The commercial street was brightly lit and bustling with people.
Couples laughing and chatting, vendors hawking their wares, children playing and laughing... all these elements combine to create a vibrant and prosperous scene.
Amidst this peaceful yet bustling crowd, Tanjiro Kamado, his eyes bloodshot, completely ignored the astonished and dissatisfied complaints of the passersby. Following the increasingly clear and intense stench in the air, he charged left and right through the crowd!
Excuse me! Please let me through!
Closer! Closer still!
Fifty meters! Thirty meters! Ten meters!
Finally,
The stench belonging to Muzan Kibutsuji in the air reached its peak!
"Tread!"
Tanjiro stopped abruptly with a kick.
He raised his head, his wine-red eyes, burning with raging anger, fixed on the figure standing five steps ahead under the bright streetlights!
He was a tall, slender young man wearing an expensive suit, a silk tie, and a white top hat.
Without the slightest hesitation!
He lunged forward, reached out his right hand, and gripped the man in the suit's left shoulder tightly, using all his strength to forcefully turn his body around!
"Gotcha--!"
The man in the suit seemed somewhat surprised by this sudden and reckless action, and slowly turned around following Tanjiro's force.
It was a pale, bloodless young face, yet so handsome and noble it was almost eerie, with a head of slightly curly, jet-black hair hanging down from under a white top hat.
And when those long, narrow, cold, and emotionless vertical pupils swept over, their gazes colliding with Tanjiro's in mid-air—
Tanjiro's scalding blood froze almost instantly!
It's him!!
Absolutely right!
Those nauseating, blood-red cat eyes, and that pungent smell that seeps into his very bones— Tanjiro would never mistake them, even if he died ten thousand times!
This man is the source of all evil—the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, who turned him into a demon and dragged the entire world into the abyss!
However!
"Boom--!"
An indescribable, primordial pressure surged wildly into Tanjiro's limbs and bones!
"Hmm...?!"
Tanjiro let out a muffled groan, his pupils contracting sharply!
Even though he has now taken the gene-stabilizing drug developed by Tamayo and Shinobu Kocho, becoming Ultimate Lifeform that is not even afraid of sunlight;
But no matter what, the original source of the demonic blood flowing in his veins is still the man standing in front of him!
Are you kidding me?
[I'm a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure creature, you know?!]
The Demon Consciousness within his Sea of Consciousness was terrified and tried to control his body to retreat.
But!
The real-life Tanjiro Kamado embodies the resilience that transcends genetic instincts!
"Shut up!!"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth.
With an unwavering, burning will, he forcefully suppressed the rebellious demonic cells within his body!
His left hand reached for his waist with lightning speed and grabbed the hilt of the Nichirin Blade!
"Click!"
A wisp of golden-red Sun Breathing flame suddenly ignited at the blade's edge, poised to transform into a thunderous strike at Muzan Kibutsuji's neck in the next second!
However--
"Dad...?"
A slightly frightened little girl's voice suddenly rang out between the two:
"Dad, who is this older brother? He looks so fierce, I'm a little scared..."
"?!"
Tanjiro abruptly lowered his head, looking in the direction the sound came from—
Upon seeing this, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave!
In the crook of Muzan Kibutsuji's right arm, a human girl of only seven or eight years old, dressed in a Western-style dress, was being held steadily!
The little girl was currently clinging tightly to Muzan's neck with her two soft, white hands, burying half her face in Muzan's shoulder, and looking timidly at Tanjiro.
To Muzan's right stood a gentle and dignified noblewoman, carrying newly purchased snacks, staring in astonishment at Tanjiro who had suddenly rushed out!
The tip of the nose twitched slightly.
There wasn't a trace of demonic stench!
Whether it's the adorable little girl in Muzan's arms or the gentle woman standing beside her, they are both... ordinary human beings!!
"Vomit--!"
This is insane! Absolutely absurd!
Before me stands a demon who has lived for over a thousand years, who regards human life as worthless and has committed countless atrocities!
In a bustling human city, he actually put on human clothes and disguised himself as a refined, successful, and wealthy gentleman!
He even married a completely unaware human woman, raised an innocent human child as his father, and lived like a harmonious and happy ordinary family of three, openly enjoying the warmth of human life!
