"That monster… that monster is actually pretending to live as a human!"
Tanjiro trembled as he stared at the scene.Kibutsuji Muzan turned to look at the two boys, confusion flickering across his pale face.
"Is something the matter? Did you need something from me?"
As he spoke, a faint smile curved on his lips—effortless, natural, without a trace of pretense.
"You both seem to be in quite a hurry."
"What's wrong?"
A beautiful woman approached from a short distance away, her features resembling the little girl Muzan held in his arms.
"Mama!"
The small girl called out, her tiny voice ringing with innocent joy.
To an ordinary passerby, this scene was nothing unusual—simply a normal family of three going about their night. Nothing strange. Nothing suspicious.
But for Tanjiro and Karasuma Reiyu…It was horrifying.
Utterly impossible.Reality-twisting.
Tanjiro clamped a hand over his mouth, his entire body trembling.
"That woman… the child… both of them smell human. They don't know? They can't tell? Don't they understand—this man is a demon! A man-eating demon!"
The woman looked at the two Demon Slayers in confusion.
"Are they acquaintances of yours?" she asked Muzan.
"No. I don't know them. In fact, I'm rather puzzled—they're complete strangers to me."
Muzan shifted his gaze from the woman to Tanjiro and Reiyu. His voice gained a hint of icy coldness.
"Perhaps they've mistaken me for someone else."
"Really? I see."The woman smiled warmly—completely unaware that Muzan's hand had silently transformed into razor-sharp claws.
And in the next moment—Under the cover of the bustling crowd, without anyone noticing, he slashed the back of a random passerby's neck with three swift strikes.
Blood spilled in thin lines.
As Demon Slayers, Tanjiro and Reiyu saw it happen.But they couldn't react in time.
They could only watch as the man staggered… froze… and in the span of a breath…
Transformed into a demon.
With a feral roar, the newly born demon lunged at the woman beside him—his own wife—and sank his teeth deep into her shoulder.
"No!!"
Tanjiro sprinted forward and tackled the man to the ground, pinning him with every ounce of strength he had. He pressed cloth over the demon's gaping mouth, muffling his snarls.
Reiyu, stunned for a brief instant, immediately launched himself beside Tanjiro, helping restrain the thrashing demon with force.
Neither of them noticed the way Muzan glanced back at them—
A cold, eerie stare filled with malice.
Tanjiro strained to keep the newly turned demon pinned.
"It's okay… he'll be okay," he told himself."He hasn't killed anyone. He didn't want this. He was just walking by."
Panting, Tanjiro lifted his head—Only to see Muzan already walking away, the woman and child at his side.
"Reiyu-aniue! Muzan is getting away—go after him!"
But Reiyu didn't move.
He kept pressing down on the demonized man, expression grim.
"Reiyu-aniue!!"
Tanjiro stared at him in disbelief. The enemy they hated the most was right there—why wasn't Reiyu giving chase?
Finally, Reiyu spoke.
"Tanjiro… be grateful. Kibutsuji Muzan decided not to kill us."
"What…?"
Tanjiro froze. He smelled something on Reiyu—Fear.
Real fear.
Reiyu continued, voice low.
"Muzan is strong. Too strong. No one in the Corps can defeat him. If he'd decided to strike us just now, we wouldn't have lasted a single second."
Moments earlier, during their confrontation, Reiyu had secretly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. While Muzan's attention was fixed on him, Reiyu had tried to cast Tsukuyomi—the ultimate mind-shattering illusion—using his left eye.
But the result had been terrifying.
The super-illusion capable of destroying minds…Had only stunned Muzan for less than one breath.
He recovered instantly.
And when Reiyu's System scanned Muzan, it reported:
Combat Power: 7429Rank: King-Class (Unprecedented)
It was then that Reiyu understood:
Before Kibutsuji Muzan—He and Tanjiro were nothing but insects.
Yet for some unknown reason, Muzan did not attack them.Instead, he used an unnecessary, roundabout method to distract and immobilize them.
Tanjiro listened, fists shaking.Reiyu's fear confirmed the truth.
And Tanjiro's heart twisted in agony.
His family's murderer had stood right in front of him—And he was powerless.
Grinding his teeth, Tanjiro screamed after the retreating Muzan:
"Kibutsuji Muzan! No matter where you run—I will find you!I won't let you escape! I'll chase you to the very ends of hell! I swear I'll take your head—no matter what it takes!"
Ahead, Muzan's steps faltered.
His expression darkened—rage distorting his features.Veins stood out on his temple, jaw clenched tight.
"You there! What's happening here? Are you causing trouble?!"
A group of policemen forced their way through the crowd, attracted by the commotion.
"You two boys—step away from that man!"
Uniformed officers pointed at Tanjiro and Reiyu, who were still restraining the demonized passerby.
Reiyu's brows twitched.
This was a problem.
These ordinary people knew nothing of demons.Nothing of the Demon Slayer Corps.Even if they explained the man had turned into a demon, the police would never believe them.
And the real threat…was already walking away.