The Ultimate Lifeform. One who could conquer the sun simply by wearing the mask.
And the Pillar Men, beings who had lived for at least a thousand years.
The appearance of the three Pillar Men utterly stunned the audiences outside the light curtain.
No matter how you looked at them, these three individuals did not look like they had lived for millennia...
[Light Curtain Commentary]
[Muzan Kibutsuji: "Wear a mask to conquer the sun and become the Ultimate Lifeform? Is that real? Is it?!"]
In the world of Demon Slayer, Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes blazed with desire and greed. It was a craving for the Stone Mask. To conquer the sun—this was something he dreamed of accomplishing!
It was no exaggeration to say that if he could truly overcome his weakness to the sun, he wouldn't care about three Pillar Men, or even...
[Otto Apocalypse: "That man, Kars... is no ordinary person. His caliber is far beyond that of a normal man!"]
In the Honkai world, Otto couldn't help but marvel. Judging by the attitude of the other two Pillar Men, Kars was clearly the most revered of the three. Wamuu addressed him with the honorific "Lord," and Esidisi beside him was also deeply respectful.
Yet, even when faced with his subordinate's insubordination, Kars showed no anger. Instead, he graciously admitted his own mistake, apologized to his subordinate, and even sought his forgiveness...
Whether this was his genuine way of handling things or a calculated move to win hearts and minds like DIO, this level of magnanimity was something no ordinary person could possess.
[Joseph Joestar: "Kars—that bastard, he revived so quickly! The Red Stone of Aja... does something like the Red Stone of Aja exist in the Demon Slayer world, too?"]
In the world of Stardust Crusaders, an elderly Joseph Joestar was in shock. The moment he saw Kars, he had to admit he was afraid. Kars was the most terrifying adversary he had ever faced in his life.
He was insidious, cunning, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, showing almost no regard for human life. In the very end, he had transcended the Earth itself, overcoming all of his weaknesses!
To be honest, Joseph himself didn't even know how he had managed to defeat Kars. But one thing was certain... his grandson, Jotaro Kujo, was now in mortal danger!
Jotaro Kujo could not possibly fight the Pillar Men and DIO at the same time. Not even with his invincible Star Platinum!
---o---
[On Screen]
The appearance of Kars did not cause much of a stir. The preparations for the battle between Muzan Kibutsuji and DIO for the title of Demon King were already complete.
Jotaro Kujo, still residing at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, remained blissfully unaware. In his eyes, DIO was still his only opponent.
And until he had completely overcome his own weakness, Kars would certainly not reveal himself to humanity...
"How cruel... What kind of being is this? Why must they be so cruel!"
Inside the cave where the Pillar Men had been, just after Kars and the others had departed, Tanjiro arrived, carrying a wooden box on his back. He was accompanied by two of his fellow Demon Slayer Corps members on a mission.
The intense smell of blood assaulted his nose, causing his keen sense of smell to recoil with physiological disgust.
"..."
Perhaps sensing the life force of humans, the demon that the Pillar Men had treated like an ant, still clinging to its last breath, let out a sound so weak it was almost inaudible.
"Eek!!"
The yellow-haired boy, whose hearing was exceptionally sharp, detected the faint sound and scurried behind Tanjiro like a frightened mouse.
Meanwhile, the bare-chested boy wearing a gray boar-head mask immediately drew his twin blades, staring warily in the direction of the noise.
Tanjiro also drew his own Nichirin Blade, cautiously looking toward the source of the sound.
There, they saw a demon, its body riddled with holes and covered in foul-smelling blood. It was only through the immense life force of a demon that it had managed to hang on until now.
"This... This is our target for this mission... How could... How could he be so injured?! Who did this? Was it another demon?" Tanjiro said in disbelief. He was a kind person; although he showed no mercy to demons, torturing one in this manner was simply too much.
"Oh? It's still alive. That's a bit surprising. No wonder Lord Kars said these 'demons' are a type of human evolution."
