After returning Shoji to the village, Muzan told her that the test would be postponed by one day and instructed her not to come looking for him tomorrow. Traumatized by the night's events, Shoji did not dare to ask any further questions. She nodded tremblingly and bade Muzan farewell.
Because Kokushibo was quite far from Muzan's location, it was already late at night by the time he arrived before his master.
"Lord Muzan."
Upon meeting, Kokushibo half-knelt out of deep respect and respectfully greeted Muzan the Demon King.
Instead of returning to the wooden cabin this time, Muzan was sitting beside a waterfall deep in the forest. Seated cross-legged on a boulder, he gazed at his own reflection in the water below.
"Kokushibo, are you certain that all the demons who broke free from my control are dead?"
"Reporting to you, My Lord, your subordinate is certain that they are all dead."
Kokushibo seemed to hesitate as if he had something more to say, but he obediently waited for Muzan to speak.
Hearing this answer, Muzan frowned slightly. He trusted Kokushibo, but if all the demons who had broken free from his control were indeed dead, then what was the deal with that ferocious demon that had appeared tonight...?
"Tonight, I encountered a demon that did not fall under my Control. It seemed to possess no intelligence whatsoever, only knowing how to howl and attack me."
Muzan shared tonight's encounter with Kokushibo, who was stunned upon hearing it and proceeded to recount his own experience from earlier that evening:
"Lord Muzan, on my way here, your subordinate also encountered a demon devoid of intelligence. I could not sense your presence within it, and just as you described, it knew nothing except to attack me purely out of instinct..."
Kokushibo paused for a moment, then asked:
"Forgive your subordinate's presumption, but dare I ask, Lord Muzan... did the demon you encountered possess black markings on its body?"
"!!"
Muzan had already been taken aback upon hearing that Kokushibo had encountered a similar demon, but upon learning that the demon his subordinate met shared the exact same characteristics...
Then this matter was far from simple.
Muzan nodded, his expression solemn indeed, the demon I encountered also bore black markings. So what on earth is going on here...?"
Kokushibo remained silent for a moment, appearing to ponder something. Before long, he slowly began: "My Lord, your subordinate has a hypothesis. Perhaps these demons are not the ones we already know of, but a new breed spawned by some unknown force."
"A new breed, you say?" Muzan frowned; this answer evidently aligned with his own thoughts.
Black markings, devoid of reason, knowing only frantic attacks...
"Yes, My Lord. These demons lack intelligence, know only how to attack, and bear black markings on their bodies—all traits that distinguish them from our known kind. Your subordinate believes this might be an entirely new branch of demons, or perhaps a mutation caused by some special circumstances."
Listening to Kokushibo's analysis, a sense of unease welled up within Muzan. If these demons truly were a new species, their emergence meant the balance among demons might be shattered, and the conflicts between demons and the Demon Slayer Corps would only intensify. For Muzan the Demon King, this was undoubtedly a massive threat and a grim prospect.
"Then, do you have any good suggestions?"
Muzan looked at Kokushibo, awaiting his reply.
Kokushibo lowered his head in thought for a moment, then raised his head and said:
"My Lord, your subordinate suggests that we conduct a large-scale search for this type of demon and thoroughly eradicate this root cause once we find the source."
Muzan nodded in agreement. He knew that as the Demon King, he had to remain vigilant at all times to ensure his ruling position was not threatened... while also thoroughly rooting out this uncertain variable, because such a scene had never existed in the plot of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba that he once knew.
Could this be the fallout of transmigrating...?
Regardless, he could not let such a matter disrupt subsequent developments.
"Very well, Kokushibo. I authorize you to issue this mission to the other demons and ensure nothing goes wrong."
"On the condition that you keep the Demon Slayer Corps in the dark."
Muzan's voice was low and powerful as he gave the order to Kokushibo.
"...Furthermore, I am beginning to think more and more highly of you."
With those words, he let out a soft chuckle to signify his approval of Kokushibo.
[Ah, as expected of Upper Rank One! Not only is his combat power high, but his brainpower is top-notch too!]
[I didn't even have to rack my brains, and he already came up with a solution. Thank you, Upper Rank One!]
Muzan stepped down from the boulder, stood before Kokushibo, and reached out his hand toward him.
"As a reward, I shall grant you a Blood Granting."
The Demon King's blood surfaced at his fingertips, and Kokushibo immediately cupped both hands to catch the dripping blood.
"Many thanks, Lord Muzan..."
...
After further discussion with Kokushibo, Muzan decided to name this type of demon with black markings: Calamity Demon, or Calamity Demon.
After sharing the intelligence with his fellow demons, Muzan headed off in another direction.
He decided to thoroughly search these deep mountains to avoid running into any more of these Calamity Demons prancing about under his very nose.
[Still... what on earth is going on here, System?]
Muzan asked the System in his mind, but received no response whatsoever.
[....]
Fine, a feigning-death System only comes to life when it detects a mission.
Useless piece of trash!!!
Muzan curled his lip speechlessly.
Ah... come to think of it, not having Nakime around is truly such a hassle.
When on earth will he run into Nakime...
Muzan genuinely did not want to walk across this vast expanse of land on his own two legs anymore...
It was simply too exhausting!!