Muzan Kibutsuji had seen how firearms affected demons before. The bullets fired from those weapons had strong piercing power, but the damage they caused to demons had always been limited.
But now…
Why were these bullets so powerful?
"It is Scarlet Crimson Ore."
One demon dropped low to avoid the bullets and saw the wounds on his own kind. He also saw the bullets embedded inside their bodies. Every round carried the hateful energy of the sun.
The only thing that could carry solar energy was Scarlet Crimson Ore, the sun-absorbing mineral originally used to forge Nichirin Blades.
Clearly, these bullets had been specially made with a certain amount of Scarlet Crimson Ore.
"Not only that. These bullets also carry a disgusting scent."
One demon sniffed lightly, deep revulsion filling his eyes. "It's the scent of wisteria flowers—extremely concentrated. Disgusting. Just breathing it in makes the power inside my body feel suppressed…"
Evidently, the bullets had been coated with wisteria extract.
Ordinary wisteria extract could never produce such an effect. This had to be a far more potent toxin.
In truth, the substance coating the bullets was the wisteria poison developed by Shinobu Kocho—the very toxin capable of killing demons.
Previously, due to difficulties in extraction, the poison had only been sufficient for Shinobu's personal use. Later, following Soma's suggestion to Kiriya Ubuyashiki, the Ubuyashiki family greatly increased their support for Shinobu's research, purchasing large quantities of advanced equipment. With Tamayo's cooperation and assistance, the yield of the wisteria toxin had finally been raised to a level where it could now be produced in large quantities.
Rat-tat-tat!
Bullets poured down.
Bullets rained down in a relentless torrent. The combination of solar energy and wisteria toxin created a devastating synergy. A single hit was enough to inflict damage nearly equivalent to severing a demon's neck with a Nichirin Sword.
At Muzan Kibutsuji's command, demons surged forward in a desperate attempt to rescue him—only to be met by the merciless barrage of gunfire.
Each demon possessed strength far beyond human limits. Each had once stood overwhelmingly superior to humans, freely destroying others' happiness and reveling in their own power.
Yet at this moment, they fell one after another. Even the swordsmen pulling the triggers were far from elite; many were relatively weak. But against demons, their bullets were still lethal.
...
Everything unfolded before Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes, shattering the final hope of the very first demon.
"How… how could this be…"
Muzan Kibutsuji could not believe what he was seeing.
"The times have changed." Soma looked at Muzan Kibutsuji and spoke softly.
Just as the samurai of this land had once been its unchallenged masters, only to see decades of effort and sweat rendered meaningless by the arrival of firearms, ultimately leading to their complete downfall.
What the samurai had once faced was now the fate of the demons.
...
Over the years, the number of demons had grown vast. Yet beneath the relentless storm of bullets, they fell one by one.
Under ordinary circumstances, these demons might have been able to handle conventional firearms. Their strength far exceeded human limits; even if they could not outrun a bullet's speed, they could at least dodge in advance.
But these demons had no choice.
But these demons had no choice.
They had to rescue Muzan Kibutsuji. They could only charge forward. As a result, they were cut down like wheat beneath a scythe—one after another.
Bang…
With another bullet fired, the last demon was struck down.
"Kill them!"
The swordsmen put away their firearms and gripped their Nichirin Swords, moving to finish off the few demons still alive in Yoshiwara. Demons who had been shot in non-fatal places and were still clinging to life were found one by one, and the swordsmen mercilessly cut off their heads.
This was the scene Muzan Kibutsuji witnessed.
This scene of utter despair.
By now, his last hope of escaping under the cover of his demon horde had been completely extinguished.
At this moment, Muzan Kibutsuji looked utterly lost and broken.
Soma simply stood there, silently watching the demon that had reached its end. From the moment the horde had charged in to save Muzan until now, Soma had not struck him again after the initial beheading.
There was no need.
Ordinary attacks could not kill this demon. Any strike risked slicing off pieces of flesh and blood. If those fragments were left in the darkness, they might regenerate—just as Muzan had once escaped from Yoriichi Tsugikuni by such means.
Of course, having been struck by Tamayo's medicine, Muzan should have lost the ability to split and regenerate. But what if?
Therefore, Soma simply kept him firmly under watch.
Even when the demon horde had surged in, Soma had not acted. He had only let Kanao, standing beside him, stop the demons in his place.
Until now.
Across the entire Yoshiwara Entertainment District, only two demons remained standing.
One was Soma.
The other was Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Spare… spare me. Please spare me. I do not want to die."
His desire to live made this brutal demon beg for mercy.
Soma remained expressionless.
Muzan Kibutsuji looked around.
At some point, swordsmen had already walked over one after another. Every one of them held a hand to the hilt of their Nichirin Sword, their eyes filled with fierce killing intent.
Gyomei Himejima.
Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Kyojuro Rengoku.
Shinobu Kocho.
...
From the Hashira in the innermost circle to the swordsmen surrounding them on the outside, they formed layer upon layer, all staring at Muzan Kibutsuji in the center with eyes full of murderous hatred.
They stared at this evil demon who was begging for his life.
"Please, spare me."
Muzan Kibutsuji begged again, looking around. "I will…"
At this moment, Muzan Kibutsuji still wanted to say more.
But the only answer he received was the killing intent in the swordsmen's eyes.
The hatred in their eyes.
Countless swordsmen stared fixedly at him.
Countless swordsmen gripped their sword hilts and watched him.
If they could kill him with blades right now, they would definitely rush forward all at once and tear him into pieces.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Seeing this, knowing that begging would have no effect, Muzan Kibutsuji began to laugh instead.
He looked toward the sky.
At some point, the moon had gradually begun to sink.
At some point, the first hints of dawn had appeared on the horizon.
The sun was about to rise.
For over a thousand years, he had yearned to overcome the demons' greatest weakness. He had longed to stand beneath the sunlight.
He had never imagined
that he would meet his end beneath it.
.........
*PS:* The main storyline concludes here. The primary plot is essentially finished. There is still some remaining content—mostly side stories involving the Demon Slayer Corps and the protagonist.
After all, the protagonist is also a demon. Not everyone will be able to accept a demon among them.
The following chapters will mainly focus on that.
There won't be too much more.
There will be no traveling to other worlds.
This story began in the world of Demon Slayer and will end in the world of Demon Slayer.
Thank you all for reading this far.