A colossal shockwave erupted.
A mouth manifested within Muzan's palm, unleashing a violent surge of force.
Despite possessing physicalities rivaling demons due to our Breathing Styles and the Mark, neither Sakata nor I could withstand the impact. We were sent hurtling through the air.
Though I managed to land on my feet, it seemed we had been blown back a considerable distance.
"We've been tossed quite far."
"Damn it! I didn't expect a shockwave like that, I didn't...!"
Recalling Muzan's words, it seemed his objective from the very beginning was Tsugikuni.
But why? Why did Muzan seek out Tsugikuni specifically?
Wait...
A sudden, chilling sense of dread washed over me.
Muzan has the power to create Demons.
"Could it be, Muzan... is tryin' to turn that Tsugikuni brat into a Demon?"
Sakata voiced the absolute worst-case scenario.
No. That must be stopped at all costs!
If he becomes a Demon, then truly, no one will be able to stop Muzan!
Sakata looked at me with an expression of pure horror; it seemed our thoughts were aligned.
Grasping the gravity of the situation, I summoned Asoka—my Kasugai Crow—along with Sakata Gin's crow to send word to the Demon Slayer Corps. We prepared to charge back to reunite with Tsugikuni immediately.
However, at that moment, a single Demon emerged from the shadows.
An Upper Rank kanji was etched into its eyes.
The Demon blocked our path toward Muzan and Tsugikuni, as if declaring we would go no further.
Curse it all.
"Muzan, you bastard. It seems he dropped us here on purpose."
Sakata Gin spat out a curse, tightening his grip on his Nichirin Blade until it transformed into a Bright Red Crimson Blade.
"We must finish this as quickly as possible and rejoin Tsugikuni."
I raised my naginata, settling into a combat stance.
@@@
Muzan suddenly leapt onto the roof of a nearby house and took a seat.
I suppose he didn't care for sitting on the dirt.
Fast. Faster than even Upper Rank Zero.
Even without the Transparent World active, I nearly lost track of his movements.
It wasn't footwork or a technique.
Muzan had simply leapt, and he was on the roof. The deep indents left in the earth where he had been standing were proof of the sheer power behind the jump.
He performed those movements through pure, raw physical ability.
Has he never studied the martial arts? Or did he simply never feel the need to?
Furthermore, that woman has remained perfectly still for a while now...
I glanced at the female Demon out of the corner of my eye and activated the Transparent World.
Given that she used an illusion but Muzan is the one stepping forward, I suspect she isn't a combat specialist.
Her muscles are firm, as expected of a Demon, but that is all. Moreover, if her Blood Demon Art is limited to illusions, I need not pay her much mind for now.
Now then, Muzan. Let us hear what nonsense you have to spout.
I followed him onto the roof.
Kibutsuji Muzan.
The Progenitor and King of Demons, and the ultimate nemesis of the Demon Slayer Corps.
When I peered into his interior using the Transparent World, I couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
His anatomy resembled a human's, yet he possessed seven hearts and five brains.
As expected of a final boss, his body was truly extraordinary.
Of course, since the condition for a Demon's death isn't brain death or cardiac arrest—but decapitation by a Nichirin Blade or exposure to the sun—I wondered what the point of such an arrangement even was.
While his hearts and brains would regenerate, they are still delicate organs compared to the rest of the body. To my eyes, it seemed he had simply multiplied his weaknesses for no efficient reason.
Well, he is a monster who has survived for five hundred years; surely he has his reasons. Either that, or he's simply a fool.
Upon seeing me join him on the roof, Muzan began to speak with a smirk.
"Tsugikuni Michikatsu, how would you like to become a Demon?"
And so it begins—Muzan's recruitment pitch.
I stood still, listening to how he intended to describe his "company."
"By becoming a Demon, you can live for an eternity."
First, he lists the benefits of joining.
"You wish to leave your techniques behind for the world, and I wish to see what becomes of a swordsman who uses 'Breathing' once they have been turned."
Next, he clearly states the company's objective and attempts to persuade me by addressing my supposed desires.
"What say you? You have a choice. Unlike the other swordsmen."
He even goes as far as validating me as someone 'special' compared to others.
You certainly have a silver tongue, Muzan. Your scouting skills are no joke.
It seems those five hundred years of experience weren't entirely wasted.
It's a proposal that the 'me' from the original timeline—filled with a desperate desire to live and burdened by immense pride—would have easily succumbed to.
Unfortunately for you, I am not a man obsessed solely with martial arts.
What joy is there in a life where one cannot walk in the sun and must eat nothing but humans?
Besides, that would make Yoriichi my enemy. Am I insane?
I have spent my entire life twisting and turning just to ensure I don't die by that boy's hand.
Muzan noticed my displeased expression, rested his chin on his hand, and spoke again.
"Tsugikuni Michikatsu, I am showing you respect."
