Stepping through the gate formed by the Holy Grail, Morpheus swiftly arrived at the Lostbelt Void Shiki had mentioned.
His landing point was a dense forest.
The sky was much like the main world's—nighttime, with the forest cloaked in darkness, devoid of any trace of modern civilization.
This posed no challenge for Morpheus. He cast a detection spell, and everything within a hundred-kilometer radius was laid bare before his eyes.
Morpheus clearly "saw" a town a hundred kilometers away.
However, the town appeared ancient, far from a product of modern civilization.
It resembled a backward, historical settlement.
Had he entered some ancient era?
Curious, Morpheus cast a teleportation spell, transporting himself above the town.
Looking down, it was indeed a strikingly outdated settlement.
Most of the residents wore tattered clothing. Judging by the town's layout and the people's living standards, this was likely ancient Japan.
As for the exact era, further investigation was needed.
Morpheus's eyes flickered as he took in the town's scenery. He spotted a noble bullying a servant, forcibly invaded the noble's mind, and read their memories.
What he found was astonishing.
This Japan was in the Taisho era.
A brief yet relatively stable period.
Characterized by the wave of Taisho democracy sweeping through various cultural domains.
The early Taisho period was an unprecedented golden age for Japan since the Meiji Restoration.
Historically, the leader of Japan in this era was the Taisho Emperor.
But in this world, the Taisho Emperor was not the true leader. Instead, it was someone else… Muzan Kibutsuji.
Yes, Muzan Kibutsuji.
The main antagonist of Kimetsu no Yaiba.
In this Lostbelt, the once-cowardly progenitor of demons had transformed upon entering the Taisho era. Not only did he find the Blue Spider Lily, eliminating his weakness to sunlight, but he also ambushed Japan's leadership, turning everyone, including the Taisho Emperor, into demons.
From then on, Japan became a nation of demons.
But that wasn't all. After seizing control, Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji mobilized the military to bombard the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters.
Indeed, the Corps' base was no secret to this Demon King.
Under the military's barrage, most of the Demon Slayer Corps perished on the spot.
Even the Corps' leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and his wife died in the onslaught.
Only a few escaped with Kagaya's son, Kiriya Ubuyashiki, including Tengen Uzui, Shinobu Kocho, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Giyu Tomioka.
The rest fell in the ferocious battle.
The Demon Slayer Corps was utterly crippled.
Yet Muzan, determined to eradicate them completely, issued a nationwide bounty, branding the survivors as man-eating demons, inciting public outrage.
Though some knew the truth, most believed the Demon Slayer Corps were the true monsters.
After all, how could a national decree be false?
Thus, the remaining Corps members lived in misery, hunted like rats, reported at every sighting.
The few survivors were gradually killed off in this relentless pursuit.
In the end, even Kiriya Ubuyashiki was slain, and the Ubuyashiki family was eradicated.
The Demon Slayer Corps became history.
Everyone was dead.
Morpheus, reading these memories, couldn't help but gasp.
The Demon Slayer Corps annihilated, the Demon King triumphant, controlling the nation and turning its leaders into demons.
A complete reversal of fate.
After the Corps' destruction, Muzan dropped all pretense, transforming the entire military into demons.
Like him, these demons were immortal and immune to sunlight.
More crucially, these demons, created after Muzan perfected himself, didn't need to fear sunlight or consume human flesh.
They only required periodic human blood to survive.
To Morpheus, they resembled vampires.
Because of this, the military's loyalty to Muzan surpassed even that for the Emperor.
Without military support, the Emperor was a mere figurehead, forced to bow to Muzan.
Muzan then issued a decree: every Japanese citizen had to offer fresh blood weekly.
He also placed his trusted allies in every city and key government sector.
He had absolute control over the nation.
As his actions unfolded, Japan's ordinary citizens gradually realized the truth: the nation's leadership had become demons.
They were nothing but livestock to these demons.
But with the Demon Slayer Corps gone, no one could oppose them.
The people had no choice but to submit.
Morpheus now understood the nature of this Lostbelt.
That a coward like Muzan Kibutsuji could achieve total victory and dominate Japan was beyond his expectations.
He even wondered if a transmigrator had possessed Muzan, causing such a drastic change.
It wasn't impossible.
Morpheus's eyes gleamed. He decided to visit Edo to see what had transformed this Demon King into the conqueror who crushed the Demon Slayer Corps.
With a teleportation spell, he appeared inside the Edo Imperial Palace.
Muzan Kibutsuji now resided there openly.
The Emperor, who should have lived there, had been ousted.
Morpheus scanned the palace and found Muzan sleeping.
At the entrance to his room, a fully armed military guard stood watch, ready to attack anyone who approached.
***
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I just wanted to let you know that right now I'm working on a really good and promising naruto fanfic. If you're interested in reading it, feel free to give it a try:
[Naruto: Pathological Liar]
Synopsis:
After reincarnated as a worthless member of the Hyūga branch family...
Fate handed me the worst possible script, but that's fine... I was born to be the greatest actor.
Are you ready?
My name is Hyūga Kumokawa.
I'm going to weave one enormous lie.
And make the entire ninja world dance to it.
---