The Ultimate Weapon! The Demon King Trembled!

The Ubuyashiki Estate, a quiet interior.

The paper door closed silently behind me!

Giyu Tomioka knelt upright on the tatami mat.

His perpetually expressionless face remained unchanged, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

"Giyu, why are you sitting so far away? Sit closer."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's warm voice interrupted his reverie.

The Demon Slayer Corps' highest boss was not sitting high and mighty in the main seat at this moment.

Lady Amane had quietly withdrawn.

In the spacious interior, there was only a pot of steaming tea and Kagaya's incredibly gentle face.

Upon hearing this, Giyu, like an obedient robot, moved forward half a meter.

Kagaya smiled and extended his slightly pale hands.

He actually picked up the purple clay teapot himself and filled the rough pottery teacup in front of Giyu with tea.

The aroma of tea immediately filled the entire room.

"My Master, this is absolutely unacceptable!!"

Although Giyu has a facial paralysis, the rules of respect for hierarchy and seniority are still ingrained in his DNA.

He instinctively reached for the teapot, but Kagaya gently waved his hand to stop him.

"It's alright!! There's no Oyakata-sama or pillar here today, just conversations among peers."

Kagaya put down the teapot, picked up a cup himself, and gently blew on the steam rising from it.

Giyu could only respectfully pick up the scalding hot teacup with both hands.

The tea was really hot.

The heat made Giyu's fingertips turn a little red.

The scalding tea burned its way down my throat and into my stomach.

On the surface, however, he put down his teacup with a serious expression, as if nothing had happened.

Looking at the aloof, taciturn young man before him who always managed to create miracles, Kagaya's eyes were filled with boundless affection.

"Giyu and righteous!"

Kagaya leaned forward slightly.

"After the battle at Mount Sagiri, you are practically the only swordsman in our centuries-long history who not only faced Muzan Kibutsuji but also forced him to flee."

A hint of barely concealed anticipation and excitement played on Kagaya's lips.

He stared intently at Giyu, as if trying to grasp the hope that the Demon Slayer Corps had craved most for a thousand years:

"If you were to face him again... what are your chances of success now?"

The moment this question was raised, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

This is the Demon King!!

An ultimate terror that sends shivers of despair through every swordsman who hears its name!!

But the guy right in front of me, Giyu Tomioka, just single-handedly crushed Upper Rank One Upper Rank Three.

Finally, he even used the Sun Breathing to scare Muzan that he bought a standing-room-only ticket and fled overnight!

Following the typical formula of shonen manga, at this point, the protagonist would usually slam their hand on the table, their eyes blazing with fury, and roar:

"Rest assured, my Oyakata-sama!! Next time we meet, I promise I'll twist his dog's head off and use it as a football!!"

However...

That's someone else.

He is Giyu Tomioka!!

A realist who is absolutely rational in battle and whose combat strength assessment is so rigorous as to be almost harsh.

Giyu didn't hesitate for even a second.

He sat there, expressionless.

He uttered a single word without any mercy, in a straightforward, objective, and even somewhat self-righteous tone:

"Zero."

"..."

Kagaya's hand, which was holding a teacup and about to drink water, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Giyu was completely unaware of his Oyakata-sama's awkward silence.

"I have absolutely no confidence."

Our Water Hashira Lord continued to pour icy water frantically over the Oyakata-sama's head in his calm, even voice:

"That guy named Muzan Kibutsuji a body structure that defies all scientific principles and violates all biological norms."

He has five brains and seven hearts.

"This means that even if I cut his neck or pierce his chest, he can still jump around like nothing happened."

"His muscle fiber density and cell regeneration rate are more than ten times that of Upper Rank One."

"My Master, if he had chosen to fight me back then..."

"Don't even mention cutting him down."

"I might not be able to hold on for even a minute longer!!"

Dead silence!

The room was so quiet that the only sound could be the bubbling of water in the teapot.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki stared blankly at Giyu.

A full five seconds passed.

The Demon Slayer Corps Oyakata-sama, who was always solemn, composed, and unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain, suddenly began to shake violently and uncontrollably.

"Pfft... cough cough cough..."

Kagaya covered his mouth and coughed, completely losing his composure.

Then, a burst of extremely cheerful laughter, as if all burdens had been lifted, exploded in the room.

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Giyu was completely bewildered by the sudden burst of laughter (???).

"My Master?"

Giyu tilted his head slightly, his deep blue eyes full of question marks.

I clearly gave the most rigorous combat strength analysis, what's so funny?

Has our Oyakata-sama also been driven insane by fright?

"I'm sorry, Giyu... I lost my composure."

Kagaya finally managed to stop laughing, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth, but the smile on his face was one of unprecedented relief and ease.

He shook his head, his tone tinged with self-deprecation and deep emotion:

"Yes, Muzan, after all, a demon ancestor who has lived for a thousand years; he is the root of all misfortune."

"I was too impatient!!"

Kagaya picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

"You've been creating miracles all this time!"

"He instantly killed Upper Rank Four with a single strike, sent Upper Rank One flying backward, and even mastered the Sun Breathing, which had been lost for hundreds of years, Muzan away..."

