Kazumi's eyes welled with tears. His trembling hands accepted the cloth bag, and when he opened it, he saw the butterfly hairpin—one so familiar he could never forget it.
He now understood what Tanjiro had meant, but since the truth had not been spoken outright, he could still hold on to hope.
His vision blurred by tears, he could only sob and shout toward Tanjiro's retreating back.
"Thank you... thank you so much... I believe that day will come too..."
Hearing that, Tanjiro merely turned around, smiled, and waved.
"I'll leave that woman to you."
With that, he turned and left along the street.
As he walked down the empty road, Tanjiro's brows knit tightly. A nameless fire burned in his heart.
It was the hatred he felt for the root cause of all these tragedies—Muzan Kibutsuji!
Inside the blade, Lin Fan heard the system notification ring out in his mind.
[Ding! Detected Tanjiro experiencing negative emotions. Obtained 20 Emotion Points!]
Lin Fan looked at his remaining points. If he saved up a little more, he would soon be able to unlock a new ability. He immediately began considering which one would offer the best value.
As for the outside world—
The sun rose. A Kasugai Crow circled in the sky before finally landing on Tanjiro's shoulder. Once it steadied itself, it opened its beak and announced,
"Your next destination is Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture! There are rumors of demons lurking there. Proceed immediately!"
Tanjiro broke out in a cold sweat.
"Huh? Another mission already?"
The tight schedule caught him a little off guard.
Still, he resolutely set off for Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture.
By the time he reached the mission site—
Night had fallen again. Tanjiro stood on the bustling, prosperous street with Nezuko, who was looking a little drowsy beside him. His eyes widened as he stood there at a loss.
Had towns developed this much already?
Inside the blade, Lin Fan could not help but marvel at the city as well.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the Taisho era. It seemed to fall around the time of World War I, and technology had already developed considerably.
This town in particular carried the feeling of old and new intertwining.
But now that they were here, they should soon encounter Muzan. What should he say when the time came?
Walking through the crowded streets, Tanjiro was like a country bumpkin visiting a grand estate for the first time. Everything seemed incredibly novel to him.
Perhaps because he was uncomfortable, he pulled up his hood and quickly led his sister away from the town center. On a pitch-black street at the edge of town, a single streetlamp shone.
Beneath the lamp was a food cart. The bald owner sat behind it, taking occasional puffs from the pipe in his hand.
Seeing this, Tanjiro hurriedly brought his sister over and said listlessly, "Sir, one bowl of yam soup udon, please."
The bald owner quickly replied.
"Coming right up."
Before long—
Tanjiro sat on a wooden bench outside the cart and accepted the bowl of noodles from the owner. He immediately took a sip of the broth.
Then he let out a long breath of hot air. But at that very moment—
A scent he could never forget suddenly entered his nostrils. Tanjiro's expression instantly changed, and he shot to his feet.
Even the bowl in his hands fell to the ground and shattered. He could not help gasping for breath.
He hurriedly ran toward the source of the scent.
That smell... why was it suddenly here?
It was the scent from that day at home.
He passed through a deep alley and emerged onto a bustling street, weaving through the crowd.
The scent grew stronger and stronger.
Muzan Kibutsuji...
Within the crowd, he spotted a man with his back to him, dressed in a black suit and a black-and-white hat.
The source of the scent was him...
Before he could think further, a hand had already reached out and landed on the man's shoulder.
Lin Fan, who had been waiting for this moment, immediately activated Body Control and temporarily took control of Tanjiro's body.
Tanjiro had not lost consciousness. Rather, he was in a state akin to watching from the sidelines.
In this state, he could still communicate.
He hurriedly asked,
"Akuro, what's happening to me?"
Lin Fan had already slipped into character.
"One mistake against this guy and you'll die. Leave it to me!"
Back in the outside world—
The man had turned his face slightly. Beneath his tightly furrowed brows were those signature cherry-red eyes, gleaming like gemstones.
There was no doubt about it. This was Muzan Kibutsuji himself!
Lin Fan calmly withdrew his hand and expressionlessly removed his hood.
For a moment, their eyes met.
But in the very next instant—
A childish voice suddenly rang out.
"Daddy, who is he?"
When Muzan turned around, a little girl with twin ponytails could be seen. Muzan gently comforted the daughter in his arms.
