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Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had been sent flying earlier, struggled back to his feet and coughed violently. He glared at Shuya with open contempt. "Hah? Don't tell me you're seriously claiming your strength can rival Yoriichi Tsugikuni from the Sengoku era?"
"No."
Shuya shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving into a confident smile. "I'm stronger than Yoriichi."
Unless Yoriichi was secretly on the level of the Chimera Ant King or something ridiculous, Shuya was certain of his superiority. With full mastery of all six Nen types and the massive aura reserves he had accumulated from Saeko's year-long zombie slaughter, he didn't think he could lose to a native from this world.
He gently signaled Nezuko, who was still clinging to his arm, to let go. Then he walked alone to the center of the courtyard and slowly lowered his stance.
No one understood what this sudden, bizarre action was supposed to mean.
Except Saeko and Gyomei.
Saeko understood because she was a Nen user. With Gyo active, she could clearly see the enormous aura surging around Shuya.
As for Gyomei Himejima, the blind Stone Hashira didn't rely on sight. He perceived the world through his other senses, and his mastery of Breathing was deeper than any of the other Hashira.
"Ah… What an overwhelmingly powerful presence!!"
Gyomei pressed his palms together in prayer as tears streamed down his face. "Namu Amida Butsu—"
He had no concept of Nen, but the instant Shuya took that stance, the aura he sensed changed dramatically. In a single breath, the man transformed from an ordinary person into a terrifying titan.
He had never felt anything like it before.
At that moment, Gyomei began to wonder if Shuya truly possessed strength comparable to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Hearing Gyomei's words, the expressions of the other Hashira grew serious. They watched Shuya's next move carefully.
But what Shuya did next only confused them more.
He extended his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and lightly tapped the ground.
The instant his knuckles made contact—
A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
An invisible pressure exploded outward in all directions.
Anything the wave touched—rocks, dirt, anything—was instantly reduced to fine powder and scattered into the sunlight.
Although Shuya had deliberately controlled the blast so it wouldn't harm anyone present, the Hashira still had to shield their eyes with their hands just to keep watching.
A thunderous boom shook the entire courtyard.
When the pressure finally dissipated, everyone saw it.
A perfectly circular crater over two meters deep had formed with Shuya at its center. The walls were unnaturally smooth, looking nothing like something created by human force.
"Impossible!!" Sanemi shouted first, refusing to accept it.
There was no way a human could produce that kind of destructive power. He rubbed his eyes hard, convinced it had to be some kind of illusion or Blood Demon Art.
"Splendid!" Kyojuro Rengoku's fiery eyes widened with excitement. "Hahaha! Now that is a truly powerful strike! If it landed on Muzan, it would turn him into dust!"
Shuya remained silent. He simply scanned the faces of the Hashira.
Their reactions varied, but every single one was visibly shaken by the demonstration.
This wasn't an ordinary punch.
Shuya had used the advanced Nen technique called Ko (hard)—the ultimate combination of Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, and Gyo. He gathered every last bit of aura into his fist, condensed it to maximum density, then released it all at once.
Simple. Brutal. Extremely effective.
And this was still far from his full strength.
If he went all-out, Shuya was confident he could pulverize a small mountain.
"Master Ubuyashiki," Shuya said, turning to the leader, "how does that punch look to you? Do you think Muzan could withstand it?"
Ubuyashiki didn't answer right away.
Instead, he turned to Gyomei with a grave expression. "Gyomei… could you produce that kind of power?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I cannot." Gyomei shook his head. "That is not something Breathing Techniques alone can achieve. Even if I used my Nichirin Axe and my strongest Stone Breathing form, I could never create an effect like that."
"Is that so?"
Ubuyashiki's breath hitched. His gaze toward Shuya grew intense, almost feverish.
He had heard the stories countless times—the legend of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest swordsman of the Sengoku era, the one who had come closest to killing Muzan a thousand years ago. Yoriichi had defeated the Demon King but somehow let him escape. Afterward, Yoriichi's own brother had been turned into a demon and murdered the previous Corps leader, leading to Yoriichi's expulsion from the organization.