"Your series of miraculous moves have completely baffled us all."

Kagaya smiled, his unseen eyes radiating boundless warmth.

"You performed too perfectly, like an invincible god, to the point that I, and the current Pillars, have a kind of unrealistic illusion."

Kagaya slowly stood up, walked around the low table, and stood in front of Giyu.

He reached out his pale hand and placed it on Giyu's broad shoulder.

"I almost forgot~"

Kagaya's voice became incredibly loving, even carrying a slight tremor that tugged at the heartstrings:

"You may be the strongest Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, our ultimate shield..."

"But you're only sixteen this year."

Sixteen years old!!

In the world of ordinary people,

This is an age when you're still worried about failing exams at school, and blushing if a girl from the next class glances at you.

But the boy before them already held a sword to slay demons.

One person swallowed all the blood, tears, and pain, standing at the forefront to confront the terrifying abyss that had existed for a thousand years.

Feeling the warmth on his shoulder and the undisguised pity from his Oyakata-sama.

Giyu Tomioka's pupils, which had always been like the surface of a frozen lake, trembled slightly, a rare occurrence.

So what if I'm sixteen?

But his expressionless face didn't show anything; he just seemed uncomfortable with this tender scene and lowered his head slightly.

"My Master, there is no age limit to slaying demons."

Giyu forced out a cliché that completely lacked any emotional intelligence.

"Yes, regardless of age!!"

Kagaya withdrew his hand, but the gentleness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and reverence.

He sat back down, his tone becoming firm and resolute:

"Giyu Tomioka, obey my command."

Giyu's muscles tensed instinctively, and he immediately put down his teacup and lowered his head.

"Your subordinate is here."

Kagaya looked directly at him.

"Starting today."

"You are exempt from all patrol duties in your original jurisdiction!!"

"You are exempt from the obligation to train new swordsmen."

"You are exempt from all miscellaneous tasks related to logistics and security for the Butterfly Mansion."

Giyu suddenly raised his head, his deep blue eyes filled with astonishment.

What's the meaning?

Are they going to expel me from the post-natal household registration?

Or are you going to give me a long paid vacation where I don't have to work?

Before Giyu's wildly divergent thought process could even begin to process it, Kagaya had already provided the answer.

"You no longer need to be distracted by any trivial matters, and you no longer need to concern yourself with the movements of those low-level ghosts."

Kagaya's voice carried a resolute and powerful quality.

From this day forward, you will have only one goal!

"Become stronger at all costs, Giyu."

"Refine your combat skills and your Breathing Style to a level where you can truly sever that thousand-year nightmare!!"

"Your sole mission is to kill Muzan Kibutsuji!!"

This is more than just an order.

This is the Ubuyashiki Clan's absolute trust in this expressionless boy, placing all of humanity's bets on him!

No defensive line? Send the other pillars to defend!

No logistics? Send in Kakushi Division to fill the gap!

What you Giyu Tomioka, must do is become the ultimate human weapon that can pierce Muzan's heart!

Feeling the immense weight that could crush a mountain, Giyu felt the blood that had been suppressed in his chest begin to boil uncontrollably.

All the confusion and helplessness regarding the gap in strength were completely burned away at this moment by this absolute trust.

To hell with five brains!

To hell with seven hearts!

If you can't kill him by cutting him, then train until you can slice him into thousands of pieces per second, turning him into molecules finer than dust!

Giyu Tomioka took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade tightly with his right hand.

A sharp glint suddenly appeared on his perpetually unchanging face, a glint that would make even ghosts and gods tremble.

"Yes, sir!!"

The voice was deep, yet it sounded like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, causing the paper doors inside the room to tremble slightly.

At the same time.

The deepest part of the Infinity Castle.

A large, fleshy cocoon covered with dark red veins hangs in the empty, pitch-black dome.

This is the absolute safe house that Muzan Kibutsuji meticulously built for himself after issuing the order for everyone to huddle in.

Inside the cocoon,

Muzan was curled up in a ball, his crimson eyes tightly shut, trying to process the terrifying experience from last night that had almost made his soul leave his body.

He wanted to calm his unfortunate heart, which was still beating at seven different frequencies, by sleeping!

"As long as I stay hidden here and don't go out, that monster named Giyu Tomioka will never find me."

"I am immortal... I am perfect..."

Muzan frantically tried to mentally prepare himself.

However--!

Achoo!

From within the enormous cocoon of flesh and blood suspended in mid-air, a loud sneeze suddenly rang out, disrupting the atmosphere and even sounding somewhat comical.

Muzan opened his eyes in the darkness.

He, the mighty Demon King, suddenly shivered without warning.

A chill that defies scientific explanation rushed straight to the top of each of the five brains.

What happened?

Muzan hugged himself tightly in terror o(╥╥)o, his crimson vertical pupils trembling wildly.

Why... do I suddenly have this feeling that I'm being completely targeted by something terrifying?

"Damn it! That expressionless guy must be sharpening his knife!!"

"Nakime! Nakime! Add three more layers... no! Add ten layers of spatial barriers! We absolutely cannot let him find us!!"

The hysterical roars echoed wildly deep within the Infinity Castle, lingering for a long time.