Muzan Kibutsuji

Fortunately, Lin Guang reacted quickly, reaching out in an instant to catch the bowl of udon noodles before it hit the ground.

Seeing Tanjiro's reaction, Lin Guang knew what had happened.

"Muzan Kibutsuji came after all."

"Tanjiro, what's wrong?" Lin Guang asked.

"I smelled him!" With that, Tanjiro leaped to his feet and sprinted toward the city center.

Watching Tanjiro race off, Lin Guang shook his head helplessly, then said to the bald shopkeeper, "Sir, something urgent has come up. Please look after my little sister for a bit. We'll come back for our noodles shortly."

With that, Lin Guang followed him.

The bald shopkeeper stared blankly after the two of them, unable to understand what could be so urgent that they would leave even their little sister behind.

That scent! Why did it suddenly appear here? Tanjiro darted through the dark alleyways. Emerging from an alley, he found himself on a crowded night market street.

It's the scent left at our house! Muzan Kibutsuji! Tanjiro wove through the crowd, quickly locking onto his target.

This man is the source of the scent... Finally, Tanjiro abruptly placed his hand on the shoulder of a man wearing a suit and a gentleman's hat.

The well-dressed man had center-parted, curly hair and the looks of a wealthy young gentleman.

Feeling Tanjiro's hand on his shoulder, the man turned his head in confusion.

This is him!

Tanjiro immediately drew his Nichirin Blade several inches from its sheath.

Just then, a little girl's voice rang out. "Daddy! Who is he?"

A little girl of five or six peeked out from in front of the well-dressed man, looking Tanjiro over.

Tanjiro froze, his face filled with disbelief.

"It's all right! Don't worry!" Muzan Kibutsuji reassured his "daughter."

This man! This man! He's actually living here, pretending to be human! Tanjiro could not accept what he was seeing.

"Can I help you with something? You look rather flustered," Muzan Kibutsuji asked.

Just then, a beautiful young woman in a Western-style dress walked over and asked, "Oh my, what's wrong?"

"Mommy!" the little girl in Muzan Kibutsuji's arms called out to her.

Unable to bear the sight of this tender family scene, Tanjiro began trembling. He covered his mouth with one hand and clenched his clothes with the other, forcing himself to calm down.

Humans. The girl and the woman both smell human. Don't they know? This man is a demon! He eats people!

"Is he someone you know?" the beautiful young woman asked.

"No, I don't... know him at all! He must have mistaken me for someone else," Muzan Kibutsuji answered her.

As he spoke, Muzan Kibutsuji lashed out in an instant, scratching a man passing through the crowd.

Tanjiro sensed Muzan Kibutsuji strike, but he could not make out his movements. Even so, he knew something terrible had happened.

Then the man began turning into a demon. His eyes bloodred, he lunged at his wife, knocking her down and biting into her shoulder.

"Stop!"

Tanjiro charged forward at once. As he ran, he tore the cloth from around his head and quickly wound it into a ball.

Tanjiro threw himself onto the man tearing into his wife, then punched the balled-up cloth into the man's mouth, preventing him from biting anyone.

The sudden sight frightened the little girl in Muzan Kibutsuji's arms, and she immediately buried her face against his chest. The beautiful young woman, the girl's mother, also clutched Muzan Kibutsuji's clothes in terror.

"Are you all right? Don't look," Muzan Kibutsuji said, soothing the little girl in his arms like a father.

At the same time, Muzan Kibutsuji said to the girl's mother beside him, "Miss Rei, it's dangerous here. Let's go across the street."

And with that, Muzan Kibutsuji led the little girl and her mother away.

Only after restraining the man who had turned into a demon did Tanjiro remember Muzan Kibutsuji again. He turned to look and saw Muzan Kibutsuji leaving with the mother and daughter, filling him with bitter frustration and rage.

Damn it! Damn it! I can't just abandon this man!

With all those emotions building inside him, Tanjiro finally could not hold back. He shouted his vow in the direction Muzan Kibutsuji had gone. "Muzan Kibutsuji! I'll never let you get away! No matter where you go, I'll never let you get away! I'll chase you to the depths of hell and take your head! I'll never forgive you!"

Just as Tanjiro finished declaring his vow, the city's police officers arrived.

"What are you doing?"

"Is he drunk?"

"Boy, let go of that man right now!"

The officers spoke one after another.

Meanwhile, Lin Guang hid on a rooftop, blue light swirling in his eyes. Seeing the blood-red murderous aura rising into the sky from Muzan Kibutsuji and the countless tormented souls surrounding him, Lin Guang knew that if he wanted to kill Muzan, he was still no match for him.