For the next four hundred years, the Corps had hoped another Yoriichi would appear and finally end the grudge.
Instead, they had never even managed to kill a single Upper Rank demon—only Lower Ranks during internal power struggles. Against the Upper Moons, the kill count remained zero.
A lone Hashira facing an Upper Rank had only one outcome: death.
And now, standing right in front of him, was a man who might actually rival Yoriichi. On top of that, they had just witnessed the return of the legendary strongest style—Sun Breathing.
The thought that the thousand-year feud with Muzan might finally end under his watch made Ubuyashiki's pale face flush with excitement.
"Cough—cough—cough—"
A violent fit of coughing followed.
"Master!"
The Hashira moved to check on him, but Ubuyashiki raised a hand to stop them. He looked at Shuya with burning intensity. "Honored guest… do you truly possess the power to defeat Muzan?"
He trusted Gyomei's judgment, but he needed to hear the answer directly from Shuya.
If Shuya could give him the confirmation he wanted, he was willing to pay any price to make sure this chance didn't slip away.
"Of course," Shuya answered without hesitation. "I guarantee you won't find another person in this world who can deal with Muzan—except me."
Shuya was completely confident. Part of it came from his own strength. The other part came from knowing how the original story had played out. The Corps' final victory over Muzan had relied on a perfect storm of coincidences and outside help.
None of those factors existed anymore thanks to his interference.
Nezuko had never become a demon. Tanjiro had never smelled Muzan's scent. There was no guarantee the special demon with the SSR-level Blood Demon Art would even appear, or that Tamayo would get control of it. And whether the Corps could awaken the Demon Slayer Mark like in the story was anyone's guess.
"Very good… Very good!"
Ubuyashiki's voice trembled with excitement. "Please state your conditions. No matter how difficult the request, the Demon Slayer Corps will do everything in its power to fulfill it!"
"Relax, there's no need to get so worked up," Shuya said casually, waving a hand. "I have no particular interest in the Demon Slayer Corps itself. Aside from a few specific people, there's nothing here worth my attention."
Certain people?
Shinobu's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face perfectly neutral.
"Besides," Shuya continued, "the request I'm about to make won't harm the Corps at all. In fact, it will be greatly beneficial to you."
Shuya held up one finger. "First, I want you to set aside a secure location where the newly turned Kamado mother and sons can stay until they can be turned back into humans."
"What?!!"
The entire courtyard erupted in shock.
Tanjiro couldn't hold back. "Shuya-san! Did you just say they can really be turned back into humans?!"
Shuya didn't answer him directly. Instead, he looked at Ubuyashiki with a faint, knowing smile. "Master Ubuyashiki, you know exactly why Muzan has spent the last thousand years creating man-eating demons, don't you?"
"The Blue Spider Lily," Ubuyashiki answered, his expression darkening. "The legendary flower said to let demons overcome their weakness to sunlight. But it's only a legend. Muzan has searched for a thousand years and never found it, so I don't believe the flower actually exists."
"No," Shuya corrected him. "The Blue Spider Lily is very real."
"What?!!"
Even the usually composed Ubuyashiki was visibly stunned. "How is that possible?"
Shuya explained calmly, "The reason Muzan has never found it in a thousand years is simple. The ones searching for it are demons who can't step into sunlight. The Blue Spider Lily only blooms on the hottest days of the year—and only for a brief moment at high noon, directly under the sun."
"I see… So that's why…" Ubuyashiki muttered. A bitter, mocking laugh escaped him. "Hahaha… How ironic. A creature that cannot walk in sunlight has spent a thousand years searching for a flower that only blooms in direct sunlight."
He paused, then looked at Shuya with heavy suspicion. "So your goal is to use the Demon Slayer Corps to find the Blue Spider Lily… and then use it to become a more perfect demon than Muzan himself?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the courtyard turned razor-sharp.
Every Hashira's hand moved instinctively toward the hilt of their Nichirin Blade.
The air suddenly felt like it could explode at any second.