Muzan's face showed satisfaction.
Nakime hadn't disappointed him. She could withstand a lot of his blood.
Clang!
Nakime plucked her biwa gently. The collapsed buildings quickly rebuilt, the cracks healed, and Infinity Castle was restored.
"You did well, Nakime!" Muzan said.
He had had almost no good news since the traitor appeared.
Nakime becoming an Upper Moon was the only thing that had cheered him up.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Nakime bowed slightly.
Muzan asked, "Nakime, how is your power now?"
Nakime said respectfully, "Muzan, I can now create many eyeballs and use Infinity Castle's power to teleport them around the world to gather information!"
"Excellent!"
Muzan's voice turned cold. "Search for the traitor with all your power!"
"Master, what about the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Ignore them for now. We'll deal with them after the traitor!"
Muzan thought. "But not the Ubuyashiki family! Tell me immediately if you find them."
He didn't care about the ordinary Demon Slayers, or even the so-called Pillars. They were insignificant ants.
But the Ubuyashiki family, like the traitor, were on his kill list.
"I understand, Master Muzan!"
Nakime plucked her biwa gently.
Clang!
A chair appeared out of thin air.
Muzan sat down.
He wasn't going anywhere. He would wait here.
"Ubuyashiki, traitor, enjoy your last moments!"
Muzan crossed his hands, watching Nakime quietly.
...
Under the dark night sky, people drifted off to sleep. The town's sounds faded, and it became silent.
On the empty streets, a spatial distortion flashed unnoticed. Two eyeballs appeared silently on the ground.
The eyeballs were the size of fists, with the character "Six" carved in the pupil. Tentacles grew from below, like small octopuses or strange spiders.
The eyeballs landed, their tentacles wriggled, and they disappeared into the night.
This happened in many places.
...
A raised rock sat under a tall tree. Moonlight shone through the branches, leaving patches of light on the ground. A stream flowed nearby.
Aoki sat cross-legged on the rock, leaning against the tree, holding a palm-sized stone.
His sharp nails scratched the stone. A cut appeared on the tip of his right index finger, and red blood oozed out.
Using his finger as a pen and blood as ink, Aoki quickly drew on the stone.
A complex diamond pattern appeared.
Aoki finished the last stroke, stared at the stone, and sighed after two seconds.
"Failed again."
Creating a space mark required a medium. For Aoki, his blood was the best medium.
He knew the method well.
But it wasn't easy to create a space mark.
He had to draw the pattern accurately, and his mind and will had to be right.
The process wasn't hard, but it took a lot of practice.
"I thought I could try Space Mark Traverse today!"
Aoki restrained himself. He threw the failed stone into the stream and took another from the pile.
Time passed. The sun rose and set.
Aoki threw away the stone and stood up.
"I couldn't even succeed once today. I'll have to wait."
It was almost time to meet Giyu.
Aoki hurried down the mountain and met Giyu on a small bridge.
They didn't waste words. Giyu led the way northwest, and they reached a small town.
"I first heard about Tanjiro in this town. I investigated and confirmed he's the boy Mr. Aomura is looking for."
Giyu pointed to the mountain behind the town. "That's Mount Kumotori. The Kamado family lives there."
Mount Kumotori was the highest mountain in Tokyo, over two thousand meters high. It was in Okutama County, like Mount Otake.
Okutama County was on the northwestern edge of Tokyo, one of the least developed areas.
Busy areas like Asakusa had become modern, but most of Okutama County was still backward. They hadn't felt modern civilization on their way here.
It was late at night. The town was quiet. There were occasional dogs barking and chickens crowing, but nothing else.
Aoki and Giyu didn't stop. They started climbing the mountain.
Mount Kumotori was rarely visited. The mountain path was hard to walk.
But Aoki and Giyu walked easily.
At dawn, they reached the mountainside.
There was a flat area with tall, straight trees. A dilapidated house stood among the trees.
"That's the Kamado family's house!" Giyu said.
Aoki looked at the house, hesitating.
Because of him, the world had changed a lot.
But Tanjiro's fate, as the protagonist of this era, hadn't changed much.
If he took this step, Tanjiro's fate would change greatly.
Tanjiro had been essential to defeating Muzan in the original story.
He was the first to awaken the Mark. He was the most important fighter in the final battle.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say, "Without Tanjiro, Muzan couldn't have been defeated."
If there was no Tanjiro...
"Hello, do you need help?"
A clear voice interrupted his thoughts. Aoki looked up.
A girl stood at the door of the wooden house. Her hair was in a bun, and her kimono was faded and patched. Her fair face had a bright, pure, and trusting smile.
Aoki smiled.
He would change things!
Even if he didn't meet Tanjiro, Muzan might not come to the Kamado family.
If there was no Tanjiro, so be it!
He had faith in himself and the system!
Even if his family didn't die, Tanjiro could still become a swordsman.
Hatred was Tanjiro's motivation, but it wasn't the only one.
With Tanjiro's personality, seeing the sins demons committed would make him angry.
Aoki looked at Giyu. "Giyu, can I talk to them alone?"
"Of course."
Giyu glanced at him, asked nothing, and turned to leave.
---
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