"Could someone get me a glass of water?" Kujo Tachibana asked the people in the room, his voice hoarse.
Night, Kanagawa Prefecture, inside an unnamed noble's estate.
Akaza, whose hair had changed at some point and was now golden, gazed fervently at the figure in the darkness.
He dropped to one knee and said respectfully:
"Lord Kokushibo, I've brought over the heirs of all the top martial arts schools in Japan whom you asked me to find."
"They include practitioners of swordsmanship schools such as Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Tennen Rishin-ryu, Shinto Munen-ryu, Shinto Isshin-ryu, Enmei-ryu—Niten Ichi-ryu—and Tamiya Shinken-ryu."
"There are also practitioners of iaido, judo, and karate. Seventy-two people in total!"
The figure in the darkness abruptly rose and turned to face Akaza.
It was none other than the former leader of the Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank One, Kokushibo!
But Kokushibo's appearance had changed somewhat.
His once-red hair had turned purple, and even his six monstrous eyes had returned to the two eyes he'd had as a human.
From head to toe, he looked no different from an ordinary person.
Facing Kokushibo, Akaza felt the same bloodline pressure that had once weighed on him in the presence of his former boss, Muzan. It bore down on him relentlessly.
That was one reason Akaza had willingly accepted Kokushibo's blood, replacing the blood of his former boss, Muzan.
One of the reasons he had chosen to follow the new Demon King, Kokushibo.
Of course, that wasn't the most important reason.
Akaza was a demon with principles, more or less. His former boss, Muzan, hadn't treated him well.
But Akaza wasn't the sort of demon who'd betray someone on a whim.
There were plenty of reasons he'd turned traitor. The main ones were as follows.
Having him look for some stupid flower that could never be found was bad enough!!
On top of that, Muzan never showed him the slightest respect! Did he think an Upper Rank Three of the Twelve Kizuki was a cabbage?
Akaza had been one of Muzan's trusted subordinates, after all, but Muzan had never given him the respect he deserved!
More importantly, Lord Kokushibo had something Akaza had dreamed of for ages.
If he could receive guidance from a powerful warrior like Lord Kokushibo,
Akaza believed that one day, he would reach that supreme realm he'd spent centuries striving for, yet never attained!
Besides, Lord Kokushibo had promised him that they would establish an entirely new organization!
An organization made up solely of powerful warriors pursuing the limits of the martial path!
That alone was more than enough to win over a pure martial artist like Akaza.
Akaza had already brought these people here. Once Lord Kokushibo turned them all into demons,
Akaza had already decided what to do: he'd fight them all, one after another. No one was allowed to leave until he'd finished fighting them!
Of course, there was one other reason—by far the most, most, most... most important reason—that Akaza had betrayed Muzan!
And that was...
There was no Doma here!!
That rotten bastard!!
Kokushibo, who seemed almost human again, looked down at Akaza and spoke gently:
"Seventy-two people? I wonder how many of them will be able to withstand my blood..."
"Akaza, thank you for your hard work."
"Take me to meet them."
Now that's how you treat a capable subordinate like me! Akaza thought smugly.
Then he got up and led Kokushibo out of the room.
A month later, most of Kujo Tachibana's external wounds had healed.
As for his internal injuries, there was nothing to be done.
Tachibana could feel for himself just how awful his body was...
Kokushibo's blade had pierced straight through his chest and lungs. Just surviving had been a lucky break.
Using a Breathing Style again was out of the question.
Then there was the price he'd paid for activating the Demon Slayer Mark and burning his Mind Stone to break through his limits.
Tamayo's diagnosis was that he was unlikely to live past twenty. And because of the damage to his lungs, he couldn't do anything strenuous anymore.
He'd be gasping for breath after a few steps. He was incredibly frail!
Tachibana's current condition was about as bad as when he'd had cancer in his previous life.
Feeling how terrible his body was, Tachibana gave a helpless, bitter smile.
He'd promised himself he'd stay healthy in this world...
Still, Tachibana had no regrets.
He remembered cutting off Kokushibo's head as the sun rose!
He'd managed to change some things in this world. His coming here hadn't been for nothing.
At least the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have to face that terrifying enemy in the final battle to come.
After delivering his final blow, Tachibana had lost consciousness. He didn't know that Kokushibo hadn't died immediately after being beheaded.
Akaza had even taken his head away.
The series of events that followed was enough to shake even Ubuyashiki Kagaya!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya hadn't told Tachibana what had happened to Kokushibo afterward.
After all, that outcome might have been too cruel for Tachibana, who had given everything to slay the demon...
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was troubled by the matter himself.
The Martial Demon King, Kokushibo, had made quite a commotion, and he hadn't tried to conceal it.
Kokushibo believed only in the power in his hands and the long sword he held: Hollow Cry Divine Departure!
Now that he was a Demon King, free from Muzan's control, Kokushibo believed there was no force in this world that could threaten him!
Except sunlight...
Not even his former boss, Muzan. In truth, Kokushibo looked down on Muzan.
He had the power to change the world, yet spent his days hiding among humans. He was also a coward through and through!
How could a man like that lead Kokushibo?
(Kokushibo: A true man lives between heaven and earth—how could he bear to remain beneath another for long?)
The Demon Slayer Corps, an organization of Demon Slayers that had existed in Japan for a thousand years, had naturally noticed the recent changes among the demons.
The rapidly growing number of demons, and their peculiar understanding of their own identity as Martial Demons.
They regarded Kokushibo as their leader and knew nothing of the Demon King, Muzan.
All of this told Ubuyashiki Kagaya a fact that was hard to accept!
After having his neck cut off, Kokushibo had not only survived!
He had broken through his limits and become the new Demon King!
Though these Martial Demons were few in number,
every one of them was incredibly troublesome. They had extensive combat experience, and their martial arts and swordsmanship were all highly advanced!
It could be said that every Martial Demon confirmed by the available reports was at least as strong as the Lower Rank Demons among Muzan's Twelve Kizuki!
Fortunately, these Martial Demons weren't particularly keen on eating people.
Most of the time, they holed up somewhere in the mountains, studying martial arts.
Aside from going out to "feed" once a week, they spent nearly all their time as "stay-at-home demons."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya rubbed his temples with both hands. Every time he thought about it, he got a headache.
The battle between humans and demons was simply too difficult.
Kujo Tachibana, the strongest swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, had given everything and nearly died. Yet not only had he failed to slay the demon, he'd helped it break through once more?
How absurd—and cruel—was that!
Even now, Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't dare tell Tachibana about it.
"Two Demon Kings... Two Demon Kings..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's eyes brightened. It seemed he'd thought of something.
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