"You finally came." Rokuya turned around, his gaze sweeping over the group. He keenly noticed that Zenitsu was absent.
"Where's Zenitsu? Why isn't he with you?"
Tanjiro's expression turned grim, and his voice carried suppressed anger.
"Zenitsu... went missing. The proprietress of Kyogoku House said he ran away in secret. But I know Zenitsu would never desert us. Something must have happened to him."
Tengen's expression was equally, frighteningly dark. He clenched both hands into fists, his knuckles white from the force.
"I was too naive. I thought that with your abilities, you could at least uncover something without alerting the enemy. But I was wrong. Whatever's lurking here is definitely no ordinary demon."
Tengen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Tell me what you've gathered over the past few days."
Tanjiro spoke first.
"I found news about Miss Suma. Koinatsu, the Oiran at Tokito House, said Miss Suma hadn't eloped. She had either fled or disappeared in extreme terror. That means Miss Suma must have discovered a lead on that demon and fallen victim to it."
Inosuke spoke next.
"I found Makio at Ogimoto House. She was tied up by a living sash. It had a faint demonic presence. I wanted to cut it down, but it got away too fast. Still, one thing's certain: Makio's life isn't in danger for now. That demon seems to want to force some information out of her."
After hearing their reports, Tengen and Rokuya exchanged a glance.
"A living sash... able to move freely between three houses and carry people off without alerting anyone." Rokuya rubbed his chin, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes. "Looks like this one's Blood Demon Art is a real nuisance."
"That's not all," Tengen said through gritted teeth. "Before he disappeared, Zenitsu passed