War?
Upon hearing Muzan's declaration, Kokushibou, Akaza, and Douma were taken aback.
Unfortunately, Muzan didn't elaborate further.
After all, this was just how the Demon King was, not only cruel and ruthless but also viewing the demons he created as tools to find the Blue Spider Lily and eradicate the Demon Slayer Corps.
He himself lacked human sensibility, a being diametrically opposed to the concept of 'human' both physically and mentally.
Truly, there were many twisted aspects to his personality.
He was exceedingly brutal and explosively temperamental, exerting absolute terror over demons. Yet, he was also extraordinarily cowardly, afraid of death, with a profound obsession with immortality. Therefore, if someone were to say he looked like a gravely ill person or someone on the brink of death, he would instantly fly into a rage, brutally slaughtering them.
Right now, Muzan was undoubtedly in a bad mood.
Not killing one or two people to vent his frustration was already considered very merciful, so why would he bother explaining so much?
Unfortunately, Muzan's current mood was probably the worst he had experienced in his thousand-year existence.
He remembered that the last time he felt this terrible was when he was almost killed by Yoriichi. Now, hundreds of years later, he was once again on the defensive because of someone with the same name, making him extremely unhappy.
Just thinking about it made him extremely angry.
'In the first place, why would he know about the Blue Spider Lily?'
It was the one thing that truly baffled Muzan.
Most of those who knew about his search for the Blue Spider Lily were demons transformed by his own blood and completely under his control. Not only would they not dare to leak any information about the Blue Spider Lily, but they couldn't even mention his complete name, without being instantly killed by his curse.
In such circumstances, how did this 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi', who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, come to know about the Blue Spider Lily? Moreover, how did he not only learn about it but also speak of it in such a manner?
—Blue Spider Lily is in my hands.
Remembering these words, at first, Muzan didn't quite believe it.
How could it be possible that something he had been searching for a thousand years, something that so many demons had been dispatched to find all over the world and had remained undiscovered, could suddenly be in someone else's possession?
Moreover, this someone happened to be a Demon Slayer who could wield Sun Breathing, bearing the name Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
What were the odds of such a coincidence?
Surely, this must be a scam!
Muzan once told himself like this.
Yet, even as he convinced himself like this, another voice persisted in his mind.
What if?
What if it was true?
What if it was true, and he let this opportunity slip by, actually giving up his hope for immortality?
And so, the obsession with immortality drove Muzan to repeatedly try to convince himself, plunging into deep self-contradiction.
After all, it had been a thousand years, and before this, there had been not even a little bit of information about the Blue Spider Lily. Now, with this sudden revelation, he found it hard not to harbor a faint glimmer of hope.
For anyone else, after a thousand fruitless years of searching, upon receiving such news, they would undoubtedly go mad and rush to pursue it at all costs.
Muzan wasn't exactly known for his restraint or caution—if it weren't for the fear instilled in him by Riezel's strength, he would have stormed out long ago.
Clearly, his current inaction was simply due to his cowardly nature.
But in the end, the desire for immortality compelled Muzan to take action. It was absolutely impossible to let this opportunity he awaited for a thousand years slip away without doing anything.
Driven by this kind of thought, Muzan made his arrangements.
"Nakime, keep an eye on Hantengu. Once you've confirmed that he's out of the Demon Slayer Corps' sight, bring him back to the Infinity Castle and inform him of today's meeting."
Without glancing aside, Muzan ordered Nakime.
"And keep a close watch on every move of the Demon Slayer Corps. Until everything is ready, you are not allowed to lose track of their whereabouts."
"Yes." Nakime nodded in obedience.
"Gyokko is dead, and the position of Upper Five is now vacant..." Muzan added expressionlessly. "Once you've taken care of this matter, this position is yours."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Muzan." Nakime's voice brightened a bit.
At this point, Muzan shifted the topic to the three kneeling Upper Ranks.
"During this time, I want all of you to try to find as many people as possible who can potentially become powerful demons and bring them to me."
Muzan stood with his back to the three Upper Ranks, his expression obscured, but the three could see veins bulging on his neck and temples.
"You can't find the Blue Spider Lily, but if I ask you to find people, you shouldn't encounter any problems, right?"
""YES!""
The three hastily agreed.
If anyone dared to raise a question now, their heads would be on the line.
They also speculated that perhaps their king was so angry because the Blue Spider Lily had already appeared and fallen into the hands of the enemy.
Finding the Blue Spider Lily was the most important mission entrusted to the Twelve Kizuki by Muzan himself. Now that their mission target had fallen into the hands of the enemy, it was only natural for him to be furious.
Understanding this, the three Upper Ranks knew what to do next.
Prepare with all their might, retrieve the Blue Spider Lily, and present it to their king.
It was the mission the three had grasped.
Once Kokushibou, Akaza, and Douma understood, Muzan, who had been reading their minds, finally turned around to face them.
"Remember, this is your last chance. If you fail, the Upper Ranks will be disbanded just like the Lower Ranks."
Muzan's ice-cold voice conveyed to the three how brutal his decision would be.
When Lower Five Rui lost to Tanjirou and was hunted down by the Demon Slayer Corps, Muzan, who deemed the Lower Ranks useless, disbanded them by killing them all on the spot.
As a result, among the remaining Lower Ranks, only the strongest and the one most to Muzan's liking, Lower One Enmu, survived, while the rest were all killed on the spot by him.
If the Upper Ranks were also disbanded, the only ones likely to survive would probably be Kokushibou, who was the Upper One, while the rest of the members would likely be killed.
Don't ever think Muzan would spare talent, as this Demon King was the most ruthless and heartless being in this world.
In the first place, the Twelve Kizuki were created by him for the purpose of finding the Blue Spider Lily and eradicating the Demon Slayer Corps. If these two purposes could not be achieved, death would be their only fate.
"Go make preparations."
With these words left behind, Muzan walked away since he also needed to make preparations.
*Plink-Plonk*
Nakime immediately plucked her biwa, causing the door to Muzan's room to suddenly close, disappearing within the Infinity Castle.
In the next second, the immense pressure pervading the Infinity Castle quickly dissipated, allowing the three Upper Ranks to stand up.
"I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."
Douma still wore his smiling face as he spoke to his two colleagues.
"It looks like we really have to work hard this time. Lord Kokushibou, Lord Akaza, how do you plan to proceed?"
Kokushibou and Akaza both ignored Douma.
"This is our last chance... I hope you cherish it..." Kokushibou said indifferently, then turned and walked away.
"So cold~"
Douma pouted, then turned to Akaza with a smile.
"By the way, Lord Akaza, do you know what's going on? Lord Muzan seems to have sent Hantengu, Gyokko, and the two siblings to investigate the one who nearly killed you. Is it related to him?"
Douma's words reminded Akaza of that man.
"Is it related to Tsugikuni Yoriichi?" Akaza muttered with a frown.
However, his mutter clearly reached Kokushibou's ears as he was about to leave.
"?!"
Kokushibou's foot, about to step forward, suddenly paused, and then he forcefully turned around.
"You just said... who?"
In this instant, a much more terrifying aura and pressure surged out from him than when he first appeared in front of Akaza and Douma.
Such an aura and pressure awakened Akaza from his musings.
"Lord Kokushibou?" Douma said puzzled. "What's going on with you—"
*Swish!*
Before he could finish his words, however, a flash of blade suddenly slashed in front of him.
*Splurt!*
With a tearing sound, Douma's head was severed by a single slash and rolled to the ground.
At the same time, Kokushibou suddenly appeared in front of Akaza, and before Akaza could react, Kokushibou grabbed his collar.
"Speak..." Kokushibou said in a low voice. "Who did you just say this is related to?"
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
Akaza was furious, struggling with all his might, but unfortunately, he couldn't break free at all, as his struggle only invited several sword slashes.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
With each flash of the sword, Akaza's four limbs were severed, leaving only his head held by Kokushibou.
"Speak!"
Kokushibou's tone had become more aggressive.
Such a tone, Akaza had never heard from Kokushibou before.
"...I said it's Tsugikuni Yoriichi!" Akaza stared at him fiercely and finally told him. "You also know, right?! Not long ago, a human swordsman used a Nichirin Sword to cut off my head, almost killing me! He is Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
Akaza's words were exchanged with Kokushibou's silence.
"Im...poss...ible..."
Kokushibou's voice began to tremble.
"He said it himself!" Akaza roared in anger. "He uses a breathing style called Sun Breathing, which I've never seen on anyone else in the Demon Slayer Corps. If you don't believe me, go check yourself!"
His words made Kokushibou's hand tremble slightly.
"Sun Breathing..."
With that, the trembling voice of the Upper One persisted for a long time.
It sounded like a mixture of hatred and weeping.