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Chapter 176: Is Kocho Kanae Actually a Genius?
Infinity Castle.
The Upper Ranks had been summoned, gathering together in silence as they awaited the arrival of the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan.
At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
The flamboyantly dressed Upper Rank 2, Doma, playfully poked his fan into the waist of Upper Rank 3, Akaza, who was sitting right beside him.
Acting like they were the best of friends, Doma cheerfully greeted his peer, "Lord Akaza, it's certainly been a while, hasn't it?"
Akaza furrowed his brow. He didn't say a word, only shooting a sharp, sidelong glare at the man.
Doma simply chuckled.
Completely ignoring Akaza's hostile attitude, he threw an arm around the other demon's shoulders with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Lord Akaza is still as cold as ever, I see."
"By the way, Lord Akaza, are you still stubbornly refusing to eat women like before?"
"Ah, what a pity. Women are the most nutritious food source, after all."
"That's exactly why, even though Lord Akaza became a demon long before I did, I still ended up outranking you in the end."
"Shut up!"
Akaza's fists unconsciously clenched. The veins on his forehead bulged, his face contorting into an expression that screamed he was ready to kill at a moment's notice.
Doma, acting completely oblivious to the threat, leaned in closer and whispered directly into Akaza's ear. "What was that?"
"I said, shut the f*ck up!"
Akaza finally snapped. He threw a devastating punch, obliterating Doma's head as easily as smashing a watermelon.
Doma's blood splattered across the floor in a gruesome spray.
"H-How terrifying~"
Upper Rank 4, Hantengu, watched from the sidelines, curling his body into a trembling ball of fear.
However, to an Upper Rank, this didn't even qualify as a minor scratch.
In a mere fraction of a second, Doma's head completely regenerated.
Still wearing his carefree, narrow-eyed smile, Doma casually brushed it off. "Lord Akaza's way of saying hello truly hasn't changed a bit. It's as unique as always."
Even though he had just blown Doma's head clean off, the blazing fury in Akaza's chest hadn't diminished in the slightest.
He raised his fist, fully prepared to smash the bastard's head into paste a second time.
"Enough."
Suddenly, a cold, authoritative voice echoed through the space, accompanied by a flash of silver light that blinded them for a split second.
Thud.
Akaza's arm was severed, falling cleanly to the floor.
Akaza looked up. The man standing before him was the one he had always considered the absolute pinnacle of martial arts—the target he constantly strove to surpass.
Upper Rank 1, Kokushibo.
Kokushibo spoke in a flat, monotone voice. "Akaza. You have gone too far."
"My, my, it's perfectly fine, Lord Kokushibo. I purposely didn't dodge, you see."
Doma waved his hand dismissively, his tone light and airy. "After all, those in higher positions must remain tolerant of their subordinates. It's the best way to foster a healthy relationship, isn't it?"
"I am not speaking on your behalf. I simply do not wish to see anyone disrupt the hierarchy and forget their place."
Kokushibo replied evenly.
For some inexplicable reason, as those words left his mouth, the silhouette of his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, briefly flashed through his mind.
Shaking it off, Kokushibo turned his six-eyed gaze back to Akaza. "Akaza. If you are dissatisfied, you may formally request a Blood Battle to challenge for my rank at any time."
Akaza lowered his head. Every muscle in his body pulled taut, trembling involuntarily.
Then, he forcefully snapped his head up, locking eyes with Kokushibo. With unwavering resolve, he declared, "I will absolutely kill you!"
"I will be waiting." Kokushibo replied coldly.
With that, the demons silently returned to their respective places.
No one spoke another word. The air settled back into its eerie tranquility as they waited for Muzan's arrival.
"Nakime, when exactly is Lord Muzan going to grace us with his presence?"
After a long pause, Upper Rank 5, Gyokko, couldn't hold back his impatience and asked the biwa-playing demon sitting quietly in the distance.
Twang!
Nakime struck the strings of her biwa. "He has arrived!"
The moment her voice fell, a deafening grind of massive mechanical gears echoed throughout the Infinity Castle.
The entire dimension began to restructure itself.
In the blink of an eye, a lavishly decorated room shifted directly in front of the gathered demons.
