Under the moonlit night, a gentle breeze brushed by, slowly dispersing the clouds, revealing the blood-stained, crimson moon that illuminated the earth in darkness.
Riezel bathed in the ominous moonlight, sitting on his house's veranda, sipping tea quietly from a small wooden table. Hermit lay quietly by his side, resting on the wooden floor like an ordinary sword.
Undoubtedly, the scene appeared serene and peaceful—until Riezel suddenly spoke up.
"Since you're here, why hide?"
His calm voice echoed on the veranda and courtyard under the moonlit night, abrupt and lonely.
However, no one responded to his question, making his words seem like mutterings, somewhat absurd.
Yet, Riezel wasn't bothered and continued to leisurely drink his tea, as if on vacation.
*Whoosh—*
After a while, as a gust of wind finally swept through the courtyard, a figure appeared silently like a bat.
Riezel didn't look at the figure, seemingly indifferent to their arrival, casually playing with his teacup.
In such a situation, the figure remained silent for a long time before finally stepping onto the veranda and arriving in front of Riezel.
"Sit."
Riezel still didn't look at the figure, only saying this calmly.
"..."
Neither responding nor complying, the figure remained silent, as if carefully observing Riezel, before sitting down after a while.
"It's been a long time since I've sat face-to-face with someone like this."
After sitting, the figure surprisingly said something like this.
"I doubt it." Riezel's tone was indifferent as he responded. "You can perfectly imitate others, often blending in with crowds as an ordinary human. In that case, for the sake of disguise, you must have sat down and chatted with many people like this."
"You said it yourself, that's just a disguise."
Saying this, the figure's face showed no expression.
"Because it's a disguise, I have to endure it. Otherwise, how could an ordinary human possibly have the qualification to sit on equal terms with me?"
"Heh, truly worthy of the Demon King who's lived for millennia." Riezel chuckled with a serene smile, but there was a hint of amusement in his expression. "Your attitude that completely regards humans as inferior beings is indeed arrogant."
At these words, the emotionless face of the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan, revealed a cold smile.
"That's because I have the right to be arrogant."
Muzan's voice rang out slowly.
"I have lived longer than anyone."
"My power is greater than anyone's."
"I am the hunter in the darkness, and humans are the prey."
"On the food chain, I have always been at the top. Just based on that, I have the right to say such things."
When Muzan spoke these words, there was no trace of pride or superiority in his tone, only a matter-of-fact indifference. He genuinely believed this and considered it a matter of course.
In other words, there was no need for pride or superiority, as stating the fact was all that was required.
Riezel did not offer any rebuttal to Muzan's statement, as, to some extent, what he said was not entirely wrong.
Humans were indeed the food of demons.
In terms of the food chain, demons occupied a hierarchical position where they were above as hunters, while humans were below as prey, like wolves and sheep, sheep and grass, chickens and insects, or larger insects and smaller ones.
However—
"You know, the food chain is just that—a chain. Even an elephant, which is definitely at the top, can be taken down by enough ants biting it."
Riezel's calm voice extinguished the sense of terrifying inevitability brought by Muzan.
Muzan looked deeply into Riezel's eyes for a while before speaking up.
"That's why I've come here."
Indeed.
Muzan had come here precisely to avoid being killed by those so-called ants—or rather, he had chosen to confront the terrifying Riezel face-to-face for the sake of achieving true immortality.
As long as he could obtain it, becoming a perfect being who no longer feared even sunlight, who would be able to kill him then?
Not even the resurrection of Tsugikuni Yoriichi himself!
During the Sengoku period, Muzan had nearly been slain by Yoriichi because Sun Breathing wielded the power of the sun, and Yoriichi's Bright Red Nichirin Sword could inflict damage on demons akin to sunlight, almost leading to Muzan's death.
Believing this, Muzan's gaze at Riezel became intense.
"You mentioned that the Blue Spider Lily is with you..."
Muzan finally spoke up about his true purpose.
"That much is true, correct?"
He chose to sit down and converse with Riezel precisely to clarify this point.
He held onto the notion of believing rather than doubting, clinging to a slight hope and an overwhelming obsession, hence his decision to confront Riezel.
Otherwise, given his cowardly nature, after witnessing Riezel's overwhelming power, which not only scared him but also awakened his trauma, he would never opt for a direct confrontation but would instead hide away and wait for Riezel to die of old age.
