"Meow!"
A sharp cat's cry suddenly echoed in the air.
"Meow!"
Following the second meow, a yellow, white, and black kitten leapt into view before Hayashi.
When Chachamaru saw Hayashi, its feline face was full of shock.
Through the resonance of Tamayo's blood demon art, it had just sensed that Hayashi once again used the blood-drawing blade.
Originally, Chachamaru wanted to appear directly where the knife had landed, but it was blocked by an unseen wall and couldn't get in.
Only after circling around did it finally locate a faint trace of direction—
In the end, it could only appear at the position where Hayashi had thrown the blade.
Hayashi chuckled softly, reached down, scooped up the bewildered Chachamaru, and rubbed its little head with rough affection.
Then, he pulled a blank blood-drawing blade from the pouch on its back and thrust it into the chest of a slain Hantengu clone.
When the blade was saturated with blood, Hayashi drew out a sheet of paper and a pen from Chachamaru's bag and quickly scribbled down a message:
"Yushiro, I've sent a blood-drawing blade into Muzan Kibutsuji's hideout."
"That place is called the Infinity Castle, controlled by a demon named Nakime."
"Other than Kibutsuji himself, anyone entering or leaving must pass through Nakime's blood demon art."
"Use Chachamaru's intuition to track down the Infinity Castle and find a way to disrupt that art…"
After writing this, Hayashi could already imagine Yushiro's furious complaints: "Why should I take orders from you?"
With a smirk, he added a few more lines:
"This matter concerns the complete annihilation of Muzan. Surely Lady Tamayo will care deeply."
"So then…"
"Yushiro, you don't want Miss Tamayo to think you're incompetent, do you?"
With that, Hayashi stuffed the note and the blood sample into Chachamaru's backpack, the corners of his mouth curled mischievously.
Chachamaru's whiskers twitched, and it arched its back nervously.
That sly human smile again!
Why—cats run errands dutifully, cats are good cats…
But this person hides knives in strange places and always schemes. Bad human!
So—cats are good, and humans are bad!
As he watched Chachamaru bound away, Hayashi's expression turned grave.
Even if he reached full restoration at 100%, the real challenge remained: finding Muzan himself.
If Muzan chose to hide forever within the Infinity Castle, then even Hayashi had no reliable means of drawing him out.
Moreover, the existence of "Tsugikuni Yoriichi" meant the Ubuyashiki clan's original plan of using themselves as bait might not succeed this time.
That was why Hayashi had secretly prepared a false Blue Spider Lily, planning to lure Muzan into a trap while concealing the real one.
But even as he thought of this, his heart tightened.
If that were his only option—then perhaps it was far from enough.
Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a cold smile.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi… you are not omnipotent. Even you can be deceived."
He hurled aside the blade that Hayashi had stabbed into his body, never bothering to inspect it further. Ordinarily, Muzan's cautious nature would have compelled him to study the weapon for hidden tricks, but this time his triumph drowned out his wariness.
"I finally saved Akaza from your hands. Even if Yoriichi were to rise from the grave, what of it? He remains only a human—bound by flesh, by thought, by limitation. No matter how mighty, one man cannot halt eternity. As long as I remain patient, I will uncover the Blue Spider Lily. When that day comes, I shall become a flawless being—free from the sun, free from death itself!"
His tone rose, drunk with his own vision of invincibility, before it cooled once more when his gaze fell on the battered figure kneeling before him.
Akaza knelt low, blood dripping from his eyes and mouth. The upper moon's body trembled, not from injury, but from the suffocating weight of Muzan's presence.
"You disappoint me, Akaza," Muzan hissed, his voice sharp enough to split bone. "I told you to take a glance and retreat. Yet you dared to appear before the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Akaza opened his mouth to answer, only for Muzan's pale hand to seize his throat. The demon lord's grip tightened until veins bulged beneath Akaza's skin, before releasing him just enough to force a reply.
"…This subordinate… remembers the other command," Akaza rasped, blood trickling down his chin. "To search… for the Blue Spider Lily."
Muzan's hand twisted, his arm swelling grotesquely. The flesh warped into a monstrous claw studded with writhing, bloodshot eyes. He seized Akaza's skull and lifted him like a doll.
"Then do not forget your purpose," Muzan thundered. "Hunt the Blue Spider Lily without delay. Do not squander yourself against the Demon Slayers again—especially not the one with the Hanafuda earrings. Fail me again, and you will cease to exist."
With a sharp command, Nakime struck her biwa. The Infinite Castle rumbled, and a yawning rift opened beneath Akaza's feet. Muzan released his grip, and the Upper Moon fell through the abyss.
When Akaza emerged, the world tilted violently. Agony roared in his nerves, his very consciousness fractured and stitched back together under Muzan's domination. He staggered, clutching his temples, and fragments of memory long buried clawed their way into the light.
"…Koyuki…" he whispered hoarsely, as though the name had been waiting centuries to break free.
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