Opening: Inferno by 9mm Parabellum Bullet

Muzan was in his usual location, in front of the chemistry table experimenting with his various testing tubes. He had been using the research he had gathered to form a substitute to the Blue Spider Lily. When Muzan was young, he had been born with a disease that would've been fatal had it not been for his doctor's prototype cure that involved the Spider Lily. However, in a fit of rage because the results were not instantaneous, he had killed the poor doctor. It wasn't until later where the effects of the cure began to kick in and Muzan had become the first demon on that Earth. Unfortunately, because the medicine wasn't fully administered and was in its prototype stages, he's been cursed with the inability to interact with the sun to any capacity. He had spent his many years of living in search of the Blue Spider Lily so he could conquer the sun and bask in the true glory of being a demon. However, he has had no success in that department which is why he's attempted to recreate its effects numerous times but failed.

That's what his subordinates were for, on top of hoping that one of his demons would eventually develop a natural immunity so he could absorb them, he would hope that at least one of the many demons out there would stumble upon the blasted thing. Unfortunately, none of that has happened. With the recent death of Daki, Muzan has seriously considered dismantling the remaining Moons which is why he's summoned them for a meeting. The only ones left were Upper Moons one to five.

Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, is an abstracted and grotesque white creature with no arms that appears as though he's growing from the pot he's attached to. On top of having multiple infant-like hands on his back, his eyes are replaced with a pair of lips and his eyeballs are where his mouth and forehead should be.

Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, is a short and frail old man covered in veins and wrinkles. His face is very angular on top of having a noticeable bump on his forehead accompanied with a pair of horns curling upwards. He has dark hair on top of a similarly colored kimono and pants.

Upper Moon Two, Doma, is a muscular young man with long and spiky pale-golden hair. His eyebrows are dark and thick with his rainbow-gradient eyes contrasting with it. He wears a red turtle-neck with a black blood-stain pattern along the openings of his shirt. His attire is finished with a pair of straight, tan-colored hakama pants.

Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, is a tall, young man with long and spiky black hair kept in a ponytail. He has three sets of red eyes with yellow pupils with flame-patterned red marking covering his face and neck. He wears a black and purple nagagi kimono along with black hakama pants. He also has a sword that he carries around his waist.

Each of the demons had arrived before Muzan, Kokushibo being the first to arrive before everyone else. Muzan had already given the demons the news of Daki's death, marking the first Upper Moon death within 113 years. He had just finished scolding his subordinates. Although he was more relaxed around this bunch compared to the pathetic lower moons he sent to die at the hands of the Hellwalker, he was still immeasurably disappointed in them. They were either prostrated or kneeling before their master as he continued with his scolding.

"... and Akaza, is the Hellwalker dead as you promised?"

Akaza threw up his eyebrows, catching the attention of his subordinates as they all stared at the demon. Akaza swallowed out of nervousness and explained, "N-no… I didn't get a chance. The sun started to rise while we were fighting. However! I'm fairly certain I eliminated one of the Hashira-"

"So let me get this straight, not ONLY did you run, but you also couldn't confirm that the Hashira was eliminated?"

"Y-yes…?"

Muzan moved his head to show off the disappointment plastered on his face, "So what exactly did you accomplish? As far as I'm concerned, you have done nothing but waste everyone's time. All of you have been completely useless, I've been too relaxed with all of you because you are Upper Moons. However, keep this up and I might just dismantle the Upper Moons the same way I did the Lower Moons. You need to serve me with more suicidal devotion and be willing to die for me and my cause. Do I make myself clear?"

The demons acknowledged their master's words and responded accordingly. Before the self-proclaimed king could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of a portal opening from nearby. They looked towards the most open area of the dimension they were in to see a large black portal with a red ring forming. The Marauder emerged from the portal, taking slow and deliberate steps forward with a Spirit accompanying him as it slithered around the Marauder like a snake. A humongous, red hover-pad followed behind him that was being pushed by several humanoid demons that wore similar attire to the Marauder. Each of them had their own distinct look yet it was discernible that they were all a part of the same group.

However, what was on the hover pad was completely different. It was a giant, muscular yet pale beast with four arms who's upper torso was attached to the red hover pad. The creature had dark red plates covering parts of its body. The creature was completely devoid of a face, instead, being replaced with a series of sensors and visors with its jaw still in-tact. Its face was boney and it had two, large horns on the sides of its head that pointed upwards in a curl.

