In the dimly lit room, a figure knelt respectfully on the ground.
By the faint glow of the lamps, one could vaguely make out its appearance—grayish-white skin, a pointed horn protruding from its forehead, and a well-proportioned yet utterly unremarkable physique typical of a standard demon.
Yet this demon, who looked like it would perish within three minutes of appearing, had the characters "Lower Six" prominently etched in its golden eyes.
Lower Rank Six - Kamaro.
The sole surviving Lower Rank Demon Moon after the battle on the Infinity Train!
Before Kamaro stood a rather petite figure, almost childlike in stature, leisurely watering a delicate rose.
From Kamaro's reverent address, it was easy to guess the true identity of this "child."
As the last drop of water fell onto the rosebud, whoosh!
A pair of crimson eyes suddenly turned, gazing down at Kamaro with utter disdain devoid of any emotion.
"Why didn't you die there? All the other Lower Ranks were slaughtered. Why are you the exception? Don't use me as an excuse—I did summon my subordinates, but I never recalled worthless trash like you Lower Ranks!" Muzan's voice remained as icy as ever, even though his current body appeared no older than a small child.
"This... Muzan-sama, I—" Kamaro's voice faltered slightly.
"Moreover, I saw in your memories. You interacted with those foolish humans, didn't you? Heh. As a superior being, I'm curious—what could you possibly want with such lowly creatures?" Muzan posed another fatal question.
The moment these words were spoken, the world seemed to fall into silence—so quiet that the sound of water droplets rolling off the rose petals became audible.
Kamaro could feel the killing intent in Muzan's crimson eyes piercing through his skin like a physical force.
He remained kneeling, forehead pressed to the ground, every vein beneath his grayish-white skin trembling.
"Answer me." Muzan's voice was feather-light, yet it made sweat bead on Kamaro's horn.
"I dare not deceive you, Muzan-sama. It is true that I made contact with humans. During the Infinity Train battle, I did abandon the Demon Slayer Corps without orders. But all of this... was for a justifiable reason!" Though his soul quivered, Kamaro's voice remained eerily steady.
Boom!!
With a deafening crash, the rose pot suddenly shattered.
Fragments of porcelain flew like daggers, grazing Kamaro's cheek and leaving a deep, bone-exposing gash.
Muzan's black nails elongated by three inches, his tone as frigid as an arctic storm.
"Are you questioning me? I don't need tools like you to think too much. Your only purpose is to obey my will. And now... I believe it's time to erase the existence of the useless Lower Rank Demon Moons!"
Whoosh!!
Flesh tentacles erupted and instantly coiled around Kamaro.
With a single thought from Muzan, he could be torn to shreds at any moment.
Yet, the more dire the situation became, the calmer Kamaro grew.
"Muzan-sama! My existence is indeed insignificant! But the greatest loss would be hindering your grand plans!!"
Muzan's eyes narrowed, revealing an extremely dangerous expression.
He let out a cold laugh but didn't immediately tear Kamaro apart.
Instead, he coldly retorted, "How dare you, a lowly insect, presume to speak of my grand plan? Tell me then, what is this grand plan of mine?"
"Eliminating the Demon Slayer Corps! Finding the Blue Spider Lily!"
Thud!
Kamaro was flung to the ground like a ragdoll.
Though his body felt like it was falling apart, he knew he was safe for now.
"Continue."
Before Kamaro could catch his breath, Muzan suddenly leaned in, his cold breath brushing against Kamaro's ear.
Not daring to delay, Kamaro immediately laid out all his thoughts and once again knelt reverently on the ground, adopting a posture of complete submission.
The room fell into silence once more.
But soon!
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
Kamaro felt his breath cut off as Muzan suddenly grabbed his throat and lifted him into the air.
The characters for "Lower Rank" in his golden pupils glowed in the darkness.
Muzan sneered, "Did you think spinning such a tale would save your life?"
"M-My lord, I am absolutely loyal to you!!" Kamaro's ashen skin turned bluish-purple as he struggled to speak.
"How amusing. Hahaha, truly amusing. You've actually piqued my interest a little," Muzan suddenly broke into a smile.
"But a Lower Rank is still a Lower Rank. I've already made up my mind—I no longer need useless Lower Rank Demon Moons."
As he spoke, Muzan's fingertip suddenly split open, and a drop of thick black blood condensed.
His crimson pupils gazed mockingly at Kamaro as he slowly said, "Very well, I'll give you one last chance. You have thirty seconds to prove your worth."
"AHHHHH!!!"
A piercing scream soon filled the entire room.
Not long after, Muzan, who had returned to watering a pot of roses, snorted without turning his head.
"Go then. Prove your worth to me. Show me what you're capable of."
"Hehe, as you command, my lord!" The golden pupils now bore the glaring characters for "Upper Rank" and "Six."
At that very moment, a towering and overwhelmingly oppressive figure entered the room, dragging another mutilated and bloody body behind him.
"Muzan-sama, I have returned to report," the voice was calm and indifferent, but the six pairs of crimson eyes alone were enough to make Kamaro—the newly promoted Upper Rank Six—tremble uncontrollably.
'The gap between Six and One isn't just a matter of numbers' Kamaro mused silently.
Muzan's scarlet eyes briefly glanced at the mangled corpse dragged in by Kokushibo before quickly losing interest.
"What a fool. That worthless Shokyu, tch..."
...
"Hehe, I'm really not cut out for fighting," Kamaro chuckled to himself before his body flickered and he lunged straight at Shinichi, who was cutting through enemies left and right.
"Blood Demon Art: Fake—Expanding Ascending Vines!"
Whoosh!
A face suddenly appeared on Kamaro's exposed chest—a familiar face that unmistakably belonged to Mukago!
Boom!
With a single slap on the ground, cracks spread everywhere, and a massive figure burst forth from the earth.
A giant serpent made of vines let out a bone-chilling roar as it charged at Shinichi.
"What the hell is this? It feels so familiar!" Shinichi once again forced back Sekido's clone with a slash, but as he saw the vine serpent lunging toward him, he couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of familiarity.
Yet it didn't end there.
Kamaro clapped his hands together once more, and another closed-eyed face emerged from his chest.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Clone!"
Massive, amorphous blobs of multicolored pigment materialized out of thin air, swiftly sealing off all of Shinichi's escape routes.
"Enjoy yourself, Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Hehehe."
----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator