Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

"A demon-slaying swordsman?"

A soft murmur came from the depths of the shadows.

It seems like a question, but it's full of certainty.

"As expected, there's a leader... The two I encountered were only of average strength, but to subdue these two evil spirits, the leader must be quite powerful."

"Has eaten with more than a dozen people? Probably more!"

Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't too nervous—if it was just someone with strength comparable to the Hand Demon, he could handle it.

Heavy footsteps slowly rose, breaking the silence of the mountains.

The attacking demon wasn't so ugly as to be unbearable to look at, but it made Kiyokawa Izumi's pupils shrink slightly, and his right hand, which was resting on the hilt of his sword, suddenly tighten, as if he were ready to draw his Nichirin Blade at any moment.

The demons that appear are quite anthropomorphic.

It has a height similar to that of an adult male, with short, black hair that stands upright like steel needles, and four meticulously styled, thick, short braids at the back of its head, their dark orange color resembling burning flames.

His pale face was etched with inscrutable blue lines, and his icy blue pupils revealed undisguised malice as he stared intently at Qingchuan Quan in front of him.

Upon seeing this person, Kiyokawa Izumi almost couldn't help but gasp.

After observing it carefully for a moment, it was discovered that there were no words "Lower Moon" in its pupils—the good news was that what appeared before them was not one of the Twelve Demon Moons.

The bad news is that it will become the Twelve Ghost Months in the future.

That's right, it's the future Lower Moon Six, Kamae!

"Its aura far surpasses that of ordinary evil spirits; even the Hand Demon is probably far inferior to it."

"Has it not yet been promoted to the Lower Moon at this point?"

"So, is the current Lower Moon Six still Kyogai?"

I don’t know if this is good news or not—Kyūkai will soon be kicked out of the Twelve Demon Moons because his boss Muzan thinks he’s too weak.

Because the layoffs were done by the boss himself, there was no fierce competition or reshuffling of employees.

Kyokai was not killed by the new Upper Moon Six.

These two evil spirits may never have encountered each other before.

"This is a bit troublesome."

"The fact that he can be promoted to the lower moon rank in the future is enough to show that he has considerable potential."

"I just don't know what its abilities are related to."

Without any visible movement, the Fuye violently forced its way into the center of Kiyokawa Izumi's field of vision, bridging a distance of several meters in an instant.

Without warning, it raised its arm, and its right fist shot out like a cannonball. The movement was so simple that it didn't require any build-up, and the compressed air seemed to explode instantly.

Kiyokawa Izumi didn't even have time to react; relying on muscle memory, he instinctively raised his knife to block.

The fist did not hit his chest directly, but his hanging black hair was lifted by the wind from the oncoming punch.

The sharp blade cut into the demon's wrist at a tricky angle, changing the direction of the attack and dissipating the force.

Kiyokawa Izumi feared he couldn't withstand the onslaught of the powerful punch.

Strength has never been his strength!

Having failed in its first attack, Fu Nue did not continue to pursue the matter, but instead decisively created distance.

Its right hand hung down naturally, and the flesh connecting the wound was like lotus root threads. Hot blood gushed out, but the injury healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This resilience was enough to send chills down Kiyokawa Izumi's spine.

"Can you feel it? This is the power that will soon be engraved with the name of the Upper Moon!"

That lord promised that as long as I could eat more people and become stronger, he would promote me to one of the Twelve Demon Moons!

Fu Nue's tone was arrogant. He had only thrown a probing punch, which was blocked by the demon-slaying swordsman in front of him with his exquisite swordsmanship, but it did leave him with a minor injury.

But what's the use?

Before he could finish speaking, his injuries had already fully healed!

"Is that so? But my sword is just as effective!"

Kiyokawa Izumi showed no fear on his face, his blood-red eyes were reflected in his pupils, and his breathing remained steady and methodical throughout.

When it's time to back down, he'll definitely back down a bit.

To put it bluntly, if he were to encounter Muzan in a crowd now, he definitely wouldn't dare to utter a sound.

Without the right timing, location, and people, encountering Muzan is simply suicide.

But if it were just the future Lower Moon Six right in front of him, he wouldn't be so afraid that he wouldn't even have the courage to fight.