It was the night Kaigaku transformed into a demon.
"Muzan-sama, I wish to turn this Demon Slayer into a demon. I request your approval."
Kibutsuji Muzan, in the form of a child, sat on a leather sofa, while a human mother gently brought him hot tea. He wore a perfectly appropriate, polite smile.
"Thank you, madam."
His lips touched the warm liquid, his eyes subtly revealing a hint of impatience. In his mind, facing Kokushibou's request, he impatiently assented.
Staring at the rosy black tea in the porcelain cup, the cup in his hand suddenly shattered after a moment, causing the beautiful lady beside him to anxiously step forward to check.
"Ah, Junkoku! Are you alright? Were you burned...?"
The woman who had just been concerned about him instantly turned into a mist of blood. Even the maid beside her was dismembered into fragments before she could even scream.
Wiping the crimson blood from his face, he lightly licked the bloodstain on his fingertip. His magenta, fractured, vertical pupils were filled with madness.
That existence, which displeased him so much, had actually overcome the sun!
Why bother looking for the Blue Spider Lily anymore!
As long as... as long as he obtained him!
I, Kibutsuji Muzan!
Would be the most perfect being in this world!
"Hmph... Hahahaha!"
He excitedly covered his face, pressing so hard that he even scratched his own cheek, uncaring of the fresh blood seeping through his fingers.
Well done, Kokushibou!
..."Hoo~" The hot breath he exhaled all turned into white mist. The forest, which had just barely sprouted tender green leaves, was once again covered by heavy snow. Yoizumi shook his head, shedding the falling snow from his hair.
He somewhat troubledly sheathed his nichirin blade. The progress of the new Breath of Snow sword forms was not smooth; or rather, he hadn't found the right direction at all.
He looked up at the sky. From morning until night.
He had practiced all day, yet made no progress.
Yoizumi stood still, raising his arm to sniff.
No smell.
As a demon who used the Breath of Snow, sweating was impossible for Yoizumi.
To be safe, Yoizumi decided to return to the Butterfly Mansion to bathe before heading to headquarters to find Shinobu.
He couldn't keep using Shinobu's bathroom.
Yoizumi felt that wasn't very good.
He had only taken a few steps towards the Butterfly Mansion when he heard a familiar voice.
"Ah~ I finally found you."
"Yoizumi-nii."
Tokito Muichiro appeared there, smiling as he walked over to Yoizumi.
"Muichiro? Is there something you need me for?"
"I wanted to come find Yoizumi-nii to train together," Muichiro said, looking past Yoizumi. A hint of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
"No wonder I felt cold. I didn't expect it to cause such a scene."
It was clearly a vibrant spring day, yet winter snow had appeared out of nowhere in the forest. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Tokito Muichiro would have found it unbelievable.
"Training…" Yoizumi hesitated slightly. He had promised Shinobu he would accompany her today.
"If Yoizumi-nii has his own matters to attend to, then we can arrange it for next time," Muichiro said, sensing Yoizumi's dilemma.
"There's still enough time; I can accompany you."
The sun had only just set, so there was relatively plenty of time. Shinobu's research probably wouldn't finish until quite late.
"That's great! Please follow me," Muichiro said, smiling immediately upon hearing this.
Following behind Muichiro, Yoizumi remembered that Tanjirou should be about to participate in training with him. He wondered how the training was going.
"How is Tanjirou performing?"
"Very well. Tanjirou is improving very quickly, you know."
"Is that so…"
Tanjirou is working very hard…
I hope he doesn't push himself too much.
Yoizumi's usually indifferent face softened as he spoke of his family.
Not only in training, but he also quickly gets along with others. Muichiro thought that gentle people seemed to possess a mysterious charm, making others unconsciously want to get close.
Tanjirou is such a gentle person… and even Tanjirou's older brother, Yoizumi.
Is also a gentle person, unaware of his own gentleness.
"We're almost there," Muichiro reminded him.
Yoizumi looked up at the top of the long staircase, where two people were sparring. Hearing that familiar, irritable voice, Yoizumi knew exactly who it was without having to guess.
Sure enough.
The two sparring individuals stopped their movements when they saw Muichiro. One of them rested his wooden sword on his shoulder and said grumpily,
"Tokito, you're really late today… Tsk!" Sanemi Shinazugawa's voice abruptly stopped when he clearly saw Yoizumi standing behind Tokito Muichiro. Immediately afterward, he let out an extremely loud sound of displeasure, raising his wooden sword and pointing it directly at Yoizumi, glaring at him with a fierce, angry look.
"Why are you here too?!"
Iguro Obanai on the side also looked at Yoizumi with confusion. Kaburamaru on his shoulder flicked its tongue, its crimson eyes fixed on Yoizumi without letting go.
Facing Sanemi Shinazugawa's words, Yoizumi chose to ignore him.
After all, talking to him was troublesome.
"Yoizumi-nii was invited by me."
Muichiro calmly glanced between Sanemi Shinazugawa and Yoizumi.
So their relationship isn't good?
(Muichiro, who hadn't cared at all during the previous meeting)
"Shinazugawa and Iguro haven't fought Yoizumi-nii yet, have they? This is an opportunity, isn't it?"
"Don't you agree that duels between Pillars are what help us improve?"
"Alright, I've finally got a chance to beat you up."
"I've been annoyed by you for a long time!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa walked forward, rubbing his hands together, a malicious smile appearing on his ferocious face.
Fight him?
Iguro Obanai's heterochromatic eyes pondered for a moment. Indeed, it was an opportunity to understand his strength—an existence who had participated in three consecutive battles against Upper Ranks and slain four Upper Ranks.
Perhaps he could even awaken his Mark!
"I have no objections."
Yoizumi had no objections to fighting strong opponents, but he couldn't stay here too long.
"I can accompany you all, but I can't stay for too long. Let's make it a quick battle."
This one sentence successfully ignited Sanemi Shinazugawa, that powder keg, once again.
"If you don't want to, then get out!"
"You're talking as if we're begging you!"
"What's so important that you're in such a hurry to go back, something more important than getting stronger?!"
Yoizumi actually began to seriously ponder the question.
Which was more important: going back to accompany Shinobu or getting stronger?
His sapphire eyes were filled with Tangled.
Getting stronger was more important?
That didn't seem right… Shinobu was more important… That didn't seem right either… Hmm… On the other side, Sanemi Shinazugawa grew even angrier.
He dared to ignore him again!
This bastard was just like Giyu Tomioka!
Sanemi Shinazugawa, seething with anger, gritted his teeth and lunged at Yoizumi with his wooden sword. Before he even reached Yoizumi, the wooden sword in his hand suddenly snapped into two.
Sanemi Shinazugawa stared in disbelief at the wooden sword in his hand until a wisp of white hair slowly drifted to the ground in his line of sight.
"What's your hurry?" Yoizumi stood calmly in place. He hadn't even finished thinking about the question yet.
"Shinazugawa! Don't be impulsive," Iguro Obanai raised his hand to stop Sanemi, staring intently at the broken blade.
Was this his Blood Demon Art?
It had activated without any warning.
Even he hadn't noticed it.
Truly a troublesome ability.
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