Dressed in an immaculate Western suit, Muzan spoke with a completely expressionless face. "Everyone is here..."
"Oh my? Is everyone here?"
Doma suddenly interrupted, his tone dripping with exaggerated confusion. "But isn't Upper Rank 6 missing?"
"Ah, I see! I understand now. Was Upper Rank 6 killed by someone? And here I thought this meeting was called because someone wanted to initiate a Blood Battle."
Doma slapped his forehead, acting as though he had just experienced a grand epiphany. He sighed dramatically. "What a shame. If I had known, I would have just eaten Daki myself. How disappointing."
Daki really was a remarkably rare beauty, after all.
Doma lamented internally.
Of course, it was merely a passing thought.
If Upper Ranks wanted to fight each other, they had to formally request a Blood Battle—and a higher-ranking demon was strictly forbidden from challenging a lower-ranking one.
"Are you quite finished?"
Muzan furrowed his brow, his piercing, slit-like golden eyes locking onto Doma with absolute zero warmth.
No reverence, talks too much, and utterly uncontrollable.
This was precisely why he had always despised the man.
"My apologies, my apologies! I spoke out of turn."
Hearing the warning in Muzan's voice, Doma immediately pressed his palms together in apology, though his smiling face showed absolutely no genuine remorse.
"Hundreds of years have passed. The Blue Spider Lily remains unfound, and the Ubuyashiki Clan has still not been eradicated."
Muzan's tone was glacial. He looked at the assembled Upper Ranks with the exact same disgust one might reserve for rotting garbage. "Therefore, I truly cannot fathom what possible purpose your continued existence serves."
"Lord Muzan! Lord Muzan!"
Gyokko frantically raised the four infant-like arms growing from the sides of his head, shouting in sheer desperation.
In the very next second, Gyokko's grotesque body violently collapsed to the floor.
The space above his neck was completely empty. His head had vanished.
The scene shifted.
The Upper Ranks suddenly realized that Gyokko's hideous head was now securely gripped in Muzan's hand.
"Who gave you permission to speak?"
Muzan stared down at the severed head in his grasp, his face twisted in profound annoyance. "Are you asking to die?"
He had already been incredibly irritated when Doma interrupted him earlier, though he had managed to suppress it.
Now, his speech had been interrupted yet again by this ignorant, reckless fool.
If Gyokko didn't have an exceptionally good reason for speaking up right now...
He would execute him on the spot without a second thought.
"Ah Lord Muzan is petting my head" The infant hands on Gyokko's severed head cupped his cheeks, his voice trembling in absolute ecstasy.
"Excuse me?"
A flash of pure revulsion crossed Muzan's slit-like pupils.
His five fingers began to clamp down. If Gyokko dared to disgust him for even one more second, he would ruthlessly crush his skull.
Feeling the crushing pressure steadily increasing around his brain, Gyokko hastily blurted out, "P-Please wait, Lord Muzan! I have acquired information regarding both the Ubuyashiki Clan and the Blue Spider Lily!"
"Oh?"
Muzan narrowed his eyes. His curiosity piqued, the crushing grip of his hand instantly relaxed.
Gyokko finally let out a breath of relief and quickly continued. "Just on my way here, I extracted the information from a few Demon Slayers I consumed."
"The Demon Slayer Corps has apparently found a medicine suspected to be the Blue Spider Lily. They claim it will be used to cure the Ubuyashiki Clan's genetic curse."
"In a short while, the head of the Ubuyashiki Clan is highly likely to travel to the Demon Slayer Corps' medical facility, a place called the Butterfly Mansion, to receive the treatment."
"Are you absolutely certain?"
Muzan tightened his grip once more, interrogating Gyokko sharply.
Internally, however, he was already mostly convinced.
He had known about the Ubuyashiki Clan's short-lived genetic curse for a very long time.
Back when he first transformed Kokushibo into Upper Rank 1, the swordsman had brought him far more than just the severed head of the Demon Slayer Corps' leader at the time.
He had also provided extensive intelligence on the Ubuyashiki family.
As for using the Blue Spider Lily to cure a genetic disease?
The Blue Spider Lily could overcome his own fatal weakness to the sun. What was a mere genetic illness in comparison?
