A World Turned Upside Down X Demon Slayer's End (I)

Gotoh was visibly stunned.

Looking down at Roy in a daze, Roy immediately wondered if he had misheard.

I... Netero... God have mercy, how did you connect these two names, Young Master?

The young butler fell silent.

What? Scared?

Roy scooped up a spoonful of bird's nest and put it in his mouth, then looked at him with a smile and said, "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. When you're ready, I'll personally help you out."

Gotoh swallowed hard, seemingly finally snapping out of her daze. Seeing that Roy's laughter didn't seem fake, she finally said, "Okay." With mixed feelings, she never imagined that the day she would "die for the Young Master" would come so quickly and so suddenly.

"Don't be so down," Roy said expressionlessly, taking a bite of his baguette and crunching it. "Before you're ready, I'll give you a demonstration and force him to reveal all his cards."

This includes "100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva," "Zero Hand," and even... something else...

"Huh?" Gotoh was taken aback again. "I thought..."

"What did you think?" Roy rolled his eyes at him, speaking for him, "You thought I was sending you to your death?"

The Gotoh bowed its head in silence... its silence said it all...

Roy ignored him and continued, "I said you have to take him down, alive, and defeat him honorably. You..." "Do you understand?"

"Young Master thinks too highly of me..."

"I'm not praising or belittling anyone, but simply stating a fact," the Sun-Earring Boy finished his porridge, slowly wiping his mouth with a tissue, and looked up at Gotoh earnestly. "You just need to remember this task. As for whether it's possible or not, that's... my task." "Young Master, I..."

"Stop."

The young butler hesitated, then cleared the table and left.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..." The food cart rumbled along the stone corridor, arriving heavily and departing lightly, much like the mood of the Gotoh —arriving lightly and departing heavily, its silhouette often hesitant.

Roy pulled out a chair, stood up, strode to the desk, and sat down. Through the bright window, he quietly watched him leave. Even without using [Circle] or [Heart Bug], he could tell what the young butler was thinking... He was simply worried that he wouldn't be able to defeat Netero and would disappoint him. As for his own life...

Perhaps, from the moment the Gotoh made the [Vow and Limitation], willing to sacrifice its life just to save itself, it was always on its belt.

Such a person... such loyalty... cannot be betrayed..." He stepped... the road... Gotoh disappeared from the corridor in the blink of an eye... Roy withdrew his gaze, opened a drawer, and took out his grandfather Jager's notebook, until the last page... where a sentence was clearly written... "[I have always believed that the meaning of life lies not in an individual, a family, a relationship, or a struggle... but in something more sublime... a group of people, an organization, or even a nation's shared ideal, and striving desperately... only then is life not in vain...]" He added a few names below this sentence... Great-grandfather Maha; Zoldyck... Great-grandfather Jager Zoldyck... King; Freecss... Mysterious Skeleton... and finally, he added his own name... Roy; Zoldyck.

We're all on the same path, companions in a certain sense...

Youyou breeze stirred, and Roy stopped writing, lost in thought. He wondered what the future held for him, whether he would end up like the skeleton, his great-grandfather, or even his grandfather Jager, struggling somewhere on the Dark Continent, all ultimately failing... He glanced down at the Curse on the back of his hand, and with a thought, released the Golden Crow, letting it roll freely on the bed. He then opened the Gotoh's Believer Panel and examined it closely...[Gotoh]

[Loyalty: Overflowing with loyalty]

[Physical Fitness: 387 (Note: Average person's score is 1)]

[Manifested Aura: C-(37415/100,000)]

[Potential Aura: C-1 (8649/100,000)]

[Rating: C- (Ordinary Chimera Ant Squadron Leader Level, for reference...)]

The leopard that his father once killed with a single punch that seemed to fall from the sky... Let alone Netero, even his own father, Silva, could probably finish him off with a single punch if he wanted to!

Therefore, to turn the impossible into possible, disregarding combat experience, Gotoh needs to reach at least a B, or even B+, in terms of "stats" to have any hope. But to get Gotoh to B+, Roy glanced at his own stats again; his only stat that reached B1, "Potential Aura," was clearly insufficient. "Weak... too weak... I'm weak... my Believer are weak too..."

The path to divinity is fraught with difficulties and a long way to go... Fortunately, though the road ahead is long, it is not without direction.

