After hearing the command, the explorers looked at each other. If it weren't for fear of Muzan's wrath, they'd have cursed his ancestors eighteen generations deep.
Muzan, too, had received word of the Yoshiwara incident. Unlike the explorers, he had two reactions: first, these newly created Twelve Kizuki were indeed useless; second, he felt a distinct sense of crisis.
So, Muzan now ordered all demons in Asakusa to lay low, forbidding them from causing trouble or seeking out the Demon Slayer swordsman named Gusion.
In a word: cowardly!
The few strong explorers in Asakusa were frustrated to the extreme. During Gusion's battle with Upper Moon Six, they'd wanted to go help, maybe steal a kill, but Muzan had stopped them.
Muzan could sense all demons but usually didn't pay attention. He'd keep a closer eye on the Upper Moons, so when battle began, he immediately knew Upper Moon Six was in trouble. At first, he wasn't concerned—Upper Moons had always triumphed over Hashira for centuries, so he assumed this time would be the same.
He saw no need to send his new strong guards to fight. Shortly after, he realized Upper Moon Six had fallen, along with the new Twelve Kizuki.
Now Muzan was nervous, unable to gauge Gusion's strength, and unwilling to risk losing his top enforcers (Upper Moons 1–3) when he was enjoying his peaceful life with wife and daughter.
Now, the explorers in Muzan's faction finally realized their mission in this world was not without difficulty. The biggest problem was their pig teammate and idiot boss.
In their opinion, they should immediately gather all Twelve Kizuki, kill Gusion in Asakusa, and then hunt down the Hashira as a group. Within a month, the world would be conquered, and Muzan would be the invincible Demon King.
But why was Muzan so dumb?
Gusion was an explorer—if Muzan struck now, he might still win. By letting such a powerful explorer continue to grow, wasn't he raising a tiger?
They could only hope that one of them would talk Muzan into acting quickly to eliminate the threat, then play however they wanted afterward.
...
While Muzan's explorers fretted over their foolish boss, Gusion had already found Lady Tamayo's hideout.
The End Space wouldn't issue impossible missions. Since he'd already triggered the hidden quest to assist Lady Tamayo's research, the End Space naturally gave him guidance.
With his memory of the original story, Gusion searched several alleys and finally received a prompt from the End Space in a deserted backstreet. Touching a certain wall, he passed through.
Even without the space's guidance, Gusion felt he wouldn't have missed this alley. His perception had improved greatly through spiritual pressure training, allowing him to sense space and living beings much better than before.
Yushiro's Blood Demon Art could confuse the eyes, but not Gusion's senses. He could tell the wall was an illusion and that there was a demon's presence beyond.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, a figure rushed at him, wielding a wooden stick—a young man with stylish short hair dyed black and green, his expression resolute, swinging his stick at Gusion.
Bang—
Gusion casually threw a punch, sending Yushiro flying. Not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, Yushiro landed flat on his butt.
"Damn Demon Slayer! We've hidden here and never harmed anyone. Why are you still hunting us!?"
Yushiro shouted angrily, picking up the stick and watching Gusion warily.
When his illusion barrier was disturbed, he sensed it, but only after Gusion entered did he feel the overwhelming pressure from this man.
He smelled thick demon blood on him—a man who had killed many demons, powerful ones at that.
Had they been caught by a Hashira?
Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Yushiro didn't look back but shouted, "Lady Tamayo, run! It's a Hashira! I'll hold him off!"
Gusion saw the beautiful woman who just came out and smiled. "Oh? Looks like I found the right place."
But to Yushiro, Gusion's smile looked like a demon's—like a sadistic killer discovering prey, sending chills down his spine.
To protect Lady Tamayo, even though his legs trembled, he mustered his courage to face the black-clad terrifying man. "As long as I'm here, you won't hurt Lady Tamayo!"
Tamayo, just stepping out, seemed to have just bathed. Her kimono, adorned with subtle cherry blossoms, loosely draped over her shoulders, exposing a hint of porcelain skin.
Her long black hair was partly tied, a few strands brushing her fair shoulders like an ink painting, water droplets sliding down her skin and soaking the edge of her robe.
Her brows arched gently, lashes still beaded with water like morning dew.
