NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 13: Upper Moon Meeting
Akaza found himself in the Infinity Castle. It has countless wooden rooms, halls, and moving corridors.
Akaza asks Nakime, "Hey, Biwa Demon! Is there any Upper Moon Meeting?"
"Yes! There's an Upper Moon Meeting," said Nakime.
————
Akaza
Upper Moon 1
Age – 18 Physically/ 200+ years Chronologically
————
"I see… Why would Kokushibo host a meeting? Probably an Upper Moon has been killed, or he wants to talk about our plans," thinks Akaza.
"Lord Akaza!" someone says to Akaza.
Akaza looks around and finds another Upper Moon.
"Lord Akaza! Pleased to meet you," he says.
He stands at 5'10" and boasts an athletic physique. Striking black stripes run from his eyes down to his stomach. Two red horns, reminiscent of a goat's, adorn his head, and he is dressed in a vibrant red and black kimono. His intense hunter eyes are black, with a mesmerizing orange glow emanating from his pupils.
He has long and crimson hair. He has a deadly weapon called Scythe.
————
Naraka
Upper Moon 6
Age – 14 Physically/ 50 Chronologically
————
"Naraka, you were a demon slayer, weren't you?" asked Akaza.
Naraka appears in front of Akaza and kneels down, "You're right, Lord Akaza. I was a demon slayer. But for some reason, I became a demon."
Someone starts clapping and approaches them, "What could be the reason, Naraka? It's odd for a demon slayer to turn into a demon."
————
Suiryu
Upper Moon 5
Age – 21 Physically/ 45 Chronologically
————
He is a colossal demon standing at a towering height of over 9'11 feet. His imposing figure is adorned with bulging muscles and long, razor-sharp canines. His hair is a menacing shade of grey, and his eyes exude a perverse and repulsive gaze.
"Oh, Lord Akaza! I am sorry for my mistake. I didn't know you were there," says Suiryu.
Akaza couldn't stand Suiryu. He was the worst kind of pervert, showing no respect for women. He was even more repulsive than Douma.
Even upon meeting them for the first time, Akaza was thoroughly unimpressed.
"You've finally surpassed the great demon, Douma. I am so delighted of you, Lord Akaza," says Suiryu.
But before anyone could react, Suiryu started bleeding from his nose and vomiting blood uncontrollably.
"SUIRYU!!!" Akaza exclaimed.
As they looked around in confusion, a burst of maniacal laughter echoed in the distance.
"HEHHEHEHEHHEH~ HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Akaza looks angrily and says, "Who the hell are you? Just show me up already."
"Ara Ara~ I can feel you. Eliza is at your service, Akaza-sama," echoed a voice in a very feminine way.
She entered the room, her presence otherworldly and captivating. At the top of the corridor sat a stunning girl who seemed beyond mortal comprehension, like an angel. She appeared no older than 16, with a delicate, willowy frame as if crafted from moonlight. Her luminous skin glistened like fresh snow under a soft glow, and her lips were a deep crimson, like blood-red rose petals. Her impossibly dark hair shimmered with a liquid sheen, flowing straight to her feet like an obsidian waterfall.
Her pale azure eyes, shimmered like a gslaxy, framed by long, shadowed lashes. She wore a flowing white gown that rippled and glowed faintly, as though woven from clouds. A wreath of silvery flowers crowned her head, sparkling with every graceful movement. Her divine beauty and ethereal glow left the room awestruck, as though time itself had paused in her presence.
Even Akaza was taken aback by her stunning appearance.
"Pardon me, Akaza-sama. I hope you'd forgive me, would ya?" says Eliza in a very melodious voice which can make anyone instantly fall in love with her.
Akaza notices that "Upper 4" is written in both of her pupils which denotes she is an Upper Moon 4.
————
Eliza
Upper Moon 4
Age – 17 Physically/ 150+ Chronologically
————
Suiryu couldn't stand her beauty and fell to his knees.
"Wow! She is exceptionally beautiful."
Eliza instantly appears in front of him and touches his face gently.
