Tanjiro barely had time to process Tamayo's explanation about demons before chaos struck again. The doors of Tamayo's hidden house burst open with an explosive force, sending wooden debris flying.

Two demons stepped in.

One was a smug-looking man withtwo eyeballs on his palms, dressed like he had just come from a meditation retreat. The other was a hyperactive woman, bouncing up and down, holdingmassive Temari balls, grinning like a demon that had just downed ten cups of espresso.

"Yo, Tanjiro, you've got guests!" Raja called from his seat, munching on popcorn he had conveniently summoned. "Time for some character development!"

Tanjiro's expression hardened.These demons worked for Muzan.

Yahaba, the eyeball-handed demon, sneered, "Lord Muzan has ordered us to kill the brat with the Hanafuda earrings. That must be you."

Susamaru giggled maniacally. "Ohhh, this is gonna be FUN! I love playing with my food before I eat it!"

Raja stretched lazily. "Tanjiro, protect the others and make it flashy. I'm just gonna sit here and provide emotional support."

Tanjiro: *"YOU COULD HELP—"

Raja: "Nonsense! You need this! It's a side quest in your character progression!"*

Tanjiro groaned.Of course Raja would do this.

Yahaba smirked and flexed his palm-eyes. With a wave of his hand,invisible telekinetic arrowsblasted forward, sending Tanjiro flying into a nearby wall.

Raja clapped."Ten points for the dramatic impact! But let's see if you can recover, Tanjiro."

Tanjiro, shaking off the debris,channeled Sun Breathing and launched forwardwithDancing Flash!His blade sliced through the air at high speed, aiming for Yahaba's throat.

Unfortunately,Yahaba twisted his fingers, reversing the attack's trajectory mid-air!

Tanjiro barely flipped away in time, avoiding a brutal slam into the ground.

"Gotta hand it to you, Eye-palms,"Raja mused."You've got some creative telekinesis."

Susamaru, tired of waiting,hurled a temari ball the size of a boulder at Tanjiro!It blasted through trees and buildings alike, heading straight for him.

Tanjiro had no time to dodge.

Raja, still lounging,casually flicked a tiny dagger forward.The airboomedas the dagger collided with the temari,blasting it into smithereens!

Susamaru gasped."WHAT?! Who throws a tiny knife at a giant death ball?!"

Raja smirked."I do. You were aiming for my entertainment, so consider this me leveling the playing field."

Tanjiro took advantage of the moment,activating Clear Blue Sky!He spun mid-air, his blade slashing in a 360-degree arc, knocking away incoming temari balls while closing in on the demoness.

Yahaba, furious at Raja's interference, doubled his assault. His hands blurred,invisible arrows launching from every direction.

Tanjiro inhaled sharply, eyes narrowing."Sun Breathing: Solar Heat Haze!"

Herushed forward, his sword seemingly flickering through the air.Yahaba smirked, convinced he had dodged—

—only to feel a sharp pain in his chest.

"Impossible!"Yahaba choked as blood trickled down his robes."I dodged—"

Raja leaned forward with a grin."That's the beauty of Heat Haze, my dude. You didn't dodge anything. Your brain just thought you did."

Yahaba's eyes widened in horror as Tanjirodelivered the final slash, cleaving his head clean off.

Enraged at her partner's demise, Susamaru screamed,throwing temari balls at blinding speed!

Raja summoneda magical megaphone."Alright, Tanjiro, time for the grand finale! Make it flashy!"

Tanjirodashed forward, flames erupting from his blade as he performedBurning Bones, Summer Sun!

Withone fiery, spiraling slash,heobliterated every incoming temari ballbefore delivering a final, devastatingdecapitation strike!

Susamaru's head flew into the air, landing unceremoniously at Raja's feet.

Raja nodded."Solid execution. 8.5 out of 10. Needs more explosion."

Tanjiro collapsed, panting."I... I did it."

Raja ruffled his hair."Not bad, kid. You're officially not useless. Now let's find a place to eat—I'm starving."

And thus, thebattle ended, with Tanjiro proving his worth as a true Demon Slayer while Raja continued his favorite role:Ultimate Spectator and Sassy Mentor Extraordinaire.

After the intense battle, Raja sat across fromTamayoin a quiet room, sipping tea like a man discussing business, not thewar against the most powerful demon in existence.

"Tamayo-san, let's be real. You can't keep running forever. You need resources, protection, and, most importantly, anactuallab, not whatever basement setup you've been using."Raja leaned back, smirking.

Tamayo, elegant as always, sipped her tea."And what are you offering?"

"A lab at the Demon Slayer Corps HQ—fully stocked, top-tier equipment,ANDan enchanted home that blocks Muzan's creepy little mind tricks. You work with me, and in return, you get the best research environment possible."

Tamayo glanced atYushiro, who was glaring at Raja as if he wanted to punch him. She considered it for a moment beforenodding.

"Fine. But I work for no one, Raja-san."

"Yeah, yeah, you're independent. But let's be honest, you just agreed to be on my payroll."Raja grinned.

Raja stood before theassembled Hashira, hands in his pockets, looking like he had just walked out of a vacation.

"So, I met Muzan."

Silence.

Then all the hashiras shouted "Whaaat"

"And?"Gyomeiasked.

"Punched his face in, blasted his skull, then yeeted his headless body into the sky."

The room wasdead silent.

"You... what?"Sanemichoked out.

"Yeah, and then he exploded into blood mist and escaped. Good times."

Every Hashira simultaneously realized Their Little Lord Raja wascompletely Insane and a Menace.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com