As the Eternal Paradise Faith had existed for many years, its long history had resulted in countless buildings spread throughout its grounds. Perhaps due to the nature of demons, these structures were designed without windows. Even the doors were low and narrow, making the interiors dim and suffocating. Sunlight could hardly penetrate inside, and everything depended entirely on lamplight
This gloomy style, Soma guessed, was also one of the reasons why the Eternal Paradise Faith had developed for so many years yet still only had a few hundred followers. Of course, this was also related to Muzan Kibutsuji's restrictions.
In truth, Soma really did not understand Muzan Kibutsuji all that much. He clearly had enemies like the Demon Slayer Corps, yet he still restricted the strength of his subordinates and often did things that damaged his own foundation. It truly seemed rather unwise.
In the past, Soma had also found it very difficult to understand the way Muzan Kibutsuji's mind worked.
But now, he had roughly come to understand it.
In Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes, perhaps he had never once taken the Demon Slayer Corps seriously.
As a single individual, Muzan Kibutsuji possessed an extremely long lifespan. Coupled with his ability to constantly change bodies, it was enough for Muzan Kibutsuji to hide among humans with great ease.
As long as he truly kept his identity hidden, the Demon Slayer Corps would not even be able to find him. How, then, could they pose any threat?
Perhaps Muzan Kibutsuji had created so many demons with his blood simply to redirect the Demon Slayer Corps' attention toward them, so that they would not search too carefully for anomalies across various regions and eventually find his true body.
Of course, Soma felt that the more important reason was that Muzan Kibutsuji needed those demons to help him search for the Blue Spider Lily. As long as he consumed the Blue Spider Lily, bathed beneath the sunlight, and became a perfect life-form, who could still say that he, Muzan Kibutsuji, was a demon?
But for over a thousand years, Muzan Kibutsuji had dripped out who knew how much of his own blood and created who knew how many demons. Yet after all these years, the demons he created had not found even the slightest trace of the Blue Spider Lily. They had been almost entirely useless.
His blood had practically been spilled in vain.
How could Muzan Kibutsuji not be furious?
Moreover, with his Blood Demon Art that allowed him to hear the thoughts hidden within others' minds, every time Muzan Kibutsuji looked upon a demon born from his own blood and sensed its instinctive greed for that blood—its desire to swallow every drop of him and devour him alive—how could anyone possibly tolerate such a thing?
No wonder Muzan Kibutsuji was so violent toward the demons under his command. If anything displeased him even slightly, he might destroy them outright.
For example, in the original timeline, when he summoned the Lower Rank demons, he directly killed them all, cutting away the very foundation of his own forces.
Soma could also roughly understand why Muzan Kibutsuji showed special favor toward Rui, the Spider Demon and Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
Perhaps because of his ability to read minds, Muzan Kibutsuji had sensed Rui's almost childlike admiration for him, the way Rui looked up to him like a father and regarded him as family. Compared with the other demons, whose hearts were almost all filled with the desire to tear him apart and devour him, Rui was truly rare and precious.
No wonder Muzan, who usually cared nothing for the demons beneath him, had shown rare anger upon hearing of Rui's death.
As Soma walked, he observed his surroundings while trying to understand things according to Muzan Kibutsuji's way of thinking. Better yet, he tried to place himself in Muzan's position.
Ordinary people could hardly enter the mind of such an ancient being, but as an immortal demon himself, Soma could attempt to understand and simulate the things Muzan Kibutsuji had done, as well as the things he might do in the future.
This was critical.
"The materials used in these buildings are all hard stone. Completely destroying them will be difficult."
Miho Arakaki looked at the rows of buildings. Pushing them open by force would be difficult, and each building had connected passageways. Even if they broke into one structure, the demon could still flee through the buildings into another place.
"That is not a problem. We can use explosives." Soma spoke.
Miho Arakaki clearly had not thought of this. After all, ordinary people rarely came into contact with such things. The first use of explosives in demon hunting had likely been when Kagaya Ubuyashiki used himself as bait.
