“Zheng——”
A clear, resonant sound of a pipa echoed through the vast, wooden structure. Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, slowly lowered the blade in his hand as he gazed around at the transformed surroundings. He found a comfortable spot to sit and settled down.
This was the Infinity Castle.
Unless absolutely necessary or urgent, the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, would never summon him to this place without prior notice.
“Infinity Castle?”
“What’s happened now?”
Emerging alongside Kokushibo, was not Upper Rank Two, Douma, but the current Upper Rank Three, Akaza, blood still staining his fists. His tone, a mix of bewilderment and annoyance, suggested he had been interrupted in the middle of something.
He had been unceremoniously teleported to the Infinity Castle.
A little resentment was understandable.
...
“Seems someone died~,”
A sharp, raspy voice slithered through the vast emptiness. A seemingly ordinary vase in a corner stirred, and a grotesque figure emerged. Naked from the waist up, with a twisted face, multiple arms, and an air of sleaziness, this was the current Upper Rank Five, Gyokko. His resilience was legendary, and he had been diligently searching for information on the Blue Spider Lily to curry favor with Muzan Kibutsuji.
For him to be summoned back so suddenly, something significant enough to overshadow Muzan Kibutsuji's quest for the Blue Spider Lily must have happened!
...
“Who?”
Akaza surveyed the surroundings, taking in the assembled twelve Kizuki, and the absent Upper Rank Two, Douma, standing beside him.
He seemed to understand.
He nodded, his expression unchanged, silent. No mockery, no emotion. In a way, it was a more humiliating taunt.
...
A moment later.
All twelve Kizuki were present.
With a final delicate strum of the pipa, a figure appeared on the platform at the forefront of the assembled Kizuki. Clad in a bespoke suit, a vintage gentleman's hat perched atop his head, every detail meticulously groomed, only his crimson eyes betrayed his true nature. This was a young man.
He stood before all the twelve Kizuki.
He was.
The Demon King.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
...
“Douma is dead.”
“Cleanly killed. No trace of a Nichirin Blade, no remnants of Breathing Techniques.”
Muzan Kibutsuji's voice was even, devoid of emotion. He showed no concern for Douma's demise.
His only focus was.
What had killed Douma so decisively.
Even his attempts to delve into Douma's memories yielded no clues. It was as if, the moment Douma died, he ceased to exist, as if he had never been.
Honestly.
This situation, beyond his control, was unsettling for the Scummy Boss. On the surface, he maintained his composure, but inside, he was somewhat panicked.
Especially.
This was not the kind of damage that a mere Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps could inflict.
This was something that could level mountains...
“So.”
“Investigate thoroughly. Find out exactly what killed Douma so decisively.”
“And… ”
Muzan Kibutsuji was about to continue.
At that moment, his blood, already cold, began to pulse unexpectedly! It rapidly heated up, gaining… temperature!
It was as if something that had been suppressing him had finally broken. His body was no longer restrained. Even his weakness to sunlight…
It had been significantly delayed.
He was still afraid of sunlight, but weaker forms no longer posed a lethal threat!
His overall strength was now several times, perhaps even more, than before!
“What’s going on?!”
Muzan Kibutsuji marvelled at his own surging blood. He could even distinctly feel another bloodline pulsating alongside his own.
It was a bloodline that flowed with his own.
It was...
“A member of the Ubuyashiki family?”
“That’s the location of the Demon Slayer Corps' estate?”
The Scummy Boss took a deep breath, hesitated, glanced at the approaching dusk outside, then looked at the twelve Kizuki below, who seemed a little confused.
Ultimately.
In front of the bewildered demons, the Scummy Boss tore a piece of his flesh and dropped it to the ground.
“Muzan Kibutsuji,”
“Take everyone with you.”
“Let’s go to this location.”
“Muzan Kibutsuji?”
Muzan Kibutsuji called out twice before Muzan Kibutsuji snapped out of her trance, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the flesh Muzan Kibutsuji had dropped. She began to receive the location information Muzan Kibutsuji had provided.
...
Another delicate strum of the pipa resonated. Muzan Kibutsuji and the twelve Kizuki found themselves near the Demon Slayer Corps' estate, while the piece of flesh remained in the Infinity Castle.
It was Muzan Kibutsuji’s backup plan, a precaution against another near-death experience like the last one.
What do you think life is?
Even now, whenever Muzan Kibutsuji thought about those words, his body trembled.
He still couldn’t fathom how a mere human could achieve such immense power.
“Hm…”
“Where…”
Muzan Kibutsuji quickly pinpointed Ubuyashiki Yorichi's location through his bloodline, sensing the presence of the Hashira's Breathing Techniques nearby.
