"Meow!"
A cat's cry suddenly rang out in the air.
"Meow!"
Another meow followed, and a small cat with yellow, white, and black fur materialized before Yuki's eyes.
When Chachamaru saw Yuki again, its feline face was filled with surprise.
It had just sensed through its Blood Demon Art that Yuki had used that blood-drawing dagger once more.
Chachamaru tried to teleport directly to the dagger's location, but it crashed into an invisible barrier, unable to enter.
Even now, Chachamaru could only vaguely sense a strange direction.
Left with no other choice, Chachamaru appeared at the spot where Yuki had thrown the dagger from.
Yuki chuckled, scooped up the dazed Chachamaru, and vigorously rubbed the cat's head.
Then, he pulled a blank dagger from the small pouch on Chachamaru's back and stabbed it into the corpse of Hantengu's clone nearby.
Once the dagger had absorbed its fill of blood, Yuki retrieved paper and a brush from Chachamaru's pouch and wrote a message:
"Yushiro, I've sent a blood-drawing dagger into Muzan's base."
"His base is called the Infinity Castle, and it's controlled by a demon named Nakime."
"Except for Muzan himself, anyone entering or leaving requires Nakime's Blood Demon Art."
"Use Chachamaru's senses to locate the Infinity Castle and find a way to break Nakime's Blood Demon Art..."
As Yuki wrote this, he could already imagine Yushiro angrily protesting, "Why should I listen to you?"
A mischievous grin spread across Yuki's face as he added a few more lines to the note:
"Although this task is difficult, it's crucial for our plan to completely eliminate Muzan. Miss Tamayo will undoubtedly be deeply concerned!"
"So..."
"Yushiro, you wouldn't want Miss Tamayo to think you're incapable, would you?"
After finishing the message, Yuki, still grinning mischievously, tucked the note and a blood sample into Chachamaru's backpack.
Sensing Yuki's mischievous grin, Chachamaru instinctively arched its back.
This human is definitely plotting something strange!
Sigh!
The cat works hard running errands—cat good.
The human sticks knives in weird places—human bad!
Therefore, cat good, human bad!
As Chachamaru departed, Yuki's expression gradually turned serious.
As he had said before, once his Restoration Rate reached 100%, his sole mission would be to find Muzan and eliminate him.
By then, the greatest challenge facing him was how to find Kibutsuji Muzan.
If Muzan had truly resolved to remain hidden within the Infinity Castle, Yuki couldn't think of a particularly effective method to draw him out.
Moreover, with his existence as "Tsugikuni Yoriichi," Yuki believed that even if the Kagaya family used themselves as bait, as they did in the original story, they might still fail to lure Muzan out.
To counter this, Yuki had prepared a plan: while concealing the true location of the Blue Spider Lily, he would create a convincing replica to lure Muzan out.
However, relying solely on this plan felt unreliable.
Given Muzan's cowardly and cautious nature, who knew if he would simply monitor the situation from afar, waiting until Yuki's lifespan had expired before resuming his search for the Blue Spider Lily?
Therefore, Yuki had been constantly pondering how to locate the Infinity Castle and devise a method to breach its defenses.
And just now, Muzan had inadvertently given him an opportunity!
"Tch, is this just to vent your anger?"
...
Muzan, controlling Akaza, returned to the Infinity Castle.
He pulled the dagger Yuki had stabbed into his body and tossed it aside, muttering, " Yoriichi, so you're not omnipotent after all! There are times when you can be outmaneuvered!"
Under normal circumstances, his cautious nature might have led him to carefully examine the dagger, wondering if its final throw by " Yoriichi" held some special significance.
But now, Muzan was overwhelmed with elation.
He had finally triumphed over Yoriichi, saving Akaza's life from his grasp!
"Yes, even if Yoriichi were resurrected, what could he do?"
"He's still just a human, bound by all the limitations of human perception!"
"Besides, no matter how strong he is, he's still just one person."
"So, as long as I..."
Muzan paused, then continued his soliloquy:
"As long as I remain patient, find the Blue Spider Lily, and transform into a perfect being—one who fears neither the sun nor the ravages of time, eternally young and immortal."
Even Yoriichi isn't invincible!
With this thought, Muzan's face lit up with delight, and he even let out two soft hums.
However, when he returned his consciousness to his main body and saw Akaza kneeling before him, barely conscious, Muzan's expression darkened once more.
In a chilling tone, he demanded:
"Akaza, I am deeply disappointed in you."
"I specifically ordered you to take one glance and retreat immediately. Why did you reveal yourself to the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Akaza opened his mouth to speak, but Muzan's hand tightened around his neck, choking off his words.
Muzan released his grip and said coldly:
"Do you still remember the other task I assigned you?"
Blood streamed from Akaza's mouth and eyes.
Yet, before Muzan, Akaza didn't dare wipe it away, only managing to gasp:
"Y-yes, Master. To find the Blue Spider Lily."
Suddenly, one of Muzan's hands swelled, transforming in an instant into a Demon Claw covered in countless eyeballs.
The Demon Claw clamped down on Akaza's head, lifting him into the air. Muzan snarled:
"If you still remember that task, stop wasting time!"
"Now, continue searching for the Blue Spider Lily!"
"But don't provoke the Demon Slayer Corps again so easily, especially that swordsman with the Hanafuda earrings!"
"Get out!"
As the words fell, Nakime immediately strummed her biwa.
With a clang, a passage opened beneath Akaza's feet.
Muzan released his Demon Claw, and Akaza plummeted down the passage, vanishing from sight.
"Hah—"
Emerging from the Infinity Castle, Akaza didn't even bother to survey his surroundings.
The excruciating pain of his consciousness being torn apart and reassembled washed over his nerves like a tidal wave.
Yet it was precisely through this repeated fragmentation and reconstruction of his consciousness that fragments of long-forgotten memories slowly surfaced in his mind.
Akaza murmured a name as if in a dream:
"Koyuki..."