Through questioning the bandit demons, known facts, and his own analysis, Horitake gathered substantial intelligence, piecing it together.
Looking at the demons below, like dead men walking, he asked calmly:
"I don't get it. Why would Akaza turn you ragtag lot into demons? What's the point? What can you do for him?"
The dim-witted demons, provoked by his tone, angrily spilled everything:
"What? You call us ragtag!?"
"We were personally turned by Lord Akaza!"
"We're his loyal servants!"
"We're very useful to him!"
"Oh?" Horitake mocked. "How so?"
The bald bandit leader boasted:
"Heh! Lord Akaza gave us three tasks, proof he values us!"
"What tasks?"
The bald demon raised three fingers:
"First, Lord Akaza ordered us to search these mountains for a plant called the Blue Spider Lily!"
"No surprise, Akaza was tasked with that. Go on."
"Second, he told us to find the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters!"
"As I suspected. And?"
"Third, to destroy as many Corps members as possible!"
"Expected. How's your progress?"
At this, the bizarre demons cried.
Not only cried, but disgustingly huddled together, laughing and weeping, lost in self-pity and pride:
"Wahh… after half a year's effort, we finally found traces of the headquarters! We found it! So tough, so tough… Wahh…
Under Lord Akaza's brilliant leadership and our hard work, the other tasks will soon be done! Wahh…"
Horitake couldn't bear to watch.
The surrounding swordsmen looked disgusted.
These were the demons they'd been so wary of?
The swordsmen suddenly lost motivation, feeling no satisfaction in killing such clowns.
Despite the cringe, Horitake deduced the full picture.
Why did Akaza turn these ragtag bandits into demons?
Though pathetic, their bandit experience made them adept at mountain navigation.
In half a year, they evaded the Corps' sentries, found traces, and located the headquarters!
Never underestimate comic relief—they can have unexpected impact.
These days, rubber fruits become Nika, and serious battles turn into slapstick. Anything's possible.
Back to business, Horitake asked one last question:
"You've found the headquarters. What's next?"
The demons stopped crying, broke apart, and struck a dramatic formation, like the Ginyu Force, answering in unison:
"Next, we break out and report to Lord Akaza!"
The swordsmen stared, dumbfounded, as if looking at fools.
Where did these idiots get the confidence to escape?
Horitake palmed his face:
"You won't get the chance."
With that, he flicked out bolts of lightning.
The purple bolts, swift and precise, struck the demons' necks, shattering and burning their second vertebrae, paralyzing them.
The once-arrogant demons collapsed, eyes wide, sprawled in bizarre poses, unable to move.
Horitake floated down from the tree, grabbing one by the neck, lifting it.
A nearby swordsman worried:
"Heaven Pillar, they're weak, but killing them risks Muzan noticing. The headquarters could be exposed through their memories!"
"No worries. I'm skilled at removing demon curses. Muzan won't sense their deaths."
With a brief explanation, Horitake acted.
For Yoyoi's curse, he was meticulous. For these ragtag demons, he was ruthless.
Activating Spirit Vision, he located the curse, forcing lightning into the demon's body, ignoring its convulsing screams.
The lightning dove in, found the curse, and obliterated it without containment or extraction.
With a light touch, the curse was gone.
The demon was useless now. Horitake crushed its neck with a lightning-charged grip, killing it!
His decisiveness shocked the swordsmen.
The remaining demons, no longer comical, wailed and begged.
Horitake ignored them, methodically removing curses and killing each one.
In moments, the ragtag demons were dispatched!
Horitake dusted his hands, thinking the headquarters was safe now.
But the system doused him with cold water!
Its voice rang in his mind:
"Host, you're too optimistic. The headquarters will still be exposed!"
Horitake, shocked and furious, questioned via thought:
"How!? I was thorough! I removed their curses before killing them. Muzan won't notice their deaths or access their memories! How can it still be exposed?"
"Akaza serves Muzan loyally, searching for the Blue Spider Lily. He not only searches himself but commands his demons to do so. These bandits were his minions. Akaza has a habit of summoning his demons every seven days to check their progress on finding the flower or the headquarters. Tonight is that seventh day."
Horitake's gut sank, but he pressed:
"So what? I killed them. At most, Akaza notices they're gone and assumes they're dead. He doesn't know who killed them or where. How can he find the headquarters?"
The system's tone turned mocking:
"Don't treat Akaza as a brainless fighter. He's lived centuries—his intelligence is honed."
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