Sending her, a demon who had escaped Muzan Kibutsuji's control, back into the Infinity Castle-wouldn't that be sending a lamb into a tiger's jaws?
Tamayo thought the man before her must be mad.
But how did he know about the Infinity Castle? The Demon Slayer Corps shouldn't have known about it. Even she didn't know how the Infinity Castle operated.
She only knew that the Infinity Castle was Muzan's base.
"It seems you know a great deal, but going blindly into the Infinity Castle would be unwise."
Lu You smiled. Of course he knew that entering the Infinity Castle alone was dangerous, so he had never intended to go in alone.
"You've already met Nezuko, haven't you?"
"I have. A very strong child. She broke free of Muzan Kibutsuji's control through sheer willpower."
"She can overcome sunlight."
"How is that possible!" Tamayo cried, covering her mouth, but her thoughts quickly began to turn.
Recalling the unusual features she had discovered while studying Nezuko's blood, she suddenly drew her delicate brows together.
No, it's too early to draw conclusions.
Perhaps... that child really can.
Her cells were highly active and continued evolving even after leaving her body. Perhaps it really wouldn't take long before she could overcome sunlight.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Would you be interested in coming with me to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters first? There's someone in the Corps who's also well versed in medicine. Perhaps, working together, the two of you could develop a drug to turn demons back into humans."
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters?
Tamayo's expression shifted. Would it really be all right for a demon like her to enter Ubuyashiki territory?
"The current head of the Ubuyashiki family, he..."
"This was his idea. He isn't narrow-minded, nor does he hold any prejudice against kind demons."
Remembering Kagaya Ubuyashiki's reaction to the plan, Lu You couldn't help letting a faint smile curl his lips.
"But my research requires Muzan's blood..."
"The blood of Upper Rank Six is already in the hands of the medicine expert I mentioned.
I can also keep hunting Upper Ranks and supply you with blood of different grades."
In short: I'll go farm the jungle. You just stay home and focus on your research.
Hearing this, Tamayo studied Lu You again.
Did this Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps see the Upper Rank demons as lambs to the slaughter, his for the taking? Was he arrogant, or did he truly have the ability?
"There is a clear hierarchy among the Upper Ranks, too. Each rank possesses an entirely different level of strength. Please be sure to take them seriously."
"Thank you. I know what I'm doing. So, Miss Tamayo, what do you think of my suggestion?"
A year later, Lu You's presence was even more elusive than before, barely perceptible, yet the light in his deep, ink-dark eyes had become still harder to fathom.
"I don't have the right to refuse, do I?"
Tamayo said abruptly.
He hadn't asked for her permission before barging straight into this temporary residence. It clearly couldn't be said that he respected her all that much.
After all, she was a demon, and she had eaten people before.
Thud, thud, thud... hurried footsteps sounded downstairs.
"Lady Tamayo! Lady Tamayo!"
Yushiro's voice was anxious and panicked.
The demon who pushed open the door looked like a boy. He wore a pale blue-green kimono, had short green hair and a pale face, and looked very young.
At the sight of Lu You sitting on the sofa, Yushiro's expression changed drastically. He immediately tried to lunge forward and put himself in front of Tamayo.
"Who the hell are you!"
"You could call me your ally. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Tanjiro and I are good friends."
"Damn it! So that bastard really did expose us! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!"
Yushiro gritted his teeth.
"Yushiro, enough. Say no more. I believe Tanjiro would never do something like that. This gentleman must have learned about us through some other means."
Tamayo's eyes flickered. She truly did think so. Given Tanjiro's character, he would never break a promise he had made to them.
Lu You nodded, readily admitting it.
He knew the plot, so naturally he knew some of its characters. That was his advantage-the advantage of near-omniscience.
Even if the plot had changed beyond recognition, he could still gain an advantage through information about the characters.
"I see. No wonder you know about the Infinity Castle, too."
"Lady Tamayo, we can't fall for these Demon Slayers' tricks! Let's leave now! We'll move somewhere else immediately!"
Yushiro said anxiously.
"It's no use, Yushiro. Sir, if I'm not mistaken, you were the one who killed Upper Rank Six, weren't you?"
