Chapter 23
The moment Gyutaro and Daki turned to ash, Muzan sensed it from an unknown distance away.
"Gyutaro... is dead? How is that possible?!"
At this moment, Muzan Kibutsuji had taken on the appearance of the young son of a wealthy merchant.
He had originally looked delicate and rather adorable, but now, because of his terrible mood, his features had twisted savagely and veins bulged across his face, making him look truly frightening.
"Crack—"
The test tube in his hand was crushed between his fingers.
The precious solution extracted from who knew how many valuable materials spilled uselessly across the floor, yet he seemed completely unaware of it.
"I thought he was merely a human capable of killing a Lower Rank. I never expected him to already be this strong. Could it be... that man has returned?"
Muzan Kibutsuji clenched his teeth so tightly they made a grinding sound.
The moment he thought of that man, cold sweat broke out all over his body.
He had clearly been human, yet he had been absurdly powerful.
Before that man, Muzan, the king of demons, had been as fragile as an infant.
He had thought no one like that would ever appear again.
Was another existence beyond common sense about to emerge now?
"Nakime. Send me into the Infinity Castle immediately."
With that thought, Muzan Kibutsuji gave the order without hesitation.
Nakime’s sensory eyeball was by his side.
After receiving Muzan Kibutsuji’s command, it immediately pulled him into the Infinity Castle.
Only after seeing the familiar scenery and feeling his absolute control over that space did Muzan Kibutsuji finally feel a little more at ease.
But the moment he thought of Gyutaro being killed by that inheritor of Sun Breathing, his mood became extremely heavy.
"Recall all the Upper Ranks," he ordered Nakime again.
The situation had already become an emergency.
He had to convene another Upper Rank meeting. This was both to assess the situation and make arrangements, as well as to protect himself.
That’s right.
This demon king was just that careful.
Or, to put it more honestly, that cowardly.
After receiving the order, Nakime plucked the strings without hesitation.
With several sharp twangs, Doma, Kokushibo, and the other Upper Ranks all appeared.
Only Akaza was missing.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Muzan Kibutsuji looked expressionlessly at Nakime, causing even this normally calm attendant to break into sweat and tremble all over.
"Reporting to Muzan-sama, Akaza... Akaza resisted my summons."
Her spatial Blood Demon Art was mysterious and could bring people into the Infinity Castle.
However, if the target was powerful and had a firm will to resist, then her Blood Demon Art would most likely fail.
Akaza’s failed transfer was one such example.
"What is that bastard doing?"
Muzan Kibutsuji flew into a rage.
At a critical moment, this subordinate had actually failed him.
It made him wonder whether he had been too lenient with these Upper Ranks.
Suppressing his anger, he sensed Akaza’s location and found that the place felt somewhat familiar.
"Isn’t that the direction of the Entertainment District? Why would that bastard run over there?"
"Probably... to search for a strong opponent," Doma said with a yawn. "Muzan-sama, why do we have to find Akaza so urgently?"
Muzan Kibutsuji did not waste his breath arguing with Doma.
In his heart, he repeatedly weighed one matter.
Should he throw all the Upper Ranks into the battlefield at the Entertainment District in one go and completely kill that Sun Breathing inheritor?
But the possibility existed that this was a trap. He could not risk all of these Upper Ranks.
They were his entire foundation.
"No. This is very likely a trap. There may already be a large number of Hashira-level fighters lying in ambush there, waiting for me to send the Upper Ranks over so they can wipe them all out at once."
Once he thought of this possibility, Muzan Kibutsuji’s furious mood calmed slightly.
"In that case, let Akaza test him first. With his strength, he should be able to wear down that inheritor. Perhaps he can even wear down a few Hashira as well."
If even Akaza died there, then it meant another Yoriichi Tsugikuni had appeared.
At that point, what Muzan needed to do was not send the other Upper Ranks in as cannon fodder, but preserve his forces and plan for the future.
After all, human lives were limited.
A hundred years later, they would be nothing more than a pile of dirt.
But he, Muzan Kibutsuji, would still be invincible in this world!
Once he changed his way of thinking, Muzan Kibutsuji immediately felt much clearer.
He had Nakime send away the confused Upper Ranks to different locations, arranged for some demons to gather intelligence, then sat back and waited for information.