Once the hover pad was out of the portal, one of the demons pushing the carriage asked the Marauder, "What now?" He was a towering demon that was abnormally huge for how humanoid he was. His armor followed the same design philosophy as the Marauder but was created to suit the large stature of the demon. He wears a helmet that only covers the upper half of his face which was decayed with a large chunk of his cheeks removed. His horns spiral inwards similar to that of a sheep with the ends protruding outwards. His voice was deep and raspy. His breathing was loud as well because he took in air through his decrepit moth

The Marauder didn't turn towards his comrade, stating, "Return to Immora, Avenger, I will join you as soon as I'm done here." The demon nodded in approval, motioning for the others to follow along as they passed through the portal they just entered.

Muzan was annoyed that these trespassers had invaded his dimension and called out, "Who are you to walk into my domain as if it's none of your business?"

The Marauder chuckled at Muzan's comment and answered, "I am a messenger of the Dark Lord."

"How cute, he couldn't come to bother me himself?

"The Dark Lord does not have time to meddle with weaklings such as yourself. That is why he has sent me." The Upper Moons stood up in retaliation but Muzan had to tell his subordinates to calm down. The Marauder began to approach Muzan and that's when the king of the demons noticed something swinging from the Marauder's hip: the Super Shotgun.

"Then what do you want? He's already tasked us with taking care of the Hellwalker."

The Marauder gestured towards the lifeless creature on the hoverpad and explained, "This is an Elder Agaddon Hunter, retrieved from the ruins of the Cultist Base left behind from the Slayer's rampage. Deag Ranak attempted to revitalize the creature but with little success, only being able to resurrect the common Agaddon Hunter. He did not possess the means to give life to a creature this powerful. However, the Dark Lord and his technology were able to continue the priest's work and outfit the creature with Immoran technology."

Muzan crossed his arms out of uncertainty, asking, "What exactly do you want from me?"

"The argent energy in your body has created a desirable mutation, your regeneration is quite useful and is the final key to resurrecting the Super Doom Hunter."

Muzan was surprised by what the Marauder said and questioned, "What do you mean I have argent energy? How did I even come into possession of it?"

The Marauder answered the king's question, "The Dark Lord influenced many things, including your creation. Everything that has transpired has been in accordance with his plan. You weren't born as a demon. The Dark Lord's influence turned you into one, feeding argent energy into you over time until the process was complete."

It was like a lightbulb went off in Muzan's mind as he commented, "Wait, so you're saying that the illness I was born with was actually-"

"Precisely. The Spider Lily was the cherry on top of the equation."

Muzan furrowed his brows, as if racking his head around all the information he was receiving and backing up to ask, "I don't understand, if the Dark Lord has all this power, why doesn't he deal with the Hellwalker?" The Marauder's explanation being:

"The Dark Lord knew he would be in a weakened state the moment his physical form was restored. He needs time to regain his strength which is why you were created. The Slayer feeds off the argent energy that all demons possess, it rejuvenates him. You are the only demon in this dimension with pure argent energy. When you share your blood amongst other creatures, the amount of argent energy in those demons decreases. As those same demons repeat the process, the amount of argent energy in each demon grows thinner with each infection to the point that the Slayer receives breadcrumbs worth of argent energy. Nothing that can revitalize him."

Muzan wasn't quite satisfied with the explanation as he still wasn't sure what the point was, "So what are you saying? We're a special breed?"

"No, you are the perfect fodder demon: weak and insignificant but you'll keep the Slayer busy until the Dark Lord has regained his strength. That is your only purpose, everything else you've accomplished is worth nothing to us. Now do as you're told and fulfill your duty like an obedient slave." The Marauder spun around and began marching away from Muzan who was filled to the brim with rage. Never had Muzan been humiliated to this degree before. Strains of irritation formed on his forehead as he clenched his fist angrily. The other Upper Moons got up and started to gather around, preparing to lash out against the Marauder at a moment's notice once their master gave the world.

Type-03 by Mick Gordon

Muzan raised his voice, "ENOUGH! I'm tired of being treated like a lowly creature! No one can disrespect me, Muzan Kibutsuji! I've allowed you and this Dark Lord to trample over me for too long, it's time for you to die!" The Marauder stopped, getting a firm grip on the Super Shotgun in his left hand and the argent axe in his right.

