"How so!"
Why did this happen?!
"One Yoriichi Tsugikuni is enough for the world!"
"Why are there even stronger beings appearing?!"
In the eerie underground space, Muzan, whose body had long since recovered but who never dared to Muzan into the human world, vented his inner unease with rage, all alone.
That's right.
Even if he was the progenitor of all ghosts, even if he was once the strongest life form in the world.
But in reality, he only possessed an ordinary soul filled with a sense of crisis and fear.
Long ago, as a member of the Ubuyashiki Family, Muzan was just an ordinary human being with a modest fortune.
Perhaps the only unusual thing about this human being is that he was chosen by fate and was born with an incurable disease that destined him to go to the embrace of the gods at an earlier age.
From the moment I was born, I knew I wouldn't live past twenty.
Muzan began his true life.
He first went from an ordinary person to a madman, and then from a madman to a seeker, constantly searching for a way to survive.
After repeated attempts, Muzan drew ever closer to death, and just when he felt it was time to give up...
He was greeted by a kind doctor.
The doctor gave Muzan renewed hope, Muzan, who was on the verge of despair, seemed to have found his last straw.
Then...
Upon realizing that this doctor was still not his light...
Having constantly oscillated between hell and the human world, repeatedly finding hope only to be filled with despair, Muzan erupted.
He brutally murdered his doctor, then resolved to spend the last few days of his life being his most authentic self.
In these days, he has done almost every bad thing he could think of.
By repeatedly crossing the line, such behavior Muzan's last vestiges of humanity, but also gave him Muzan pleasure from constantly pushing the boundaries.
However, something both laughable and absurd happened.
No one could have imagined that, just when Muzan thought he had no future...
He discovered, once again in despair, that he seemed to be immortal...
He thought the doctor's treatment was ineffective, but that was just his assumption.
The doctor's treatment actually saved his life...
Although this way of living has countless side effects, he becomes dependent on flesh and blood to continue surviving.
As his desire for flesh and blood deepened, Amaterasu eventually rejected him completely.
He could no longer step into the sunlight.
He became a ghost that could only exist at night.
At this moment, Muzan, who had regained his life, had his final regret.
That's the thing he regrets most to this day.
He shouldn't have killed that doctor!
He shouldn't have taken the life of the doctor who was treating him when he was in despair!
After the sudden and dramatic change Muzan, who had previously hated and despised the doctor, now deeply missed and trusted him.
He believes that the doctor's treatment of him was effective, if the doctor were still alive and continued to treat him.
Then he can return to the sunlight and regain a complete life!!!
Therefore, Muzan had a second goal in life at that time.
After ensuring his own survival, Muzan's second goal was to find the Blue Spider Lily!
Because that legendary Blue Spider Lily, which is seen only once every thousand years, is the main medicine that doctors use to treat Muzan!
However, relying solely on himself, he would find it difficult to gather information about the Blue Spider Lily.
He was alone and could only be seen at night.
It seems they sensed Muzan's need for his subordinates.
Or perhaps it's an ability that Muzan himself possesses.
In short, not long after, Muzan discovered that his blood could infect others, turning them into life forms similar to himself.
From that moment on, demons appeared, Muzan continuously expanded his attacks, bringing more and more people into his range while frantically spreading his blood.
As Muzan's attacks intensified, and as he killed, devoured, and transformed even more and more humans, his power continued to grow.
A curse has befallen Muzan!
Muzan is becoming increasingly afraid of sunlight!
This curse even passed through Muzan's bloodline to the Ubuyashiki Family, to which Muzan belonged during his lifetime.
After Muzan became the progenitor of all demons, none of the men in the Ubuyashiki Family lived to the age of twenty-six.
Therefore, the Ubuyashiki Family and Muzan became complete adversaries, and the Demon Slayer Corps was born under these circumstances.
Ubuyashiki himself was a daimyo in the Kanto Region, and his family originally possessed considerable resources.
The doctor who treated Muzan could even find the Blue Spider Lily, and the Ubuyashiki Family, who provided the doctor with the materials, already held considerable power in Japan.
With them leading the way, the Demon Slayer Corps' initial size even far exceeded that of the Demon Slayer Corps Taisho Era.
