Chapter 40: Muzan's Apprehension |
Inside a certain residence was a bright, clean, silvery room filled with glass vessels and metal instruments, looking very much like a modern laboratory.
Sitting at a desk in this lab was a figure resembling a researcher, a pair of chilling scarlet eyes with vertical pupils peering intently into a microscope...
This was Muzan Kibutsuji himself, in one of several personas he had adopted to live among humans.
He had killed this scientist years ago and taken everything from him: his appearance, his wealth, his memories, and even his place in society.
For all these years, his true goal had never been the eradication of the Demon Slayers, but the search for the Blue Spider Lily to develop a complete cure and conquer the sun.
Once successful, he would no longer have to hide in the shadows and could reign supreme over the world, by day and night alike.
Muzan was by no means a foolish Progenitor; on the contrary, he was a highly intelligent and calculating individual, far surpassing ordinary humans. Using his biological manipulation abilities, he had formed five brains within his body, which, along with seven hearts, provided not only terrifying durability but also accelerated his thought processes and reactions.
Muzan's medical skills and knowledge were in no way inferior to Tamayo's. Over the years, he had never stopped researching his own evolution, though he had yet to achieve a significant breakthrough.
'Hm?' Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Muzan flinched. The hand holding the test tube froze, his brows furrowed, and a dark shadow flickered in his pupils.
Muzan had access to the memories of all demons under his control, including the Upper Ranks. He even dedicated a separate brain to monitoring his subordinates around the clock, ready to neutralize any demon from a distance if they dared to speak out of turn.
But something strange had just happened...
The Lower Rank Three had simply vanished from his perspective!
'What on earth...' Muzan scowled, setting down the test tube as he focused entirely on Wakuraba's memories.
In truth, the Lower Moons didn't particularly matter to the Progenitor, and they had died frequently over the centuries. However, this time was completely different... the demon had literally evaporated.
The connection to the demon had been severed cleanly. There were no memories of death; his recollections simply cut off during an attempt to kill a girl.
Nothing but darkness followed!
The fact that the demon had died wasn't surprising in itself, but the sudden disappearance raised questions. For this reason, Muzan began to review Wakuraba's memories over and over again.
Ordinary slayers...
An ordinary doctor...
And...
A somewhat unusual girl.
'Did she do this?'
Muzan's scarlet eyes betrayed a hint of confusion.
There was nothing else...
Only the girl's anomalous strength drew attention.
She had even sliced the Lower Rank demon apart in a fit of rage.
Yet that was it...
Memory should not cut off so abruptly, even if the girl had instantly hacked the demon into tiny pieces.
It made no sense.
Muzan felt a surge of irritation.
"Fucking trash!"
The Progenitor of Demons furiously shattered the test tube against the floor.
In all the passing centuries, he had made no meaningful progress in his search for the Blue Spider Lily. Even Tamayo had broken free from his control and successfully hidden for centuries. To make matters worse, humans had recently developed a new style of swordsmanship that significantly empowered the Demon Slayer Corps. And now, there was this strange girl, presumably capable of instantly annihilating the Lower Rank Three!
'Should I expand the ranks? No... the Lower Moons are nearly useless, and the Upper Ranks are harder to create. It's difficult enough to find a human capable of accepting so much of my blood...' A cold glint flashed in the Progenitor's eyes.
He quickly brought his emotions under control.
Things were gradually taking a turn for the worse, to the point where even Muzan felt a vague sense of threat. However, he had no intention of jumping into the fray. He planned to gather his strength in secret and act as cautiously as possible.
If necessary, he was even prepared to go into hiding and wait for these threatening humans to die of old age.
But when he thought about it, it seemed excessive to retreat into the shadows for a century over a mere inkling of danger, as he had after his encounter with that man. After all, nothing had appeared in the collective memory of his demons that could oppose him directly.
Even the strongest of the Hashira didn't come close...
To say nothing of comparing them to the wretched Yoriichi.
'Not enough pawns... if only I could create a few more Upper Ranks...' The Progenitor of Demons mused, staring at the ceiling amidst the shards of the broken test tube.
*
Yeruashi saw no point in monitoring him intentionally and was unaware of Muzan's thoughts. He had forgotten the matter almost immediately after sending Wakuraba to the Bleach world's Hell, straight into the hands of a bored Gin Ichimaru.
Had he known that Muzan was seriously considering going into hiding for a century just because of Wakuraba's disappearance, he would likely have crowned him the pettiest villain in history.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Progenitor of Demons embodied nearly every foul trait of human nature.
Evil, despotic, cruel, greedy, arrogant...
And yet, cowardly and utterly shameless.
He was clearly capable of tearing all the Demon Slayers apart single-handedly, yet he preferred to hide like a coward, throwing the Twelve Kizuki into battle time and time again.
Muzan would never take even the slightest risk unless he was backed into a corner with no other choice.
Yeruashi didn't mind exchanging a few words with villains like Aizen, but he had zero interest in trash like Muzan.
There was no doubt that Muzan would crawl before him like an insect to save his miserable life the moment he glimpsed even a fraction of the abyss that lay between them.
He completely lacked a backbone.
Men like Madara and Aizen would never bow their heads in the face of insurmountable power, even at the cost of their own lives.
"Yeruashi, where are we going now? Do you plan to deal with these demons?" Mitsuri asked, clutching Yeruashi's hand.
She had been through too much tonight. The mere existence of demons and slayers had made a deep impression on her. It made her skin crawl to think that bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters like Wakuraba existed.
"No, first we're going to see someone," Yeruashi replied calmly, stepping forward into the darkness. He added, "Coincidentally, something else happened today. Why not pay them a visit right now?"
"Mm-hmm," Mitsuri nodded obediently and followed. She didn't know who they were going to see or what event Yeruashi was talking about; she just wanted to be by his side, just like before.