All along, Soma had never truly wanted to confront Muzan Kibutsuji directly. The risk was far too great, and there was simply no need.
Even with the Blood Demon Art "Devour" that allowed him to grow stronger by consuming others, the number of times he had personally stepped forward to slay demons could be counted on one hand.
Every time he killed a demon, the chance of drawing Muzan Kibutsuji's attention increased. As the first demon, the progenitor of all demons, and their absolute master, Muzan possessed near-total control over every demon under his influence. Even the weakest among them could share their vision with him.
This ability was unique to Muzan Kibutsuji.
Of course, the strength of this ability was also related to how much of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood a demon carried. The more of his blood they possessed, the stronger and clearer that shared vision became.
Ordinary demons contained less of his blood, so their shared vision was weaker. Yet no matter how weak it was, the connection still existed. That meant every demon Soma killed carried a significant chance of drawing Muzan Kibutsuji's attention.
So Soma had always avoided doing so.
His original thought had been to follow the future he already knew, letting Muzan Kibutsuji be slain by the Demon Slayer Corps just as he had been in that original path. That way, the most direct threat would disappear.
All he needed to do was quietly wait for Muzan Kibutsuji to die.
He did not need to do anything.
But with his arrival, much of the future had already changed.
Tanjiro's family had not been brutally slaughtered by Muzan Kibutsuji. Nezuko had not become a demon. Tanjiro had not been struck by that desperate reality, nor had he resolved to walk the path of a demon slayer in order to turn his sister back into a human and defeat the demon who had killed his family.
To ensure that Muzan Kibutsuji would still be killed by the Demon Slayer Corps according to the original future, Soma had no choice but to guide Tanjiro onto the path of demon hunting.
Yet as Soma became involved, the future changed more and more.
Many things were different now.
The great explosion that had originally belonged to Kagaya Ubuyashiki had happened ahead of time. That explosion not only failed to allow the Demon Slayer Corps to pay a heavy price in the later battle at Infinity Castle and kill Muzan Kibutsuji; instead, it dealt the Corps an unprecedented blow.
Kaigaku, who would have originally defected to the demons and become Upper Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki, had died early.
Shinjuro Rengoku, who should have lived until the end, was found and killed by Akaza.
Kyojuro Rengoku, who should have died at Akaza's hands aboard the Mugen Train, was still alive.
Tengen Uzui, who should have retired, had died early, leaving behind three widows.
Sakonji Urokodaki, who should have remained in seclusion on Mount Sagiri, had also reached the end of his life early because he awakened the Demon Slayer Mark.
Kanae Kocho had not been killed by Doma as she had been in the original story.
...
Everything had changed.
Not only had the original future changed, but even Soma himself was changing.
At first, Soma had not cared about the lives of the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen. In the eyes of others, they were heroes who protected humanity and hunted demons, but to Soma, it did not really matter how many of them died.
As a demon, Soma had remembered his own identity from the very beginning.
With his identity as a demon, it was impossible for him to truly stand on the side of the Demon Slayer Corps, and it was equally impossible for him to become a so-called demon slayer.
But as his contact with the Demon Slayer Corps deepened, and as he came to know more and more people, more and more of them began placing their hopes in him. More and more people began supporting and respecting him.
Gradually, within the Demon Slayer Corps, he gained quite a few followers.
Gradually, he became a hero in the eyes of many swordsmen.
At some point, even Soma himself could no longer remain indifferent to the deaths of certain people. He did not want them to face danger.
And so, whether passively or actively, he was forced forward step by step.
He did not want to be a hero, yet many people saw him as one.
He was not a demon slayer, yet he had become someone many demon hunters followed.
He was even loved by many people.
The Ubuyashiki family hoped to form a marriage alliance with him. Shinobu Kocho seemed to have fallen for him. Nezuko had already shared intimate closeness with him…
And so—
He had no choice but to step forward. He proposed the nationwide demon-slaying plan against demons, and he also took the initiative to lead the hunts against the Ice Demon Doma and the twin demons, Gyutaro and Daki.
But once he personally acted, Muzan Kibutsuji eventually noticed him.
When Soma killed Doma, he had sensed Muzan Kibutsuji's aura. However, Doma died very quickly beneath the sunlight, and Muzan Kibutsuji had not even had time to fully share his vision.
Now, while killing the twin demons, Muzan Kibutsuji had learned from the last incident. He almost immediately shared their vision, and in the truest sense, he faced Soma through that connection.
...
"Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Through Gyutaro's pupils, Soma seemed to see a man wearing a suit and a brimmed hat, with plum-red eyes.
The moment Soma spoke Muzan Kibutsuji's name, he could sense those plum-red eyes narrowing at once, filled with anger.
In order to keep his whereabouts hidden from the Demon Slayer Corps, Muzan Kibutsuji had placed a curse on the demons under his command. Any demon who spoke his name would trigger that curse and die as their flesh collapsed.
Soma spoke his name without the slightest concern, making Muzan Kibutsuji realize once again that this demon had completely escaped his control.
And not only had Soma escaped his control, he had even overcome the flaws of being a demon and gained the ability to bathe beneath the sunlight.
Whenever Muzan Kibutsuji thought of the figure he had seen through Doma's eyes, standing beneath the sun, jealousy drove him nearly mad. That was something he had pursued for over a thousand years without obtaining, yet the other party had achieved it so simply.
"You received my blood and became an immortal demon, yet you escaped my control. And now, you even wish to oppose me…"
Through Gyutaro's mouth came Muzan Kibutsuji's voice, thick with suppressed anger. "I will give you one chance. Submit to me again and tell me how you walk beneath the sun. I can overlook everything you have done…"
Soma only listened quietly.
He had expected Muzan Kibutsuji to say something more original, but unfortunately, there was nothing of the sort. Only naked threats and intimidation.
Seeing Soma lower his head in silence, Muzan Kibutsuji thought he had truly been cowed. After all, every demon knew his methods. It was only natural to be afraid.
Just as Muzan Kibutsuji was about to soften his tone and ask Soma to tell him the reason he could bathe beneath sunlight—whether it was, as Muzan imagined, because he had consumed the Blue Spider Lily—
Soma drew his blade again before he could ask.
The sharp gleam of the blade easily destroyed the gradually fading heads of Daki and Gyutaro, making the two disappear from this world completely.
And without a vessel,
the vision Muzan Kibutsuji had been sharing plunged into darkness.
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