Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sharp explosive sounds echoed through the air as several bright fireworks burst above the Infinity Castle.
Seeing the fireworks, Kochō Shinobu, who had been diligently scattering the marbles, suddenly stopped.
"Cain, Miss Tamayo succeeded on her side."
"Yes, faster than I expected."
Cain had also noticed the signal.
To counter the biwa demon's Blood Demon Art, the Plan B he prepared had been divided into two parts.
With himself and the other Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps as the core force, they would eliminate the demons with full strength while searching for Muzan's location.
To stop Cain and the others from advancing further, the biwa demon would inevitably focus most of her attention on them, continuously activating her Blood Demon Art to move the castle and teleport enemies.
However, what the biwa demon did not know was that this action had already been anticipated by Cain.
A person's attention is limited.
When the biwa demon concentrated the majority of her focus on Cain and the others, her own defenses would inevitably weaken, leaving openings that normally would not exist.
Taking advantage of this moment, Tamayo and Yushiro, who had remained concealed and undetected the entire time, could approach the biwa demon's true body without facing any resistance.
"Let's go. We need to rescue the others first."
Retracting his gaze from the distant fireworks, Cain immediately ran toward the left side with Kochō Shinobu.
Without the interference of the biwa demon's teleportation ability, the two quickly reached the battlefield where Uzui Tengen was fighting.
"Cain! You're here!"
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Uzui Tengen, who had been forced onto the defensive, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he had undergone the Demon Transformation Surgery and awakened the Demon Slayer Mark to enhance his physical abilities,
there was still a noticeable gap between his strength and Akaza's.
After honing his martial arts for hundreds of years, Akaza had refined his combat techniques to their absolute peak.
Even with his enhanced strength, Uzui Tengen could not defeat him in a one on one battle.
"Huh? It's you!"
Akaza also noticed Cain.
Compared to Uzui Tengen, his expression was even more excited.
Seeing this reaction, Cain revealed a hint of curiosity.
"You know me?"
"I do. I saw you in the memories Lord Muzan shared."
Akaza raised his fists as his fighting spirit surged to its peak.
As a martial arts fanatic, he had always been obsessed with battling powerful opponents.
If Uzui Tengen could be rated as eighty points, then in his eyes Cain, who had captured Gyutaro alive and killed Doma, was a perfect one hundred.
"Come! Thunder Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"Draw your weapon! Let us fight with everything we have!"
"No problem."
Cain placed his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
"Since that is your request..."
Swoosh!
Cain returned his Nichirin Blade to its sheath.
"Then I shall grant it."
"Huh?"
A confused expression appeared on Akaza's face.
The power of the Ripple began circulating through Cain's body, and Akaza's body suddenly began to collapse and disintegrate.
Only at the moment of death did he realize what had just happened.
His head had already been severed by Cain.
"Instant kill?"
Not far away, Uzui Tengen stood frozen in place.
He stared at Akaza, who had just fought him for such a long time, only to be killed instantly by Cain with a single strike.
His eyes widened with disbelief and shock.
"Cain, you... you..."
"Enough with the 'you you you'. It's time to move."
Cain did not waste time explaining.
Calling out to Uzui Tengen, he immediately headed toward the direction where Rengoku Kyojuro was fighting.
"Let's go, Mr. Uzui."
Kochō Shinobu followed him without hesitation.
Seeing this, Uzui Tengen finally snapped out of his shock.
Although he still did not understand what had happened, Cain becoming stronger was undoubtedly a good thing.
Sheathing his dual Nichirin blades, Uzui Tengen's figure flashed as he vanished from the spot.
...
Deep within the Infinity Castle.
Muzan was hidden inside a gigantic cocoon, rapidly detoxifying the toxins circulating through his body.
Without any external interference, his detoxification speed was astonishing.
Within only half an hour, he had completely eliminated the poison that had suppressed his senses.
As his previously sealed senses returned, Muzan re established his connection with his subordinates.
Then he discovered something horrifying.
He no longer had any subordinates.
Upper Moon Four, Hantengu. Fallen.
Upper Moon Three, Akaza. Fallen.
Upper Moon One, Kokushibo. Also completely fallen.
"What kind of joke is this!"
Muzan's eyes widened in shock.
Half an hour. Only half an hour had passed.
Leaving aside Hantengu and Akaza, how could even Kokushibo be dead?
By reading the memories from their final moments, Muzan discovered that the process was shockingly identical.
Cain appears. Cain draws his blade. Cain sheathes his blade. The battle ends.
Looking at that figure in the memories, cutting down enemies one after another like a god of war,
Muzan was suddenly transported back hundreds of years, to that terrifying night during the Warring States period.
In that moment, Cain's figure overlapped with Tsugikuni Yoriichi, as if the nightmare from the past had returned once again.
"No. I must leave this place."
After realizing how terrifying Cain's true strength was, Muzan completely lost his will to fight.
