After leaving Aobashi Town, Gyokko quickly fled to his other base.
He avoided that man like the plague.
He was terrified that if he stayed any longer, the man would change his mind and kill him. Moreover, the appearance of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars meant that others would soon come to surround and suppress them. Aobashi Town could no longer be kept safe.
This new stronghold was also a village under his control.
Under the night sky, Gyokko transformed into a black shadow and landed in front of the shrine. Compared to the simple shrine in Aobashi Town, the structure before him was as vast as a palace. Usually, a priest stood guard and opened the door for him whenever he returned from his outings.
But this time, the entire shrine was eerily empty, inside and out.
No one knew where the boys and girls he had trained had disappeared to.
Yet, the moment he stood before the wooden door, he knew the answer.
His pupils trembled violently and he broke out in cold sweat as he gently pushed the door open.
Inside the spacious chamber, a row of candles cast an eerie glow, illuminating the room with flickering light.
A handsome man wearing a tall hat and daimyo clothing lounged on the bed that had belonged to Gyokko. He held a folding fan in one hand and slowly settled his sharp, unnatural gaze on Gyokko.
Gyokko immediately fell to his knees with a heavy thud and bowed his head low.
Muzan Kibutsuji had been waiting there all along.
Gyokko's priests lay scattered across the floor, reduced to minced meat.
"Failed?" Muzan raised the fan, which covered half of his face, and asked softly.
"My Lord, I—"
It was just a simple question, but it immediately caused beads of sweat to drip down Gyokko's face. A bone-chilling fear swept through his body.
His throat worked nervously as he struggled to find the right words.
Obviously, Muzan already knew that the two Pillar-level swordsmen had escaped.
"I could have killed them, but someone hindered my plan. The strength of those two Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps is nothing to speak of. This time it's just—"
Gyokko felt the murderous intent that made his very soul tremble. His throat bobbed anxiously as he looked up quickly to explain.
"Ah!"
The next second, without warning, a shadow passed across his cheek.
His eyes and facial features were torn apart, and blood gushed forth.
A worm-like body made entirely of flesh and blood with eyes covering its surface had attacked him. The attack came from a tentacle that grew out of the flesh and shot forward with incredible speed.
Gyokko screamed, immediately covering his face with his hands. He lowered his head tremblingly, not daring to utter another word.
"Are you trying to justify your incompetence?" Muzan's cold voice followed.
"No."
Gyokko's lips were dry as he resigned himself to his fate. "It's my fault for not doing my job well. Please punish me, sir."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fleshy mass on the floor in front of him transformed again.
Another long tentacle flew toward him, instantly piercing his brain like a javelin and causing his body to twitch and shake uncontrollably.
Just half a minute later, Gyokko was thrown down, his feet dangling in the air, and crashed to the ground.
He looked utterly lifeless.
Behind Muzan's fan, a pair of ruby-red eyes gleamed dangerously.
Muzan had just extracted images from Gyokko's brain.
He had wanted to see the mysterious man's appearance clearly, but he had only heard the man's voice; the man's appearance remained frustratingly blurry.
It was just as he had sensed through his blood cells before.
"Why is this happening? What ability is this?" Muzan wondered.
"He seems to know about my background."
Muzan was alert and cautious. Although he had been aware of this person's presence, he did not contact him immediately to avoid being tricked.
Most importantly, he felt threatened by this person; his transcendent will and spirit were very similar to those of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Go ahead," Muzan instructed, looking at Gyokko.
If it hadn't been related to "that man," given his current foul mood, there would be no reason for this Upper Rank Five to continue existing.
"Yes," Gyokko replied, knowing he had barely saved his life again. He recounted the full story of what had happened in Aobashi Town.
However, when describing Oboro's appearance, Gyokko was shocked to discover that he couldn't remember the man's outline at all. The only thing he clearly recalled was the black haori.
After he finished speaking, the air grew heavy with silence.
Muzan frowned.
"Soul"? What a ridiculous notion.
