Lower Rank Six.
Seeing the strange characters, Chen Jun and the fat man in the suit both froze in confusion.
They had no idea what those words meant.
"The Twelve Demon Moons are my direct subordinates."
"They are divided into Upper Ranks and Lower Ranks."
"From today onward, you are Lower Rank Six."
Mammon said calmly without turning around.
The Twelve Demon Moons were one of the most iconic villain groups in Demon Slayer.
They were the elite demons personally created by Kibutsuji Muzan.
The Lower Ranks were nothing special.
Strictly speaking, they were little more than expendable cannon fodder.
Because their performance was so poor, Muzan eventually personally eliminated most of them, leaving only Lower Rank One alive.
But the Upper Ranks were completely different.
Each one was terrifyingly powerful.
In the final battle inside the Infinity Castle, the top three Upper Moons were only defeated due to extraordinary circumstances.
Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, was essentially unbeatable.
He ultimately died because of his own psychological collapse.
Upper Rank Two, Doma, died largely because of his own arrogance.
And Upper Rank Three, Akaza…
Well—
One could say his deceased wife "pulled the plug on him."
In this world, Mammon would also personally build his own Twelve Demon Moons.
He would select the twelve strongest demons.
"Yes. Thank you for your favor, my lord."
Mr. Dai's expression brightened.
He bowed deeply to Mammon with great respect.
Being chosen as one of the Twelve Demon Moons clearly meant Mammon valued him.
And being Mammon's direct subordinate meant he would have more opportunities to receive Mammon's blood.
"The Twelve Demon Moons follow the rule of survival of the fittest."
"I will favor no one."
"Your talent is good, so you deserve this position."
"But if you stagnate…"
"I will remove the number engraved in your eye."
"Do you understand?"
Mammon's cold and emotionless voice sent a chill through Mr. Dai's heart.
"I understand."
Mr. Dai replied firmly.
To be surpassed by a newcomer and have the number in his eye stripped away—
For someone like him, that would be an unbearable humiliation.
"Very good."
"You may leave now."
"Deal with that man."
Mammon walked toward the small broken house.
As for the fat man in the suit, he had never cared about him.
The three men lowered their heads respectfully, waiting until Mammon's figure disappeared into the house.
Only then did Mr. Dai lift his head and look toward the fat man.
"Mr. Dai?"
Chen Jun glanced at the trembling fat man and licked his lips before asking.
Now that Mr. Dai had also become a demon—and even held a higher position than him—Chen Jun naturally treated him with respect.
"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier, Chen Jun."
"If it weren't for you, whether the lord would have granted me his gift might still be uncertain."
Mr. Dai spoke with a calm and mature voice.
Although his face was still covered in blood and his clothes were dirty, the confident and composed aura around him had grown even stronger.
This was the confidence brought by power.
He was no longer the ordinary human he used to be.
Even though the price had been great…
Even though he had become something neither fully human nor fully monster…
It was worth it.
It was all worth it.
Mr. Dai looked at the strange eye in the center of his palm and smiled even more deeply.
Compared to Chen Jun, his demonic transformation was relatively mild.
Only his left eye had turned white, and an extra eye had appeared on his palm.
"Unable to walk in sunlight… needing blood to maintain vitality…"
"So I'm no longer human."
"But immortality… heh."
"Hahahaha!"
Mr. Dai flexed his hand.
At first he chuckled quietly.
Then his laughter grew louder and louder.
What did it matter if he could no longer stand in sunlight?
What did it matter if he had to live in darkness?
What did it matter if he had to consume flesh like a beast?
Immortality.
Undying existence.
How many humans dreamed of such things?
And now—
He had obtained them.
Even if his head were cut off or his heart pierced, he could regenerate through his demonic healing ability.
"If we receive more of the lord's blood in the future, we might even overcome these weaknesses."
Chen Jun said quietly.
Humans were greedy creatures.
Once they obtained something, they immediately desired more.
"That's right."
"This lord's power is something that could change the world."
"We must show him our value."
Mr. Dai's strange pupils flickered.
Chen Jun had thought of it.
But Mr. Dai had thought even further.
"Mr. Dai…"
"I am willing to serve you wholeheartedly."
"Please give me a chance."
The fat man had heard everything.
Greed and longing twisted in his eyes as he knelt before Mr. Dai.
Even though Mammon had not chosen him—
He still had a chance.
"Of course, Mr. Liu Wei."
"We are good friends."
Mr. Dai helped him up with a smile, suppressing the urge to devour him immediately.
Liu Wei was a well-known information broker in Yang City.
If he had not wanted to personally host Mr. Dai to show his sincerity, he would never have come to such a remote town.
Although Liu Wei's status in Yang City was lower than Mr. Dai's, his connections were extremely extensive.
Such a person could certainly be useful.
"Yang City…"
"We should begin preparing things for the lord."
Mr. Dai left with Liu Wei and Chen Jun.
Their figures gradually disappeared into the darkness.
As subordinates, if they wanted to prove their value—
They would need to achieve something.
And Yang City was the perfect place to begin.
Mammon did not know about Mr. Dai's plans.
But he didn't care.
As long as they didn't go too far, he would let them act freely.
If they were killed, it would only prove their incompetence.
Mammon could always create new subordinates.
"…Mother."
Mammon looked at the black-and-white photograph on the table.
His eyelids lowered slightly.
His expression remained calm.
From the moment he was born in this life, misfortune had followed him.
Because of his weak body, it had always been his mother who struggled to raise him.
Especially after the dimensional rifts appeared several years ago.
One could imagine how difficult life must have been for a fragile woman raising a teenage son who was confined to a wheelchair.
Just as Liu Wei had said earlier—
Mammon was someone born with a father but raised without one.
And his only remaining family—
His mother—
Had died of illness just a few days ago.