"You are getting far too arrogant for your own good!"
Being injured enraged Muzan beyond measure.
His eyes narrowed sharply. In the next instant, Doma's seemingly overwhelming Blood Demon Art was completely dismantled.
Countless whip‑like tendrils shot out from the platform beneath Muzan, swirling and lashing in a blur of motion.
They shattered the Buddha statue, the ice spirits, and everything else around. Doma's true body was struck once more and sent flying backward through the air.
Doma's techniques were undeniably powerful, but the gap between him and Muzan lay not only in their soul strength, but fundamentally in their physical constitution.
Even extreme cold could not freeze or hinder Muzan's body. The flesh and bone generated by his dividing cells were strong enough to pierce through the thickest, hardest ice with ease.
However, it seemed Doma never truly expected to wound Muzan a second time.
The fact that Muzan had been hurt at all was only because he had severely underestimated the nature of Doma's soul abilities.
For Doma, simply managing to injure Muzan was already enough of an achievement.
As he was sent flying, Doma wore a bright, unshaken smile upon his face.
Swish!
A dark shadow slipped past Muzan's perception, leaping up and appearing instantly right behind him.
A massive, formidable demon blade, shrouded in soul power, came cleaving down.
It was Kokushibo!
"Oh?"
High above, Oboro's eyes lit up with interest.
Kokushibo's soul ability bore a striking resemblance to Oboro's own abilities during his early days of growth in Hunter × Hunter.
Through his innate soul talent, he could completely erase his own presence and aura, rendering himself undetectable.
It was a technique belonging to the path of "Presence Alteration." In many ways, it carried the essence of the "Zetsu" technique.
What made it truly remarkable was that this ability operated entirely on a spiritual level. Its effect was extraordinary—so much so that even Muzan had failed to sense him at all.
Furthermore, Kokushibo could infuse external weapons and objects with his soul power, delivering purely "physical" damage.
It was a straightforward ability without fancy tricks, yet deadly.
If Muzan were so much as grazed by the Utsusemi Kamikake, the wound would be inflicted directly upon his soul—damage that could not be healed quickly.
Oboro extended his perception to observe the broader situation.
By now, most of the Inheritors were already in deep trouble.
They had fallen into the "cage" Muzan had prepared long ago.
He had separated them one by one and sent them into different chambers scattered throughout the Infinity Castle.
Inside each room were traces of Muzan's blood, left as markers. The moment an Inheritor appeared, the dormant cells within the blood activated, transforming into fleshy abominations or launching sudden attacks.
Though these threats were not as powerful as the ones Doma faced, they were by no means weak.
In truth, the only reason Muzan had fallen for Doma's trick earlier was that his mental focus was constantly divided.
He was controlling multiple battlefields at once and could not give his full attention to any single fight.
Meanwhile, both Doma and Kokushibo already possessed a certain understanding of the Infinity Castle and Muzan's capabilities.
With his mind stretched thin and constantly engaged in combat, Muzan simply could not exert full control over this dimension.
In the past, he had Nakime to bear much of the burden and ease the strain—but she was gone now.
Simply maintaining control over this space consumed a significant portion of his mental energy.
This was exactly the opening Kokushibo needed to break through and launch his surprise attack.
Whoosh.
Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Calamitous Form – Robust Moon.
Kokushibo understood Muzan's strength better than anyone. He held absolutely nothing back.
Blade light erupted outward, forming two elliptical streaks of razor‑sharp radiance that shattered into countless rotating moon‑rings, completely engulfing Muzan in a storm of continuous slashing attacks.
The platform beneath Muzan reshaped itself once again, forming a thick cocoon of flesh that wrapped him up inside.
But Kokushibo was determined to strike true.
Infused with the principles of Breathing and Internal Ejection, his swordsmanship had evolved into something different from before.
While the flesh cocoon managed to block the crescent‑shaped slashes, Kokushibo used the serrated edge of his demon blade to tear through the outer membrane, piercing deep into Muzan's shoulder.
He had originally intended to slash, but chose a faster thrust instead to ensure Muzan could not evade.
The moment the blade bit into him, Muzan's soul shuddered in agony, the pain unbearable.
Injuries to the soul were far worse than physical wounds. His mind reeled, and it felt as if his very brain was about to explode.
Staring at Kokushibo—now fully transformed, with three pairs of crimson eyes set in his demonized face—Muzan's veins bulged with rage.
Doma was one thing; that man had never possessed human emotions, and his twisted mind was unpredictable.
But Kokushibo was different… Muzan had never imagined that one day, this "failure of a human" would ever dare to raise his sword against him.
Breathing and Internal Ejection…
Oboro narrowed his eyes. He recognized something in the way Kokushibo moved and struck.
The art of Internal Ejection.
Indeed, despite becoming a demon, he was first and foremost a swordsman.
Since breathing techniques and internal energy circulation had become a core part of this world's power system, it was only natural that Kokushibo would study and master it.
