Episode 272: As Long as the Demon King is Destroyed, So What if the Demon Slayer Corps is Annihilated?!
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Hurry up!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Get up, quickly!" ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "If you don't get up, it's really over." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "Get up, future me, hurry up and get up." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "This is a future that didn't involve me." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "You all did well." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "However, for the current future, you can leave all of this to me." ]
[ .....]
『 BANG—! Muzan's long whip slammed heavily into the floor, sending dust flying immediately.
Fortunately, Giyu arrived in time to save Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro! Don't get any closer!"
"Muzan's power is not something an ordinary demon can compare to."
Just as he finished speaking, Muzan's whip struck again.
After narrowly avoiding the attack, the two quickly put some distance between themselves and Muzan.
After a brief fight, Muzan seemed to see through their intentions.
"If you think you can just wait until dawn to deal with me, you're dreaming."
"Besides, you can't even see the sun in this Infinity Castle. Can the three of you really pull it off?"
Hearing this, both of them were stunned.
Three people?
"That Hashira who wears the haori with the embroidered pattern, and that other female Hashira, have already died at my hands."
It turned out that Muzan could see everything Nakime saw; he knew those two Hashira had long since been killed.
There was absolutely no time to grieve; Muzan's new round of attacks was already upon them.
This attack forcibly separated the two of them.
"Tanjiro!"
Tanjiro barely dodged Muzan's attack, but several new wounds appeared on his body.
No, I can't be a burden, I can't drag Giyu-san down with me!
Even though he wasn't used to his injured eye, Tanjiro still tried his best to escape Muzan's attack range.
Even if he couldn't see, Tanjiro still had his keen sense of smell, a nose that could perceive the world through scent.
However…
The fight had dragged on for too long, and Tanjiro was gradually starting to run out of breath.
The speed and density of Muzan's attacks were simply too high! In almost an instant, Tanjiro had to dodge hundreds, even thousands, of attacks.
If this continued, he wouldn't last long.
Sure enough, under the pressure of the powerful onslaught, Tanjiro slammed his head into a wall.
Because he was too focused on scents, he hadn't noticed his surroundings at all.
"Tanjiro!"
Giyu was blocked on the other side and couldn't make it in time to help him.
Muzan had his eyes on Tanjiro; in the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of him, aiming straight for his head.
It's over…
Tanjiro's heart was filled with despair and a sense of unwillingness. He didn't want to die like this, not when he hadn't killed the demon in front of him yet; he didn't want to die uselessly; he didn't want to fail the expectations of Rengoku-aniki and Shinobu-nee.
He was truly unwilling! He was truly unwilling!
But what was the use of being unwilling? Faced with absolute power, what else could he do besides feel unwilling?
"Stop… right there!"
BANG—!
Accompanying the sound of a collision, Mitsuri descended from the sky!
What? This woman?
Muzan's brain spun rapidly; he had clearly seen with his own eyes that this person should have been dead.
At the same time, Tomioka Giyu also revealed a look of disbelief.
Kanroji? She's actually still alive!
But they didn't have time to think; Mitsuri had already rushed in front of Muzan.
"LOVE BREATHING, FIRST FORM: SHIVERS OF FIRST LOVE—!"
Mitsuri turned and swung her sword, quickly spinning to deflect Muzan's attack, followed immediately by a long-range slash at Muzan.
"I hit him!"
Mitsuri's blade had indeed struck Muzan, but Muzan just looked at her coldly, his face expressionless.
At that moment, the wounds on Muzan's body began to heal before they had even truly formed—or rather, the speed of this recovery was so fast that it was as if the damage had been repaired automatically before it could even take effect.
It was practically an invincible state.
"Hey! He's completely unscathed!"
Mitsuri opened her mouth in surprise.
On the other side, Obanai had arrived, blocking Muzan while saving Tanjiro.
"Useless thing, get out of the way."
Obanai said to Tanjiro without any courtesy.
Even so, seeing his two comrades safe and sound, Tanjiro still revealed an uncontrollable smile, and tears flowed down his cheeks involuntarily.
"You'd better worry about yourself first."
Muzan felt equally incredulous at this moment.
These two should have been dead; Muzan didn't believe he could have been mistaken.
"What the hell are you doing! Nakime!"
Muzan roared at Nakime as if in a fit of rage. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "What, what happened?" ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "That's great, more people have arrived, finish it off directly!" ]
[ Kibutsuji Muzan (Demon Slayer): "Boastful talk. Aside from that detestable Yoriichi, the rest are just little snacks." ]
[ Dio Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure): "Do you also like eating little bread?" ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "You are quite right, but I will definitely find you and end all of this." ]
[ .....]
『 But the only response he received was a deep, resonant male voice.
"What are you doing?"
"Of course, I'm the one controlling this woman's vision."
"Muzan! The evil deeds you've committed are intolerable."
