Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

If Muzan kept a ledger in his mind, and the names of demons happened to be in it, Douma would definitely be at the top of the list.

Douma is undoubtedly a troublesome existence, but Muzan feels that, at least, Douma will not cause him any trouble.

This view was completely overturned when I habitually explored the field of vision.

------

Douma was punished, and it was a rare and severe punishment. Even the Upper Ranks were called over to watch the fun, including the siblings Jifutaro and Daki, who were finally officially included in the Upper Rank list not long ago after being observed for several years.

It is rare for the Upper Moons to be punished, but it is unprecedented for them to be punished publicly. Moreover, the target is Douma, who has been making rapid progress. This is enough to open a separate page in the history since the appearance of the Upper Moons.

The new siblings, unsure of the appropriate response in this situation, simply knelt quietly. Yuhu couldn't help but gloat over the misfortune. Bantiangou trembled, clutching his head. Akaza remained silent, but anyone could tell he was in a good mood. As for Kokushibo, he showed no reaction, his face expressionless, and his heart lacking any clear emotion.

Douma's punishment was Muzan's decision. He had no right to interfere and wasn't about to get involved. Instead, he was more focused on thinking about why Douma was being punished. Muzan wouldn't just sit around and chop up an upper-rank demon in front of a group of people just to pass the time. The key question is, what did Douma do wrong?

After sweeping his eyes across the scene, Kokushibo found the key to the problem.

The Upper Moons are all here, and Muzan is here too.

In this kind of occasion, there is a lack of a living being.

Cold light.

Kokushibo remembered that at the end of the last meeting, Rinko was once again handed over to Douma. And now, Douma was there, repeating the endless torture of shattering and healing, splitting and gluing together. Yet, Rinko had yet to appear. The reason for this punishment seemed easy to deduce...

Kokushibo simply couldn't wrap his head around it. While Rinko was certainly weak, she wasn't a worthless creature to be easily chopped off. After all these years of growth, if not progress, she certainly wouldn't regress. Furthermore, the current crop of demon hunters were infinitely weaker than Muzan and the ones he personally slew. It was unrealistic for them to capture Rinko. Douma, while unruly, wouldn't be so foolish as to abandon Rinko, given to him by Muzan himself, to the demon hunters...

"I should have said that I know everything you do and every thought you have... So you must remember what I say and do the tasks I assign you seriously. If anyone else disobeys my orders and acts on their own like Douma, it won't be as simple as punishment..."

Watching the excitement was fun, and watching Douma's excitement was even more interesting. But in front of a clearly angry boss, one's own life was more precious. The Upper Ranks, either relieved, worried, or terrified, knelt respectfully on the ground, heads bowed, eyes lowered, and whispered responses.

The sound of a pipa echoed, and the victim who did not appear in time finally appeared in the sight of the ghosts.

The boy sat on the ground, his exposed body thin but uninjured. But the very act of exposing himself was unusual. The coat had clearly endured a brutality it shouldn't have endured. The brutal force had ripped holes in the fine material, rendering it useless.

There would be no scars on the bodies of demons, so they had no way of knowing what had happened. But seeing Rinko in this state, and then looking at Douma who was currently unable to speak, anyone with a brain could roughly come to a conclusion.

Lin Guang suffered a disaster, and it was closely related to Douma.

Whether Douma did it himself, or instructed or used someone else to do it, it does not affect the fact that Rinkou suffered some undeserved treatment. Unfortunately, Douma's offense was noticed by Muzan, so whether it was insubordination or inadequate care, it does not affect the established reality that Douma needs to be punished.

"Rinko, follow Hantengu from now on."

Muzan doesn't seem ready to reveal what happened. There is no explanation, only conclusion.

"Ah."

The boy got up from the ground after receiving the order, but was stopped by Muzan before he could take a step. Before his vision could react, the tattered clothes were replaced. It was still a large and ill-fitting top, but at least it could serve its due purpose.

------

Muzan gathered this group of people very suddenly and adjourned the meeting very suddenly as well. When he left, he did not forget to take Douma with him, so the man who was about to open his mouth was unable to leave without saying a word.

The boss's departure relaxed the atmosphere considerably. Akaza stood up and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Rinkou, pointing his fingertips at his head.

"What did Douma do?"

It is obviously easier to get the answer by asking the victim directly than to figure it out yourself.

"Well... he wanted to eat me, but I didn't agree. After a few years of arguing, he decided not to ask me and just eat me."

Rinko said it lightly, and glossed over the long process of verbal tug-of-war and physical struggle with Douma in just one sentence.

"I told him he had a mental problem and deserved to be punished. It's a pity I didn't have time to punch him twice."

Akaza's dislike for Douma wasn't a sudden change. It was a long-standing aversion, perhaps simply a difference in style at first, then Douma's provocation, and then Rinkou's involvement. Now, he had another reason to dislike Douma.

"Is there something wrong with your brain?"

"Yeah. It was so noisy."

Rinkou expressed his curiosity appropriately. The veins on Akaza's forehead were throbbing, and there was an unfriendly smile on his face. He clenched his fists, and the bones crackled as he rubbed them together, as if he was warming up before doing something.

This is a somewhat amusing story for Rinko, but it's an extremely terrible experience for Akaza. Upper-rank demons can see into the vision of demons lower than themselves, and even speak directly into their heads. Coincidentally, Akaza, who is one level lower than Douma, is also Rinko's previous guardian.

Douma, who repeatedly ran into obstacles with Rinko, naturally began to pour out his troubles endlessly in Akaza's head and ask for solutions, forcing Akaza to even take the initiative to ask to see Muzan for the first time, just to make Douma shut up.

"That sounds like a tough experience..."

Rinko, who had been by Douma's side for decades and was very qualified to say this, sighed like this. Akaza let out a breath, relaxed his clenched fists, and swung his hands casually to dissipate his anger. His open palms finally landed on Rinko's head, and in a few seconds, he ruffled her short hair into a mess.

"I told you to study hard. If you learn how to fight, you can take Douma's head off and kick it like a ball."

Akaza spoke as if it were a matter of course. Rinkou remained expressionless, while Yuhu was baffled. While he had never met Rinkou, he had at least met Douma. Even if Douma-sama squatted down and stuck his head in, he wouldn't be able to take it off...

He was not the only one who had the same understanding, but everyone tacitly kept silent, because Akaza was not the only one who hoped that Rinkou would really do so.

"Maybe... you could consider... carrying a knife with you."

Kokushibo said so.

"But Rinko's strength is very small, not even as strong as mine."

Daki was reciting softly on the side. Although her voice was very low, everyone present could hear it clearly.

"That's why he was asked to carry a knife. It doesn't matter if he's not strong enough. As long as the knife is sharp enough, it can at least have some effect. If he can't chop off the head, he can at least pierce the stomach, right?"

His dry fingers scratched his cheeks, easily leaving marks on his face. The blood marks returned to normal in the next second. Jifu Taro's tone was nonchalant. He half-knelt on the side and looked up and down at the boy who was thinner than him.

"So you still have to become a little stronger yourself, Rinkou."

The fingertips touched the head again, and the whole head swayed like a little doll because of Akaza's fingers.

Yu Hu, who witnessed and heard everything, even opened his eyes wide.

Is this acceptable? A group of people teaching a child how to take off Lord Douma's head?