Chương 104: Muzan's Order

In a distant town, Muzan Kibutsuji sat in the form of an elegant noblewoman. His red eyes burned. Veins stood out at his temples, and the delicate face he wore twisted with barely controlled hunger.

"The Blue Spider Lily..." His voice was low and shaking.

"It appeared. That man truly has it." He had seen the demon girl beneath the sun. He had seen her standing free of his control, her body strengthened beyond what it should have been. Most important, he had seen the flower.

"A demon outside my control ate it and became a perfect creature. Bring it back. Bring me the Blue Spider Lily and that demon." His fingers dug into the armrest.

"Ubuyashiki mansion. Swordsmith Village. Wipe them out." For centuries, the Demon Slayers had been insects that refused to die. During the age of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, they had terrified him. Even after Yoriichi died, Muzan had not forgotten the scar left by that monster of a swordsman. He had tried many times to destroy the Corps. The Lower Moons had killed slayers. The Upper Moons had killed Hashira. Demons were superior by nature, yet the Demon Slayer Corps continued to survive.

That failure had long disgusted him. Now the situation was different. The thing he had spent more than a thousand years searching for had finally appeared. The Ubuyashiki mansion and the Swordsmith Village had both exposed traces. This time, he would erase everything. Through the blood that bound his demons, Muzan sent his order. Upper Rank One, Kokushibo. Upper Rank Two, Doma. Upper Rank Four, Hantengu. Upper Rank Five, Gyokko.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Upper Rank Three Akaza was dead. Upper Rank Six Gyutaro and Daki were dead. The remaining Upper Moons would move.

"Attack the Ubuyashiki mansion. Destroy the Swordsmith Village. Bring back the man, the Blue Spider Lily, and the demon girl who conquered the sun. If you fail, then the Upper Moons have no reason to exist." In an abandoned kendo dojo, a swordsman-shaped silhouette rose silently from a cushion. The room was dark, and his presence was strangely calm. No pressure leaked from him, yet the air around him seemed heavy enough to crush stone. He disappeared into the night.

In the temple of the Eternal Paradise Faith, Doma smiled at the believers gathered before him. When Muzan's order reached him, his rainbow-colored eyes brightened.

"Oh my. Lord Muzan is finally gathering the Upper Moons for a full attack." His fan opened with a soft sound.

"How exciting. The thing he desires has appeared." The remaining Upper Moons began to move. Because demons could act only at night and still needed to investigate the mansion's layout, the attack would not come immediately. Akaza and Gyutaro's deaths would also make them more cautious. But they would come. Meanwhile, as Cael prepared to return to Orario, Kagaya called him back.

"Captain." Cael turned.

"What is wrong, Ubuyashiki? Do not tell me you want three more drinks with me." Kagaya smiled helplessly.

"I would like to drink alone with Captain one day, but now is not the time. Haganezuka asked me to deliver a message." Cael paused. Only then did he remember the swordsmiths. He had forgotten Haganezuka. That man probably thought he had been stood up.

"Haganezuka summoned all the swordsmiths of the village today," Kagaya said.

"Captain promised to let the swordsmiths join Hestia Familia, correct?"

"Do you have other thoughts about that?" Cael asked.

"I did consider it," Kagaya admitted.

"Stronger blades would benefit the Corps. But Rengoku, Shinobu, and the others are already members of Hestia Familia. I am the same. I am no longer the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps inside your Familia." His tone remained gentle but clear.

"Only the goddess decides Familia matters. With Lady Hestia absent, Captain's decision comes first."

"You are too proper," Cael said with a small laugh.

"Hestia Familia has only just begun. We need all kinds of talent, especially craftsmen." He glanced toward the gate.

"Where are Haganezuka and the others?" Kagaya's smile turned a little awkward.

"Outside the gate. They arrived quite some time ago. They are... enthusiastic." Cael walked to the entrance and saw more than thirty masked swordsmiths crowded outside. Even through their masks, he could feel their feverish attention.

"You finally came out!" Haganezuka shouted.

"I waited all night. If this were not Master's residence, I would have stabbed you already!"

"Is that the captain of that goddess's Familia?"

"The boy with the divine swords?"

"Please let me see that sword!"

"Just one look. I would serve you in my next life for one look."

"I promise I will not take it."

"I will hold it respectfully with both hands and admire it just once. I swear on my honor as a swordsmith."

"I am old. My word counts." Cael silently took half a step back. Kagaya had clearly explained Hestia Familia and the divine swords to them the night before. Now these swordsmiths looked at Cael as if they wanted to swallow him whole. More accurately, they wanted to swallow his sword. Cael's mouth twitched.

"So all of you are after my sword." He pressed a hand to the hilt of one Hestia Blade.

"Your enthusiasm is touching, but my sword is still my sword."