"Blood Demon Art: Blood Mulberry Tree!"
Facing the fatal strike, Kiyo summoned his final trump card—the mulberry tree that had previously been heavily damaged by Rengoku Kyojuro.
The blood-red mulberry tree burst from the ground, tearing through the earth. Its hardened trunk rose like a protective wall, shielding Kiyo behind it.
This was his last desperate gamble.
If this failed, death would be his only outcome.
The mulberry tree swayed violently, and the fruit-like worms clinging to its branches rained down to the ground.
Blood-red worms flooded forward like a crimson tide.
But before Rengoku Kyojuro's blazing dragon, it was like a star before the bright moon—utterly insignificant.
Under Kiyo's desperate gaze, the sea of worms was swallowed by the inferno, exploding into clouds of bloody mist.
Like the last glow of his life, it was the final color to bloom before extinction.
The flaming dragon tore through the mulberry tree.
And in the next instant, it bit cleanly through Kiyo's neck.
As his head separated from his body, fragments of his life flashed before his eyes.
He had been born into an ordinary family, lived an ordinary life, and loved eating mulberries. Even his name had been tied to them.
After becoming a demon, his status remained ordinary. His strength among demons was mediocre.
His life had been unremarkable.
And in the end, his death was the same.
As Kiyo's head struck the ground, his body crumbled into ash and scattered into the wind.
In calm resignation, he closed his eyes.
The death of Lower Rank Three, Kiyo, delivered resounding news to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Rengoku Kyojuro was officially promoted to Flame Hashira.
There are two ways for a member of the Demon Slayer Corps to be promoted to Hashira.
The first is to slay fifty demons.
Although this does not necessarily include members of the Twelve Kizuki, completing ordinary missions while surviving and eliminating fifty demons is still an extremely difficult task.
Becoming a Hashira is not simple. One must prove not only strength, but also survival ability.
The second method carries even greater risk.
Slay a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
Whether Upper Rank or Lower Rank, killing one grants immediate qualification for promotion to Hashira.
Such a feat proves both overwhelming strength and the ability to survive against the strongest demons.
Before killing Kiyo, Rengoku had already led missions and personally slain around thirty demons.
His strength required no validation.
Without formal instruction, he trained himself using the Flame Breathing manual passed down through the Rengoku family for generations.
That alone demonstrated extraordinary talent.
As the son of the former Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjuro, it was only natural that he would one day inherit the title.
Even without this battle, becoming the Flame Hashira had only been a matter of time.
Now, it was official.
Kiyo's death caused the morale of the four Hashira battling Ryuya to surge.
The pressure that had once completely suppressed them began to shift.
The battle edged closer to equilibrium.
But the demons' troubles were not over.
Following Kiyo's beheading, Rokuo—whose body had been thoroughly infiltrated by Shinobu Kocho's Wisteria Poison—was in dire condition.
The poison coursed through her like burning venom, ravaging her organs and causing unbearable pain.
She attempted to activate her Blood Demon Art, summoning blood thorns to strike at Shinobu behind her.
But Shinobu's movements were too light and precise.
Deeply poisoned, Rokuo could not even touch her.
The blood thorns lashed through empty air with sharp cracking sounds.
"Damn it, damn it!!!"
Rokuo clawed at her own head in frustration, her face flushed with desperation.
She could feel her body deteriorating.
If this continued, even if Shinobu did not decapitate her, the Wisteria Poison would eventually consume her entirely.
For Rokuo, this was unbearable torment.
She even resented Shinobu, wondering why she would not simply cut off her head and grant her a swift death instead of letting her suffer like this.
What she did not know was that Shinobu had her own limitations.
Her physical strength was insufficient to decapitate a demon.
Even with Ryuya's prior guidance, Shinobu alone could not have defeated Lower Rank Four Rokuo in direct combat.
The reason Rokuo had been driven into such peril was not Shinobu's effort alone.
When Shinobu first injected the poison, several Kinoe-ranked members of the Demon Slayer Corps had assisted her.
Only after Rokuo had been thoroughly weakened by the toxin did those members withdraw to support another group fighting Lower Rank One, Enmu.
Furthermore, Shinobu's method of combat was unique.
Most demons—including Rokuo—were unaware that Wisteria Poison could be used as a primary method of killing.
Traditionally, demons could only be slain by decapitation with a Nichirin Blade.
Shinobu was the first to pioneer this alternative approach.
Rokuo's lack of knowledge had cost her dearly.
These factors combined allowed Shinobu to suppress and corner her.
"Wah… cough!!"
As Rokuo's eyeballs and optic nerves slipped from their sockets, Rengoku Kyojuro, unable to catch up to Rui after killing Kiyo, turned back.
His fighting spirit burned fiercely, his demon-slaying aura sharper than ever.
He glared at Rokuo with undisguised hostility.
"Brother Kyojuro, please leave this young miss demon to me. I will use my poison to gently send her to Hell."
Shinobu Kocho smiled sweetly.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Demon Slayer: Son of Muzan (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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