Silas's voice rose sharply. "From where I stand, you are utterly vile. You are standing in the way of our justice."
Luke halted at Silas's words and sneered. "You seem to have misunderstood something."
"Is that not the truth? Or have you never read history?"
Silas spoke as he gnawed on his little snack, his mouth covered in blood. The sight was deeply grotesque. The side effects of a Demon bloodline were clearly powerful—even Explorers with unyielding minds could not overcome the urge to eat humans. Or perhaps he was not unable to resist it. Perhaps he simply believed he was doing something sacred.
"I never said I was fighting for this country."
Luke's voice turned icy. "I simply cannot stand the sight of freaks like you."
Compared to most Explorers, Luke was someone from the future. By his era, nations no longer existed anywhere in the world. Yet whether by the region where he had been born or the education he had received growing up, he still considered himself a descendant of an ancient Eastern civilization.
Many people of his era did not study history, but his master had taught him. He knew of the twists and turns that ancient Eastern civilization had endured over five thousand years, as well as the suffering it had faced in modern times.
He acknowledged the evil this nation had committed during wartime, and he respected the heroes who had fought against that aggression. But that did not mean he would stand on Muzan's side because of it.
"But we are heroes. That lord has the potential to become a hero. Once we overcome sunlight, we will rule the fate of this land."
Silas's expression became increasingly deranged. "Are you the one with something wrong in your head?"
Luke lowered his stance, his voice rumbling low. "Shut your filthy mouth. You dare put Muzan on the same level as heroes who fought to protect their homes, who would sacrifice everything they had rather than surrender? In my eyes..."
Lightning coiled around his body as white steam and purple mist billowed upward. Luke glared like an enraged Buddhist guardian, killing intent surging across the wilderness as he swung his blade at Silas. "...that is the greatest insult of all!"
With a godlike burst of speed, dozens of meters vanished in an instant. The black blade, steeped in moonlight, swept across Silas's neck.
Yet the madness on Silas's face vanished at that instant, replaced by a bizarre smile. Though his head had been severed from his body, he remained perfectly alive. In that split second, he had judged that he could not evade Luke's lightning-fast strike, so he had cut off his own head first.
In essence, Luke's slash had missed. It was an evasive technique only Demons could use.
And Luke's high-speed charge had been exactly what Silas expected—and the very reason he had come here tonight.
The instant Luke passed Silas, a door appeared directly behind Silas and flew open. Beyond it lay a brightly lit, labyrinthine space.
Charging at such speed, Luke could not possibly stop or change direction instantly. He shot straight through the doorway.
Silas's head fell, and he caught it before placing it back on his neck. The wound sealed and regenerated in an instant. Then he turned and unhurriedly stepped through the door.
Bang—
Once Silas entered as well, the door slammed shut.
He and Luke entered the Infinity Castle one after the other, falling through midair. Looking down at Luke from above, Silas wore a pleased smile. "A brute is still a brute. A little provocation, and you lose your head. Did you really think I would consider facing a powerhouse like you alone?"
Luke adjusted himself in freefall and landed steadily on a platform. Silas came to a stop on a higher platform, looking down at him from the edge. "Before you came, you must have wondered whether the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters had been exposed, right?"
After steadying himself, Luke surveyed his surroundings. Demon eyes watched him from the edges of platforms and through cracks beyond the doors. At a rough estimate, there were hundreds of Demons staring at him.
As expected of Muzan's lair. The recent decline in Demon attacks on humans was likely because Muzan had gathered his forces here.
Beyond the weak Demons, Luke sensed several powerful auras rapidly leaping over from nearby platforms, sealing off every route of escape.
Hearing Silas's words, Luke frowned. He realized that he might have made a mistake.
"The Demon Slayer Corps' former method of hiding was indeed unsophisticated. But after you changed the pattern of your relocations, it became difficult for us to find you, since we are restricted from moving during the daytime. At most, we could analyze the clues and narrow it down to an approximate area."