"Especially taking Lady Tamayo away from me! Now hurry up, repent, and kneel!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding environment began to warp, and then the ground beneath everyone's feet suddenly rose rapidly.
"I'm going to throw you to the surface right now!"
"Muzan, I said it! You will regret all of this!"
"Blood debts… must be paid in blood!"
Mitsuri could feel the increasing pressure; she felt like she was about to be crushed into a meat patty.
Standing in front of her was Muzan.
Although she wanted to launch an attack, looking at the hideous and terrifying Muzan in front of her, Mitsuri immediately felt a chill wash over her.
This was simply too terrifying; Mitsuri was about to reach her limit, and she could only be heard muttering something to herself.
Gyomei-san, hurry up and come; we have no confidence without you here.
Mitsuri knew very well that after just saving Giyu and Tanjiro, the chance to ambush Muzan had been lost.
Yushiro had previously sought them both out to reveal a plan.
They intended to ambush Muzan and launch a final attack while he thought all the Hashira had been killed.
Now, since that strategy hadn't succeeded, it meant Yushiro was currently fighting Muzan for control of Nakime's vision.
At this critical moment, Mitsuri knew she had to step up; even if she could only alleviate a little bit of the burden, it was worth a try.
Even if it was just a simple move, it would be good if she could just distract Muzan for a moment.
Thinking of this, Mitsuri gripped her Nichirin sword tightly, preparing to act.
However, the constantly shifting terrain almost cost her her life just as she intended to strike.
Just as she had guessed, Muzan was currently busy dealing with Yushiro, fighting for control of Nakime.
Facing a powerful opponent, Yushiro was gradually feeling overwhelmed; after all, Muzan's strength was too great.
What was worse, through Nakime, Muzan had already started absorbing some of Yushiro's cells, forcing him to struggle desperately for survival.
"Ah!"
At the same moment, both sides let out a shout almost simultaneously. But the difference was that one side was roaring out of anger, while the other was a last-ditch effort born of despair.
It was during this struggle that Muzan was at his weakest.
"WATER BREATHING, ELEVENTH FORM: DEAD CALM—!"
"SERPENT BREATHING, SECOND FORM: VENOM FANGS OF THE NARROW HEAD—!"
In an instant, Giyu and Obanai launched a pincer attack from both sides of Muzan's body.
At the same time, because of the struggle with Nakime, Muzan was temporarily unable to defend with his full strength.
The black veins on Yushiro's hand began to fade; this was a sign that he was about to win.
"I can do it! I can take it back!"
He had just regained control of Nakime when the ground beneath his feet suddenly disappeared.
With no support point under his feet, Muzan immediately fell downward at an extremely high speed.
Realising the situation was dire, Muzan reached out and clenched his hand tightly.
"Snap!"
Yushiro was given a huge fright, but his body didn't move. In an instant, Nakime's body turned into a pool of blood.
Since he couldn't take control, he could only kill her.
With Nakime's death, the Infinity Castle began to collapse rapidly.
Yushiro understood what he needed to do next.
He didn't belong to the Demon Slayer Corps, nor did he have enough power to confront Muzan; the only thing he could do was provide help to the Demon Slayer Corps and support them quietly.
Now, with Nakime's death, his mission was also coming to an end, but there was one last thing left to do.
That was to safely send all the Demon Slayer Corps members out before Nakime's body completely decomposed.
At this very moment, the surrounding walls of the Infinity Castle began to warp violently.
The remains of the sacrificed Demon Slayer Corps members suddenly appeared here at this moment.
Looking at their figures, Tanjiro felt very painful in his heart.
They… must be very unwilling.
For their sake, we must defeat Muzan.
This battle is for everyone.
For those who have sacrificed.
For those who have yet to be born.
For those who come after. (My bad, wrong line)
This battle is incredibly glorious!
Muzan launched another attack; Mitsuri and Obanai, nearby, barely dodged, but Tanjiro, who was already seriously injured, couldn't dodge in time and was struck in the shoulder again.
At this moment, a few of them unknowingly gathered on a floor tile, and this floor tile was rising rapidly.
Just then, Muzan's long whip suddenly appeared in front of Mitsuri.
At this distance, it was impossible to dodge.
Fear welled up in Mitsuri's heart bit by bit, thinking she was about to be smashed into meat paste.
Is this what it feels like to face death?
"Kanroji-san!"
Tanjiro threw something with all his might, which happened to interrupt Muzan's attack, allowing Obanai to arrive in time to save Mitsuri.
It was a… broken sword from a sacrificed member.
Muzan was angered again, gnashing his teeth.
The next second, immense pressure slammed Tanjiro onto the floor.
BOOM—!
With the collapse of the Infinity Castle, everyone finally returned to the surface.
Although this would allow sunlight to kill Muzan, they looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky and knew that the battle was far from over.
When everyone realised they had escaped from the Infinity Castle, they didn't feel very happy, because they soon discovered that something was wrong.
