Deep night. At Infinity Castle, Kibutsuji Muzan was clutching his head.
"Who said my hair is seaweed...?"
No, of course it's you.
Unfortunately, there was no one here but Kibutsuji Muzan to deliver such a retort. Even if someone were present, they wouldn't dare be rude to the leader of the demons, so a retort was impossible.
However, Kibutsuji Muzan could clearly read the thoughts of the demons around him, so if such a thought crossed their minds, it was an exception. A fierce counter-retort (instant death counter) was inevitable.
"Speaking nonsense as they please, those demon slayers...!"
A voice laden with suppressed emotion echoed lowly. Several veins bulged on his neat face. He didn't lose his temper and rage, but the anger was deep. The rising fury was visible to the naked eye.
Now, then, what was the reason Kibutsuji Muzan was so quietly engulfed in extreme rage? The story goes back a few hours.
In the middle of the night, Kibutsuji Muzan was in Shintomiza.
Not alone, but with an old human man. This old man was the president of a certain trading company and, at the same time, Kibutsuji Muzan's adoptive father. To be precise, the adoptive father of Kibutsuji Muzan disguised as a young woman.
Kibutsuji Muzan, who infiltrated human society by transforming sometimes into a youth, sometimes a boy, or from a young woman to a girl, had separate hideouts suitable for each appearance. And when in the form of a young woman, the hideout was right by this old man's side.
The old man, who had no compatible wife or blood-related children, cherished his adoptive granddaughter endlessly. Feeling sorry for his daughter who couldn't walk outside during the day due to a skin disease, he often took her to night performances.
He had never refused the old man's invitation even once. Kibutsuji Muzan, striving to look like a kind-hearted girl, always smiled a smile like scattered petals and sat in the theater seats, saying, "I'm happy, father!"
It was best to cater to the feelings of a human with little time left. That way, he could take over the entire trading company and use it to search for the Blue Spider Lily. The plays themselves were simply enjoyable too.
When leaving the theater, Kibutsuji Muzan's mood was still normal. Rather, it was good enough to exchange impressions amicably with the old man.
His mood plummeted sharply when that thing came into the corner of his vision.
Two boys in black uniform. Swords hidden under their haori in this era where sword possession was prohibited.
Yes, the pesky Demon Slayer Corps.
The boys, who were whispering closely with their faces near each other, only glanced at the sparse passersby, showing no sign of noticing the leader of the demons right beside them.
Kibutsuji Muzan, considering that fortunate, was about to leave as the old man gestured, but.
"Hmm, even if Kibutsuji Muzan is seaweed, how should we find him?"
"Shouldn't we look for someone with seaweed-like hair?"
Hey, wait a minute.
Kibutsuji Muzan, who overheard the conversation with his superhuman hearing, unconsciously stopped in his tracks.
"Seaweed-like hair?"
"I mean hair that's black, long, wavy, and glossy."
"Indeed, seaweed in that sense. I understand."
"When I received the report that Kibutsuji Muzan is seaweed, probably wakame, I wondered what it meant."
"Yeah, even as a new clue about him, it was too much information."
Now now now, wait a minute. Really, just a moment.
Could it be... that such information is spreading among the demon slayers?
Why, on earth, did such a rumor start circulating? No, however it happened, it doesn't matter, just bring me the guy who first said it right now.
Clearly, my hair is black, long, and wavy, but to call it seaweed? That analogy doesn't make sense. For the leader of the demons, no less.
Don't you demon slayers accept that naturally either. The leader of the enemy organization being seaweed, there's no dignity at all.
Are you satisfied with that? As long as you can exterminate demons, is that enough? This is why you lunatics...
Mad avengers don't know common sense. Damn demon slayers. Damn Ubuyashiki clan.
"Mai, what's wrong?"
"No. It's nothing, father."
Kibutsuji Muzan, hiding the humiliation that felt like his molars would crack behind an iron-clad smile, first left the place.
"But seaweed? Wakame? Was there no other analogy, cough cough"
"Your voice sounds quite hoarse, is it a cold?"
"Maybe my voice change is just taking a long time."
While picking up the above conversation with his extraordinary demon hearing.
He definitely memorized their faces, those rookie demon slayers.
The one with a face from the Flame Hashira lineage often seen since the Heian period and the hooded guy wearing a black fox mask. The demon slayers are doomed to total annihilation, but I'll take care of you two first.
Kibutsuji Muzan ordered Hahyun, who happened to be nearby, to kill the two.
Thinking that killing two boy members who weren't even Pillars would be a piece of cake, he looked away for a moment, and when he checked Hahyun's vision thinking it was over, what was this? Hahyun was dead. This is why Hahyuns!
——And so, he arrived at the present.
Kibutsuji Muzan pondered deeply.
Just who on earth blabbered that the leader of the demons is seaweed?
