Akaza's figure disappeared completely, leaving behind only wreckage and lingering battle aura.
"Aiya, what a hothead."
Doma finished repairing the half of his head that had been blown apart, brushed the dust off his cult leader's robes, and still wore that spring-breeze-like smile.
Lowering his head to look at Inosuke—who had just slipped back toward his room—Doma's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he'd thought of a brilliant idea.
"Hey, Inosuke."
His figure vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already smiling right in front of Inosuke.
"That striped uncle just now said that someone important is in a bad mood and summoned us."
Inosuke's heart skipped a beat, and his little feet quietly shuffled half a step backward.
Someone important?
That could only be Kibutsuji Muzan—the trash boss who would casually kill you if he was in a bad mood, or even if he thought your breathing was too loud!
"Dad, then you should hurry and go," Inosuke said obediently, waving his hand with a face full of innocence.
"Don't be late. I'll stay home and wait for you. I'll eat properly and grow big."
"No, no, no!"
Doma raised a long finger and wagged it.
"How could Daddy feel at ease leaving such a cute Inosuke at home alone? What if a mouse carried you off?"
Before Inosuke could react, Doma scooped him up and plopped him straight onto his shoulders.
Just like when Inosuke had climbed up there himself right after transmigrating—except this time, it was completely against his will.
"Let's go! I'll take you out to broaden your horizons! This is a special privilege, you know—ordinary demons don't even qualify to go to that place!"
Alarm bells went off wildly in Inosuke's head.
You've got to be kidding me!
I'm a two-year-old baby and you're taking me to the Infinity Castle?!
That's not sightseeing—that's delivering myself as takeout!
But protests were useless.
"Zheng—!"
A crisp sound of a biwa echoed through the air.
This wasn't Doma's ability—it was the summons from that space itself.
As the biwa rang out, Inosuke felt a sudden sense of weightlessness.
The solid ground beneath his feet instantly turned into nothingness.
The Eternal Paradise Faith… vanished.
...
When he opened his eyes again, the scenery had completely changed.
The familiar surroundings were gone. Up, down, left, right—everything was a chaotic lattice of wooden buildings crisscrossing in impossible directions.
Like some absurd landscape from a dream.
Countless stairways stretched infinitely into the darkness, as if there were no end.
Space itself was twisted here—this was the otherworldly Domain controlled by the demon Nakime.
The Infinity Castle.
"We're here~"
Doma walked along a corridor that was perpendicular to the ground, strolling as casually as if it were flat earth.
Ahead, on a massive platform, a figure stood with his back to them.
Dressed in a black kimono, tall and slender, black hair slightly curled—he was standing before a desk covered in test tubes and books, researching something.
Just his back alone radiated such terrifying pressure that Inosuke felt his skin prickle like it was being stabbed with needles.
Run!
Run now!
Every survival instinct in Inosuke's body was screaming—but his rational mind told him he couldn't move at all.
"Muzan-sama~"
Doma's cheerful voice broke the dead silence, completely ignoring the oppressive atmosphere.
"I'm here! And I even brought a little surprise with me!"
The figure slowly turned around.
Plum-red eyes. Vertical pupils. Skin pale as paper.
Kibutsuji Muzan.
His gaze swept over Doma like a blade—then landed on Inosuke, perched on Doma's shoulders.
In that instant, Inosuke felt like he was being stared down by an ancient tyrannosaurus.
His blood nearly froze. The air in his lungs was forcibly squeezed out.
"Doma…"
Muzan's voice was icy and flat, without the slightest inflection.
"I summoned you to a meeting.
Why did you bring a human child here?
Do you think there isn't enough food in this place?"
Killing intent instantly engulfed Inosuke.
If Doma's answer displeased Muzan even slightly, the next second Inosuke would be reduced to a puddle of blood.
Yet Doma wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he proudly lifted Inosuke up high, like showing off a treasure.
"He's not food, Muzan-sama.
This is my son! This child is extremely talented!
He even hugged Lord Akaza just now and didn't get killed!
And he's not afraid of me, or of blood. I think he's a natural-born demon prodigy!"
Muzan narrowed his eyes as he looked at Inosuke.
"A human?
Talent?"
He hated vague concepts like that—and hated uncontrollable variables even more.
