Sun Breathing: Thirteenth Form

"Squelch."

Facing the sight of the old man kneeling on the ground and weeping uncontrollably, Kibutsuji Muzan knew that this fellow had likely held nothing back, and was equally ignorant of the existence of the so-called Blue Spider Lily.

"How truly disappointing."

"You've made me waste a trip again..."

Kibutsuji Muzan tossed aside the corpse of the physician's granddaughter, though in truth, he felt little disappointment, for in the hundreds of years spent searching for the Blue Spider Lily, Kibutsuji Muzan had already experienced countless such scenes.

Constantly searching, only to be disappointed again.

Even so, Kibutsuji Muzan, whose mood was slightly soured, had no intention of sparing the elderly physician; after all, having already slaughtered the man's entire family, it would be too cruel to leave him behind in this world.

Kibutsuji Muzan remarked that, for the most part, he possessed a sense of pity for his food.

Immediately following this, his fingers transformed into sharp, long spikes, piercing straight through the old man's heart.

Kibutsuji Muzan left the place without looking back; although he had plenty of time, he still felt a sense of urgency regarding the search for the Blue Spider Lily.

"Hm?!"

As Kibutsuji Muzan stepped out of the physician's gate, he saw a strange group.

Two handsome and tall swordsmen, one dignified and imposing old man, and two other attendants with equally extraordinary auras flanking the old man's sides.

One of the handsome swordsmen, who radiated a magnetic field like the sun and made Kibutsuji Muzan feel intense disgust, spoke up.

"I am deeply sorry."

"We arrived a step too late."

Tsukiguni Yoriichi saw that the elderly physician still had a breath left, and upon seeing the man's wide, bloodshot eyes, his heart was filled with anger and compassion.

"I will avenge you."

"I stake my life as Tsukiguni Yoriichi on it."

Tsukiguni Yoriichi's eyes flashed with a scorching golden light as he stared intently at the Kibutsuji Muzan before him.

The fated encounter in the Demon Slayer World had finally come to pass.

Due to the influence of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had spread the description of Kibutsuji Muzan's appearance in advance, this meeting occurred many years earlier than it had before.

Kibutsuji Muzan maintained his human appearance at this moment, pale and handsome.

Yet, that aura of evil and bloodlust was enough to make anyone who caught a glimpse of it tremble with fear.

"You Demon Slayer Corps members again."

Kibutsuji Muzan was somewhat surprised that the Demon Slayer Corps could actively track him down, and he found this particular swordsman exceptionally repulsive.

"I have no interest in you Breathing Style swordsmen anymore..."

"Even those of you who are so-called Demon Slayer Mark swordsmen..."

"Will not be my match..."

Facing Tsukiguni Yoriichi, Kibutsuji Muzan did not take him to heart at all; he lumped this man in with the other Breathing Style swordsmen, which was why he could still smile.

Tsukiguni Yoriichi said nothing, but the moment he saw Kibutsuji Muzan, he knew.

He was born to defeat this man!

"I must trouble you..."

"Lord Sarutobi..."

"I need you to hold the line for me."

Tsukiguni Yoriichi's expression was solemn; he knew that the Demon King before him was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered, and he needed to give it his all.

Of course, before this, Tsukiguni Yoriichi had never encountered an opponent worthy of his full strength.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, leaving enough space for the battlefield; although he and Tsukiguni Yoriichi could kill Kibutsuji Muzan faster by attacking together, in the face of such a fated intersection, Sarutobi Hiruzen was willing to allow for a sense of ceremony.

"Aren't you all going to attack together?"

"How truly arrogant..."

"What do you take me for?"

Kibutsuji Muzan's body twisted, his right arm instantly swelling with distorted veins and bulging muscles.

"I am the Demon King!"

"Boom!"

A violent sonic boom erupted from the tip of the whip-like lash that Kibutsuji Muzan's right arm had become, accompanied by a fierce, whistling roar.

The resulting gale swept past, stinging the faces of the onlookers.

"This..."

Masahiro stared in shock at the nearby forest, where a massive swath of trees had been leveled in a straight line.

Not only that, but the stone tiles in front of Kibutsuji Muzan had also been shattered by the sheer force, leaving the ground uneven and cracked.

Tsukiguni Michikatsu also broke into a cold sweat; this level of power was beyond anything he could have imagined.

"The Demon King, huh..."

At the same time, both of them began to worry for Tsukiguni Yoriichi.

Only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained calm, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

This was nothing more than Muzan's final act of madness.

The so-called Demon King would be reduced to a pathetic wretch starting today.

Tsukiguni Yoriichi rolled his body, dodging the whip-like lash swept out by Kibutsuji Muzan as if he had foreseen the future.

Even though he had anticipated Kibutsuji Muzan's movements through the Transparent World, facing an assault as swift as a gale still sent a chill down his spine.

As powerful as he was, he possessed only a fragile human body; if he were even grazed by such an attack, it would be enough to kill him on the spot.

However, Tsukiguni Yoriichi quickly steadied his mind and instantly pushed the Transparent World to its limit.

At the same time, the Demon Slayer Mark on his face turned as crimson as molten iron!

I see it!

Within the perspective of the Transparent World, Kibutsuji Muzan's five brains and seven hearts were laid bare in perfect detail.

The flow of his blood vessels and muscles was as clear as lines on the palm of a hand.

In a thousandth of a second, before Kibutsuji Muzan could even react, Tsukiguni Yoriichi moved. He unleashed a technique he had never used in actual combat—the final thirteenth form of his Sun Breathing.

"Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form."

"Sun Wheel!"

The next second, Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes—not because he was pondering a problem, but because the sun before him had become too blinding.

There, on the flat ground in the middle of the night, a great sun rose from the earth. A scorching wheel of light, wreathed in a hurricane of flames, instantly flooded the world!

Hot! Blazing! Bright!

The intense light illuminated the area until it was as bright as day, leaving not a shred of darkness behind.

It was as if they were standing before the sun itself; the onlookers felt their throats go dry, unable to keep their eyes open.

And within the radiance of that scorching sun, that tall, graceful figure danced, wielding his Nichirin Sword.

From the first form, the second form, all the way to the twelfth form—at this moment, Tsukiguni Yoriichi was like a spirit dwelling within the sun, performing a dance that embodied the Great Dao of the Sun.

It was dazzling, magnificent, and beautiful.

"Ah!!!!"

"Ah!!!"

Kibutsuji Muzan let out a scream of extreme agony—a pain he had never experienced since becoming the Progenitor of Demons!

No, Kibutsuji Muzan remembered; this pain was like the burning sensation he had endured when he first became a demon and tried to walk under the sun.

Only, the pain now was a thousand times worse than it had been then!

The blade, imbued with the power of the sun, shattered all of Muzan's vital points in an instant, simultaneously severing his limbs and his head.

Kibutsuji Muzan tried repeatedly to use the arms scattered on the ground to lift his head, but it was completely futile.

The tight connection between his flesh and blood had vanished entirely, leaving behind nothing but the agony of being incinerated by the scorching sun.