Tsugikuni

Tamayo felt her hair stand on end.

The next instant, a whip-like tube plunged into her head. Her pupils contracted as agonizing pain engulfed her.

Her face twisted, her teeth clenched, and she snarled inwardly.

Muzan!

You bastard!

Muzan withdrew the tube, admiring the way Tamayo gritted her teeth.

For a moment, he felt that this scene might overlap with the original story.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

He was nothing like that scumbag boss from the original!

He was doing this for Tamayo's own good!

(ಡωಡ)

Tamayo finally pulled through. Without a word, she rose from the floor like a zombie, took her book, and left Muzan's sight with a dark expression.

For some reason, her anger stirred a strange feeling within her, and these words surfaced in her mind:

Why won't you just die!

You filthy man!

Muzan Kibutsuji!

Tamayo: "???"

Why am I thinking that?

Muzan: "???"

Why does that sound so familiar?

Hearing Tamayo's thoughts, Muzan hurriedly denied it. In any case, he was nothing like that scumbag boss!

His leisurely days flew by, and the Demon Slayer Corps went through one Oyakata-sama after another.

Over a hundred years had passed since he arrived in this world. Thanks to his meddling, history had changed beyond recognition. Most of the remaining factions were now led by Muzan's subordinates, all fighting one another.

They're having quite a blast!

Almost no other factions remained, just a bunch of demons leading a bunch of humans into battle against each other.

The trouble was, none of them would submit to the others. I've worked so hard for so long-why shouldn't I be the one to establish the shogunate?

So, even though they were all demons under Muzan, none would give way.

In the end, Muzan stayed out of it. It wasn't really appropriate for him to interfere in something like this.

He merely reminded them not to let other factions reap the benefits of their fighting, then left them to it.

Jingji was also among those who came out on top, so Muzan had stayed at his place for decades without moving much.

But one day, a family surname caught Muzan's attention-Tsugikuni.

Muzan: "!!!"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni?!

Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!

The Tsugikuni were a samurai family. One of their members had participated in the war and drawn the attention of a demon under Muzan, finally reminding him of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Having lived in this world for over a hundred years, with almost nothing capable of threatening him, Muzan had stopped caring about the passage of time. As a result, he had completely forgotten about Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was supposed to appear about a century later.

To be honest, Muzan panicked.

When he thought of the half-demons he still hadn't wiped out, who kept doing everything they could to pin the blame on him, he panicked even more.

No!

I have to leave right now!

I have to find Yoriichi Tsugikuni!

Tamayo accompanied Muzan, and after several days, the two found the Tsugikuni estate.

Walking beside Muzan, Tamayo could clearly sense his intense, undisguised panic. Could there really be something in this world capable of threatening the undying Demon King?

Muzan wasn't in the mood to care about Tamayo's confusion. He searched everywhere for the Tsugikuni estate.

Fortunately, it was still early.

After asking around, Muzan confirmed that Yoriichi had only been born a few years ago and was being neglected by his father.

It was worth noting that this truly was a "great family." Yoriichi's father, the head of the household, could only be described as cold and heartless, even setting aside the fact that he had nearly killed his own son.

In the original story, he had wanted to replace Tsugikuni Michikatsu as soon as he discovered that Yoriichi was stronger. That alone showed that, to some extent, he had unconsciously begun treating his sons as tools, guided by his own rigid, outdated beliefs.

His sense of self was also absurdly weak, as though he were a robot devoted entirely to the family.

Muzan found a tall tree near the Tsugikuni estate and stood among its branches, hidden by the leaves, observing Yoriichi.

Yoriichi was inside the house, secretly watching Michikatsu practice with his sword. Noticing his mother approaching, he hurried outside with pattering footsteps and took her arm, as though snuggling up to her.

Akino, Yoriichi's mother, stroked his head with a gentle smile and stood with him beneath the eaves, watching Michikatsu practice.

Sweat ran down Michikatsu's forehead. He glanced their way now and then, looking displeased whenever his eyes fell on Yoriichi, who clung to their mother like a little shadow.

Muzan felt that Michikatsu might have developed some issues of his own because of his father.

Standing beside Muzan, Tamayo looked at her boss in confusion.

"These two children are what you're afraid of?"

Muzan nodded. "Yes, but not as they are now."

Tamayo: "?"

You mean you've seen the future?

Muzan couldn't be bothered to explain and left with Tamayo. Yoriichi was only four or five years old now. He refused to believe that a little brat that age could hurt him.

Impossible!

Over the next few days, Muzan split off a clone to keep an eye on Yoriichi while he returned to leisurely reading.

In this dull world, reading had become almost as engrossing to Muzan as reading novels had once been.

Still, he set aside more time to train himself.

According to deductions based on the original story:

∵ Location of the Blue Spider Lily = Tanjiro's home = where Yoriichi Tsugikuni lived with his wife

∴ Yoriichi Tsugikuni grows up = finding the Blue Spider Lily = Muzan can overcome his weaknesses = invincibility!

For an old fellow who had lived for who knew how many centuries, time always passed swiftly.

Nearly three years went by in a flash, and Yoriichi's mother grew weaker and weaker.

Akino lay alone on the tatami, feeling as though she could sense her life slipping away little by little.

Through the haze, she seemed to see a figure-a stranger.

The figure gave her an ominous feeling. Had a god come to take her soul away?

Was she going to die?

"Do you want to live?"

Muzan stood before Akino, looking down at her. She was Yoriichi's mother, after all. If he could save her, he might as well.

Akino struggled to open her eyes and looked at the person before her. "Are you a god?"

Muzan said, "I'm a demon. I can turn you into a demon who will never die."

Perhaps it was the calm of someone near death, or perhaps she had sensed Muzan's goodwill, but Akino showed no change in emotion upon hearing that he was a demon.

Instead, she shook her head. "No, thank you. But could I ask you a favor?"

Believing that the wishes of the dying deserved respect, Muzan nodded. "What is it?"

Whether he would agree was another matter. First, he would hear what she wanted him to do.

"Please look after my two children. Yoriichi's father doesn't like him, but he's a kind child. He shouldn't be treated that way. Michikatsu is under too much pressure. He's far too determined to excel..."

Akino's voice grew fainter and fainter, her gaze growing cloudier as she looked at Muzan. Finally, beneath his watchful eyes, she gradually fell silent and stopped breathing.

Perhaps because the person before her had heard her request, Akino passed away peacefully.

Muzan thought he faintly heard a barely audible word of thanks.

He sighed. In truth, when he saw Akino, he had already guessed that, apart from some lingering worry for her children, she felt little resistance to death. It was highly unlikely that she would want to become a demon.

It had turned out just as he expected.