A new Upper Rank

Night fell, and moonlight shrouded Mount Natagumo.

Inside a dilapidated house, a white-haired boy reached out and caught a spider slowly descending from the eaves.

The boy turned his hand over repeatedly. Only after seeing that the spider could not leave no matter what did he give his hand a satisfied shake, throwing the spider off his palm.

Then the boy looked up at the female demon before him and suddenly smiled.

"I've thought it over."

"Since you want to escape those Demon Slayers hunting you and gain my protection."

"As it happens, my 'home' is still missing an important family member."

"So, you can be my 'mother.'"

The female demon froze at his words.

She had merely heard that a powerful demon on Mount Natagumo could shelter demons from the Demon Slayers hunting them.

Joining a so-called "family" was still something she could understand.

But becoming his "mother"?

What did that mean?

Seeing the female demon standing there in a daze, the boy's face took on a somewhat impatient look.

Just then, however, the boy suddenly paused.

A square passage had appeared beneath his feet as well.

The female demon instinctively glanced into the passage, only to find that it seemed to lead somewhere with countless rooms.

Seeing the passage open beneath his feet, the boy coldly gave her an instruction.

"Have your answer ready before I return!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy vanished.

Inside the Infinity Castle.

Gone was the boy's earlier cold attitude toward the female demon. He knelt respectfully on a platform.

Before him stood Muzan Kibutsuji, maintaining a female appearance.

Muzan Kibutsuji extended an arm, pressed a hand to the boy's shoulder, and slowly said:

"There have been some unexpected developments lately. An Upper Rank has died."

An Upper Rank, dead?

The boy's heart was filled with disbelief.

He raised his head in astonishment, fully revealing the eyes hidden behind his hair.

The words "Lower Five" were clearly inscribed there.

[Lower Rank Five · Rui]

Though they all belonged to the Twelve Kizuki, Rui knew very well the enormous gulf between the Upper and Lower Ranks.

He simply could not imagine what someone as powerful as Gyokko, Upper Rank Five, could have encountered that had led to his death!

Muzan Kibutsuji did not seem to mind Rui raising his head before him.

He merely gave a soft snort and sneered.

"Because he was stupid, of course!"

Then Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly said:

"Rui, if I gave you a chance, you wouldn't disappoint me like that fool Gyokko, would you?"

Rui froze for a moment before realizing what he meant.

An ecstatic look instantly appeared on the boy's face.

"Of course! I would never disappoint you, my lord!"

Rui silently marveled to himself.

My lord really does favor me!

There were clearly four Lower Rank demons above me, yet my lord saved the chance to fill the position of Upper Rank Five for me!

No...

To be precise, there should only be two above me now.

Though Rui had stayed on Mount Natagumo all this time, he had heard of the deaths of Lower Rank One, Enmu, Lower Rank Three, Byōyō, and Lower Rank Six, Kamanué.

Now, it seemed that only Lower Rank Two, Rokuro, and Lower Rank Four, Koyuki, remained above him.

But even so, my lord has made an exception to promote me!

Yes, if my lord didn't favor me, why would he have given me the chance to build a "family" on Mount Natagumo?

After all, his lord even forbade other demons from casually gathering together, and further forbade them from acting together.

Yet his lord had never stopped his "family"!

The hand Muzan Kibutsuji had resting on Rui's shoulder quietly changed shape, becoming something like an awl.

The next instant, that "awl" plunged into Rui's neck and infused blood into him.

The moment the infusion began, Rui's pupils dilated, and the lettering in his eyes disappeared.

His body trembled violently, whether from excitement or pain was impossible to tell.

Only when Muzan Kibutsuji pulled the "awl" out of Rui's neck and turned it back into a hand did it end.

Rui stopped trembling, and his eyes gradually regained focus.

At that moment, the words "Lower Five" in his eyes had disappeared.

In their place were the words "Upper Rank" and "Six"!

[Upper Rank Six · Rui]

Feeling the blood his lord had bestowed upon him surge through his body, Rui's face was filled with excitement.

He gently opened his palm and saw a metallic sheen appear over the web of spider threads he summoned.

After receiving my lord's gift, I really have become stronger!

Though his lord had clearly moved the previous Upper Rank Six into the position of Upper Rank Five, while he had filled the former Upper Rank Six's position.

Still, leaping from a Lower Rank to an Upper Rank was unimaginable progress!

Rui was utterly thrilled, clearly never having expected such an enormous surprise today.

Yet what he expected even less was that today's surprises were not over!

Clang!

Clang!

Two notes from a biwa suddenly rang out.

Rui clearly sensed two more passages open not far from him.

Two familiar figures appeared there.

One was Lower Rank Two, Rokuro, who had a beard and the appearance of a middle-aged man.

The other was Lower Rank Four, Koyuki, who had horns on her head and horizontal markings on her face.

Both were clearly still bewildered, seemingly not yet realizing that Nakime had summoned them into the Infinity Castle.

Only after a long while did the two raise their heads as though waking from a dream and look toward Muzan Kibutsuji and Rui.

"M-my lord..."

Rokuro, who looked like a middle-aged man, had only just begun speaking when one of Muzan Kibutsuji's arms transformed into a hideous demonic claw covered in eyeballs and seized his head.

The sight frightened Rokuro into swallowing every word he had been about to say.

Muzan Kibutsuji slowly spoke.

"Rui, I'm handing these two fools over to you as well."

"A Lower Rank Two who only knows how to beg me for blood, yet produces no results."

"And a Lower Rank Four who frequently runs away when fighting the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira."

"Keep a close watch on these two for me. Don't let them leave Mount Natagumo for the time being."

Hearing Muzan Kibutsuji's command, Rui immediately nodded in assent.

He noticed that his lord had only told him to watch these two Lower Ranks and had given no other orders.

At that moment, Rui had already decided how to use the two of them-

Rokuro would be his new "father," and Koyuki would be his new "mother."

Two Lower Ranks, plus himself, an Upper Rank.

Rui was absolutely certain that nothing could possibly go wrong on his Mount Natagumo!