Chapter 7: Broken Bonds

Kazuki desperately ran towards the fallen Tanjiro. He knew that it would be fatal if he bled any further as he had already lost a lot of blood the moment of the cut.

He didn't dare to say anything when he watched him stand up while bleeding, as the demon failed to notice his presence, which was everything they needed to finish it off.

As the white-haired boy ran forwards he found himself being blocked by Nezuko, whose veins were popping out of her forehead and she was drooling from her mouth. He heard a loud hiss coming from her.

"Nezuko... stop…" Kazuki pleaded through ragged breaths but managed to stand up. He had to stop the bleeding or else he would die for sure. "I… have to check on your brother."

He didn't seem to get through to her as she didn't move from her spot. Kazuki noticed that the girl didn't look directly at his eyes, but rather, she scanned his face over and over.

Kazuki realized what she was looking at. The blood had stopped dripping from his forehead, but he still had the remains smeared on his face, and it was still fresh.

He took a step backward, but the demon girl took a step forward. Her claws were trembling as she made her way towards Kazuki.

He gulped. He had no strength left to fight her; the Total Concentration breathing left him on the verge of passing out. It was a miracle that he still had the strength to stand up.

He had to calm her down somehow or else—

"PIG ASSAULT!"

Or wait for Inosuke to charge at her and head-butt her with such force that it sent the demon girl flying. She crashed into a tree trunk, leaving a sizable hole in it.

"Oi Zuzuko, I didn't give you permission to attack your comrades! Behave!" Inosuke said as he pointed his finger towards the stunned demoness.

Kazuki blinked once and shook his head. For once, Inosuke had a better plan than him. He didn't dare to argue against it.

The boar-head demon slayer ran towards the fallen Tanjiro and started to shake him violently. "Sanjuro! Wake up!" Inosuke yelled, his voice cracking. "Wake up!"

Kazuki gritted his teeth and forcibly pushed him away. "Stop shaking him, he will bleed out at this rate!" he said as he placed his hand on Tanjiro's neck. He felt a low, but present pulse and immediately started to press the wound with the cloth. "He's alive, he just passed out."

Inosuke let out a deep breath and raised both of his arms, laughing. "We won Kazuma, we did it!"

"This is hardly the time to be celebrating..." Kazuki said as he sighed. Still, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment coming from inside of him. It was true, they won, and no one died today.

A question popped up in his mind. They won, but at what cost? Tanjiro lost his arm, and he would probably have to retire from demon-slaying missions for good. At that point, who could save Nezuko from her curse?

He then saw the fallen demon girl, and couldn't help but look at her with pity. Both siblings would have it rough in the future, and they would need all the help they could get… not that they didn't before.

"Hashibara, can you please check on Nezuko? She's likely alive but that was still a hard—"

His instincts grew sharp as he heard rustling coming from the bushes. A silhouette emerged from the bushes and rushed towards Nezuko at blinding speed. Kazuki was about to shout for trouble but his throat pain stung like a thousand needles and he touched a hand to his neck on instinct.

"Hashi—"

He heard swords clashing. Inosuke managed to get in the way of the threat. Another slayer had entered the fray. He had messy golden hair with red bangs and golden eyes.

"Woah there, little man! I almost stabbed you!" The man grinned, looking at the fallen Nezuko. "Could you please move?"

"No way!" Inosuke yelled, "You have no permission to attack my underlings, now fight me!"

The man raised his eyebrow. "You do realize that you are protecting a demon, right?!"

"Yeah, so?"

"There's literally nothing more to say!"

Kazuki stood up. His feet trembled and his lungs felt like they were about to burst, but he had to endure it. He needed to hurry and protect Nezuko while Inosuke's stupidity stalled the mysterious man.

"And what the hell does that have to do with anything?!"

"Seems I'm not getting through to you…" the man said as he closed his eyes. His smile shifted into a frown. "Step aside please, or else I will be forced to shove you away!"

That threat seemed to rile up Inosuke even more. "Order me around again and I'll rip your face off—"

Just as a fight was about to break out, Nezuko vanished from her position. Inosuke turned around and started to shake his head like a swivel in attempts to find her.