All humans who encountered Kibutsuji Muzan became either demons or corpses. Therefore, only demons know his appearance. But he had placed domination and curses on the demons to prevent them from carelessly leaking information.
Then, the truth that can be derived from that is one.
"……A runaway, huh."
What flashed to mind was the vengeful demon doctor, Tamayo. It must be that one. Come to think of it, she did spew insults calling it dried wakame.
It's unknown how her words reached the demon slayers, but judging by the fact that only vague information like seaweed was passed on, it seems she hasn't joined hands with the demon slayers. That much was at least reassuring.
Runaway demons are annoying. Not just Tamayo, anyone is a nuisance.
On that day when he had no choice but to split to escape from the demon slayers, the domination that bound all demons temporarily weakened.
While about three hundred pieces of flesh regenerated and the domination returned to normal, there were several demons besides Tamayo who escaped the bondage during that gap.
Most were found and dealt with by Kokushibo, but it can't be said that all have been cleaned up yet.
"As detestable as the Ubuyashiki clan."
Demons like Tamayo who openly oppose are one thing, but demons who run amok freely using their escape from domination as an excuse are even more infuriating.
Kibutsuji Muzan had been feeling severe displeasure at the appearance of such demons recently.
Being hit by Tamayo's poison was around the early Edo period, long before making Akaza a demon. From then until the Meiji era, it's not that such types of demons didn't appear.
If there were arrogant thugs running wild, he swiftly hunted and killed them before the Demon Slayer Corps could. But this demon hardly showed its tail.
Whenever he heard rumors of a demon appearing and rushed to the scene, there were always animals there. There were rats, chickens, cats, dogs, horses, and cows.
There were beasts that preyed on humans, beasts that had become demons.
There was no one among his subordinates with the ability to turn animals into demons, and even Kibutsuji Muzan doesn't have such a supernatural power. It must be a demon that evolved in that direction as a result of escaping domination. He was intrigued by that blood.
He wanted to quickly find it, research it, and swiftly deal with it, but as mentioned earlier, at the center of the commotion, there were only the beasts turned into demons by that one, not the one itself, so he hadn't even managed to capture it, let alone kill the main body.
On top of this matter not going as planned, plus the Kibutsuji Muzan seaweed theory he heard last night. His head hurts twice as much. The demon body is a perpetually healthy form unrelated to poor condition, so it was entirely a mental headache.
Kibutsuji Muzan himself is aware that his hair looks a bit like that. He received such glances from a friend in the Heian period too. He also remembers being indirectly treated as seaweed, though not directly said.
No matter what, he intended to get angry at such treatment, but the friend said "But I like seaweed~" and laughed frivolously, so he just let it go.
He also said that Muzan's hair is black, long, and glossy, beautiful like waves, so he forgave instantly. When he was human, Kibutsuji Muzan was quite broad-minded.
But there's no way to forgive the demon slayers too.
From the lowest members to the Ubuyashiki clan, total annihilation for all.
"But in a sense, this is also an opportunity."
It's an unpleasant situation that information about his appearance is circulating, even partially.
However, conversely, it also means that by transforming into a different appearance, he can deceive the eyes of the demon slayers.
Hmph, don't underestimate me, demon slayers. Kibutsuji Muzan sneered with a triumphant face. If I put my mind to it, I can suppress the waves of my hair anytime.
Farewell, perm. Come quickly, straight hair. Now you won't be able to call me seaweed anymore.
And so, in the Meiji era, Kibutsuji Muzan's hair became straight without a single wave.
＊
Several years passed since then.
No matter how much he searched, Ubuyashiki's hideout wasn't found, no demon that overcame sunlight appeared, and not even the 'p' of the Blue Spider Lily was found.
As if accelerating the irritation of things not going as planned, that beast demon appeared again. He ordered Akaza to go handle it, but this time too, he probably won't find the main body.
Just before his nerves were about to snap from the accumulated displeasure, Kibutsuji Muzan saw it.
White hair, red eyes—through Akaza's vision, he saw his most beloved friend.
＊
A horse was eating a bear.
It's not a misstatement. Of course, it's not a misperception either.
As if devouring feed from a feed bucket, the horse was pushing its snout into the bear's torn belly. The boy member, barely swallowing the scream trying to escape his mouth, carefully stepped backward.
Guided by the Kasugai Crow flying above his head, he headed toward his superior, slowly moving away so as not to be noticed by the horse—the demon in the form of a horse.
He knew that fleeing before battle was shameful, but it was also his superior's order.
'If you think it's too much, just escape with the information.'
The superior who said that and sent the boy member was named Urokodaki Rei.
"Huh, what? A bear ate a horse?"
"The opposite. A horse eating a bear, sir."
"Really?"