From this moment on, the war between demons and humans began in earnest, and the war between Muzan and his former family was fully launched.
And this curtain remained in place for nearly a century.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared...
What kind of demon king was Muzan before he met Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
We can completely view Muzan at that time as a complete version of Dio.
He had far more subordinates than Dior, and far greater power to control the world than Dior.
For Muzan Kibutsuji to encounter a world without breathing techniques is like Dio encountering a world without Ripple and Stand users!
What was Muzan quote back then?
"Treat those I killed as if they had suffered a great calamity, and there's no need to delve into anything further."
Gale-force winds and torrential rain, volcanic eruptions, and massive earthquakes.
No matter how many lives a natural disaster takes, no one will attempt to seek revenge against it!
The dead cannot be brought back to life; let's not dwell on something that cannot be undone.
Earning money steadily and living a peaceful life, isn't that enough?
That's right!
At that time, Muzan's thoughts were even more advanced than Dio's.
At his peak, Dio defined himself solely as evil, the dark side of the world, and the savior of evil.
Muzan.
He believed that his existence was an indispensable part of nature.
His attacks, his killings.
That's as natural as wind and rain.
In a world without justice or evil, or even life.
The wind will still blow, and the rain will still fall.
From this perspective, the once high-spirited and Muzan had truly reached the pinnacle of his life.
As a result, at the height of his pride, his life completely collapsed...
Initially, after learning that the technique of breathing had spread among humans...
Muzan Kibutsuji's mindset was relaxed.
Slightly stronger humans only amplified Muzan Kibutsuji's enjoyment.
As for Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he had heard of that person, the Demon Slayer Corps known for his terrifying strength, and the subordinate whom his Ubuyashiki Family relied on greatly.
But what Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni a complete idiot!
Even your lord is merely a junior of me, Muzan Kibutsuji.
The whole world belongs to me, Muzan Kibutsuji!!!!
That's right, Muzan Kibutsuji at his peak was stronger than DIO at his peak.
Because Dio Brando was always blocked by his uncle's family.
However, Muzan Kibutsuji has no uncle, Ubuyashiki Family is not qualified to be Muzan's uncle!
Until he met Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Ten years...
It's been a full ten years!
I've been stuck in this ditch for a full ten years!!!
From the moment he was first cleaved in Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan Kibutsuji gained a deep understanding of this.
I'll never be a match for that guy!
His weak human flesh and blood were no longer enough to make him stronger.
As for the other ghosts he created, they were no stronger than himself.
There is no one stronger than myself, no one!
Therefore, I am currently unable to defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
I'll never be able to defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
At this moment, even the Muzan Kibutsuji a little aggrieved.
I am a pitiful person who was born and will never live past twenty.
Even if one is cured, one also gains permanent life.
I am still a pitiful person who can no longer look at the sun!
I have only two goals: one is to find the Blue Spider Lily to continue healing myself so that I can bask in the sun again.
Another option is to endure the nausea and distribute the blood to more humans, creating more ghosts.
He no longer wanted to incite any more bloodshed, nor did he expect any more demons to defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni, whom even Muzan himself couldn't defeat.
Moreover, what right do weak humans have to bear his blood?
The reason he keeps creating ghosts is simply to find a mutated, special ghost that isn't afraid of sunlight, analyze why that ghost isn't afraid of sunlight, and then gain that ability himself!
I'm so pathetic, brother, please stop chasing after my shadow on the street, okay?
I'm fucking terrified that you keep tracking me like this!
Don't you know how terrifying you are?!
I, Muzan Kibutsuji weak, helpless, and pitiful!
Can't you just have a little kindness?
You alone were already enough to make me afraid to show my face, and then you somehow managed to summon a divine being to descend from somewhere!!!
Are you fucking determined to wipe them all out?!
"Aaaaaah, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, I hate you!!!"
With a furious roar, Muzan Kibutsuji collapsed completely in his underground space.
The shrine maiden has always been the main deity served by the Ubuyashiki Family. When the Demon Slayer Corps lacked Breathing Techniques, it was the shrine maiden's protection that allowed the Demon Slayer Corps to survive the initial stage.
Now that most daimyo are aware of the existence of demons, the vast majority of them have become followers of the Shinto priest.
