After fleeing Seirin-machi, Michimaru rushed straight to one of his other hideouts.
He was avoiding that man like the plague.
He feared that if he stayed even a moment longer, the man might change his mind and finish him off.
Besides, the arrival of the Pillars meant reinforcements were surely coming. Seirin-machi was no longer safe.
This new location was another village under his control.
Under the cover of night, Michimaru landed like a shadow before the entrance. Compared to the simple shrine in Seirin-machi, this place was built like a grand palace.
Usually, priests would be waiting to welcome him and open the gates, but tonight, the entire compound was silent and empty. The young boys and girls he had raised and trained were nowhere to be seen.
But the moment he touched the wooden door, he understood.
His pupils shrank. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He slowly pushed the door open.
The spacious hall was illuminated by rows of candles, bright as day.
Lying lazily upon the bed that belonged to him was a refined man in noble attire, wearing a tall hat and holding a folding fan. His sharp, eerie eyes slowly shifted toward Michimaru.
THUD.
Michimaru instantly fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor in submission.
Kibutsuji Muzan had been waiting here for quite some time.
Scattered across the floor around him were the mangled remains of his priests and attendants.
"You failed?"
Muzan spoke softly, fanning himself and covering half his face.
"Lord Muzan... I..."
Just that single question was enough to make sweat pour down Michimaru's face, his blood turning to ice.
He swallowed hard, unsure how to answer.
Clearly, Muzan already knew that the two Pillars had escaped alive.
"I... I could have easily killed them... but someone interfered. Those two were weak and insignificant... this time was just..."
Michimaru felt a terrifying killing intent pressing down on his soul. Panicked, he raised his head to explain.
"AH!"
Before he could finish, a blur of motion slashed across his face.
His eyes, nose, and mouth were torn apart in an instant, blood spraying everywhere.
It was a writhing mass of flesh, covered in countless eyes, that had launched a fleshy tentacle right at him.
Michimaru screamed, covering his ruined face with his hands, trembling, not daring to make another sound.
"Are you trying to make excuses for your incompetence?"
Muzan's voice was as cold as ice.
"No... It is entirely my fault. I have failed you. Please punish me as you see fit." Michimaru said, his lips dry, resigned to his fate.
As he spoke, the lump of flesh on the floor shifted again.
Another long tentacle shot out like a spear, piercing directly into Michimaru's brain. His body began to convulse uncontrollably.
After about thirty seconds, Michimaru was flung aside and dropped heavily onto the floor. He lay there, weak and trembling.
Behind the fan, Muzan's ruby-like eyes glowed with light.
He had just extracted memories from Michimaru's mind. He had hoped to see the face of that man clearly... but all he got were sounds and blurry images.
Just like before, when he tried to sense him through his blood cells, the man remained obscured.
"Why is this happening? What kind of ability is this?"
"And he seems to know everything about me..."
Muzan was deeply wary. He was extremely cautious; even sensing this anomaly, he had chosen not to approach directly, fearing a trap.
Most importantly, he felt a terrifying threat from this man... a transcendent will and spirit that reminded him very much of one person... Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Speak." Muzan commanded, looking down at him.
If it weren't for the involvement of this mysterious man, Michimaru would have been dead already.
"Yes, my Lord."
Knowing he had narrowly escaped death again, Michimaru recounted everything that had happened in Seirin-machi in detail.
However, when describing Oboro's appearance, he was shocked to realize he couldn't recall his face at all. The only thing etched clearly in his memory was the black haori he wore.
Silence filled the room after he finished.
"Soul..." Muzan frowned.
Soul? What a ridiculous concept.
Even if such a thing existed, who could truly perceive or manipulate it?
"He changed the effects of my blood... suppressing it, even ignoring its influence completely. How did he do it?"
Muzan fell into deep thought.
This ability was beyond his comprehension.
The only explanation was that the man's level of evolution was higher than his own.
But that was impossible. Before this, the man had been a dying human who needed his blood just to survive.
Which meant... until recently, he was just an ordinary human.
Another Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
There had been one human he could never understand. Just thinking of that face made Muzan's heart tighten with fear.
There was another suspicious point: the man could have easily killed Michimaru, yet he didn't. It felt deliberate. As if he knew Muzan would investigate eventually.
This feeling... it was as if...
"Find him. Otherwise, you have no place among the Twelve Kizuki." Muzan said flatly.
"What?!"
Michimaru froze.
Even though he couldn't remember Oboro's face, the fear that had seeped into his bones was unforgettable. If he had a choice, he never wanted to cross paths with that man again.
And now, Muzan was ordering him to find him?
"Understood."
He hesitated for barely a second before accepting.
He had no choice.
Muzan glanced at him one last time, and in an instant, the candles were extinguished and he vanished without a trace.
Only after confirming Muzan's aura was completely gone did Michimaru collapse onto the floor, gasping for breath.
"What am I going to do now..."
...
Muzan had felt the sheer pressure Oboro exerted, directly through Michimaru's memories.
That was why he had no intention of meeting him personally. His encounter with Yoriichi, where he was almost killed in a single strike, had taught him a hard lesson.
"Where do you think you can hide?"
Muzan thought to himself.
He wouldn't go himself, but he could send his subordinates. His orders were simple: Find the man wearing the black haori.
In addition to searching for the Blue Spider Lily, the demons now had a new mission.
"That power..."
Muzan had seen everything Oboro had done.
And the power he displayed...
That breathing technique... it was unlike anything he had ever known or understood.
And the secrets hidden within him might very well be the key to his ultimate goal.
Muzan had a strong intuition.
"No matter what... I must find him."
And this time, he wouldn't repeat the mistake he made with Yoriichi.
...
Meanwhile, at the Ubuyashiki Estate.
All seven Pillars had gathered, including Ichiei and Tenjuro, who were heavily bandaged.
"It was him... He was the one who taught me those methods and told me to bring them back to the Corps."
Ubuyashiki Hisano coughed violently, followed by a long, heavy sigh.
"When I first met him, he was already gravely ill... I never thought someone like him would turn out like this."
"I misjudged him..."
Hisano's expression was filled with sorrow.
"I can understand why he became a demon... He was desperate to survive," Ichiei said darkly, recalling Oboro's face. "But what he did to those villagers... there is no excuse!"
"And yet, it seems he deliberately saved the two of you," the Stone Pillar interjected.
"Yes, that's true!"
Tenjuro grinned broadly, patting his head, his voice booming with energy despite his injuries. He sat cross-legged on the floor, looking completely unaffected. "I am grateful to him for that."
"But now that he is a demon, everything has changed. His actions are unforgivable. If I meet him again, I will kill him with my own hands, even if it costs me my life!"
As he spoke, Tenjuro suddenly reached out and pressed his large hand onto the back of Ichiei's head, pushing him down.
The two of them bowed deeply toward Hisano. "We failed our mission, and we failed to protect the villagers. We are willing to accept any punishment."
Ichiei looked annoyed at being manhandled, but he remained silent.
"You did everything you could," Hisano said gently, smiling at them. "We do what we must, and leave the rest to fate... There are things beyond our control."
"But right now... compared to Muzan and his demons, I am more concerned about Oboro."
"His power... it might be far more dangerous than Muzan himself."
"My Lord, you visited his estate once, didn't you?" The Wind Pillar suddenly spoke up. "If we know where he lives... then why don't we..."
Ubuyashiki Hisano remained silent.
Oboro had become a demon. He had slaughtered innocent villagers. From the Demon Slayer Corps' perspective, there was a dangerous threat right under their noses that had to be eliminated.
Should they do it?
And more importantly... could they?
____________________
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