Yoriichi Tsugikuni...
Chiba Yo heard a name he had never heard before.
"When I first met him, I hadn't yet escaped Muzan's control and had no choice but to stay by his side. One night, Muzan and I encountered him.
At first, Muzan paid him no mind, sneering that he had already seen plenty of swordsmen who used Breathing Styles. Yet in a single exchange, he cut Muzan into more than a dozen pieces.
Muzan then escaped by using his ability to split himself into countless chunks of flesh. Although Yoriichi Tsugikuni destroyed most of them in an instant, a small portion still got away.
To avoid Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan stayed out of sight for nearly a hundred years afterward. He only reappeared in the world once he was certain Yoriichi Tsugikuni had died.
The reason Muzan fled the moment he encountered you is that you look almost exactly like Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Muzan is a coward. He cares nothing for dignity; everything he does is solely to ensure that he can live forever.
Your appearance stirred the fear deep in his heart, so even though he knew Yoriichi Tsugikuni was dead, he panicked, split apart, and fled.
Even if he later comes to his senses and realizes you couldn't possibly be Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he certainly won't test that himself. He'll most likely send his subordinates to eliminate you and probe your strength in the process."
Tamayo explained this to Chiba Yo.
Chiba Yo now had a basic understanding of the Yoriichi Tsugikuni Tamayo had mentioned: he was extraordinarily powerful and looked almost exactly like him.
He wasn't worried about Tamayo's warning that Muzan would send subordinates to eliminate him. At the same time, he felt somewhat disappointed that Muzan wouldn't attack him personally.
"However, your Demon Slayer Mark is on the right side of your forehead, while Yoriichi Tsugikuni's was on the left. That's probably the biggest difference between your appearances," Tamayo said, looking at Chiba Yo.
Her words made Chiba Yo realize something. Puzzled, he asked her, "The man you mentioned had a Demon Slayer Mark too? Then why did Muzan hide from him for nearly a hundred years? Don't marked swordsmen all die before they turn twenty-five?"
Tamayo's account conflicted with what Chiba Yo had previously learned from Oyakata-sama, leaving him unsure which of them was right.
Tamayo replied, "It's true that marked swordsmen don't live past twenty-five, but that didn't apply to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
I don't know exactly how old he was when he died, but he was certainly far older than twenty-five.
In all my years, Yoriichi Tsugikuni is the only marked swordsman I've known who lived past twenty-five. Though I can't be certain, I suspect he survived despite having a Demon Slayer Mark because he was born with it, whereas other swordsmen only developed theirs later in life."
After Muzan fled back then, Tamayo had told Yoriichi everything she knew about Muzan, along with her own story. Perhaps out of sympathy, Yoriichi had also shared a few things about himself, including the Demon Slayer Mark he had possessed from birth.
He was born with his, just like me... does that mean I can live past twenty-five too?
Chiba Yo chose to believe Tamayo, and the news made him quite happy. Although he wasn't afraid of dying at twenty-five, living a little longer was hardly a bad thing. It would also give him more time to hunt demons.
"This may be somewhat presumptuous, but I'd still like to ask: how strong are you now?" Tamayo suddenly asked Chiba Yo.
This was the first time she had encountered a marked swordsman outside Yoriichi's era, and it gave her some hope of destroying Muzan.
Afraid that Chiba Yo might misunderstand, Tamayo explained, "You're the only marked swordsman I've met outside Yoriichi Tsugikuni's era. Since you look so much like him, Muzan may avoid you.
But Muzan does know that Yoriichi Tsugikuni is dead, so he may not stay entirely out of human sight the way he did while Yoriichi Tsugikuni was alive.
If you're strong enough, there may be a chance to destroy Muzan in this era. I'll do everything I can to help you, too."
The Demon Slayer Mark and Bright Red Nichirin Blade Chiba Yo had displayed when facing Muzan earlier had given Tamayo hope of destroying him. Both were abilities Yoriichi Tsugikuni had used against Muzan back then.
After hearing Tamayo's words, Chiba Yo found himself at a loss. He didn't know how strong he was, and he hadn't fought Muzan during their earlier encounter, so he had no idea which of them was stronger.
"I haven't fought Muzan, so I can't really judge my own strength. But he's the only demon I've met who made me feel any pressure-and it was only pressure. If he hadn't run away, I think I could have killed him," Chiba Yo said honestly, basing his answer on what he had felt.
Tamayo's earlier words had made Chiba Yo realize how well she knew Muzan. She had also said she was developing a drug to stop him from splitting apart, so Chiba Yo wanted to win over this potential ally who also wished to destroy Muzan.
"I see..." Tamayo paused in thought, then told Chiba Yo, "Then I'll tell you everything I know about Muzan."
Chiba Yo nodded and listened attentively.
"As the progenitor of demons, Muzan can turn humans into demons through his blood, while also placing a curse upon those he transforms.
Through that curse, he can track other demons' locations, and if they're close enough, he can even read their thoughts. Any demon who divulges information about Muzan will be consumed by the curse," Tamayo told Chiba Yo.
When she spoke of Muzan's ability to turn humans into demons, Tamayo's hatred grew especially intense.
That was how her family had been destroyed. She had only wanted to see her children grow up, but Muzan had deceived her and turned her into a demon. Her demonic instincts had then driven her to devour her own loved ones. That was why she would destroy Muzan even if it cost her life.
"Beyond that, he has an extraordinarily advanced ability to mimic others and can take on all kinds of human appearances.
He has also surpassed one of the limitations of demons: even decapitation won't kill him," Tamayo continued.
Chiba Yo frowned at this and asked Tamayo, "Then does that mean sunlight is the only thing that can destroy Muzan?"
"I'm afraid so. After all, he can survive even after splitting into countless chunks of flesh.
Still, there are abilities that can counter him. The Bright Red Nichirin Blade you used earlier is one of them, and there's also a Breathing Style that can counter Muzan," Tamayo answered.
"What Breathing Style?" Chiba Yo asked Tamayo.
"The Breathing Style Yoriichi Tsugikuni used back then: Sun Breathing," Tamayo said.
"Sun Breathing?!" Chiba Yo exclaimed in surprise.
Before you continue