Neither Yoriichi Tsugikuni nor Gawain witnessed the battle Yoriichi Tsugikuni them.
But that doesn't mean Muzan n't see it.
Once in the wilderness, he sent his cannon fodder to the vicinity of Shinano, where they killed a farmer who was fortunate enough to witness the scene and turned him into a demon.
And so, Muzan the perspective of a peasant, Muzan witnessed firsthand the world-class strength of Yoriichi Tsugikuni peak, and the even more unreasonable strength of Gawain!!!
"Why does this have to be? Why? All I want is to become a complete human being!"
Muzan sighed in anguish, wondering why there were always monsters like this in the world.
I am not special, and I need to hide myself even more deeply!!!
And so, Muzan, who had already shrunk to the extreme, dug himself even deeper, inadvertently creating two more escape routes.
Then...
Every demon under Kokushibo Muzan.
They could no longer contact their boss...
Kokushibo reacted particularly strongly to this.
Even though ten years have passed, Kokushibo will never be able to overcome the hurdle in his heart.
What did he do ten years ago?
In order to save his own life, he cut off the head of the Ubuyashiki Family lord and offered it to Muzan Kibutsuji.
Then he became a ghost.
As a result, less than a day after Kokushibo became a demon, Yoriichi killed Kokushibo's leader in a fit Yoriichi Tsugikuni rage.
What do you call this?
This is the behavior of someone who joined the Kuomintang in 1949 and whose influence was short-lived!
This wasn't the most frustrating thing for Kokushibo. What truly broke him was Kokushibo 'Muzan Kibutsuji defeat.
Before becoming a demon, Kokushibo's only pursuit was to survive.
Once he gained a long lifespan, Kokushibo's only remaining pursuit was to pursue one thing.
That is to defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!
After becoming a demon, Kokushibo's Moon Breathing became countless times more powerful, and he also gained a very powerful Blood Demon Art.
At that time, he even felt that he was capable of defeating Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
But his delusional dream hadn't even ended...
Their own leader was killed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
And myself...
He was a ghost under the boss's command, his blood tied to the boss's.
No matter how strong I am, can I possibly be stronger than the progenitor?!
At that moment, Kokushibo truly regretted it!
He desperately wanted to find Yoriichi Tsugikuni and yell at Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni, there's a limit to being a demon!"
I'm not going to be a ghost anymore!!!
He truly regretted it.
His identity as a demon did grant him eternal life, but he never had the chance to catch up with Yoriichi Tsugikuni again.
That was his initial thought, until he learned what had happened!
Over the past decade, Kokushibo has remained active and exposed to the public.
This is because Muzan needed Kokushibo to continue proclaiming the existence and terror of demons to the world while he was escaping.
At the same time, there was also a bit of Kokushibo motive involved.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was investigating Kokushibo, Kokushibo was also investigating Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Kokushibo really wanted to fight one last time; he really wanted to... die at Yoriichi Tsugikuni's hands.
He desperately wanted to tell his younger brother that he regretted it!
But at the same time, he longed to continue living, for the feeling of immortality, the feeling of forever pursuing progress in the art of swordsmanship...
This feeling is so amazing!!!
Contradiction became synonymous with Kokushibo, causing him to both pursue Yoriichi Tsugikuni and evade Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
During this process, he will eventually regain his humanity, at which point he will kill some people in the hope of attracting Yoriichi Tsugikuni to come out and kill him!
He waited for Yoriichi Tsugikuni ten years, and struggled for a full ten years.
Over the course of those ten years, Kokushibo's feelings for Yoriichi Tsugikuni gradually faded.
He had almost forgotten Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked like and how strong he was.
Just when Kokushibo was about to forget, Gawain appeared...
After learning that there were beings in the world far stronger than Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Muzan...
Kokushibo's conflicted heart could no longer be contained.
He finally followed in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's footsteps and arrived in the city where Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Gawain now lived.
He was terrified, yet... he also wanted to destroy himself.
This Muzan displeased Kokushibo, but Muzan never stopped Kokushibo's actions.
Even though he was terrified, Muzan wanted to use Kokushibo's eyes to witness firsthand Kokushibo's current fighting power.
Most importantly, he needs to investigate the identity of the person who defeated Yoriichi Tsugikuni.