Chapter 175: Invitation
Riezel couldn't help but feel that Shinobu truly looked beautiful.
Even when being this close to her, he couldn't see pores or even a hint of sweat on her face. All he saw was a flawless complexion, like porcelain, and features so perfectly proportioned they seemed sculpted, leaving a very good impression at first sight.
However, the most shocking part was that such a flawless face didn't even have makeup on, what one called a bare face.
To have such exquisite beauty even without makeup, one could only say that such a person, in Riezel's eyes, could only exist in 2D.
Actually, when it came to appearance alone, many people could rival Shinobu.
For example, Ais was universally acknowledged as beautiful, comparable to a goddess. Additionally, compared to Shinobu, Ais was only stronger, not weaker.
Not to mention Riveria, a member of the elven royal family, whose beauty surpasses that of most goddesses, enough to make even goddesses jealous.
Additionally, there was Lefiya, only fifteen years old, with a hint of immaturity and childishness. Yet, as a member of the elf race known for their outstanding beauty, her appearance definitely surpassed that of over ninety percent of the world's population.
In the Akasha Continent, there were also plenty of beauties, like Yuri, who was no less stunning compared to Ais. Even Marilyn, Ain, and Ian, who served as her attendants, had remarkably outstanding appearances. As for her younger sister, Mediste, who was still fourteen years old, she also possessed an unusually lively charm, the kind of princess who would easily be pampered by anyone in Riezel's past life.
Needless to say, Riezel had never observed beautiful women like them up close before. Hence, when Shinobu's face got so close to him, it was somewhat challenging for his heart.
As a result, Riezel instinctively pushed away Shinobu's face.
"Don't get so close to me." Riezel said with a somewhat heartless tone.
"You're unreasonable..." Shinobu protested.
"It's you who's being unreasonable." Riezel retorted, looking at her face expressionlessly. "I've already helped you get better, but you don't appreciate it and just mess around. Should've let you lay another two days before healing you..."
"So, you admit it then?" Shinobu stared at him with a peculiar look. "You admit that you're the one who healed me?"
"Yeah..." Riezel admitted honestly. "I stripped you naked and treated you from head to toe. Happy now?"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Shinobu's face froze instantly.
Was it the truth? Would her words earlier about him taking responsibility become a reality?
Now, even Shinobu couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.
She quickly stared at Riezel, trying to discern the truth from his face, but unfortunately, she didn't have that kind of time.
"Message! Message!"
A Kasugai Crow suddenly flew in through the window, hovering in mid-air while its sharp beak emitted a series of sounds.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi is requested at the temporary headquarters for a meeting! Urgent meeting!"
Undoubtedly, this was an invitation from Kagaya and the Hashira.
"I'll be leaving then. You rest well." Riezel stood up.
"Wait! I'll go with you." Shinobu stopped overthinking and said with a serious tone.
With that, she quickly got out of bed.
"You sure?" Riezel asked tentatively. "Don't you want to rest a bit more?"
"No need, I feel better than ever physically." Shinobu resumed her cheerful demeanor. "If you are interested, you can work at the Butterfly Mansion. I can request Master for you to receive a salary, any amount you want."
"I'll consider it." Riezel said casually. "I'll wait for you outside then."
"Okay." Shinobu picked up her clothes to change.
Riezel turned and headed toward the door, but before he could reach it, Shinobu suddenly asked a question.
"Did I say anything while unconscious?"
Shinobu's question made Riezel's footsteps halt.
In the next second, with his back to her, he answered calmly.
"None."
After saying this, Riezel finally left the room, leaving only Shinobu standing still, holding onto her clothes, staring blankly for a while.
"Tsugikuni really enjoys tricking people..." Shinobu muttered softly.
After being silent for a while, she quietly sighed.
Although at that time she had already lost consciousness, she faintly felt the warmth and the hand placed on her forehead, which left a deep impression on her.
Under that long-lost warmth and nostalgic touch, she was well aware that she would involuntarily say something at that moment.
"Forget it, let's go to Master's place first."
Shinobu shook her head, pushing aside the complex thoughts in her mind before finally taking off her patient gown.
===
About half an hour later, Riezel and Shinobu arrived at the temporary headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps and entered the room filled with tatami mats.
Kagaya sat at the main seat, accompanied by his wife and children.
On the other hand, the Hashira were divided into two rows, sitting on either side like loyal subjects.
As Riezel and Shinobu arrived, they immediately caught everyone's attention, causing all the Hashira to freeze.
