Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

So, what exactly is the mighty Upper Moon Four afraid of?

(A certain genius is finally about to appear, meow~)

Chapter 106 A Abundance of Geniuses

"Oh my, isn't this my old friend, the Tengu Beggar? What are you doing climbing up here all by yourself? Why don't you come up and sit next to me?"

Upon hearing Mitsuha's cheerful voice from afar, Hantengu suddenly shuddered and scrambled to a corner, cowering in fear.

"No! Don't come any closer! Miss Mitsuha, please don't come any closer!"

That's right, this half-tengu is the "tengu beggar" that Mitsuha met in that small town nearly a hundred years ago.

Back then, after the Keizo family was poisoned to death, the Tengu beggar, who was the only eyewitness, was arrested and severely beaten by the magistrate's constables who had been paid, and then driven out of the town.

After that, he wandered and begged in various towns for decades before he accidentally encountered Muzan when he was old. He was then transformed into a demon and eventually became one of the Upper Moon Four, and was given the name "Hantengu".

Even after transforming into a demon, this person could not change his human nature, which was characterized by a penchant for lying and cowardice.

Despite being the Fourth Upper Moon, he always seems terrified of everyone.

Especially towards her, this "old friend" they had known for a long time, they treated her like a plague...

"Honestly, little tengu, if you keep acting like this, you're really embarrassing us Upper Moon demons..."

Looking at the half-day dog ​​huddled in the corner howling incessantly from afar, Mitsuha sighed, but her face wore a smiling expression.

Yes, she's wicked. She loves seeing Bantiangou terrified of her.

In fact, if he wasn't terribly frightened each time, she would do something to deliberately scare him a couple of times.

There's no way around it, because teasing this coward is really fun.

With another note from the pipa, the fifth figure of the night entered the Infinite City.

It is Akaza, who is the Upper Moon Three.

With a few drops of blood still on his fist, he was stunned by the sudden change in the scene around him. Then, he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and, like Bantengo, found a corner and sat down cross-legged.

Clearly, Akaza was suddenly teleported in the middle of a boxing match.

The sudden interruption of their sparring session annoyed him.

"Komaji, you didn't hurt anyone, did you?"

In the distance, Mitsuha's voice drifted over.

"No! It was just a few people getting a few scrapes and bruises!"

"That's good. Good children don't lie, okay?"

"You stinky woman! Stop treating me like a child!"

Akaza replied loudly without turning his head, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

All the ghosts present were already used to this exchange between the two, as it had been going on for years.

Among the Upper Moon demons, who doesn't know that Mitsuha is Akaza's "guardian"?

Even Hantengu, who was huddled in another corner, was secretly watching Akaza's displeased face and chuckling to himself.

[It's so funny how Akaza-sama, who considers himself a "tough guy," is treated like a little kid by Mitsuha-sama, whether he's human or demon...]

Sitting on the high platform, Nakime also suppressed a laugh and plucked the lute in her arms once more.

Another pipa tune sounded, and this time, a teapot jumped in.

To be precise, it was a fish-man who lived in the pot who hopped and skipped in.

"Oh my, it seems all of you are here? So the one who was slain by the demon slayer this time is Upper Moon Six, who is ranked after me?"

The fifth of the Upper Moons – Jade Pot.

Even among the demons Mitsuha had seen in the past, Gyokko's appearance was unique.

His lower body was connected to a pot, and his entire body was white and covered with fish scales.

His two mouths are located where his eyes are, while his eyes are located on his forehead and mouth respectively.

Several small, baby-like arms grow on each side of his head, which sway up and down with his movements, making it extremely eerie.

Most of Yu Hu's Blood Demon Techniques are related to his pot.

Not only can he teleport freely between the pots he makes, but in battle, his seemingly small pot can also release a large number of various demonic fish that can cause different attack effects on the demon hunter.

In addition, Mitsuha had even heard that Gyokko's hands could turn anything he touched, whether living or dead, into fish...

In short, it's very weird.

What's even stranger is that this person, for some unknown reason, has an extraordinary adoration for Lord Muzan.

To what extent did the worship reach?

It's gotten to the point where even if Muzan twisted his head off and used it as a ball, he would blush and shout, "Muzan-sama, you kicked it well!" or "Muzan-sama, your moves are so cool!"...

This is really weird.

As a result, Mitsuha usually doesn't want to have much interaction with this mentally unstable companion.

Of course, Mitsuha wasn't the only one in the Upper Moon group who shared similar thoughts...

"Huh? Why is everyone so quiet? Could it be that the one killed this time wasn't Upper Moon Six?"

In the sudden silence, Nakime silently plucked the lute in her arms one last time.

As the pipa music faded, a child-like Muzan appeared atop the high-rise building.

It seems that Master Muzan has been spending his time being someone's son lately...

Nearly a century later, apart from being a little younger, Muzan's appearance hasn't changed much; only his brows are filled with suppressed anger.

"I've met Master Wuhan."

