After hearing the order, the Explorers looked at one another. If cursing aloud would not let Muzan hear them, they would have cursed his entire family line eighteen generations deep.
Muzan had received word of the battle in Yoshiwara as well. But unlike the Explorers, he had two conclusions. First, those hastily created Twelve Kizuki really were useless. Second, he felt an unmistakable sense of danger.
So Muzan had ordered every Demon in Asakusa to lie low. They were forbidden from causing trouble—and absolutely forbidden from seeking out the Demon Slayer Corps swordsman named Luke.
In one word: cowardice!
The powerful Explorers in Asakusa were frustrated beyond belief. When Luke fought Upper Rank Six during the day, they had wanted to go support him and see whether they could steal a kill. Muzan had stopped them then too.
Muzan could sense the condition of every Demon. He simply did not normally bother paying attention. Still, he kept a casual eye on the Upper Ranks, so the moment the battle began, he knew Upper Rank Six had encountered a powerful enemy. At first, though, he had not cared. The Upper Ranks had defeated Hashira for centuries. Surely this time would be no different.
That was why he felt there was no need to send his newly created powerful guards into battle. Yet not long afterward, he suddenly realized Upper Rank Six was dead—along with all those new Twelve Kizuki.
By then, Muzan was already getting cold feet. Unable to gauge Luke's strength, he had no desire to fight while his gold-medal enforcers, Upper Ranks One through Three, were away. Besides, he had recently been thoroughly enjoying his little domestic game, with a lovely wife and obedient daughter in his arms. He had no wish to disrupt his peaceful life.
At last, the Explorers in Muzan's faction realized that their mission in this world was not going to be easy. The greatest flaw in Muzan's faction was its useless teammates and idiot boss.
If it were up to them, they would gather every member of the Twelve Kizuki, kill Luke in Asakusa first, then move out together to hunt down the Hashira. This world could be declared finished within a month, and Muzan would become an absolutely secure Demon King.
But why the hell was Muzan such an idiot?
Luke was an Explorer. Killing him now might not be difficult, but allowing such an obviously formidable Explorer to keep developing in this world was practically raising a tiger only to invite disaster.
All they could do now was hope that the silver-tongued Explorer would persuade Muzan a little more. They needed to gather up and eliminate this unstable factor first. After that, they could play however they wanted.
…………
While Muzan's Explorers agonized over how to serve their idiot boss, Luke had already found Lady Tamayo's hiding place.
Endspace would not issue an excessively unfair mission. Since it had activated a hidden mission requiring him to assist Lady Tamayo's research, it would naturally provide some degree of location guidance.
Drawing on his memories of the original story, Luke searched several alleys. At last, in a sparsely populated side street, he received Endspace's prompt. After touching the wall, he passed straight through it.
Even without Endspace's prompt, Luke felt that he would not have missed this alley. His senses were already excellent, and after combining them with techniques he had gleaned from Spiritual Pressure training, his ability to perceive space and living auras had improved by leaps and bounds.
Yushiro's Blood Demon Art could deceive the eyes, but it could not fool Luke's senses. He could clearly tell that the wall was an illusion and that a Demon's aura lay beyond it.
The moment he entered the courtyard, a figure rushed at him with a wooden club. The young man had fashionable short hair streaked black and green, his face set with the expression of someone prepared to die as he brought the club down on Luke.
Bang—
Luke casually threw a punch, sending Yushiro flying. With his weak hand-to-hand skills, Yushiro landed hard on his ass.
"Damn Demon Slayer Corps! We've hidden ourselves here and never harmed anyone. Why are you still hunting us down?!"
The boy named Yushiro roared as he scrambled up, retrieved his club, and warily watched Luke.
He had sensed someone approaching the illusion barrier he had set up. But only after the man passed through it and stood before him did Yushiro feel that invisible pressure.
He could smell an overpowering stench of blood on the man—Demon blood. This man had definitely killed many Demons, and powerful ones at that.
Had they... been found by a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps?
Yushiro heard footsteps in the corridor. Without looking back, he shouted, "Lady Tamayo, run! It's a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps! I'll hold him off!"
Luke also saw the beautiful woman step out through the door and smiled. "Oh? Looks like I found the right place."
But to Yushiro, Luke's smile looked demonic—the smile of a sadistic murderer who had discovered his prey. It sent a chill down his spine.
To protect Lady Tamayo, he gathered his courage despite his trembling legs and faced the terrifying man dressed in black. "As long as I'm here, you won't lay a hand on Lady Tamayo!"
Tamayo, who had just stepped outside, looked as though she had only just emerged from a bath. Her kimono draped softly around her, patterned with elegant pale cherry blossoms. Its collar hung half open, faintly revealing skin as smooth as clotted cream.
Her long black hair was loosely pinned up, with several stray locks brushing over her fair shoulders like a gentle stroke in an ink painting. Droplets of water slid down her skin, bead-like drops trailing slowly along the curves of her body and soaking into the crimson trim of her kimono.
Her delicate brows curved like willow leaves, lightly raised, while a few droplets still clung to her eyelashes like morning dew.
Seeing the scene before her, Tamayo immediately raised a hand and sliced across the pale skin of her arm. Her soft lips parted. "Blood Demon Art: Blood Bewitchment, Visual Dream."
