Muzan poured himself another glass of wine, trying to calm his emotions. He looked at Allen with complex feelings, a mix of jealousy and a subtle hint of anticipation.
"You, you can really move freely in the sun?" Muzan couldn't help but confirm again, his voice filled with unconcealed longing.
Allen swirled his wine glass: "I can cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps, what do you think?"
Allen's answer made Muzan even more certain that this mysterious being before him was the answer he had sought for a thousand years. After all, with the Demon Slayer Corps' usual conduct, they would absolutely not cooperate with someone who had eaten humans.
It seems that even after becoming a demon, one doesn't necessarily need to eat humans to survive.
"Tell me." Muzan's voice was almost a plea: "How exactly did you do it?"
Allen put down his wine glass and revealed a meaningful smile: "That's why I asked you to call all the Upper Rank. I need to confirm some things before I can decide whether to tell you."
Muzan's brows furrowed. He instinctively felt a hint of unease, but the temptation of the blue spider lily was too great; he couldn't resist.
"They'll be here soon," Muzan said, trying to make his voice sound calm.
Allen watched this scene, chuckling inwardly. This Demon King, who had lived for a thousand years, was now as anxious as a child craving candy.
Just then, the mansion's main door was pushed open, and a tall figure slowly walked in. He had six eyes and an ancient samurai sword at his waist.
"Lord Kokushibo!" Gyokko, hiding in the corner, cried out in surprise. Now that all the Upper Rank Demons had arrived, he felt much more at ease.
Kokushibo ignored Gyokko. His gaze directly locked onto Allen, his six eyes narrowing simultaneously, revealing a wary expression.
"Who is this?" Kokushibo's voice was deep and hoarse.
Muzan stood up, his face regaining its usual elegance: "This is... a special guest, Kokushibo, please sit down first."
Kokushibo didn't move. His gaze remained fixed on Allen: "He doesn't have a demon's aura, but he doesn't seem like an ordinary human either."
Allen observed the Upper Rank One with interest: "You are Yoriichi Tsugikuni's brother? Interesting. You chose to become a demon, while your brother became a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman."
Kokushibo's body visibly stiffened, his six eyes widening simultaneously: "How do you know that?"
"I know much more than you imagine," Allen chuckled: "For example, you've always been unable to escape the shadow of your brother."
Kokushibo's hand unconsciously tightened on his sword hilt, but Muzan quickly spoke to stop him: "Enough! Kokushibo, sit down!"
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the mansion's window was suddenly smashed open, and a small figure lightly landed on the carpet.
"Oh my, everyone's here~" Douma fanned himself with a golden folding fan, a innocent smile on his face, "Who is this little brother? He's so handsome~"
Allen glanced at this seemingly harmless Upper Rank Two: "Douma, the leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult. No matter how well you pretend, you can't hide the emptiness in your heart."
Douma's smile froze on his face, and his fan stopped moving: "Oh? Little brother, why would you say such a thing about me~"
Muzan's brows furrowed even tighter. He noticed that Allen seemed to know every single Upper Rank inside out, which made his unease grow stronger.
"Who else hasn't arrived?" Allen asked.
"Akaza, Gyutaro and Daki, and Hantengu will be here shortly," Muzan replied, a hint of undetectable tension in his voice.
Allen nodded and sat back on the sofa: "Then let's wait a bit longer."
Douma curiously leaned closer to Allen, covering the lower half of his face with his fan: "Little brother, who exactly are you? Why do you know so much about us?"
Allen looked at him, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Douma's neck.
His movement was so fast that even Kokushibo couldn't help but be shocked: "Such speed!"
"Do you know?" Allen's voice suddenly turned cold: "What I hate most are scums like you who take pleasure in the suffering of others."
Douma's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt an unprecedented sense of pressure, and what frightened him even more was that he found himself unable to break free from the grip of that hand.
"Let go of me." Douma's voice, for the first time, lost its frivolous tone.
Muzan hurried forward: "Please stop! He is an important subordinate of mine!"
If Douma died now, their chances of defeating this mysterious young man would be even lower, so Muzan naturally wouldn't stand by and watch Douma be killed by the other party.
Allen released his hand and pushed Douma away: "Don't worry, I won't kill him now. I just want him to know that pretending doesn't work on me."
Douma staggered back a few steps, the smile completely gone from his face. He hid behind Kokushibo, maintaining a rare silence.
Just then, the mansion's main door was pushed open again, and a male with pink short hair and tattoos all over his body walked in, followed by a pair of similar-looking siblings.
"Akaza, Gyutaro, Daki, you've finally arrived." Muzan sighed in relief. With all the Upper Rank Demons present, he felt much more confident.
And even if they couldn't defeat the opponent, Muzan could still escape through Nakime.
Akaza's gaze immediately locked onto Allen: "Who is this?"
Gyutaro protectively shielded his sister behind him: "Lord Muzan, what happened?"
Muzan was about to explain, but Allen suddenly stood up: "Very good, everyone is here."
He looked around, his gaze lingering on each Upper Rank for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction: "Now, we can start talking about business."
Allen chuckled inwardly: "Six sandbags, this way, no matter what ability he evolves next, he can grind progress to his heart's content. This way, when he returns to the One-Punch Man world, he'll be even more confident."
Muzan suppressed the unease in his heart: "What exactly do you want?"
"I want all of you to consume the blue spider lily and complete your evolution."
Allen's words plunged the entire room into a brief silence. Muzan's pupils contracted slightly, and the Upper Rank Demons exchanged glances, clearly perplexed by the sudden proposal.
"Haven't you always longed to break free from the shackles of the sun?" His voice was calm and magnetic: "The blue spider lily is the answer."
Could the blue spider lily, which he had dreamed of for so long, really be obtained so smoothly?
Muzan's fingers unconsciously tightened, his nails digging deep into his palm. The answer he had sought for a thousand years was right before his eyes, but he instinctively felt a hint of unease.
"Why?" Muzan forced himself to calm down, "Why would you help us?"
Allen turned around, a faint smile playing on his lips: "As I said, I need to study your abilities. If you can move in the sun, it will be more convenient for my research."
"Eight sandbags should be enough for him to grind to his heart's content," Allen chuckled inwardly.
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