The man with the golden hair lowered down his weapon and started to walk away from him.

"Where the hell are you going, fight me!"

Inosuke charged at the man with both of his blades raised. Just as he got in range, the man simply ducked and curved towards his backside. He chopped the back of Inosuke's head and instantly knocked him out of his senses.

"Hashibara!"

"Okay, what the hell is this?"

Kazuki's eyes widened as he heard an all too familiar voice behind him. He slowly turned around and saw a very tall man with long white hair with blue strands tied into a ponytail. He had the same eye color as him.

He knew this man. He knew the current Ice Pillar.

Miyamoto Junichiro, his older brother.

He was carrying the demon girl by pulling her by her kimono. Nezuko wailed, desperate to free herself of the grip, but it was like steel, as Junichiro didn't even budge. She tried to use her claws to wound her captor's arm, but her nails couldn't even get past his skin.

"Alright, I gave you plenty of time to break free, little girl." He grinned as he threw Nezuko to the ground and unsheathed his sword. "Time to die!"

Kazuki snarled and quickly threw himself to grab his brother's arm. He stopped him in his tracks and glared at him with rage.

"Do not… kill her!"

Junichiro glanced at Kazuki's bloodied face for a moment. He tilted his head and blinked.

Slowly, his face blanched. He held his breath and went into a daze.

He was in such a trance that it gave time for Kazuki to get towards Nezuko and calm her down.

"Kazuki…?" Junichiro said, his voice trembling. He kneeled towards him and stretched out his arms, only for Kazuki to back off. "I… I'm glad to see that you're alive."

"…Likewise," Kazuki muttered, not sure what to say on the matter.

"You're Kazuki?!"

Kazuki jumped as he heard the golden-haired slayer approach him. He backed off as the man got too close for comfort and stared him dead in the eye. His jaw dropped and he let out a wholehearted laugh.

"No way, it's true! He has the same eyes and hair as you!"

Junichiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay… okay, before we can have a proper reunion, Kazuki, can you explain to us why in the world you are protecting a demon?!" he said as he looked at Nezuko with a judgmental stare. His seething anger and trembling hand made it seem that he was doing his best on holding, and it took a toll on him. "I'm surprised that she hasn't lashed out at you considering you're turning your back against her."

Kazuki looked towards Nezuko, whose eyes were focused solely on Tanjiro. It appeared she still retained a bit of common sense if she knew that the moment she made sudden movements, she was going to get decapitated.

He had to get her out of this situation somehow…

Kazuki took a deep breath and began to speak. "Truth to be told, I'm not the type of person that would go to these lengths to protect someone, as I only have one goal in mind that I want to accomplish, no matter what," he said, glancing towards Tanjiro. His heart ached. "But… this demon's brother lost an arm because I thought of everyone as expendable objects. Now he's crippled, and he might not be able to save her from her curse. Now I don't know how to feel about it..."

"Appealing for sympathy is no good as an excuse!" the golden-haired slayer said, pointing his blade towards Nezuko. "Step aside please, or else I will be forced to shove you away as I did to your friend."

Kazuki gritted his teeth and placed his arm in front of Nezuko. "Make. Me."

Junichiro raised his arms in a placating manner. "Maybe if you explain to us why the hell we should trust your little demon friend instead of flat out telling us that you fucked up, then we could rethink our decision."

The golden-haired slayer grimaced and looked at him incredulously. "Are we really doing this, Junichiro?"

Junichiro shrugged and started to stretch himself. "It appears so, that little demon isn't doing anything fishy anyway, so I guess we could hear him out again. I don't think our answer will change though."

"It won't change!" Kyojuro said passionately. "But if you think you can convince us, then go ahead young man! Be quick, as there are people that are in dire need of medical attention and the last thing we should do is waste time in this folly!"

"Just like he said," Junichiro muttered. His voice became more grave. "You have one minute to speak. Don't waste it."

Kazuki gulped. He could feel the pressure from the stares of both men, but what unsettled him the most was his brother's look. His eyes looked out of place, and his body movements looked like he was trying his hardest to contain his bloodlust.

