The quiet mountain forest was brushed by a gentle night breeze, but it did nothing to dispel the atmosphere of frozen awkwardness hanging over the place.
Lying on the ground, Tanjiro looked at Giyu Tomioka's stony face to his left, then at Kashu's calm expression to his right, his mind racing.
Europe? What's that? Isn't Mr. Kashu a member of the Demon Slayer Corps? But he defeated such a powerful member of the Twelve Kizuki with a single move!
Mr. Tomioka looks so scary... Why isn't he explaining himself? He could just say he's a member of the Demon Slayer Corps!
On one side was a composed senior, and on the other, a mysterious powerhouse. Both had saved him and his sister. Tanjiro truly didn't want them to come to blows.
Just as Tanjiro was torn, unsure what to do, an unexpected figure broke the stalemate.
A petite figure tore through the night wind, her sharp killing intent in tow, and lunged at Nezuko, who still lay in a pool of blood!
Giyu's pupils contracted. He recognized the newcomer and moved at once, ready to intercept her by force.
But though he was fast, someone was faster!
Golden light flashed in an instant as Kashu moved first.
His platinum longsword cut across the petite figure's path with pinpoint precision, forcibly stopping her deadly thrust!
"Oh?"
The intruder, suspended in midair, let out a soft exclamation, clearly surprised by the sudden obstruction.
Using the force of the impact against her sword, she drifted lightly back more than a dozen steps and steadied herself, her pretty eyes narrowing slightly.
"Sir, the one you're protecting is a demon. Would you mind stepping aside?"
Kashu looked up and studied his uninvited guest.
She wore a pale pink-and-white haori patterned with butterflies, and her short black hair was styled in a marcel wave. Her features were delicate and beautiful.
A faint smile played on her face, but deep in her lovely violet eyes lay a cold killing intent that would not melt away.
"So you Demon Slayers don't need to check the situation before you strike?"
There was a hint of amusement in Kashu's voice. Shinobu Kocho's eyes narrowed further, like those of a lazy but dangerous cat.
She tilted her head and replied with a smile.
"The situation? There's no need."
Her smile didn't change, but her tone was firm.
"When it comes to slaying demons, there can be no hesitation."
At that, Kashu simply lowered his head and chuckled. He didn't argue further.
He raised his platinum longsword and pointed it at Shinobu, making his stance clear.
Just then, Giyu hurried forward and stepped between them. He shook his head at Shinobu.
"Stop. He doesn't seem to be an enemy."
Shinobu's brows knitted together, and her voice took on a questioning edge.
"Mr. Tomioka, as a Hashira, are you planning to shield a demon too?"
Faced with his colleague's challenge, Giyu kept the same eternally impassive expression. His gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
Looking at the two men blocking her way, Shinobu fell silent for a moment.
She assessed the situation in her mind.
To ensure she could kill the demon in one strike, she had held nothing back in her lunge. She had pushed both her speed and strength to their limits.
And yet the unfamiliar swordsman had stopped her with ease. She hadn't even seen when he appeared.
The tremendous force that had rebounded through her sword had left her right wrist tingling even now.
This man's strength was unfathomable!
And then there was Giyu, another Hashira, who had made it plain that he intended to protect the demon.
The situation had become troublesome.
Just as the atmosphere froze again and the three sides faced off, a completely black Kasugai Crow broke the silence of the forest and flew straight toward them.
"Message! Message! An order from Headquarters!"
"Immediately bring Tanjiro and the demon Nezuko back to Headquarters. Tanjiro wears a checkered haori and has a scar on his forehead. The demon Nezuko has a bamboo muzzle."
"Additionally: if you encounter a man carrying a platinum longsword, treat him with respect and invite him to return to Headquarters with you!"
"Repeat, immediately bring..."
The Kasugai Crow's shrill voice echoed through the forest. Its message left both Giyu and Shinobu momentarily stunned.
They turned their heads in unison, fixing their eyes on Kashu, who was protecting Nezuko.
In his hand was a platinum longsword gleaming with a distinctive luster.
Kashu raised his head with interest and watched the Kasugai Crow circle away.
He knew of carrier pigeons and had heard of parrots that loved to mimic speech, but a crow that could speak human words so fluently was a novelty.
And someone at the Demon Slayers' headquarters knew he existed? They had even specified his weapon?
He had only arrived in this world recently.
Does this world have some kind of prophetic ability?
"I sincerely apologize for my earlier offense."
Shinobu reined in her killing intent, her flawless, gentle smile returning to her face.
After quickly exchanging information with Giyu, she seemed to reach some sort of understanding with him and bowed slightly to Kashu.
"My name is Shinobu Kocho, Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Mr. Kashu, would you be willing to accept our invitation and accompany us to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters?"
