As expected…
Even people who didn't know him already knew that he had slain upper moon one, so those who knew him must have known as well.
Since things had come to this, Musashi could only accept the outcome.
"Teacher, have your injuries fully healed?"
Musashi stepped forward and asked.
"Yes! I've recovered my previous strength! From now on, you won't need to worry about my alert zone!" Kyojuro nodded and said.
"Alright, I understand."
Musashi smiled and nodded in agreement.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Kyojuro left; he still needed to undergo several more checks at the Butterfly Mansion.
Musashi also planned to confirm the subsequent plans with Kagaya, and as for his Kasugai Crow, he decided not to bother with it anymore.
After this incident, he had seen through that fellow; its boastful nature simply couldn't be changed, and the more it was suppressed, the stronger the rebound. Before, it would at most show off within its small circle of Kasugai Crows, but after such a long time of him silencing it, now it would show off to anyone who could understand its words.
On the way to the Ubuyashiki Estate, Musashi encountered many people praising him again, and his face was stiff the entire way.
Only after reaching his destination did he finally breathe a sigh of relief; he now realized he had underestimated the impact of this matter.
Entering the room, Musashi saw that Kagaya was now extensively bandaged, and beside him was a black-haired child whom Musashi felt looked very familiar.
He quickly recalled seeing this child during the Final Selection; at that time, he and another girl who looked almost identical had guided the children participating in the Final Selection together.
At that time, Musashi had even thought he was a girl, but now he could see he was a boy.
"My Master…" Musashi knelt on one knee and greeted him.
"Musashi… you've come… I already know about you slaying upper moon one… you did very well…"
Although Kagaya's voice was weak, the joy contained within it was palpable.
Recently, good news had been arriving frequently, and he was in a very good mood every day, especially the information Tamayo conveyed to him three days ago. That night, after learning the news, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night, and strangely, his body didn't worsen because of it.
Kagaya didn't mention any rewards for Musashi, because the rewards he could offer were mostly things a Hashira could obtain on their own with their authority; their remuneration was already such that they could take as much as they wanted.
"It was nothing.
I came this time to confirm the subsequent plan to eliminate Muzan with you, My Master. How many Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen would be suitable to deploy then?"
Musashi humbly replied, then stated his purpose.
"All the Hashira… and swordsmen who already possess or are close to Hashira-level strength…"
Kagaya answered Musashi's question without hesitation.
"This will be the final battle between our Demon Slayer Corps and the demons… We must deploy our maximum strength… If there are too many people, Tamayo's Blood Demon Art for teleportation will take too long… Moreover, swordsmen who aren't strong enough might be used by Muzan and its kind to recover themselves… Therefore, this is the most suitable choice for the participants of this battle…"
"Muzan's forces are already dwindling… Kyojuro and the others also beheaded upper moon four not long ago… Now, only two of Muzan's Twelve Kizuki's Upper Moons remain… And the strength of the Lower Moons is not worth fearing for you all… Relatively speaking, our advantage in this battle is greater…"
The situation Kagaya described was not the whole picture; if Tamayo's medicine was added, their advantage would be considerably greater.
The medicine meticulously developed by Tamayo and Kochou Shinobu for Muzan had more than one effect; they had developed a compound poison. When Muzan decomposed one type of poison, it would trigger the effect of the next type of poison.
Currently, if this poison were absorbed by Muzan, it would first be affected by the human-transforming medicine and the Blood Demon Art inhibiting medicine. The human-transforming medicine would cause stronger damage to Muzan, so it would definitely prioritize decomposing this medicine, but when it started decomposing the human-transforming medicine, the medicine that inhibits its splitting would begin to take effect. Muzan would not discover the effect of this medicine unless it tried to decompose it.
This was deliberately designed by Tamayo. Among these medicines, the one that inhibits Muzan's splitting is the most important. If its effect were placed first, then after it was decomposed, Muzan would be able to escape immediately before Musashi and the others could be teleported over.
By making it a second-stage effect, after Muzan starts decomposing the human-transforming medicine, which is just after the splitting-inhibiting medicine begins to take effect, the teleportation will be completed precisely.
At this point, Muzan would be in a dilemma. If it continued to decompose the human-transforming medicine, it wouldn't be able to escape by splitting. If it turned to decompose the splitting-inhibiting medicine, it would not only take a considerable amount of time, but the immense damage from the human-transforming medicine would also manifest. Moreover, by then, Musashi and the others would have already arrived, making it impossible for it to have any time to continue decomposing.
Furthermore, after that, there were medicines to inhibit regeneration and accelerate aging waiting for it. With so many types of poisons, and each one tailor-made for Muzan, it would definitely feel excruciatingly delightful.
By then, let alone retaining one-tenth of its strength, it would be good if it could even retain one percent of its strength during the period the poison was in effect.
Although Musashi felt that Kagaya's answer was indeed correct, he had other concerns.
"How about leaving two Hashira to protect you, My Master? You are also very important as the commander of the final battle."
Musashi suggested to Kagaya.
Kagaya chuckled softly, then replied to Musashi: "I am not the commander of the final battle… The situation of the battle changes in an instant… And I can barely even speak now… If I were to command then, it would likely have a negative effect…
The command of the final battle will be handled by my son, Kiriya… I have educated him as a qualified leader since he was young… I believe he will do better than I do now… I will only be there as a guide…"
Upon hearing this, Musashi looked at the child beside Kagaya.
"Master Musashi."
Kiriya bowed to Musashi in greeting. Although he was the heir to the Ubuyashiki, his status was lower than a Hashira before he became the head of the Demon Slayer Corps.
However, he might not have the chance to become the head of the Demon Slayer Corps in the future.
"Mm." Musashi smiled and nodded to Kiriya. He could feel an aura extremely similar to Kagaya's on this child.
Gentle and warm, with leadership qualities.
"Then it's even more reason to send two Hashira to protect you, My Master, and your child, isn't it?"
Musashi still felt a little worried after hearing Kagaya's words.