Infinity Castle.
"Another meeting?" Gyokko, who had emerged from his pot, scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the rotating space around him. "Did another Upper Rank die?"
After a moment of bewilderment, he chuckled, "Hopefully it's one of the guys ahead of me~"
No sooner had he spoken than an arm suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"Yo, Gyokko~"
That frivolous, carefree voice made Gyokko shiver involuntarily.
Sweat dripped from Gyokko's forehead as he chuckled awkwardly, "Ha… isn't this Lord Douma? It's been a long time."
"A long time? Gyokko, is there something wrong with your head?" Douma patted his shoulder with a smile. "It hasn't been that long, has it?"
Gyokko's mouth twitched. He was just being polite; he really couldn't handle this guy.
Although he grumbled internally, Gyokko acted quite submissively.
"Ha, look at my memo—"
Before he could finish, Douma looked around and said, "But speaking of which, I thought you were the one who got taken out."
"Since you're still here, then…" He saw Hantengu trembling in the corner and a smile appeared on his face. "Is it Lord Kokushibou?"
Gyokko, who had been about to retort, "Why me?", decisively chose to shut up after hearing Douma's latter half of the sentence.
Forget it, bickering with this guy really wouldn't get him anywhere.
He even dared to speak ill of that monster behind his back. As expected, even if they were all Upper Ranks, different ranks meant vastly different actual statuses.
Like him, he wouldn't dare to speak casually to Kokushibou.
The top three Upper Ranks were all monsters.
In the eyes of the Lower Ranks, the Upper Ranks were already outright monsters.
But in the eyes of the lowest Upper Ranks, weren't the ones above them monsters too?
Unless an unexpected situation occurred, it was hard to imagine how one could win a rank-changing Blood Battle.
It was better to honestly settle down for a few more decades.
However, he really didn't ignore Douma's words.
That monster Kokushibou… could he really be dead?
After all, not long ago, Lord Muzan had just instructed him to do something.
Now there was another meeting.
Thinking about it carefully… it was very possible!
Then could his number jump up a bit?
Ah, no… when Lord Akaza died, his number didn't change to Four… Lord Muzan was probably too angry to remember.
Oh, how should he remind that Lord?
"You seem very happy."
A calm yet extremely oppressive voice suddenly rang out.
Gyokko was dreaming sweetly when his boss's voice suddenly sounded in his ear, causing him to panic. He quickly explained, "I am truly very sorry, Lord Muzan."
"You know me, I have always been your loyal subordinate."
Muzan, dressed in a luxurious black kimono, his scarlet eyes coldly stared at Gyokko.
He knew this without an explanation.
Whether it was an Upper Rank, a Lower Rank, or any other weak demon.
Anyone who showed even a hint of disloyalty to him would have long been scattered, ashes and all.
Muzan was quite tolerant of the Upper Ranks; he wouldn't dismiss them arbitrarily for minor things like he did the Lower Ranks.
After all, these guys, no matter how bad, were elites who had climbed out of the masses of demons.
It should have been like this… *rip*… A faint sound came from his ear. Douma subconsciously turned his head and saw Gyokko's body detach from the pot's opening and smash onto the ground.
Douma looked up and saw his boss holding Gyokko's head with a cold expression.
A suspicious blush rose on Gyokko's face: "Ah~ Lord Muzan is holding my head~"
Blood gushed from his headless neck, and the overturned pot rolled twice, tumbled down the steps, and shattered into pieces.
"Ah! My pot!" Gyokko's head jolted.
A vein throbbed on Muzan's forehead, and he threw Gyokko's head back with extreme disgust.
Douma knelt obediently in place, casually looking around, as if completely ignoring Gyokko: "Oh, I don't seem to see Lord Kokushibou or Gyuutarou~"
"Ah~ My pot~" Gyokko reattached his head, picking up the fragments with a wronged expression.
Muzan felt a headache coming on.
These guys… not a single one was reliable.
*Tap, tap*… Steady footsteps drew everyone's attention. Even Gyokko put down what he was doing and turned to look.
Upper Rank One, that monster.
Kokushibou knelt on one knee with a calm expression: "Lord Muzan."
The veins on Muzan's forehead became even more prominent and menacing: "Kokushibou, for over four hundred years, you have never made a mistake."
"Why did you fail this time?"
Hearing their boss's words, the remaining three Upper Ranks all looked at Kokushibou.
This guy could fail too?
It was truly unbelievable.
Kokushibou had held his Upper Rank position for hundreds of years without change. Besides the reckless Lord Akaza, few dared to provoke him.
As for those who had provoked him before, they had long been devoured completely.
Muzan's question was not a question. He was the first to know about Kokushibou going to support Gyuutarou.
After Kokushibou arrived at the scene, he watched the entire process from Kokushibou's perspective, using his control over demons.
That woman… that strange Blood Demon Art, it could make humans regenerate severed limbs!
In that situation, if Kokushibou had strictly followed orders, that woman definitely wouldn't have won.
Muzan had immense trust in Kokushibou's strength.
But he wasted time saying a lot of irritating things.
Even this man was swayed by emotions?
"My deepest apologies." Kokushibou had no intention of arguing, respectfully lowering his head.
The veins on Muzan's face twitched. He was already missing an Upper Rank spot because Lord Akaza was suddenly taken out, and the Lower Ranks, having been ordered to eliminate the Demon Slayer wearing hanafuda earrings, were forced to expose themselves to the Demon Slayer Corps and had all been annihilated by the Pillars.
Now, he had lost another major general due to Kokushibou's lapse.
How could Muzan not be angry?
"I don't understand."
"Why do you all disappoint me so much?"
"The Ubuyashiki Clan has not been eradicated, and the blue spider lily has still not been found."
"Why can't you find it after searching for hundreds of years?!"
"I—I'm starting to not understand the reason for your existence!"
Since encountering that Demon Slayer wearing hanafuda earrings, nothing good had happened.
The Twelve Demon Moons were being taken out one by one, which was incredibly frustrating.
Due to Muzan's rage, all the Upper Ranks could only prostrate themselves on the ground.
Kokushibou had nothing to say. The Ubuyashiki Clan was originally his responsibility.
Moreover, the Entertainment District battle was indeed his dereliction of duty.
Seeing his silent colleagues, Gyokko's mind jolted: "Lord Muzan! I'm different!"
"Not long ago, I found…"
Before he could finish, Muzan raised a hand to interrupt him.
"After the intelligence is confirmed, go with Hantengu."
Gyokko respectfully said, "Your subordinate obeys!"
Although that Hantengu guy shared the credit, this was a meritorious deed that would undermine the Demon Slayer Corps' foundation.
As long as it was handled properly, a promotion and a raise were within reach.
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