What… what the hell was that?
That power—
It absolutely didn't belong to a human!!
His aura was nothing more than that of an ordinary human brat, so why did he have speed and strength this terrifying?!
And that flame… what was it?!
How could a human possibly control fire like that?!
And—
Those eyes.
Under that gaze, it felt like nothing could hide. Like everything was laid bare.
…
Within the blaze, Muzan regenerated a new head.
It wasn't fatigue that made his breathing ragged—
it was his heart, pounding so violently it forced air in and out of his lungs.
The reason he had survived for a thousand years wasn't just his demonic body.
It was also his caution.
He didn't even try to probe Uchiha Sora's background. Instead, in his mind, he urgently contacted Nakime, ordering her to transport him back to the Infinity Castle at once.
Only inside that otherworldly fortress could Muzan's rattled heart find even the slightest comfort.
Truthfully, the moment he heard that line, he'd already wanted to run.
He just… didn't know why his legs wouldn't move.
He turned to flee—
and suddenly, countless seeds made of flesh floated around him.
This was—
a Blood Demon Art!
SHNK—SHNK!!
The flesh-seeds erupted into endless thorns, pinning Muzan in place!
And then—
THUNK!
A slender arm speared into his lower abdomen.
Muzan looked down—and saw someone who should not have been here.
"Tamayo…?! Why are you here?!"
…
"Muzan…"
Tamayo's voice trembled—fear, yes… but also exhilaration.
"You just absorbed my blood through your body, didn't you…?"
"Do you know what was inside it?"
"It was medicine that turns demons back into humans!"
…
"That's impossible!" Muzan roared, plunging his hand into Tamayo's skull, his thumb grinding deep into her eye socket.
"It exists!" Tamayo snapped back.
She was a demon too—injuries like this weren't fatal.
"What gratitude… as if I'm the one who killed your husband and child. Who was it that gave you—"
No.
Not important.
There wasn't time to wrestle with her.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was escaping!
Muzan tried to rip free—
and a towering monk charged in, swinging a chained flail at terrifying speed, chanting Namu Amida Butsu as the weapon howled through the air.
Moments later, the Hashira-level captains arrived.
Seeing the lord's estate reduced to a sea of fire, the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, screamed hoarsely:
"It's you…"
"What did you do to our Master?!!"
…
I did nothing.
He blew himself up before I even moved.
Then some brat came out of nowhere and slapped me so hard my head flew off.
I just want to run.
I really, really want to run—
—
Within the flames, there was only one intact patch of ground.
Amane, clutching her husband's sleeve, stared in shock—those violet eyes so similar to a Rinnegan filled with disbelief.
What had she just witnessed…?
The progenitor of demons—the terror the Ubuyashiki family had battled for a thousand years—
sent flying with humiliating ease.
And the one who did it…
was only a boy who looked barely older than Nichika.
Kagaya couldn't see.
But he accepted what was happening far faster than Amane did.
With tremendous effort, he pushed himself up—and bowed toward Uchiha Sora.
"We prayed for a thousand years, and no gods or Buddhas ever answered…"
"From the depths of my heart, I thank you for descending."
"For humanity's sake, please kill Muzan."
"Whatever you want… take it all!"
…
…
"I already took what I wanted."
A notification chimed inside Sora's mind.
User: Uchiha Sora
Energy Rank: Black Iron
Total Reputation: 837 (700 frozen)
Usable: 137
Loan Project Completed: Rotten-Wood Grade
Objective: Save Ubuyashiki Kagaya's wife and daughters
Reward: +95 Reputation Points
—
Kagaya's wish had been simple: let his wife and daughters live.
The platform had judged the contract complete.
Because… even if Muzan had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare come back to kill the Ubuyashiki family right now.
With his temperament, he might hide in the Infinity Castle for centuries before making another move.
The 95 Reputation Points had already been credited.
Transfer would occur within three minutes.
"I'm not a savior. I saw your heart."
