Kaigaku slowly lowered the teacup he had raised, lofty contempt surfacing on his face, which was covered in demonic markings. Not only did he remain seated, he swept his eyes over Zenitsu from head to toe with an utterly languid, disdainful look.
"How ridiculous. Lord Muzan actually sent trash like you here. Still, that works out nicely. It hardly takes any effort for me to snap a useless fool's neck now. I'll take your head as my introductory gift when I join the upper ranks."
Zenitsu stood in the ruined doorway, veins bulging with intense restraint even along the curve of his fingers gripping his Nichirin Blade. He stared fixedly at the lettering in Kaigaku's eyes and demanded in an icy voice.
"Why did you become a demon?"
"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?" As though he had heard the stupidest joke in the world, Kaigaku tilted his head, pointed at his own chest, and split his mouth into a savage grin. "Can't you see? Because this is supreme power! Invincible power that lets me ignore all those so-called moral restraints and keep everyone beneath my feet forever!"
"That doesn't answer my question." Zenitsu took half a step inside, a faint tremor creeping into his voice-the fury beneath his suppressed, overwhelming grief and indignation. "I asked you why you became a demon! Do you know you're a swordsman who learned Thunder Breathing from the old man? Do you know that when an heir to Thunder Breathing becomes a demon even ordinary Demon Slayer Corps members despise, Master Kuwajima would have had to commit seppuku if Rokuya hadn't suppressed the news?!"
As the final word roared out of his throat, Zenitsu almost seemed able to smell blood spreading across that mountaintop.
"If anyone else found out, then he could just