Standing above him, Silas smiled. "But thanks to you, I now know where the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters is."
As he spoke, he counted on his fingers as though calculating. "By averaging the speed you used to ambush me just now with the instantaneous speed I saw when you arrived, I can roughly determine how fast you traveled. Then, factoring in how fast the report was delivered and how long your side needed to react, I can calculate the distance you crossed."
Silas continued, "And you came from the east. Fifty li eastward, there are only a few old estates—no villages or cities. Pinpointing the target was far too easy."
With a smile on his face, he looked down at Luke. "So you are the one who exposed the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. You are the one who got those Hashira killed."
Luke stood there with a calm aura. Even the lightning around him had ceased flickering, leaving only faint purple mist drifting through the air. "So what?"
"Do you not hate us? Then you must be quite fond of the Nine Hashira and the Demon Slayer Corps. Now your recklessness is going to get them killed. Should you not look a little angrier? A little more despairing?"
Silas crouched down and looked at Luke. "But do not worry. You will be waiting for them down below first."
As Silas finished speaking, several figures leaped onto Luke's platform.
"You look strong. Why do you hate Demons? Join us instead. Then we can spar every day."
The Demon who leaped up from the west was a pale man with short peach-colored hair and golden eyes. His body was covered in countless deep-blue tattoos representing criminals. His nails were blood-red, and he wore a purplish-red short robe, prayer beads hanging around his ankles.
That distinctive appearance allowed Luke to recognize him immediately. Upper Rank Three—Akaza.
"My, Akaza, that is a lovely idea, but I think he already dislikes us. He probably will not join us, will he?"
The speaking man had white oak-colored hair and irises that resembled a rainbow. The irises of his left and right eyes bore the comical markings of a hat. Draped in a black cloak, he wore a lazy smile as he spoke.
It was Upper Rank Two, Doma—the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
"Doma, be serious. The enemy is not weak, and Lord Muzan is watching."
The man descending from a high platform to the north spoke in a low, imposing voice.
He wore a kimono patterned with purple snakeskin and black patches, along with black umanori hakama. His dark crimson hair was styled in a high ponytail with long sideburns. Most bizarrely, he had six eyes, each with red sclera and golden irises.
In the irises of his central left and right eyes were engraved the words "Upper Rank" and "One."
Upper Rank One—Kokushibo!
Luke looked at the Demons and seemed to laugh at himself. "You really think highly of me. You carefully set this up just to lure me into the Infinity Castle?"
"You have already slain two Upper Ranks. Since we decided to deal with you for real, naturally we had to make certain of your death."
As Silas spoke, he jumped down from the high platform and landed on the same level as Luke. He could not stand higher than Kokushibo; Upper Rank One cared deeply about hierarchy.
Silas had devised this plan, and Muzan had approved it. After all, Muzan had remained deeply unsettled by the sense of unease he had felt upon seeing Luke in Asakusa that day.
Once Luke had been lured into the Infinity Castle, there was no path to heaven or earth for him. No one could possibly come to his aid. Surrounded and hunted by every Upper Rank, he had no chance of survival.
Luke drew a deep breath, his spirits rising. "I really should thank you."
"Thank me? Even if you beg now, I will not leave you an intact corpse."
Silas was puzzled. He could not understand why the man before him remained so calm despite being trapped in such a hopeless situation.
"For the past two months, I tried every possible way to figure out how to enter the Infinity Castle. But..."
Luke bared a row of stark white teeth. "You invited me in yourselves."
The instant those words fell, every Upper Rank approaching Luke halted as they sensed his aura erupting wildly upward.
Akaza, the closest one, instinctively sprang backward, opening the distance between himself and Luke.
Meanwhile, the smile of triumph on Silas's face froze solid.
"My, it seems we let something quite extraordinary into the castle."
Doma backed away while speaking with an unconcerned smile, as if he had no intention of fighting at all.