"There is no comparison… between you and him," Muzan hissed, his voice dripping with malice.
The flesh cocoon surrounding him burst apart in a rain of blood.
Kokushibo tried to leap back, but Muzan seized his demon blade, slowing his movement just enough.
A torrent of blood poured down over him. The moment it touched his skin, it began to rot and fester.
His limbs and flesh writhed and twisted uncontrollably as Muzan's cells attempted to invade and take over.
But Kokushibo forcibly suppressed the process. His physical endurance and toughness were superior to Doma's; he could not be corrupted or eroded so easily.
Yet he knew he did not have much time before the effect became irreversible.
"Ahhh!"
A scream echoed from somewhere deep within the Infinity Castle.
One of the Inheritors had failed to escape the influence of Muzan's Soul Spores and was devoured by a mass of living flesh.
Although Muzan's true body was locked in battle with Doma and Kokushibo, his mind was still divided, running "multiple processes" simultaneously.
This was the biggest advantage the two former Upper Ranks held over him.
Against the caliber of fighters gathered here today, simply relying on spatial manipulation and the layout of the Infinity Castle was not enough to win—unless he could stall and distract them.
Once these enemies grouped together, they became dozens of times more difficult to handle than individually.
It was also becoming painfully obvious that the Inheritors were of wildly varying quality. Some could not even defeat a mere "clone" of Muzan.
"Sigh…"
Oboro had known from the start that his experiment with the Will of Inheritance in this world had been far from perfect.
But seeing the reality of it unfold before his eyes still made him sigh in disappointment.
And this was only Muzan. These Inheritors had already begun to fall, without ever having clashed against the most refined and perfected expression of will in this world—the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps.
It was somewhat disheartening.
"No!"
Soon enough, another Inheritor cried out in a final wail of death.
…
Oboro's gaze focused back upon the battle between Kokushibo and Muzan.
Thanks to his soul ability to completely conceal his presence, as long as Kokushibo remained outside Muzan's line of sight, he effectively "did not exist."
Unable to pinpoint his enemy's location or sense his aura, Muzan could not use the spatial manipulation of the Infinity Castle effectively, nor launch targeted counterattacks.
He simply could not find his opponent.
Kokushibo moved like a ghostly assassin, utilizing the familiar terrain of the Infinity Castle.
He launched ambushes from floating platforms, ruined structures, and shadows, striking from every direction.
Muzan's expression grew increasingly tense; he spun around constantly, scanning his surroundings, and expanded the range of his Soul Spores further.
Countless eyes began to grow and bulge out from every surface, watching for the invisible threat.
This level of perception and control consumed a massive amount of soul energy.
If he could not defeat Kokushibo quickly, and the battle dragged into a war of attrition, he would be forced to stop using these abilities entirely—and then he would be in grave danger.
In Oboro's view, Doma's combination of soul power and Blood Demon Art leaned toward the role of a "mage"—formidable in versatility, range, and the absolute dominance of ice and snow.
Kokushibo, however, was an "assassin"—a type uniquely suited to countering Muzan.
Even Oboro had not expected Kokushibo to be capable of fighting Muzan to a deadlock.
Such a level of combat was leagues beyond what this world was capable of before Oboro's arrival.
Consider those Inheritors who had just died. Taken individually, any one of them would have been strong enough to kill Muzan in the original timeline.
Yet now, they were falling one by one.
The elevation of a world's rank is a comprehensive change. The jump from a low‑level to a high‑level realm had brought about unprecedented evolution in every aspect.
"Interesting."
Suddenly, Oboro's eyebrows lifted in amusement. He turned his attention toward a different area.
There was Doma. While Kokushibo was holding Muzan at bay, and despite being in extremely poor condition himself, Doma was secretly seizing the opportunity to ambush the struggling Inheritors.
He was consuming them to restore his own strength.
Doma was not just using the Inheritors to pressure Muzan.
He was treating them as living "health packs."
He certainly possessed a calculating mind.
To be honest, in Oboro's eyes, the only ones in the entire Demon Slayer world truly worthy of the word "wisdom" were the members of the Ubuyashiki clan.
Even their wisdom was more about intellectual brilliance than deep scheming or calculation. They were nowhere near the level of characters like Hisoka, Pariston, or Chrollo from Hunter × Hunter.
The Ubuyashiki family was superior in intelligence and foresight, but their hearts were not complex or devious.
If they were placed in the world of Hunter × Hunter, they might be able to hold their own against cunning, deep‑minded opponents—but defeating them would be nearly impossible.
Aside from them, every other character in this world was relatively simple‑minded.
After all, this was the core characteristic of the Demon Slayer world: its foundation was built upon pure emotion, resolve, and will.
Even Muzan could be described as cautious and prudent, but certainly not sophisticated or deeply calculating.
Doma could be called "not foolish," but otherwise quite average… yet right now, seeing him successfully scheme against and exploit the Inheritors, Oboro found himself pleasantly surprised.
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