At this moment, Muzan Kibutsuji's body was wrapped inside a massive flesh cocoon.
In this form, he was rapidly breaking down the poison within his body.
Each acceleration of his metabolism caused swollen, pus-filled tumors to bulge across the cocoon's surface, only to deflate quickly after oozing out tainted blood.
Meanwhile, Tamayo's body was on the verge of collapse. Her frail arms could no longer restrain him.
Muzan's claw was still deeply embedded in her brain, pressing harder and harder. "Wasn't it I who saved your life? Wasn't it you who killed your husband and child yourself? What ingratitude."
"Haven't you also killed countless people? Devoured them with relish? And now what? Playing the ally of justice?"
Tears mixed with blood streamed down Tamayo's face as she cursed with all her strength, "That's right! To atone for my sins, I will die here with you today!"
"You're truly persistent, Tamayo."
At that moment, the crow's voice rang out again, plunging Muzan's mood into the abyss.
"Seventy-Eight Asuka! Upper Rank One—defeated!!"
"Rengoku Kyojuro, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Giyu Tomioka! Upper Rank Two—defeated!!"
"Iguro Obanai, Mitsuri Kanroji, Tanjiro! Upper Rank Three—defeated!!"
"Caw! Caw! Repeat! Repeat!"
All the crows cried out in unison, their voices merging into a torrent that struck fear into demons and brought tears to mortals.
"At this point! All Upper Rank members of the Twelve Kizuki have been annihilated!!"
What nonsense! Nakime is still alive!
With a loud explosion, the flesh cocoon burst apart, and Muzan leapt out from within.
Now, his entire muscular structure had mutated, his presence becoming even more terrifying.
His body was covered in gaping mouths filled with sharp teeth. One touch seemed enough to tear a body apart, while blood coated him like a resilient armor.
As he listened to the relentless reports of defeat, Muzan bit his gums until they nearly bled, glaring furiously at the crows in the sky.
What he didn't know was that someone had already predicted he would elevate Nakime to an Upper Rank to strengthen control over the Infinity Castle.
Thus, during correspondence with Kagaya Ubuyashiki, she hadn't even been considered a combatant—merely a tool demon to create a sanctuary for Muzan.
Tamayo coughed up blood, staring at the enraged Muzan as she let out a shrill yet triumphant laugh.
"Ha... Muzan, didn't expect this, did you? You've been cornered! Today, you will descend into hell with me!"
"I've heard those words hundreds, thousands of times. Unfortunately, not once has it come true."
Bang!!
Tamayo's head, along with the last trace of unwillingness and curse in her eyes, was crushed into a mess of flesh and bone under Muzan's palm.
"Go to hell yourself. Return to the family you killed."
He flicked the gore from his hand and kicked away her dissipating body.
Bang!!
At the moment of this atrocity, in a shadowed corner of the Infinity Castle, a young man hidden in the darkness collapsed heavily to his knees.
"Lady Tamayo... is dead?"
His voice trembled, utterly shattered.
The young man had short light-green hair and wore the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, yet his aura was completely different.
His purple eyes bore cat-like vertical pupils.
He was Yushiro—the boy once saved by Tamayo, turned into a demon due to a terminal illness.
"Ahhhhh!! Muzan—!!"
"How dare you take Lady Tamayo away from me!!"
"I will make you kneel in regret! I will kill you!!"
Yushiro's claws bulged with veins, his fingertips gouging deeply into the ground.
He raised his head, staring into the endless darkness of the Infinity Castle where Muzan's presence had vanished, roaring with fury.
"Hey! Stop whining! I've already locked onto the direction—follow me!" another voice interrupted, cutting off his grief.
Yushiro suppressed his rage, steadied himself, reactivated his concealment Blood Demon Art, and dashed into the darkness.
As a demon created by Tamayo, Yushiro had no subordinate connection to Muzan.
Yet such a sorrowful howl still reached Muzan, causing him to pause slightly.
At the same time, a faint voice seemed to echo in his mind—the voice of that half-dead man.
[Look, Muzan. You've committed yet another unforgivable sin.]
[Those dragons and tigers that would have slumbered their entire lives have been awakened by your cruelty.]
[They will watch you relentlessly... and never let you go.]
What voice is that? Am I hearing things?
Muzan shook his head irritably, forcefully suppressing the discomfort.
Just the dying resentment of failures! I am a perfect being beyond life and death!
Like a feral beast, he leapt from the heights of the Infinity Castle, plunging rapidly toward an area densely packed with people.
"In the end, all of you are useless. I still have to do everything myself!"
Boom—!!
Dozens of Demon Slayer Corps members who had just gathered under the crows' guidance suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Before the dust even settled, Muzan's demonic hands had already begun harvesting lives.
Most of the members didn't even realize what was happening before they were killed.
In an instant, limbs flew, flesh tore apart, and bodies fell in heaps.
"Enemy attack! Highest alert!! It's... it's Muzan Kibutsuji!!" one member screamed in warning.
Muzan moved like a phantom, his actions impossible to follow.
Severed limbs and organs scattered like leaves in a storm.
"Ugh—!"
"No—!"
"Captain..."
Screams rose and were cut off just as quickly.
"All units! Stay away from Muzan! Do not act rashly until the Hashira arrive!!"
From the command center, Kiriya relayed orders through the crows, but nothing could slow Muzan's slaughter.
"I'm serious—I'm truly sick of all of you demon hunters."
Muzan ripped out a member's heart with one claw, staring coldly at the crow.
"Why are you so persistent? Isn't it better to live if I don't kill you? Why insist on throwing your lives away?"
Splurt—!!
Right before the crow—and Kiriya's eyes—he sliced off a female member's legs.
"Why not treat me like a natural disaster? Like a volcano or an earthquake? How many people die from disasters every year? Have you ever heard of anyone seeking revenge against a volcano or the sea?"
"You bastard... what are you even saying..." Kiriya stared blankly at the Infinity Castle map, stunned by his twisted logic.
"I understand now. All of you demon hunters are a bit deranged. Today, I'll wipe you all out."
He swung his hand down again.
Clang—!!
This time, his strike hit a sturdy blade, failing to kill the wailing female member.
Hmm? That scent of blood...
Muzan looked closely. Beneath his claw stood a slender young boy, desperately holding back his attack.
"You... are a descendant of Kokushibo?"
The one before him was Muichiro Tokito.
Ever since defeating Upper Rank Five, he had sensed Muzan's intense malice within the cocoon and rushed here at full speed.
Though he was still a bit late, saving even one person was worth it.
"Are you okay..."
He wanted to tell the member to retreat, but seeing her missing legs, he couldn't finish the sentence.
Fury burned in his eyes as cloud-like marks spread across his body.
Muzan sneered. "I'll give you a chance to become a demon. We're short on manpower right now."
"Breath of Mist, Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds!"
Muichiro had no intention of responding—he unleashed his strongest technique immediately.
"...none of you ever listen."
Seeing recruitment fail, Muzan showed no mercy, raising his fist to crush him.
Clink, clank!!
The sound of chains rang out, and his strike was slowed.
"Muzan—!!"
A powerful voice boomed from behind.
The towering blind swordsman, the Stone Hashira—Gyomei Himejima—had finally found the core battlefield.
He had been tossed around by Nakime's Blood Demon Art, unable to see and trapped in chaos, growing increasingly anxious.
Now, his arms were covered in black marks, and even his blind white eyes emitted a strange light.
Though blind, his vision now felt clearer than ever.
Before him stood a monster with five brains and seven hearts.
There was no mistake.
This was Muzan Kibutsuji.
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