Your Path Has Only Just Begun

Oboro's legs, which had been crippled, regained their freedom of movement as the flesh and tissue replenished and healed.

Although his thin physique didn't change much, he gradually shed his sickly Exhaust.

His face and limbs also seemed to be changing...

It tends to become deformed or grow other organs.

But with the powerful outburst of his personal will, the cells belonging to Muzan in his blood vessels rapidly died out.

So much so that on his skin, only a few black veins appeared, wriggling for a moment before disappearing from view.

Long slowly stood up, showing no signs of being a 'ghost'.

Even the eyes, where the demonization was most obvious, remained exactly the same as before.

But... his aura has changed.

He had the Flame Pillar and Water Pillar simultaneously point their Nichirin Sword at him.

The man before me... has turned into a ghost.

"Hehehe..."

Oboro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at the distinctive hair color of the descendant of the Demon Hunter family and the young swordsman with the distinctive 'water pillar' feature, and smiled slightly.

It is related to breathing techniques. It seems that people who practice Water Breathing are usually calm and collected, which is very compatible with this breathing technique.

Flame Breathing, on the other hand, is a fierce, swift, and energetic technique...

From the moment the two broke down the door, their actions and the way they handled the situation were very much in line with their identities and personalities.

Woke up!

Suddenly, the Shiwei tightened his grip on his sword. Oboro was standing up facing them, meaning he was facing away from Upper Moon Five.

At this moment, the numbers in Upper Moon Five's eyes were fully revealed, clearly indicating that he had broken free from his 'dementia' state. He silently raised one hand and swept it over Oboro's head.

It seemed he was about to slap the man who had just evolved into a demon to pieces.

Neither he nor Tanjuro gave any warning.

It is also unclear what the relationship is between Oboro and Upper Moon Five.

"Not a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"This man is only after his own 'blood'!"

Once he regained consciousness, Upper Moon Five instantly assessed the situation.

His remaining, scattered consciousness overheard a conversation among several people.

He still thought that Oboro was with these two Pillars.

Actually, if a man begs him for alms, he can actively turn him into a demon... After all, the fighting power that Oboro has shown is quite admirable.

However, this way of treating oneself as a tool and scheming against others greatly displeased Mireimaru.

He is the fifth Upper Moon One, someone personally chosen by Lord Muzan.

What did a mere human take him for?!

Most importantly, he never expected that he would be 'controlled' by the man with his bare hands in an instant, thus temporarily losing his 'spirit'. This kind of embarrassment was something he had never experienced since becoming a demon, and he needed to get his revenge! Therefore, looking at the back of the dazed figure so close to him, Mireimaru's eyes were bloodshot, and a surge of anger rushed to his brain.

"Go to hell."

With Mireimaru's large hand, which was about to strike, suddenly grabbed Oboro's head.

These two ghosts are fighting amongst themselves.

"Um..."

Long appeared calm and collected, glancing at the corner of his eye with a slight, unwavering gaze.

The black haori fluttered as it did so.

Then, the pupils of Tanjuro and Shijing opposite them shrank to pinpoints. A sudden surge of power caused their clothes and hair to flutter wildly, and the deafening sound made their minds tremble.

Because the Upper Moon Five, who was standing behind Oboro just a second ago, disappeared on the spot the next second.

All that remained inside the shrine building was a single, broken wooden wall and a long scratch that stretched out onto the ground.

Clearly, Upper Moon Five was caught off guard and was sent flying by a single blow.

Maybe... it's a fist?

At least, neither the Shijing nor Tanjuro saw it clearly.

That was an Upper Moon Five, whose aura alone revealed the incredible strength of its flesh and blood. Yet, it was easily and severely injured by this young man whose physique was several times smaller.

Didn't he just become a ghost?

Just as Tanjuro and Shijing's brains were somewhat frozen, still processing and digesting information, Oboro, like a phantom, lightly touched the ground with his toes and flashed between the two.

Wow, so fast!

Can't see...

Cold sweat trickled down the Shiwei's temples. Just as he was about to shake the hilt of his sword, a hand had already placed on the guard of the hilt. The seemingly gentle movement was as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it impossible for him to lift the sword for a moment.

What kind of power is this? Unprecedentedly powerful.

If Oboro's previous actions only made them feel strange and unbelievable, then... this direct and powerful feeling at close range brought an indescribable inner impact to the two Pillar-level swordsmen.

"Be careful... you'll die if you're not serious."

Oboro's soft laughter reached the ears of Tanjuro and Shiwei.

Then, in a flash, he darted out the door.

The two of them had no time to delve into the problem of Oboro, and instead focused their attention on the hole left in the wall that had collapsed in front of them.

Looking back, the figure that had been knocked away and fallen to the ground by the man got up again.

"Don't worry about him for now!"

Shiwei quickly regained his composure. For whatever reason, it seemed that Oboro had no desire to attack the two of them. Otherwise, he and Tanjuro would not have been safe just a moment ago.

At this point, we can only deal with Upper Moon Five first.

After speaking, the Shiwei rushed forward with his sword, launching the first attack on Upper Moon Five.

Tanjuro glanced back at Oboro standing in the night, and followed closely behind.

"Call..."

Inside the shrine grounds, Oboro, covered in blood, stood among the unconscious villagers, feeling the new life growing inside them.

He looked satisfied.

He raised one hand, and suddenly the tendons and bones in his palm swelled, and the blood vessels bulged, as if trying to change shape.

But as his gaze turned cold, the hand eventually returned to its original state after a few seconds.

"They're quite resilient..."

Long raised the corner of his mouth.

Then, he softly murmured, "Muzan..."

Upon hearing the name, Long's eyes turned abruptly red, and his entire body seemed to uncontrollably deform, as if about to explode... But like his hand, the change only lasted for a few seconds before disappearing.

The so-called curse is nothing more than the will attached to Muzan's cells.

The moment he uttered Muzan's name, a feeling of blood connection caused a figure to flash in Oboro's mind.

The other party also wanted to exert influence on him through the will within his cells, creating a deterrent effect.

However...

Meanwhile, in a mansion far from Edo Castle.

A man with refined features and dressed in luxurious clothes was standing by a pond, feeding the fish into the water.

The man's scarlet eyes, reflected in the water, appeared cold and gloomy.

The clothes he was wearing at this time were those of a daimyo.

This is also one of the identities he uses to disguise himself in this era.

He... is the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji.

He has not been traveling around to find promising talents to expand the ranks of the demons lately.

The quantity is sufficient...

Unrestricted hatching of demons is not a good thing for him either. If there are too many demons, firstly, it will attract the attention of the Shogunate, and secondly, the situation will easily get out of control. If there are some 'troublemakers' among them, they might unite and overthrow him, the progenitor.

Although the possibility is small, Muzan does not want to see such a variable.

Therefore, the best approach is to achieve one's goals within a stable and controllable framework.

What is the purpose?

Of course, we need to find the Blue Spider Lily!

Upon realizing this, Muzan crushed the porcelain bait in his hand.

No clue, absolutely no lead...

If I hadn't acted so quickly and killed the pharmacist who was treating me, perhaps...

However, it's too late to say anything now.

His original intention in creating the Twelve Kizuki was to speed up the process, because there were still Demon Slayer Corps members causing trouble during this time.

Muzan doesn't care much about the Demon Slayer Corps right now; they can only cause so much trouble. What annoys him more is that none of his demons are any good... Some are quite capable, with impressive battle records. But what he's always been after isn't wiping out the Demon Slayer Corps or killing the Pillars; what he wants... is to be able to walk freely in the sunlight.

It is a kind of 'immortality'.

And now, so many years have passed... No matter how hard he tries, he has no hope of going from zero to one.

"Waste."

He couldn't help but say.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

It was as if it had sensed something.

The moment his eyebrow twitched, the next second... he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Muzan's pupils dilated, he covered his mouth, and instantly knelt on the ground.

The shattered porcelain in her hand fell into the pool.

He stared in disbelief at the fish swimming rapidly in the water, startled, his head throbbing with pain. "What... is that?"

A ghost broke through his control.

They ignored the curse and oppression brought by his blood.

In order to control the life and death of every demon and nip any potential for change in the bud, Muzan demon who has received his blood and harbors any rebellious or hostile thoughts towards him. With just a single thought, he can cause the demon to die suddenly.

This is his ability... an inherent suppressive quality in his cells.

From a biological perspective, no living organism in this world can transcend his existence.

But... just now, someone appeared in his consciousness.

Her face and features were indistinct... all that could be vaguely discerned was that she was wearing a black haori (a type of traditional Chinese garment).

Their souls and wills 'touched' each other through the medium of cells.

Logically, he should have been the supreme ruler who exercised judgment, but to his utter surprise, the blurry figure's mere glance sent shivers down his spine, as if being sliced by a blade.

"How is that possible... Could it be that the ghost's evolution speed has surpassed mine?"

Muzan was stunned.

Willpower is willpower, and cells are cells... No matter how strong the willpower is, as long as the flesh and blood cannot resist the erosion and spread of his cells, then... it should still be under his control.

This does not align with his understanding of life and evolution.

"That will... what kind of soul is that?!"

"It's alright... Your soul strength and growth potential are only passively accumulated over time. This is completely different from the active cultivation of mental will by Nen user."

On the other side, Oboro noticed that Muzan had quickly 'cut off' the connection and chuckled, "In the end, it's still because the power systems of the two worlds are different, resulting in different growth paths."

People like Yoriichi Tsugikuni are born with a transcendent soul.

Muzan's reaction reveals a very cowardly side to his true personality.

Tamayo's judgment of him was correct.

The effect of Muzan's will is more... an ability added by the differences in cells and life genes, rather than his own spirit.

This is also a fundamental difference.

"Don't be afraid... it's okay, your journey... has just begun."

He said in a low voice.