A few sparks of light bloomed in his hand, and several boxes of medicine slowly appeared in his palm as Roy's Nen Qi surged... These were medicines that Gotoh had found specifically to treat Tanjuro's Consumption. After several days of experimentation, he had finally managed to materialize them into his own Cognitive World through the method of "Anti-Conjuration." The Sun-Earring Boy faced the birdsong, fragrant flowers, and lush greenery outside the window, squinted his eyes, and said, "It's about time to go back to the Demon Slayer world."

To fulfill the promise he made to Tanjuro, and to... slay demons... and restore peace and tranquility to the Demon Slayer world! Taking advantage of a brief respite from his early morning drowsiness, Roy took a short nap, drifting into a deep sleep. Soon after, as usual, he returned to his own Cognitive World and saw a colorful Dream Passage not far ahead, symbolizing "dreams."...[Prompt... Your Believer Wenisha; the Siren Clan have received your "message" and are available for an audience at any time... ][Prompt... Your Believer Kohler; Spencer has received your "message" and is available for an audience at any time... ] Two Uzumaki Clan swirled faintly beside the Dream Passage, through Wenisha 'Uzumaki Clan snake tail and Old Kohler's dog-like face were clearly visible... awaiting Roy's summons.

However, it is morning now, and there is still one day until the appointed day.

Roy suppressed the urge to pull the two into the Dream Domain to gather information about the Dark Continent. This time... he didn't linger. He plunged into the Dream Passage and instantly arrived at the azure Sea of Cognition. He reached out and pushed open the Gate of Demon Slayer, which was adorned with a demon head ornament!

Demon Slayer World

Infinity Castle.

Muzan has been having a bad time lately.

He was confused.

I don't understand.

Fear... Ever since parting Doma with that red-haired Sun-Earring Boy on the Mugen Train, he had remained in the Infinity Castle, never stepping outside, entrusting everything to Doma. Little did he expect... that this Upper Rank Two, whom he had once relied on and who in some ways was no less capable than Kokushibo, would bring him one bad news after another, without any respite...

"My Master, the Demon Slayer Corps has obtained the Bright Red Nichirin Sword."

"My Master, Pillar has suddenly become stronger for some unknown reason. Without using Breathing Style, his physical body alone is comparable to Ghost Moon's."

"My Master, Gyutaro has fallen in battle... and the new Oni Moons you trained have also been killed by Himejima Gyomei along with the other Pillars."

"I know, I've always known, damn it... stop talking!" One day, Muzan his temper, berated Doma, and kicked him out!

What Muzan could never have imagined was that this parting with Doma would be... a final farewell!

He saw it: the woman with the butterfly ribbon tied behind her head, wielding a blindingly red Nichirin Sword, severing Doma's head with a single stroke, destroying his heart, dismembering his limbs, almost devouring his flesh raw... Finally, the rational Giyu Tomioka pulled her back. The sheer power, the speed, the meteoric rise in her strength... In a daze, it transported him back to that moonlit night, back to seeing Yoriichi, his heart pounding with fear!

What happened?

"Michikatsu, how was she, a woman, able to kill Doma?"

Without activating his Demon Slayer Mark or using the Transparent World, he simply used his physical body in conjunction with his Breathing Style... and he killed Doma. Muzan Doma bared his fangs, veins bulging on his forehead, and glared at Kokushibo beside him, his only subordinate, with bloodshot eyes. The final barrier awaited his answer.

However, Kokushibo remained silent, staring blankly at the scene revealed by the Eye Demon — Kochou Shinobu Doma's near-madness as she Kokushibo Doma—and for the first time in his life, he was plunged into deep confusion...

Yes, why could she do that? To be on par with Demon with a human body—isn't it only Yoriichi... with his innate Demon Slayer Mark and translucency, who possesses this ability? Why... why did she, the Sun-Earring Boy behind her, and all the Pillars who appeared before— the Flame Hashira, the Serpent Hashira, the Sound Hashira... whatever kind of Pillar they were—suddenly become so much stronger?!

"I also want to know the answer, my Master." Kokushibo, formerly Tsugikuni Michikatsu, unconsciously gripped his sword "Kyokotsu," and said in bewilderment, "If humans can become this strong with just their physical bodies, what was the point of me becoming a demon in the first place?"

Muzan was stunned, frozen in place.

Yes, if the human body can rival that of a ghost, then what is the point of the perfect form that he has pursued for thousands of years?

Even if one truly finds the Spider Lily and successfully walks under the sun, the result is still inferior to that of humans.

Muzan took a deep breath, feeling suffocated... so suffocated that just thinking about it filled him with despair and terror!

