Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Akaza is a good fighter.

This is not deliberate praise, but just an objective evaluation.

Not only is he good at fighting, he also likes fighting.

Although Rinko was unable to witness how a demon became a Lower Moon and how he fought his way up from a Lower Moon to an Upper Moon, he was fortunate enough to witness how a Lower Six continued to fight his way up.

After being entrusted to Akaza by Muzan, Rinkou rarely met with Muzan on his own initiative. Most of the time, he would be taken over by Akaza when Muzan asked him for instructions or when Akaza had something to report. Muzan would then take him over to check on his feeding status as if it were a regular check-up.

For example, this time, Akaza wanted to start a bloody battle by switching positions, so he took the initiative to find Muzan. After his consent, the other upper-rank who was challenged was also summoned, and Rinko naturally found the safest place, next to Muzan, and then sat down, ready to watch a big battle.

"How does it feel to follow Akaza?"

Muzan didn't look at him, but just asked lightly.

"Very good, I like it very much. Lord Akaza and I get along very well. We get along very well, most of the time."

This is also the truth. Rinko's many years with Akaza can actually be summed up in one sentence.

Sleep, wake up to exercise, fight, on the way to fight, then pick flowers along the way. And so it went. This cycle repeated itself year after year.

Akaza wasn't much of a cannibal, and neither was Rinkou. Akaza loved picking fights, while Rinkou loved to squeeze in a leisure activity between sleep and exercise—watching a fight.

So they really get along very well.

"Most of the time?"

When talking to this point, people usually wait for the other party to continue asking questions. However, Muzan looked at the two people fighting in the field and naturally followed up with the questions.

"Most of the time. Occasionally we disagree." Lord Akaza would throw me in front of the demon hunters, saying that it was to give me some practice.

Of course, the second half of the sentence couldn't be said. Lin Guang just went over it in his mind and passed over the topic.

"But mostly, I like it. Akaza-dono, very good."

Rinko nodded in affirmation, and his resolute tone made Muzan curious. How did Akaza get the ability to make Rinko like him so much? You know, Rinko's evaluation of Kokushibo was just "very powerful". He never said he liked him.

"Did you give him anything?"

"I gave him candy, but Akaza-dono refused to eat it. I gave him a wreath, and he wore it very, very, very reluctantly. Unfortunately, it was later damaged by a ghost, and the ghost's blood and brains were used to smear the floor."

It is indeed a high degree of liking.

Giving something as a gift is a childish act, and that’s how Rinkou expresses himself.

Muzan had received all sorts of strange little gifts: picked wild fruit, caught rabbits, woven grass rings, fledgling birds, and of course, some that weren't quite right, like the Nichirin Blade that Rinkou had found somewhere. That couldn't really be called a gift. Muzan was on the verge of throwing both the demon and the blade out.

As the sharing of recent stories draws to a close, the battle on the field has been decided.

The loser is devoured by the victor, just like in a hunt, the successful hunter gets the spoils and food, so the bloody battle of switching positions is essentially no different from a foraging battle. At least that's what Lin Guang thinks.

"Can I go now?"

Lin Guang looked up at Muzan and stood up after receiving the other party's signal.

Demons have a possessive nature towards food, which is similar to their territorial consciousness, so Rinkou usually keeps his distance when facing a demon eating. Whether it is Akaza, Kokushibo, or Muzan, he treats them all with the same courtesy.

But I don’t know whether it is because he really doesn’t like eating and this fact is too deeply rooted in his ghost heart, or whether these ghosts really treat him as some kind of cub. This kind of politeness will disappear after eating once.

The next time a meal was served, he would be carried over by his temporary guardian to eat together. After repeatedly resisting in vain, Lin Guang calmly accepted the reality.

"It's amazing, it has become crazy."

Rinkou sat opposite Akaza, tilting his head to look at the blood-stained face, his gaze locked on the pair of golden eyes, the words in them really changed.

"Next time it will be three."

Akaza doesn't take his current achievements seriously. His goal is always the next higher point. Rinko tilted his head back and said "oh".

Three, then two, etc. Will Akaza challenge Kokushibo later?

Akaza is a good fighter. Indeed.

But Kokushibo.

Is he better at fighting...

If you switch places and lose in a bloody battle, you will be eaten. If Akaza cannot defeat Kokushibo, will he also be eaten by Kokushibo...just like the former Upper Four who was eaten by Akaza.

"What are you thinking about?"

The bloody hand touched his head, Lin Guang withdrew his thoughts and blinked.

"I was wondering who is better at fighting, you or Lord Kokushibo."

"What's the conclusion?"

"Master Kokushibo."

Akaza wasn't surprised and just snorted.

"Kill him sooner or later."

"Ah."

Sooner or later... a well-used word. Like the phrase "in two days," it could be the day after tomorrow, or it could just be a few years. Muzan had told Akaza to keep him with him 'for now,' but there was no precise timeframe. And yet, in the blink of an eye, it's been a few years, a decade, maybe even decades.

"What are you thinking about?"

When Rinko looked up, Akaza had already finished processing even the bones. Rinko stood up from the ground and consciously jumped onto Akaza's shoulders. Muzan had left without a trace. After the corpses were processed, only a faint smell of blood remained, but it disappeared by dawn.

"You're now Upper 4, so who's going to take your vacant position? When I first met you, you were Upper 6, so who's Upper 6 now?"

Akaza was stunned by this question. It was very rare for ghosts to get along like he and Rinko did. Most ghosts might not meet a few of their own kind until they died, and if they did, they would most likely fight. Unless Muzan personally gathered the ghosts together, it would be difficult for him to get this information.

"I don't know, but we'll meet each other sooner or later."

Akaza, however, didn't really care for such things. Rinko nodded, thinking he had a point, but he was still a little curious, or perhaps even expectant. It would be great if the other Upper Ranks were as easy to get along with as Akaza. It would be even better if they wouldn't throw him in front of demon hunters or constantly try to stuff food into his mouth. If they could fly... that would be even more fun.

But are there any ghosts that can fly?

"Akoza, can ghosts fly?"

"If you want to fly, I can let you experience it."

Akaza said it so calmly that Rinko paused for a second, then nodded immediately without even asking whether it was true or not.

"Okay. Then let you try to fly."

When Rinko felt the hand grabbing the back of his collar, he tensed for a moment, but between immediately hugging Akaza's head and trusting Akaza, he chose the latter. So Rinko was pulled down by the collar like a kitten.

He watched helplessly as Akaza lifted him up and moved him backwards. After taking a deep breath to gather strength, he took a step forward. The sound of the ground breaking was clear, but only for a moment. After that, he could only hear the sound of the wind.

Ok.

Throw it away.

How come it doesn’t count?

Flying away.