Here was what had happened: after the Final Selection ended a few days ago, Little Camellia and another Explorer named Little Whirlwind had successfully joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
At first, the two had believed they had picked the wrong faction in the Demon Slayer world and that there was no way forward for them. But during the Final Selection, they discovered that their side had an absurdly overpowered carry. Hope for the future immediately reignited.
So they stopped slacking off. While waiting for their new Nichirin Blades, they diligently trained in Breathing techniques. They had yet to truly grasp the basics, but they had made more progress than before. Combined with the naturally powerful physiques of Explorers, killing Demons below the Twelve Kizuki was no longer a problem.
They began taking on Demon Slayer Corps missions. After killing several Demons, they were delighted to discover that they could earn Endspace Coins as well. That dramatically boosted their enthusiasm for the job.
But it also stoked their greed. Killing an ordinary Demon only earned a few dozen, maybe a hundred Endspace Coins. But if they could kill one of the Twelve Kizuki, they could obtain a Rare—or even Purple-grade—chest. The income from ordinary Demons could not compare.
Clearly, the Demon Slayer world did not contain an endless supply of low-level Demons for them to farm. On top of that, everyone had limited time in this world. Considering that this world would only become more dangerous later on, they decided to pull off something big early, while they still held an intelligence advantage.
Thus, they quickly set their sights on Mount Natagumo and Rui, the minor Twelve Kizuki boss who first appeared in the original story. As Lower Rank Five, Rui was practically the gatekeeper of the Twelve Kizuki. He was the perfect target for them to take down and farm a chest from.
Since they had no way to accurately gauge the strength of the Twelve Kizuki in this world, they chose to bring along the protagonist squad, complete with their plot armor and explosive potential, just to be safe.
After some persuasive sweet-talking, Tanjiro readily boarded their pirate ship, and Zenitsu was dragged along for the ride by Tanjiro.
Well, ever since seeing Tanjiro's sister, Zenitsu had decided that Tanjiro was a friend he absolutely had to keep.
Things initially went fairly smoothly. The two Explorers joined forces with Tanjiro and Zenitsu, and after leaving the mountain, they swept through low-level Demons with ease. They even encountered the boar guy, Inosuke Hashibira, in that writer drum Demon's house.
For a time, both of them were brimming with ambition. They could already see their wonderful future: hugging the protagonist squad's thighs, grinding monsters and leveling up all the way, then eventually snatching an Upper Rank chest after someone else did the hard work.
But reality swiftly dumped a bucket of cold water over their heads. When they reached Mount Natagumo, they did indeed encounter a Fifth Rank of the Twelve Kizuki. Unfortunately, there were two Fifth Ranks—one Lower Rank Five and one Upper Rank Five...
More absurdly, besides Rui, there was also Enmu, Lower Rank One, whose Blood Demon Art made him a god-tier support.
Enmu's ability could instantly force people into dreams. Unless they killed themselves within the dream, they could not wake up. Even if they reacted quickly enough to kill themselves, they would still expose a momentary opening.
Enmu might not be able to seize that opening himself, limited as he was by his physical combat ability. But he was not alone. There was Upper Rank Five and Lower Rank Five, along with seven or eight Explorers from the Demon faction. They could slaughter their enemies however they pleased.
It could be said that the instant someone made eye contact with Enmu, they were practically dead.
Then why were they not dead yet?
What terrified Little Camellia and Little Whirlwind was that they did not think they had survived because they were strong. They had survived because they were weak.
In the eyes of the opposing Explorers and the several members of the Twelve Kizuki, their strength was too insignificant to stir up any trouble. Keeping them alive, on the other hand, made them useful as bait.
That was exactly how the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, had been lured in. Now he too was locked in a bitter battle. The Explorers on the other side had taken the tactic of besieging a strongpoint to ambush reinforcements to its absolute limit.
The Sound Hashira was powerful. At first, Little Camellia and the others had even dared to hope that he might awaken a Demon Slayer Mark and instantly wipe out every enemy present.