The spirit weaved around the Marauder before possessing him, causing him to bulk up as a blue aura enveloped him as he threatened, "Very well, it seems that I'll have to put you in your place, prepare yourself…" Muzan and the Upper Moons simultaneously leapt towards the demon, preparing to attack all at once. As they closed in, the Marauder whipped around before exclaiming, "I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

The Marauder jumped towards the demons, spin kicking them aside as he blew their body to smithereens with his attack. As he continued spinning, he swung his axe which cut deep into the bodies of all the demons hit as it left a noticeable mark that wouldn't go away. Muzan used his blood demon art to manipulate his body into a giant tendril that shot straight towards the demon. The Marauder quickly drew the Super Shotgun and fired it at the incoming attack, disintegrating it. Akaza jumped in to land a hit on the Marauder but was sliced in half and knocked to the side.

As the Marauder kept himself busy with all of the Upper Moons, Akaza was trying to regenerate but he couldn't. He was wide-eyed with panic as he cried out to the others, "I can't regenerate! Watch out for the axe, it won't let me regenerate!" With his allies now alerted, the other demons backed away quickly to dodge an incoming swing from the argent axe but got grazed in the process.

Kokushibo had leapt back to a far away corner as he extended his blade back before stating the name of his attack, "Moon Breathing: Seventh Form, Mirror of Misfortune - Moonlit." Before launching himself from the corner to build up momentum. As he went to swing his sword, the Marauder raised his argent shield and smashed it into the demon's blade, destroying it before pulverizing Kokushibo in the process.

Doma pulled out a pair of japanese war fans as he stated his attack, "Freezing Clouds." before blowing his fans to create a large gust of freezing wind. The Marauder swung his axe which created a slashing projectile that ripped through Doma's body. The gust struck the Marauder but wasn't effective at all. Gyokko attempted to get the sneak attack on the Marauder while he was distracted but the Marauder wasn't so easily fooled and whipped around to effortlessly decapitate Upper Moon Five. Gyokko couldn't believe what happened but before he could think about it any more, he noticed himself burning to a crisp and disintegrating to ashes as he faded away from existence.

The Marauder was transported inside of a room with all of its doors closed. One by one, the doors shot open as one as Muzan's tendrils attempted to strike the demon from every direction. The Marauder hacked and slashed through Muzan's attacks, forcing the king to quickly retract his limbs as he couldn't regenerate. He focused on getting the regeneration to work but it was a futile effort. Desperate times called for desperate measures as he decided to remove the chunk of his body that was damaged, allowing for the regeneration to kick in.

The other demons took note of their master's solution and quickly went to do the same thing so they could also fight. Hantengu had created a clone of himself that was much younger and more fit called Zohakuten to fight in his place. The clone placed his hands on the floor, manipulating the wood that the dimension was made of to attack the Marauder. The Marauder decided he had enough of being isolated in a room and rammed through the doors of the room to find himself in the open air, exposed. He began to fall as there was nothing underneath the demon, only a steep drop with no ground in sight. Muzan's tendrils and Zohakuten's wooden dragons were in hot pursuit of the Marauder, the demon shooting the meathook of the Super Shotgun into a wall to swing off of. He clambered to the same wall, waiting for the right moment to dodge the incoming attacks. Once he saw the opening , he leapt over the approaching targets and began racing along Muzan's tendrils which tried to absorb him in the process. The Marauder leapt forward while somersaulting with his axe extended to shred the tendril. The wood dragons that closed in were destroyed by the power of the Super Shotgun.

As the Marauder followed the tendrils, he found several miniature ice replicas of Doma advancing on his position as they all used the fans to create a humongous gust of wind. The Marauder jumped above the attack, shooting the meat hook into a wall and retracting it to pull himself forward. He crashed through the wall only to find Hantegu hiding away with Kokushibo. The Marauder quickly decapitated Upper Moon Four before whipping around to smash his fist into Kokushibo, blasting the demon across several rooms.

The Marauder noticed everything went dark, compelling him to look up as he discovered the sky was blocked out by an enormous chunk of ice. Muzan summoned as many tendrils as possible to grab the ice before slamming it into the Marauder and squishing him underneath. The ground shook briefly before everything got quiet and settled down. The remaining Upper moons regrouped while keeping their eyes on the chunk of ice. Doma cheerfully commenting, "You think that got him?" Muzan concentrated on the large chunk of ice to see if anything would leak out from the cracks.