Uchiha Sora smiled faintly.
"To deal with him, you did everything you could."
"You'll succeed. You don't need me interfering."
He had searched Kagaya's memories. The man's mind was packed with information about Muzan—there was no trace of any platform.
That confirmed Sora's earlier suspicion.
He was different.
The Reputation Points he gained could be used for loans.
As for Rayquaza… he had six years to repay.
How repayment actually worked—he'd only know after doing it once.
The borrower here was like someone posting a request and paying with Reputation as currency.
Or… like offering worship, praying for an answer.
So what were Reputation Points, really?
If completing promises generated them…
then maybe Reputation Points were condensed will—life's ideological weight.
Was the platform harvesting something like emotion, belief, or thought—something abstract?
…
Sora didn't dwell on it.
His curiosity about "the truth" wasn't that strong. As his strength grew, whatever he needed to know would reveal itself sooner or later.
And even if there was some shadow behind everything…
the worst outcome was death.
Right now, every extra day he lived was profit.
So why fear it?
…
"I also believe the children will win…"
Kagaya lay prostrate, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
He was dying.
"But I truly wish there could be fewer sacrifices."
"Is there anything else I can give? Even if it saves just one person…"
"There isn't."
Sora had checked with the platform.
Kagaya was burned out—there was nothing left to extract.
"My time is almost up. Goodbye."
This task hadn't been difficult. Muzan living a thousand years was only mildly interesting.
A thousand-year "old monster," yet this weak?
It was honestly embarrassing.
…
"I can feel your mercy."
Kagaya's breathing grew sharper. Thinking cost stamina, and he had almost none left.
"Since I have no value left…"
"Then what about the demon side?"
Kagaya was smart—every Ubuyashiki head had to be, to accumulate the wealth needed to fund the Demon Slayer Corps.
If his side couldn't make this being stay…
then perhaps the demons could.
Killing Muzan was worth anything. He had already been willing to die with his wife and daughters.
What the boy was didn't matter.
What mattered was that Kagaya could sense it—
this boy possessed the power to defeat Muzan.
…
Uchiha Sora shook his head.
"I'm not interested in that crude kind of immortality that can't withstand sunlight."
Kagaya's breathing hitched.
Then—
he found it.
"The Infinity Castle!"
"Did you see the Infinity Castle in my memories?!"
"It's an unknown extra-dimensional fortress! Muzan's subordinate Nakime controls its spatial transfers and terrain shifts!"
Sora's appearance felt… spatial in nature.
Then the Infinity Castle—something tied to space—might be the only "offering" capable of catching his interest.
Even if he did nothing else, taking the Infinity Castle away would be a devastating blow to demon-kind.
…
That sensation of foreign power flooding his mind struck again.
Kagaya didn't resist. Instead, he desperately recalled everything he knew about the Infinity Castle, cooperating as Sora sifted through it.
…
…
Can the platform take things from this world?
Any item or living being may be taken. Transfer cost depends on mass/scale.
In the current world, there are no products exceeding the user's Reputation limit.
Note: Transfer costs are permanently deducted from Reputation. Use with caution.
…
"…You should've said that sooner."
BOOM!!
Uchiha Sora vanished in a flash.
The movement cracked the air with a sonic boom.
A space like that—something like Kamui, capable of containing vast numbers of living beings—
and these frail demons were using it as a nest?
What a waste beyond comprehension.
—
At that moment, the Demon Slayer Corps surged in, blades flashing toward Muzan.
WHOOSH!!
A figure tore through the air, dragging violent wind behind him.
"Move!"
Uchiha Sora's eyes burned red as he locked onto Muzan's trembling body.
"Hand over the Infinity Castle!"
"Trash."
Flames roared around Sora's body like a raging tide.
He was like a sun rising in the dead of night—
searing Muzan's mind and flesh alike.
Unlock 90+ advance chapters on Patreon — every follow inspires me to keep going!
Patreon.com/NightShade1