With the appearance of the Demon King, from Kokushibo sitting alone in the downstairs room to Mitsuha dangling her legs while sitting on the railing, all the demons in the Infinite Castle bowed their heads and paid their respects.

However, Muzan remained silent in the face of the greetings from the demons.

But Mitsuha knew very well that the silence at this moment was just the calm before the storm.

After all, everyone present knew that the Upper Moon meeting was basically just a way to vent their anger on the Demon King, and they were already used to it...

"Why……"

Sure enough, after a short silence, Muzan spoke slowly in a deep voice that was completely out of character for his size.

"Why, even though so many years have passed, are there still Upper Moon demons being killed?"

Why, despite having received so much of my blood, can't they defeat mere humans?

Sensing the anger that was about to erupt in Muzan's words, Hantengu, who was almost lying on the ground below, was about to scream.

"Master Wuhan."

At this point, perhaps Mitsuha needs to step in and ease the tension.

So she immediately raised her hand and suggested with a smile:

"May I ask which demon slayers killed Upper Moon Six? Or should I just go and take care of them?"

Chapter 107 Ghost King's Hack Mechanism

Unfortunately, her attempt to reconcile the conflict didn't work very well this time.

"If Mitsuha has to do everything, what's the point of having the other Upper Moon demons?!"

His anger surged, veins bulging on his face, and Muzan roared in near rage:

"I don't understand, I don't comprehend how you, as one of the most powerful evil spirits in the world, as beings far stronger than humans."

Why do I always get killed by those weak, ant-like demon hunters?!

Is this how you treat the trust I placed in you?!

"Lord Muzan, I am willing to do this for you..."

"Enough! I'm tired of all you idiots! Mitsuha!"

"Hmm? Lord Muzan, you called me?"

Muzan waved his hand, interrupting Gyokko, and suddenly called out Mitsuha's name.

Meeting her questioning gaze, Muzan gave the order in an unyielding tone:

"The next Upper Moon meeting... no, from now on, unless something special happens, you will be in charge of presiding over both the Upper Moon and Lower Moon meetings!"

The changes and additions to the seats are also up to you to choose. I don't want to waste my time on these boring things anymore!

I'm going to focus all my energy on finding the blue spider lily!

As soon as Muzan finished speaking, not only Mitsuha, but all the other demons present were stunned.

Is Lord Muzan... planning to just abandon us?

Because he was so disappointed that the Twelve Demon Moons were always killed by demon slayers, he... became withdrawn?

No, is it possible to do it this way?

At that moment, Mitsuha suddenly understood why Muzan had specifically requested her to attend this Upper Moon meeting...

So this is what you were waiting for me all along?!

No, Muzan-sama! You're just fed up and dumping all this trouble on me, aren't you?!

I don't want to get involved either!

"That's it, that's it!"

A bright smile instantly bloomed on her face. Mitsuha clapped her hands and pretended to be clueless, saying:

"So, besides me, there's another Upper Moon demon named Mitsuha?"

Excellent! Then let's leave the Upper Moon meetings to this lucky lady who shares my name!

Lord Muzan! If there's nothing else, I'll be going now..."

"Don't play dumb!"

With the sound of a pipa, Mitsuha, who was sitting upstairs just a second ago, was teleported directly to Muzan's side by Nakime the next second.

The merciless iron claws slammed down on Mitsuha's shoulder. Muzan turned to look at the still-stunned demons below and repeated in his furious voice:

"From this moment on, apart from information related to the Blue Spider Lily, you no longer need to report to me on anything else. Just report to Mitsuha directly."

She has the authority to handle anything except the blue spider lily, understand?!

"Yes, yes! Lord Muzan..."

"Wait! Lord Muzan! I think this kind of thing should be..."

"That's it!"

Without giving Mitsuha a chance to stop him, as if he had finally gotten rid of this mess, Muzan disappeared in a flash accompanied by the sound of a biwa.

Inside the Infinite City, silence fell once again.

Mitsuha lowered his outstretched hand, silently turned his head to look at the group of demons below who, like him, had blank expressions, staring at each other wide-eyed.

"Congratulations, Miss Mitsuha! Congratulations, Lord Upper Moon One!"

The first to react was Yuhu.

He skipped and hopped forward, opened his arms, and raised his hand to give Mitsuha his warmest blessing.

"Miss Mitsuba, as one of the first demons among us to be transformed by Lord Muzan, is not only powerful but also enjoys Lord Muzan's deep trust. She is truly a role model for us all! She is an example we must follow!"

From this day forward! I, Yukko, will wholeheartedly assist Miss Mitsuha! I will share your burdens! I will help you maintain the success of the Upper Moon Conference!

Even if you need it, even for the Lower Moon meeting, Yu Hu is willing to offer her humble assistance!

In stark contrast to Gyokuko's fervent enthusiasm, Akaza merely sneered and mocked without any restraint:

"Assist? I think you just want to use this opportunity to curry favor with Lord Muzan, don't you?"

"Your Excellency Akaza!"