The combination of a voice full of emotion, sounding surprised, and a completely expressionless black fox mask was oddly comical.
While thinking he shouldn't relax during a joint mission with a higher rank, the boy member was caught in complex feelings due to that peculiar combination.
"I expected it somewhat from the sighting info, but a real horse demon? Did it look strong?"
"Yes. Um, no, but... It looked strong to me... Uh, I'm sorry for running away... I thought it was too much... That is..."
"It's fine, it's fine. You only have one life, so treasure it."
With those words, the hand placed on the boy member's head. The palm, thickened from training and experience, carried a sturdiness incomparable to the boy member's hand.
"If someone is being attacked or it seems like people will die, then you must brace yourself with the resolve to die, but if not, don't push yourself."
"Yes, yes!"
"Then, shall we go exterminate that horse demon while it's busy eating the bear~"
Before this side could even finish answering, the superior ran ahead first. That one step, even considering his physique, was much faster and farther than the boy member's, so if he dawdled, he seemed likely to fall behind. Sure enough, as he was about to fall behind, he hurriedly chased after.
Urokodaki Rei, Kinoe rank of the Demon Slayer Corps.
He heard that this superior, seventeen this year, honestly, he thought would be a scarier person.
The achievement of defeating 50 demons just a few months after becoming a member, and even taking down Hahyun.
The skill mentioned as closest to the next Pillar alongside Rengoku Shōjuro, the eldest son of the Rengoku family.
The ominous image of never showing his bare face, always wearing a black fox mask and hood.
Those three elements combined made him imagine a more difficult personality, but actually meeting and talking, he was unexpectedly an ordinary sort of person.
Due to a sudden mission, manpower was needed, but to the Kanoe rank member who shrunk back at the mention of a joint mission with a Kinoe rank, his unreserved attitude of saying "I'm happy to have a junior~ Here, a gift to become friends." and handing out candy. He was an ordinarily nice person.
But still, his strength was on a different level.
The horse demon that the boy member intuitively thought was too much was dealt with by the superior in the blink of an eye. Not minding the horse's fierce charge, swish. The beautiful swordplay left no room to even take notes.
"……Was it this horse demon that attacked the farming village?"
"Judging by the situation. And according to the report, there's one more such guy, right?"
A while ago, a farming village was wiped out. The member who rushed to the scene late reported seeing two strange horses running out of the village.
Their mouths, which should only eat grass, were stained bright red, and the overly developed horse legs kicking the ground were like asuras. The things in horse form were clearly demons.
Whether it was a demon transformed into a horse or a horse that became a demon was unclear, but it seemed closer to the latter.
"I've never seen a demon that isn't human before."
"Me too. Now, Hanachiyo-chan~ Go tell the others that one is exterminated and come back~"
"Got ittt!!"
The flapping of the crow's wings cutting through the darkness as it flew away. In the opposite direction, the two members moved their steps.
For this mission, many members were called regardless of rank. To spread a net so as not to miss the horse demons.
"Urokodaki senior."
"Yes, why?"
"That horse demon, its neck was thick and legs were fast, and overall sturdy in many ways... Can the others cut it down?"
He knows it's not the place for the weakest Kanoe rank to worry about others. However, in this mission, the boy member's senior brother was also participating. The senior brother who grew up like a brother under the same trainer.
"From the feel of cutting it, it's a demon that even Shin rank can defeat. Everyone else is Kanoe rank or above, and they're moving in pairs, so there probably won't be a problem."
The senior brother's rank is Kinoe. The boy sighed in relief. According to the superior's words, the senior brother alone should be able to defeat it sufficiently.
"But just in case, let's find it quickly."
"Yes! Then I'll search that way!"
"I leave it to you. I'll go to that bamboo forest over there—"
At that moment when the superior pointed elsewhere, a bang—a deafening roar.
The ground shook enough to mistake it for an earthquake. Right near the two, at one point, dust and soil billowed up. Something had fallen down. Could it be a star?
No. Stars don't take human form. They don't sneer either.
Beyond the scattering dust and soil, what appeared first was the gaze.
The sclera, cracked like ice, took on the light of dawn, and the pupils containing a sneer held the glow of the moon.
Before he could even count the numbers engraved on the man's two moons, the man's form disappeared from the boy member's sight.
＊
He came only to kill the beast demon, but gained an unexpected harvest.
The moment he saw that youth, Akaza's cells trembled with joy.
Polished fighting spirit. Palms hardened through training. The smell of blood soaked to the bone, as if he had cut down quite a few demons, was the scent of a survivor, a strong one. It's the smell of martial arts that Akaza loves most.
Even before the fight, his whole body understood. That the youth standing before him was a strong one.
Akaza likes strong ones. He likes those who strive to hone their talent through ceaseless effort and polish their martial arts.
