46 Demon Slayer: Floating Comment

Haruto quietly studied the young man before him, who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen.

He was unusually tall—second only to Himejima among all the people Haruto had ever met. His white hair flowed loosely around him, and his entire presence exuded opulence. Every piece of jewelry he wore was encrusted with colorful gemstones, glittering like tiny stars.

But Haruto's attention was drawn to the man's golden earrings. Unlike the other dazzling adornments, they were subtle—almost understated.

Haruto kept his face neutral as he extended a hand. "Demon Slayer Corps, Takanashi Haruto."

"Demon Slayer Corps?" Tengen raised an eyebrow, his confusion clear, though he seemed to understand the gist. "Ah, so you're like the ninja clans—watchers in the shadows. No… perhaps more meaningful than those fading relics. After all, you fight against demons."

He glanced in the direction the demon had fled and sighed.

"What an utterly unflashy existence demons lead!"

"...Flashy?" Haruto echoed, confused.

"Exactly—flashy!" Tengen pointed at his own nose with one of his brightly painted fingernails, then gestured at Haruto. "This, this… and…"

He gestured toward three women standing a short distance away. Each one was strikingly beautiful, with wildly different styles and alluring presences.

"My three wives—all prime examples of flashy!" Tengen declared with a dazzling grin.

Haruto blinked in disbelief, then turned to the women.

"Wives? You mean… wives?"

"Exactly. All three of them—my wives!" Tengen confirmed proudly.

Haruto's mind reeled. Where's the justice in this?

At the same age, some people had already married and started families, living blissfully. Others had not just one, but three beautiful wives.

And then there were people like Haruto. Every time he visited home, his relatives would smack him on the head, demanding to know when he planned to settle down.

How is this fair?!

No. This couldn't get back to Gotokawa. If Gotokawa found out about this peacock of a man with painted nails and three wives, Haruto would be sold off without a second thought!

With the help of the arriving Kakushi, they settled the displaced farmers whose homes had been destroyed.

In the meantime, Haruto had learned more about the man obsessed with all things flashy— Tengen.

"So, how exactly did you figure out her weakness and predict her movements?" Haruto asked, suppressing his jealousy and focusing on Tengen's earlier battle. "I mean, without mastering a breathing technique, that should've been nearly impossible."

Tengen grinned and explained his strategy in succinct, straightforward terms.

"Just give it enough time, and anyone's flaws and weaknesses will show themselves," he said.

Haruto was stunned. A skill like that, paired with a durable frontline fighter, would be a nightmare for demons!

In an instant, Haruto decided he needed to write to Kagaya Ubuyashiki. A natural-born leader like Kagaya had to recruit someone as capable as Tengen into the Corps.

Time was slipping away too quickly. The demons were evolving, but the Corps wasn't progressing fast enough.

He and Himejima couldn't shoulder this burden alone. They needed fresh, powerful blood in the fight against Muzan Kibutsuji.

Otherwise, how could two Hashiras ever hope to take down the Demon King, a being who had lived for over a thousand years?

...

Infinity Castle

The sharp twang of a biwa echoed through the vast, labyrinthine space.

Lower Rank Four, Mukago snapped her eyes open.

After narrowly escaping a Hashira's blade, she had devoured several humans and hidden in an abandoned mansion to recuperate. The battle had drained her far more than she'd anticipated, and recovery had taken longer than she'd hoped.

But the sound of the biwa sent her nerves into overdrive—more than the clash of swords ever had.

The wooden structure around her twisted and shifted, its living design rearranging itself in a surreal dance.

At the center of this chaotic maze, a woman sat in eerie silence, cradling the biwa. Her figure was framed by the dizzying movements of the castle, a sight that could unsettle even the most hardened of demons.

Mukago's gaze shifted upward to a slender woman dressed in a violet sakura-patterned kimono, her hair adorned with crimson spider lilies. She appeared frail, almost delicate, but Mukago knew better.

This was Nakime.

Every demon who underestimated her—human or demon—had ended up as nourishment for her insatiable hunger.

Besides Nakime, Mukago spotted others: Lower Rank Two, Rokuro; the childlike Lower Rank Five, Rui; and the skittish Lower Rank Six, Kyogai.

Mukago stiffened. Were the Upper Ranks here too?

Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, but aside from the ever-silent biwa player, she saw no signs of the Upper Moons.

An overwhelming sense of dread gripped her.

"What… What is this place?" Kyogai stammered.

His voice echoed through the Infinity Castle, unanswered.

None of the demons spoke. They all trembled in silence.

Mukago swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

A polished leather shoe stepped into view, radiating an oppressive aura that made Mukago's body seize with terror. She pressed her forehead against the ground, trembling as her half-healed body ached under the crushing weight of the presence before her.

A man in a black suit stood above them, his pale skin ghostly against his dark attire. His blood-red eyes glowed like the moon during an eclipse.

It was him.

The Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji.

The master of Infinity Castle.

Their master.