Chapter 114: The Defeat and Death of Kibutsuji Muzan!
"Huh—huh—"
The entire villa that once stood tall and magnificent had now been reduced to a field of shattered ruins.
Kibutsuji Muzan stood atop the wreckage, his body radiating overwhelming rage, a suffocating killing intent, and a faint trace of regret buried deep within.
Why hadn't he left Japan earlier? The world was vast. In other countries, on other continents, there were lands far broader and freer for him to roam.
Japan was nothing more than a small island nation. So why had he stubbornly chosen to remain here?
On the other side, Akira was also breathing heavily. Unlike the other demons, Kibutsuji Muzan's power stood above all of them. That much needed no debate.
"Why—why do you keep chasing me—no, Yukinoshita Akira!!!"
A near-hysterical scream burst from Kibutsuji Muzan's throat.
He was trembling. He was afraid. His entire being was drowned in terror.
But what he feared wasn't Akira.
It was the dawn that was about to arrive.
Yukinoshita Akira had begun his campaign at midnight. One after another, he had faced Upper Rank Two Doma, Upper Rank Five Gyokko, and Upper Rank One Kokushibo. That entire sequence had consumed an enormous amount of time.
Even now, his battle with Kibutsuji Muzan had already dragged on far longer than most could endure.
It was the height of summer. Daylight arrived earlier than in any other season. The sun would rise around half past five to six in the morning—sometimes even sooner.
And he was a demon.
To him, the appearance of the sun was no different from the arrival of the God of Death.
He feared death. Deeply, desperately feared it—whether a thousand years ago, or now, a thousand years later.
That was why he had relentlessly sought the "Blue Spider Lily." He didn't want to be killed by sunlight.
"Sun Breathing: Dual Blade Style, Eleventh Form – Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!"
An explosive roar tore through the air.
Two blazing fire dragons, shaped from the arcs of Akira's twin blades, shot forward in an instant, crossing more than ten meters in the blink of an eye and arriving right in front of Kibutsuji Muzan.
The impact thundered through the ruins.
"Damn you—die already!"
The blood-red thorned whips and pale, pipe-like tendrils on Muzan's body transformed into weapons of slaughter, lashing out wildly in every direction. The very ground was peeled apart and torn upward under their rampage.
And in that exact moment, Akira was just a fraction too slow to evade.
His chest was pierced clean through.
Seeing this, Kibutsuji Muzan's lips curled into a thin, satisfied smile. So that's how it is. Even if you're the heir of Sun Breathing, in the end, you're still not that man.
"Sun Breathing: Fourth Form, Fake Rainbow!"
A sudden rush of air swept past.
The "Yukinoshita Akira" that Muzan had just struck turned into nothing more than a lingering afterimage in the next second.
Fake Rainbow was a specialized evasion dance that used high-speed spinning and rotation. However, the sharper one's vision, the more clearly they could perceive the user's afterimage.
Against an opponent like Kibutsuji Muzan, a technique like this only needed a single second to be fully read.
But one second was enough.
"Sun Breathing: Ninth Form, Setting Sun Transformation!"
In a flash, both of Kibutsuji Muzan's arms were severed cleanly. The advantage of the dual-blade style was laid bare, as two targets were struck at once.
"Damn you—die!"
The thorned whips that stabbed in from every direction were all cut down by Akira's blades.
And thanks to the effect of the Red Blade, none of Kibutsuji Muzan's wounds could regenerate. Now, with both of his arms gone, this was a grievous injury beyond comparison.
"Sun Breathing: Tenth Form, Beneficent Radiance!"
A spiraling slash descended from the sky, crashing down from above. It struck not once, but in layered waves, hammering into Kibutsuji Muzan's body again and again.
The relentless assault left him in a horrifying state, his body covered in wounds from head to toe.
"You—"
"Sun Breathing: Seventh Form, Sunflower Thrust!"
Blood splashed across the ground once more. Kibutsuji Muzan's face turned a pale, ashen gray.
Long-buried memories began to claw their way back to the surface.
Back then, in front of that man, he had been so weak—so utterly powerless—that in the end, he had only survived by blowing himself apart and fleeing like an insect.
After all these years, was it really going to happen again?
"I will live. Just like before. This time will be no different."
Kibutsuji Muzan's body began to swell.
Then, accompanied by a series of explosive ruptures, countless chunks of blood-colored flesh burst outward in every direction.
Akira froze for a brief moment at the sight.
Kibutsuji Muzan was truly a coward to this extent—so terrified of death that he had been driven to an extreme beyond reason.
This was no longer just cutting off limbs to survive.
This was a gamble of life and death.
As long as even a single piece of flesh managed to escape, Kibutsuji Muzan would be considered the victor.
And this—
This was Tsugikuni Yoriichi's greatest regret throughout his entire life.
"Sun Breathing: Fourteenth Form, Final Form – Great Sun Descends Upon the World!!!"
A thunderous detonation echoed through the battlefield.
In an instant, the Red Blade that had been glowing crimson began to heat up rapidly, then burst forth with a blinding, overwhelming radiance.
It wasn't just the Nichirin Blades.
Akira's own body temperature skyrocketed as well. Sun Breathing had been pushed to its absolute limit.
A fierce rush of air swept across the ruins.
Originally, there had still been a little time left before dawn.
But now, under the dominion of darkness, a scorching "light" illuminated the earth.
"AAAH—!!!"
A searing, hissing sound filled the air.
The scattered chunks of flesh, bathed in that light, all suffered catastrophic damage. One by one, they began to smoke with black vapor, then fell to the ground, and finally faded away completely.
Akira could clearly feel the life force within his body being drained at a terrifying speed.
This technique was nothing less than a complete burning of one's own life.
For a human body to release light equivalent to the sun itself was already a violation of the laws of nature.
Yet Tsugikuni Yoriichi had done it.
And the price to be paid was the user's own life.
"Please… forgive me. I can acknowledge you as my master. From now on, I'll obey every command you give. I can build you a 'demon army.' I can help you become the ruler of this world."
Under the blazing "light," Kibutsuji Muzan writhed on the ground in agony.
Several pieces of flesh struggled to gather back together. His current state was truly pitiful beyond words.
"Ruler of the world? A frog at the bottom of a well doesn't know how vast the world really is. And a dog that would bite its own master—I have no interest in that at all. Just die."
"Yukinoshita Akira, I curse you. One day, you'll end up just like me, dying a miserable death."
"That's something you won't live to see. Go, Kibutsuji Muzan."
"Y-you…"
The words never made it out completely. His voice grew weaker and weaker, until it vanished altogether.
At Akira's temples, a single strand of white hair appeared.
In just a matter of seconds, all of his black hair turned completely white.
It was a silent testament to how much life force that technique had consumed.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Full Novel Available!
All chapters are now complete and available in full on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —