Soma's left arm had been torn open, his right arm pierced through, and his chest beaten into a bloody mess. As for the rest of his wounds, they covered nearly his entire body.
For a human, injuries like these would already be fatal.
But for a demon, especially a perfect demon who had overcome his flaws, wounds like this were nothing.
Soma stood up from the ruins, only turning his neck slightly and flexing his wrist. In an instant, all his wounds healed completely.
It was as if he had never been injured at all.
As if the attacks he had suffered moments ago had only been an illusion.
This was what it meant to be a demon.
...
Although his wounds had healed, the pain he had endured had been very real.
For Soma, ever since he consumed the Blue Spider Lily, overcame the flaws of being a demon, and became a perfect lifeform, it had been a long time since he had experienced such an unpleasant ordeal.
At the very least, he did not like this feeling.
But compared with the pain of his injuries…
Soma looked around.
Aside from certain people, the swordsmen who had once respected and admired him now looked at him completely differently.
Some even had hatred and killing intent in their eyes.
He lowered his gaze slightly.
Suddenly, he thought that many swordsmen probably hoped he and Muzan Kibutsuji would destroy each other.
They probably wished that demons like Muzan Kibutsuji, and demons like him, would vanish from this world completely.
Thinking of this made him feel awful.
That awful feeling was even worse than the pain from his injuries.
Should I leave? There is no need to take such a risk…
That thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.
Although he still had many arrangements in place, Muzan Kibutsuji's overwhelming strength still made this extremely risky for him.
For the sake of people like this, there was no need at all.
Although he also had his own reasons for wanting Muzan Kibutsuji dead, still…
Just as Soma hesitated, the swordsmen led by Gyomei Himejima launched their attack.
Their target was Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Stone Breathing, Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice!"
Gyomei Himejima leapt into the air and swung his spiked flail downward with tremendous force, smashing it toward Muzan Kibutsuji.
Boom!
The spiked flail struck Muzan Kibutsuji, and in an instant, a powerful shockwave spread outward. Sand and stone flew everywhere, and dust surged into the air.
When the smoke dispersed, Muzan Kibutsuji was still standing perfectly fine at the center.
The spiked flail, powerful enough to crush an ordinary demon into pulp, had indeed caused some damage to Muzan Kibutsuji. But as the progenitor demon, his wounds healed completely in the blink of an eye.
No wound could be seen at all.
"I remember you. You were there during the last siege against me, were you not? I thought you had died. I did not expect you to still be alive."
Muzan Kibutsuji's plum-red eyes looked toward Gyomei Himejima.
"If you didn't die, how could I possibly allow myself to die?"
Tears flowed unconsciously from Gyomei Himejima's eyes.
In his mind, he could not help recalling the sacrifices paid during the last siege. So many swordsmen had died. So many swordsmen had given everything they had, wishing only to purge the demons from this world.
Yet Muzan Kibutsuji, the source of all demons, still lived perfectly well.
Their sacrifices had meant nothing.
No.
They had not meant nothing.
It was because of those sacrifices that even more people had strengthened their resolve to purge the demons.
"Die, you vile demon."
Even though he was heavily injured, Sanemi Shinazugawa tightened his grip on his Nichirin Sword and launched a desperate attack against Muzan Kibutsuji.
And it was not only Sanemi.
Kyojuro Rengoku also attacked, along with many ordinary swordsmen who had previously managed to rest under Soma's protection. At this moment, they too joined the siege against Muzan Kibutsuji.
But most of the swordsmen's attacks had little effect on Muzan Kibutsuji.
Even when they occasionally inflicted a wound, it healed completely in a very short time.
Muzan Kibutsuji swung a fist, and several swordsmen were blown apart on the spot. Blood sprayed through the air, splattering over countless surviving swordsmen.
At the sight, the swordsmen's eyes nearly split with fury, their gazes filled with rage and pain.
"You swordsmen are truly annoying. So very annoying."
Muzan Kibutsuji's plum-red eyes fixed on the charging swordsmen. He attacked again in an instant, and several more swordsmen died on the spot.
Even so, those swordsmen still threw away all fear for their lives. They charged forward, swinging their Nichirin Swords, determined to inflict even the smallest wound on Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Truly persistent. So very persistent."
Seeing this, Muzan Kibutsuji grew unbearably irritated.
"Is it not enough for you people to simply live? Why go this far? Do you not understand that doing this will cost you your lives? You had clearly survived already. Why not live properly?"
"As long as you survive, that's all that matters. Why can't you accept it when demons destroy your happiness? As long as you're content with whatever happiness you have left, you can just keep living as before. What does it matter if your family was killed?"
Muzan Kibutsuji found it difficult to understand the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, who had clung to him for more than a thousand years.
"How could everything stay the same? What do you mean, 'what does it matter if family was killed'? What are you even saying?" Tanjiro gripped the hilt of his blade and questioned him loudly, his eyes burning with anger.
Muzan Kibutsuji raised his plum-red eyes and noticed the boy wearing hanafuda earrings.
That unique style immediately made Muzan remember someone from long ago.
Someone he still feared even now.
A man named Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Even now, Muzan still feared the sword Yoriichi had swung at him back then.
Suppressing the shadow that suddenly rose in his heart, Muzan Kibutsuji looked at Tanjiro with contempt.
"Those I have killed are no different from people who perished in a natural disaster. There's no need to delve into it. After all, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Isn't it enough to live your life peacefully? Why bother seeking revenge against me?"
As he spoke, coldness flashed in Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes.
"Ordinary people aren't foolish enough to seek revenge against me. Only madmen like you Demon Slayers would choose to sacrifice their lives for the sake of so-called 'family' and 'friends.' Fighting an organization like yours is truly tiresome."
With that, a smile appeared in Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes. He glanced once more at Soma in the distance, who had his head lowered as if deep in thought, and a trace of coldness flickered in his gaze.
"In that case, let's settle everything today."
"And the so-called fate spanning a thousand years shall also come to an end here and now."
Tanjiro could not comprehend Muzan Kibutsuji's way of thinking. He couldn't understand how being killed by Muzan was supposedly no different from dying in a natural disaster, or how one could possibly not investigate the deaths of one's family, or why one should just live peacefully as if nothing had happened…
A demon like this…
Was he truly once human?
A demon like this was completely different from Soma.
A demon like this…
Tanjiro raised his head and looked at Muzan Kibutsuji.
"You are… a creature that does not deserve to exist in this world!"
"You do not… deserve to live at all."
Muzan Kibutsuji raised his head, completely unconcerned. "For swordsmen like you lunatics, all evil demons probably deserve to be wiped out."
"No…"
Tanjiro tightened his grip on his Nichirin Sword and looked at Muzan Kibutsuji, his gaze furious yet firm.
"It is demons like you who should be wiped out. There are some demons that demons like you will never be able to understand."
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