Chapter 179: Infinity Castle
It was a very peculiar space.
What made it peculiar was the chaotic arrangement of the buildings, presenting a very eerie layout.
Some were upside down, some were separated from each other, some overlapped like blocks, and some even sat directly on the walls and ceilings, giving one a feeling of entering a dream or a kaleidoscope, very discordant.
No one knew where this was—or rather, those who knew of this place were generally not human.
*Plink-Plonk!*
At a certain moment, as the sound of a biwa being plucked suddenly resounded, a figure suddenly appeared as if by teleportation.
"Where is this...?"
Looking left and right, the figure was momentarily startled, then immediately recognized this place.
"Infinity Castle?"
Infinity Castle, a castle unknown to most but indeed existing in this world.
It was the supreme headquarters of the Twelve Kizuki that was not located in any particular spot on the ground but was like this, in a strange space.
Now, someone had clearly summoned demons here, calling forth the few remaining Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.
For example, the figure who had just appeared.
Peach-colored short hair, body covered in deep blue tattoos.
Clearly, it was none other than Akaza who had once been considered dead by Riezel before.
Meanwhile, just as Akaza appeared, another figure approached him from behind.
"My, my, isn't this Lord Akaza?"
Saying this, the newcomer approached Akaza affectionately, smiling brightly.
He was a young man with platinum blond hair and irises that shimmered in a rainbow hue. He wore a red turtleneck with a design that made it look as if the area between his neck and upper chest was covered by a black substance, which seemed to be dripping slightly down his body and repeating at his wrists and hands, as well as on the small circular bloodstain on the top of his head.
He had a slender build, taller than Akaza, and the Japanese characters for 'Upper Rank' and 'Two' were inscribed in his rainbow-like eyes, revealing his identity to those who saw them.
Yes.
He was none other than the Upper Two, ranked second among the Twelve Kizuki, a demon just below the Upper One—Douma.
"Long time no see, how have you been lately?"
Douma reached out his hand, seemingly intending to rest it on Akaza's shoulder. However, before it could happen, Akaza suddenly punched his outstretched hand, the force was so strong that it instantly exploded his hand.
"Don't touch me."
Akaza looked coldly at Douma as if saying, 'I'll kill you if you dare to reach out your hand again.'
Such a vicious attitude, not even shown when facing Riezel, was now displayed by Akaza. It was evident how much disdain this Upper Three held for the Upper Two.
Surprisingly, Douma seemed unperturbed.
"You're really heartless, y'know? Clearly, I was just showing concern for you."
Douma shook his severed hand, which regenerated in a second, like a torn cloth coming back to life. If Demon Slayers were to witness this, they would surely be astonished by his regenerative ability that could restore severed limbs in the blink of an eye.
"Well, looks like you're doing just fine then." Douma added with a smirk. "I thought after you got your head chopped off once, even if you miraculously survived, there would be some lingering effects."
"Wanna give it a try?" Akaza's attitude remained icy. "If you want, I can twist your head off your neck right now."
"If that would make you happy, I'm happy to oblige!" Douma's smile didn't waver. "Or should I just twist it off myself for you? You can take it home if you like!"
Although Douma seemed to be joking, Akaza knew that if he agreed, this man wouldn't mind twisting his own head off.
"Tch..."
Akaza clicked his tongue in annoyance, emanating an ominous aura from his whole body. Just as he was about to launch an attack on Douma, a deep voice sounded, stopping him.
"That's enough..."
The deep voice rumbled like distant thunder, reaching the ears of Akaza and Douma, causing both to turn their heads to the side.
Over there, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, stood another figure.
It was a man wearing a kimono with a purple-and-black hexagonal pattern and black hakama pants, his long black hair tied up into a high ponytail. He also had red flame-like markings on the top left side of his forehead and the bottom right of his chin, while a sword hung at his waist, resembling an ancient samurai.
However, what was peculiar was that he had three pairs of eyes on his face with yellow irises and red flesh sclera that had black straight lines diverging from each iris, with Japanese characters engraved in the middle pair.
Left Eye - Upper Rank.
Right Eye - One.
From this, it was clear that he was the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki, ranked only below the Demon King, the Upper One.
"Kokushibou..."
Akaza glared at the newcomer with hostility, fighting intent, and seriousness.
"Lord Kokushibou! Long time no see!"
Douma, however, remained as warm and affectionate as ever, seeming quite pleased to see the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki, the only Upper Rank ranked above him.
Kokushibou ignored their words, instead fixing his terrifying six eyes on the two.
