Aqua just pouted, clearly uninterested. Esdeath, on the other hand, wore a solemn expression but with a glint of anticipation—like she was eyeing Tatsuki as if he were some enchanting prize, her gaze brimming with… the desire for battle.
"…"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, blind as he was, couldn't see what was happening. Even so, he keenly sensed the unprecedented power in the air. He also heard the collective gasps of the Pillars and felt his wife's hand trembling in his own. He realized: this was the moment for him to decide.
"Tatsuki-san, we will fully cooperate with your plan."
Tatsuki gave a wide grin. An explanation? What was there to explain? Simply show your power, and no further explanation is needed.
…
Tatsuki then told Kagaya Ubuyashiki how he intended to draw Muzan out. After all, in the world of Demon Slayer, Muzan was the most contemptible of final bosses—the ultimate coward, hiding away for a thousand years. If Muzan learned there was someone who could easily wipe him out, Tatsuki had every reason to believe that scum would dig himself a deep hole—perhaps hundreds or even thousands of meters—and bury himself alive, slumbering for centuries until any threat died of old age, then reemerge.
To handle such a lowlife, Tatsuki planned to exploit Muzan's obsession and lure him out. That obsession? To become a perfect life form, just like Kars. Even as the Demon King, Muzan still feared sunlight and wished to conquer that flaw, to become truly immortal.
Hence the Blue Spider Lily. Yet with Muzan's intelligence, he might never grasp that the plant grew only in bright midday sun, fully exposed to daylight. Tatsuki only knew there was some around the protagonist Tanjiro's home—now the Demon Slayer Corps would investigate for specifics. With manpower at the Corps' disposal, it'd be simpler.
For the moment, though, there wasn't much else for them to do, so each person resumed their own activities.
Aqua continued hawking her Axis Cult.
Esdeath wanted to fight Tatsuki, but he insisted on waiting until their mission ended—otherwise, if their battle got too intense, it might scare Muzan off. Esdeath accepted… and defaulted to her old ways: disciplining her prey.
Her current target of discipline? Sanemi Shinazugawa. Each time he woke from unconsciousness, he charged again to attack her. She'd pummel him unconscious anew, over and over. He simply wouldn't give up. Kagaya Ubuyashiki left in short order, unable to bear listening to it any longer.
Exusiai was bored and followed Tatsuki around. Tatsuki himself had little interest in the Demon Slayer Corps. He cared, first, about strength and, second, about… beauties.
Shinobu had previously mentioned that killing demons yielded Apocalypse Points, so she took initiative to hunt demons alone, trying to earn more Points and grow strong enough for her revenge. Unexpectedly, that's how she'd run into Doma.
Tatsuki also took Shinobu hunting demons—and smashing them. His methods were brutally straightforward: harness the pressure of airflow to compress the demon to the size of a fingernail, leaving it unable to regenerate. This proved demons had limits to their healing.
But it turned out only Shinobu could gain Points from the kills; Tatsuki and Exusiai got nothing. Their plan to grind for Points thus fell through, but they hadn't pinned too many hopes on it, so they weren't overly disappointed.
Eventually, the three of them headed to the Butterfly Mansion—the medical facility overseen by the Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kocho, which provided treatment and rehab to injured Corps members. Its staff mainly comprised those unsuited for swordsmanship who handled nursing duties.
Upon arrival, three little girls ran out: Kiyo Terauchi, Sumi Nakahara, and Naho Takada—nurses of the Butterfly Mansion.
"Is someone hurt again?" The trio, all sporting round, beady eyes, exclaimed in unison.
Shinobu, smiling, shook her head. "No injuries this time. We've just got two guests here on a little visit."
"Ohhh!" The trio nodded, but they couldn't take their eyes off Exusiai's radiant halo.
"Ahh, my halo really stands out wherever I go," Exusiai sighed.
"It's an angel lady!" The three girls got all excited.
"An angel? Where's an angel?"
A black-haired, blue-eyed girl with a blue butterfly ornament marched over, wearing a white nurse's overcoat on top of the usual Demon Slayer uniform. She had a very proper, serious air about her—a girl known for her earnest personality.
She'd come to check if anyone was slacking. Instead…
"She's really an angel!" She covered her mouth in shock.
Tatsuki elbowed Exusiai teasingly. "Hey, you're pretty popular in other worlds."
Exusiai scratched her head in mild distress. "They just think I look like an angel. I'm not exactly thrilled about this kind of attention."
After Shinobu explained that Exusiai was not actually an angel, the little group left, disappointed yet repeatedly glancing back. Exusiai, for her part, felt powerless to dispel the misunderstanding, since she only looked like this—and had none of any angelic abilities from the local worldview.
Later, in the back courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion, they noticed a ponytailed girl sitting quietly, a red butterfly resting on her palm. She gazed at the butterfly in silence, eyes devoid of emotion—no spark or religious fervor of any kind…