But reality was cruel. Not only had the Sound Hashira failed to awaken a Demon Slayer Mark, but his powerful analytical ability, Musical Score, was difficult to use while he was being besieged by so many strong opponents. After all, they gave him no time to analyze anything.
What drove Little Camellia and the others even deeper into despair was that Enmu had yet to use his ability since the Sound Hashira arrived. Gyokko's Blood Demon Art, used as though he were merely playing around, had already left the Sound Hashira panting for breath.
At that moment, the Sound Hashira held his twin blades and steadied his breathing. Facing Gyokko's words, he wore a flamboyant smile. "Turn me into art? I'm already flamboyant enough. Doesn't that make me art?"
He swung his blades, knocking aside a sneak attack from an Explorer, then lowered his body into an attacking stance. "I'll pull off a flamboyant comeback and get everyone down this mountain alive!"
As he spoke, he burst forward at tremendous speed. Before an Explorer from Muzan's faction could react, Tengen Uzui cut off his head. "You filthy tunes are deafening."
The other Explorers from Muzan's faction could not help retreating, opening distance between themselves and Tengen Uzui.
They understood that even if Tengen Uzui was being toyed with by Upper Rank Five and Lower Rank One together, he was still not an enemy they could confront head-on. And the teamwork between Demons was an absolute disaster. Forget about loving one another or protecting each other.
Thus, even though Gyokko and Enmu could have saved that Explorer just now, neither had the slightest intention of doing so.
There were nine Explorers on Mount Natagumo in total. They did not belong to the same adventure group, and most had not known each other before entering this world. But they all shared one trait: they were weak.
They were among the lower-middle tier of first-stage Explorers. Even after acquiring Demon bloodlines, they were not particularly powerful. Whether they could defeat a Twelve Kizuki like Rui was questionable, which was why Muzan had not granted them numbers.
But being weak did not mean they had no way to profit in this world. The weak had their own methods of conquering worlds: borrowing power.
The powerful Explorers had all been granted numbers by Muzan. Although the new Twelve Kizuki directly under Muzan had gained tremendous power, they currently had little freedom. These weaker Explorers, by contrast, could act as they pleased.
So one of them suggested that they join forces with Upper Rank Five and Lower Rank One, using Mount Natagumo to fish for reinforcements. If the plan went well, they could kill at least two or three Hashira. It would be an enormous harvest.
And once they had results to show, perhaps Muzan would grant them more blood and further purify their bloodlines.
Who said one needed combat power on the level of the top three Upper Ranks to kill a Hashira? With good coordination, even a group of "weaklings" could slaughter a god.
They believed that with this lineup, even if the Stone Hashira came, they could eliminate him while he lacked intelligence on their side.
Getting back up after being knocked down?
That would never happen before Explorers. The moment the Stone Hashira was controlled and brought down, they would swarm him and tear him to pieces.
"Lord Uzui!"
Tanjiro was overjoyed to see the Sound Hashira kill a Demon. He had always been an optimist with an unyielding spirit in battle. Even in such a desperate situation, he still wanted to lead Inosuke and Zenitsu out of the encirclement.
"Kid, I'll open a gap for you. Don't worry about me. Charge straight down the mountain."
Tengen Uzui smiled as though everything were under control, but he knew in his heart that he would most likely die today.
He kept smiling so those new Demon Slayer Corps members would not be too frightened. If even a Hashira fell into despair, how could the others possibly have any hope of surviving?
"Lord Uzui, I want to fight alongside you!"
Tanjiro spoke firmly. During his earlier clash with Rui, he had comprehended the Hinokami Kagura, greatly improving his strength. But switching between Water Breathing and the Hinokami Kagura had left him in terrible condition. He could barely fight now, which was why he had been carrying Inosuke and running.
"Grrr—"
Nezuko stayed beside him, bamboo clenched between her teeth as she made the threatening sound of a small beast, warily watching the Demons encircling them.
"Don't be stupid. Get the hell out of here and go down the mountain for reinforcements!"