A great terror lurks in the unknown. The Infinity Castle instantly fell into an eerie silence... As if sensing their emotions, Nakime stopped playing her Biwa, burying her face in her hair, remaining silent. After a moment, Muzan suddenly said, "At least, we possess a lifespan far longer than theirs." Her zither strings seemed to part the clouds and fog, revealing the bright moon behind them...

Kibu seemed to have figured Muzan out, turning his head to Kokushibo, "Humans will eventually grow old and die, just like Yoriichi back then. No matter how strong they become, at the moment of death, they will ultimately be nothing more than dust. As for me, and you..."

"They'll live on forever... Just stay in this Infinity Castle, slowly wait for them to die of old age, yes, die of old age... that's enough!" "Die of old age..." Kokushibo's six eyes shot upwards, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought. The image of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, with his fiery red hair, wooden clogs, and a katana at his waist, immediately flashed into his Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Unconsciously, it overlapped with the image of the child he saw on the Mugen Train named... Kamado Eiichiro. After a long while, he sighed softly, "I hope so..."

Another note from the zither...

The Infinity Castle vanished into the void...

Meanwhile, at the Wisteria Forest clan's residence, the Demon Slayer Corps Ubuyashiki Clan Corps, in that secluded courtyard nestled among wisteria blossoms, held another Hashira Meeting after their last parting with Roy.

The only topic of this meeting is...

Hunting down Upper Rank One, and the Demon King he protected behind him... Kibu made Muzan!

"I'm sorry, my Master, I couldn't get any useful information out of that guy." Doma dead, and the newly promoted Demon Moons are also dead. Almost half of the Demon have been wiped out. According to the intelligence gathered by "Kakuna", there have been few incidents of Demon eating people recently. This is undoubtedly great news for the Demon Slayer Corps, for the world, and for all the men, women, young and old living in this world.

For Kochou Shinobu... it was also a thoroughly satisfying journey of revenge!

Unfortunately, Doma was Muzan stubborn than she had imagined. Perhaps Kibu had given him some kind of hint from Muzan, directly controlling his life and death, forcing him to remain silent. In any case, the path to using Upper Rank Two to extract information about Upper Rank One and Kibu to find Muzan whereabouts was completely cut off!

Kochou Shinobu and Giyu Tomioka knelt on one knee, bowing their heads in apology.

The Curse within Ubuyashiki Kagaya's body had been completely removed, and now... his Aura Nodes had reopened. He was noticeably more energetic and robust. Not only had his nearly blind eyes regained their sight, but he had also visibly grown taller and stronger, and his spirit had become much gentler and more optimistic... He sat cross-legged in the wooden corridor, his wife Amane beside him. His gaze passed over the Pillars, looking at his daughters in the courtyard: Hinaki, Nichika, Kanata, and Kuina, along with their now-healthy son Kiriya, who were wielding wooden swords with great flair, saying they wanted to learn from the Pillars and repay Lord Eiichiro. He waved his hand and said gently, "Shinobu, Giyu, get up."

The current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, a gentle smile lurking in his eyes, swept his gaze over the Pillars— Kyojuro, Uzui Tengen, Obanai Iguro, and the others—and said with a smile, "I've always believed in Lord Eiichiro; I believe he'll find a way, because he..."

"That's why we have such a great situation now, and that's why everyone is making progress. Isn't that right?"

With the opening of the Aura Nodes, "Divine Power" was bestowed, and from that moment on, mortals and gods were distinct... The pillars nodded in agreement, their gazes all turning to the empty futon beside Kagaya Ubuyashiki in the corridor... He was gone; since their last parting, Anzu had vanished without a trace, without a word... They wondered if their Master's Kasugai Crow could find him...

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, what my Master says is true. We should all thank Lord Eiichiro." With a tap of his alms bowl, in a corner of the corridor, Himejima Gyomei a Buddhist chant. His already tall figure, after opening his Aura Nodes and undergoing the tempering of his body through "Nen Qi," visibly grew another inch taller... Though kneeling, he resembled an iron tower, standing firmly under the eaves, filling the entire wooden corridor completely...

Not only him, but also Rengoku Kyojuro, who was the first to convert to the "Sun God Cult," Giyu Tomioka, who had a familial relationship with Roy, and... Kochou Shinobu, Obanai Iguro, Uzui Tengen, and others, all underwent Transformation to varying degrees. These Transformation, like a torrent, surged forth as the notification sounds on the control panel the moment Roy pushed open the Gate of Demon Slayer and re-entered the Demon Slayer world.

He was instantly overwhelmed!