Demon Slayer: Starting with the Great Swordmaster System, My Master Tsugikuni

Many swordsmen had only just reacted when they were torn apart by several, even over a dozen, demons.

Fortunately, not every swordsman panicked when faced with such a situation.

Thunder Breathing: Second Form: Rice Spirit

Golden lightning scattered outward, paralyzing the surrounding demons.

It was as though a furious thunderclap had exploded in the air, unleashing five lightning-shaped slashes.

Every demon in the path of those slashes was beheaded.

Wounded swordsmen, fall back! Those who can still fight, follow me!

With an angry roar, a male swordsman appeared, his golden hair dazzling and a lightning-shaped scar at the corner of his left eye.

It was the Rumble Hashira! Great!

The swordsmen around him immediately regained much of their previously flagging morale at the Rumble Hashira's appearance.

It was not just the Rumble Hashira. The Flame Pillar and Water Hashira also used their Breathing Techniques, slaying several demons.

At the same time, the current master, Ubuyashiki Kōya, also noticed what was happening outside.

So the demons had discovered this place.

After ordering the swordsmen in charge of guarding the estate to provide support, Kōya unconsciously clenched his fists.

If his body had not been so frail because of the Ubuyashiki Family's curse, he too would have wanted to pick up a Nichirin Blade and fight the demons to the death.

But he knew very well that, compared to his own individual strength, what was needed now was a mind capable of commanding the battlefield.

After taking a deep breath, he began issuing orders based on the various reports.

Have the swordsmen unable to fight retreat, and do their best not to stretch the battle line too far.

Send messages through the Kasugai Crows, telling the Pillars still in other towns to return as quickly as possible to provide support.

Kōya's strategy was undeniably brilliant, preserving the lives of the swordsmen to the greatest extent possible.

Everything centered around maneuvering and stalling, using many against one, with almost no direct confrontations.

His plan was simple: stall.

Stall until the other swordsmen arrived to reinforce them. Stall until the sun rose.

But Muzan clearly had no intention of allowing him to do that.

Although Muzan himself did not appear on the front lines, many powerful demons still emerged.

There was a Monkey Demon, several meters tall and resembling an ape.

There was also a Boar Demon, with two protruding tusks and a head like that of a wild boar.

And there was the Mantis Demon, whose arms had transformed into folding blades.

While the average strength of these demons did not compare to that of the three Pillar-level fighters, against ordinary swordsmen, it was almost entirely a one-sided slaughter.

In a flash, the Mantis Demon appeared behind two swordsmen.

Squelch! Squelch!

The sound of flesh being severed rang out. The two swordsmen had only just realized that they had been cut in half at the waist.

As one of the most agonizing ways to die, they did not perish immediately. Their upper bodies merely writhed incessantly as they let out pained wails.

The blades swung again, and the Mantis Demon took their heads.

With two crunches, it bit them apart and swallowed them, then went off in search of other prey.

On the battlefield, swordsmen were killing demons every moment.

But even more numerous were the swordsmen whose bodies were being torn apart by demons.

Severed human limbs littered the ground, while the roads and rooftops had been stained red with blood.

If not for Kōya's plans and orders, the situation would likely have been at least thirty percent worse.

Huff... huff... huff...

Panting heavily, the Rumble Hashira, who had just slain three demons, wanted to rest for a moment.

But before he could catch his breath, a slash flew toward him.

He raised his Nichirin Blade horizontally and barely blocked the strike.

Even so, he was forced back several steps, and his tiger's mouth went numb.

You are strong. You are worthy of being hunted by me.

Stepping out of the darkness, Kokushibo slowly drew his Demon Blade.

Feeling the terrifying aura radiating from his opponent, several beads of sweat formed on the Rumble Hashira's forehead.

He knew that this might be the strongest opponent he had encountered since becoming a Demon Slayer.

Perhaps tonight would be his last.

But even so, the Rumble Hashira did not retreat. Gripping his blade, he charged forward.

Meanwhile, Scribe had also reached the foot of the mountain.

Though faint, he could still hear the roars and furious howls coming from the mountain.

Drawing his Nichirin Blade, he prepared to head up the mountain.

He had barely taken two steps when a warning flared in Scribe's mind.