While struggling to fend off Upper Rank Five Gyokko's attacks, the Sound Hashira shouted.
"Hehehe... You still dream of breaking out of this encirclement?"
The small hands beside Gyokko's face covered their mouths as he laughed harshly. "It seems that while you were born handsome, you are not very intelligent. You have failed to see the gap between you and me. Just as you do not understand my art, you also cannot understand what a perfect pot I could make from you."
As he spoke, waves surged behind him. One enormous figure after another split off from his back—monstrous fish, each more than five meters tall.
Their auras were powerful. Every one of them surpassed Lower Rank Five Rui, and some even approached the presence of Lower Rank One Enmu.
From Little Camellia's perspective, Gyokko's power was even more apparent. Her scouting item revealed that in terms of raw stats alone, these fish monsters were not much weaker than Lower Rank One.
Yet these were merely derivatives of Gyokko's Blood Demon Art. While speaking to the Sound Hashira, he had summoned dozens of such fish monsters, directly surrounding the entire forest clearing. Clearly, he did not intend to let anyone escape.
An Explorer from Muzan's faction immediately began laying it on thick. "Ah, Lord Gyokko's Blood Demon Art is as beautiful as ever. It is truly a model of artistic perfection. If I could receive one of Lord Gyokko's pots after this battle, I would place it in my home and admire it every day, experiencing the highest realm of art."
The blatant flattery made the Sound Hashira and the others sick, but Gyokko clearly loved it. He nodded and looked at that Explorer. "Mm. You're not bad. You have an eye for appreciating art. Once we return, I'll give you a pot."
"That would be the highest honor. This subordinate wishes to admire more of Lord Gyokko's art. Say, should we have them release some more news?"
While kissing up, the Explorer cautiously continued, "If we kill all of these people and no one comes afterward, Lord Gyokko's flamboyant artistic performance will have to end. Wouldn't everyone be disappointed?"
As he spoke, he looked toward the other Explorers. "Don't you agree?"
The other Explorers all nodded. "Exactly. We want to keep appreciating Lord Gyokko's art as well."
Gyokko was intoxicated by the crowd's praise. When had he ever received treatment like this before? As a lonely artist misunderstood by everyone else, he had generally studied and created art by himself. He had rarely received recognition from people—or Demons.
Of course, he did not think there was anything wrong with his art. Those who refused to acknowledge it simply lacked the eye to appreciate art.
But a few days ago, Lord Muzan had transformed a new batch of Demons. These new Demons surprisingly possessed artistic sensibility and exceptional appreciation. They quickly made him feel the joy of being understood. That was why he had been willing to listen to their suggestion and come to Mount Natagumo for this fishing operation.
At first, Gyokko had doubted the intelligence supplied by these new Demons. But not long after arriving at Mount Natagumo, a group of Demon Slayer Corps members came straight to him. It left him quite satisfied.
Following the advice of his loyal audience who understood how to appreciate art, Gyokko had deliberately spared one or two people and let them spread the word. That was what drew in fresh artistic material, along with the Demon Slayer Corps' Sound Hashira.
"Since you're all so reluctant to see my performance end, then I'll continue showing you art."
Gyokko nodded. He no longer had the fish monsters attack the weaker Tanjiro and the others, intending for them to keep calling for help and lure in more Hashira.
Afraid?
Impossible. He was Upper Rank Five. Over the years, he had eaten dozens of Hashira. In his view, Hashira were nothing special—mere raw materials for his artistic creations.
As for Gyutaro and Daki, who had been killed at dawn yesterday, they had simply been too weak and deserved their defeat.
He was not the gatekeeper of the Upper Ranks. He was far stronger than Gyutaro.
Lord Muzan had also issued a summons the day before yesterday. But after learning what Gyokko was doing, Lord Muzan had tacitly approved of it and had not ordered him to head to Asakusa.
What did that mean?
It meant Lord Muzan believed in his strength, recognized his intellect, and trusted that he could kill even more Hashira!
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