Demon Slayer: Starting with the Great Swordmaster System, My Master Is Tsugikuni — Chapter 33

How did it feel?

Unprecedentedly powerful. Was this the power of a demon?

Clenching his fist and sensing the strength overflowing within him, Tsugikuni Iwashiro's face filled with wild joy.

At last, he had gained the possibility of surpassing Yoriichi!

"Now that you've become a demon, there's no longer any need for your old name."

After hearing Muzan's words, Tsugikuni Iwashiro suddenly fell into deep thought.

Having cast aside the identity of Tsugikuni Iwashiro, what should he call himself?

Using a puddle on the ground, he carefully examined himself.

Long black hair brought eternal night.

A sharp blade in hand stirred undying death.

Six crimson eyes watched over all things in the world.

"I shall be called Kokushibo."

Stroking his chin, Muzan seemed quite pleased with the name as well.

"Not a bad name. Much better than the Breath Hunter name I had in mind."

Just then, Tsugikuni Iwashiro—no, Kokushibo—suddenly turned and looked toward a tall building.

Not good!

Realizing that Kokushibo had sensed his presence, Scribe hurriedly leaped out of his hiding place and ran outside.

He had originally planned to attack while the two demons were off guard, but he had not expected Kokushibo's perception to be so sharp.

Facing both Kokushibo and Muzan at once, he still had no guarantee of victory.

"Oh? There's actually someone still alive."

Muzan was somewhat surprised. He had not expected there to be living people left in the town.

With a slight bend of his knees, he prepared to chase after Scribe.

But Kokushibo stepped in front of him.

"Just a little bug."

With that, he drew his sword.

Unlike before, the Nichirin Blade no longer gave off heat.

As the sword once wielded by Tsugikuni Iwashiro, it had died.

Noticing the abnormality of the Nichirin Blade, Kokushibo did not seem particularly disappointed.

As a demon, how could he possibly wield a blade meant to hunt demons?

Without the slightest hesitation, he snapped the Nichirin Blade in his hand.

Reaching behind himself, he directly pulled out his own spine!

Under the effects of a demon's powerful regenerative ability, Kokushibo was not affected in the slightest.

Not only that, but the spine in his hand also changed under the influence of his Blood Demon Art.

Before long, a crude sword appeared in his hand.

"Time waits for no demon. This will do for now."

Sensing Kokushibo's intention, Muzan spoke.

"Since you want to do it so badly, I'll leave it to you."

"Of course. This is karma left over from my time as a human."

Leaping into the air, Kokushibo chased after Scribe in the direction he had fled.

Moon Breathing: Second Form: Water Lily Moon

Twisting his body in midair, he instantly swung out two Blade Winds.

The sound of tearing air rang out as they shot straight for Scribe's back.

Sensing something amiss behind him, Scribe realized that Kokushibo's attack had arrived.

Sun Breathing: Third Form: Crimson Sun Mirror

With a horizontal slash, a deep crimson Flame Slash flew forth.

The two different attacks collided, triggering a tremendous explosion.

The shockwave surged outward, blowing Scribe and Kokushibo in different directions.

Crashing into a house and rolling across the floor a few times, Scribe rose to his feet, covered in dust and grime.

At this rate, he should be safe.

But at that moment, a roar suddenly came from the darkness.

Then, a demon stepped out from the corner.

What was more, over a dozen more demons emerged from the nearby houses.

At that moment, Scribe felt his eyelids twitching wildly.

It seemed he had been surrounded.

A Crisis of Life and Death, the Demon Slayer Mark Awakens

The demons showed no hesitation toward Scribe, who had intruded upon their territory, and lunged straight at him.

Scribe held his Nichirin Blade horizontally and stepped forward.

Dance!

With the First Form unleashed, the flaming horizontal slash severed the demon's head.

After killing that demon, Scribe surveyed his surroundings.

There were still fourteen demons encircling him.

Though these demons had only recently been turned and had yet to adapt to their Blood Demon Arts, there were still too many of them.

Even if he killed them one by one, it would still take some effort.

By then, Muzan and Kokushibo might have arrived.

He could only end this quickly.

Gripping his blade with both hands, Scribe knew this was the moment that would decide his fate.

If he succeeded, he would live and pass on the news that Tsugikuni Iwashiro had become a demon.

If he failed, death awaited him, and everything afterward would have nothing to do with him.

With his back against a wall, he took a deep breath.

Eat him!

One demon roared and charged at Scribe.

The other demons could no longer restrain their craving for human flesh and launched their attacks as well.

His gaze sharpened, and Scribe moved.

His feet shifted as he rushed forward in a rhythm no ordinary person could comprehend.

Sun Breathing: Eleventh Form: Halo Dragon Dance

The Nichirin Blade in his hand swept through the air like a massive flaming dragon soaring into the sky.

Upward slashes, downward chops, horizontal cuts, diagonal strikes.

Surrounded and attacked from all sides by demons, he somehow evaded every strike without suffering the slightest injury.

A flaming dragon danced through the air, its rapid chain of attacks continuously cutting into the demons.

In a flash, Scribe appeared behind one of the demons.

Every demon stood motionless, as though their acupoints had been sealed.

A faint cracking sound rang out, followed by a fissure appearing across every demon's neck.

One, two, three.

All fourteen heads fell to the ground in succession.

With a single strike, Scribe wiped out every demon surrounding him.

Just as he thought he was safe, a figure suddenly charged at him from the distance.

Moon Breathing: First Form: Dark Moon, Night Palace

Kokushibo had arrived!

Faced with a Quick Draw Slash so fast it was nearly invisible, Scribe could only raise his Nichirin Blade before him to block it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Though it was clearly only one Quick Draw Slash, Scribe heard more than a dozen collisions of blades.

At the same instant, his upper body was attacked as well.

It felt as though countless tiny blades were slicing him apart. His face, chest, and arms were all cut to varying degrees.

A tremendous impact struck him, forcing Scribe back several steps.

After driving him back, Kokushibo did not continue his attack. Instead, he spoke.

"So it really is you, Scribe."

"Ah, it has indeed been a long time, Uncle."

Wiping the blood from his face, Scribe gave a cold smile.

"Or should I call you Kokushibo?"

"Since I have already become a demon, everything from my time as a human no longer has anything to do with me."

Shaking his head slightly, Kokushibo suddenly extended a hand toward Scribe.

"Well, Scribe? Will you become one of the demons as well?"

"As long as you become a demon, you too can possess infinite lifespan and tremendous power."

After saying that, Kokushibo released a powerful aura that bore down on Scribe.

He intended to force Scribe into making a choice through overwhelming pressure!

Under pressure, people were easily driven to make impulsive decisions.

If even the slightest crack appeared in Scribe's resolve beneath Kokushibo's pressure, then he would be one step closer to death.

Facing Kokushibo's immense pressure, fine beads of sweat appeared on Scribe's forehead as well.

Even when he was human, Tsugikuni Iwashiro had already been the second-strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps. After becoming a demon, his strength had increased by far more than severalfold.

His breathing grew increasingly ragged, his blood flowed faster, and his heart pounded ever more rapidly.

Yet even so, there was still not the slightest change in Scribe's gaze as he looked at Kokushibo.

It remained as resolute as ever, without the slightest trace of hesitation.

A hint of anger appeared on Kokushibo's face as he gritted his teeth.

"Scribe, I'll ask you one last time. Become a demon!"

His aura surged once more, and even greater pressure crashed down upon Scribe.

Under this unprecedented pressure, Scribe's body began to undergo some changes as well.