The Infinity Castle.
Muzan Kibutsuji sat lazily upon his throne.
A brilliant beam of midday sunlight cascaded from the skylight, enveloping him like a holy ray.
Bathed in the light, he looked completely at ease, as if enjoying the most comfortable hot spring.
He spoke softly to the empty hall.
"Nakime."
"Bring them to me."
*Strum—!*
With the clear, resonant twang of a biwa, space violently distorted.
One by one, figures were forcibly teleported into the hall by an irresistible power.
Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
Upper Rank Two, Doma.
Upper Rank Three, Akaza.
...
The Twelve Kizuki had all arrived.
The moment they appeared, they froze.
The surroundings... were wrong!
Blinding sunlight poured in from all directions, illuminating the Infinity Castle as brightly as day.
Midday?
A meeting at this hour?
It was a complete fantasy!
What kind of joke was this?!
Then, they saw Muzan on the throne.
He wasn't hiding in the deepest shadows as usual.
Instead, he sat casually, bathed in the fiercest, most lethal midday sun.
The tyrannical aura that usually made them walk on eggshells and hold their breath during every audience had completely vanished.
In its place was an absolute composure and majesty that stood above all creation.
Like a god looking down upon his believers.
Kokushibo's six ancient, emotionless eyes shrank to their limits!
For the first time, the eternal, fake smile on Doma's face completely stiffened.
Akaza felt an absolute suppression stemming from the very essence of life, a force that nearly made him drop to his knees on the spot!
The lord before them was still the same lord.
Yet... he was completely different!
"Lord Muzan..."
Even the usually heartless and fearless Doma couldn't suppress the shock and absurdity welling up inside him. He spoke tentatively.
"This... this sunlight..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
*Strum—!*
Nakime, by Muzan's side, suddenly struck her strings again.
A massive paper door next to Akaza slid open without warning!
Outside lay a cloudless blue sky and a blindingly fierce sun!
The scorching sunlight instantly engulfed half of Akaza's body!
*Sizzle—!*
Akaza's skin immediately emitted the horrifying sound of being seared by raging fire, billowing with green smoke!
The agonizing pain forced a muffled groan from his lips as he frantically retreated, stumbling back into the shadows.
Yet, Muzan in the center of the hall, along with Nakime beside him, remained completely unharmed and untouched under a sunlight even more dazzling than what shone through the door.
This scene completely shattered the understanding of every demon present.
Including Kokushibo, who had lived for nearly five hundred years, all the Kizuki wore expressions of world-shattering horror, as if mortals witnessing a divine miracle.
Upon the throne, Muzan slowly rose.
He spread his arms, embracing the sunlight, and revealed a genuinely delighted smile—one akin to a god passing judgment on the world.
"As you can see."
"The era of hiding is over."
Dead silence filled the Infinity Castle.
Sunlight, the very thing that had once been the most fatal weakness to all demons, now transformed into the holiest pillar of light, framing the man on the throne like a deity.
The Twelve Kizuki, the highest-ranking existences among the demon race, completely short-circuited. Their minds descended into a blank chaos.
On the throne, Muzan slowly opened his golden-red eyes, his gaze lightly sweeping over each of his petrified subordinates below.
The usual tyranny and impatience in his eyes were gone, replaced only by a pure, indifferent contempt, like a god looking down at ants.
"I searched for the Blue Spider Lily for a thousand years," he began, his voice calm, yet it struck every demon like a heavy hammer.
"And you useless trash couldn't find a single clue."
"In the end, I had to rely on myself."
A mocking curve formed on Muzan's lips. He stood up unhurriedly, spreading his arms to embrace the warm sunlight.
"Your incompetence wasted hundreds of years of my time."
The icy words made all the Kizuki subconsciously tense their bodies.
"But..."
Muzan's tone shifted, and a smile appeared on his god-like face.
"Considering how long you have followed me, I shall grant you... the qualification to become Ultimate Beings."
He raised his right hand and casually made a light slash across his wrist.
A wound split open.
However, the liquid that flowed out was not crimson blood.
It was a gel-like substance radiating a faint golden halo, seemingly alive!