"This is Lord Muzan's personal summons... Those who don't understand the situation... If you continue to fool around... I will personally take action..."
With such words, a pressure strong enough to overwhelm everything around immediately emanated from Kokushibou's body.
Feeling this pressure, Akaza's complexion grew more and more serious, and even Douma stopped acting carefree.
Akaza, Douma, and Kokushibou then looked ahead together, gazing at the one who had summoned them to the Infinity Castle.
It was a woman holding a biwa, dressed in a black kimono, with long black hair, and bangs that hung down to cover half of her face, completely obscuring her eyes.
Apparently, the biwa sound that had been playing in the Infinity Castle from the beginning was her doing.
"Lady Nakime!" Douma greeted the biwa woman sitting at the other end of the building.
"Where is Lord Muzan?" Akaza inquired.
Nakime was in charge of managing the Infinity Castle.
Although she was not part of the Twelve Kizuki and did not have a number, she was Muzan's attendant, specifically assisting him, similar to a secretary. Because of this, the demons of the Twelve Kizuki did not treat her as a mere lower-rank demon.
Moreover, the reason Akaza and the others suddenly appeared in the Infinity Castle was also because of Nakime's Blood Demon Art. In light of this, since she had summoned them with her Blood Demon Art, it was clearly because Muzan had given her such an order.
And indeed, this was the case.
"Lord Muzan has been here for a long time."
As soon as Nakime's faint voice sounded, Akaza and the others felt as though the space in front of them suddenly twisted and distorted.
Soon, a Japanese-style door opened in front of the three, revealing a room that seemed out of place in the Infinity Castle.
It seemed to be a study, filled with various bookshelves and books.
Inside the room stood a tall young man wearing a suit with the coat removed, his skin as pale as paper, bowing his head to read a book in front of a bookshelf with his back to the three. Even when he appeared in front of them, he had no intention of turning around, still engrossed in his book.
However, at the first sight of him, the three quickly kneeled down.
""Lord Muzan.""
Akaza, Douma, and Kokushibou respectfully greeted their king.
Indeed, the young man was none other than the progenitor of demons, the Demon King who had been living in the world for over a thousand years—Kibutsuji Muzan.
He seemed like an ordinary human man, with no trace of anything unusual emanating from his back facing them. Yet, the moment he spoke, the entire Infinity Castle seemed to tremble.
"Gyokko, Gyuutarou, Daki..."
Muzan's voice, devoid of any emotion, sounded indifferent as he spoke.
"They're dead."
With just these words, Akaza, who was kneeling with his head bowed, had his pupils shrink.
"Gyokko and Gyuutarou... dead?!" Douma exclaimed in shock. "What happened?"
Kokushibou remained silent, only lifting his head, his six eyes showing a hint of surprise.
After all, it had been one hundred and thirteen years since there had been any changes among the Upper Rank, and now, all of a sudden, two Upper Ranks had died at once?
What actually happened?
However, despite the shock of the three, Muzan paid them no attention whatsoever, not even bothering to explain how and why.
"I haven't been this furious in years..."
Muzan's voice, carrying a raging fury within its icy coldness, echoed in the ears of the three.
"It's not because of their deaths, but because of your incompetence."
In an instant, a terrifying pressure, as if it could crush anything into minced meat at any moment, permeated the Infinity Castle with unparalleled clarity.
"Because of your incompetence, the Blue Spider Lily has yet to be found, leading to the situation I'm in now."
"What use are you to me?"
"Do you have any value left?"
Each of Muzan's words shook the hearts of the three, shaking their bodies and causing blood to flow from their mouths, noses, ears, and eyes.
Despite this, the three dared not even breathe a sigh.
After all, it was the first time they had seen their king so furious, and they couldn't help but feel a little fearful.
It was well known that Muzan was ruthless and cruel.
Generally, when he was this angry, it usually meant someone had to die to quell his rage. Even if they didn't know what had happened or why their king was so angry, they could only endure it.
Reasoning with him?
Useless.
Muzan was temperamental. He would immediately tear off their limbs if someone tried to reason with him. What made it worse was that even entertaining such thoughts was forbidden since he could even read their minds and hear their innermost feelings.
As a result, even though Akaza, Douma, and Kokushibou were esteemed members of the Upper Ranks and ranked among the top three, they could only bear Muzan's wrath silently.
After a while, Muzan calmed down slightly.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Muzan's voice was cold as he spoke, echoing slowly through the Infinity Castle.
