Ever since fleeing from Asakusa that day, Muzan had not only sent the Twelve Kizuki to actively search for Sukuna, but had also strengthened the connection between demons, intending to quickly locate Sukuna's hiding place.
And just as Sukuna had anticipated, Kyogai's death was felt firsthand by Muzan. However, the message Sukuna had asked Kyogai to deliver was not received.
Though Muzan had already forgotten Kyogai's name, he could still recall from the amount of his blood in Kyogai's body that this was a former Lower Rank of the Twelve Kizuki.
Muzan paced back and forth, muttering to himself as he felt the information transmitted from Kyogai. "Is it him?"
It had been a long time since Muzan had felt the defeat of a demon this strong. Not that Kyogai was actually strong—only compared to ordinary demons.
But Muzan had a gut feeling. The one who killed this former Lower Rank had to be Sukuna.
He immediately ordered all demons searching for Sukuna to head to that location to confirm. He also notified the nearest Twelve Kizuki about the situation.
Only after confirming the identity and learning all of Sukuna's abilities through those demons would Muzan personally go to exact revenge for the humiliation of being frightened off in Asakusa.
...
Shinobu watched Sukuna bathed in bright sunlight and fell silent for a moment.
In terms of results, Sukuna had killed three demons on this trip, one of them a former Twelve Kizuki. If ordinary Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen had been sent on this mission, casualties would have been likely. After all, there were only so many Hashira. They could not personally handle every single demon.
But alongside this seemingly decent result, the boy who had still been alive also died by Sukuna's hand. This was clearly the price of receiving Sukuna's help.
Sukuna sheathed his Nichirin blade while feeling the changes Breathing techniques brought to his body. Yet he felt nothing resembling the Mark that both Gyomei Himejima and Kyojuro Rengoku had manifested.
As expected, acquiring the Mark was proving more difficult than he had anticipated. In the end, it was because his enemies were too weak.
As they left, Shinobu simply told the two children that their brother had died. She did not say much else or offer comfort. Lingering too long and making Sukuna impatient would only bring death to the children themselves.
Even after they had walked a considerable distance, they could still hear the heartbreaking wails of the children discovering their brother's body.
By the time Sukuna and Shinobu reached Mount Natagumo, it was already late at night. According to Sukuna, this was the perfect time. If they had come during the day, they would have wasted time searching for demons hiding from the sun in the mountains.
If Shinobu had been acting alone, she would never have kept such a tight schedule. But she had gradually grown accustomed to this intensity after following Sukuna.
Sukuna looked up at Mount Natagumo, which was significantly larger than Mount Fujikasane, and muttered to himself. "So this time it's an active Twelve Kizuki. How exciting..."
Before they could officially enter the mountain, they spotted a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman collapsed by the roadside.
The young swordsman was covered in wounds, his face stained red with blood. The Nichirin blade clenched in his hand seemed to be his last remaining anchor.
The moment he saw Sukuna and Shinobu appear, he clung to them like a lifeline. With a hoarse, feeble voice, he cried out, "Help... please... help me...!"
The moment the swordsman finished speaking, his body was lifted into the air and pulled back toward the forest of Mount Natagumo by some unseen force.
Shinobu wanted to save him, but she was a step too late. They had been some distance from the swordsman.
As for Sukuna, who could have saved him, he had no interest. He had also seen through the trick. Thin threads were attached to the swordsman's back, pulling him away. But Sukuna was curious. This was the first time he had seen other Demon Slayer Corps members being toyed with by demons.
Sukuna asked Shinobu beside him, "What's the situation here? Why did that guy think there was a Twelve Kizuki here?"
The guy Sukuna referred to was Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Shinobu quickly explained. "The initial assessment of the danger here was simply that a demon was present. But after sending multiple nearby Demon Slayer Corps members to handle it, they all failed. Under normal circumstances, the incident on Mount Natagumo would have already reached the level requiring a Hashira to be dispatched."
Shinobu's quickened speech was because she wanted to hurry and save the swordsman. But with Sukuna there, she could not act on her own.
Sukuna did not respond to her explanation. Instead, he asked coldly, "Are you in a rush?"
Shinobu felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly denied it. "Not at all, Sukuna-sama!"
Sukuna glanced at her, said nothing more, and stepped onto Mount Natagumo.
Not because he had softened and wanted to save the swordsmen faster. He was simply curious about how they would be dispatched by the demons—or by the Twelve Kizuki.
Sukuna was also curious about something else. These swordsmen all used Breathing techniques. They were all in life-threatening situations. So why could they not awaken the Mark? Only those two Hashira had awakened it when challenging him.
They had not gone far when Sukuna spotted a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman crouching in the bushes.
Sukuna appeared silently behind him and asked coldly, "What are you hiding here for?"
The swordsman was startled. He spun around with his Nichirin blade raised. Seeing Sukuna's four eyes and curse-marked face, he panicked.
Before he could instinctively swing at Sukuna and commit an unforgivable act, Shinobu stepped in. She drew her blade and deflected his strike.
If Shinobu's Nichirin blade had not been damaged, if the swordsmith had not yet finished her new custom blade, the swordsman might have recognized her as the Insect Hashira from her standard-issue sword.
"Insect Hashira...?" the swordsman said in confusion. He still did not understand why Shinobu had stopped him.
Shinobu snapped at him sharply. "How dare you show such disrespect to Sukuna-sama!"
"...Sukuna-sama?"
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