Chapter 270: Clumsy, but Direct

"You’re saying... you want to hunt down Muzan?"

Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

The cool midnight wind swirled through the courtyard. Inside the room, charcoal burned, lending a warm atmosphere.

Kagaya lay in the center of the room on the tatami, covered by a thick blanket.

The purplish lesions had almost entirely consumed his face. Amane, kneeling at his bedside, held a cloth to wipe away the blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, deep shadows under her eyes after days without sleep.

Marcus sat beside him, legs crossed, elbows resting on his knees.

"Yeah, that’s the idea."

"Hunt down... Muzan?"

Kagaya’s voice no longer held its usual serenity; emotion cracked his tone. He tilted his head, turning his sightless eyes toward Marcus, an almost obsessive glint in them.

"Is it really... possible?"

For centuries, the ancestors of the Ubuyashiki family had given their lives without ever laying a finger on Muzan. And now, today, someone was assuring him they were going to hunt him down.

"Of course." Marcus nodded with an easy smile. "Infinity Castle is under my control. The refuge he leaned on for a thousand years is gone. Without that fortress, Muzan loses his absolute defensive barrier. The moment the sun rises, he’ll have to go find some rat’s hole to crawl into. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Excellent... This is excellent..." Kagaya’s chest began to heave violently. "I’ve finally lived to see this day..."

But before he could finish the sentence, he jerked his head to the side and a brutal fit of coughing cut him off, blood spilling from his lips.

Amane hurried to clean him up, trying to preserve her husband’s dignity despite the unease in her hands.

Seeing this, Marcus shook his head.

"Don’t get worked up yet — for now it’s just a plan. If I achieve the fusion I’m after once I absorb Nakime’s Blood Demon Art, we’ll put it into practice. Otherwise, we’ll be hunting for a needle in a haystack. I’m telling you so you can start getting everything ready."

"That goes without saying!" Kagaya pressed his hands against the sheets, trying to push himself up, the veins in his arms about to burst.

Amane grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him lying down.

"Don’t get up, just listen." Marcus waved his hand.

Kagaya stopped resisting and lay back down, his chest still heaving.

"And when will you complete the absorption?"

Marcus fell silent, calculating the time.

"...About three days. I’ll take Nakime back to Asakusa. There are still hundreds of demons trapped in Infinity Castle, plus more than a dozen lesser Upper and Lower Ranks. I don’t plan on keeping them—though they’ll come in handy for my family to get a little practice."

"Once we clear out the castle and make sure its collapse won’t set anything loose, I’ll start devouring her."

Outside the room, Nakime remained seated on the step, her biwa resting on her lap.

She had heard everything, but there was no expression on her face.

Inside, Kagaya spoke again in a raspy voice:

"If it’s possible... could you leave me a few of those demons?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want that garbage for?"

"I-If nothing goes wrong..." he panted, gasping for air, his voice already hoarse. "This is what the Demon Slayer Corps will be up against. At the very least, I want the Kinoe- and Kinoto-rank slayers, along with the Hashira, to get used to them."

That was Kagaya for you; even this sick, his mind still worked fast.

Though those demons possessed no Blood Demon Arts, they were numerous, and their physical abilities far surpassed those of a common demon.

Adapting ahead of time would save quite a few lives.

"Good idea." Marcus nodded. "Get me some sturdy chains later and I’ll catch you a dozen."

"Thank you."

Marcus waved his hand.

"Should I walk you through my plan, then?"

"Please!"

Marcus straightened up, resting his hands on his knees now.

"The idea’s simple: mobilize everyone we possibly can. The government, local officials, nobles, and the common people included."

"Everyone?"

"As many as we can get. I assume the folks in the upper echelons know demons exist, right?"

Kagaya nodded. "They know."

"Perfect," Marcus said, tapping his knees. "I want them to gather people up and advance step by step out from every village and town, led by the slayers. Have them search and inspect every house, cellar, or cave where someone could shelter from the sun. And if it’s abandoned, they destroy it outright. Working from sunrise to sundown. Every evening they take a head count; if people are missing in a certain direction, that area becomes the key inspection point the next day."

The room fell silent.

Only the faint crackle of the charcoal could be heard.

Kagaya’s breathing grew somewhat heavy.

The plan sounded simple, but the cost was staggering.

"You’re proposing we use human lives to track down Muzan’s location."

Marcus didn’t argue, merely shrugging.

"You got a better idea?"

Kagaya fell silent.

And the truth was, he didn’t. Muzan hid in the darkness, and to force him out, the only option was to sweep every inch of the land. With the members of the Demon Slayer Corps alone, they’d never be able to cover that much territory.

"But..." Kagaya hesitated, "a lot of people don’t know demons exist."

"They don’t need to know," Marcus cut in. "As for how to mobilize them, that’s a problem for the higher-ups to solve."

Marcus stood and walked over to the window to gaze out at the night.

"Your family has spent centuries quietly holding the line against demons, and they’ve reaped the benefits of it. If, when the time comes to act, they won’t lift a finger, then tell them to be very careful at night from here on out."

Threatening to wash his hands of it all and use civilians as trackers didn’t fit Kagaya’s nature.

The Ubuyashiki family had always shouldered the responsibility themselves, bleeding and sacrificing in silence. Because Muzan was the demon who had emerged from their own bloodline, and it fell to their family to atone for that sin.

But just as Marcus said...

There was no better method, and no more favorable opportunity, than the one before them now.

Kagaya stayed silent for a long while before reaching a decision.

"I’ll speak with them beforehand."

However, another problem immediately came to mind.

"But Muzan can change his appearance. If he hides among the crowd..."

"Nothing to worry about there." Marcus suddenly laughed and turned around. "I wasn’t even planning to give them a portrait of Muzan. Having them operate during the day serves to guarantee their safety and to verify."

He pointed at the sky through the window.

"When they meet someone, they only have to do one thing: have them step into the sun. Those who go along with it won’t be a problem. On the other hand..."

Marcus watched Kagaya with a lopsided smile.

Kagaya’s mouth twitched.

"This method of yours... is pretty crude."

Marcus sat back down, showing no concern.

"It’s clumsy, but direct."

Kagaya still hesitated:

"Aren’t you worried this will force Muzan to flee?"

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