"Get ready... war is coming."
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Chapter 180: Kokushibou's Hatred and Weeping
War?
Upon hearing Muzan's declaration, Kokushibou, Akaza, and Douma were taken aback.
Unfortunately, Muzan didn't elaborate further.
After all, this was just how the Demon King was, not only cruel and ruthless but also viewing the demons he created as tools to find the Blue Spider Lily and eradicate the Demon Slayer Corps.
He himself lacked human sensibility, a being diametrically opposed to the concept of 'human' both physically and mentally.
Truly, there were many twisted aspects to his personality.
He was exceedingly brutal and explosively temperamental, exerting absolute terror over demons. Yet, he was also extraordinarily cowardly, afraid of death, with a profound obsession with immortality. Therefore, if someone were to say he looked like a gravely ill person or someone on the brink of death, he would instantly fly into a rage, brutally slaughtering them.
Right now, Muzan was undoubtedly in a bad mood.
Not killing one or two people to vent his frustration was already considered very merciful, so why would he bother explaining so much?
If he were in a good mood, that would be another story.
Unfortunately, Muzan's current mood was probably the worst he had experienced in his thousand-year existence.
He remembered that the last time he felt this terrible was when he was almost killed by Yoriichi. Now, hundreds of years later, he was once again on the defensive because of someone with the same name, making him extremely unhappy.
Just thinking about it made him extremely angry.
'In the first place, why would he know about the Blue Spider Lily?'
It was the one thing that truly baffled Muzan.
Most of those who knew about his search for the Blue Spider Lily were demons transformed by his own blood and completely under his control. Not only would they not dare to leak any information about the Blue Spider Lily, but they couldn't even mention his complete name, without being instantly killed by his curse.
In such circumstances, how did this 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi', who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, come to know about the Blue Spider Lily? Moreover, how did he not only learn about it but also speak of it in such a manner?
—Blue Spider Lily is in my hands.
Remembering these words, at first, Muzan didn't quite believe it.
How could it be possible that something he had been searching for a thousand years, something that so many demons had been dispatched to find all over the world and had remained undiscovered, could suddenly be in someone else's possession?
Moreover, this someone happened to be a Demon Slayer who could wield Sun Breathing, bearing the name Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
What were the odds of such a coincidence?
Surely, this must be a scam!
Muzan once told himself like this.
Yet, even as he convinced himself like this, another voice persisted in his mind.
What if?
What if it was true?
What if it was true, and he let this opportunity slip by, actually giving up his hope for immortality?
And so, the obsession with immortality drove Muzan to repeatedly try to convince himself, plunging into deep self-contradiction.
After all, it had been a thousand years, and before this, there had been not even a little bit of information about the Blue Spider Lily. Now, with this sudden revelation, he found it hard not to harbor a faint glimmer of hope.
For anyone else, after a thousand fruitless years of searching, upon receiving such news, they would undoubtedly go mad and rush to pursue it at all costs.
Muzan wasn't exactly known for his restraint or caution—if it weren't for the fear instilled in him by Riezel's strength, he would have stormed out long ago.
Clearly, his current inaction was simply due to his cowardly nature.
But in the end, the desire for immortality compelled Muzan to take action. It was absolutely impossible to let this opportunity he awaited for a thousand years slip away without doing anything.
Driven by this kind of thought, Muzan made his arrangements.
"Nakime, keep an eye on Hantengu. Once you've confirmed that he's out of the Demon Slayer Corps' sight, bring him back to the Infinity Castle and inform him of today's meeting."
Without glancing aside, Muzan ordered Nakime.
"And keep a close watch on every move of the Demon Slayer Corps. Until everything is ready, you are not allowed to lose track of their whereabouts."
"Yes." Nakime nodded in obedience.
"Gyokko is dead, and the position of Upper Five is now vacant..." Muzan added expressionlessly. "Once you've taken care of this matter, this position is yours."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Muzan." Nakime's voice brightened a bit.
At this point, Muzan shifted the topic to the three kneeling Upper Ranks.
"During this time, I want all of you to try to find as many people as possible who can potentially become powerful demons and bring them to me."
Muzan stood with his back to the three Upper Ranks, his expression obscured, but the three could see veins bulging on his neck and temples.
"You can't find the Blue Spider Lily, but if I ask you to find people, you shouldn't encounter any problems, right?"
""YES!""
The three hastily agreed.
If anyone dared to raise a question now, their heads would be on the line.
They also speculated that perhaps their king was so angry because the Blue Spider Lily had already appeared and fallen into the hands of the enemy.