He seemed… volatile, to say the least. A shell from the man he was once before.

He had to be quick and concise with his answer.

"In the short time I've known her, I haven't seen her eat a single piece of human flesh, and I'm sure Tanjiro kept it that way. She protected us and helped us fight a demon even when she herself is one of their kin," he explained. "She also might be the key to Muzan's downfall, as she's the only demon who managed to survive and retain her sanity at this point without drinking a single drop of blood."

Junichiro cupped his chin and hummed, seemingly taking all of this new information in. Kyojuro seemed to be in deep thought as well, as no one had ever heard about a demon who survived without taking blood and not going berserk. It would make even the most stubborn people think twice when making a decision.

"Young man, even if what you're saying might be true, trusting a demon itself is already out of the question," Kyojuro said with a frown, before shaking his head.

"Not only that, there's hardly any evidence that proves to me that this girl is harmless. I have to see it to believe it," Junichiro muttered. "I'm sorry, but she must die, we're out of time..."

Kazuki's eyes widened as he watched his brother raise his sword.

"Stop…"

He took the position to decapitate her. Nezuko tried to back off, but she stopped the moment she saw Kyojuro block her path, his blade unsheathed. The light blue color of the blade shone through the night.

Junichiro swung his sword. Kazuki's eyes welled up the moment he imagined Nezuko's head falling off.

"Please sto–"

"Message! Message!"

The slayers stopped their movements the moment they heard a high-pitched voice from above. A black raven flew in circles while its squawk could be heard across the entire forest.

"Capture the siblings Tanjiro and the demon Nezuko and return them to the headquarters! The boy has a scar on his forehead and the demon girl has a bamboo gag!"

Junichiro looked down towards the direction where Nezuko was supposed to stay, only to find out that she had vanished from her position.

Kazuki heard footsteps behind and turned around. He spotted the girl running towards the fallen Tanjiro. She placed her hand on his chest.

"Stop her Kyojuro, she's going to eat him!" Junichiro shouted in panic. He ran towards Nezuko with his sword unsheathed. Kazuki immediately grabbed his foot. He fell down for that stunt but it made the Ice Pillar stop in his tracks.

"No wait, you have to trust her!"

"Are you seriously spouting that bullshit now?!" Junichiro snarled as he gritted his teeth and shook Kazuki off him.

Kyojuro was already on the move and closed the distance to Nezuko. As soon as he was about to cut off her head, a light shone from her surroundings. It enveloped both siblings in a harsh pinkish fire.

"Dammit, I failed to take into account her Blood Demon Art!" Kyojuro said as he tried to get close to the fire. "I can't get in!"

However, just as both Pillars were wary of the fire, Kazuki noticed an anomaly with it. This particular fire differed from that of a regular one. Its color was different, and it didn't spread through the ground.

Kazuki mustered enough strength to stand up and limped towards the fire. Just as he was about to close the distance, he felt a grip from behind, snaring him in place. It was his brother, who looked absolutely livid. "What are you doing?! Do you want to get burned?!"

"You have to trust me!" Kazuki spat back. "She's not going to harm him."

"Not going to harm him? NOT GOING TO HARM HIM?!" Junichiro snapped as his face became flustered from the anger. "Are you even seeing what's happening in front—"

The fire dissipated at an unnatural pace, almost instantaneously. The atmosphere went eerily silent as they both watched Nezuko and Tanjiro unharmed, not even their clothes getting burnt in the fire.

"Unbelievable!" Kyojuro's mouth gaped open. "Both of them are okay, and the demon isn't even eating him. This… this is insane."

"You have to be fucking kidding me," Junichiro growled, as he released Kazuki from his grip. "What was the point of the fire then?"

Kazuki walked towards Nezuko warily and the girl quickly riled up the moment he saw him. He flinched at her reaction but quickly regained his composure and spoke.

"It's alright, let me check on him," Kazuki said in a low tone, careful to not alarm the girl. "I'm not going to hurt him."

The veins on her head retracted and she nodded.

