Drawing Fire from Beneath the Cauldron

"Are you sure the Demon Slayer Corps will send out Hashira-level Swordsmen?"

The Man-eating Demon wearing a purple-red short shirt, with peach-colored short hair and golden eyes, eagerly questioned Hunter.

Hunter even felt his breathing become slightly smoother from the other party’s proximity.

Upper Rank Three, Akaza, had always loved fighting the strong. He looked down on Doma and normally would never have carried out a mission together with him.

Yet this human had confidently claimed that the location of the Blue Spider Lily would definitely be guarded by powerful Hashira-level Swordsmen dispatched by the Demon Slayer Corps, and ordinary human soldiers would be unable to obtain it.

And not only that…

Because the previous assassination operation with You had failed, Hunter had not only failed to behead any other Reincarnators to prove himself, but had even lost one of his own men.

This had caused Hunter’s prestige within Muzan’s faction to plummet to a dangerously low level.

Fortunately, the intelligence he had previously provided about the Blue Spider Lily was simply too important to Kibutsuji Muzan. Moreover, the Lower Rank Demons who had died at the same time happened to prove that Hunter was not completely useless.

There truly was a possibility that powerful enemies existed and that multiple Hashira-level Swordsmen had participated in the siege.

Hunter knew that the only reason he could continue living at this moment was the authenticity of the Blue Spider Lily intelligence. If he failed to seize that thing, then even if he successfully completed the Main Mission, Muzan would kill him before that.

So, although he did not know what the other Reincarnators had chosen, Hunter prepared for the worst just in case.

Namely, that the Demon Slayer Corps had also learned about the Blue Spider Lily in advance.

On one hand, he advised Muzan to order those officials to continuously send large numbers of human soldiers to the destination to search.

On the other hand, he had Muzan arrange for the Upper Ranks to prepare support.

If Hashira-level Swordsmen were guarding the place, then they could use a large number of human soldiers to hold them back. When night fell, the Upper Rank Demon Moons would strike, kill the Hashira-level Swordsmen, and clear the obstacles. Whether it was the Main Mission or faction prestige, he would reap a full harvest.

If Professor and the others had made no such arrangements, then as long as they successfully obtained the Blue Spider Lily, no matter how furious the Upper Rank Demon Moons were, Muzan’s praise would outweigh everything.

This was the path to survival Hunter had found for himself.

"Correct!"

Hunter gritted his teeth and confirmed it. His body temperature had already dropped to dangerous levels because of Doma’s Blood Demon Art, yet he still insisted that his intelligence was accurate.

Doma wore a smile as he admired the sight of this human still desperately "lying" at death’s door.

Yes, Doma was certain that this human was lying.

When humans lied, their heartbeats, the strength of their pulses, and even the scents they secreted were completely different. As an Upper Rank Demon, he could see all of this with perfect clarity.

But Doma did not expose him. He merely admired his ugly state before death.

Akaza disliked Doma’s mannerisms. Although he could tell that there were untruths in Hunter’s words, the other party was not lying entirely.

At the very least…

"The Martial Artist you mentioned, the one who can kill Lower Ranks with his bare hands, will appear too?!"

Akaza was more interested in that person.

Someone capable of killing Man-eating Demons, even Lower Rank Demons, with bare hands thrilled him beyond measure.

Mercenary Tao, I can’t wait to fight you!

Moreover, according to Hunter, even if Upper Rank Two Doma and Upper Rank Three himself joined forces, they might not be able to take down the Demon Slayer Corps.

Because this generation’s Stone Hashira was a terrifying genius seen only once in a century. Together with the Martial Artist named Mercenary Tao, he had the potential to hunt down two Upper Ranks.

It sounded utterly unbelievable.

But Lord Muzan had already thrown caution to the wind for the Blue Spider Lily, so…

The man standing closest to the window turned around, his entire body radiating a terrifying aura that was nearly solid.

Upper Rank One, Kokushibo!

Only with this one accompanying them could they ensure that Doma and Akaza would not erupt into conflict over some pointless argument.

