After a long while, Sakonji Urokodaki and Suzuki Makoto walked out of the infirmary.
"Add another bed for me in there these next few days. I'll watch over him."
"Please rest assured, I will not speak of this to anyone. Also, I will go find Master Jigoro's other disciple and bring him back. That should offer some comfort."
Sakonji Urokodaki nodded gratefully.
"I'm troubling you, Mr. Suzuki."
For something like this to happen on the eve of the great battle—if word got out, it would be a blow to the entire Demon Slayer Corps' morale. It was no wonder Jigoro Kuwajima had attempted seppuku; the old man clearly did not want the reputation of Thunder Breathing to be tarnished by that scumbag.
The matter was only put to rest after Zenitsu Agatsuma returned. The old man finally relented and ended his hunger strike, and Zenitsu himself seemed to have grown up overnight, never again complaining about his training.
Everything was proceeding with intense urgency. Both sides were well aware of the other's plan. Muzan Kibutsuji knew that Kagaya Ubuyashiki knew he would come, but he truly had no choice but to do so.
The temptation to settle everything in one decisive battle was simply too great.
But even if it was a trap, even if the majority of the Demon Slayer Corps' main force was already gathered at the headquarters, Muzan Kibutsuji possessed immense confidence.
Looking at the hundreds of Lower Rank demons before him, a satisfied smile spread across Muzan's face.
Although the only one with Upper Rank potential these past few days was the former Demon Slayer brat that Kokushibo brought back, this number of Lower Ranks was more than enough to crush the entire Demon Slayer Corps!
"Nakime, are the numbers of eye demons still sufficient?"
"Completely sufficient to pull every Demon Slayer Corps member we've currently identified into the Infinity Castle."
Nakime answered respectfully. Having already become Upper Rank Four, both her number of eye demons and her control over the Infinity Castle had taken a quantum leap.
"Excellent!"
Muzan Kibutsuji clenched his fist, brimming with confidence.
"When the time comes, you will command the hunt within the Infinity Castle. All of them are your prey!"
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
He waved his hand, and Kaigaku and the other demons vanished.
"Small fry will deal with small fry. We will be cornering that one variable outside our plan."
"Suzuki Makoto, was it?"
"Leave it to me, Lord Muzan! I will definitely defeat that man!"
Muzan Kibutsuji completely ignored Akaza's request to be sent into battle and instead looked toward Nakime.
"Is the trap I had you make ready?"
"It is ready. A maximally fortified, completely sealed room. Its walls can withstand even a full-power strike from Lord Kokushibo without collapsing—I will do everything in my power to ensure he cannot escape from within."
Kokushibo also nodded, confirming Nakime's words.
"Good! The very moment this battle begins, teleport him into that room. Akaza, Kokushibo, and I will surround and kill that Sun Breathing user who slipped through the net!"
Muzan Kibutsuji's face was ferocious. At this moment, he was every bit the man-eating demon.
--------------------------------------------------
"The moon is beautiful tonight, Amane."
"Yes, it is, Lord Kagaya."
Lady Amane helped Kagaya Ubuyashiki rise from his floor bedding, and he looked down at the liquid moonlight bathing the steps.
As someone with partial precognitive abilities, the premonition in Kagaya Ubuyashiki's heart grew ever stronger. He was almost certain that tonight was the night Muzan Kibutsuji would arrive.
"I'm sorry, Amane, for making you accompany me."
"No, Lord Kagaya. It is I who should thank you for allowing my little indulgence."
The woman held the gravely ill man tightly, feeling the faint beating of his heart.
Their twin daughters, Hinaki and Nichika, knelt quietly to the side.
They were, of course, aware of their father's plan, but even so, they were willing to stay here, to face the most terrifying demon in history alongside their parents, and they had voluntarily taken on the task of lighting the fuse.
The family waited quietly, just like that, waiting—until a sudden sense of unease struck Kagaya Ubuyashiki's heart.
He abruptly looked down as a massive door suddenly appeared beneath him.
"Lord Kagaya!"
Amane, slightly panicked, held tightly onto Kagaya Ubuyashiki as they both plummeted downward. Hinaki and Nichika were startled but, without a moment's thought, jumped down right after them.
Suzuki Makoto, who had been hiding in the shadows, instantly appeared beside the door. Though filled with alarm and uncertainty, he leaped in without a moment's hesitation. Gyomei Himejima and Tamayo, arriving a step too late, could only watch as the door closed before their eyes.
However, they didn't have time to do much, as new doors immediately appeared beneath their feet, swallowing them as well.
At this very moment, such doors appeared beneath the feet of everyone within the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. Some in panic, others with composure, they all fell into the decisive battlefield prepared in advance by Muzan Kibutsuji, to face the demons that were already drooling with anticipation.
Only Suzuki Makoto and the Master's family faced a completely different environment.
He held a bedsheet with one hand, wrapping the Ubuyashiki couple and their twin girls inside it, while his other hand gripped his sword, facing the three demons before him.
"Hahahahaha! When Nakime said she couldn't find you, I guessed you must be lying in ambush around Ubuyashiki as a guard. And just as I thought, by simply extending the duration of this portal for a moment, you jumped in on your own!"
Muzan Kibutsuji looked at Suzuki Makoto before him, incomparably smug.
"How does it feel, Ubuyashiki? Did you really think you were safe hiding in the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, surrounded by those weaklings? When I want to kill you, you can only wait obediently for death!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. He had truly miscalculated this time. In his original prediction, Muzan Kibutsuji should have hated him the most. Before this battle began, he was certain Muzan would come to kill him personally, which was why he had prepared that trap. But he never expected that the other's fear of death would far exceed his original estimations.
From Muzan's words, it was clear that the one he most urgently wanted to deal with was Suzuki Makoto, who had only ever revealed his use of Sun Breathing during the fight with Upper Rank Two?
A bitter smile appeared on his face, and a wave of regret washed over him, but he quickly suppressed it.
At this moment, he could not afford to place any psychological pressure on Suzuki Makoto.
"But I was going to die anyway, Muzan. Even if you hadn't come for me, I was already dying. My only reason for staying alive was to meet you in person, just to see what you looked like. I just never imagined you would be this terrified of death—between the Ubuyashiki family, Lady Tamayo, and Nezuko Kamado..."
A mocking smile graced Kagaya Ubuyashiki's lips.
"You chose Sun Breathing?"
____
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