Kazuki made his way closer and started to inspect Tanjiro's body. He touched his neck. A faint heartbeat could be felt and Kazuki couldn't help but sigh in relief. Good, it appeared that he was still alive, but what worried him the most was the bleeding. It could be fatal if that was left unchecked.

Surprisingly, the blood from the cloth he had given Tanjiro was dry, and it didn't seem that any fresh blood came out of the wound. Rather, the hole had been cauterized completely!

"The bleeding… it's stopped!" Kazuki said as he tried to think of the possibilities of this outcome. He then sent a pleading look to Nezuko. "What did you do?!"

The girl merely blinked twice at his comment. It appeared that she didn't know how to answer that question either.

"Junichiro, what do you think about this?" Kyojuro asked, his face neutral. "I haven't seen anything like this before."

"Me neither…" Junichiro muttered as he cupped his chin. "Maybe Ubayashiki-sama has the answers. I cannot see any other reason for him to summon a freaking demon to his main headquarters. She's the demon of the bamboo muzzle right? I'm not seeing her wearing it on her mouth."

"You can tell that it's kind of obvious that they're siblings, so yeah, this is her," Kyojuro said. "This must be very serious if the Master sent his personal crow to warn us. I don't like this!"

Junichiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's two of us, but what the hell, let's do what he says," he said as he looked at Tanjiro. His face then twisted into that of pity. "Right, we can't bring that boy to the headquarters. He can hardly move at this point and he needs medical treatment fast. We have to take him to Shinobu so she can patch him up."

He then elbowed Kyojuro. "Your turn to play mule now. I'm already tired after today's shit-show."

"Fair enough," Kyojuro said as he walked towards Tanjiro. Nezuko took notice of the man approaching and placed herself in front of him. She started to grow in size.

The golden-haired slayer narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on his sword.

"Hey... Nezuko?" Kazuki said as he tapped her shoulder. The girl turned around with a snarl but remained on her spot. "Calm down, they're not going to hurt Tanjiro. They just want to take him somewhere safe. They are trying to save his life, but they will definitely hurt you if you interfere with their job."

At that point, Nezuko closed her eyes and started to shrink back to her regular size. Without making a sound, she moved away from her brother.

Kazuki felt a little regretful that the demoness still trusts him. She didn't seem to know that the reason her brother lost his arm was because he used him as an expendable object.

She didn't even know that he didn't warn Tanjiro about the risks. He had to make it clear to her later on.

Kyojuro eased his posture and walked towards Tanjiro. He conducted a brief inspection on his wounds before using both hands to lift him up.

"I'll take him to the Kakushi, you check on the others Junichiro!" he said, briefly giving a look to Kazuki. "...And good luck."

With that, the golden-haired slayer stormed out of the area.

Nezuko quietly shrunk and crawled back into her box. The white-haired boy noticed the demon girl's lips quiver as she placed herself in a fetal position and closed the door.

He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through at the moment. He didn't even want to think about it.

She was probably desperate to see her brother's condition, but she had to wait, as she had to attend an audience with the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. She would be on her own by then.

An awkward silence enveloped the atmosphere, as the boy simply stared at his brother with a flat look.

The Ice Pillar averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head. He took notice of the wound on his forehead and sighed.

"Hey, are you okay? That right up there is definitely going to give you a scar…" he said as he knelt towards Kazuki and extended his hand. "Here, let me take you to our medics, they'll give you the best treatment."

Kazuki's eyes widened as he saw flashes of old memories from the distant past.

"Will you come back?"

He saw his brother let out a kind smile as he patted his head.

"But of course, I always come back."

A small glint could be seen in his eyes.

"You promise…?"

Junichiro gave a thumbs up.

"I promise."

Kazuki gritted his teeth and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me..."

That reaction startled the Ice Pillar. A deep frown colored his face as he furrowed his brows, then shook his head and sighed.

"Right, I figured you wouldn't want to see my face ever again."

Kazuki noticed the dead tone he carried over him. They both hadn't seen each other over the course of three years, and the first thing he did when he saw his brother was to slap his hand away from him and reject his help. He was being mean but the man totally deserved it after leaving him to die on that island.