The golden gel exuded a scorching, domineering aura like the sun itself, instantly filling the entire hall.
"I am already an Ultimate Being."
"From now on, you shall share in my glory."
Muzan's voice carried an unquestionable majesty, like a divine oracle.
"Kneel."
"Accept my gift."
The moment his words fell.
Akaza was the first to move!
Without a shred of hesitation, he dropped heavily to one knee with a thud, bowing his head deeply.
As a powerhouse pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts, he could most clearly sense exactly what kind of existence the power within the man on the throne was!
It wasn't just strength; it was an absolute suppression on the level of life itself! Before him, Akaza didn't even have the courage to throw a punch!
He wanted this power! With it, he could better pursue the apex of martial arts.
"Oh my, this is truly incredible!"
Doma followed closely behind, a sickeningly fanatical smile plastered on his face as he prostrated himself completely.
"Lord Muzan, you have... become a god!"
Only Kokushibo remained standing in place.
His six eyes stared fixedly at Muzan, flickering with unprecedented, violent fluctuations.
'If I no longer fear the sun, then could I try... Sun Breathing!' he thought.
He had spent his entire life trying to surpass that brother of his who was as dazzling as the sun.
Now, an opportunity seemed to have presented itself before him!
How could he give it up?
Slowly, with immense weight, Kokushibo bent his knees.
He lowered his proud head—a head that, since his birth, had never truly bowed to anyone other than that man.
Muzan watched this scene with satisfaction.
With a flick of his finger, drops of golden 'Sun Blood' flew precisely toward the top three Upper Ranks.
The moment the blood merged into their bodies.
"Guaaaahhhhh—!!!"
An agonizing pain, a hundred times more violent than any previous blood bestowal, erupted explosively!
Their bodies felt as if they had been thrown into the core of the sun! Every cell was being forcibly torn apart, incinerated, and then savagely reconstructed using a far more domineering substance brimming with solar energy!
That curse of sunlight, rooted deep within their bloodlines, was being forcibly erased and purified from its very source by this overwhelmingly greater power!
An unknown amount of time passed.
The pain receded like the tide.
Akaza was the first to stand up. Feeling the unprecedented, roaring power surging within him, he subconsciously took a step outside the open doors.
Warm sunlight spilled over his entire body.
He felt no searing pain, no burning sensation, only an... unprecedented comfort.
He raised his hands in astonishment, looking at his perfectly intact skin in the sunlight.
The shackles that had bound him for hundreds of years had finally vanished.
"Haha... Hahaha!"
Doma also rushed into the sunlight. He excitedly waved his golden fans, creating countless brilliant ice crystals that refracted rainbow halos in the sun.
"How wonderful! Is this what it feels like to be in the sun? It brings back such memories!"
He let out a crazed laugh of ultimate delight.
Kokushibo also slowly stepped out of the shadows, standing silently in the sunlight, feeling the warmth he had once hated and feared, yet found so incredibly familiar.
"The Demon Slayer Corps is no longer our primary target," Muzan's voice echoed from the throne again, carrying a hint of impatience.
"They are merely a colony of ants that needs to be swept away."
"From today onward, our stage is the entire world!"
His words once again shocked the newly reborn demons.
"Kokushibo," Muzan said, his gaze falling on the strongest Upper Rank. "Use your swordsmanship to forge an invincible demon army for me. We need greater power."
"Doma," he continued, looking at the smiling psychopath. "It's time for your Eternal Paradise Faith to expand. Go, announce the descent of the 'New God' to the whole world."
"Akaza," Muzan finally said, looking at the martial arts fanatic. "Go, seek out the martial arts masters of this world and turn them into demons. Those who refuse, kill without mercy!"
"Both the night and the day shall be my domain."
"This island nation is merely the starting point."
Muzan's ambition, much like his power at this moment, swelled to its absolute limit.
"As you command, Lord Muzan."
The Kizuki, their eyes burning with fanatical fire, accepted their orders. Surging with explosive power and brand-new abilities, their figures flashed and vanished from the Infinity Castle.
They would become Muzan's ceaseless, terrifying apostles, scattered across the globe.
A storm destined to sweep the world had just begun its prelude.