To have his "birth" interrupted by such a chaotic assault was a transgression Muzan Kibutsuji found nearly impossible to stomach.
This was supposed to be his perfect transmigration--a flawless ascension into divinity. Instead, a meddling little brat had shattered his sanctuary before the process was complete. He had placed his trust in Toshu's craftsmanship, believing the smith's "egg" to be an impenetrable fortress.
Yet, here he was, forced into the world in this halfway state.
His new form was that of a slender youth, his features delicate but his eyes burning with an ancient, predatory fire. He looked down at his pale hands, feeling the unfamiliar weight of his new existence.
'It doesn't matter,' Muzan mused, his internal rage cooling into a cold, clinical efficiency. 'Even incomplete, this is more than enough.'
He could feel it--the sheer density of his new flesh, the staggering volume of power surging through his veins. This wasn't just a physical upgrade; it was a conceptual evolution.
Muzan lifted his gaze, his eyes sweeping over the group assembled before him. It was a gathering of familiar ghosts. Since his arrival in this cursed land, he had been hunted and hounded by Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and that undead priestess, Kikyo.
Now, finally, he had the advantage.
The chamber was silent, the roof having been obliterated by Moroha's earlier blast. Above them, the sky was a bruised, oily mass of storm clouds, offering no shelter and no witnesses. The world had been stripped away, leaving only this jagged stage for the final act.
CLACK.
Muzan's perception twitched. He tilted his head slightly, watching as a silver-haired girl blurred toward him, her blade already mid-swing.
Assassin.
The Servant who had consistently systematically dismantled his forces, piece by piece. If not for her, his timeline of conquest would have been measured in days, not weeks.
SWOOSH!
Akame's eyes widened. Her instinct screamed at her to abort. Instead of following through with the strike, she twisted her body mid-air, her boots skidding across the stone floor as she retreated in a low, defensive crouch.
She looked at what had almost caught her.
A series of whip-like appendages had erupted from Muzan's back. They were mottled and grey, looking less like biological limbs and more like the gnarled branches of a dead tree.
"The [Yomyo-ju]?" Kikyo said, her voice a sharp note in the gloom.
"Hoh? You recognize it, woman?" Muzan asked, turning his attention to the priestess. He was genuinely impressed; he had barely manifested the trait, yet she had already identified its source.
"What's a [Yomyo-ju]?" Moroha asked, her hand tightening on her bow.
"It's a demonic tree whose vines can pierce through any barrier," Kikyo explained, her expression grave. "Neither spiritual nor demonic defenses can stop it."
Rikuo's brow furrowed as he listened. "So he's absorbed the traits of other youkai to refine his new body?"
It seemed absurd for a Servant to continue seeking physical upgrades after being summoned, but Muzan was clearly no longer following the standard rules of the War.
"Heh. It doesn't matter what he's made of," Inuyasha snarled, stepping forward. "If he wants to stand in our way, I'll just break him into pieces. And don't worry, I won't use the [Wind Scar] if he's got those scales."
Inuyasha knew the risks. He had seen how the "improved" demons used the Dragon-Man scales to absorb energy. He needed a physical strike--one that hit with the weight of a mountain.
"[Adamant Barrage]!!"
A hail of shimmering, jagged adamantine stakes erupted from the [Tessaiga], a volley of projectiles that had once shattered the strongest of Naraku's barriers.
Muzan didn't move. He didn't even raise his arms.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!
The sound that followed was the scream of metal on stone. The diamond stakes hit Muzan's chest and shoulders, and instead of piercing the flesh, they simply bounced off, leaving nothing but faint, white scratches on his pale skin.
"What?!"
Inuyasha stared in disbelief. The [Adamant Barrage] was supposed to be unstoppable.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Muzan said, his voice flat. He reached up and casually plucked a lingering diamond shard from his shoulder, crushing it between two fingers as if it were glass.
"My body has been meticulously forged from the shell of the [Meio-ju] and the flesh of the brothers, Kinka and Ginka. Even with your legendary blade... you're barely even scratching the surface."