On the other hand, he dislikes weak ones. He disliked the vile cowards who only tremble hiding in the shadow of the strong. They're irritating just by being alive.
So, Akaza's fist flew first toward the boy member cowering beside the black fox.
However, the fist at a speed the weak one couldn't even react to was instantly severed below the elbow. The black fox had already drawn a purple sword.
"Superior's order, evacuate. Call for backup."
"Hic, hic, yes!"
Aiming at the fleeing weak one, Akaza's fist struck the air. All its trajectories were cut down by the purple sword. Seeing that, an even more intense excitement burst from Akaza's back.
A lion hunts a rabbit with all its might too. Even if the target is weak, there is no compromise or holding back in Akaza's fists.
Yet this reaction speed and unwavering swordsmanship. The预感 of a strong one changed to certainty.
As if a feast that smells delicious just by its scent is before him, and realizing its delicacy by putting it in his mouth, supreme happiness filled his chest.
"Good slash. That strength, are you a Pillar?"
"Look at the sword properly and talk."
"——Ah, 'Destroyer of Demons' isn't engraved. What are you? Not a Pillar?"
"Sorry to disappoint. But I'm disappointed too, so let's call it even."
"……What do you mean?"
"Bring Upper Rank 2. I have no business with a 3 or the like."
Only then did the smile fade from Akaza's face for the first time.
The foot stomped so strongly that the hard ground caved in. Akaza, who leaped up, swung his fist down with a growl.
It was a strike meant to pierce the head, but the opponent narrowly dodged it. While evading and simultaneously striking down Akaza's fist, the black fox, sword in hand, greatly distanced himself.
Indeed, fast. Not even letting one fist graze him. The skill of moving directly from evasion to counterattack was also splendid.
The admiration accumulated through the series of processes surpassed the anger felt just now. If he's not a Pillar even like this, just how strong are the Pillars of this era? Thinking that, Akaza's mood became cheerful too.
"You, did Upper Rank 2 kill your family or something?"
"Just hate enough to want to kill."
"A coincidence, I hate that one too. I think I could become friends with you!"
"How would an Upper Rank demon and a demon slayer become friends?"
"Well, it's simple."
Extending the hand he had already regenerated long ago toward the youth, Upper Rank 3 Akaza twisted his lips pleasantly.
"You become a demon too——"
——No, kill him.
A voice was heard.
There is only one person in this world who can directly transmit a voice into Akaza's head.
——Kill that man wearing the black fox mask. Definitely.
"……Yes."
Lord Kibutsuji Muzan's voice was burning with hatred. What rudeness did this black fox commit to him?
He was curious about the reason, but asking that is also rude. With the line cut after only conveying the matter, Akaza could only feel regret.
He sighed regrettably at the fact that he couldn't invite the strong one he met by chance to become a demon.
"……Sorry. It seems I can't become friends with you."
"So let's fight with all our might. Pour out your movements, sword, techniques, everything, and fall."
"Don't think you've won before even fighting, you bastard who doesn't even need mascara!"
"A demon has no reason to lose to a human, right?"
"An, annoyinggg!!"
Akaza, lowering his waist, took a stance. The compass drawn at his feet.
All directions for destroying, breaking, and killing were set here.
"I ask. What is your name?"
"I am Yamamoto Gonzaemon!"
"I see, Gonzaemon. I am Akaza."
"Sorry, it's a lie! Actually, I am Urokodaki Rei!"
"I see. No, no need to apologize. I don't mind. But from here on, don't joke, Rei!"
Toward the direction pointed by the compass, Akaza charged like a meteor.
A fist sharper than before by a dimension. Will the black fox receive it, or deflect it?
Neither was the case. The black fox leaped high and far. Despite the black fox's physique not much different from Akaza's, this light body movement.
Leaping over the lush trees as if soaring toward the full moon, the black fox was as if——
"Amazing leg strength! For a fox, you're like a rabbit!"
"Eeek?!"
"But you can't move in the air, right!"
Akaza kicked off the ground and leaped after him. With a demon's leg strength, jumping to the same line of sight as the black fox was nothing. And he swung his fist.
Dodging in mid-air is impossible. So, the black fox had no choice but to block this fist with his sword—and if he makes such a move without a foothold in mid-air, the result is obvious.
Carried by the momentum of the unleashed fist, the black fox flew far away. Ridiculously far, like a kite swept by a gust.
From this height at that speed, an ordinary human would fall rolling on the ground and die without even being able to break the fall.
But the compass on the ground where Akaza landed still pointed at the opponent. The black fox's fighting spirit hadn't extinguished yet. Beyond the trees, in the night beyond, it was still burning fiercely.
Sensing that, Akaza, with a ferocious smile full of patterns on his face, ran with all his might.
Toward the blue, fragrant bamboo forest.
Unaware that he would see hell there.
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