A clear and elegant melody from a biwa echoed throughout the battlefield.
The next moment, space distorted.
One after another, the Twelve Kizuki vanished from the battlefield and reappeared within the endless halls of the Infinity Castle.
The battle had ended.
The moment Kokushibo saw Muzan sitting calmly atop the raised platform as though nothing had happened, his expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he strode forward.
BANG!
His palm slammed heavily against the table before Muzan.
"Lord Muzan."
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
Which was exactly why every demon present felt a chill run down their spine.
"We need to talk."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
The other demons stared in complete shock.
Even Akaza's eyes widened slightly.
Doma's smile nearly disappeared.
Gyokko forgot to mourn his shattered pot.
Daki and Gyutaro exchanged glances.
What was happening?
Since when could someone speak to Muzan-sama like that?
"Lord Kokushibo is actually confronting Lord Muzan?"
"Has he finally lost his mind?"
"That's impossible."
"Even Upper Rank One shouldn't be able to speak to Lord Muzan like that…"
"Brother, doesn't it seem like their relationship is a little different from ours?"
"Maybe…"
The demons quietly exchanged whispers.
In their understanding, Kokushibo occupied the highest position beneath Muzan.
But beneath Muzan was still beneath Muzan.
Yet the scene unfolding before them felt less like a subordinate questioning his master and more like two longtime companions arguing.
Only Rui and Nakime appeared unsurprised.
Nakime silently lowered her head.
Rui simply looked away.
This wasn't the first time.
Nor would it be the last.
Muzan noticed the strange looks from the other demons and immediately felt a headache coming.
He cleared his throat.
Then he spoke coldly.
"Nakime."
"Remove everyone."
Before Nakime could pluck a single string of her biwa, Kokushibo suddenly turned around.
"No."
His six eyes swept across the gathered Kizuki.
"They're staying."
The room fell silent.
Nakime froze.
For perhaps the first time in centuries, she found herself caught between two equally troublesome orders.
The remaining demons immediately adopted the universal survival strategy.
Pretend not to exist.
They stood completely still.
Not a single one dared to move.
Muzan's eyebrow twitched.
"Kokushibo."
His voice grew colder.
"You're going too far."
As he spoke, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the Infinity Castle.
The aura of the Demon King swept outward.
Instantly, nearly every demon present collapsed to one knee.
Cold sweat poured down their faces.
Even the Upper Moons struggled to endure the crushing force.
Only Kokushibo remained standing.
Unmoved.
Unaffected.
The scene left everyone speechless.
Akaza stared in disbelief.
Gyutaro's eyes widened.
Even Doma looked genuinely surprised.
Only Nakime remained calm.
The realization slowly spread through the room.
Lord Muzan's pressure…
Wasn't affecting Kokushibo.
An impossible thought surfaced in everyone's mind.
Could Upper Rank One truly have reached a level where he could stand against Muzan's presence?
Naturally, none of them would dare say such words aloud.
Muzan himself looked even more irritated.
The last thing he wanted was for the Kizuki to start imagining nonsense.
Meanwhile, Kokushibo finally spoke again.
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Lord Muzan."
"Would you care to explain why the others were forbidden from assisting?"
The memory immediately resurfaced.
Eleven Upper Moons standing around watching.
Kokushibo fighting alone.
The more he remembered it, the more annoyed he became.
"An entire army was present."
"And yet they were ordered to stand there and watch."
His voice became colder.
"What exactly was the purpose of that?"
Muzan immediately felt somewhat guilty.
In truth, he had only wanted to see Kokushibo struggle for once.
After all, watching Upper Rank One become frustrated was surprisingly entertaining.
Unfortunately, things had escalated far beyond what he intended.
Now Kokushibo was genuinely angry.
Muzan secretly glanced toward Nakime.
His expression practically screamed for help.
Nakime sighed internally.
After centuries of service, she understood immediately.
She had to salvage this situation.
Before the argument could continue, Nakime plucked several strings of her biwa.
The Infinity Castle shifted.
Walls moved.
Rooms rotated.
The gathered demons were instantly transported elsewhere.
"Everyone."
Nakime spoke calmly.
"Please wait in another chamber."
The Kizuki disappeared one after another.
Within moments, only Muzan and Kokushibo remained.
Elsewhere inside the Infinity Castle, the relocated demons immediately pressed themselves against walls, doors, and ceilings.
