One demon after another was discovered by ordinary civilians during the day and dragged forcefully into the sunlight, where they burned to death beneath the blazing rays of the sun.
Every demon exposed to daylight let out agonizing screams, their cries sounding as though they were suffering the cruel torment of being slowly carved apart alive.
And throughout that single day, countless demons died.
Among them was one of the Twelve Kizuki—
Lower Rank Five, the Spider Demon, Rui.
...
Inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji, who was still recovering from his injuries, remained silently aware of everything happening outside.
He felt the connections to his demons snapping far faster than usual.
Every time he attempted to reestablish a link, he was met with the horrifying sight of his demons being pulled from the darkness and scorched alive under the sun.
The miserable way they died beneath the sunlight made Muzan clench his fists tightly. While fury burned within him, what he felt even more strongly was confusion.
Why had things suddenly come to this?
In all the centuries he had existed, he had never faced such widespread, organized opposition from humans.
For a long time, he had strictly controlled the actions of demons, ensuring their existence remained known to only a few. Most people didn't even believe demons were real—they were nothing more than stories.
But now, it was as if everyone knew about demons. People were actively searching for them, dragging them out into the daylight during the day.
"Could it be related to the sudden loosening of control over the demons...?"
Muzan tightened his grip. Even though he had loosened his hold on the demons recently, allowing them to cause more harm to humans than usual, his main focus had still been the Demon Slayer Corps. He had assumed the government would quietly suppress any incidents to maintain public order.
Yet the situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations.
Instead of covering it up, the authorities had not only acknowledged the existence of demons but were actively organizing hunts against them.
This outcome was completely unexpected, and for the first time in a long while, a sense of crisis stirred within Muzan.
He even feared that one day, he too might be dragged into the sunlight.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed as Nakime brought in a trembling government official.
"Tell me exactly what is happening."
Muzan's plum-colored eyes slowly opened as he fixed his gaze upon the official.
The man, trembling violently after being brought here, hurriedly revealed everything he knew.
Among the reports were the frequent demon attacks that had occurred within the imperial palace, bustling city districts, government offices, and other critical locations.
Those incidents had caused enormous public outrage and had become the key reason behind the authorities' complete shift in attitude toward demons.
In the past, the government had quietly concealed demon-related incidents to prevent panic and preserve stability.
But now...
They had begun openly acknowledging the existence of demons.
They were actively informing civilians about demons and even teaching the public methods for hunting them down.
They were aggressively promoting these actions.
And that was precisely what had created the disastrous situation now unfolding across the country—a nationwide hunt for demons.
Demons were undoubtedly powerful. Ordinary humans were almost incapable of threatening them directly.
But demons possessed one fatal weakness:
They could not withstand sunlight.
And because of that weakness, demons were forever creatures of darkness.
This world, after all, belonged to humanity.
Not demons.
At least until demons overcame their fatal vulnerability to the sun, they would never become the dominant force in this world.
Muzan slowly extended his pale fingers and wrapped them around the official's throat.
Under the man's terrified, pleading gaze—
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed sharply through the hall.
The official's breathing stopped instantly.
"Why would there be such idiotic demons attacking those locations...?"
Muzan clenched his fist tightly, unable to comprehend it. He had never arranged for demons to operate in places like those.
"Who is behind this?"
His voice exploded into a furious roar through gritted teeth.
Perhaps because the Demon Slayer Corps had always left such a weak impression on him over the centuries, Muzan did not even suspect them at first. Instead, he instinctively believed that some of the demons under his command had failed to restrain their instincts and committed such reckless acts out of their craving for human flesh and blood.
But very quickly, he realized something was wrong.
To avoid attracting excessive attention, he had always strictly controlled demon activity. Even during the recent period when he loosened his grip in order to pressure the Demon Slayer Corps, he still would never have allowed demons to attack places as sensitive as the imperial palace or government offices.
No matter how foolish the demons under his command might be, no matter how incapable they were of resisting their craving for flesh and blood, it was impossible for so many attacks against important locations to occur so densely and all at once.
"Could it be…"
Almost immediately, Muzan Kibutsuji thought of the one who had opposed him for generations—the Ubuyashiki family.
But before he could continue that train of thought, another connection suddenly snapped within his mind.
Or rather—
Another demon had died.
Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
The Spider Demon, Rui.
Muzan slowly closed his eyes. Even across such a great distance, he could still faintly sense Rui's death on Mount Natagumo.
In an instant, an intense fury surged through him, causing him to rise abruptly to his feet as his fingers clenched tightly.
Although many demons under his control had died over the past few days, he had not truly cared much about their deaths.
But Rui's death...
That was something Muzan could not accept.
"Why… did he die?"
Muzan's expression darkened with rage.