A stream of emotions came over him. He couldn't deal with his brother right now; he had to think before he acted. The guilt of Tanjiro losing his arm because of him was too much to bear and having to deal with his brother's excuses right now would drive him crazy.

He just wanted to rest right now.

"No, it's just… I need a clear head if I want to settle matters with you."

That seemed to elicit a reaction from the Pillar as he beamed. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face and he nodded.

"A lot has happened before I arrived here, so I understand that you might want some time alone," Junichiro said. He frowned again at Kazuki's bleeding forehead. "You sure you don't want anyone to carry you? That wound might get infected."

The white-haired boy shook his head. "I can stand up on my own, if the Kakushi can guide me to the medics? I will go there."

"Think it would be better if I guided you to them? To be honest, you don't look in the best shape to walk on your own," Junichiro asked as he extended his hand yet again.

Kazuki said nothing. He merely stared at his brother's hand emotionlessly. He wanted to slap it again, but his body felt so heavy that he didn't feel like walking anymore. He sighed and took it.

Junichiro grinned and lifted him up. The older man used his right arm to lift Kazuki up and support him on his shoulder.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes as he noticed a peculiar detail. "You're missing an arm…" he said wearily. "How did it happen?"

The Ice Pillar glanced at his left side and narrowed his eyes. He sighed. "A lot has happened ever since we last saw each other. I'll spare you the details and just tell you that it wasn't pretty."

"Did you lose it in your fight against Upper Moon Two?"

That made the Pillar flinch a little. The white-haired boy could see his brother's face twist from a frown into a hateful scowl for a brief moment before he nodded.

"Who told you that?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"Amane-san told me that the reason you couldn't arrive at our village was that your fight against it three years ago stopped you. I had a hunch as to what kind of injuries you suffered and also…" Kazuki trailed off, not sure if he should say it, but he went on with it. "Sorry for your loss."

Junichiro's frown didn't change and merely started to walk away. No words needed to be said between them as they let themselves be immersed in their thoughts.

Kazuki closed his eyes and let his body rest. He felt exhaustion crawling upon him and felt like passing out at any moment. He had pushed himself past his limits and was sure that it would have heavy costs on his body. He had to drink his medicine when he woke up.

"Kanao-chan, would you please take that boar masked kid back to Shinobu?"

The white-haired boy opened his eyes and glanced towards the brunette girl with the butterfly pin emerging from the bushes. He had met this Kanao girl earlier as she was the one that guided him towards this location. Seemed like she was one of his brother's companions.

"Of course nii-san, I will."

Kazuki froze and his heart skipped a beat. His hands clenched Junichiro's uniform to the point of almost ripping it off. He shot his brother a glare, one that demanded explanations for him, one that pleaded that the girl was only confused with her statement.

The Pillar noticed his reaction and his eyes widened. He raised his hands and tried to explain himself, but all he could do was stutter.

That was because the girl wasn't confused at all. She really addressed him like a brother.

Kazuki could only shove his brother away, letting his emotions take over. "...What did she just call you?" he muttered loudly enough for him to hear.

"L-Listen, I can explain–"

"Explain? EXPLAIN?!" Kazuki yelled. His bloodshot blue eyes glared into his brother's own, making the Pillar back off. "How the fuck can you explain this?! It's one thing that you abandoned me when everyone died at the village, but now I find out you have a replacement?"

Kanao could merely blink at the brothers' exchange. She seemed oblivious to what was going on.

The white-haired boy grabbed Nezuko's box and started to walk away with a deep scowl on his face. He shot one last glance at his brother, who still couldn't utter a single word to him and simply looked distraught. He shook his head.

"I can't see your face anymore."

The Pillar opened his mouth and spoke. "Hey, where are you going?" Junichiro asked as he extended his hand. "Hey, wait!"

Kazuki ignored him and kept walking away at a faster pace. He didn't even want to look at his brother's pathetic side anymore, even worse if he was with his fake sister.

He walked further, and further away from him. He plucked the bushes that were on his way. Once he made sure no one was following him, he kneeled down beside a nearby tree and placed the box from his back by his side.

