In the courtyard, after everyone had dispersed, only Suzuki Makoto and Tamayo remained. They followed Lady Amane into Kagaya Ubuyashiki's sickroom.
"Mr. Makoto, is everything going smoothly?"
"Very smoothly. I felt the same sense of being watched from those two demons as I did when fighting Upper Rank Four in the Swordsmith Village. It's clear that Muzan Kibutsuji has been monitoring this place through their eyes."
Suzuki Makoto said with great certainty.
"That's good—by exposing Nezuko Kamado's condition and letting Muzan see that both Tamayo and I are here, he's sure to lose his composure."
Perhaps because he had been in a very good mood, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's physical condition had actually improved somewhat these past few days. Previously, speaking just a few words would send him into a long coughing fit, but now he could converse with them normally.
"Lady Tamayo, you have my gratitude as well. I am endlessly thankful that you were willing to also appear as bait this time."
"If even you are willing to be the bait, then what of me? If it means Muzan Kibutsuji will die here, I would gladly let him devour me completely."
Tamayo smiled, but her voice was incomparably firm.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded in respect, then looked toward Suzuki Makoto.
"And what of the eye demons? Are they gathering here?"
"Yes, their numbers grow by the day."
"It seems everything is proceeding as planned. Mr. Suzuki, please do not blame me for sending my child to another location first. That boy, Kiriya, has grown a great deal. He can now handle many things in my stead. I may not be able to bear the responsibility of command in this battle, so I can only let my child take over."
Suzuki Makoto shook his head.
"You should have sent the children away in the first place. If not for the concern that you would have no one to care for you, Lady Amane should have evacuated as well."
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Lord Suzuki, but I wish only to live and die with Lord Kagaya."
Although Lady Amane was gentle, the strength of her will was in no way inferior to her husband's.
"I admire Lady Amane's resolve, but I must say, Lord Ubuyashiki, there is no need to take the trap this far. I've noticed these past few days... you've had a large quantity of high explosives brought into the estate, haven't you?"
Tamayo was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Kagaya Ubuyashiki's methods to be so similar to her own, both having conceived the idea of blowing themselves up with Muzan Kibutsuji.
"I know very well how terrifying Muzan Kibutsuji is, and I believe Lady Tamayo knows just as well. I even suspect that he might not die even if his neck is severed with a Nichirin Blade. The only thing that can truly kill him is sunlight. Therefore, I am willing to sacrifice my life if it means creating even the slightest advantage for you in your final battle with him."
When speaking of death, Kagaya Ubuyashiki was not even as agitated as when he spoke of this final battle.
"I believe that when Muzan Kibutsuji finally has the chance to sever the Ubuyashiki bloodline after all these years, he will be unable to resist coming to see me, to mock this decaying man on the brink of death from the position of a victor. That moment will surely be when he is at his most careless!"
"Lord Ubuyashiki, I wish to join your plan. I have already prepared many poisons specifically targeting Muzan Kibutsuji, but I've been struggling with how to get them into his body!"
Tamayo suddenly grew excited, like the heartfelt thrill one feels upon meeting a kindred spirit.
"If your explosion succeeds, Muzan Kibutsuji will surely be gravely wounded. During his regeneration, he will crave flesh and blood. If I am there with these poisons, I can be devoured along with them. That way, he will definitely be poisoned!"
Suzuki Makoto's expression was strange. Why did this plan sound... so familiar?
"Lady Tamayo, Shinobu didn't tell you about this plan, did she?"
"Eh? Miss Kocho? Although we developed these poisons together, we haven't yet discussed how to poison Muzan."
Oh, that's good, that's good.
Wait, what's so good about it?!
"Wait a moment, Lord Ubuyashiki, Lady Tamayo. I don't think things are that desperate yet, are they?"
"They are, Lord Suzuki. They are." *2
The human and the demon very seriously corrected Suzuki Makoto's attitude.
"No, no, no. I think that instead of a bomb attack, if I hide nearby and hit Muzan with a full Sun Breathing combo while he's careless, the damage should be greater than that from high explosives, right?"
Suzuki Makoto firmly objected to their self-destructive tendencies.
"Mr. Suzuki, in this battle, we face not only Muzan, but all the demons he has created. To destroy the Demon Slayer Corps, he will surely bring an army of demons with him. If the other Hashira cannot lead the ordinary corps members to fight the demon army until dawn, you could be surrounded by countless demons. That would not only endanger you personally, but it would also greatly increase the possibility of Muzan Kibutsuji escaping!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki very seriously corrected Suzuki Makoto's optimistic attitude.
"That is why I must insist on this plan. There must be an explosion! Because beyond the damage it will inflict on Muzan Kibutsuji, this explosion's greater purpose is to ensure I do not die silently. It will be a thunderous declaration to everyone that I, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, have died at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji!"
"I believe that when this tragic and vivid fact is laid bare before everyone, it will galvanize all of my children. It will unite them against a common enemy. They will be enraged, they will grit their teeth, and on that night, they will buy enough time for you!"
Suzuki Makoto was stunned. He looked at Kagaya Ubuyashiki lying on the sickbed, momentarily at a loss for words.
This man's actions could hardly be called noble, for he was compelling ordinary people to fill an abyssal maw with their lives.
But neither could his actions be called despicable, because the very first life to be thrown in would be his own.
Using even his own death as a bargaining chip, as part of a calculation... This was how he had fought against demons from the very beginning, accumulating power bit by bit, gathering sand to build a tower, collecting fragments of fur to make a robe.
"Consider this my one and only order, Suzuki Makoto. Do not let me, the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, die an unfulfilling death in a sickbed, succumbing to this curse. Please, let me be selfish just this once. Let me cast aside this responsibility and participate in a battle with all my heart."
He smiled as he looked at Suzuki Makoto.
"I beg of you, Lord Suzuki."
Lady Amane knelt on the floor, bowing deeply to Suzuki Makoto.
"I beg of you, Lord Suzuki."
Tamayo also knelt on the floor, bowing deeply to Suzuki Makoto.
"I beg of you, Lord Suzuki."
____
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