Meeting

A month and a half had passed since Shin ranked up to lower moon 2.

The group of demons was sitting around the table talking, well mostly Tsuzu and Susamaru. Shin was just watching from the sidelines like always with Makomo sitting quietly by his side only joining in when the girls mentioned her.

They had done nothing during this period except eat, sleep, and train. 

The demons that inhabited the forest and those in the surrounding area had left long ago upon discovering that a kizuki was near

They feared that a kizuki would bring unwanted attention and possibly their end.

Slayers weren't much of a problem either due to them not knowing Shin's or the girls' whereabouts, even if they somehow managed to find them, Tsuzu's webs would get them before Shin would have to lift a finger.

"Master, when are you going to teach me how to make a sword like yours? I already brought the nichirins you requested long ago." Makomo asked.

"D-do I need to service you again?" The demon girl sheepishly asked as her pale face went red.

Shin let out a sigh hearing her question, he had been holding off on guiding her to create a sword until he was sure she would be able to handle it. 

In his eyes she was fragile, he knew he wouldn't be able to delay it forever so he only shook his head. "Take a sword you like out of the ones you brought back or keep the one you have at the moment."

Makomo didn't move, she decided to stay with the current sword she had at the moment. It was special to her.

Susamaru and Tsuzu had stopped chatting and began watching from the sidelines as Shin began to guide Makomo.

"The next part will be painful, do you understand?" Shin asked.

"Mn, I'm ready." Makomo didn't hesitate to answer him, causing Shin to begin to not worry as much as he was before.

"Cut o-" 

*Bwum!* 

Shin was suddenly interrupted when the familiar sound of a biwa played, his surroundings instantly changed.

Shin quickly moved his eyes and looked around to discover where he was but there was nothing except endless staircases, halls, doors, and rooms of various sizes.

No matter where he looked they were always there, some were even upside down. 'Where am I?'

Shin looked above him, there he saw a woman with long black hair that covered her face with a biwa in hand.

*Bwum!*

When Shin was just about to walk around the woman suddenly played the instrument causing his surroundings to change once again.

He found himself in a new area with another woman who was standing on a small platform above, behind her was the woman from earlier with the biwa resting on her legs.

He wasn't alone either, he was surrounded by demons he hadn't seen before too.

There was a demon that took the form of an incredibly pale young man with ringed blue eyes, his pupils were cat-like with the kanji "One" etched into his left eye, his cheeks had 3 square marks, and his hair was green that faded to yellow to red orange then to blue at the tips.

He wore a long, black button-up coat that arched upwards on either side of his legs so that only the two tails in front and behind fall down below his knees, and a white dress shirt.

Next was another who took the form of a man with pale grayish-white skin with what appeared to be 3 cross shaped scars on his cheek and the center of his forehead. 

His ears were pointy and his eyes were wide and sharp with orange irises, The kanji for three was etched into his left.

He wore a dotted, bamboo-colored yukata with a pinstripe pattern, a piece of dark cloth around his waist, and a lighter one around his neck, as well as two golden hoop earrings on each ear.

Next to him was a woman with sickly yellow pale skin, two dark stripes on her cheeks that kind of reminded him of Tsuzu, and two short white horns protruding out of her head.

Her eyes were gray with white rings around the sides and dark red sclera with the kanji for "Four" carved over her left iris, framed by a set of notably long eyelashes. She also possessed chin-length white hair with shorter bangs between her horns.

She wore a plain red kimono with a black and white fur lined collar tied up at the back with a large, dark purple bow.

Lastly was a demon with incredibly pale skin, brown hair, and pale blue eyes with the kanji "Six" in his left. His face was decorated by a thick line of dark green under both of his eyes and across his nose that ran up vertically into another, shorter horizontal line on his forehead.

Four large dots were also placed at the far ends of the line on his cheeks, the middle of the one on his forehead, and below his lower lip.

He wore a white haori with a yellow scale pattern down the sleeves, as well as a white button-up shirt and dark hakama pants.

They all stared at the woman standing in front of the biwa lady confused wondering who she was and was she the one moving them around.

Shin suddenly bowed, taking them by surprise. They were lost, one by one they slowly caught on and tried to bow but by that time the woman opened her mouth.

"Lower your heads and bow, aren't you ashamed to have to follow another's movement just because you couldn't figure it out due to your own incompetence?" The voice that escaped the 'woman's' lips was that of a man and full of authority.

The demons' hearts stopped for a moment and they broke into a cold sweat, they began to drop like flies upon hearing his command. "M'lord, my apologies! Your appearance and aura are different so-" 

The woman with white hair began trying to explain but when the lord's eyes fell on her she immediately closed her mouth.

"Who said you could speak?! Are you trying to use that as an excuse? Lower Rank 2 was able to know it was me the moment I showed up!" He spoke in a punishing tone looking down at the woman in disdain. 

"Worms! You may not speak on your own, only answer my questions." He demanded.

"Rui was killed, he was lower moon 5, Rokuro was killed, he was lower moon 2. I want to ask only one thing, why are you members of the lower ranks so weak that a random demon can just walk in and take one of your places in less than two weeks?" He asked as if he was genuinely curious.

'Two weeks?!' Everyone had this thought running through their mind hearing this, they turned to Shin in disbelief but the proof was right in front of them no matter how much they wanted to deny it.

"Joining the kizuki is not the end, it is just merely the beginning. You must eat more people, get stronger, and become more useful to me." 

"For more than a century, the members of the upper ranks of the twelve kizuki have not changed. The ones who put the demon slaying hashira in their graves are always the upper ranks, but what about the lower ranks? How many times have those members changed?" 

He suddenly turned to lower moon 6. ""What are we supposed to say to that?" You can answer my question." 

Lower moon six began sweating profusely hearing what the lord had said causing Shin to believe he was able to read thoughts.

Veins began to appear on the lord's face as he looked down at lower six. "What has you so worried? Tell me."

The demon remained silent but the lord suddenly asked him another question that confirmed Shin's belief.  "Screwed, how?" 

Silence filled the air, the demon couldn't respond. Seeing this the lord stretched out his arm and a tentacle with eyes and mouths shot out 

The tentacle was too fast to see but by the end of it, they saw the demon being hung upside down with his bottom half in its jaws.  

"I'm truly sorry! I'm truly sorry! I'm truly so-" before he could finish, another tentacle shot over and ate him, blood fell in front of the kizuki causing them to go further into fear, Shin remained calm along with another demon who was looking on in awe.