Chapter 57: Assembly

Muzan Kibutsuji sat quietly in his chair, the bright electric lights dispelling the surrounding shadows and illuminating the entire room as if it were daylight.

He liked this kind of lighting; it brought brightness without harming him.

In Muzan Kibutsuji's hands lay an ancient collection of Sengoku-era poetry, its pages slightly yellowed, revealing the vicissitudes of time.

This was how Muzan Kibutsuji's daily life passed quietly within human society.

He enjoyed appearing in the guise of an ordinary person, blending into this complex and ever-changing world.

Muzan Kibutsuji's mood was not light. He had not turned the pages of the poetry book for a long time, feeling an inexplicable irritability within, as if something were quietly unfolding, yet the specific reason remained elusive.

Just as he was about to turn to the next page of the Sengoku poetry book, the thumb of his right hand twitched slightly.

Muzan Kibutsuji turned his head toward Taigu County, his brow furrowing deeply. It was one thing for a Lower Moon to die, but why was there now a problem with the Upper Moons as well?

He extracted Gyutaro's final memories, wanting to understand exactly what had happened.

Under Muzan Kibutsuji's gaze, Gyutaro's memories before death played out like a movie, every detail clearly visible.

After watching, Muzan Kibutsuji set the book down. His fingers tapped the tabletop unconsciously—a habitual gesture when he was thinking.

Lin Yi's appearance had allowed Muzan Kibutsuji to see the shadow of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

It involuntarily reminded Muzan Kibutsuji of those memories of hiding in wild caves, living a life of eating raw flesh and drinking blood.

That was the darkest and most humiliating period of Muzan Kibutsuji's life; at that time, he did not even dare to step foot into a town.

He could only linger in the wilderness like a wounded beast, terrified that Yoriichi Tsugikuni might suddenly appear and utterly destroy him.

To Muzan Kibutsuji, that memory was an eternal pain.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes as he sent an urgent summons to the Upper Moons through their blood connection.

Sensing his call, powerful Upper Moons such as Akaza, Hantengu, and Gyokko rushed from different directions. Their figures moved rapidly through the night, carrying an aura of slaughter, as if foretelling an approaching storm.

Muzan Kibutsuji stood by the window, looking down at the night outside.

His mindset had shifted; Muzan Kibutsuji was no longer prepared to continue playing this game of cat and mouse with the Demon Slayer Corps.

He was prepared to take action to make the Demon Slayer Corps understand exactly what kind of existence they were facing.

While planning, the figure of Yun Xi suddenly surfaced in Muzan Kibutsuji's mind.

The woman who had newly joined the demon race—the words she had once spoken were now, it seemed, all coming true.

Muzan Kibutsuji realized that Yun Xi might play an unexpected role in his plans.

Thus, he decided to give Yun Xi a chance—a chance to prove her worth.

Muzan Kibutsuji intended to promote Yun Xi to Upper Moon Six to fill the vacancy left by Gyutaro's death.

"Miss Shinobu, what are you collecting these ashes for?" After finishing the maintenance on the Black and White Rose, Lin Yi discovered Shinobu Kocho crouching on the ground, using a small brush to collect the remains left behind by the death of the demon.

Hearing Lin Yi's voice, Shinobu Kocho looked up and explained with a smile, "Lady Tamayo requested this. The medicine you used previously was produced using the remains of demons as raw materials."

To a researcher like Tamayo, the remains of an Upper Moon demon possessed immeasurable research value.

Because among all demons, the blood concentration of the Upper Moons was the densest, making them the closest existence to Muzan Kibutsuji himself.

In comparison, although the Lower Moons were also part of the Twelve Kizuki, their blood concentration was far inferior and could not be compared to the Upper Moons.

This difference was particularly evident in their remains after death.

While the remains of a Lower Moon demon had a deeper color than ordinary demons, they were generally not much different.

However, the remains of an Upper Moon demon were a different sight entirely.

Their surfaces were not only a deep black but also faintly revealed hints of blood-red.

This intertwining of blood-red and black seemed to tell the story of the Upper Moon's former strength and ferocity.

"Let me help," Lin Yi offered, seeing the situation.

Lin Yi had a deeper understanding of the potency of the medicine than anyone else.

Without the assistance of the medicine, even if Lin Yi had ultimately defeated Gyutaro, it would never have been so easy.

However, the [Bloodline Inhibitor] was extremely difficult to produce. To make this medicine, one had to use demons of the Twelve Kizuki level as raw materials; materials from ordinary demons simply could not meet the requirements.

This was also why the Demon Slayer Corps rarely used this medicine. There was no way around it: ordinary demons weren't worth the effort, and if they encountered an Upper Moon, using it would only lead to death. Over time, everyone had come to view it as something of little practical use.

As the faint light of dawn gradually broke on the horizon, the bustle of Taigu City slowly awakened.

The morning city seemed to have washed away the stillness of the night. Vendors began busy setting up their morning stalls, with wisps of cooking smoke rising and the enticing aroma of various foods filling the air, stimulating people's taste buds.

The slums also regained their vitality; despite the hardships of life, the people at the bottom still harbored hope and began to busy themselves for the new day.

They greeted one another and exchanged trivialities of life, their faces brimming with resilient and optimistic smiles.

On this peaceful morning, no one knew exactly what had transpired in that dilapidated mansion last night.

Lin Yi and Shinobu Kocho arrived at Tamayo's clinic with the collected ashes.

Lin Yi knocked lightly on the door, and soon a voice responded from within.

Yushiro, who opened the door, wore a complex expression upon seeing the two of them. He pursed his lips as if wanting to say something, but ultimately turned back to call out inside, notifying Tamayo of their arrival.

Tamayo walked out from the room, a gentle smile on her face that gave one the feeling of a spring breeze.

Looking at Lin Yi and Shinobu Kocho, she asked with concern, "Welcome back. How was it? Was there any danger on this trip?"

Shinobu Kocho smiled without offering much explanation.

She took a wooden box containing the ashes from the sleeve of her kimono and handed it to Tamayo, saying, "Here, these are the collected materials. They should be enough to make quite a bit of new medicine."

"Thank you so much. I was just worrying about the lack of materials; you have truly provided help when it was most needed." Tamayo looked gratefully at the wooden box Shinobu handed her. For a researcher, the greatest concern was always having insufficient raw materials to conduct experiments.

(End of Chapter)