After Upper Rank Two Douma's sudden death, Kibutsuji Muzan was completely furious.
It had been just one day! And another one got himself killed!
What in the Demon King's name was happening outside!?
Curiosity drove him to do something foolish. He tried to access Douma's memories through his demon cells. The instant he did, his entire body shuddered in terror.
That monster again!!!
He was the splitting image of the man from five hundred years ago…!
Was reincarnation possible? Had that man's soul returned to Earth to finish the unfinished task of ending him?
Muzan's mind raced through all kinds of thoughts, some bordering on absurdity.
How did that bastard know Douma's location?
Hantengu's case aside — which he still believed was pure coincidence — this time the monster knew the hideout beforehand.
He claimed Akaza told him…? No, that was a straight lie.
If it were true, Akaza would be dead right now, but Muzan could still sense him alive. There was no way that monster would let any demon live if he ever encountered one.
He himself had escaped so pathetically in the past to flee that monster's hands — a stain on his memories that still haunted him.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him cower on the ground.
"ARHH—!" He shouted with all his strength, causing Infinity Castle to shake wildly.
Nakime's eye bled immediately. Her demon cells ruptured and her Blood Demon Art became unstable for a few seconds.
This small incident caused Muzan's skin to break out in goosebumps. He injected his flesh tentacle into her head and pumped his blood into her body.
Infinity Castle was the only protection he had left! That monster was clearly targeting his subordinates and somehow knew their locations. Going outside carelessly was as good as walking into sunlight.
He'd die. He could tell. That monster had no fighting spirit or presence, so even he couldn't locate him before the monster appeared behind him.
Even though Muzan was still shaking from intense fear, his three recovered brains continued to work.
'Should I summon the remaining Upper Ranks here…? My strength has recovered to a certain degree, so they can't harm me if united. Though if they truly dared to go against me, I'd simply consume them. Upper Rank or not, they're just usable objects for the Demon King. Once that monster perishes of old age, I can create as many ranked demons as I want…'
Deciding, he ordered Nakime. "Summon those fools here."
But no response came from his direct subordinate.
He frowned in anger. "Curse this!"
Because of how frightened he was, he forgot he had bestowed Nakime his blood.
It would take time for her to assimilate.
Currently her skin convulsed in an unsightly manner and his powerful blood raged through her vessels. Her weak body lacked the strength to contain more of her lord's blood, so it was evolving rapidly. Well, as long as she managed Infinity Castle effectively, Muzan didn't care.
'A few hours… Fine then.' He stopped thinking about the Upper Ranks and focused on finding the Blue Spider Lily more carefully.
Centuries had passed and he had yet to find the damn flower.
There had to be something wrong with his current method… He needed better ones now.
…
Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro's Room.
Kie sat on the bed leaning against the wooden wall, her knees pressed tightly against her chest as she crouched.
Her purple gaze with red circles was moist with extreme longing.
"Tanjiro… Where are you…" she mumbled to herself.
A few hours had passed and her child still hadn't returned.
Anxiousness and worry were too much even for a demon like her. Her emotions were far more sensitive than a human's for some reason.
She looked outside the window for a moment, at the darkness covering the sky, and an impulse to leave the mansion rose in her mind.
But it died the next second.
Her child had instructed her never to leave the house. She trusted her child with her life. Breaking the promise they made was impossible.
Slumping down on the bed, she stared at the ceiling in silence. "Tanjiro, hurry…"
…
Eternal Paradise Faith.
Mayumi sat in seiza, leaning forward on the table, her forearms supporting her body.
A closed notebook lay close to her.
Crossing her hands, she released a soft breath before settling her head on them, letting her enormous breasts hang loosely inside her robe due to gravity and their sheer size.
Her lord had left shortly after changing the doctrines.
He only said he'd be back in two or three hours, nothing else.
There was no issue with that. He had gone outside like this every night, though he never stepped out during daylight.