Seeing the scene, Tamayo acted decisively—her slender hand glided over her pale arm, and her soft lips murmured, "Blood Demon Art: Tempting Blood—Visionary Illusion."
Instantly, Gusion saw dreamlike patterns swirling through the courtyard like dragons, while Tamayo, standing at the door, turned and shouted, "Yushiro, run!"
Gusion stirred his soul energy, and with the effect of the Brute Title, broke free from Tamayo's illusion almost instantly.
Seeing Tamayo and Yushiro desperately trying to cover each other's escape, Gusion touched his face with a wry smile. "Do I look that scary?"
He was sure he hadn't released any killing intent after entering, and only knocked Yushiro aside without real harm, but the two acted as if it were a life-and-death farewell.
Seeing Yushiro prepare to fight again, Gusion quickly said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not here to kill you."
"Like hell I believe you!"
Yushiro roared, charging again. With such a heavy demon-blood aura, he must have recently killed powerful demons—maybe even today.
There was no way such a fierce demon slayer would spare them; he must be plotting something.
Gusion had no choice but to sidestep, snatch Yushiro's stick, and pin him against a cherry tree.
"If I wanted you dead, your head would be off by now. Can't you understand plain language?"
Gusion sighed. "Also, you're a demon, aren't you?"
Tamayo was calmer. Seeing Gusion not harm Yushiro and recalling his words, she didn't attack further. "You say you have no intention to kill us, but why?"
She had turned Yushiro into a demon, never harming humans, but had encountered many demon slayers who tried to kill them on sight, never giving her a chance to explain. She was very curious why this strong man would spare them.
"I heard from local residents about a skilled doctor treating the sick here. Curious, I came to see."
Gusion looked at Tamayo. "This beautiful lady aside, the boy I caught seems to have never eaten a human, right?"
Tamayo was surprised—she hadn't expected Gusion could tell whether a demon had eaten people. She nodded. "Yes, Yushiro has never eaten a human. So if you must, just kill me and spare Yushiro."
She had, in her early days as a demon, lost control and killed her husband and child.
This was her greatest regret and pain, fueling her hatred for Muzan.
She'd wanted to live not just out of fear of death, but to see her child grow up. Yet, after turning into a demon, she killed her child. How could she not hate Muzan for making her this way?
As a demon who had killed, Tamayo was always ready to be slain by the Corps but regretted not yet creating a cure to turn demons back into humans.
"Communication is tough."
Gusion released the now subdued Yushiro. "I said I'm not here to kill. If what you say is true, you must not have eaten anyone for a long time, and you have a good reputation locally, healing many."
"Of course! Lady Tamayo is a saint, treating many for free. We never harmed anyone. If you understand, then leave!"
Yushiro glared at Gusion, still on guard.
"Shut up!"
Gusion grew impatient, releasing a bit of killing intent, instantly silencing Yushiro.
"Yushiro, don't be rude. This swordsman is not our enemy."
Tamayo saw things clearly. If Gusion really wanted to kill them, she and Yushiro would have been dead already.
She looked at Gusion, confused. "So, why have you come to me?"
"I want you."
Gusion said simply.
Yushiro, just recovering, went wild again. "So you're after Lady Tamayo's unmatched beauty!? You lecherous swordsman! I'll fight you!"
Gusion kicked Yushiro aside. "I don't have time for jokes. This place isn't safe. If you want to live, come with me. The Demon Slayer Corps needs your medical skills."
Tamayo was stunned. "The Corps needs… my medical skills?"
"That's right. We need your expertise against Muzan. The final battle is near."
Gusion made it up, but it wasn't a complete lie. He personally didn't intend to rely on Tamayo's medicine to defeat Muzan—he preferred to cut down a fully powered enemy.
But that didn't mean the Corps didn't need her—her medical skills were a valuable asset and an insurance policy.
Most importantly, his hidden quest required Tamayo's survival or he'd lose his reward.
"You want me to go to the Corps?"
Tamayo seemed troubled. Though she was no longer a malicious demon, going to the Corps' headquarters still filled her with instinctive dread.
"Lady Tamayo, you can't trust him…"
Yushiro, not grasping the situation, resisted all attempts to approach him and Tamayo. Before he could finish, Gusion drew his sword.