"Kochou!" Kyoujurou exclaimed first, pleasantly surprised. "You can get out of bed now?"
"Yes, Rengoku." Shinobu replied with her usual smile. "Thanks to Tsugikuni, my injuries seem miraculously healed. As you can see, there's no longer any problem."
Shortly afterward, she knelt before Kagaya, who was seated in the main seat.
"I apologize for being late, Master."
"It's alright, Shinobu. Please, have a seat." Kagaya seemed delighted, his eyes narrowing with a smile.
It was evident that he was in a good mood.
After all, not only had Shinobu already recovered and could resume her duties, but all the Hashira were also gathered again. Despite the life-threatening crisis of three Upper Ranks invading their headquarters, not a single Hashira had fallen.
It was clearly a stroke of wonderful luck.
Just this alone was enough to lift Kagaya's spirits.
"Yes, Master."
Shinobu responded respectfully before taking a seat beside Mitsuri, exchanging smiles with her.
"You should also take a seat, Your Excellency."
Kagaya had a special seat prepared for Riezel, right across from him.
All the Hashira sat directly on the tatami mats, with only Kagaya and Riezel having cushion-like seats, indicating that Riezel held a very high position of influence in Kagaya's eyes.
Although some of the Hashira subtly furrowed their brows at Kagaya's preferential treatment, they had nothing to say.
At this point, Riezel had earned the right to sit on equal terms with the other Hashira and even Kagaya himself.
Last time, Riezel slew the Upper Three.
This time, Riezel had managed to defeat the Upper Four, the Upper Five, and the Upper Six, three Upper Ranks falling under his sword, leaving only two Upper Ranks remaining.
With such achievements and merits, it was worth the Demon Slayer Corps to regard him as the most distinguished guest.
Of course, Riezel had earlier explained that the Upper Ranks he had truly slain were only the Upper Five and the Upper Six, the lowest-ranking Upper Ranks, while the main body of the Upper Four had escaped, not encountering his sword.
Furthermore, the Upper Three appeared to have surpassed his limits and managed to remain alive even after his head was chopped off.
For this reason, up to now, only two Upper Ranks have truly died in his hands, both being the lowest-ranking Upper Ranks, which were the Upper Five and the Upper Six.
However, it couldn't be denied that there were quite a few Upper Ranks who lost to Riezel, including the Upper Three and the Upper Four. Although they all managed to escape death, it still proved that they were not his opponents and met a crushing defeat at his hands.
With such strength, no one could question it now.
Hence, even Sanemi and Obanai, who had conflicts with Riezel before, though they still didn't show much expression, acknowledged his treatment to be on par with Kagaya's.
Riezel naturally noticed the change in attitude among the Hashira, but he didn't care much. After all, he knew that among these Hashira, there were quite a few problem children, and many had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
Riezel ignored the gazes of the Hashira and silently sat down in front of Kagaya.
"Do you have something on your mind?" Riezel asked straightforwardly and concisely.
"I have a bit of news." Kagaya smiled at him, cleared his throat, and then continued. "We're preparing to relocate the Corps' headquarters."
"Including the Ubuyashiki family, Rengoku family, and all the families of Demon Slayers in the town, everyone will be relocated along several predetermined hidden routes to another location."
"As for this place, we must leave behind."
Truthfully, this decision didn't surprise Riezel.
Once the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps was exposed, the urgent priority was to relocate quickly to avoid another demon invasion.
Whether it was members of the Ubuyashiki family or residents of the town, they were all ordinary people without the ability to resist demons. If they were to face another invasion, the Demon Slayers would have to protect them while fighting demons, which would be somewhat difficult.
For this reason, relocating the headquarters was necessary.
As for where to relocate, Kagaya soon brought it up.
"We're preparing to temporarily relocate to the Swordsmith Village..." Kagaya sighed. "Since the level of secrecy there is comparable to our current headquarters, the Swordsmith Village is undoubtedly the best choice for a temporary headquarters we can think of for now."
After listening quietly, Riezel finally spoke up with a calm voice.
"And then? Why are you telling me all this?"
"I'd like to invite you to join us."
Kagaya answered immediately, gazing at Riezel's calm eyes, his expression becoming more solemn and sincere.
"Has your opinion changed? If I were to invite you to join the Corps again right now, what would you say?"
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Chapter 176: I Have What He Wants the Most
At this moment, if one were to ask what Kagaya wanted most, it would undoubtedly be to keep Riezel in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Witnessing Riezel's strength and seeing the potential in his body, Kagaya had come to view Riezel as hope—a hope for humanity to triumph over demons, to end the conflict between humans and demons once and for all.