'These new changes will reform the Faith… Since this is my lord's will, I'll follow his command. Must apply the new doctrines at the earliest tomorrow…'
Besides completely changing the first two Kyōgi, Tanjiro had also added a new one.
First Kyōgi: Believers of the Faith must live to their fullest without holding back, to honor the benevolence of their Kenja-sama.
Second Kyōgi: Believers of the Faith are now allowed to settle down in the village after reaching the age of eighteen.
Third Kyōgi (New): Believers of the Faith are like family to one another. Help each other and never hurt your family.
These were the new main doctrines of the Eternal Paradise Faith sanctioned by Kenja-sama.
As Mayumi thought things through, her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep in seconds.
The time was past midnight and she had to wake up early. She had only limited hours to rest her body and mind.
…
More than an hour later~
A Kasugai Crow that had taken the information from a tired Shiori midway reached Ubuyashiki Manor after flying nonstop.
The sliding door was open, so it went inside directly and landed on the mat.
It saw a woman seated at the corner reading a book under the lamp's dim light.
Oyakata-sama wasn't there. He must be resting. It deduced.
"Caw… Good news!" Flying to the table, it spoke.
Amane was used to crows appearing anytime, so she wasn't surprised. She looked at the Kasugai Crow and a small smile appeared on her expressionless face unknowingly.
She nodded and instructed. "Please, go on."
Moving its beak, the crow began to narrate the details given by Shiori. "Upper Rank Two killed. Zero casualties. Demon was the Kenza-sama of a century-old cult. Hundreds of skulls were found in the dungeon. Tanjiro did the damage to the demon while Shinobu took people to safety. Both are safe without any injuries! Caw!"
Of course, Shiori hadn't seen the battle firsthand. It was told to her by Shinobu briefly before she flew away hastily. So she didn't know about the Heavenly Demon Sword, nor was she told.
Amane's plum purple eyes remained motionless for a moment as she took in the information.
'Two Upper Rank demons killed in two days… This… This feels too unreal. Tanjiro took care of them so easily… How strong is he really?'
Thinking of their morning discussion, relief settled on her mind. 'He's really worthy of his position as Supreme Commander… My daughters are blessed to have a husband like Tanjiro.'
She was aware he'd die at 25, but her own daughters wouldn't live long either. As children of Ubuyashiki blood, they might live past twenty after disowning the Ubuyashiki surname and moving out of the family, but reaching twenty-five was unfortunately impossible.
Kagaya's aunt, Sekai, had also died at 24 despite being completely healthy. Such cases filled the history of the Ubuyashiki family. The thousand-year curse was that powerful. There were no exceptions or escapes.
Amane released a tired sigh and cleared her head.
She should live in the present and leave the future for her future self.
Knowing Kagaya's health was deteriorating, Amane chose not to wake him. She'd inform him in the morning.
The Kasugai Crow left.
Her gaze returned to the book on the table, though her mind was elsewhere.
'Four more Upper Ranks are left… and five Lower Ranks… Kibutsuji Muzan must be bawling after losing his direct subordinates… Hah, no need to think about that. Final Selection of this year is coming. I need to focus on that first.'
Staying quiet as usual, she mumbled to herself. "We should give all Demon Slayers a training program under Tanjiro. It'd boost everyone's overall performance…"
Nodding to herself, she began to make plans.
…
Some time earlier~
Tokyo, Yoshiwara.
Entertainment District.
Tanjiro looked around at the colorful glow spilling from lanterns and bulbs, the constant bustle of the crowd, and the alluring fragrance drifting from the mansions. Burning incense filled the air — sandalwood, aloeswood, and scents he couldn't name.
Laughter, music, and footsteps blended into a single living noise. Everything felt busy, warm, and inviting.
This was a place where people came to indulge their desires, to shed the stress and exhaustion of daily life.
Standing on the roof of a mansion, without any presence, Tanjiro let go of his other senses and focused solely on smell.
A few seconds passed in silence despite the busy streets around him.
Until…
A smile flashed on his face.
'Got you…'
.....
Images of OCs are in previous chapter's comment section.