Among the demons under his command, Rui had always received special treatment from him
As for why—
It was likely because Muzan saw traces of his former human self within Rui.
Their stories were simply too similar.
Both had suffered from severe illness during their human lives, trapped indoors and unable to live normally.
Just as Muzan had once killed the doctor who tried to cure him, Rui too had murdered the parents who had lovingly cared for him.
Every time Muzan looked at Rui, it was almost like seeing his own childhood reflected back at him.
Perhaps because of that, he had been unusually tolerant toward Rui.
He had even allowed Rui to break the rule against demons living in groups, permitted him to play his twisted "family" game on Mount Natagumo, and even granted him far more blood than other demons, allowing Rui to rise to Lower Rank status in a short time.
"Damn it… Damn it all…"
Muzan roared. The feeling of danger in his heart grew heavier, as if it wouldn't be long before he suffered the same fate as Rui.
...
A Kasugai Crow flapped its wings as it descended onto Soma's palm, delivering news of Rui's death on Mount Natagumo.
Aside from the details regarding Rui's extermination, the letter focused primarily on another matter—
The Demon Slayer Corps was preparing a large-scale assault against the Upper Rank Two demon hidden within the Eternal Paradise Faith.
In truth, the Demon Slayer Corps had long since noticed abnormalities surrounding the Eternal Paradise Faith. Until now, the matter had mainly been handled by the former Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho.
However, before this, the Corps had never confirmed that the demon within the cult was Upper Rank Two. They had only suspected the presence of an Upper Rank demon.
But after Soma's warning, the Corps had begun taking the Eternal Paradise Faith extremely seriously.
In fact, in order to deal with Upper Rank Two, the Demon Slayer Corps was preparing to mobilize nearly all of its forces.
The letter explained that the remaining Hashira were already gathering together. Once the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, had sufficiently recovered from his injuries, they would launch their operation.
After reading the message, Soma shook his head slightly.
Large-scale group battles were not particularly effective against Upper Rank Two, Doma.
On the contrary, such tactics would likely place the Demon Slayer Corps at an even greater disadvantage.
Doma's Blood Demon Art was fundamentally different from most demons'.
His blood itself contained deadly toxins, and his techniques primarily revolved around freezing that blood into fine ice crystal powder before scattering it through the air with his fans.
Anyone who inhaled those microscopic ice crystals would gradually begin suffering from difficulty breathing before the alveoli in their lungs slowly necrotized.
And unfortunately for the Demon Slayer Corps, their combat methods relied heavily upon controlled breathing in order to achieve physical abilities comparable to demons.
Moreover, their breathing during battle was extremely intense.
Which meant that Doma's Blood Demon Art was, in many ways, a direct counter to Demon Slayers themselves.
Soma silently wrote down the characteristics of Doma's Blood Demon Art before handing the information to the Kasugai Crow to deliver.
He believed that once Kiriya Ubuyashiki, received this information, he would certainly be able to formulate tactics specifically designed to counter Doma's abilities.
...
Kiriya Ubuyashiki received Soma's message shortly thereafter.
His expression grew incredibly grave as he immediately hurried toward a nearby room with the letter firmly in his grasp.
Several individuals were already seated inside the room:
Flower Hashira Kanae Kocho, Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku.
These were the only four Hashira remaining within the Demon Slayer Corps.
This was likely the smallest number of Hashira the Corps had possessed since its founding. During its strongest era, all nine Hashira positions had once stood complete.
The moment Kiriya Ubuyashiki entered the room, the four Hashira immediately rose to their feet and respectfully bowed.
Kiriya did not dare act carelessly before them and promptly returned the bow with equal courtesy.
"Is this about the Eternal Paradise Faith?" Kanae was the first to speak.
The reason the Hashira had gathered here today was precisely to discuss Upper Rank Two.
"Yes."
Kiriya nodded before continuing, "Through information gathered by the Ubuyashiki family, we've roughly confirmed the location where Upper Rank Two is hiding."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go kill this demon right now." Sanemi's voice carried unconcealed excitement.
"Namu Amida Butsu…" Gyomei placed his hands together. "My injuries have mostly healed. I am ready."
"But there's more than just that," Kiriya shook his head before handing over the intelligence Soma had sent.
After reading through the information, the Hashira finally understood how specifically Upper Rank Two's Blood Demon Art countered Demon Slayer swordsmen. If they had entered battle without knowing these details beforehand, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Now that they understood the nature of the Blood Demon Art, many dangers could be avoided.
It might even determine life or death.
"To think Mr. Soma even knew information like this…" Sanemi said, genuine admiration in his voice.
"It's almost as if he possesses innate knowledge," Gyomei added softly, hands still pressed together.
The others silently agreed. From the introduction of Sun Breathing, to Bright Red Nichirin Sword and the Transparent World, to revealing the locations of hidden demons—Soma's contributions continued to prove this.
