Strange things happen every year, but this year seemed to have an abundance of them.
Sitting in the Infinity Castle, Muzan was utterly baffled.
Hantengu was clearly not dead, yet how could the curse within his body vanish?
This miraculous power—bridging fate and causality, involving the spirit and the soul—was the means by which Muzan controlled every demon in this world. It was a method he took pride in, one that had never failed in a thousand years!
The curse was critical to Muzan's ability to smoothly control demons worldwide; there was no room for error!
Muzan was desperate to figure out exactly what was happening with Hantengu.
Logically, Muzan only needed to extend his mind through the curse within Hantengu to check on the demon's current status.
But who could have guessed the curse would be gone?
Aside from faintly sensing that Hantengu was still alive, Muzan could do absolutely nothing else!
Damn it! I can't figure out what is going on with Hantengu!
This feeling of helplessness was truly wretched!
In a fit of rage, Muzan lashed out with a fist, smashing the bookshelf in front of him. Books and shredded paper scattered in the air, creating a chaotic aesthetic of destruction.
This terrible situation suddenly gave Muzan a sense of déjà vu.
Why does this feel familiar? Has this happened before?
Muzan couldn't help but think back.
Then, realization struck him.
That's it!
The curse wasn't infallible; it hadn't worked perfectly every single time in the last thousand years. Didn't Tamayo use her vaunted medical skills to disable the curse he had placed on her?
Could it be that Hantengu had encountered a similar situation this time?
As a person with a terrible personality and a vile nature, Muzan instinctively assumed the worst when things went wrong.
He couldn't help but think angrily: Did Hantengu betray me, just like Tamayo? Did he find a similar method to clear my curse so he could escape my control?
If that's the case, Hantengu has broken free from my grasp!
But on second thought, Muzan realized something didn't add up.
To ensure his subordinates remained useful, Muzan would check their loyalty through the curse every now and then to guarantee they hadn't had a change of heart.
The last time he checked Hantengu's loyalty was only a few days ago.
Could Hantengu's loyalty have plummeted, leading to outright betrayal, in just a few days?
Unlikely. Even if he were brainwashed, he wouldn't turn that quickly.
Although Muzan was cruel, he was still rational. After carefully considering it, he felt the possibility of the loyal Hantengu suddenly betraying him was slim.
If it isn't betrayal, then what on earth happened to Hantengu?
This involved an Upper Moon, one of his most important subordinates. Muzan had to figure this out urgently.
Fortunately, there were other ways to bring Hantengu here.
Muzan immediately took a few steps, leaving the room to find Nakime. He commanded her:
"Nakime, summon Hantengu here immediately!"
Nakime didn't say a word. Like an emotionless tool, she silently accepted the order and activated her Blood Demon Art, striking a crisp note on her biwa.
Twang!
The biwa sounded, but nothing happened. Nothing was summoned.
Nakime's eyes widened in shock, making her large, singular eye appear even larger.
Beside her, Muzan looked at Nakime with suspicion and danger in his eyes. He realized something was wrong—the situation seemed to be spiraling toward an even worse outcome.
"Nakime, where is Hantengu? Why haven't you summoned him?"
Cold sweat drenched Nakime's forehead. She sensed Muzan's foul mood and heard the menace in his tone. Fearing for her life, she hurriedly knelt to beg for mercy:
"Muzan-sama, please forgive me! I don't know why, but my Blood Demon Art has suddenly failed!
"I just probed carefully... the Blood Demon Art mark I left on Hantengu's body seems to have disappeared!
"Without my unique mark, I cannot determine Hantengu's location, nor can I summon him!"
Muzan's mood at that moment could only be described as abysmal.
Not only had his own curse inside Hantengu been cleared, but Nakime's mark on Hantengu had also vanished.
What did this mean?
It meant that he had completely lost contact with Hantengu. It meant he had completely lost control over him! It meant a massive loss of his authority! It meant something unreasonable had occurred beyond his grasp!
How could such an absurd thing happen?!
Who is it? Who could possibly achieve this?!
What exactly happened to Hantengu?
He, the King of Demons, was now like a headless fly—knowing nothing, able to do nothing!
"You bastard!"
In his extreme rage, Muzan instinctively vented his fury on Nakime. He kicked her, sending her flying! Nakime spat blood as she crashed through who knows how many doors and walls.
How many times had Nakime been the scapegoat for Muzan's anger?
Quite a few times now.
Muzan lived up to his reputation as a "scum boss," treating his secretary so harshly and excessively.
Other bosses have the secretary work when there's work to be done...
He was different. When there was work, the secretary did it. When there was no work, he beat the secretary.
Working under a scum boss like Muzan was truly a precarious existence.
This was the "big trouble" Horitake had spoken of.
Think about it. If Horitake hadn't discovered the translucent mark in time, and if he hadn't cleared it immediately, what would have happened?
Nakime would have successfully summoned the paralyzed Hantengu back to the Infinity Castle.
Horitake's plan to capture Hantengu alive, and everything that followed, would have failed completely.
But that wasn't the scariest part.
The scariest part was that once Hantengu was summoned back to the Infinity Castle, Muzan would see his wretched state and demand to know what happened.
Hantengu would tell Muzan everything—likely adding exaggeration to the story.
In that scenario, Horitake's capabilities, his background, and even his current location on Mount Momoyama would be exposed to Muzan! Muzan would know everything!
Would Muzan pass up such a golden opportunity to kill Horitake?
Muzan would certainly order Nakime to use her Blood Demon Art to teleport him to the location Hantengu had just been—Mount Momoyama, perhaps even directly into Jigoro's house!
Nakime would teleport him, Muzan would appear on Mount Momoyama, and Horitake would be forced to face Muzan head-on. A massive battle would ensue, and nine times out of ten, Horitake wouldn't be able to handle Muzan yet.
Even if Horitake died in battle, it wouldn't matter much to him, as he still had the Substitute Doll to save his life.
But the lives of Jigoro and Zenitsu beside him might not be saved. Horitake really didn't have much confidence that he could protect them during a fierce battle with Muzan.
If that wasn't "big trouble," then what was?
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