"How boring."
Muzan raised his hand, his tone filled with disgust.
"If he's not a demon, then there's no need for him to exist."
He's going to strike!
Inosuke's brain went into overdrive.
Cry?
—Instant death. Muzan hated noise.
Beg for mercy?
—Instant death. Muzan despised the weak.
Rely on Doma?
—This idiot lived for entertainment; he'd hesitate for one second too long.
I have to save myself!
I have to prove—!
That I possess something even the Demon King can't ignore!
At the instant Muzan was about to act, Inosuke forcefully activated the breathing control granted by his enhanced lung capacity.
He suppressed his racing heartbeat, keeping his voice steady even in extreme terror.
At this moment, within the deathly silence of the Infinity Castle, aside from Muzan's voice, Inosuke heard something else.
Something captured by Absolute Pitch—internal noises that even Upper Rank demons would overlook.
Inosuke widened his emerald-green eyes, staring fixedly at Muzan's chest and head. His face filled with pure confusion and amazement.
He opened his mouth and, in a childish yet crystal-clear voice, asked a question that made every demon present—
Including the other Upper Ranks secretly listening—
Feel their scalps go numb.
"Hey~
Dad..."
Inosuke pointed at Muzan, tilted his head, and asked innocently,
"Why are there seven drums beating inside this pretty uncle's body?"
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom~"
He mimicked the staggered rhythm with his mouth, patting his own chest, then pointed at Muzan's head.
"And why are there five brains moving around in his head? They're squeezing each other—it's really loud!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Nakime, far away and responsible for playing the biwa, trembled in shock and produced a discordant note.
The smile on Doma's face froze for the first time.
Muzan's originally cold, disgusted expression solidified—then shattered into sheer shock. His plum-red pupils trembled violently.
Seven hearts.
Five brains.
This was the ultimate secret of Muzan's bodily structure!
Aside from himself, not even the Upper Rank demons knew it so precisely!
It was impossible to see with the naked eye—even the Transparent World required extreme martial mastery.
So how did this two-year-old human child know?!
In Inosuke's Absolute Pitch perception, the abnormal flow of blood inside Muzan's body—the thunderous, alternating beats of seven hearts—were as clear as motorcycles racing down the street at night.
Muzan vanished in an instant.
The next second, he appeared right in front of Doma, his deathly pale face nearly pressed against Inosuke's nose.
"What did you say?"
Muzan stared straight into Inosuke's eyes, his vertical pupils quivering.
"You can hear it?"
Inosuke had no retreat left.
Suppressing his terror, he unleashed Oscar-worthy acting once again.
He stretched out his chubby little hand—actually trying to touch Muzan's face.
There was no fear in his eyes, only the pure curiosity of a child seeing a new toy.
"It's really noisy, pretty uncle."
Inosuke grinned, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.
"But the sound is really strong—way stronger than Dad's. Is this the sound of a powerful person?"
Muzan stared at this audacious child.
Under normal circumstances, anyone who dared call him "noisy" would already be dead.
But now—a human who could see straight through his body?
That perception. That mental fortitude—remaining calm and talkative under his absolute pressure.
"Hahaha… hahahaha!"
Muzan suddenly let out a low laugh.
He turned his back to Doma.
"Doma."
"Yess~"
Doma, though shocked, was now far more excited.
"Keep this thing."
There was a hint of interest in Muzan's voice.
"If he can survive until our next meeting, he may be qualified to receive my blood.
If he dies by accident—"
Muzan glanced back at Inosuke with icy eyes.
"Then dig out his ears and brain and present them to me."
"Yes, Muzan-sama!"
Doma happily hugged Inosuke tighter, flicking his fan.
"Did you hear that, Inosuke? That great person praised you!"
Inosuke lay limp over Doma's shoulder, his whole body soaked in cold sweat.
He stared at Muzan's retreating back and viciously flipped him off in his heart.
"Zheng!"
The biwa sounded once more.
Doma and Inosuke vanished from the Infinity Castle.
All that remained was a contemplative Kibutsuji Muzan.
"He can hear my heartbeats…"
Muzan gazed into the void, a strange red glint flashing in his eyes.
"He's somewhat like him.
Hmph. Interesting."