How Could You Lose with a Flying Dragon in Your Face?

Finally transported to Infinity Castle, Muzan let out a sigh of relief.

Looking at Nakime, who held her biwa with her head lowered, he completely disregarded his image and flopped down onto the floor.

"I survived."

Fortunately, Nakime was there.

If Nakime had tried to teleport him during the battle, she still was not very skilled, so she would almost certainly have brought Yoriichi into Infinity Castle with them.

If Yanagisawa Noriyuki had not been summoned over to help, they might not have been able to hold out.

As for turning Yoriichi into a demon?

What a joke. Muzan wanted to, but it was simply impossible.

A sneak attack was impossible too. The moment he appeared, Muzan was certain Yoriichi would notice him immediately, and escaping would become difficult again.

Muzan looked at Tamayo, who stood to one side, and asked, "Is there really no other way?"

Since he could hear Tamayo's thoughts, he already knew the answer, but he still hoped Tamayo could come up with another solution.

Kokushibo, who had been teleported over, lay weakly on the floor. Hearing Muzan's question, he propped himself up and looked at Tamayo as well.

Tamayo shook her head. "There is no other way.

"The Blood Demon Art affecting Yoriichi clearly alters all memories related to you. In the end, it will make him hostile toward you. And no one but the caster can undo a Blood Demon Art. The only way to change it is to turn him into a demon.

"Otherwise, even if we solve it this time, his memories will still be altered in the future. There is simply no way around it.

"After becoming a demon, he will be under your control. Since the Blood Demon Art only exists because of your blood, it also cannot take effect due to your existence.

"And only this method can solve the problem completely and eliminate future trouble. Otherwise, who knows what might happen again."

The two of them wore bitter expressions.

Muzan wailed, "The problem is, I can't turn him into a demon either!"

"No!" Tamayo said solemnly. "You can!"

Muzan: "?"

He looked at Tamayo expectantly, hoping she would offer some constructive advice.

"You said it yourself: heaven rewards the persistent. As long as you keep trying a few more times, you'll succeed eventually!"

Muzan: "..."

You really were a little genius, huh!

Seeing Muzan's expression, Tamayo said helplessly:

"There is no other way. You can only keep trying. The moment you fail, run back and hide in Infinity Castle. Otherwise, the two of you can only keep hiding in Infinity Castle until Yoriichi dies."

Tamayo, who already knew that Yoriichi was the child Muzan had raised about ten years ago, continued:

"And surely you don't want the little guy you raised for five years to become your natural enemy, do you?"

Muzan's mouth twitched a few times. "Natural enemy is a bit much, isn't it?"

Muzan looked at Kokushibo. "What about you?"

Kokushibo replied, "Hide, I guess."

They truly were brothers in misery.

Three days later, Tsugikuni Yoriichi returned to the Demon Slayer Corps and recounted the "truth." Just like in the original story, he was expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps.

At some point, The Kamado Family had already moved into that little thatched cottage. The people originally assigned to Muzan's house had become their neighbors, and they had even enthusiastically helped rebuild the cottage, making it far more livable.

After leaving the Demon Slayer Corps, Yoriichi headed toward his former home with Uta. When they spotted from afar that both of the old houses were occupied, they had intended to leave, but Tanki, who was returning home after chopping wood, saw them.

Seeing the two of them, Tanki waved high with a bundle of firewood on his back.

"Hey—it's getting dark. Come stay the night."

Yoriichi looked at Uta beside him.

"So this was originally your home..."

Tanki scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's all right," Uta said with a gentle smile. "My husband and I are planning to build another house. We'll trouble you for a place to stay these next few days."

Yoriichi sat beside Uta, holding her hand and smiling gently.

Muzan learned through the person living in the other house that Yoriichi had settled down there.

Considering that the Blue Spider Lily might appear because of The Kamado Family's arrival, he temporarily set aside his plans to "assassinate" Yoriichi.

If there was still no sign of the Blue Spider Lily two years later, he would act directly.

After learning from Muzan that Yoriichi had moved there, Kokushibo left Infinity Castle. If he could not beat him, could he not at least hide from him?

By now, he understood. Yoriichi, who had been given the task of slaying Muzan by the gods, was not human. Every demon, including the Demon King, had come to acknowledge this.

That was combat power beyond this world. They just had to treat him like a player using cheats.

Trying to compete with him head-on would be foolish.

However, Kokushibo had not given up on his dream of becoming the strongest swordsman—excluding Yoriichi.

But the moment Kokushibo left Infinity Castle and prepared to return home, he encountered Demon Slayers who had been misled by Yoriichi's account and long regarded him as a demon.

"Tsugikuni Kokushibo!"

A Demon Slayer charged at him with a furious face, roaring as he swung his blade. "You are not worthy of learning a Breathing Style!"

Kokushibo: "..."

"Nakime!"

Kokushibo appeared in Infinity Castle once more.

Fighting was out of the question.

Muzan had also instructed Nakime long ago to promptly bring Kokushibo back to Infinity Castle if anything happened to him.

Kokushibo's actions only further convinced the Demon Slayer Corps that he had become a demon.

Standing in Infinity Castle, Kokushibo suddenly recalled that dream. It was becoming more and more familiar.

As Tanki listened to Tsugikuni Yoriichi tell his story and heard that his older brother had become a demon, he silently revealed a sorrowful expression.

With a sad smile on his face, Yoriichi sat beneath the eaves and gazed into the distance. Suddenly, he saw Tanki's child running over with a smile, and something in his heart seemed to stir.

He removed his Sun-breathing Flower earrings and carefully placed them on the child's left ear and right ear. Sunlight fell across his face, and his sorrowful smile seemed somewhat warm at that moment.

The following year, Yoriichi taught Sun Breathing to the Kamado family in the form of the Dance of the Sun God.

The Kamado family, who made their living selling firewood, had always been closely tied to fire. As Tanki learned to perform the Dance of the Sun God alongside Yoriichi, a Blue Spider Lily quietly bloomed.

Uta sat beneath the eaves, watching the two dance in perfect sync beneath the sunlight. Suddenly, she noticed a familiar yet slightly unfamiliar flower blooming in a corner.

She could not help looking at Yoriichi.

The nearby person assigned to live there also noticed Uta's unusual reaction. Following her gaze, he looked over, his pupils shrinking as his face lit up with delight.

He quietly walked over and carefully dug up the flower, roots and all.

Although the flower had already closed by the time it reached Muzan's hands, still!

Now that he had the flower, was he supposed to fear it would not bloom?!

How could he lose with a flying dragon in his face?!

Having learned from the precedent of a pig descendant cultivating the Blue Spider Lily to death in the original work, Muzan was especially cautious with the Blue Spider Lily in his possession.

He sent it to Maruoka Gōnin and Maruoka Kinuko, letting people who could see sunlight cultivate it properly.

That day, Muzan laughed for the entire day like a complete idiot.