"That's right. It was me."
Lu You answered calmly, but his words thundered in Yushiro's ears.
Yushiro's Blood Demon Art was special. His blood could confuse vision and perception. Although it offered powerful support, his combat ability was very weak.
He could only be considered an elite noncombatant demon with a Blood Demon Art, far inferior even to the Lower Ranks, let alone the terrifying Upper Ranks.
But even so...
"I'll protect Lady Tamayo!"
"Very brave, but unfortunately useless. There's no need to be so hostile. I'm here on behalf of the Demon Slayer Corps to form an alliance."
In an instant, Lu You vanished from the sofa.
Yushiro and Tamayo felt as though they had merely blinked before he was standing behind them. His faint pressure bore down invisibly like a collapsing mountain.
So this was... a Hashira capable of killing an Upper Rank!
"We'll go with you to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters... I hope things really turn out as you say."
"Don't worry. I, Lu You, never sell anyone a line."
Even if Muzan stood before me, he would probably be the one who had to flee in the end.
Of course, saying that aloud would sound too arrogant. Lu You only thought it to himself, because he knew that he was already completely different now.
"Panel."
[Name: Lu You (invading entity)] [Psychic Energy realm: Tier 1, upper stage] [Innate ability: Astral Transit (red)] [Strength: 112 Speed: 108 Energy: 101 Spirit: 1] [Skills: Black Flash-purple, Reverse Cursed Technique-blue, Malevolent Shrine-blue, Blood Manipulation-blue, Source Breathing (Limitless)-blue, Swordsmanship Master-blue, Comprehensive Weapon Combat-green, Steel Ball Expert-green, Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat-white, Psychic Energy Control-gray...] [Constitution: Intermediate Physique-green, Cursed Spirit Bloodline-green] [Loaded template: Yuji Itadori (current synchronization: 60%)]
Over the past year and more, Lu You hadn't been idle. Aside from laying traps for Muzan according to his established plan, he had continued improving his strength.
"I've felt a kind of limit."
Lu You's gaze was as still as water.
This wasn't the limit of Yuji Itadori's talent, but the limit of this body he had entered and of Breathing Styles.
Even if he trained his Breathing Style to its utmost, he probably still couldn't reach the peak of Tier 1. The world's ceiling was right there.
Even if Yoriichi Tsugikuni were reborn, he wouldn't be able to make Breathing Styles break through that limit. What had truly broken through the limit wasn't his Breathing Style, but the man himself.
Even calling him a child of destiny was something of an insult to him.
After all, even a child of destiny like Tanjiro suffered setbacks, and his strength remained far below Yoriichi Tsugikuni's even at the end.
So, as the pinnacle of combat strength in the entire world, it was the man himself who was powerful, not his Breathing Style.
Through his continued study of Breathing Styles, Lu You had already surpassed the limits of Constant and reached Limitless. On the panel, it had successfully advanced from green to blue.
His swordsmanship, too, had gone from green Swordsmanship Proficiency to blue Swordsmanship Master, demonstrating his terrifying progress.
"Perhaps there are only two ways to improve further. The first is to raise synchronization and obtain the trait abilities in Itadori's template. The second is the Demon Slayer Trio."
The former was easy to understand. Several purple traits in Itadori's template remained locked, and unlocking even one more would bring a qualitative change in his strength.
The latter referred to the Demon Slayer world's three great cheats: the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, Transparent World, and Demon Slayer Mark. Lu You currently had none of them.
"But I don't want to wait anymore. Let me personally raise the curtain on the final battle to destroy Muzan..."
Lu You soon returned with Tamayo and Yushiro, then reached headquarters with Kagaya Ubuyashiki's help.
When Shinobu Kocho saw Lu You bring back two demons, she nearly lost her composure.
She almost reverted to her former fiery personality. It was already merciful of her not to draw her sword and fight Lu You to the death.
After resting for two days, Lu You took Tanjiro and left headquarters. "Come on, let's go farm the jungle. Nezuko needs to stay at headquarters for now. Shinobu Kocho will look after her.
We have more important things to do."
Before you continue