As the three stood in shock, a voice suddenly echoed in their ears. They quickly turned to face the speaker, raising their blades in a defensive stance.
It was Wamuu, the horned Pillar Man who had awoken first. For some reason, he had returned to the cave, running right into the trio from the Demon Slayer Corps.
It's over... This was the thought that flashed through the minds of the audience outside the light curtain.
They didn't know how strong this Wamuu was, but in the generally weaker world of Demon Slayer, there was no way these three fledgling kids could possibly be his match.
As Wamuu finished speaking, the trio quickly understood that he was the one responsible for the gruesome scene before them.
At this realization, Tanjiro could no longer contain his anger. "Did you do this?" he roared. "Why... Why would you attack your own kind? Aren't you a demon, too?"
His eyes blazed with fury. Combined with his reddish hair, Tanjiro had lost all of his usual gentleness, looking utterly terrifying.
Wamuu, however, simply scratched the back of his head and stated calmly, "Hey, little human brat, don't get the wrong idea. I am not one of those lowly creatures. Besides... a weakling like that is not worthy of being my comrade."
Demon? What kind of pathetic lifeform was that? Compared to their clan of darkness, they weren't even worth mentioning. Furthermore, to Wamuu, who was born with a reverence for the strong, a weakling like this, even if it were a member of his own clan, would only be fit to be a gatekeeper like Santana.
Only the strong were worthy of respect. Only the strong could be his comrades. This was Wamuu's code.
"Unforgivable!" Gritting his teeth, Tanjiro, faced with a being who showed such contempt for life, gripped his sword with both hands. Water surged from the tip of the blade as he charged straight at Wamuu.
"Water Breathing—Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Powered by his breathing technique, Tanjiro moved like a water dragon lunging at Wamuu. The currents of water flowing from his blade carved a beautiful arc through the air, giving the audience outside the screen their first detailed look at this world's Breathing Styles.
Faced with the swift attack, Wamuu merely raised a hand to block it. The blade, upon making contact with his arm, was suddenly repelled as if it had struck something impossibly hard.
Although it failed to inflict any real damage on Wamuu, thanks to the master craftsmanship of the swordsmith and Tanjiro's own growth over the past few days, the attack still managed to leave a faint scratch on Wamuu's arm.
"This... Could it be Hamon?" Wamuu's eyes widened in a flicker of surprise.
An ordinary blade could not have left a mark on his body. And the change in Tanjiro's breathing rhythm before executing the technique, while completely different from the Hamon he knew, seemed to achieve a similar effect.
"A Hamon warrior? Not quite, but close enough."
Wamuu studied Tanjiro with a blank expression, then his head began to rotate rapidly, whipping the circlet of hooks around his head in a 360-degree motion.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The hooks sliced through the air, hurtling toward Tanjiro. He immediately raised his blade to defend, and the sword clashed with the wind blades, creating the screech of metal on metal.
Seeing this, Inosuke Hashibira, who had been standing by, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, who had long since fainted from fear, immediately sprang into action, slicing through the remaining wind blades to protect Tanjiro.
Wamuu simply shook his head and, like a battlefield commentator, explained, "Those wind blades just now were not mere air pressure. They were the wake of miniature vacuum tornadoes. You cannot dodge them, young Hamon warrior."
His calm voice reached Tanjiro's ears, and just as the boy was still reeling in shock and confusion, the attack struck.
"Aargh!" In an instant, his face was slashed open. Blood splattered, and one of his eyes was completely filled with blood from the wind blade's assault.
"Dammit..."
Pushing himself back up, Tanjiro's voice was grim and low.
"I prepared myself for this when I became a Demon Slayer! To disregard life like this... you are more hateful than any demon!"
"What does losing an eye matter!"
"I will... I will avenge the lives that were lost! I will make you pay!" Tanjiro roared at Wamuu, his teeth clenched and his bloodied eye squeezed shut.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what kind of freaky technique is this? It's like he can control the wind! This 'demon' is way too strong!"