She lifts his chin with her index finger in a seductive manner. She smiles and says, "A hunter gets hunted by its own prey. Sounds interesting, isn't it? You disgusting creature."
Eliza instantly plucks out his eyes and bends his legs with her mere glare. He screams in pain and tries to regenerate with his full power, but his abilities are useless against her.
"Lady Eliza, please show some mercy... Aah!!!"
She smiles again and says, "Don't worry, Suiryu-kun. I am not a psychopath. Just remember your place, you lowkey demon."
She releases Suiryu from her control and leaves him.
"Soka! She is so strong. If they were the former upper moons then the demon slayers would stand no chance," thinks Akaza.
Eliza turns towards Akaza and approaches him, "I can understand what are you thinking, Akaza-sama. Unlike the new kizukis, I and Sora-san were turned into demons by Muzan-sama. But we weren't supposed to become his kizukis, so Muzan-sama accepted our requests if we'd help him find a Blue Spider Lily."
...
Naraka's eyes widened as he heard her words, "S... Ss... Sora??! Th– There's no demon whose name is Sora. Could it be— THAT JIGEN GUY?!!"
"Wait! Wait!"
...
...?
"It's been a long time since we met the last time, Akaza-dono,"
Someone approaches Akaza and instantly appears behind him. He slowly puts his hand on Akaza's shoulder.
"HAHAHAHAHA~ I've missed you so much, Akaza-dono," that's Douma.
————
Douma
Upper Moon 2
Age – 20 Physically/ 150+ Chronologically
————
"Glad to see you, Lord Douma," greets Naraka and Suiryu.
"HO HO~ Long time no see—"
Akaza interrupts Douma and says, "Get Off."
"Huh?" Douma responds.
Akaza furiously says, "I said... get your hand off me!"
Akaza grabs Douma's arm and rips it off brutally. It scares every upper moon there. The fighting of the strongest demons trembled their souls.
"Woah! That's so harsh, Akaza-dono. I thought you were my best friend," cries Douma sarcastically.
Douma regenerates his arm in no time.
Douma notices Eliza standing next to Akaza. He smiles and says, "Oh My~ is it you, Eliza-chan? It's been a century since we met last time."
"Indeed, Douma-san," she gracefully holds the edges of her skirt and bends her knees while bowing her head. It's a gesture to show respect called Curtsy.
Akaza looks at them in astonishment, "What?! You guys know each other..."
"Yes, we know each other since we become the demons. Eliza-chan and I became demons around the same time period. At that time, we were equally powerful," Douma comes closer to Akaza and whispers, "And that was the time when I defeated you, Akaza-dono."
Akaza becomes furious again and smacks his entire face.
"Don't forget that I am an Upper Moon 1, I can do anything to you now!" warns Akaza.
"AKAZA-DONO! Don't forget that I gave you the higher rank. In our blood demon battle, we were fighting equally and it had been a month of continuous battle. It was no fun anymore, so I resigned from the battle and gave you victory,"
"Quit excusing around! Despite all of your efforts, you couldn't beat me at all,"
Eliza enjoys them arguing while other upper moons are terrified.
"Oh, I haven't seen Upper Moon 3 around yet. Is he dead?" said Akaza in disbelief.
"Maybe he doesn't like social interaction at all, does he?" says Eliza.
Suddenly...
...
"Huh?!"
In an instant, the Infinity Castle was engulfed in darkness as all the lights went off. Not a single thing was visible in the pitch-black surroundings. Suddenly, the scene changed, and they found themselves in a massive graveyard at midnight. The atmosphere was eerie, with thousands of graves stretching as far as the eye could see. The moon hung in the sky, casting an ominous crimson glow across the desolate landscape.
"L– Lord Akaza, what's happening?!!" asked Suiryu while scared.
As they looked around, they spotted numerous headless figures emerging from the north, each solemnly making their way to their respective graves and kneeling in prayer. As time passed, dark entities began to rise from the graves, each one a unique and terrifying sight. Some had countless hands, others had multiple heads, and a few were of colossal stature, defying comprehension. The multitude of dark entities continued to grow, each one engaged in fervent prayer for an unknown entity.
