The air in the small house grew unnaturally still, so quiet that the frantic pounding of a heart was the only sound. To Tamayo, the voice from outside was a nightmare given sound, a melody of pure terror that she had spent centuries trying to forget. It was the same voice that had once lured her into a decision that became the greatest shame of her life, a memory that would forever haunt her.
That nightmare was the reason she had fought to survive for so long. Her only goal was to one day drag the creature responsible to hell with her. But now, as he truly stood before her, the emotions swirling inside her were so complex she couldn't begin to understand them.
The courtyard gate swung open with a soft creak. Moonlight, as pale as bone, spilled across the ground, illuminating a figure standing in the entryway. He was a handsome man dressed in a black coat, with an elegant posture and an air of timeless nobility. Time itself seemed to have left no mark on his face.
"It's you..." Tamayo whispered, her voice trembling as she finally found it. "It's really you."
Muzan Kibutsuji.
The name was a curse she could never forget. The demon was a monster she could never forgive. If not for him, she would have lived and died a human, fading with time like everyone else. If not for him, she wouldn't have been forced to bear the sin of killing her own family, a pain she had carried for hundreds of years.
And now, the architect of all her suffering stood before her as if nothing had ever happened. The irony was a blade twisting in her heart.
"Tamayo, is this how you treat an old friend?" Muzan asked, his expression perfectly calm. He seemed completely unconcerned by the hatred on her face, as if he had seen it all before. "I've come a long way. Surely you can offer some small hospitality."
Before he could finish, Yushiro, who had been standing silently beside Tamayo, exploded into action. With a furious cry, he transformed into a streak of light, launching himself directly at Muzan.
"No!" Tamayo screamed, but it was too late.
Even she, one of only two demons in the world who had ever escaped Muzan's control, would never dare to attack him so recklessly.
A sickening crack echoed in the small courtyard.
Yushiro's form reappeared, and he was thrown backward, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. Blood poured from his limbs as the bones within them shattered instantly. An unbearable agony seized him, and his body began to convulse uncontrollably on the ground. Muzan hadn't even appeared to move.
His cold, ruby eyes remained fixed on Tamayo.
"Tamayo," he said, his voice soft and dangerously quiet. "You wouldn't want anything worse to happen to him, would you?"
At the same time, on Mount Sagiri, the forest floor erupted. A frail figure was sent flying backward, crashing through several trees before landing hard. Blood streamed from under Urokodaki's Tengu mask. Leaning heavily on his sword, the former Water Hashira glared at his opponent, his expression grim. He had just used all his strength in a desperate counterattack, but against a combat demon who could heal from any wound in an instant, it was meaningless.
The only thing that had saved him was that the demon didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill him. It was as if he was waiting for something. This gave Urokodaki a precious few seconds to catch his breath, but he knew such a chance wouldn't last. Akaza's strength was simply not something an old, retired swordsman could hope to defeat.
"Haha! As expected of a former Hashira. That Water Breathing of yours is quite impressive," Akaza said, appearing out of the dust without a scratch on him. A calm, confident smile was on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, you've already sent a message to the Demon Slayer Corps, haven't you?"
Urokodaki's body went rigid. "How... How do you know that?"
He had suspected from the beginning that this attack was part of a larger, more terrifying conspiracy. He had Nezuko by his side, a crucial key to potentially defeating Muzan. He couldn't let her fall into their hands. But he also knew he couldn't beat Akaza alone, even if he sacrificed his own life. Sending for help was his only option, even if he knew it was what Muzan wanted. He never expected them to see through it so easily.
"Have you ever heard how hunters catch wolves, old man?" Akaza asked, clasping his hands behind his back with a playful sneer. "They use the cubs as bait to lure the parents out."
He gestured towards the hut. "Right now, you and the Kamado girl... you're the bait we're using for our little fishing trip."
The words hit Urokodaki like a physical blow. Even with all his experience, he was left speechless. A terrifying net had been cast over Mount Sagiri from the very beginning. Akaza's goal wasn't just to kill him; it was to use him and Nezuko to lure the core members of the Demon Slayer Corps into a deadly trap.
Luring the enemy to their doom, Urokodaki thought, a cold dread washing over him. When did Muzan Kibutsuji become so terrifyingly cunning?
Miles away, Giyu Tomioka and Kyojuro Rengoku were soaring through the trees at incredible speeds when they were startled by their Kasugai Crows swooping down, squawking out the latest intelligence.
They stopped dead in their tracks, exchanging a look of disbelief.
"First Mount Fujikasane, and now an attack on Urokodaki-sensei at Mount Sagiri?" Giyu said, his voice tight.
"He's splitting our forces," Rengoku realized, his brow furrowed. "What on earth is Muzan trying to do?"
An indescribable sense of dread began to settle over them. The Muzan they had been trained to fight—the arrogant, cowardly demon who hid in the shadows—seemed to have vanished overnight. This new Muzan was different. He was a strategist, a puppeteer pulling strings all across the country. He was smarter, more unpredictable, and infinitely more dangerous.