Respect?
"From my perspective, the Demon Slayer Corps—Breathing or not—is nothing but a collection of dregs. The fact that you can use Breathing is merely equivalent to a fly learning how to take flight."
He means it.
This bastard sincerely views the Corps as nothing of consequence.
Does he really think the Transparent World and the Mark are a joke?
"How comical. For someone who claims that, you certainly went through the trouble of creating things like the Twelve Kizuki as soon as the Corps increased its strength, didn't you?"
Your 'stealth patch' to balance the game was quite pathetic.
Muzan didn't fall for my provocation and continued.
"The Demons are dregs all the same. I have no desire to see such dregs multiply recklessly. However, it is troublesome when they are killed without thought. My goal is not something as grandiose as world conquest or the extermination of humanity; it is to conquer the sun, become a perfect being without weaknesses, and live for eternity."
For the leader of an evil organization and a final boss, his vision is remarkably narrow.
"By absorbing a Demon, I can make that Demon's traits my own. The reason I create them is to find a constitution capable of overcoming the sun. Therefore, it is inconvenient when you people hunt down every Demon I make and slaughter them."
"However, the fact that they are decapitated and killed by us is proof that they failed to conquer the sun. Furthermore, you—the one who has lived the longest of all Demons—have failed to conquer it. I highly doubt any Demon you spawn will evolve enough to do what you could not."
The muscles in his face twitched.
I definitely hit a nerve.
"In any case, the Demon Slayer Corps is nothing more than a swarm of flies buzzing annoyingly before my eyes. But you are different."
"Different?"
"Indeed. For five hundred years, things like Breathing, Marks, or Crimson Blades did not exist in this world. But everything changed after you entered the Corps."
Muzan pointed a finger at me.
"The Corps gained Breathing Styles. The Hashira gained Marks similar to Demons, the eyes that see through all, and even the Crimson Blades that burn Demons further. In short, these insignificant insects have grown poisonous stingers. Do you truly believe this is a coincidence? Furthermore, was it not you who struck down Upper Rank Zero—a creature I created with the utmost care—in a head-on confrontation?"
"I did not take him down alone."
"True, the Mist Hashira and the Echoing Hashira were there... but it cannot be denied that you were the only human who stood against him directly."
He knows exactly who was on the team for the Upper Rank Zero raid, even though no one could have reported back to him.
I had wondered how he knew my name and information about the Crimson Blade, the Transparent World, and the Mark. Does this man possess the ability to read the thoughts of all Demons?
"I have no interest in the martial arts of insects, but you are an exception. Whether it be Breathing or swordsmanship, there is no one in this world who surpasses you. I wish to turn such a man into a Demon."
Me? Strong?
Don't make me laugh.
I am merely ahead of the others because I realized things sooner; I am not inherently stronger.
The Hashira are already nipping at my heels. One day, my swordsmanship will be easily surpassed by them.
Moreover, Yoriichi is right there. Me, strong? Bullshit.
This guy really hasn't done his research properly.
"You shall hone your martial arts for eternity and etch your skill upon this world, and I shall gain a Demon who utilizes Breathing. Tsugikuni Michikatsu, become a Demon and enter my service."
"Is the King of Demons offering to make me one of his Twelve Kizuki?"
The answer was already decided.
I let out a hollow laugh.
"How comical. I refuse."
Muzan had clearly not expected a rejection. His facial muscles froze as he processed my response.
"...And why?"
"Muzan. In the world you speak of, there certainly is no fear. But in a world without the fear of death, humans do not find hope by overcoming it. A human can keep walking just to stay alive, but that is entirely different from walking forward while conquering fear. That is why humans gave that specific step a name. They called it 'Courage.'"
And besides...
"I cannot bear to watch a King of Demons who does nothing but trail behind the footsteps of mere humans."
Muzan let out a mocking laugh at my words.
"Ha. Is that so? Then perish."
Blood Demon Art: Black Blood Brambles
Judging that further persuasion was futile, Muzan moved to kill me, just as the Master had predicted.
Responding to his malice, tens of thousands of dark red veins erupted from his arms like thorny lashes.
In any debate, a short and powerful 'Then die' tends to conclude the argument much faster than long-winded, pedantic explanations.
It certainly leaves a stronger impression.
Even if it means I'm about to be skewered by thorny tentacles.
"From the beginning, no one has ever stood in the heavens. Not you, not I, not even God."
Hooooooo.
"But that unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky shall now end."
Moon Breathing
Tenth Form: Moonlit Opening
As the domain of my blade unfolded, the dark red tentacles that filled the sky were sliced into miniscule pieces, falling uselessly to the ground.
!!!!!!
Muzan could not hide his shock, clearly having not expected all of his Blood Demon Art to be shredded so effortlessly.
"From this moment forth… I shall stand in the heavens."