In reality...
At this moment, Muzan Kibutsuji, whose shoulder was grabbed by Tanjiro, was just as shocked as Tanjiro!
[How could it be this brat?!]
Muzan remained outwardly calm, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind:
[Shouldn't he be at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters?! How did he suddenly appear in Asakusa Tokyo?! And he saw right through my disguise?!]
[Wait! Now that this brat is here, what happened to that damned Water Hashira that protected him at Mount Kumotori?!]
The thought that Giyu Tomioka, that Muzan killer who would unleash his Sun Breathing attack right away, might be nearby made Muzan break out in a cold sweat that nearly soaked his shirt. His first thought was to run away!
But!
"Um...?!"
Muzan's five brains jolted simultaneously!
What's causing this fluctuation?
As the progenitor of demons, Muzan knew the characteristics of his blood better than anyone else.
But at this moment, he sensed his own Demon King bloodline within the red-haired youth before him!
But...
It smells amazing! It smells so good!
Just by smelling the scent emanating from Tanjiro,
Muzan, the thousand-year-old Demon King who had long since grown bored with ordinary people, found himself uncontrollably drooling!
Eat him! Swallow this brat whole!
Muzan had a strong intuition:
There's definitely a secret hidden inside this boy named Tanjiro Kamado!
What is it?
However, Muzan his greed, Muzan was able to survive for a thousand years precisely because of his extraordinary caution.
Right now, the streets are packed with people!
Beside him were not only the wealthy wives and daughters of a powerful family, whom he had spent years painstakingly infiltrating the organization specifically to provide him with research funding and to help him collect medicinal herbs;
More importantly, he couldn't tell whether Giyu Tomioka was lurking in the shadows!
To openly break off relations and start a fight in a place like this is a foolish thing that only a reckless person would do!
In a flash, Muzan Kibutsuji had made the safest decision—
First, keep this brat calm and collected, create chaos, and then gracefully exit the scene. After that, send the Upper Rank to tie him up and take him back to the Infinity Castle to explore at your leisure!
Then.
The next second, this Oscar-winning actor, who had honed his skills for a thousand years, began his performance!
Muzan first raised his left hand and gently patted the back of the little girl in his arms, coaxing her:
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, my dear Reiko, Daddy's here."
After calming his daughter down, Muzan turned to Tanjiro, whose eyes were bloodshot, and asked with a polite smile:
"What's wrong?"
"Little friend, you're all sweaty from running, and you're grabbing my shoulder so urgently. Is something wrong and do you need my help?"
The noblewoman standing Muzan also took a step forward without noticing.
She gently took Muzan's right arm, looked Tanjiro over, and asked softly:
"What's wrong, darling?"
"Young man wearing earrings, do you know our Mr. Tsukihiko?"
"Is he one of my husband's business associates?"
Faced with his wife's question, Muzan Kibutsuji shook his head, maintaining that smile on his face.
"I don't recognize him, madam. I've been doing business in Tokyo for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever met this child."
"He probably just arrived in Tokyo from the countryside and got separated from his elders in the crowds of Asakusa. In his panic, he mistook me for one of his distant relatives."
At this point, Muzan leaned down, a hint of mockery flashing in his scarlet cat-like eyes, but his words remained as gentle as ever:
"Am I right, little one? Pulling a knife at a stranger on the street can scare children."
"You... you bastard...!!"
Tanjiro stared intently at that hypocritical smiling face, his teeth grinding together.
"Muzan Kibutsuji... Stop pretending... You are clearly..."
He wanted to immediately draw the Nichirin Blade from his waist and use the flames of the Sun Breathing to burn the demon before him to ashes!
But—he couldn't do it!!
Because the little girl in Muzan's arms was currently pressing her head tightly against the side of Muzan's neck;
And that gentle woman was nestled almost entirely in Muzan's arms!
If he were to draw his sword now, not to mention that given Muzan's reaction speed, he would definitely use his wife and daughter in his arms as human shields to block the blow;
Even if Muzan didn't use them as shields, the terrifying sword pressure unleashed by the Sun Breathing would still affect these two completely innocent human mother and daughter!
Kindness and principles, at this moment, turned into shackles, binding Tanjiro's hand that held the sword!