Chương 103: Bait for Muzan

Daki and Gyutaro's heads had been wrapped so thoroughly that they looked like strange mummies. Only their eyes were exposed. Even so, hatred and fear burned clearly in them.

"Tanjiro," Cael called.

"Bring Nezuko out. She has slept for two days. She should be awake by now." Tanjiro nodded and soon returned with Nezuko. He no longer carried the wooden box on his back. That alone proved that Nezuko could now move beneath the sun like an ordinary girl. Because her mind had been suppressed for so long, she could still only say simple words, even after returning to normal. But she understood people clearly. Whether she could fully return to the girl she had been before becoming a demon was still uncertain.

Cael crouched slightly and spoke to her as gently as he could.

"Nezuko, can you turn into a demon for a little while?" Nezuko tilted her head, rubbed her palm against her sleeve, and nodded. A breath later, her aura changed. A demonic pressure stronger than Gyutaro's spread through the courtyard. Her small body grew taller and stronger. Her nails sharpened, vine-like markings spread across her skin, fangs appeared, and a horn rose from her forehead. The petite girl became a terrifying demon in the blink of an eye. The Hashira watched with solemn eyes.

"So strong," Kyojuro said.

"At Lv. 2, she might already surpass most of us," Tengen muttered. Inside their wrappings, Daki and Gyutaro stared as if they had seen something impossible. A demon who could stand beneath the sun. A demon stronger than them. And she had completely escaped Muzan's control. Cael lifted the two heads and turned them toward Nezuko.

"Muzan, can you see this?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He knew Muzan could observe through his blood, especially when Upper Rank demons were involved.

"This adorable girl was turned into a demon by you. Now she can walk beneath the sun. Look at her. Free, healthy, and stronger than before. She can even skip and dance outside in daylight." Cael's smile widened.

"Are you jealous? Do you want this?" The Hashira had slowly grown used to Cael's personality. When he was serious, he was reliable enough to calm everyone around him. When he was not serious, he was very good at making the enemy furious. Cael raised his other hand. A flower appeared between his fingers. It looked like a blue spider lily. In truth, it was only a projected red spider lily that he had recolored with magic, but no one seeing it through Muzan's eyes would know that.

"You searched for this for more than a thousand years, did you not?" Cael twirled the fake flower lightly.

"Unfortunately, only three remain. One blooms every thousand years. You know who ate the first." He placed the flower in Nezuko's hair like an ornament.

"As for this one, it looks better on her." Then he produced another fake blue spider lily and smiled toward the demon heads.

"The last one is still with me. Come quickly, Muzan. Otherwise, you may need to wait another thousand years." The wrapped heads thrashed violently. Fear finally overwhelmed hatred in their eyes. Cael carried them toward the edge of the courtyard, where sunlight fell across the ground.

"Before you died as humans, everything was taken from you," he said quietly.

"That was tragic. Even if you hated the world afterward, I cannot say that hatred came from nowhere." The sunlight touched Daki's hair.

"But no one can forgive you on behalf of the people you devoured." The two heads burned. Daki and Gyutaro struggled, but they had no bodies and no strength left. Under the sun, their flesh crumbled into ash. Gyomei pressed his palms together.

"Namu Amida Butsu." The courtyard fell silent. Sanemi broke it first.

"So now we wait here for Muzan? He knows the Demon Slayer Corps has changed. Will he really come? If he were that reckless, we would not have spent centuries failing to find him."

"He will take the bait," Cael said.

"For the Blue Spider Lily and a demon who conquered the sun, Muzan Kibutsuji will lose his composure." Shinobu narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"The headquarters and the Swordsmith Village had already drawn attention, correct?"

"Yes," Cael said.

"After Yoriichi died, the Demon Slayer Corps spent centuries on the defensive. The Corps nearly collapsed several times, and only the Ubuyashiki family's instincts kept it alive. Muzan has always wanted to erase you." He looked toward Kagaya.

"The clues were already close enough. I am only forcing the attack to come sooner."

"Then we use the difference in information," Shinobu said.

"Our strength has changed, but Muzan does not know how much. Once he reveals himself, we end him."

"Excellent!" Kyojuro's voice rang out.

"We will wait and slay Muzan Kibutsuji!" Kagaya smiled faintly.

"If exposing the mansion will draw him out, then it is worth the risk. The grief of a thousand years should end now." The plan was settled quickly. During this critical period, the Demon Slayer Corps would keep five Hashira at headquarters at all times. The remaining four would rotate to Orario's Dungeon with Cael. Four Hashira and one captain formed the five-person combat core. Lili could accompany them as Supporter whenever logistics required it.

At the same time, far away in the shadows, a body connected to Muzan's blood trembled. His veins bulged. His red eyes widened with hunger and rage. He had seen treasure. He had seen the sun.