"Lord Muzan, please give me time! I swear I will investigate this thoroughly for you!"
Feeling the lethal pressure returning to his skull, Gyokko loudly proclaimed his loyalty.
"Excellent."
He had finally received some decent news today. In a remarkably pleasant mood, Muzan looked down at Gyokko. "I will give you one month to uncover the truth."
"Fail, and you need never return."
With a dismissive flick of his wrist, Muzan tossed Gyokko's severed head back near his collapsed body.
He then turned his gaze to Hantengu. "Hantengu, you will assist Gyokko. You also have one month."
After issuing the order, Muzan showed an incredibly rare display of concern for his subordinate's well-being. "Hantengu, why has your aura grown so weak?"
Hearing this, Hantengu—who thought he had safely blended into the background—violently shuddered.
He didn't dare utter a single word to Muzan.
Ever since his Blood Demon Art had been violently stolen by Suyan a few days ago, he had tried countless times to use it.
Yet, he couldn't even remember how it functioned.
Desperate to reawaken his lost power, he had devoured an astronomical number of humans over the past few days.
He had been so terrified of Muzan discovering his weakened state and stripping him of his Upper Rank title that he hadn't even dared to report the news of spotting Tamayo.
He never expected an Upper Rank meeting—the first in over a hundred years—to be called so soon.
This was an absolute disaster.
Hantengu stammered, entirely unsure of how to explain himself. "I... I..."
Muzan had merely asked in passing, but Hantengu's extremely abnormal reaction instantly set off alarm bells.
Sensing something was deeply wrong, the impatient Demon King directly forcibly breached Hantengu's mind to view his memories.
Because his blood flowed through the veins of every demon, Muzan possessed the absolute authority to tear through their memories at will.
However, with thousands of demons scattered across the world, he couldn't possibly monitor all of them constantly.
This was precisely why he had assumed Gyutaro and Ume were dead the moment their connection severed.
But the moment Muzan peered into Hantengu's mind, he saw everything.
Tamayo... that human man... the Crimson Red Nichirin Blade... the outright theft of a Blood Demon Art...
The chaotic memories replayed clearly in Muzan's mind.
No wonder Hantengu's aura had plummeted so drastically.
Muzan's golden slit-pupils locked onto the trembling demon. The good mood brought on by the Blue Spider Lily vanished instantly, replaced by a suffocating, lethal rage.
Muzan spoke with deadly calm. "Did you honestly believe you could hide this from me?"
Any last shred of hope in Hantengu's heart shattered. He frantically slammed his head against the floor, begging for his life. "Spare me, Lord Muzan! I didn't mean to! I was just... I was just..."
"Just terrified of losing your Upper Rank status?"
In truth, Muzan couldn't care less that Hantengu had grown weaker.
He was only Upper Rank 4. Even if he died, he could be replaced at any time.
What infuriated Muzan was the fact that Hantengu possessed crucial intelligence on Tamayo and intentionally concealed it from him.
To Muzan, this was an unforgivable act of treason.
The one thing he despised above all else was betrayal.
Looking down at the groveling, pathetic form of Hantengu, Muzan's disgust peaked.
"Lord, spare—"
Hantengu's voice cut off abruptly.
In the next second, the life completely drained from his body. His lifeless corpse was callously kicked over to Nakime, who was still clutching her biwa.
Muzan stared at the remains with utter contempt. "Trash has no right to exist!"
He then shifted his gaze to Nakime. "Eat him. From today onward, you are the new Upper Rank 4."
"Go assist Gyokko in finding the Blue Spider Lily. If you fail, Hantengu's fate will be yours as well."
Muzan was furious.
In his blind rage, he had almost forgotten just how vital Nakime's dimensional control of the Infinity Castle was to him.
Beneath the anger lay a deep, unsettling sliver of fear—fear toward Suyan, the man in Hantengu's memories who wielded the Crimson Red Blade.
Killing Hantengu wasn't just to pacify that lingering fear; it was a brutal warning to the remaining Upper Ranks.
In his eyes, they were all disposable trash that he could execute on a whim.
If they wanted to live, they would dedicate every fiber of their being to finding the Blue Spider Lily.