Now, it was finally the most crucial moment.
After bringing up the question, Muzan stared fixedly at Riezel, his two fists tightly clenched, feeling an unprecedented sense of nervousness.
It was unprecedented for a ruthless, inhumane Demon King who had caused countless tragedies to feel nervous, and Riezel was likely the first to achieve this.
One could imagine how furious Muzan would be if he discovered that Riezel had deceived him and that the matter of the Blue Spider Lily was nothing more than a lie.
However, Riezel's next words were akin to heavenly music for Muzan.
"It's true."
Riezel finally turned his head to face Muzan.
"The Blue Spider Lily is right here with me."
Riezel wasn't lying to Muzan about this.
Since the attack on the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, after Riezel whispered those crucial words to Gyokko's ears, for two months, he not only trained the Hashira in the Swordsmith Village but also utilized the Corps' intelligence network to discreetly bring back a Blue Spider Lily.
"You probably didn't know..." Riezel said with a faint smile. "The Blue Spider Lily is a rare plant that blooms only during the daytime. It usually grows in places where it can receive prolonged sunlight, flowering only two to three times a year. Without special preservation methods, it wilts quickly once deprived of sunlight."
His words caused Muzan to widen his eyes slightly, revealing a flicker of fierce emotion. His expression at this moment was as if the truth of the world had finally been brought to light.
No wonder after so many years of searching and employing numerous demons to help him find the Blue Spider Lily, he still found nothing.
Blooming only during the daytime—this condition alone made it impossible for any demon to find the Blue Spider Lily. After all, demons couldn't tolerate sunlight; exposure to it would annihilate them instantly, including himself.
Moreover, since the Blue Spider Lily only grew in places where it could receive prolonged sunlight, blooming two to three times a year, even humans would find it difficult to obtain a fully grown Blue Spider Lily under such conditions, let alone demons.
Even if humans acquired the Blue Spider Lily during the daytime, improper preservation that prevented it from receiving sunlight would cause the flower to wither.
In other words, the chance of demons discovering and delivering the Blue Spider Lily to him was practically zero from the start.
This realization sent a shiver down Muzan's spine.
If Riezel hadn't uncovered the truth here, even if he continued searching indefinitely, he might never have found the Blue Spider Lily.
Fortunately for him, now was different.
"Here it is, the flower."
Riezel placed a wooden box on the small wooden table.
"..."
Muzan stared at the wooden box, emitting a terrifying aura akin to that of a demon from hell.
He could feel the wooden box radiating energy equivalent to sunlight.
Clearly, Scarlet Ores and Scarlet Crimson Iron Sands were likely mixed into the box, making the materials similar to those used for Nichirin Swords.
Such a box was undoubtedly the most suitable for storing the Blue Spider Lily, which needed sunlight to bloom.
Right before Muzan, Riezel opened the wooden box.
In the next second, a blue flower was seen inside the wooden box.
Seeing this flower, Muzan's breathing became heavier.
'This is it! This is it!'
Without a doubt, this was the Blue Spider Lily he sought for millennia, no mistake!
He had already thoroughly studied the book of the doctor who had prepared his medicines, memorizing the appearance, characteristics, and even the scent of the Blue Spider Lily, thinking about it day and night, constantly confirming the flower's appearance.
As a result, the moment he saw the blue flower, Muzan was certain that this was indeed the Blue Spider Lily.
At this moment, Riezel's voice rang out again.
"By the way, it is estimated that this is the only Blue Spider Lily left in the world today."
His somewhat ambiguous voice echoed in the silent veranda.
"I personally ordered that only this one be brought back by those sent out to find the Blue Spider Lily, while the rest were to be completely destroyed, uprooted entirely. Even if it tried to grow again, it's highly unlikely."
Upon hearing this, Muzan could no longer control the fierce aura emanating from him.
"...Give it to me."
With his last bit of willpower, Muzan restrained himself.
"Give it to me... Whatever you want, I can get it for you."
Evidently, this was Muzan's last bit of reason.
In truth, he wanted to see if he could achieve his goal without fighting Riezel. After all, he still harbored some fear of Riezel.
Unfortunately, his attempt was futile.
"I don't want anything, but..."
Riezel slowly shook his head before revealing a cold smile to Muzan.
"...I want your life."