...
"They’re... dead?"
Giyu Tomioka looked at the two Upper Rank demons turning to ash, still feeling a trace of disbelief.
Those incredibly powerful Upper Rank demons...
Dead?
This was an achievement the Demon Slayer Corps had failed to accomplish for hundreds of years.
Yet in this boy’s hands, it had been completed so easily.
’Tanjiro, you really are lucky.’
Giyu sighed inwardly.
That junior of his truly had unbelievable luck.
He had only gone out once, yet he had managed to encounter such an extraordinary man.
His body had already been constantly weakened by the poison, and now that he saw the Upper Rank demons were dead, the sudden joy caused the tension holding him up to collapse.
His whole body began to sway.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Kiriya walked over to his side and placed a hand over the wound on his shoulder.
"Don’t worry. You’ll be fine."
As he spoke, a pale green light of life bloomed from his hand, and Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality activated.
Giyu felt a warm current flow through his entire body. His body felt as comfortable as though he were soaking in a hot spring. U
nder the effect of that warmth, the many terrifying wounds crisscrossing his body rapidly healed.
Even the numbness that had spread through most of his body because of the poison disappeared completely.
In only a few breaths, there was no trace of injury left on Giyu’s body. He had returned to his peak condition.
"This... is unbelievable."
Giyu lifted his hand, then looked at his own body. Deep shock appeared on his face.
"What... kind of technique is this?"
"Well, just think of me as an onmyoji," Kiriya said, still using an explanation that people from Japan could understand more easily.
"Thank you."
Giyu did not continue probing. Instead, he stood up and bowed sincerely in thanks.
Without Kiriya, even if he had defeated an Upper Rank, he would still have been unable to escape death.
As a Hashira, he had already cast aside fear of life and death on the day he took up a Nichirin sword.
But if he could live on properly and continue fighting, who would willingly choose death?
Especially now that he had experienced a battle against an Upper Rank.
He had gained a deeper understanding of many forms of Water Breathing.
After returning and digesting it properly, his strength would surely improve again.
’If I encounter an Upper Rank again next time, I shouldn’t be as miserable as I was today.’
Giyu thought this.
Also, he had to ask Miss Shinobu to bring more antidotes with her.
Otherwise, if he ran into another Upper Rank who used poison, he would still be very passive.
As for Kiriya, he was savoring the battle just now and felt that it had not been quite enough.
"Upper Rank Six just now should have been at Level 3 standard, right? Especially that speed. It definitely reached the upper tier of Level 3. After a battle like that, my ability values should increase by quite a lot again."
Kiriya clicked his tongue.
"If I could have a few more battles like this, maybe all of my basic ability values could break through their limits."
Just as the two of them were reviewing the previous battle, their expressions suddenly changed, and both of them looked toward the west.
From that direction, an astonishing fighting spirit was rapidly approaching.
"That presence... is it an Upper Rank?"
Giyu tightened his grip on his Nichirin sword, completely on guard.
Kiriya narrowed his eyes.
For some reason, this scene felt familiar.
"That completely undisguised style, that astonishing battle spirit and fighting aura... could it be him?"
"You know who it is?"
Giyu heard Kiriya’s murmur and could not help asking.
"Mm. If I’m not wrong, it should be an Upper Rank."
Kiriya’s words made Giyu’s face redden slightly, and he could not help glancing at him.
If not for this man’s onmyoji technique, the two of them would have been in a half-dead state.
Facing an Upper Rank like that, they would only have been slaughtered one-sidedly.
But now it was different.
After receiving treatment, he could still continue fighting.
Under their gazes, a lean yet powerful figure tore through the air, leapt high, and landed heavily on the ground.
The newcomer’s skin was deathly pale, with only his nails colored blood-red.
His face, arms, and body were covered in various tattoos.
He wore a purple-red short vest and white shorts, with prayer beads around his ankles. His outfit carried the distinct style of a martial artist.
In his golden eyes, the characters for "Upper Rank" and "Three" were engraved separately, accurately announcing his identity.
Upper Rank Three—Akaza.
Known in certain circles as Third Bro!
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My bad, there’s a lot of chinese dialogue or vibes left behind, i correct and edit it from now on so it will be easier to understand.