At once, all manner of dreamlike patterns appeared in Luke's vision, dancing through the courtyard like dragons. Tamayo, standing before the Japanese-style room, turned and shouted at Yushiro, "Yushiro, run!"
Luke stirred the Soul Source within his body. Combined with the effect of the Heart of the Giant, he broke free of Tamayo's Blood Demon Art illusion almost instantly.
Watching Tamayo and Yushiro panic as they tried to cover each other's escape, he could not help touching his face. "Do I really look that scary?"
He was sure that he had not released even a trace of killing intent upon entering the courtyard. When Yushiro attacked, he had merely sent him back. Yet these two were acting as if they were about to be separated by life and death.
Seeing Yushiro about to charge forward and fight for his life again, Luke quickly spoke. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not here to kill you."
"Like hell I believe you!"
Yet Yushiro still roared and charged at Luke. To him, the thick aura of Demon blood surrounding Luke clearly meant he had recently killed powerful Demons—perhaps even today.
How could a Demon Slayer reeking of murderous intent possibly spare them? He had to be using words to deceive Yushiro and make him lower his guard.
Left with no choice, Luke sidestepped, caught the wooden club in Yushiro's hand, and tore it away. Then he twisted Yushiro's wrist behind his back and pinned him against the nearby cherry tree.
"If I wanted to kill you, your head would've hit the ground a long time ago. Why can't you understand plain speech?"
Luke complained helplessly. "And besides, aren't you a Demon?"
Lady Tamayo was more composed. Seeing that Luke had not harmed Yushiro, and considering what he had said earlier, she did not attack again. "Powerful swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, if you have no intention of beheading us, why are you here?"
After turning over a new leaf, she had turned Yushiro into a Demon. Though they had never harmed a human over the years, she had encountered many Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who wanted to kill both her and Yushiro.
It was only natural for the Demon Slayer Corps to kill Demons. Nearly all of them would try to cut her and Yushiro down on sight, never giving her a chance to explain. That was why she was curious why this seemingly powerful man was willing to spare them.
"I heard from the locals that there was an exceptionally skilled doctor nearby, someone who treated illnesses and saved lives. I was curious, so I came looking."
Luke explained, looking at Tamayo. "Putting aside this beautiful Demon lady, the boy I'm holding hasn't eaten anyone, has he?"
Tamayo was somewhat surprised. She had not expected Luke to tell whether a Demon had eaten people. She nodded. "That's right. Yushiro has never eaten a human. So if you mean to act, kill only me and spare Yushiro."
When she had first become a Demon, she had indeed been unable to control the craving in her blood. She had eaten people, killing her husband and child.
It was the thing she regretted and suffered over most. That was also why she hated Muzan so deeply.
Her desire to live back then had not simply been born of a fear of death. She had wanted to see her child grow up. Yet after becoming a Demon, she had killed that very child. How could she not hate Muzan for turning her into one?
As a Demon who had killed people, Tamayo had always been prepared to be slain by the Demon Slayer Corps. She only regretted that she had not yet succeeded in creating a medicine that could turn Demons back into humans.
"You're really hard to communicate with."
Luke released the enraged, shouting Yushiro. "I already said I'm not here to kill anyone. If what you say is true, then you probably haven't eaten anyone in a long time either. Your reputation around here is quite good, too. You really have treated illnesses and saved a lot of people."
"Of course! Lady Tamayo is a great benefactor. She's treated plenty of patients for free. We have no intention of harming people, so now that you know, get out of here!"
Yushiro watched Luke warily, his tone still fiercely hostile.
"Shut up!"
Luke was getting impatient. He let out a trace of killing intent, instantly making Yushiro fall silent in terror.
"Yushiro, do not be rude. This Demon Slayer swordsman is not our enemy."
Tamayo understood the situation better. She knew that if someone as strong as Luke truly wished to kill them, their heads would already be on the ground. There was no need for him to say so much.
Her beautiful eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Luke. "Then what exactly do you want from me?"
"I want you."
Luke answered succinctly.
At those words, Yushiro, who had only just been intimidated into silence, became agitated again. "So you're after Lady Tamayo's peerless beauty?! You lustful swordsman! I'll fight you to the death!"
Luke kicked Yushiro away. "I don't have time to joke around with you. This place isn't safe. If you want to live, come with me. The Demon Slayer Corps needs your medical expertise."
Tamayo froze. "The Demon Slayer Corps needs my... medical expertise?"
"That's right. We need your skills to deal with Muzan. The day of the final battle is approaching."
Luke made it up on the spot, though it was not entirely a lie. Personally, he had no intention of relying on Tamayo's medical knowledge to fight Muzan. He preferred cutting down enemies at their full strength.
But that did not mean the Demon Slayer Corps faction had no need for Tamayo. Her medical expertise would be of enormous help to the whole faction, and it also counted as an extra safeguard against Muzan.
More importantly, his hidden mission could not allow Tamayo to die. Otherwise, he would not be able to collect his reward.
"You want me to go with you to the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Tamayo seemed troubled. Although she was no longer an evil Demon, the thought of going to the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters still instinctively frightened her.
"Lady Tamayo, you can't trust him..."
Yushiro's little brain had clearly not grasped the situation. He instinctively rejected every Demon Slayer who approached him and Lady Tamayo, but before he could finish trying to persuade her, the sword at Luke's waist slid from its sheath.
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