Finding the Blue Spider Lily was the most important mission entrusted to the Twelve Kizuki by Muzan himself. Now that their mission target had fallen into the hands of the enemy, it was only natural for him to be furious.
Understanding this, the three Upper Ranks knew what to do next.
Prepare with all their might, retrieve the Blue Spider Lily, and present it to their king.
It was the mission the three had grasped.
Once Kokushibou, Akaza, and Douma understood, Muzan, who had been reading their minds, finally turned around to face them.
"Remember, this is your last chance. If you fail, the Upper Ranks will be disbanded just like the Lower Ranks."
Muzan's ice-cold voice conveyed to the three how brutal his decision would be.
When Lower Five Rui lost to Tanjirou and was hunted down by the Demon Slayer Corps, Muzan, who deemed the Lower Ranks useless, disbanded them by killing them all on the spot.
As a result, among the remaining Lower Ranks, only the strongest and the one most to Muzan's liking, Lower One Enmu, survived, while the rest were all killed on the spot by him.
If the Upper Ranks were also disbanded, the only ones likely to survive would probably be Kokushibou, who was the Upper One, while the rest of the members would likely be killed.
Don't ever think Muzan would spare talent, as this Demon King was the most ruthless and heartless being in this world.
In the first place, the Twelve Kizuki were created by him for the purpose of finding the Blue Spider Lily and eradicating the Demon Slayer Corps. If these two purposes could not be achieved, death would be their only fate.
"Go make preparations."
With these words left behind, Muzan walked away since he also needed to make preparations.
*Plink-Plonk*
Nakime immediately plucked her biwa, causing the door to Muzan's room to suddenly close, disappearing within the Infinity Castle.
In the next second, the immense pressure pervading the Infinity Castle quickly dissipated, allowing the three Upper Ranks to stand up.
"I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."
Douma still wore his smiling face as he spoke to his two colleagues.
"It looks like we really have to work hard this time. Lord Kokushibou, Lord Akaza, how do you plan to proceed?"
Kokushibou and Akaza both ignored Douma.
"This is our last chance... I hope you cherish it..." Kokushibou said indifferently, then turned and walked away.
"So cold~"
Douma pouted, then turned to Akaza with a smile.
"By the way, Lord Akaza, do you know what's going on? Lord Muzan seems to have sent Hantengu, Gyokko, and the two siblings to investigate the one who nearly killed you. Is it related to him?"
Douma's words reminded Akaza of that man.
"Is it related to Tsugikuni Yoriichi?" Akaza muttered with a frown.
However, his mutter clearly reached Kokushibou's ears as he was about to leave.
"?!"
Kokushibou's foot, about to step forward, suddenly paused, and then he forcefully turned around.
"You just said... who?"
In this instant, a much more terrifying aura and pressure surged out from him than when he first appeared in front of Akaza and Douma.
Such an aura and pressure awakened Akaza from his musings.
"Lord Kokushibou?" Douma said puzzled. "What's going on with you—"
*Swish!*
Before he could finish his words, however, a flash of blade suddenly slashed in front of him.
*Splurt!*
With a tearing sound, Douma's head was severed by a single slash and rolled to the ground.
At the same time, Kokushibou suddenly appeared in front of Akaza, and before Akaza could react, Kokushibou grabbed his collar.
"Speak..." Kokushibou said in a low voice. "Who did you just say this is related to?"
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
Akaza was furious, struggling with all his might, but unfortunately, he couldn't break free at all, as his struggle only invited several sword slashes.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
With each flash of the sword, Akaza's four limbs were severed, leaving only his head held by Kokushibou.
"Speak!"
Kokushibou's tone had become more aggressive.
Such a tone, Akaza had never heard from Kokushibou before.
"...I said it's Tsugikuni Yoriichi!" Akaza stared at him fiercely and finally told him. "You also know, right?! Not long ago, a human swordsman used a Nichirin Sword to cut off my head, almost killing me! He is Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
Akaza's words were exchanged with Kokushibou's silence.
"Im...poss...ible..."
Kokushibou's voice began to tremble.
"He said it himself!" Akaza roared in anger. "He uses a breathing style called Sun Breathing, which I've never seen on anyone else in the Demon Slayer Corps. If you don't believe me, go check yourself!"
His words made Kokushibou's hand tremble slightly.
"Sun Breathing..."
With that, the trembling voice of the Upper One persisted for a long time.
It sounded like a mixture of hatred and weeping.
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