Muzan Kibutsuji wasn't intimidated by the Breathing Techniques, however. He felt more reassured. After all, every creature fears the unknown far more than what they are familiar with.
...
Soon.
Following the scent, Muzan Kibutsuji arrived at the entrance to Kocho Kanae's garden. His movements were swift. A faint white mist trailed behind him, echoing his iconic entrance in the original story, where he strode in on dry ice, only to end up with just his pants intact after being blown to smithereens.
The Scummy Boss seemed to enjoy this kind of entrance!
Following Muzan Kibutsuji's gaze, apart from the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, he saw two figures who were unfamiliar but seemed to be ordinary people. Lastly, there was Ubuyashiki Yorichi, now fully recovered, his wounds gone, able to stand on his own.
“It's exactly as I expected,”
“Ubuyashiki…”
Muzan Kibutsuji kept his hands in his pockets. The black suit he wore billowed without wind, eleven figures behind him, radiating terrifying auras, stood ready for battle!
...
“Muzan Kibutsuji?”
“You are… the one we, the Ubuyashiki family, and the entire Demon Slayer Corps have hunted for a thousand years… the Demon King?”
Ubuyashiki Yorichi remained calm, sitting quietly.
He gazed at the young man in front of him.
“You’re quite young…”
...
Seeing no immediate change, Muzan Kibutsuji relaxed a little. He raised a hand, pointing to himself.
“Because I have never faced any divine retribution~”
“Even after killing hundreds, thousands, the heavens continue to allow my existence.”
“Throughout these millennia, I have never witnessed a god or a Buddha.”
“I wonder.”
“Am I the god, or Buddha, of this world?”
Muzan Kibutsuji's voice was soft, but his presence gradually overshadowed everyone present: the Hashira, the twelve Kizuki, even Ubuyashiki Yorichi.
Except...
The masked young man sitting opposite Ubuyashiki Yorichi, dressed in an unusual attire.
Of course, it was.
Aogami.
Aogami turned around, one hand supporting his cheek as he casually observed Muzan Kibutsuji.
“An interesting claim.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t initially interested in you. Your life or death mattered little to me, a mere pawn in the grand scheme of things.”
“But what you said, I don't like.”
“To become the god or Buddha of the world, to establish your own arbitrary rules for the world, well, that's something I'm not happy about right now.”
...
Muzan Kibutsuji observed Aogami, his eyes narrowing with suspicion and caution.
Initially, he had perceived this person as an ordinary human, but upon closer examination, he realised he couldn’t discern the slightest trace of their aura!
It was as if there was a living person there, but his senses perceived no one!
This was terrifying!
It was a kind of pressure that not even the legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni had brought upon him!
“Who are you?!”
Muzan Kibutsuji suppressed his mounting anxiety,
Maintaining a facade of composure.
…
“3.”
Aogami ignored Muzan Kibutsuji's question. He continued to watch, his left hand reaching towards his ear, a golden light emanating from it.
It transformed into a crimson copper cloud club.
“2.”
Aogami's voice followed close behind!
...
Muzan Kibutsuji: “!!!”
Muzan Kibutsuji took a deep breath. His inner unease was reaching a crescendo!
Even!
Just as Aogami was about to utter the final number, Muzan Kibutsuji forcefully commandeered Muzan Kibutsuji’s power. With a surge of pipa music,
He opened the portal to the Infinity Castle space without hesitation!
Ignoring the bewildered twelve Kizuki, he leaped into the portal!
...
“1.”
Aogami's club had reached full power. The crimson copper cloud club, already glowing red, now shimmered with golden accents. With a resounding snap, as if something had shattered,
Aogami brought his fully charged club down upon the spot where Muzan Kibutsuji had just vanished!
This blow!
The force it carried, the swirling winds and air currents, tore through the thick, newly formed clouds in the sky!
It descended!
“BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!”
The deafening roar did not shatter the ground. Instead, as the club neared the ground, a thin film, like a fragile membrane, was torn apart by the sheer force of the blow!
“Crack-!”
The space of the Infinity Castle crumbled!
Before the overwhelming might of the blow, any feeble attempt to restrict space, time, or speed, was like a gnat challenging the heavens!
Useless!
Even as Muzan Kibutsuji was torn apart by the club’s momentum, in that fleeting moment before his final annihilation,
He had no time to react.
By the time he registered what was happening, he merely saw the last vestiges of his flesh being consumed by the collapsing Infinity Castle space.
Completely obliterated!
.......................................................................................
Please shower this with flowers, monthly tickets, review tickets, and comments!
I’m reading your comments. Zhou Fang You Xi, and also Qiong, and the others you mentioned, will all appear gradually, don't worry.
The author needs time to arrange everything properly!
As for the one who mentioned the Dragon King's Prison Food, the author is still thinking about that…
Keep updating!