If it were this youth, he could surely defeat Muzan and make those demons that had persisted in the darkness for millennia disappear forever.
It was the future Kagaya longed to see, the long-standing wish of the Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps.
If this future could come to pass before his eyes, even if it meant drawing his last breath right now, he would be willing to do so a hundred times over.
Therefore, after a three-month break, Kagaya once again extended an invitation to Riezel in front of the Hashira.
As long as Riezel was willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps, then the next course of action for the Corps would be to spare no effort in finding Muzan's whereabouts.
Later on, it would be the ultimate showdown between humans and demons, bringing an end to the tragedy in this generation.
If they were victorious, demons would vanish entirely, and no one would ever again become demon food, putting an end to the fear of the night.
If they were to fail, for the next few hundred years, there might be no one capable of stopping Muzan and stopping the atrocities of demons.
Undoubtedly, this ultimate showdown would directly determine the future of this world.
For this reason, Kagaya wanted to do everything in his power to make it happen, to tip the scales of war in favor of humankind.
Of course, achieving this future wouldn't be easy. Even if he managed to invite Riezel, whether the Demon Slayer Corps could find Muzan remained uncertain.
Muzan's whereabouts were always a mystery.
For centuries, the Demon Slayer Corps had never given up on searching for him, yet they had never once succeeded in pinpointing his location.
As the progenitor of demons, Muzan possessed the ability to completely mimic others, able to change his appearance at will. Whether it be appearance, gender, or even scent and aura, he could freely change them, making it impossible for anyone to recognize him, even as he roamed among humans.
He was adept at disguise, skilled at blending into crowds, sometimes appearing male, sometimes female, sometimes an adult, sometimes a child, his true form entirely unknown.
With the ability to change anything visible to the naked eye, trying to track down Muzan's trail was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Clearly, the intelligence network of the Demon Slayer Corps had become quite mature and powerful. With Kasugai Crows freely flying around the world to gather intelligence and the Kakushi assisting behind the scenes, coupled with the longstanding influence of the Ubuyashiki family, even national secrets could easily be obtained by the Corps.
Yet, even so, whenever the Demon Slayer Corps pinpointed Muzan's position, he had already changed his appearance and calmly left.
In such circumstances, the Demon Slayer Corps rarely had the opportunity to directly formulate approaches and strategies against Muzan. At most, they could only hunt ordinary demons and treat the Twelve Kizuki as threats to deal with.
Riezel may have the strength to defeat Muzan, but if his position couldn't be found, it would all be in vain.
Unfortunately, Kagaya couldn't do anything about it.
He understood that this was the closest he had come to fulfilling the long-standing wish of the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki family.
If it couldn't be achieved, then it would be fate.
Kagaya only wanted to facilitate everything as much as possible. At least before he fell, he hoped to see the Demon Slayer Corps have a chance of defeating Muzan.
However, Kagaya, who was thinking like this, didn't know that the future he imagined might come sooner than he thought.
"Actually, I'm not particularly opposed to joining the Demon Slayer Corps..." Riezel finally answered.
Since the evolution of Sun Breathing was complete and he had obtained his own Nichirin Sword, even awakening abilities like the Transparent World, joining the Demon Slayer Corps to hunt demons wouldn't be a bad choice.
However, there was something he wanted to make clear first.
"However, if I stay in the Demon Slayer Corps, all of you may always encounter unimaginable dangers."
Riezel's words left everyone present stunned.
"Unimaginable dangers?" Mitsuri asked, surprised and nervous. "What do you mean? Demons?"
"That's right..." Riezel nodded lightly. "Shortly after I arrived here, this place was exposed, and three Upper Ranks were immediately sent over. Do you think that's just a coincidence?"
Everyone immediately furrowed their brows.
"It's not a coincidence." Riezel continued. "My appearance caught Kibutsuji Muzan's attention, so he sent his people to investigate me, track my movements, and ultimately expose this place."
Tamayo had said that upon hearing the name 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi', Muzan would surely take action. As a result of this action, Riezel's presence in this place was tracked, and the location of the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps was exposed.
"Do you mean that as long as you stay within the Corps, Kibutsuji Muzan won't give up? He'll send demons again to find you, attack you, and then the location of the Corps' headquarters will be exposed again. Is that what you mean?" Kyoujurou asked tentatively.
"Well, isn't that just perfect?" Sanemi immediately chimed in, gripping his Nichirin Sword at his waist with a fierce look on his face. "I've been itching to find demons, to find those Upper Rank bastards! If they dare to attack again this time, I'll make sure to kill them all."
