"A betrayal? Haha, the words chosen are exaggerated," he replied, before pulling a spare fan from his sleeve.
He unfolded it with a fluid and elegant gesture, as was his habit during conversations.
"I merely seized an opportunity. Have you never done the same, Muzan?" he said, without honorifics.
Muzan narrowed her eyes at the former Upper Moon Two, but did not immediately respond to Doma's words.
Beyond the audacity he had shown in calling her directly by name, the ancestor of demons could not refute his statements.
The demon king was indeed an opportunist, and she could not deny that aspect of herself.
After all, who wouldn't be in a desperate situation?
Muzan's former body had been nothing but an imperfect and fragile shell. The demon king was willing to do anything to avoid returning to it and perishing within.
Even devouring humans.
It was also for this reason that Muzan felt a certain sympathy toward Rui and Doma: They all shared the same pain.
All three were beings marked by an imperfect body they had never wished to receive.
Thus, Muzan knew she was in no position to reproach Doma for his opportunism in his quest for power.
The origin of demons herself had done something similar more than a thousand years ago.
'It's not even been a minute since we started interacting… and yet, he's demonstrating his understanding of me once again,' she thought, as her emotions grew increasingly confused.
However, the creature from the Heian era was not easily manipulated psychologically.
Unlike Hlökk, Muzan had lived among humans on earth and knew intimately their fickle nature.
She could not simply take Doma's words at face value and deny the true nature of his act.
Opportunism? Yes, but this opportunity went against Muzan's interests.
She could not accept it, which is why Muzan was ready to use any means to nip Doma's escape ideas in the bud.
"An opportunity? I see. However, you're forgetting one detail, Doma," she said, her facial expression betraying absolute confidence.
Muzan's aura of will was no longer solely composed of anger and betrayal. It now mingled with a cold and implacable determination.
The demon ancestor sketched a smile—an act Doma did not expect to see in such a situation.
"What is it?" he asked, not out of mere curiosity, but to gauge the extent of the "possible" variable Muzan held.
Doma had already seen Muzan smile this way ninety-eight years ago.
It was back when they had attended the festival together, and he had ended up as "Shota Doma" at every meeting.
It had taken decades for Doma to get Muzan to lift that sanction, which he still found somewhat unpleasant despite its slight advantages, like being carried by Nakime.
So it could only mean one thing.
'Muzan plans to punish me? That's absurd and funny, hehe… but she seems truly confident,' he thought to himself, without dropping his fake smile.
"I still have your two disciples and your three women under my influence," declared the demon, with the malice of a creature that had lived a thousand years in contact with humanity.
Muzan had just employed blackmail against Doma, but the demon overlooked one detail.
Doma's mind thought rationally at every moment, as long as emotions did not surge.
At that instant, he assessed the situation of his loved ones with cold logic, devoid of any emotion.
For the ice demon, it was simply a new equation to solve.
If he failed to find the answer, he would merely be temporarily punished by the emotion called "regret."
There was also the prospect of feeling remorse later, if he regained his emotions permanently.
However, that concerned the future Doma.
In the present case, all painful emotions would eventually be consumed by the abyss in his mind.
They would disappear, and then he could think about obtaining compensation for his loss.
Is this a nihilistic view of things? Possibly, but any rational and intelligent person eventually faces the truth sooner or later.
Nothing is eternal, except eternity.
It was also this part of Doma that made him so dangerous and explained his rapid evolution.
It was the element that made him inhuman and difficult to handle when analyzed on a mental level.
Unfortunately, Muzan had forgotten this aspect due to the mental agitation her mind was currently undergoing.
After all, the demon king was thinking of avenging Doma and strengthening her group.
And suddenly, she found herself facing a traitor.
"I will order Nakime to open a portal. Join me again… and become mine once more," she declared in a calm voice, but anyone would have known that Muzan left no room for negotiation in her words.
"Ok, I'll come to you soon. However, it won't be to become a mere Upper Moon again." Doma plunged his multicolored eyes into Muzan's plum-pink ones.
His allusion was clear at that moment.
Doma would come to Muzan, but as something other than a simple subordinate.
"No matter. You simply must come, if you don't want the death of your loved ones."
After these final words, Muzan cast one last glance at Doma before temporarily breaking her link with Akaza.
Throughout the exchange, she had tried to strengthen her control over Akaza, but without success.
Doma had prevented her from altering Akaza's memory again, as he had his own plans for his former rival.
Thus, Muzan's will had no choice but to hesitate between killing Akaza or simply drawing him to her later.
The origin of demons ultimately decided to leave without harming her servant.
Even though Akaza was currently out of control, Muzan judged his situation different from Doma's.
After all, she could still feel their bond through the blood flowing in his veins.
"Well… the situation is a bit regrettable," muttered the divine demon as he looked toward the spot where Muzan had stood before her disappearance.
He had planned to settle things with Muzan, but not through violence or war.
Muzan Kibutsuji was a selfish creature, a human-flesh-eating monster, and a predator of the human race.
Yet, this person remained Doma's benefactor.
True, he had not turned him into a demon out of kindness. But so what? Doma didn't believe in free meals and preferred to stick to the facts.
As for his diet, Doma was in no position to reproach him at this stage. He too consumed human and divine flesh.
That is why Doma had a debt toward Muzan Kibutsuji, and that was an irrefutable fact.
Unfortunately, the diplomatic option was temporarily locked, and he didn't want to act like a jerk without real principles.
Denying Muzan's "gift" would amount to rejecting his own will, since he acknowledged the demon's benefit toward him.
And Doma had no real principles, except respect for his own will.
'As long as Muzan hasn't directly killed an important member of my people and isn't a threat to my plans, I won't kill her,' he concluded mentally.
The death of one of Doma's women at Muzan's hands was unlikely, since the demon king suffered from a severe shortage of competent subordinates.
Over the ninety-eight years since his transformation, Doma had recruited the most high-potential demons into Muzan's camp.
The second to succeed in this field was Akaza, who only recruited fighters deemed worthy by his standards.
All this had led the Twelve Kizuki to the current situation: two Upper Moons were working for Doma.
At this realization, the ice demon looked at Akaza.
His former rival was still on his knees, after his conversation with his deceased wife.
It didn't take long for Doma to walk toward him, for the divine demon knew:
If he played his cards right, then Akaza would join him.
'Gyutaro, Enmu, Akaza, and the 80 shadows alive with Mugen? That's an interesting core team against the Infinity Castle,' he thought, before placing his hand on the fallen demon's shoulder.
Author's Note: yes, Doma knows that Akaza killed a good part of Shadow, but they were created for that in the first place (as cannon fodder).
Mugen is just a happy surprise.
As for the votes, check the comments (I wrote: "no Muzan" and "yes, female Muzan").
I will choose one of them as the final route, after the current Infinity Castle arc (there are two Infinity Castle arcs, for info).
Another note:
this is my Patreon link:
patreon.com/ HeroHero630
Currently, there are no additional chapters yet, but by tomorrow, there will be.
By the end of the week, there will be three bonus chapters, and the price is affordable.