With a tap of his foot, he leaped to the side.

The instant he moved away, the once-level ground split open, revealing a massive pit.

Several rows of thick spikes stood inside the pit.

The corpses of several swordsmen were impaled upon them, likely members who had fallen for the trap earlier.

"Hehehe, I never expected someone to escape my Nine Heavens Ten Earths All-Encompassing Great Prison."

A black shadow burrowed out of the ground. It was Rat-Earth, who had previously led Muzan and Kokushibo here.

After bringing them here, Muzan had assigned him the task of stopping the swordsmen coming to reinforce them.

Thus, Rat-Earth had dug that pit and killed several swordsmen with it.

But clearly, Scribe had seen through his scheme.

Rat-Earth did not give up. He immediately swiped his right claw through the air.

Under the cover of the shadows, three spikes as thin as embroidery needles shot out, stabbing toward Scribe's throat.

This was Rat-Earth's favorite method of killing. It had never failed him before.

Unfortunately, Scribe was not about to fall for it.

With a hard grip, the Nichirin Blade in his hand transformed into a Crimson Blade in an instant.

Then he held it horizontally and swung.

In an instant, a massive Flame Slash appeared in the darkness.

Like a small sun, it effortlessly melted Rat-Earth's flying spikes.

Rat-Earth froze for a moment, and the chance to escape was already gone.

The flames swept over him, easily burning him to ashes.

A deep trench stretched forward across the ground, reaching all the way into the distance.

Within the trench, some of the soil had even turned into a crystal-like substance.

Poor Rat-Earth had been cut down before he could even introduce himself.

The instant Rat-Earth died, Muzan at the mountaintop sensed it.

Kokushibo, who was fighting the Rumble Hashira, sensed that energy as well.

At that moment, the same thought filled both their minds.

That man had returned.

The moment Muzan sensed Scribe's presence, he shuddered.

At that moment, he had to admit that he was panicking.

Scribe was not some snail that could only chase him around yet could not be killed.

He was a powerful Sun Breathing swordsman, decisive in his strikes and capable of astonishing schemes.

After being pursued by someone like that for sixty years, no matter how strong Muzan's nerves were, an indelible shadow had been left in his heart.

His eyes shifted as he sent a message to Kokushibo.

"Put away that playful attitude. You should have sensed that Scribe has arrived too. Use all your strength and fight him!"

With that, Muzan's voice vanished.

Using the other demons as cover, he silently slipped toward the edge of the battlefield.

He had no desire to experience the terror of Sun Breathing with his own body again.

Kokushibo, however, was different. He did not know that Muzan had been chased by Scribe for sixty years.

Because of that, he could not understand why Muzan chose to flee at a time like this.

In his view, Kibutsuji Muzan was clearly even stronger than himself, yet he still chose such a cautious approach.

But Kokushibo did not dwell on it, because he too longed for a real battle with Scribe.

"Playtime is over."

Facing the Rumble Hashira, Kokushibo's cold voice rang out.

"What?"

Before the Rumble Hashira could react, he was struck by an attack several times stronger than before.

"Uwaaaa!"

Before he could defend himself, countless slashing wounds suddenly tore across his body.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand was cut apart as well, reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

His eyes rolled back, exposing the whites. The Rumble Hashira had already lost consciousness.

With a thud, he dropped to his knees before collapsing to one side.

After severely wounding the Rumble Hashira in a single strike, Kokushibo turned, intending to use this brief window of time to kill a few more swordsmen.

He flashed forward, swung his blade, killed, then flashed away again.

In only a few breaths, several powerful swordsmen were cut down by Kokushibo.

Seeing this, the Flame Pillar was instantly enraged.

Flame BreathingFirst FormUnknowing Fire

Flames erupted as the Flame Pillar charged at Kokushibo like a high-speed locomotive.

Facing the Flame Pillar rushing toward him, Kokushibo's gaze remained icy.

He raised a hand and held his blade upright.

With a crisp clang, the Flame Pillar's eyes widened.

The strike that carried all his fury had actually been blocked by Kokushibo with one hand.

"The Flame Pillar, huh? Like your ancestor, you are a powerful swordsman."

Though there was a hint of praise in his words, Kokushibo had no intention of showing mercy.