They were in a city.
Kiriya also noticed this unexpected situation, which was vastly different from the previous plan; the location where they escaped from the Infinity Castle was completely different from what was anticipated…
Even so, Kiriya knew it was fortunate that Yushiro had managed to bring everyone out.
"How long… until sunrise?"
Kiriya turned to ask his two younger sisters.
"Another… an hour and a half."
Still so long!
Although the road ahead felt long, Kiriya quickly conveyed the message to everyone present through the crows. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Those demons are all afraid of the sun." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "So, now we just need to wait until the sun comes out completely, and this will all be over." ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "But is this hour and a half really so easy to get through?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "It can be done, it definitely can." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "The previous battle with the God of Creation was successful; this time, it will definitely be successful too." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But, there have been so many losses, here…" ]
[ Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer): "As long as we can end the Demon King Muzan, it doesn't matter if we suffer all losses, because this is our responsibility." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "ANIKI IS RIGHT!!" ]
[ .....]
『 At this moment, in these ruins, Tanjiro, Mitsuri, Obanai, and Giyu were all unharmed.
After composing himself, Tanjiro immediately used his sense of smell to search for Muzan's location. He understood that in this situation, the faster they found Muzan, the safer everyone would be.
But immediately after, a sound came from the ruins.
BANG—!
The stones from the collapsed house were knocked away, slamming heavily into a nearby wall, leaving a deep dent.
Muzan had appeared!
At this moment, Muzan had grown many strange tentacles on his body, each with sharp spikes at the ends, and his whole face looked exceptionally terrifying.
"Hmph! Just by relying on a few of you, you want to drag me out until the sun comes up?"
"Then feel free to try."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tentacles behind Muzan attacked the crowd like sharp swords.
Wherever the tentacles passed, almost everything visible was torn to shreds.
Mitsuri, Obanai, and Giyu not only didn't retreat but rushed forward directly, reaching Muzan in an instant.
"SERPENT BREATHING, THIRD FORM: COIL CHOKE—!"
"LOVE BREATHING, SECOND FORM: LOVE PANGS—!"
"WATER BREATHING, EIGHTH FORM: WATERFALL BASIN—!"
The three people's attacks formed a pincer movement, completely sealing Muzan's movements.
At this moment, Obanai, who was responsible for the beheading, had already slashed heavily into Muzan's neck, and the blade had cut deeply into the flesh.
They had originally thought that this would successfully decapitate him, or at least delay him long enough.
But the next moment, Obanai froze.
My blade… clearly cut in. Could it be…
At this time, Giyu and Mitsuri also realised that the monster in front of them had begun to regenerate the moment the blade passed through.
Such terrifying regenerative speed caught everyone off guard. Next, it was Muzan's turn to counterattack.
Looking at the three stiff figures, at such close range, Muzan waved his tentacles a few times casually, and there was no way for them to avoid it.
Faced with the sudden attack, everyone fell into a desperate situation again.
But…
At this moment, more Demon Slayer Corps members rushed out, attacking Muzan without fear, using their own bodies to block the attacks directed at the Hashira and Tanjiro.
Even if… they sacrificed their lives, even if… they just served as living targets.
They were just flesh and blood; in an instant, they would be decapitated or torn to pieces.
Knowing that death was inevitable, they still rushed forward without hesitation, never flinching.
Tanjiro hugged the teammate who had blocked the fatal injury for him tightly, his breathing becoming rapid.
At this moment, he gripped the Nichirin sword in his hand and rushed toward Muzan.
He knew that at this time, he had to work together with all the Demon Slayer Corps members to fight back.
Suddenly, Tanjiro felt a sharp pain that made him fall to the ground instantly, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. At this moment, his right eye seemed to have suffered serious damage.
Muzan's arm killed most of the Demon Slayer Corps members in one go; corpses and blood were everywhere on the battlefield.
"It's your luck that you can die immediately; even if you don't die on the spot, those hit by me will slowly die."
Saying this, Muzan looked at the fallen Tanjiro with a strange smile.
"Open your eyes and look closely!"
The gazes of Mitsuri, Obanai, and Giyu focused on Tanjiro all at once, only to see that his appearance had changed greatly at this moment.
Tanjiro was clutching his neck, large amounts of blood flowing from the corners of his mouth, and his injured eye was filled with rotting flesh, which was very terrifying.
This scene stunned everyone present.
Faced with these horrified expressions, Muzan continued to explain:
"I added my blood to my attacks. Although this blood won't turn you into demons, it acts like a potent poison that will continuously erode your body, crazily destroying every cell in your body, eventually leading to death."
"Kamado Tanjiro… he's beyond saving!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "What, what happened to him?" ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "The future me, will become like this?" ]
[ Lyney (Genshin Impact): "It really does look bad." ]
[ Collei (Genshin Impact): "It's even more terrifying than Eleazar." ]
[ .....]