Unexpected Change

Kagetsuki Chiyo was also a demon Muzan had created on a whim.

Though he could freely control the flow of time within his illusions, making one second feel like a hundred years, any knowledge, abilities, and the like gained within them would be forgotten the moment one left the illusion.

Only certain unforgettable feelings remained behind, much like waking from a dream.

Otherwise, Kagetsuki Chiyo's strength would not be this limited. He could simply enter an illusion himself, spend several hundred years there, and rise to the top in one step—becoming the strongest man alive.

Out of concern for his safety, Muzan still used his power to drag him over.

This fellow was merely too playful, but what dissatisfied Muzan was that, unlike the other demons, he seemed unwilling to learn how to read.

He was now one of the few illiterates among the demons.

Muzan held Chiyo in his hand, and Chiyo flashed a somewhat frightened smile. "Lord Muzan..."

He used to casually call him Boss, but now it had become Lord Muzan.

Muzan flung him to the ground and jabbed a finger into his head.

Chiyo immediately howled in pain.

Muzan withdrew his finger and gave him a speechless glance.

Yet he kept howling without stopping. Muzan finally got annoyed. "A few howls are enough."

"Oh..."

Then he grabbed Chiyo again and tossed him through the air toward Yanagisawa Noriyuki—the physician who had first been turned into a demon—leaving behind a single sentence:

"Teach him to read."

Yanagisawa Noriyuki, who was enjoying the cool breeze and lounging in a rocking chair he had copied from Muzan, looked at the Chiyo who had suddenly appeared before him. His expression darkened.

What a pain!

Sitting on the ground, Kagetsuki Chiyo looked at his future "guardian" and gave an embarrassed grin. "Hehe..."

Perhaps Chiyo's illusion had taken effect. Yoriichi could clearly sense Kokushibo's changes, and the relationship between the brothers visibly improved.

With the Ubuyashiki Family head's support, wherever Yoriichi had a mission, Kokushibo would be there; wherever Kokushibo was, Yoriichi would be there.

This mission felt somewhat different.

Unlike the demons discovered by chance after hiding deeply, whose deeds usually resulted in no more than a few deaths, this mission described an extraordinarily powerful evil demon that had slaughtered nearly an entire village.

At that moment, the evil demon was openly heading toward another village.

After learning of this, the Demon Slayer Corps sent Yoriichi and Kokushibo, the two publicly recognized strongest members, to the scene.

After issuing the mission, the Ubuyashiki Family head had the vague feeling that the future had changed at that moment. It seemed the Demon King was about to gain another weakness.

Was this mission related to Muzan Kibutsuji?

His father had told him that since a hundred years ago, the future had become increasingly obscure. The Ubuyashiki Family heads' ability to foresee the future had gradually been affected, and even two visions of the future could differ greatly.

They could not find the reason.

Moreover, opportunities to slay the Demon King had become fewer and fewer in the future. Yet this time, the future showed that something unfavorable to the Demon King would occur?

But what he saw did not bring Ubuyashiki much joy, because he had also seen that an existence unlike the Demon King would appear. What could that be?

Could something besides evil demons appear?

When the two brothers of the Tsugikuni Family reached their destination, they saw only ruins.

The ruined, desolate village was permeated by an unending stench of blood. Dried black-red bloodstains covered the ground alongside scattered shriveled chunks of rotting flesh and remnants, like "food scraps."

Even beneath the midday summer sun, it felt bleak and deathly still.

The hellish sight made both men's expressions turn grave.

The village still bore traces left by a massive evil demon—not footprints, but drag marks.

The two exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed the marks.

While it was still daylight and the evil demon could not come out to feed, they had to arrive before night fell and it committed murder again!

The blazing sun sank westward, casting its final streak of orange-yellow light. As night rose, the two finally followed the trail through the cool breeze, lingering blood stench, and scattered limbs left along the way, until they found the evil demon.

More accurately, they found two.

There was no need to waste time on demons responsible for such devastation. Yoriichi and Kokushibo drew their Nichirin Blades together.

Clang—

The long blades left their sheaths.

The demons hid in a mountain cave. Beneath the shadows of night, their general forms could be seen.

One had a massive body like a tumor of flesh, covered in countless mouths full of sharp teeth. Long tongues writhed through the air, while exposed unknown organs and bloody tissue thumped and pulsed. Its lower body resembled a shell-less snail, sliding along and leaving behind disgusting slime.

Standing atop the giant Half-Demon, on a spot resembling a head, was a humanoid demon. He appeared tiny, only a little over a meter tall. A piece of black cloth draped over his body, seemingly meant to block any sunlight that might appear, while the sharp claws on his hands remained exposed.

These two grotesque demons exuded a powerful oppressive force unlike that of ordinary demons. Though Yoriichi could clearly sense that they were nowhere near comparable to Muzan, he still had a bad feeling.

"Brother, shall I handle the larger one?"

The giant demon felt more oppressive.

Kokushibo gripped his sword hilt. "No. Leave the giant demon to me."

Though Kokushibo had indeed let go of some things, his competitive nature was innate!

It could not be changed!

However, unlike before, when he had been filled with resentment and jealousy, Kokushibo now appeared completely confident, giving him a more dependable air.

Seeing this, Tsugikuni Yoriichi nodded. "All right."

With that, the two divided their targets and charged toward the two demons that had already lunged at them.

Their footsteps also alerted the two demons, who had already been preparing to leave the cave.

As Upper Rank One, Tsugikuni Kokushibo's strength naturally stood at an exceptional level. At this point, both men were already Hashira.

Even a massive demon would only require Kokushibo to cut a few extra times.

"Roar!!!"

The mindless demon sensed the threat and roared to intimidate Tsugikuni Kokushibo, but its body could not stop retreating.

He bent his knees, kicked off the ground, and leaped into the air—Moon Breathing!

The giant demon, over three meters tall, had its head sliced by a single stroke. Before it could react, another slash followed close behind.

Its enormous head crashed to the ground.

At the same time, though the smaller demon was fast, how could it compare to Tsugikuni Yoriichi?

This was a bug-level fighter capable of delivering over a thousand slashes in an instant.

The smaller demon seemed to know this. Rather than dodging, it charged straight at him.

Slash—

One strike sealed its throat.

Its head separated from its neck.

Yoriichi was just about to sheathe his blade when, in the next instant—

With a muffled boom, the demon before him suddenly exploded. Yoriichi staggered as blackened blood splashed all over him. Whether from the blast wave or some other reason, his mind felt muddled for an instant.

His vision went white for a moment, but quickly recovered.

It was like standing up too suddenly after squatting for too long.

Tsugikuni Kokushibo did not sheathe his blade. He ran over and asked, "Are you all right?"

Yoriichi shook his head. "I'm fine."

They looked at the remains in the cave and recalled the corpses scattered along the way.

"Let's bury them."

"All right."

Elsewhere, Muzan had a strange feeling, as if something dangerous was about to happen.

But who could threaten him now?!

Yoriichi had already become his son!

Who else was there?!