"Thank you, my Lord."
Nakime stared at Hantengu's corpse without a shred of fear. She knew the absolute necessity of her Blood Demon Art.
Muzan couldn't afford to casually dispose of her.
Instead of terror, her face twisted into a look of ravenous hunger.
With Muzan's explicit permission, Nakime eagerly pounced onto the corpse.
The long bangs obscuring her face parted, revealing a single, massive eye that took up nearly a third of her face.
In an instant, her quiet, elegant demeanor completely vanished.
The only sound echoing in the massive hall was the wet, sickening crunch of Nakime devouring Hantengu's flesh.
Muzan sneered, no longer paying any attention to the surviving Upper Ranks.
He turned on his heel and walked toward the gathering area of the Lower Ranks.
Since he now had a solid lead on the Blue Spider Lily, the Twelve Kizuki—Upper or Lower—no longer served any long-term purpose.
But before they were discarded, he would squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of them.
That was Muzan's final verdict.
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Meanwhile, at the Butterfly Mansion.
Kocho Shinobu lay quietly on her bed.
No matter how much she tossed and turned, sleep simply wouldn't come.
She gently touched her lips, her mind wandering back to the intoxicating experience of last night.
No wonder people were so obsessed with that sort of thing.
Even she was starting to crave it again.
However, her pride absolutely refused to let her be the one to initiate things with Suyan.
As for self-generation?
That was completely out of the question. Her older sister, Kocho Kanae, would instantly sense it through their symbiotic link.
If she got caught doing that, she would never be able to look her sister in the eye ever again.
Honestly, she'd rather swallow her pride and just go to Suyan directly.
"Hmm?"
Just then, Shinobu felt a sudden, electrifying sensation trace across her lips.
It was a feeling she was incredibly familiar with.
It was the exact same sensation she felt when Suyan kissed her!
"Sister! You...!"
Shinobu shot up, glaring daggers at the wall connecting their rooms.
The sensation was so incredibly vivid.
Her sister had to be exceptionally close for the sensory feedback to be this strong.
Nine times out of ten, they were literally just on the other side of the wall!
Her blood boiled, and she felt like she was going to explode from sheer rage.
She had just told Kanae not to go looking for Suyan tonight!
Not only had she completely ignored her, but doing it right next door felt like a deliberate provocation.
What was this?
Revenge for her own actions last night?!
Shinobu furiously threw off her covers, strapped on her Nichirin Sword, and shoved her feet into her sandals.
She was going to storm into that room and chop that adulterous pair to pieces!!
Knock, knock, knock!
Hearing the aggressive pounding at the door, Suyan's eyes narrowed.
Just as he predicted.
Shinobu had come knocking.
And judging by the fact that she brought her Nichirin Sword, she wasn't here for a friendly chat.
Suyan subtly gulped.
He glanced over at Kocho Kanae, silently asking how she wanted to handle the situation.
To his complete surprise, Kanae was sporting an incredibly cryptic, mischievous smile.
Suyan couldn't help but wonder.
So Kanae actually did this on purpose?
Wait, is she actually planning to help me pin Shinobu down so I can do whatever I want?
Unable to hide his anticipation, Suyan asked, "Kanae, should we open the door and let little Shinobu in?"
"Of course~"
Kanae replied in a light, sing-song voice.
That casual answer completely solidified Suyan's suspicion. Kanae had deliberately stalled and dragged out their foreplay just to wait for Shinobu to show up.
Suyan's anticipation for whatever Kanae was planning skyrocketed.
She definitely won't disappoint me, right?
Under Suyan's watchful gaze, Kanae hopped off the bed, skipped cheerfully to the entrance, and pulled the door wide open.
Revealing a very shocked Kocho Shinobu standing outside.
Even Shinobu hadn't expected the door to swing open so easily.
She had already fully prepared herself to kick the door down or slice it open.
Shinobu quickly scanned her sister up and down.
Her clothes were perfectly intact, she didn't look disheveled in the slightest, and her expression was completely normal.
Did I misunderstand her?
Shinobu then peered past Kanae and spotted Suyan sitting comfortably on the edge of the bed, looking right at her.
Misunderstand, my ass!
