Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Kagaya looked up at the sky and saw two Kasugai Crows flying toward him in tandem.
The first crow squawked:
"Caw!"
"The Swordsmith Village has been attacked by a demon!"
"The demon's identity: Upper Moon Five!"
Kagaya's heart leaped into his throat at this news.
The Swordsmith Village had been relocated repeatedly, and even Pillars had to be blindfolded and deafened, carried by Kakushi to reach it—all to conceal this crucial rear-line base.
Yet now, the Swordsmith Village had actually been attacked by a demon, and an Upper-Rank Demon at that!
This situation forced Kagaya to consider the worst-case scenario.
But his heart soon settled back into his chest as the second crow squawked:
"Caw!"
"An Upper-Rank Demon attacked the Swordsmith Village's dining hall."
"The Nine Pillars, who were dining there, directly confronted the Demon."
"No casualties among the Pillars or the Swordsmith Village residents, but the Upper-Rank Demon escaped. The Nine Pillars have collectively requested that Lord Ubuyashiki punish them!"
Kagaya abruptly rose to his feet, a massive weight finally lifting from his heart.
He immediately instructed the Kasugai Crow to relay the following message:
"Tell them I will arrange for the Swordsmith Village residents to be evacuated immediately."
"As for punishment... you have already done exceptionally well. I only hope you won't blame yourselves!"
These were truly Kagaya's heartfelt words.
The safety of the Swordsmith Village residents and the Nine Pillars was the best possible news for him.
Of course, Kagaya also hoped they could break the Demon Slayer Corps' century-long streak of failing to slay an Upper-Rank Demon.
But compared to their lives, Kagaya clearly valued their well-being above all else.
Yet as he considered this, Kagaya couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment.
Upper Moon Five had suddenly attacked the Swordsmith Village, even crashing into the dining hall where the Nine Pillars were gathered.
The mere thought of such an incident brought a faint smile to Kagaya's lips.
At the same time, his heart overflowed with gratitude.
He was immensely grateful for having heeded yuki's suggestion to have him teach the Crimson Blade technique to the Pillars at the Swordsmith Village.
Otherwise, if the Upper-Rank Demon had launched a surprise attack on the defenseless village...
Kagaya couldn't bear to imagine such a scenario.
But since yuki was also there, the ultimate fate of Upper Moon Five...
Just then, the second Kasugai Crow spoke up:
"Caw!"
"Yuki has slain Upper Moon Five!"
Though Kagaya had already anticipated this news, a surge of unprecedented joy and excitement erupted in his heart, burning fiercely within his chest!
For a century, the Demon Slayer Corps had failed to end the reign of the Upper-Rank Demons. Now, that history had finally been rewritten!
Yet, as Kagaya considered yuki's true identity, his expression turned peculiar.
What was this?
Had his ancestor, realizing that future generations of the Demon Slayer Corps would be unable to defeat the Upper-Rank Demons even with their utmost efforts, risen from his grave in a fit of rage?
Kagaya couldn't help but chuckle.
He reached up and touched his remaining eye, feeling a renewed sense of gratitude.
He still had one eye that could see.
With that eye, he would personally witness Muzan's demise!
---
Within the Infinity Castle, Muzan's expression was exceptionally dark, his hand clenching the corner of his kimono.
"That fool Gyokko!"
"He received so many of my bloods to become an Upper Rank, yet he couldn't even complete the simple task of finding the Swordsmith Village!"
"What use is it to merely transmit the village's location?"
"It's obvious that this is just one of the Swordsmith Village's many backup locations!"
"Gyokko could have continued monitoring the village, but instead, he died so inexplicably!"
"And he actually claimed he was ambushed by all the Pillars in the village's dining hall?"
"What a joke! How could the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars all converge on the Swordsmith Village, and just happen to gather exactly where Gyokko appeared?!"
Muzan had originally sent Gyokko to find the Swordsmith Village hoping to cause some chaos and trouble for the Demon Slayer Corps.
This would keep them from hounding him like rabid dogs, chasing after him day and night.
When news of Gyokko arrived, Muzan was communicating with Upper Rank Six, Daki.
She had cleverly used her status and position in the Red-Light District to charm many well-informed individuals and those in positions of authority, tasking them with finding clues about the Blue Spider Lily.
Such actions would never arouse suspicion when carried out by Daki.
The men, utterly bewitched by her, would simply assume the courtesan was indulging in some new game.
As a result, Daki quickly gathered numerous plants resembling the Blue Spider Lily.
She eagerly invited Muzan to personally examine these specimens through her eyes.
Of course, none of the plants turned out to be the Blue Spider Lily.
However, since Muzan was currently "remote-accessing" Daki, he had no time to "remote-access" Gyokko.
What Muzan could never have anticipated was that in this brief interval, Gyokko had actually died!
Muzan couldn't even fathom how Gyokko had died.
The dying message Gyokko had transmitted only deepened Muzan's sense of absurdity.
The Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps had gathered in the Swordsmith Village, and Gyokko had somehow stumbled right into their assembly point?
Muzan would sooner believe in ghosts than accept such a preposterous coincidence. It was far more likely that a traitor lurked among his subordinates.
A tempest of fury raged within Muzan's heart.
While the Lower Rank Demons were frequently replaced, the Upper Ranks had remained unchanged for centuries.
Gyokko's death sent a chilling premonition through Muzan's mind.
First, Yoriichi's sudden resurrection, then the abrupt demise of Upper Moon Five.
Muzan felt everything slipping from his grasp!
Panic, rage...
The combined emotions caused a network of fine blood vessels to bulge on Muzan's forehead.
Seeing Muzan's fury erupt anew, Nakime cowered in the center of the platform, daring not to utter a single sound.
While manipulating the Infinity Castle, Nakime accidentally discovered a strange object in a corner.
She wanted to report it to Muzan, but she didn't dare speak up at that moment.
She was terrified of becoming the target of his rage again, of being violently torn to shreds once more...
But Nakime's hopes were dashed.
The furious Muzan turned his head and glared at her.
As before, he roared:
"Nakime!"