Inosuke Hashibira wiped away nonexistent sweat from his boar mask, his voice trembling slightly. Having grown up in the forest, he could feel the palpable aura of danger emanating from this being.
Beside him, the yellow-haired boy, Zenitsu Agatsuma, was sleeping soundly. However, judging by the way he gripped his sword, even in his sleep, he could sense the terror that Wamuu exuded.
Facing the three boys on high alert, facing the furious Tanjiro, Wamuu burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. His laughter was filled with disdain and mockery.
"What's so funny, you big bastard!" Inosuke shouted, defending Tanjiro's honor.
Wamuu just shrugged. "Because I've grown tired of hearing those words."
"The Hamon clan, which we annihilated two thousand years ago, said the exact same things."
"Things like—'Even if I lose an arm, even if my eyes go blind, I will not fall! To disregard life like this...' and other such foolishness."
"That's why it's so amusing. If Lord Kars or Lord Esidisi were here, I imagine they would laugh even more heartily."
After he finished laughing, Wamuu's expression turned as cold as ice as he continued to mock them.
"You are too weak. Compared to the Hamon warriors of two thousand years ago, you are pathetically fragile. Forget it. I have no desire to fight the weak. I should complete the task Lord Kars gave me as soon as possible."
With those words, Wamuu completely ignored the trio and began to walk deeper into the cave.
How could the three of them let him pass so easily? Steam shot from the nostrils of Inosuke's boar mask, as he was the most intolerant of being taunted.
"Damn you, you bastard! Go to hell!"
Inosuke roared, lunging with his twin blades aimed at Wamuu's head, attempting a sneak attack to kill him. Any demon would die if its head was severed!
But just as the blades were about to connect, Wamuu casually tilted his head, dodging the attack.
Then, with lightning speed, he thrust his fingers toward Inosuke's neck.
Thwump!
In the next moment, the tables had turned. Inosuke felt it become difficult to breathe, his face contorting in pain.
Wamuu, as if he had done something utterly mundane, spoke with an unchanging expression, "Although the tools you use are different from those of the Hamon warriors two thousand years ago, the essence is the same—you both rely on breathing."
"Too weak, far too weak. The weakness of this kind of breathing technique lies in the throat and lungs. As long as I prevent you from breathing, you, like the Hamon warriors, will be unable to generate any power."
"Once you've lost your power, you are nothing more than ordinary humans."
Wamuu glanced impassively at the three of them. "Then and now, I will say the same thing."
"Little brats, strive to become stronger."
"When you have become strong enough to be worthy of fighting me, I will kill you then, as a sign of my respect."
"Killing a weakling, even an enemy, leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
As his voice fell, Wamuu forcefully threw Inosuke aside. He crashed into the nearby cave wall with a loud thud. With a human's recovery rate, he likely wouldn't be getting up for three or four months.
Only then did Tanjiro and the others truly understand the sheer gap in power between them and Wamuu. It was like an ant trying to stop a human.
In Wamuu's eyes, their attacks were as feeble as a child's punch, even with their Nichirin Blades and Breathing Styles.
Thump... Thump... Thump—
Just as Wamuu sighed, preparing to carry out Lord Kars's orders, a sudden noise stopped him in his tracks.
He looked toward the source of the sound and saw the wooden box that Tanjiro had placed on the ground. It was now making a thumping noise.
"Inside... is a living thing?" Wamuu was intrigued. Using his control over the wind to sense it, he realized the presence within was not human.
"Interesting. A human traveling with a demon. Lord Kars said that demons are an evolution of humans, which means their food is humanity. Prey and predator... coexisting?"
Although it wasn't part of Lord Kars's orders, Wamuu believed this was something that would certainly interest his master.
Lord Kars had shown a keen interest in demons from the very beginning. Therefore... as long as it didn't interfere with the mission Lord Kars had given him, collecting some unique demons for his master was well within Wamuu's capabilities...