Nobody wanted to miss what happened next.
Meanwhile, Nakime found herself surrounded by curious listeners.
Even so, she remained focused.
For the sake of preserving harmony within the Twelve Kizuki, drastic measures were necessary.
Back in the main chamber, Muzan slowly composed himself.
He remembered Nakime's advice.
Remain calm.
Apologize.
Do not make things worse.
Simple instructions.
In theory.
"Kokushibo."
His voice softened unexpectedly.
The sudden change caught Kokushibo off guard.
"Sit."
After a brief pause, Kokushibo complied.
He knelt across from Muzan.
For several seconds, silence filled the room.
Then Muzan slowly extended a hand.
For perhaps the first time in centuries, he placed it atop Kokushibo's.
Kokushibo visibly froze.
Muzan froze as well.
Everything about this felt wrong.
Yet Nakime had insisted.
Finally, he forced the words out.
"Kokushibo."
"This time…"
"I was wrong."
The room fell silent.
Outside the chamber, dozens of demons nearly stopped breathing.
Doma's fan slipped from his hand.
Akaza questioned reality.
Gyokko forgot about his art.
Even Rui looked stunned.
Inside the room, Muzan continued speaking despite wanting to disappear from existence.
"I should not have prevented the others from assisting."
"I admit my mistake."
Kokushibo stared at him.
For the first time in a very long time, he had absolutely no idea how to respond.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, excitement spread rapidly.
Rui suddenly remembered something.
"Oh!"
Everyone turned toward him.
"Isn't this exactly like one of Kyogai's stories?"
The room immediately erupted.
"You're right!"
"I remember that chapter!"
"The one where the protagonists argued!"
"Kyogai actually predicted this!"
At that exact moment, Kyogai himself emerged from a nearby room carrying several manuscripts.
He stopped immediately upon seeing nearly the entire Twelve Kizuki gathered outside.
"…What are all of you doing?"
Ever since spending time around Kokushibo, Kyogai had gradually regained his confidence.
Unlike before, he no longer shrank away from every interaction.
Lower Rank Four Hairo immediately grinned.
"So, Author-sama finally appears."
"When are you returning to the Twelve Kizuki?"
Kyogai sighed.
His recent obsession with writing had indeed caused his strength to stagnate.
Still, he understood the teasing wasn't malicious.
Before he could answer, however, Nakime appeared.
Instantly.
Silently.
Terrifyingly.
She grabbed Hairo by the collar with one hand and lifted him off the floor.
The entire room fell silent.
People often forgot something important.
Nakime wasn't merely Muzan's attendant.
She was the absolute ruler of the Infinity Castle itself.
Within these walls, very few demons wished to provoke her.
"If you continue speaking carelessly."
Nakime smiled.
The smile somehow made things worse.
"I will personally throw you outside."
Then she added calmly:
"And dawn is approaching."
Hairo's face immediately lost all color.
"No!"
"I apologize!"
"I was joking!"
"I'll never tease Kyogai again!"
The terrified demon immediately began begging for forgiveness.
Only after several seconds did Nakime release him.
Meanwhile, back inside the chamber, Muzan continued following what he remembered of Nakime's instructions.
Unfortunately, memory was not his strongest quality.
"This time I was wrong."
"I promise not to repeat it."
Then, somehow, his thoughts became mixed with Nakime's earlier words.
"If you continue speaking carelessly…"
Muzan paused.
Kokushibo blinked.
"…I will throw you out of the Infinity Castle."
Silence.
Muzan froze.
Kokushibo froze.
The atmosphere became indescribably awkward.
Somewhere outside the room, muffled laughter could be heard.
Kokushibo slowly closed his eyes.
His anger had nearly vanished.
Not because the issue had been resolved.
But because he genuinely wasn't sure what was happening anymore.
"Lord Muzan…"
Before he could finish speaking, Muzan awkwardly attempted to soften the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the result was catastrophic.
"What?"
His expression shifted unnaturally.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kokushibo stared silently.
For perhaps the first time in centuries, Upper Rank One looked completely defeated.
Muzan immediately wished the Infinity Castle would swallow him whole.
According to later rumors among the Twelve Kizuki, Muzan spent the following several days investigating exactly who had overheard the conversation.
And every single witness received a very detailed warning about the consequences of discussing it ever again.
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