Pfft!

Hunter’s pupils contracted. Kokushibo slowly vanished from his vision, while his neck suddenly grew hot as a massive spray of blood burst forth.

What’s going on? Are they disobeying Muzan’s orders?

The loss of blood rapidly pushed Hunter to the brink of death, but in the next instant, thick blood flowed into the wound on his neck.

Warning: Plot powerhouse Kokushibo is replacing your blood. Your bloodline will undergo an unknown change.

"Ah!"

That blood seemed to possess a will of its own as it continuously coursed through Hunter’s veins. He felt as though his body, his will, and even his soul were beginning to no longer belong to him.

Bloodline mutation in progress...

Constitution check: Passed.

Will check: Passed.

Instant death check... Passed.

Your bloodline has changed. Current bloodline: Demon (Dark Species, Secondary Species) (Rare).

(Warning: This bloodline is a race-based secondary-generation bloodline and is completely controlled by the race ruler. The Space has carried out Cognitive Interference on bloodline source Kibutsuji Muzan. Upon mission completion, 1 D-rank Anomaly Point will be deducted. Failure to provide one will result in execution.)

Hunter suddenly felt a pain so intense that his scalp seemed about to split apart. In the next instant, his body began to transform bit by bit, as though Shedding Skin.

Yet amid the agony, Hunter let out a howl that sounded almost delighted.

"This is… power!"

As night descended, several Man-eating Demons advanced at terrifying speed.

Having adapted to his new bloodline, Hunter had not only changed in physique, but his temperament had also undergone an uncontrollable transformation.

Just as before, he had clearly known that "Mercenary Tao" possessed Hamon and believed that even if he gained a Demon’s bloodline, he should not face that opponent.

But now, an uncontrollable desire to kill surged within him. The unceasing flow of power even made him feel that "Mercenary Tao" was nothing special.

At this moment, he could completely kill the other party with a single sword strike.

The bloodline of the Dark Species would always inevitably corrode one’s mind.

He was not fast enough, so Akaza carried him in one hand as they leaped through the forest.

But the closer they came to the target location, the deeper Akaza’s frown became.

Besides the considerable smell of blood in the air, there was also an increasingly thick scent of scorching.

Hunter, immersed in his self-satisfaction, also caught that dreadful burnt smell.

He raised his head, and his pupils suddenly shrank. In the night, a mountain forest completely engulfed in flames appeared before his eyes.

"How… is that possible…"

Whoosh!

Doma vanished instantly. At tremendous speed, he rushed into the fully burning forest, and the flames automatically extinguished wherever he passed.

But a moment later, he returned empty-handed.

"Other than the corpses of some dead soldiers, nothing was left in the mountains."

Hunter felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

At the same time, Vincent, holding a pair of special optical binoculars in a distant forest, sucked in a sharp breath. He had not expected the Upper Ranks to truly appear, and for Upper Rank One, Two, and Three to arrive together.

If they had truly acted according to the original plan, they would likely have suffered a catastrophic team wipe tonight.

He immediately placed an item into the Team Space he shared with Elizabeth.

On the train heading to Kyoto, Elizabeth saw the item Vincent had placed in the team’s shared space. Still shaken, she raised her head and said to the people in the carriage,

"The three strongest Upper Ranks all appeared at the target location."

Professor sighed, knowing that his plan had nearly led to a grave disaster.

But Bai Cangshu’s smile remained unchanged. Professor’s thoughts were too conventional, but he knew very well that when someone was about to die, they would certainly stop at nothing.

"Very good. Then tomorrow, we’ll go kill the future Emperor Hirohito."

A flash of light appeared in his hand, and a blue spider lily appeared in his palm.

Blue Spider Lily

Quality: Blue

Description: A special spider lily that only blooms during the day.

Effect: Possesses special medicinal value.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi felt inexplicably excited. He kept wiping his blade.

But Bai Cangshu was considering something else.

Muzan, for this thing, you can abandon everyone, can’t you.

Heh.