He took deep breaths as his body couldn't take it anymore. It felt like breathing took nearly all of his remaining energy, and his eyes felt like dried sponges for all the strain they have been through.

He turned to look at the box where Nezuko resided and decided that it would be best to speak to her now before the situation got worse.

"Nezuko, how are you holding up?" Kazuki asked. He grimaced as soon as the words left his mouth and resisted the urge to punch himself in the face. "Yeah, stupid question…"

No response, the girl didn't make a sound.

"Listen, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I did to your brother. If I only had devised a safer plan to kill the demon, he might have been able to make it out in one piece," Kazuki said as he bit his lower lip. He internally cursed himself at his horrendous wording. "I might not be able to pay my debt to him… I doubt I can ever do it, but the least I can do right now is warn you. When I hand you over to the Kakushi, you'll be on your own, Tanjiro is not going to help you, and I don't think no one can vouch for your safety. I doubt no one wants to hear the word of someone that isn't part of the corps. I'll try to send my cat to Tamayo-san… but by the time she's back, the audience will have finished. You'll have to prove your innocence on your own."

He sighed when all he received was silence and continued.

"Listen, I'm only asking you to remain calm when you face the head of the corps, no matter if he watches you with fear or disdain. If you manage to earn a good impression from the leader, he could be generous and grant you custody with your brother. Tap the box twice if you get it."

He heard no response and scowled. Maybe the girl went to sleep and he had been rambling like a lunatic for five minutes.

"Will… I… be able… to see Onii-chan… if I do it right…?"

Kazuki's eyes widened when he heard the girl speak from the inside of the box. Her voice was raspy and the words that came out of her mouth seemed to take a great deal of effort to her. Did her earlier berserk state change her mindset in some way?

Details for later; he had a question to answer.

"That depends on you," he said as a matter of fact. He couldn't make false promises to her, as even he wasn't sure what would happen to her. When the girl didn't seem to talk any further, the white-haired boy stood up and grabbed the wooden box.

"Now, we should—"

Kazuki couldn't finish his sentence as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He felt a sting in his head, his vision got blurry and his legs started to shake. He started to feel nauseous and he felt his head spinning in circles. He coughed up blood and he started to have shallow breaths.

He used the Ice Breath too much without rest, and he didn't drink his medicine. The only reason he managed to walk away was because of the adrenaline from the previous battle.

He really shouldn't have let his emotions get the better of him and let himself be carried by Junichiro.

"Now you should carry me back to the Kakushi if you would be so kind…"

He heard a faint meow coming from the box as he collapsed to the ground. His vision blacked out.

Why in the world was Chachamaru inside of Nezuko's box?

"Please forgive me, Kibutsuji-sama!"

She heard Kamanue wail as he was enveloped by Muzan's monstrous arm. The eldritch abomination began to deform and eyes began to appear on top of it, as it was a sentient being of destruction. Its mouth started to gape open and leaned closer towards the demon.

"I'm so sorry, please!"

She watched as Lower Moon 6 breathed his last before his entire body got mauled by Muzan. All for questioning his decision about the Lower Moons going to kill the Pillars.

Mukago broke a sweat as she thought about the causes of Muzan's displeasure. There had to be a trigger that made him snap like this.

She didn't want to die, not yet at least, as she was so close to completing her investigation.

"Investigation?" she heard Muzan seething. She raised her head weakly and saw Muzan's broken red eyes looked down at her with barely contained fury. "So you're telling me that you haven't been eating more Demon Slayers?"

She began to tremble at her lord's outburst. She'd let her thoughts slip for a moment and Muzan found out about it.

His attention now focused solely on her.

"I seem to recall that I gave every single one of the Twelve Demon Moons a specific order, and that was to destroy the entire Demon Slayer Corps for good!" Muzan snarled as his hand deformed into the abomination from before. It lunged at Mukago in the blink of an eye. "Your worthless investigation is trivial compared to the orders I gave to you!"

She closed her eyes and waited for her death, but her survival instincts screamed for her to survive, and so, the next sentence instantly slipped off her tongue.