"Yes..." Obanai's eyes gleamed with a cold light. "I was just thinking, I want to see if those Upper Ranks are really that powerful."
"Well said!" Tengen crossed his arms, highly approving. "If we could have a magnificent showdown, I'd raise both hands and feet in favor!"
"Amitabha." Gyoumei folded his hands together, chanting the Buddhist mantra, not opposing the others' opinions.
Giyuu and Muichirou remained silent, but by their expressions, it seemed they were also prepared to engage in battle with demons at any moment.
Shinobu, however, looked silently at Riezel, feeling that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
At this moment, the opinions of the Hashira were surprisingly unanimous, with none showing a hint of fear.
Evidently, the attack on their headquarters, the destruction of their town by demons, and even their revered Master being in danger—all of this made the Hashira feel both enraged and frustrated.
Coupled with the miserable defeats of Kyoujurou and Shinobu at the hands of the Upper Ranks, it further fueled their sense of unwillingness.
If the Hashira always lost to the Upper Ranks, didn't that mean they were completely powerless against the Upper Ranks?
With this thought in mind, even Gyomei, Giyuu, and Muichiro, who were always calm, wanted to fight the Upper Ranks to witness and experience their power, not to mention the hot-tempered Sanemi and Obanai.
Given this, they truly couldn't wait for the Upper Ranks to appear before them.
Even though the Twelve Kizuki were always searching for the whereabouts of the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki family, the Corps was also constantly seeking the Twelve Kizuki's location.
Both sides were sworn enemies, so there wasn't much to say. As long as no worries were holding them back, they would have gone to battle right then and there—no question about it.
Fear of battle, except for the coward Zenitsu, probably did not exist within the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
However—
"What if the one who's coming for me is Kibutsuji Muzan himself?"
When Riezel said this with a calm voice, everyone's expression suddenly changed.
"What?"
Kagaya was also stunned upon hearing this.
===
Time rewound to yesterday.
Before dawn, after Riezel successfully slew two Upper Ranks, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps and the town's residents rushed back and forth, assisting the wounded and tidying up in the aftermath.
At that moment, Riezel returned to the deep mountains and once again met Tamayo and Yushirou.
Tamayo had witnessed Riezel's entire battle, seeing with her own eyes the scene where he beheaded seven Upper Ranks with a single strike. Because of this, she was now convinced and had no more doubts about his strength.
"You're a swordsman who's not weaker than Tsugikuni Yoriichi, I'm convinced of that..." Tamayo said with a nod but then added with an anxious tone. "But I'm worried that Kibutsuji Muzan, who has also confirmed this, will make the same decision as hundreds of years ago after seeing your performance tonight."
What decision?
"He will hide and won't show up again until you've passed away..." Tamayo continued with a worried tone. "If things turn out like that, it will be troublesome."
It was entirely possible.
As Tamayo had mentioned before, Muzan was a coward and very afraid of death. He was so fearful to the point that he rarely allowed the members of the Twelve Kizuki to gather together, worried that they would pose a threat by uniting to rebel against him.
He was afraid of Yoriichi's strength, so he hid, hiding for decades until Yoriichi passed away, and only then did he come out.
Now, with Riezel overpowering three Upper Ranks with just one strike, such strength, such performance, were likely to once again arouse Muzan's cowardice, causing this Demon King to hide for decades again.
Tamayo was worried that if things turned out that way, the hope they had finally seen of defeating Muzan would be directly shattered.
"Muzan possessed an ability to disguise perfectly, capable of transforming into anyone in this world and concealing his aura. If he truly wanted to hide, there was simply no one in this world who could find him." Tamayo added.
If even Muzan couldn't be found, then Riezel's extraordinary power would be of no use.
Yoriichi was an example of this.
Because Muzan had escaped, Yoriichi, who was undoubtedly an overpowered and cheat-like existence in this world, never again had the opportunity to face Muzan, carrying this regret to his grave.
Tamayo was very afraid, afraid that Riezel would meet the same fate as Yoriichi.
However, after Tamayo expressed her concerns, Riezel denied it with confidence.
"No, this time he won't hide."
Gazing at the sky, Riezel stated firmly, his expression serene.
"He won't... hide?" Tamayo blinked slightly in confusion.
"Yeah..."
Riezel nodded calmly, a sudden smile appearing on his face as he turned his gaze toward Tamayo.
"Because... I have what he wants the most..."
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