Suyan was already in her room!
If they weren't planning on doing that, what were they going to do? Play a nice game of Shogi?
Don't treat me like an idiot!!
What infuriated her the most was how casually Suyan waved at her, acting like nothing was wrong, before dropping a bombshell.
"You came at the perfect time." Suyan said smoothly.
For some inexplicable reason, that simple, ordinary sentence dumped a gallon of gasoline onto the raging fire in Shinobu's heart.
Her grip on her Nichirin Sword tightened instinctively, her body practically itching with the urge to draw her blade.
She forced herself to suppress the impulse for now, turning her intense glare toward Kanae, waiting to hear what kind of excuse she could possibly come up with.
Shinobu lowered her voice, barely suppressing her fury. "Sister, didn't I specifically tell you?"
"You did."
Kanae nodded, making absolutely no attempt to deny it.
Shinobu was utterly bewildered. "Then why?"
"Well, isn't it obvious? Because I'm breaking my promise."
Kanae playfully stuck her tongue out at her younger sister.
"Excuse me?"
A massive tick mark violently throbbed on Shinobu's forehead.
She really wanted to ask Kanae a question right now.
Do you think you're being funny?
But rather than wasting breath on witty comebacks, she vastly preferred letting her blade do the talking.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt.
Tonight, she was going to show this former Flower Hashira exactly why she was the current Insect Hashira.
Shinobu locked eyes with her sister. "Sister. Draw your sword!"
"Now, now, Shinobu."
Kanae looked at her furious sister, her tone shifting into something that left Shinobu completely bewildered. "You still remember, right? That we share our senses?"
"What are you talking about?"
Shinobu had no idea what her sister was trying to get at.
Did Kanae bring this up because she didn't want to fight?
Well, it was far too late for that. Mere words weren't going to satisfy her now.
"Because when you are with Suyan, I feel uncomfortable. And when I am with Suyan, you also feel uncomfortable."
Kanae continued, her smile widening. "So, ever since I found out about this, I've been incredibly curious about one little thing."
"If I do this, I wonder what kind of feeling it will produce?"
Before Shinobu could even process the words, Kanae's physical form suddenly turned ethereal. She lunged directly at Shinobu.
"What?!!"
Shinobu's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
She instantly realized what her sister was trying to do.
And knowing Kanae, she was absolutely crazy enough to go through with it!
Completely abandoning her sword, Shinobu instinctively tried to dodge to the side.
But she was a split second too late.
Kanae's ethereal silhouette overlapped perfectly with her own.
She phased directly into Shinobu's body, merging with her.
It was only in that exact moment that both Shinobu and Suyan finally remembered.
Because of the Contract they both signed, the two sisters possessed a symbiotic ability that allowed them to physically fuse into a single entity.
Watching the scene unfold before his very eyes, Suyan was stunned.
He had thought Kanae was just going to help him pin Shinobu down. He never imagined she would pull off a stunt like this!
Good lord.
An iconic movie quote instantly surfaced in Suyan's mind.
Damn! You're an absolute fcking genius!*
Suddenly, Kanae's voice echoed out from Shinobu's mouth, calling out to Suyan. "Suyan, what are you waiting for? Aren't you curious?"
How could he not be curious? His curiosity was practically going supernova right now!
He looked at the girl standing before him. She physically looked exactly like Kocho Shinobu, but the aura and demeanor she exuded belonged entirely to Kocho Kanae.
Everyone knows that when Vegeta and Son Goku fuse, they become Gogeta.
So what was he supposed to call this fusion of Shinobu and Kanae?
Shinobu plus Kanae.
Did that equal... Shinanae?
Whatever she was called, it didn't matter.
Suyan could feel his Supreme Bone practically vibrating with anticipation.
Supreme Bone: Ready to go!
"Don't!"
Shinobu's frantic voice cried out from her own lips, but in the very next second, it was forcefully overwritten by Kanae's dominant tone. "Objection overruled, Shinobu~"
Click.
Kanae casually reached behind her and securely locked the bedroom door.
She then turned her gaze back to Suyan. Piloting Shinobu's body, she slowly walked toward her man.
With every step she took, she began to strip off her clothes, piece by piece.
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