The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters' outskirts were tightly encircled by stationed swordsmen, surrounding a few ordinary demons.
Logically, with so many swordsmen, killing these demons should be simple.
But everyone knew they couldn't.
These demons had discovered the headquarters' location.
If they were killed, Muzan could access their memories upon death, exposing the headquarters.
Fearing this, the swordsmen, despite their fierce encirclement, refrained from striking.
Horitake, atop a tree, observed the dutiful but restrained swordsmen.
He understood their concern.
These demons were utterly ordinary, insignificant to Muzan. Normally, their deaths wouldn't draw his attention or prompt him to check their memories.
But what if?
What if Muzan did check their memories?
So Horitake had to act, removing their curses before killing them!
As he prepared, he noticed something—these demons looked familiar.
Had he seen them before?
Impossible. Except for Nezuko, Tamayo, and Yushiro, every demon he met was swiftly slain, save Kokushibo. All others were dead!
Horitake thought quickly.
He couldn't have seen these demons. The familiarity might stem from encountering them as humans!
Where had he seen them as humans?
He racked his brain but couldn't recall.
Horitake shouted from the tree:
"Hold off!"
At his command, the swordsmen stopped, pausing their assault, gripping their Nichirin Blades, surrounding the demons tightly, awaiting his orders.
The trapped demons, despairing and ready to die, gained a reprieve.
They looked up at the one who halted the swordsmen.
Seeing Horitake, they recognized him, shouting in shock:
"It's you!"
Horitake's eyes narrowed.
So this familiarity wasn't an illusion—they knew him!
Frowning, he asked calmly:
"You know me? Where have we met?"
A bald demon, furious, cursed:
"Of course we know you! If we hadn't become demons, we'd have died by your hand!"
The others, his lackeys, chimed in:
"It was you! You nearly killed us!"
"We were human, bandits, no match for you!"
"You cut us down in moments, leaving us half-dead!"
"If we hadn't turned into demons, clinging to our last breaths, we'd be gone!"
Their accusations jogged Horitake's memory of a trivial event.
After passing the Final Selection at Fujikasan Mountain and meeting Yoyoi at headquarters, he left for Momoyama.
On the way, in the forested edge of the surrounding mountains, he encountered a group of bandits.
These bandits were odd, chanting something about claiming the mountain—a ragtag bunch!
Facing them, Horitake showed no mercy, using his newly mastered Gale Swordsmanship to cut them down, leaving them half-dead.
He didn't check if they lived or died, leaving them sprawled on the mountain path.
Recalling this, Horitake understood.
No wonder these ragtag demons seemed familiar.
They were those bandits!
"So it's you lot! After I defeated you, I left without checking. Not only did you survive, you became demons! My mistake for not finishing you. You said you were dying but turned into demons just before death, right? I want to know—who turned you?"
The bald bandit demon, dim-witted, answered smugly:
"Who turned us? Heh, thanks to that lord! At our last breath, he made us demons, saving us and making us stronger! His name'll shock you! Our leader, Lord Akaza!"
Horitake's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Akaza to turn these ragtag bandits into demons!
Wait! They were barely alive when Akaza appeared and transformed them.
That meant, shortly after Horitake defeated them, Akaza was there!
If he'd lingered, he'd have faced Akaza!
Back then, he was no match for Akaza. Lucky he left in time!
More than that.
Horitake met these bandits at the mountain's edge, while the headquarters lay deep within.
Akaza's appearance wasn't far from the headquarters, just a mountain range away.
Horitake suspected Akaza was searching for the headquarters to strike the Corps!
Then he recalled the system's hint!
It said his next actions would determine which demon attacked.
Could it be Akaza!?
Very likely!
But something didn't add up.
If Horitake remembered correctly, Muzan tasked Akaza with finding the Blue Spider Lily, not the headquarters.
To Muzan, destroying the Corps was less vital than the flower.
So why was Akaza so keen on finding and attacking the headquarters?
Horitake quickly considered more.
Akaza, the Demon of Combat, thrived on fighting the strong!
In the original story, after killing Rengoku, he boasted to Muzan, only to be reprimanded.
A battle-hungry demon targeting the Corps' stronghold to fight its strongest wasn't surprising.
Horitake's mind raced, piecing together every clue, forming a coherent logical chain.
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