Watching Mikazuki smile even as blood spilled from his mouth and nose, Muzan merely maintained an indifferent expression as he thrust his index finger straight into Mikazuki's brow.
"The meaningless bluster of the weak… Go on, then. Wait as long as you like."
The agony tearing through his internal organs and forehead had already robbed Mikazuki of the ability to speak.
All he could do was let out hoarse, rasping sounds as blood continued to overflow from his mouth and nose. Yet even as his pupils gradually lost focus, the smile at the corner of his lips never faded.
But as Muzan stared at Mikazuki's body, now utterly devoid of life, his brow slowly furrowed.
When he deliberately sought to transform someone into a demon, even a person who had just died—let alone one who resisted—would inevitably be converted into one of his subordinates.
And yet now, the Mikazuki before him was nothing more than a lifeless corpse.
[Did I… fail?]
The moment he realized this, blue veins visibly bulged at Muzan's temples. In response, he forcefully increased the amount of blood he injected.
But instead of rising as a demon as he had expected, Mikazuki's body began to collapse.
Just like those humans Muzan had once injected with blood purely for amusement, the bones and muscles twisted grotesquely before crumbling into a mound of ruined flesh on the floor.
Muzan was on the verge of erupting in fury when the corner of his eye caught sight of his index finger turning purple.
The discoloration spread as the finger itself began to break down from the tip. His voice carried a trace of disbelief.
"…Poison?"
"Oh my, so it really is~ I seem to recall this swordsman just ate something, didn't he?" Doma shifted his gaze from Mikazuki's remains to Muzan's fingertip. "Little Akiwa mentioned before that she's quite skilled with poisons~
"I never imagined she was such a genius, though—creating something that can kill a human and still harm a demon afterward. If she'd used this on me last time, Akaza-sama would already be Upper Moon One by now~"
Uncontrollable rage surged through Muzan. He lowered his gaze to the purple already spreading across his palm, his expression twisting into something truly monstrous.
"Tsugikuni Hiru… you damnable, loathsome puppet!"
A terrifying pressure erupted outward with Muzan at its center. Doma and Nakime were instantly forced to the ground. Even so, Doma continued smiling.
"There's really no need to be that angry~ Doesn't this just prove how close that swordsman and Akiwa were?~ If we follow this lead, it should be far more effective than waiting around Mount Fujikasane~"
Muzan's gaze shifted downward, the oppressive force around him easing slightly.
"Are you giving me orders?"
"How could that be~ I just want to find Akiwa as soon as possible~"
Doma laughed as he climbed back to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes.
"She's the very first person who understood everything about me and still said she liked me~ I was completely smitten. I can't wait to cut off her head and keep it with me day and night~"
[Such a tedious fixation…]
Muzan frowned faintly.
In the hundred-plus years since he had transformed Doma into a demon, he had more than enough time to understand exactly what kind of monster Doma was—someone who could respond flawlessly to the outside world while possessing not even the slightest trace of emotion, a being born utterly devoid of feeling.
Muzan could even say with confidence that Doma's innate talent as a demon surpassed his own.
What he lacked was nothing more than the accumulation of time.
Moreover, unlike Muzan's own indifference toward humans—viewing them merely as food and entertainment—Doma genuinely believed that eating people was an act of salvation, that he was truly delivering them.
That twisted conviction was precisely what disgusted Muzan the most.
With that thought, Muzan's expression hardened in revulsion.
"Enough. Leave this matter to you. Investigate it thoroughly and report back to me."
"Then what about continuing to collect those paintings~?" Doma tapped his folding fan lightly against his palm. "Without those followers, things have gotten a bit troublesome~ It's just Gyokko and me, and we're a little overwhelmed~"
"You don't need to worry about the paintings. Have Daki and Gyokko handle them," Muzan said, severing the hand that had already been completely overtaken by the purple poison. Deprived of blood, the severed hand quickly dissolved into a pool of black sludge. Muzan's expression grew even darker.
"You go find that damned puppet. Don't alert it. Once you locate it, come report to me first. Do you understand?"
"Wouldn't that already tip him off?"
The vein at Muzan's temple throbbed once more. He waved dismissively at Nakime, who had just risen.
"Throw the two of them out."
"Little Nakime really is so cold-hearted~ What a shame—"
Doma sighed softly as the scenery around him abruptly shifted, leaving him beside a corpse that was no longer recognizable.
"Such prime-quality food, too~ Well, I'll be kind and see you off."
As he spoke, Doma gave his folding fan a gentle shake. The corpse and its belongings were instantly frozen solid, then shattered into fine ice dust that scattered into the night wind, leaving not a single trace behind.
"All right~ Now it's time to investigate Akiwa's matter~ I wonder if there are any Kakushi who know where that swordsman went… By the way, what was his name again?"
Doma turned and lightly leapt onto a rooftop. His golden folding fan spread open, covering the lower half of his face as his seven-colored eyes gazed indifferently toward the nearby Wisteria House.
"Ah, never mind… It's not important. As long as I find Akiwa, that's enough. After all, we understand each other~ Now then, where should I start~?"
His gaze finally settled on the Kakushi moving in and out of the Wisteria House. A bewitching smile curved his lips.
"I've found my opening."
The Kakushi under Doma's watch remained completely unaware, continuing their duties as usual.
It wasn't until the person in charge of the Wisteria House realized that Mikazuki Reima had not returned that someone was dispatched to Mount Fujikasane to investigate.
The report came back that only swordsmen had been delivering demons there—there was no trace of Mikazuki Reima at all.
The Wisteria House immediately began a full investigation.
When an entire day passed with no results, the person in charge grasped the gravity of the situation and swiftly sent Kakushi in all directions to notify the Hashira stationed across the country.
"Wait."
The Kakushi preparing to depart halted at once. One of them stepped forward.
"Is there anything else, sir?"
"Lord Mikazuki served as a guide to the Stone Hashira, the Flower Hashira, and the Insect Hashira," the person in charge said gravely. "When notifying those three, exercise particular caution."
He then turned to another Kakushi.
"And you—Lord Mikazuki came here from the Human Hashira's side, and now he has vanished without warning. The Human Hashira will undoubtedly be affected. When you go to Yunqu Mountain to inform him, choose your words carefully."
"Understood!"
"And… proceed with caution in all matters. May fortune favor your blades."
"…Yes. May fortune favor yours as well."
Since it was daytime, the person in charge merely stopped the Kakushi at the entrance, lowering his voice to give a few final instructions before sending them on their way. He then returned inside to set matters in order and prepare a report for the Oyakata-sama.
As a result, he failed to notice the concealed gaze watching from a tower diagonally across the street from the Wisteria House.
"From the Human Hashira's side… hm~ The Human Hashira, is it?"
Doma rested his chin in his hand, drinking in every sound around him as a smile of unmistakable delight spread across his face.
"Could it be Akiwa?"