The chunk of ice trembled before exploding into a cold mist that surrounded the area and hindered everyone's sight. As the fragments of ice rained down upon the area, the demons could only see the glowing blue eyes of the Marauder slowly approach them. Muzan kept his distance and unleashed a humongous tendril to strike the Marauder but it was cleaved off. The Marauder pointed the Super Shotgun at the king of the demons before firing the meat hook through Muzan's torso, hooking into his back and retracting to bring the demon close. The Marauder punched Muzan with enough force to blow off the demon's torso. Doma jumped in to help but the Marauder angled the Super Shotgun at Doma before decimating him with the weapon. As Muzan regenerated his body, the Marauder hacked off Muzan's legs before knocking him away with a powerful kick.

The meat hook was still attached to Muzan and was fully stretched out. The Marauder began to spin around repeatedly as the Meathook dragged Muzan through the various rooms of the distorted dimension and built up speed. Once enough momentum had been accumulated, the Marauder stopped and sent Muzan flying across the area as the demon smashed through countless rooms. Muzan was now quite a distance away from the rest of his underlings and just as he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was dug into a wall and with a steep drop below him. Before he could prepare his next course of action, the Meathook latched onto the wall next to Muzan, going taut upon pulling the Marauder in.

The Marauder rammed his fist through Muzan and the wall, ripping his arm out before telling Muzan, "I'm ending this." The Marauder grabbed Muzan by the arms as he pushed himself off, yanking Muzan out of the wall in the process. As the two demons began to descend, the Marauder began to spin repeatedly with Muzan swinging wildly because he was being held by the arm, his limb threatening to be ripped off from how much momentum they were building up. They continued down the steep drop which gave the Marauder more time to build up power until it looked like he was a saw blade. Once the floor was in view and approaching fast, the Marauder finally slammed Muzan's body into the floor with so much force that the foundation of the area caved in. All of the walls crumbled as the floor gave out and Muzan's body bursted in a bloody explosion as it couldn't withstand the force of the attack. The entire area collapsed considering all of the rooms were interconnected in some way.

Muzan regenerated right away and flinched when he was met with the argent axe mere inches from his face. The Marauder ordered, "Submit." The king lowered his guard and begrudgingly went along with the orders. He had to admit defeat as much as that left a sour taste in his mouth. The argent blade faded as the demon put his weapons away and began to take his leave but not without leaving one last comment, "Give your blood to the Super Doom Hunter, that is all."

Muzan cried out, "Wait! Answer me this: how come that axe prevented us from regenerating?!" The Marauder stopped one last time to give his final explanation:

"The power of the sun is nothing compared to Argent Energy." With Muzan receiving his last explanation from the Marauder, he was left to ponder the information he had received and make of it what he would. There was much more to consider now. Once the Marauder was gone, Muzan and his subordinates circled around one another as they took the time to view the destruction left behind by the Marauder. The Upper Moons were speechless, they didn't know how to describe what had just happened. Muzan felt the most frustrated out of anyone else there, he felt like everything he had believed in was a lie. His upbringing, a lie. His strength, a lie. All because of this Dark Lord pulling the strings and laughing from the background. How could Muzan expect to rule everything if he has to deal with the looming threat of the Dark Lord above his head at all times?

It looks like it was time for a drastic change of plans. Muzan still needs the Blue Spider Lily to obtain perfection, but his end goal is different now. He doesn't want to just conquer this Earth, he wishes to conquer the Dark Lord and his territories just to laugh in his face. Unfortunately, he cannot do this alone, he's realized this. Muzan looks to his subordinates who were looking to him for guidance. Muzan stood up, ushering his underlings to do the same as he ordered, "With you three being the last of my subordinates, you're going to have to put in a lot more work. For right now, our plans remain the same, but something needs to change. As much as I hate the concept of change, this is a necessary step towards my final goal. To accomplish this, I need more… competent chess pieces in this game we're playing. Are you ready for what's to come?"

The Upper Moons nodded in agreement, determination fueling their bodies right now as they were ready to get to work. Muzan closed his eyes and summoned three tendrils with spikes on the end. The Upper Moons didn't flinch at the sight of this, waiting for what's coming as the spike forced themselves into the demons. Muzan began injecting more blood than he had ever offered to the Upper Moons as their bodies began to strain and their veins were popping out. They each fell to their knees as their body looked like it was undergoing a seizure and it wasn't too long until they each started screaming in pain from the transformations they were undergoing.