However, just as he was about to contact the still living biwa demon and have her open a door to send him out of the Infinity Castle, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed nearby.
Someone was approaching.
Almost instinctively, Muzan burst out of the cocoon and retreated backward.
Slash!
At nearly the same instant, a Nichirin Blade cut the cocoon into countless pieces.
"Truly worthy of a thousand year old turtle. You dodged quite quickly."
"Cain!"
After recognizing the attacker, Muzan immediately tried to manipulate his flesh and split his body apart to escape.
But in the next moment, he was horrified to discover something impossible.
The splitting failed.
His flesh, which once changed form freely, now felt as if it had been glued together.
No matter how much effort he exerted, he could not separate even a single fragment of flesh.
"Daring to lose focus in front of me. It seems you have already prepared yourself for death."
Cain's voice echoed calmly.
Golden arcs of lightning crackled around his body as he appeared behind Muzan in an instant.
A flash of blade light streaked past.
Muzan, who had been attempting to split his body, suddenly lost all four limbs.
However, just as Muzan attempted to activate his regeneration ability, a violent burning sensation erupted from the wounds, suppressing the healing process.
"Damn it! What did you do to me!"
"Nothing special. I simply infused the attack with a little Ripple."
Cain walked toward Muzan and slashed twice more, opening deep wounds in his body.
Afterward, he pulled out a bottle of new poison from his clothing and poured it directly into the wounds.
A powerful sense of weakness began spreading through Muzan's body.
At that moment, Muzan finally understood.
"The poison you coated on your weapons earlier... it can suppress my ability to split apart!"
"More precisely, it suppresses your splitting ability, your regeneration ability, and your sensory perception."
A voice replied from nearby.
When Muzan saw the person who had appeared within his field of vision, his expression twisted violently.
"Tamayo! You were behind all of this!"
"That's right. It was me."
Tamayo admitted it without the slightest hesitation.
Looking at Muzan's face twisted with rage, the hatred burning in her heart grew even stronger.
"Muzan! Do you feel regret now?"
"You deserve everything that is happening to you today. This is your rightful punishment."
"Damn it! You hateful bastards! Why do you all target me like this!"
Realizing there was no escape left, Muzan completely lost control and began roaring wildly.
"War! Earthquakes! Floods! Every year countless ordinary people die from disasters both natural and man made!"
"I have only killed a few people! Yet you lunatics chase me endlessly!"
"I hate all of you! I curse you..."
THUD!
His words abruptly stopped as a foot suddenly slammed down and crushed his head.
"Miss Tamayo. The conversation ends here."
Cain, holding his Nichirin Blade, looked directly at Tamayo, who had been about to continue speaking.
"If you want to talk with this man, I can give you plenty of time."
"But before that, please complete the main task. Do not forget what I asked for."
"My apologies. I lost my composure."
Tamayo fell silent for a moment before regaining her calm.
After communicating privately several times, she clearly understood Cain's request.
As the reward for killing Muzan, she had already agreed to his condition, just like Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
"Yushiro. Assist me."
"Yes."
Yushiro's figure suddenly materialized beside them.
After glancing sideways at the black haired youth surrounded by lightning and radiating a terrifying divine presence,
he quickly approached Muzan's body, took out a stack of talismans from his robe, and attached them.
The characters on the talismans began glowing as Yushiro activated his Blood Demon Art, disrupting Muzan's mind.
"Damn you! What are you doing!"
Because his head had not been struck with Ripple energy, Muzan regenerated easily.
He glared furiously at Yushiro, who was interfering with his mind, and roared repeatedly.
At the same time, Tamayo stepped forward.
"It's over, Muzan."
Tamayo drew a small knife and cut open her right arm. A large amount of fragrant blood flowed out.
[Magical Aroma of Daylight Demon.]
This Blood Demon Art possessed a powerful disorienting effect that could reduce brain function.
Under Tamayo's control, the fragrance seeped directly into Muzan's brain, affecting his consciousness while resonating with the toxins already circulating inside his body.
Two Blood Demon Arts plus (Mind Interfering Poison Seven Medicine) activated simultaneously.
Muzan, already weakened, finally reached his limit. His eyes slowly became empty and unfocused.
"It worked, Cain."
Tamayo turned toward him.
"Muzan's consciousness has been suppressed. For the next five minutes he will answer any question you ask."
"Then I will not stand on ceremony."
Cain walked toward Muzan.
After thinking briefly, he asked the first question.
"What do you think of Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
"A monster."
"What do you think of Ubuyashiki Kagaya?"
"A damnable insect."
"Bark like a dog. Loudly."
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"Good. Very energetic."
Cain nodded with satisfaction.
After several additional tests confirmed that Muzan was completely under control, he finally asked the real question.
"Kibutsuji Muzan. A thousand years ago you were treated by a kind doctor."
"He used a certain medicine that improved your constitution and ultimately turned you into a demon."
"Now tell me the formula for that medicine, and everything you have researched about it."
...
Read advance chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.