"This guy..."
It wasn't just defense; it was a total negation of impact.
Muzan watched his wounds close in the span of a single heartbeat, a faint, satisfied smile playing across his lips. This was the strength he had dreamed of. The "Demon King" who had lived in fear of the sun was a pathetic memory.
The being standing before them now was something entirely different.
"The King of Demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, is dead," he declared, his aura expanding until it felt like the very air was becoming toxic. "Standing before you now is the sovereign of a new era. The King of all Demon-Youkai!"
Akame tightened her grip on [Murasame], her brow furrowing. If his defense truly was at the level of the [Oni-Ryu-KAI], her blade would never find the mark.
WHOOSH!!
A sacred arrow streaked through the air, Kikyo having timed her shot to catch Muzan in the middle of his monologue.
ZZZT!!
Suddenly, a shimmering, translucent barrier manifested several inches from Muzan's skin. The arrow hit the shield and sparked violently, its purifying energy being bled away until it fell harmlessly to the ground.
'The [Fusennou] barrier?' Sesshomaru noted, his eyes narrowing.
He recognized the technique. It was the defensive aura of the elder youkai tree that had provided the wood for the [Tessaiga] and [Tenseiga] scabbards. To have integrated such a high-level barrier into his own skin spoke of a terrifying level of biological alchemy.
"This world truly is magnificent," Muzan sighed, tilting his head back to drink in the malevolence in the air. "It has allowed me to break through the pathetic limits of my previous life. That weak, trembling 'Demon' body could never have carried my ambition."
He reached out and snapped the fallen arrow under his foot, his movements fluid and relaxed.
"This... this is the body I have always deserved."
"[Demonic Dragon Wave]!!"
Moroha didn't wait for him to finish his speech. She unleashed her ultimate technique, a massive, pink-scaled dragon of energy that roared through the chamber, its mouth open to consume the youth.
"Hmph. A mixture of demonic and spiritual energy?" Muzan mused, watching the dragon close in. "A clever trick. It bypasses the absorption of the Dragon Scales."
"But..."
As the dragon struck the [Fusennou] barrier, its momentum died. The raw power of the blast was scattered across the surface of the shield, fizzling out before it could reach the girl's target.
"Once it passes through my defense, how much power do you think is actually left?" Muzan sneered as the dust settled.
Inuyasha's blood was boiling. This was exactly like fighting Naraku--an endless loop of barriers, regeneration, and parasitic defenses.
"Like Naraku, I have finally understood a very simple truth," Muzan said, slowly standing up. "As long as you are alive, there is a future."
"Powerful sword pressure... cursed blades... massive area-of-effect techniques... even a priestess's spiritual power."
"As long as I can withstand those, I am invincible!"
His eyes turned a deep, bloody crimson, the pupils slitting like a cat's.
CLACK.
Muzan's eyes flicked to the side. A spray of sparks erupted from his shoulder as a blade finally made contact.
'The Rider? When did he...?'
Rikuo had utilized his [Mirror Flower, Water Moon] to slip through Muzan's perception, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His blade, fused with the freezing power of the Snow-Woman, was buried into Muzan's shoulder.
KREEE...
Ice began to spread from the point of impact, crystallized frost creeping over Muzan's chest. But the youth didn't even flinch. He simply shifted his weight and swung his arm, the force of the movement throwing Rikuo backward.
"You managed to get a hit in even without me noticing?" Muzan said, looking at the cooling ice on his skin. "You truly are a persistent one."
"It's a body like an iron wall," Rikuo muttered, skidding to a halt. He had used his most refined stealth technique, and yet the result was a blade that failed to even break the skin. It was like striking the foundation of a mountain.
Barriers, penetration, energy absorption, absolute physical defense, and near-instant regeneration.
"How are we supposed to kill this thing...?" Kagome whispered, her confidence wavering. Muzan was proving to be a challenge far beyond anything they had faced with Naraku.
"You won't have the chance to find out," Muzan declared, his voice cold and final.
"This time... I will be the one who wins!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]