"Don't worry! Everything is unreal," says Akaza.
Suddenly, the entities disintegrated into ashes and converged at the center of the graveyard. From the swirling mass, a dark humanoid figure emerged, causing all the other entities to vanish.
With a jolt, the lights in the Infinity Castle illuminated once more, revealing the presence of the dark entity.
"Lord Akaza! Lord Douma! Lady Eliza! Suiryu! Naraka! It's my pleasure to meet y'all," says the dark entity.
————
JIGEN
Upper Moon 3
Age - ?? Physically/ 150+ Chronologically
————
His mere presence trembled the soul of Naraka, the Upper Moon 6, "T... These types of people are a curse to society. He is a threat to everyone, no matter if it's a demon or a human."
"HO HO HO~ What a cool entry, Jigen-San," says Douma.
"You've scared us, Sora-san,"
The entity looks at Eliza with his crimson-red eyes and says in a deep voice, "DON'T CALL MY PREVIOUS NAME!."
"Ah! Pardon me."
Nakime plays her Biwa and says, "Lord Kokushibo has arrived!"
They looked around and found Kokushibo on the top staring at them with his six eyes.
"Finally! You're here!"
His mere presence shook the entire Infinity Castle. None of them could stand his presence.
"Urgh... What's happening—" says Akaza.
Kokushibo stops his wrath and teleports in front of them.
"I've been here the whole time," says Kokushibo in a deep voice.
————
Kokushibo
Demon King
Age – 24 Physically/ 400+ Chronologically
————
All of them except Akaza instantly bow down to him, "Glad to see you, Lord Kokushibo!"
Akaza approaches Kokushibo and says, "So you're finally here! What's the point of hosting the meeting? None of us are dead. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Kokushibo death stares Akaza, giving chills down his spine. "All the lower moons are dead."
...
"WHAT?!! Are you kiddin' me? Did you call us here just to announce the deaths of lower moons? How stubborn are you?"
"AKAZAAA!!!" says Muzan in his cells.
"Muzan-sama?!!" Akaza calms himself down.
"Muzan-sama asked me if any of you found Blue Spider Lily. It's so shameful that we aren't able to find it even in centuries. But I didn't call you for this," says Kokushibo.
Douma asks, "Ayo! What could be the reason, Kokushibo-dono?"
Kokushibo says in a severe tone, "That man is back."
The upper moons were utterly shocked. They simply couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that there was a man who came so close to taking down Muzan.
Jigen interrupts the silence and says, "Lord Kokushibo, I met that demon slayer 6 years ago. He ruined my plan and ran away. I didn't think of him as a threat, but for your sake, I will kill him and present his head to your feet."
"No need for that! Just inform me if you find him, and I'll kill him with my own hands. Now, you can leave," says Kokushibo.
Kokushibo disappears from their sight. Akaza, Jigen, Naraka, and Suiryu decide to leave as well.
"Where are you going, Akaza-dono?! Please don't leave me" shouts Douma.
Akaza ignores him and leaves.
Douma looks at Eliza with curiosity and asks, "Umm... Eliza-chan, since we're alone... Can we go out?"
Eliza smiles and says, "Douma-san, maybe the next time. I am busy right now."
She leaves in an instant.
"Oh no... She ignored me too... Oh, hey! Biwa Lady! If you're interested in—"
Nakime interrupts Douma and says, "I respectfully decline." She plays her Biwa and teleports him back to his residence.
———————————————————————
Now, in the full moon night, Kokushibo is standing on the mountain staring at the moon.
His facial expressions turn into sadness. "Yoriichi... Why do you always make me feel inferior? Why did you even come? Why don't you curl up in heaven and die forever? Defeating the strongest lower moon at such an age is a world-shaking feat. I couldn't even think about such a thing at your age.
WHY AM I EVEN ALIVE? AM I LIVING JUST TO SUFFER?"
Kokushibo is completely overwhelmed by jealousy.
"TELL ME... YORIICHI!!!! WHY???!!!!!"
His intense glare tears apart the entire sky. With the strong wind blows, he disappears with them.