Surprise, Surprise! What a Damn Surprise!!

Kibutsuji Muzan's efficiency was high. The evening after receiving the photo, he and his horde of demons surrounded the mountain where the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was located.

Then, he saw a wooden puppet standing on the main road at the foot of the mountain, holding a sign that read:

"The head of the Ubuyashiki family holds the Blue Spider Lily and requests Kibutsuji Muzan to ascend to the summit to settle grievances. As the King of Demons, surely you aren't afraid to meet a sick person alone."

Upon seeing the puppet, Kibutsuji Muzan scoffed and laughed, then flicked his hand, instantly smashing the puppet and jeering, "A mere parlor trick."

Kibutsuji Muzan wasn't foolish; he knew there were traps set for him on the mountain. However, he genuinely looked down on the Demon Slayer Corps from the bottom of his heart. Rather than worrying about traps, Kibutsuji Muzan was more concerned that if he brought a horde of demons up the mountain, the Demon Slayer Corps would destroy the Blue Spider Lily.

Therefore, the next second, he said to the others, "Nakime, come with me. The rest will wait at the foot of the mountain for my signal."

At this point, Kibutsuji Muzan felt he was being excessively cautious by bringing Nakime, so he strode forward and began ascending the mountain.

Along the way up, Kibutsuji Muzan encountered no traps or obstructions; he didn't even run into a single person. He continued all the way to the building where the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was located and saw Kagaya Ubuyashiki standing alone at the entrance.

At this moment, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's spirit was connected to Dan Lei, who had transformed the entire mountain into his workshop. Thus, even though he was blind, he could still perceive Kibutsuji Muzan's appearance. Dan Lei had also temporarily strengthened his body, ensuring he wouldn't fall while walking.

Seeing that Kibutsuji Muzan hadn't come alone, Kagaya Ubuyashiki immediately taunted him, "Kibutsuji Muzan, you are as cowardly as the records say, afraid to face me alone, even though I am afflicted by your curse and utterly powerless."

Kibutsuji Muzan saw that only Kagaya Ubuyashiki was present and that his body was so frail it looked like a strong gust of wind could blow him over. He suppressed the urge to kill him immediately and instead asked, "I've come. Where is the Blue Spider Lily?"

Upon hearing this, Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned and walked into the house, saying, "If you have the courage, come inside."

Kibutsuji Muzan said nothing further and followed Kagaya Ubuyashiki into the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki soon led Kibutsuji Muzan to a courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, a single blue spider lily was displayed in a glass terrarium.

Seeing this, Kibutsuji Muzan rushed to the glass terrarium in excitement, instantly shattering the glass and absorbing the Blue Spider Lily.

Then, he glared fiercely at Kagaya Ubuyashiki and roared, "You tricked me!!"

In reality, it was obvious that Kagaya Ubuyashiki would never provide Kibutsuji Muzan with an opportunity to resolve his final flaw. This Blue Spider Lily was dyed, and its sole purpose was to lure Kibutsuji Muzan away from Nakime.

According to Dan Lei's plan, Nakime had to be dealt with first. Whether it was luring Kibutsuji Muzan up the mountain alone or the current maneuver, the goal was to eliminate Nakime immediately.

Therefore, while Kibutsuji Muzan was away from Nakime, Kojiro Sasaki, who had been lying in ambush, instantly shifted from spirit manifestation to a physical form and decapitated Nakime with a single strike, then vanished with her head.

This operation was executed flawlessly, fully embodying Kojiro Sasaki's Assassin Class.

After beheading Nakime, Kojiro Sasaki disappeared because Dan Lei used a Command Spell to have him, along with Nakime's head, summoned back to him to be killed, as Kojiro Sasaki's blade could not kill Nakime.

From Kibutsuji Muzan's perspective, Nakime died instantly after her head was severed.

Meanwhile, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's expression turned fierce as he said, "Do you like the first surprise I prepared for you? Don't worry, there's a second one."

With that, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's figure vanished instantly, replaced by high-explosive gunpowder that filled the entire courtyard. This was Dan Lei using Replacement Magic to swap Kagaya Ubuyashiki with the gunpowder stored inside the mountain.

Then, a small mushroom cloud rose from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, and the entire building was instantly leveled.

However, within the explosion's flames, Kibutsuji Muzan's injuries were not significant. Dan Lei could clearly sense that Kibutsuji Muzan had used the power of abundant destiny to protect himself. Although the explosion managed to break through his defenses, Kibutsuji Muzan's terrifying regenerative abilities, combined with the power of abundant destiny, instantly healed the damage from the explosion.

But the matter wasn't over. Before the explosion's flames had completely dissipated, Gyomei Himejima and Sanemi Shinazugawa, two individuals possessing the Path of the Hunt, along with Kojiro Sasaki, were swapped by Dan Lei to appear beside Kibutsuji Muzan.

Gyomei Himejima, covered in the power of the hunt, shed tears and declared, "The war between humans and demons will finally end today. Kibutsuji Muzan, die!"

With that, he charged forward first.

Seeing this, Kibutsuji Muzan transformed into his combat form and blocked Gyomei Himejima's flail with one hand. Simultaneously, he extended tentacles to block Sanemi Shinazugawa's slashes.

However, the next second, Kojiro Sasaki suddenly stepped forward, raising his sword. Three arcs of blade light simultaneously struck Kibutsuji Muzan's neck, cleanly severing his head. This was Kojiro Sasaki's Noble Phantasm, Secret Sword [Swallow Return].

At the same time, Tamayo suddenly appeared, injecting several vials of medicine into Kibutsuji Muzan's body and head, then vanished.

Kibutsuji Muzan now realized there was someone in the Demon Slayer Corps with abilities similar to Nakime's, and he immediately ordered all the demons to launch a full-scale assault on the mountain! The demons at the foot of the mountain had been restless since the explosion on the summit, but without Kibutsuji Muzan's command, none dared to move.

Now, with the order given, the various demons immediately unleashed their unique abilities and rushed towards the mountain.

However, as soon as the demons entered the mountain, they were ambushed.

A large number of puppets wielding Nichirin Blades appeared out of nowhere in the mountains. Furthermore, these puppets were extremely powerful in combat; ordinary demons were dispatched with just two strikes.

These were the guardians of Dan Lei's Magic Workshop, puppets based on the Yoriichi Type Zero. They might not be enough against an Upper Rank, but they were certainly sufficient against ordinary demons.

Of course, Dan Lei had arranged opponents for the Upper Ranks, so the Pillars who weren't attacking Kibutsuji Muzan were all sent to intercept the Upper Ranks.

Among them, Shinobu Kocho, who also possessed the power of the Path of the Hunt, was not with Kibutsuji Muzan because she intended to personally eliminate the Upper Rank Two, Doma.

Naturally, within Dan Lei's Magic Workshop, he wouldn't allow the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars to truly fight the Upper Ranks one-on-one.

All over the mountain, Dan Lei had deployed numerous Blood Vines containing the potent poison from Gyutaro. Even if an Upper Rank were to be poisoned, they would be weakened.

Moreover, Dan Lei could learn from Nakime's operations in the Infinity Castle, constantly swapping everyone's positions to create situations where the odds were in their favor.

In any case, with the support of the spirit vein nodes throughout the entire mountain, Dan Lei now had an extraordinary amount of Magic, enough to last until dawn without any issues.