"I'm close to finding the flower, Muzan-sama!"

Everything went silent. Nobody dared to say anything as the rustling from the monstrous blob stopped its rampage.

Mukago opened her eyes slightly, only to whimper at the sight of the motionless blob at point-blank range. It seemed immobile and she could see the saliva dripping out of its mouth and falling towards her hand. It could lunge at her at any moment and end her life instantly.

"What did you just say, Mukago?" Muzan muttered audibly. The demoness sweated profusely and gulped as she heard the demon king's tone change from an enraged snarl to a low, baritone, voice.

"I-It's as you've heard my lord. I'm close to finding the flower that you seek, the Blue Spider Lily," she said. "All of this time, I've been working nonstop for your sake. You have to believe me!"

Muzan narrowed his eyes and the blob lunged at Mukago, enveloping her neck and lifting her up in the air. Mukago's face went red as she felt her throat constrict from the strength of the progenitor.

She didn't dare to fight back against it, as the slight act of rebellion could end her life instantly.

The Demon King scanned the girl through and through until his gaze softened a little and eased the strength of the choke but didn't let her go.

"Look at that, it appears you're wise enough that you're telling me the truth," he said, his tone neutral. He then started to increase the strength of his grip. "However, I have checked your memories, and all that you have learned are merely speculations of where the flower could be, not the location itself. Amakusa Island? Don't make me laugh, I've already gone to that cursed place before to look around and I haven't found a single trace of it. What makes you think you could do something different?"

"I... may know… the locations of the keys of the shrine…" Mukago wheezed as she tried her best to speak.

Muzan raised an eyebrow.

"The Shrine of Musashi?" he said, his interest piqued. "But you don't have the means to open the gate to the subterranean level, do you?"

"My… associates and I… are looking at the possible locations of the keys…" Mukago said through ragged breaths. Tears started to escape her eyes. "We just… need a little more time… that's all!"

Muzan scowled as he kept invading her mind. He seemed frustrated that he couldn't see her associates' memories, as they were human.

"Even if you managed to open the gate, there is no guarantee that the flower is going to be there," he said. He then looked up as he seemed to reminisce. "However, I have wandered Japan for a millennium, and Amakusa seems to be the only island that might have a possible lead to the flower. The cursed land… a soil that never dries, an abundance of flora, a perfect climate. Now an inhabited, untouched paradise thanks to Enmu, am I correct?"

The Lower Moon 1 perked up at the mention of his name and blushed as he remembered the moment he went to the island.

"Ah yes, I remember…" he said as he placed his hand on his cheek. "Just remembering the inhabitants' screams of pain as they fell into an eternal nightmare fills me with bliss~"

Muzan let out a satisfied smile at his answer. He then looked at his subordinate with a frown and gave a frustrated sigh. He released his grip and the demoness plummeted to the ground, coughing and trying to catch her breath.

"Fine, if you think you can open the gate, Mukago, then I'll give you more time to be of use to me. Two months, to be exact."

Mukago inspected herself as she touched every part of her body to make sure that she wasn't missing a limb. She wiped the tears off her eyes and bowed in a dogeza manner while letting out ragged breaths.

"O-Oh, thank you, thank you, Muzan-sama! I will not waste the precious time you've given to—"

"Silence." Muzan cut her abruptly as he scowled. "I did not give you permission to speak. You are playing with borrowed time, girl. Should you fail me on your task, and I will make sure to take centuries while ending your life."

He then leaned to her eye level. His broken red snake eyes were eyeing to the depths of her soul.

"Do you understand?"

Mukago nodded vigorously, as refusing him now would mean that she would be killed on the spot. The progenitor let out a satisfied smile.

"Good, you're dismissed," he said. He snapped his fingers. "Nakime."

The last thing she heard was the sound of a Biwa playing before she was transported back to her office as if she had never left the place for once in her life.

She leaned backward and fell to the floor, her eyes staring at the ceiling. She needed to mentally recover from that experience before she could proceed with her investigation.

She would find the Blue Spider Lily; she would stand by Muzan's side if it meant that she would survive until the end of times.