As soon as Soma mentioned explosives, Miho Arakaki's eyes brightened. As the person responsible for this hunt against an Upper Rank demon, if Soma mentioned explosives, then he definitely had a way to obtain them.
"Kanae-senpai said that she will be with me on the night three days from now." Miho Arakaki spoke again.
Hearing this, Soma could not help falling silent. If a Hashira was here to coordinate from the inside, then when the time came, with forces attacking from both within and without, the results would naturally be excellent.
But at this moment, Soma thought of the original story, where Kanae Kocho had been killed by Doma.
And not only Kanae herself. Later on, her younger sister Shinobu had also died at the hands of Doma, this Upper Rank Two.
So when Soma heard this, he felt an instinctive urge to oppose it.
But thinking about it carefully, since Kanae Kocho had brought this up to Miho Arakaki, she had probably already made up her mind. Of course he could object, but what reason would he give?
That it was too dangerous?
Such a reason would not count as a reason for the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, especially not for a Hashira who stood as a senior. Nearly every swordsman who joined the Demon Slayer Corps had already prepared themselves to die on the road of demon hunting.
"I understand." Soma only nodded.
...
In a pitch-black room,
Candle flames burned, their flickering light illuminating the space.
A man with hair the color of pale white oak and rainbow-like irises was lowering his head to eat his meal.
He wore a red upper garment with black trim at the collar and neck. On his head was a patch that looked as if it had been drenched in blood, with black edges spreading outward from it.
It was none other than Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki—the Ice Demon Doma.
As he enjoyed his food, Doma could not help thinking of Akaza.
Akaza, who had always been at odds with him, disliked him mostly because of food.
Akaza's effort far surpassed that of all demons. No demon could match him in that regard. But why had Doma, who became a demon later than him, been able to surpass Akaza in such a short time?
It was not merely because Doma's talent was good enough. More than that, it was because of food.
Unless absolutely necessary, Akaza almost never ate. He never even touched women.
If Akaza were like him, perhaps in the last Blood Battle to change ranks, Doma would not have been able to seize the position of Upper Rank Two from him. After all, Doma did not work as hard as Akaza. No matter how great one's talent was, it would still feel ashamed before Akaza's almost self-torturing effort.
Chewing the food in his mouth, Doma felt the power constantly surging through his body.
Compared with men, women contained better nourishment. After all, women were able to nurture children within their bodies, so the nutrients they contained were undoubtedly richer, allowing him to grow stronger more quickly.
And this was something a demon like Akaza would never be able to experience.
While continuing to eat, Doma gazed at the jade vase on the table.
On it sat a newly placed, lifelike head—the head of a woman named Sakurako Ishida.
Although he had taken great care to preserve this head, decay had still begun to set in as time passed.
"It seems another new head is needed."
Doma spoke softly. As he reached out, he quietly removed the nearly decayed head and replaced it with another head that was even more decomposed.
As Doma fiddled with that more decayed head, a smile appeared on his face. "But no matter how many times I swap them, this one still feels the most comfortable."
"For so many years, the head best suited to be displayed in this jade vase has always been yours."
Doma's voice was low.
After all these years, the person who had left the deepest impression on him was the woman who had owned this head.
Even now, he still remembered her name: Kotoha Hashibira.
Her beautiful face remained vivid in his memory.
Of course, the reason Doma still remembered this woman so deeply was not because of her beauty.
It was because her singing voice had been lovely, and because she had been gentle, intelligent, and pure-hearted. Whenever she stayed by his side, he felt at ease.
"It has been so long since I met a woman I did not intend to eat."
His quiet murmur gradually spread through the pitch-black room.
The candles burned soundlessly, and in the corners at the dim edges of the candlelight stood rows upon rows of cabinets. Their doors were half open, and inside, they were densely packed with heads.
Some had eyes wide open. Some wore faint smiles at the corners of their mouths. Beneath the flickering light, they seemed to be silently staring at whoever had entered.
...
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