Then he turned back and smiled warmly.
"May I ask what you need from me?"
Lin Fan, who had long prepared himself for this moment, immediately entered character. He wore a cold expression that kept strangers at a distance, his deep voice carrying a trace of anger.
"What's so fun about toying with human emotions? What's so interesting about it...?"
Upon hearing that voice engraved deep in his memory, along with the scar on Tanjiro's forehead and the earrings hanging from his ears, an image surfaced in Muzan Kibutsuji's mind.
It was the man who had haunted him like a nightmare for his entire life!
At that moment—
Lin Fan coldly demanded one last question.
"What did you take human lives for?! Why don't you remember...?"
At those words, Muzan Kibutsuji's soul trembled, and his body began to shake uncontrollably.
His fear of that man was magnified without limit.
Muzan Flees
Combined with those familiar earrings, he even began to hallucinate, as though that unforgettable figure had overlapped with the person before him!
That long-dead nightmare—Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
His pupils contracted. Fear made his chest rise and fall violently. At that moment, Muzan wanted to abandon everything and flee immediately.
But just then—
A somewhat gentle voice suddenly came from behind him, briefly shattering the deathly silence!
"Oh my, what's going on?"
Looking toward the voice, they saw a woman in a white dress walking over.
Muzan immediately set the child in his arms on the ground. Suppressing the fear in his heart, he forced out a smile.
"My apologies. I suddenly remembered something urgent and must leave first." With that, he turned and vanished into the crowd without looking back.
No matter what the woman said, he ignored her.
He used the woman and child as shields, staying close to them the entire time and preventing Tanjiro from drawing his blade.
Lin Fan simply watched Muzan put on his performance, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Because the system notification had finally arrived.
[Ding! Detected Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji experiencing negative emotions. Obtained 5000 Emotion Points!] [Ding! Detected Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji experiencing fear. Obtained...]
In just that short time, Lin Fan had gained over ten thousand Emotion Points—nearly as much as Tanjiro had earned by wielding him and slaying demons on Mount Fujikasane for seven days and nights.
But seeing that Muzan had already run away—
Lin Fan released his control and returned the body to Tanjiro. At the same time, he deliberately reminded him, "That guy who just ran away was the source of all demons—Muzan Kibutsuji.
"He's also the culprit who murdered your entire family. Didn't you want revenge...?"
But Tanjiro seemed unable to hear him at all. He only panted violently, his pupils trembling as one hand shakily covered his mouth.
Pain, anger, and shock continuously surfaced within him.
Inside the blade, Lin Fan could clearly sense Tanjiro's emotions. Right now, he was truly shocked and deeply pained.
He was shocked that a demon like Muzan Kibutsuji had been hiding among humans, and pained that his enemy had stood right before him while he could do nothing!
All of those negative emotions turned into Lin Fan's Emotion Points.
For a time—
The system notifications in his mind did not stop!
Meanwhile, Muzan, who had fled, was also providing Emotion Points.
It was not as much as at the start.
But it was still far beyond what ordinary demons could provide. Yet amid the chaotic stream of system notifications, Lin Fan keenly noticed something unusual.
[Ding! Detected man-eating demon Tamayo experiencing excitement. Reward: 10 Emotion Points.] [Ding! Detected man-eating demon Yushiro experiencing...]
The consecutive notifications reminded Lin Fan of those two.
Tanjiro, who had been standing there in a daze, gradually came back to his senses. But after what had just happened, his resolve to kill Muzan Kibutsuji only became firmer.
He even muttered,
"Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I'll kill you..."
Within the crowd—
Two figures faintly appeared and hurried this way at a quick trot. They were Tamayo and Yushiro.
Tamayo quickly came before Tanjiro, barely able to conceal the excitement in her eyes as she softly asked,
"May I ask what your relationship is with Yoriichi Tsugikuni? Or perhaps..."
She hardly dared to consider it. Only three people in the world knew those words he had just spoken, and combined with that expression—
It was as though Yoriichi Tsugikuni had appeared before her once again!
She even wondered whether this could be that man's ghost, or his reincarnation...
But Tanjiro seemed not to hear her at all. He merely sniffed the air, then frowned. "That scent... you are..."
Before you continue