Kokushibo alone remained unmoving on the platform, one hand resting on the sword at his waist. All six eyes were fixed on Luke. "He is indeed a powerful opponent. Worth cutting down."
At that moment, Luke fully activated the Thunder Breathing he had thoroughly mastered. Combined with Prison Demon's Shikai ability, his physical attributes surged dramatically. His overall attributes had reached a staggering 36 points!
The instant he landed and was surrounded, Luke had roughly scanned the attributes of the Upper Ranks before him.
[Upper Rank Four: Silas]
Constitution: 34 points
Strength: 31 points
Agility: 38 points
Spirit: 35 points
Charm: 19 points
[Upper Rank Three: Akaza]
Constitution: 38 points
Strength: 38 points
Agility: 38 points
Spirit: 20 points
Charm: 13 points
[Upper Rank Two: Doma]
Constitution: 37 points
Strength: 35 points
Agility: 39 points
Spirit: 40 points
Charm: 20 points
[Upper Rank One: Kokushibo]
Constitution: 42 points
Strength: 40 points
Agility: 40 points
Spirit: 30 points
Charm: 1 point
Judging purely by attributes, apart from against Silas, Luke still held no clear advantage. He was obviously significantly weaker than Kokushibo. Yet the Demons had instinctively grown wary and pulled away from him.
That was because, as Demons who had fought for centuries, they instinctively sensed danger. The gap in their combat skill was simply too vast.
Even Akaza, who was obsessed with martial arts, had only just reached the Master-Level in combat specialization. Kokushibo's combat specialization might approach Luke's, but it was still lower in level.
Now that Luke's body had reached this level, as a Demon slayer, he clearly possessed the power to threaten their lives. That was why the Upper Ranks had instinctively become cautious.
However, the aura Luke currently radiated was still not enough to make someone as powerful as Kokushibo feel any great danger. Kokushibo calmly stepped forward, intending to strike first and end this enemy's life.
By nature, he would normally have tried to recruit an opponent like this, inviting him to become a Demon and continue pursuing martial perfection. Yet for some reason, the moment he saw this man, an instinctive resistance rose within him.
It was as though Luke had stirred up memories he did not wish to recall.
At that moment, several levels above them, a figure walked to the edge and looked down upon the battlefield.
He wore a well-tailored suit and a fashionable white hat. His scarlet vertical pupils looked coldly down at Luke. "Though you are an eyesore, I can still give you one chance. Become my subordinate."
"You have finally shown yourself..."
Lightning swirled around Luke as purple mist rose from his body. He looked up at Muzan Kibutsuji. The other Demons did not attack immediately after Muzan spoke, clearly waiting for Luke's response.
Luke locked his gaze onto Muzan. "...You have some nerve."
The instant the Demons and Explorers within the Infinity Castle heard Luke's words, some flew into a rage, while others sneered. They thought Luke was unbelievably foolish to provoke Lord Muzan when death was already at his doorstep.
Even if you are strong, this is the Demons' headquarters. Several Upper Ranks are surrounding you while Muzan oversees the battle. Do you truly think you have any hope of living?
But as Luke's words fell, his aura surged explosively once again. The muscles beneath his clothes bulged as dark purple demonic markings crawled over his skin, forming bizarre patterns across his face.
Scalding steam burst from Luke's mouth with a shriek like a train whistle. With [Demon God] empowering him, his primary combat attributes soared again, reaching 40 points!
As he crouched, the muscles in his calves and thighs swelled once more. Using the technique of Flash Step, he unleashed a thunderous boom from the platform. The ground shattered, and fragments of stone burst outward like a blooming flower.
Then lightning shot into the sky. The air rippled outward in rings, and a piercing sonic boom shook the entire Infinity Castle!
Before Muzan could even react in shock, Luke had risen before him like a demon god. The death-dealing black blade was already cutting toward his head!
In that instant, he smelled death—the same scent he had encountered centuries ago.
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