Even if such a thing as a soul existed, who could truly perceive it?
"How can he change the effects attached to his own blood, suppress, or even ignore the influence of my cells?" Muzan fell into deep thought.
This ability was completely beyond his comprehension.
The only explanation was that the other person's level of life evolution was higher than his own.
However, the problem remained that the other person had been dying and needed Muzan's blood to survive.
This indicated that he had been human before this transformation.
Was this a second Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
There had been one incomprehensible human being before.
Thinking of that person's face, Muzan couldn't help but feel his heart constrict with dread.
There was another suspicious point. The stranger could have easily killed Gyokko, yet he chose not to. It felt intentional.
He also seemed to know that Muzan would ask questions.
This feeling
"Go find him. Otherwise, there will be no place for you among the Twelve Kizuki," Muzan said indifferently.
"What?!"
Gyokko was stunned when he heard this.
He couldn't remember what the man looked like, but the bone-deep fear was still fresh in his memory. He never wanted to encounter that man again.
Now, Muzan was ordering him to find this person?
"Yes."
Gyokko hesitated for only a second before agreeing.
He had no choice.
Muzan glanced at him, and then all the candles in the room went out as he vanished.
After confirming that Muzan's presence had completely disappeared, Gyokko collapsed to the ground as if all the strength had left his body.
What should he do now?
Muzan had sensed Oboro's oppressive aura through Gyokko's memories.
Therefore, he would not contact the other party personally. He had almost been killed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni with a single strike back then, and that had taught him a valuable lesson.
"Where can you hide?" Muzan whispered darkly.
Although he wouldn't take action himself, he could order the demons under his command to find the man wearing a black haori.
In addition to finding blue spider lilies, the demons now had one more task.
Muzan reflected on the "kind of power" that the "man" had displayed when he had attacked Gyokko.
Including the power he had exerted.
That kind of breathing was not what he understood as Breathing Styles.
Moreover, the secrets hidden within the other party were likely related to his own ambitions.
Muzan had an intuition.
No matter what, this person must be found, and the same mistake that happened with Yoriichi Tsugikuni would never be repeated.
At the same time, at the residence of the Ubuyashiki clan...
The Seven Pillars had gathered, including Giyu and Rengoku, who were both heavily bandaged.
"It was him. He gave me the breathing technique and asked me to bring it back to the Demon Slayer Corps."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya first coughed violently, then let out a long sigh.
"When I first met him, he was already in a terrible state. I would never have thought someone like him would act this way."
"I was wrong."
Kagaya's eyes dimmed slightly.
"Now that you've said that, I see that he wanted to become a demon. After all, it was to save his life. But what he did to those villagers is unforgivable!" Giyu recalled Oboro's face and said in a deep voice,
"But he seemed to have saved both of you on purpose," remarked the nearby Stone Pillar.
"Yeah, that's right!"
The seriously injured Rengoku grinned and touched his head.
His voice brimming with energy, he sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly unaffected by his injuries. "I am very grateful to him.
But now that he's become a demon, he's different. I hate his behavior. If I see him again, I will kill him with my own hands, even if it costs me my life!"
After he finished speaking, Rengoku suddenly pressed his large hand down on the back of Giyu's head, who was slow to react.
The two of them nodded respectfully to Ubuyashiki Kagaya. "This mission, including the deaths of those villagers, is our fault, so we are willing to accept any punishment!"
The Water Pillar was visibly annoyed by Rengoku's actions.
But he didn't say anything.
"You have done your best," Kagaya said, smiling and comforting them. "Do your best, and leave the rest to fate. Some things are beyond our control."
"However, compared to Muzan and the demons, I am more concerned about Oboro's position now.
His ability might be even more troublesome than Muzan's."
"My Lord, have you been to his mansion? If so, and if you know his address, then" The Wind Pillar thought of something important.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya remained silent.
Oboro had become a demon and killed the villagers. From the Demon Slayer Corps' perspective, there was a target right under their noses that needed to be eliminated.
Should they act?
Could they even succeed?