I remember Mr. Soma also mentioning an Upper Rank demon hiding within the Entertainment District," Kyojuro spoke up.
"We've already investigated it. There truly does appear to be an Upper Rank demon there, and we're close to identifying the target."
Kiriya answered calmly before his expression darkened slightly.
"Only now do I finally understand what happened to the Hashira who disappeared in the Entertainment District over the years."
Over the course of many years, the Demon Slayer Corps had lost more than twenty Hashira within the Entertainment District alone.
As for ordinary swordsmen, there were too many to count.
No one had ever imagined that an Upper Rank demon would hide within such a lively and bustling place.
The room fell silent.
Perhaps because the pressure carried by Demon Slayers was simply too great, many swordsmen often sought release in places like the Entertainment District after completing missions.
And because of that—
They had met such tragic ends.
Perhaps many powerful swordsmen had been killed in their sleep without ever having the chance to resist.
Now, however, they had finally identified the locations of two Upper Rank demons.
For the heavily weakened Demon Slayer Corps, this was unquestionably tremendous news. If they could successfully kill these two Upper Ranks as well, it would become an enormous morale boost for the Corps and a devastating blow to Muzan Kibutsuji himself.
"Now that we understand the nature of Upper Rank Two's Blood Demon Art, we should begin discussing how to deal with both of these demons."
Kyojuro clenched his fist tightly, his tone carrying unmistakable determination.
......
Tanjiro inhaled deeply as countless scents drifted around him.
Following the lingering traces left behind by recent demon attacks, he carefully tracked the scent forward.
Soon, Tanjiro arrived at a dilapidated building.
After searching carefully for some time, he eventually found the entrance to an underground passage hidden beneath the ruins.
But just as he was about to lift the cover—
A child suddenly stepped in front of him and blocked the way.
"What are you trying to do?"
The child spread both arms wide, standing protectively before the entrance.
"Please move aside," Tanjiro said gently, stopping in place and offering the child a warm smile. "There may be a demon inside. It's dangerous."
"Go away! You're not allowed to open it!" the child yelled.
"There's a demon in there, child."
Tanjiro crouched slightly, trying to pat the child's head reassuringly.
"That's impossible! There's no demon in there! Only my mother!"
The child shouted fiercely, forcing Tanjiro to take two steps back.
Standing in place, Tanjiro sniffed again. With the child's arrival, the scent of a demon had grown much stronger.
"There really is a demon inside," Tanjiro said softly.
"No! There's only Mother!"
The child shook his head violently before suddenly taking advantage of Tanjiro's distraction to pull open the underground entrance and rush inside.
Tanjiro's heart tightened in alarm, and he immediately followed after him.
The underground tunnel was dark and damp, illuminated only by faint traces of light. After walking only a short distance, Tanjiro finally saw her—
A woman hiding within the darkness while tightly holding the child in her arms.
At that moment, the woman curled protectively around him.
"This is my mother! She's not a demon!"
Held within the demon's embrace, the child shouted angrily at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro stood there in silence, staring at the scene before him.
Within his breathing, he could smell the scent of a demon.
But he could also smell the emotions between them.
The child's love for the demon.
And the demon's love for the child.
Those sincere emotions stirred something deep within Tanjiro's heart.
Yet when his gaze shifted toward the dark corners of the tunnel, he also noticed scattered human bones lying abandoned throughout the underground passage.
"Please spare me... I'm begging you... please spare me. I don't want to leave my child behind." he demon knelt on the ground, pleading desperately.
At the same time, the child began begging as well.
Tanjiro's hand rested on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword, but he couldn't bring himself to draw it. In the end, he silently withdrew.
Seeing him leave, the demon did not attack. She simply held her child and wept tears of relief.
Outside, Tanjiro stood bathed in warm sunlight. In his mind, he kept seeing the gentle love the demon mother had shown her child underground.
But he also remembered the human bones on the ground—reminders of the people who had died.
The dead could not speak.
Yet Tanjiro could still smell their lingering cries, their sorrow, and their pain.
"The sins you have committed cannot be forgiven."
Tanjiro drew his blade and sliced open the tunnel's cover, allowing sunlight to pour inside and fall upon the demon holding her child.
"Ahhh!"
The demon screamed in agony the moment the sunlight touched her. Yet almost immediately, she bit back her cries and endured the searing pain.
Instead, she gently pulled the frightened child into her arms, softly comforting him and easing his fear.
She quietly told him that she was going somewhere very, very far away…
Until finally—
Her body crumbled away into ash.
A foul stench spread through the air, while the sorrow left behind by the demon weighed so heavily that even Tanjiro fell silent.
And throughout it all—
He only tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
...
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