlier. Here you go."

After saying that, he picked up the knife and stone and made a handing motion to them.

I'm going to kill you!

Chapter 297 Lower Rank Conference

It took Tanjiro a long time to persuade Tetsuana Mori to stop.

Of course, before that, he once again watched how Inosuke chipped a dent into the Nichirin Blade he had forged himself.

Fortunately, he ultimately didn't dwell on the matter any further.

Meanwhile, Haganezuka was drinking tea on the side, showing no trace of his previous anger.

Ironically, their expressions changed as they left.

The angry Haganezuka left with a smile, while the usually calm Tetsuana Mori roared and shouted, occasionally turning back to yell at Inosuke.

The person involved simply picked his nose and leaned against the wall, showing absolutely no remorse.

Only Tanjiro kept bowing and apologizing.

After watching the two of them leave, the Scribe patted Tanjiro and Inosuke on the back and said with a smile.

"Let's go back."

On the way back, Scribe looked up at the darkening sky.

"Judging by the time, it should be starting soon."

Just as the Scribe had suspected, as they were seeing Tetsuana Mori and Haganezuka off, three ghosts were standing in a strange space.

One of the ghosts had short black hair, but its face was covered with several scars, making it look extremely ferocious.

The number Lower Rank Three was clearly visible in his eyes.

Lower Rank Three, Byakuya

The other ghost also had black hair, but looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a beard and black markings on his face.

The Lower Rank Two Rokuro.

As for the last one, he was dressed in a Western-style dress, with two tufts of green hair behind his black and red hair, and a faint smile on his face.

However, this smile gives people a rather uncomfortable feeling.

He is Lower Rank One, Enmu.

After realizing the space she was in, Enmu calmly raised her head and looked diagonally above her.

There, a long-haired woman with black hair was playing the pipa with her back to him.

"Is that woman's Blood Demon Art? It seems to be able to distort space. How interesting."

After thinking for a while, he turned his gaze back to what was in front of him.

But why are there only three of us?

Somewhat puzzled, Enmu wondered why she had suddenly summoned the three of them together.

During the Twelve Kizuki, the top three Lower Rank Moons gather together.

This combination seems a bit strange no matter how you look at it.

"Where are the other three guys? Did they not receive the notification, or...?"

His mind raced, Enmu pondered what had happened.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared on the high platform in front of the three ghosts.

A gorgeous black kimono, a delicate face, a cold and aloof expression.

This woman seemed like a flower on a high mountain, unapproachable.

"All of you, bow your heads and kneel in respect."

A cold voice rang out, and in an instant, all three ghosts understood the other's identity.

Their master, the progenitor of demons, Kibutsuji Muzan.

"How could I not have recognized the adult's identity at first glance?!"

Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and the Byakuya's body trembled slightly.

"Completely undetectable; the appearance and aura are different from before, such a high degree of mimicry."

Swallowing hard, Byakuya spoke instinctively.

No...

"Who gave you permission to speak?"

With a cold expression, Muzan waved his hand, and an invisible force appeared, slamming into Byakuya's body.

"Bang!"

As if punched in the face, Byakuya's body flew backward, and a large bump swelled up on his face.

But he didn't dare say another word. After rolling around on the ground a few times, he quickly crawled back and continued kneeling.

"I will not allow you to speak according to your own will, because I do not want to hear your boring nonsense."

With a sharp flick of his finger, Muzan's face showed a hint of anger.

You will answer whatever I ask.

After saying that, Muzan took a breath before continuing.

"Rui was killed; he was the Lower Rank Five."

Upon hearing this news, Enmu, Rokuro, and Byakuya all shuddered.

They never imagined that their "comrade," a member of the Twelve Kizuki, would be killed.

"To be precise, it's not just him."

With a cold laugh, Muzan's voice rang out once more.

"The Lower Rank Six, the Kamuna, the Lower Rank Four, and the Koyuki are all dead."

His body trembled again, and a chill ran up his tailbone and down to his spine, where it exploded.

Goosebumps rose on my skin, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

"I only have one question: why are you Lower Rank Demon so weak?"

In his view, the Twelve Kizuki were the most outstanding among his subordinates.

But this doesn't mean they are at their peak; on the contrary, this is just one example.

Their purpose in existence is to eat more people, kill more Demon Slayer, become stronger, and serve them.

But now, the Upper Rank has remained unchanged for a hundred years, while the Lower Rank has changed countless times.

Not long ago, there was Kamuna, Lei, Koyuki, then Kaigaku, then Rui, and even the former Lower Rank One, Ubume.

These ghosts undoubtedly possessed unimaginable power compared to other ghosts, yet they died in less than twenty years.

"Us..."

A sudden jolt went through her, and just as Byakuya was about to say something, she felt Muzan's gaze fixed on her.

"What are you trying to say? That we didn't try? Or that we've already done a great job?"

When facing a demon he created, Muzan can sense the demon's thoughts at close range.

As the distance increases, the ideas that can be perceived become increasingly clear.

But no matter how far away they are, he can sense their approximate location.

Of course, this excludes Tamayo and the demons she created.

"Has my consciousness been detected?!"

Realizing that Muzan knew his thoughts, Byakuya immediately abandoned his idea of escaping by speed.

If even my deepest thoughts are known, then there's no point in running away at all.

If I make a move, I'll probably get my head ripped off the next moment.

Seeing that the Byakuya did not move, Muzan lowered the arm he had just raised.

It's right that the Byakuya didn't move; once it did, it would take its own life.

"Your behavior has made me think about whether we should disband the Lower Rank and only keep the Upper Rank."

Not daring to speak, Lulu and Byakuya just kept shaking their heads.

Enmu, on the other hand, was much calmer than them. Her face showed no tension, and she even seemed a little intoxicated.

"Speak your mind. If you can't come up with a solution today, you can die here."