Although she was courteous and gentle in manner, Kashu could keenly sense that she still harbored displeasure and wariness toward him deep down.
But he didn't care about such trivial details. He nodded readily, indicating that they should lead the way.
Man-eating demons, swordsmen who slay demons... The pieces of this world are gradually falling into place.
Perhaps a trip to their headquarters will reveal more clues about the Calamity of the World.
Meanwhile, at Infinity Castle.
Deep within this otherworldly structure, with its upside-down layout, twisted architecture, and seemingly endless expanse—
Several figures were forcibly summoned, appearing without warning among the interwoven buildings.
"Where... are we?"
Lower Rank Six looked around, its eyes filled with confusion and alarm.
Its gaze soon fixed on the platform above, where a woman sat expressionlessly, holding a biwa.
"Is this that woman's Blood Demon Art? It looks like the entire space is warping around her..."
As it pondered this, Lower Rank Six abruptly realized something—
Rui, another Lower Rank, and Lower Rank Five were not here!
Nakime plucked the strings of her biwa again. Under the influence of her spatial power, the Lower Rank demons that had been scattered throughout the castle were instantly moved into the same area.
This forced teleportation was completely impossible to defend against, and they hadn't even had time to react. The Lower Rank demons, who usually threw their weight around, broke out in cold sweat as their unease surged.
Just as the five demons looked around in alarm, a figure appeared without warning on the platform before them.
She was a beautiful oiran dressed in an elegant kimono, but her presence was so cold it made it hard to breathe.
"Bow your heads, kneel, and submit to me."
Her voice was calm and emotionless, yet it carried a strange power, as if her words became law. In an instant, the Lower Rank demons lost control of their bodies.
Thump! Thump!
The five demons, who had slaughtered without batting an eye, knelt and prostrated themselves before the figure on the platform like puppets, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor.
Only then did what little reason remained help them realize—
The woman before them, whose appearance and presence were entirely different from before, was their absolute ruler.
The progenitor who had lived for more than a thousand years and stood at the summit of all demons: Muzan Kibutsuji!
"I'm so... so sorry, Lord Muzan!"
Lower Rank Four, Mukago, spoke with a trembling voice, trying to explain.
"Your appearance and presence had both changed, so we failed to recognize you at first..."
"Who gave you permission to speak?"
The cold words cut off her explanation.
The next second, a thorned whip made of flesh and blood coiled around Lower Rank Four like a living venomous serpent.
Squish... squish...
The sickening crunch of bones and flesh and the muffled sounds of chewing came from within the whip, brief and hurried.
When the thorned whip withdrew, all that remained was a filthy pool of blood. Lower Rank Four had been devoured without a trace.
Their boss had turned on one of them without warning and killed her at the slightest provocation. The remaining Lower Ranks were too terrified to speak; they could hardly breathe as fear gripped their hearts.
After casually killing a Lower Rank, Muzan vented some of the rage he had built up over Rui's death.
His gaze swept over the four demons below, and he continued in a voice devoid of emotion.
"Rui was killed. Lower Rank Five."
"I'll ask only one thing: why are the Lower Rank demons so weak?"
The question struck the four demons like a heavy hammer. They trembled even harder, but none dared raise their heads to answer.
Muzan looked at the useless lot, who didn't even have the courage to face his questions. Violence and impatience surged again in his crimson eyes.
His personality was deeply contradictory. He was both arrogantly contemptuous of everything and a coward, timid to his very core.
He longed for powerful subordinates to strengthen his rule, yet he was pathologically afraid that they might become too powerful and band together to threaten him.
This contradictory mindset made him keep his subordinates on a tight leash. He had even forbidden demons from gathering privately.
But there were exceptions to every rule—Rui, for example.
Rui's experience of being sickly and weak as a human bore a subtle resemblance to Muzan's own. This had led Muzan to show him an unusual degree of care and affection.
Thus, in a world where every demon was forced to fight alone, Rui alone had been given permission.
He could build a twisted, false family and play at a cruel, bloody game of house.
Now Rui, whom Muzan had regarded as his "son," was dead. It had completely set off the Demon King's already twisted and pathological mind.
"For more than a hundred years, the Upper Rank positions have never changed. Only the Upper Ranks have been able to keep sending the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps to their graves."
"I've had enough of you useless Lower Ranks!"
Muzan's voice suddenly rose. Deep in his crimson eyes, something like thick black ink seemed to roil.
"If you can't immediately prove your worth... then there's no need for the Lower Rank demons to continue existing!"
The instant his words fell, a vast, suffocating pressure descended with a crash, as if it would crush Infinity Castle and the four remaining Lower Rank demons within it!
Before you continue