Outside the room, a Kakushi member carrying an empty tray had an expression full of shock and fear. Seeing another Kakushi approaching with more dishes, he immediately lowered his voice to warn him.
"You have to carry that steadily, alright? Nice and steady."
The Kakushi being warned was confused. Sukuna had been around for a while now, and everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps knew very well that any mistake regarding Sukuna was unacceptable. Mistakes got people killed.
"What's your problem? I know I'm delivering food to Sukuna-sama."
The other Kakushi quickly waved his hand and explained in a hushed voice. "It's not about Sukuna-sama. It's who's inside the room... Upper Moon Three."
"What Upper Moon Three? Why are you suddenly bringing up the Twelve Kizuki..." He stopped mid-sentence as the implication finally hit him. "Don't tell me you mean Upper Moon Three of the Twelve Kizuki is in that room?"
"Yes."
"Huh...?"
Akaza sat in a corner of the room, watching Sukuna being treated like a god by the Demon Slayer Corps. A strong sense of unreality washed over him.
He never imagined he would have a day like this, coming to the Demon Slayer Corps' lair in this way.
After the Kakushi members set down the food, they glanced at Akaza and fled the room as if their lives depended on it.
They knew that as long as they didn't anger Sukuna, they were generally safe from death. But that Upper Moon Three was a different story entirely.
As Sukuna ate calmly in the room, he heard Shinobu's voice from outside.
"My lord, you didn't need to come personally. Upper Moon Three is inside right now. It's extremely dangerous."
But judging by the result, Shinobu's plea had clearly failed to convince Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Before long, Sukuna saw Kagaya enter the room and kneel respectfully.
"My apologies for not welcoming Sukuna-sama back immediately."
Sukuna continued eating the meal the Demon Slayer Corps had specially prepared. He waved his hand slightly to indicate he didn't mind.
Gyomei Himejima and Shinobu Kocho positioned themselves between Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Akaza, ready to protect their leader from any threat.
But Akaza had no intention of assassinating Kagaya Ubuyashiki at that moment. After his defeat by Sukuna, he had entered a different state of mind. All he could think about was what Sukuna had said about making him stronger. Everything else had lost his interest, including the Hashira who had previously captivated him. For now, he had even put Muzan out of his thoughts.
Still, Akaza studied Gyomei Himejima with his eyes. He could tell that more than that woman, Gyomei Himejima was likely the strongest swordsman of this generation he had ever seen.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki did not directly ask Sukuna why he had brought Upper Moon Three back. Although Shinobu had already relayed the information through Kanae, he still suspected that was not Sukuna's complete reasoning.
Maintaining his kneeling bow, Kagaya Ubuyashiki respectfully asked Sukuna, "Sukuna-sama, are you aware that Muzan can sense the location of his demons?"
Sukuna did not look at Kagaya. He understood the unspoken question. If Muzan could already sense all demons, and Sukuna only needed a beacon to guide Muzan here, why choose the strongest one, Akaza, instead of any other demon? He continued eating calmly as he answered.
"Of course I know. That's exactly why I brought him back. But that's only one of the reasons."
Hearing this, both Akaza and Kagaya Ubuyashiki were taken aback. Neither could guess what Sukuna was planning.
"One of the reasons..."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki furrowed his brow slightly and repeated the words to himself.
Akaza silently watched Sukuna, waiting for the answer to be revealed.
Sukuna finished the food in his bowl, then held his chopsticks in his right hand and pointed them toward Kagaya and the others. Then, with the same gesture, he pointed at Akaza.
He spoke calmly. "All of you, fight."
"..."
"..."
The two sides glanced at each other, then back at Sukuna. Neither moved to attack. Their faces bore identical expressions of confusion.
Sukuna set down his chopsticks and propped his chin on his hand. Smiling, he said to Akaza,
"Kill them all, and I'll tell you how to become stronger."
"...Really?"
The sudden shift caught Akaza off guard. In his eyes, Sukuna had seemed to be on the Demon Slayer Corps' side, given that he used a Nichirin blade and Breathing Techniques.
"Really." Sukuna gave a slight nod.
Akaza now sensed that the relationship between Sukuna and the Demon Slayer Corps was not what he had assumed.
Shinobu spoke up, agitated. "Wait a minute. Sukuna-sama, this isn't what we agreed on earlier, is it?"
"Oh? What part is wrong?" Sukuna shot her a meaningful look.
"We agreed that in exchange for providing you with Breathing Techniques and stronger enemies, you would not slaughter the Demon Slayer Corps..."
Shinobu repeated the terms of their original agreement, realizing the problem with the wording as she spoke. She could not help but recall what had happened with Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"I have not raised my hand to slaughter any of you," Sukuna stated seriously.
Sukuna's intention was very simple. He wanted to witness, from a third-party perspective, the moment a Breathing Technique swordsman awakened a Mark. By observing this, he could break down and analyze the true conditions required for Mark manifestation.
"..." Gyomei Himejima and Kagaya Ubuyashiki fell silent. The former was already recalling the sensation of awakening his Mark during his fight with Sukuna, preparing for battle. The latter was contemplating Sukuna's true purpose. Kagaya Ubuyashiki did not believe Sukuna's goal was to get Demon Slayer Corps members killed. After all, Sukuna could have accomplished that much faster himself by simply attacking. So behind this seemingly irrational order, there had to be a deeper meaning.
Sukuna chuckled lightly and continued. "What's the matter? Aren't you the Demon Slayer Corps? You say you want to kill Muzan. Surely you can manage a single Upper Moon Three... What was your name again?"
"...Akaza."
"Oh, right, Akaza. Surely you can kill him, can't you? I've already given you your eyesight back and a Mark." Sukuna nodded toward Gyomei Himejima.
Hearing this, Kagaya Ubuyashiki understood. What Sukuna said was simply the truth. The Demon Slayer Corps had the ultimate goal of killing Muzan Kibutsuji. They could not abandon that goal now, faced with Upper Moon Three Akaza.
And while Sukuna had killed several Hashira, he had also undeniably increased Gyomei Himejima's strength. As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya knew better than anyone that strength mattered more than numbers when facing powerful demons.
Shinobu tried to speak again. "But if we kill him, Sukuna-sama, you won't be able to lure Muzan to—"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki cut her off before she could finish and asked Sukuna,
"I have no objection to Sukuna-sama's arrangement. However, I wish to confirm one point. Once Muzan arrives, what will you do?"
"I will kill him."