Are you addicted to this game?

"I don't like people making such boring jokes."

Muzan's expression grew even colder. What Ye Chen had just said was undoubtedly trampling on his dignity as a demon.

Demons couldn't face the sun. Having killed hundreds of demons, how could Ye Chen possibly not know that? Yet he had actually invited Muzan to sunbathe. His intentions hardly needed explaining.

"Ahem. All right, that was presumptuous of me."

Ye Chen cleared his throat, ignoring the terrifyingly cold expressions of the demons around him, and continued, "After all, you can't go out in the sun, Trash Boss. I forgot. But this won't do. Look at the consequences of never getting any sunlight. Someone once told me that people who avoid the sun and are always active at night end up with cold, pale complexions, no color in their faces, and dark circles under their eyes. Just look at you, Trash Boss. Never getting any sun has made your complexion look so unhealthy. You don't know how to take care of your skin with sunlight, and now your face looks like a corpse's. Sunbathing has plenty of benefits. Sure, you're a demon and don't need to worry too much about these things, but..."

"Enough!!!"

Before Ye Chen could finish, Muzan roared, cutting him off.

Muzan's gaze had become extremely dangerous, his face alternating between livid and pale. He didn't know why Ye Chen called him Trash Boss, but for some reason, it grated on his ears. He had also figured out that this man was here to cause trouble, and he was already planning to kill him himself.

"What are you yelling so loudly for?! Want to see who can shout louder?!"

Ye Chen paid no mind to Muzan's roar and instead shouted back even louder.

Of course, Ye Chen had come here to taunt him. He knew perfectly well that Muzan hated having his complexion criticized, and that he loathed his weakness of only being able to move around at night. It made him feel like a rat that could only eke out a miserable existence after sunset. Even as the ruler of demons, he had never felt satisfied. That was why he had kept searching for the legendary Blue Spider Lily, hoping to eliminate that weakness.

Whoosh!!

Before Muzan could move, something sliced through the air. Kokushibo, who stood beside him, had already lunged forward. The long blade at his waist flashed out of its sheath and slashed down at Ye Chen with incredible speed, cutting his body in two in an instant.

"Hmph. And here I thought he had some impressive abilities..."

Seeing Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, kill Ye Chen with a single strike, Koyuki sneered. Suddenly, however, her voice cut off.

The Ye Chen whom Upper Rank One had cut suddenly burst into smoke. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a log chopped in half.

"Is this... some sort of substitution technique?" Kokushibo murmured as he slowly sheathed his Nichirin Blade. Then his eyes shifted toward another direction.

There were two copies of Lower Rank Six, Kamunue, standing where he looked. Clearly, one of those two was Ye Chen in disguise.

"L-Lord Kokushibo, I'm the real Kamunue! Please don't attack me!" One Kamunue broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing Kokushibo place a hand on his sword hilt again, he hurriedly shouted at him in panic.

"No! I'm the real one! Stop spouting nonsense, you fake!"

The other Kamunue also looked panicked, his voice tinged with hoarseness. Then, seemingly remembering something, he shouted to Muzan, "That's right! Lord Muzan can definitely tell us apart! As long as Lord Muzan shares my vision, that proves I'm..."

"Who gave you permission to order me around?" Muzan was utterly unreceptive. Instead, he gave him an icy look and swept out a hand. A thin, threadlike tentacle abruptly shot straight toward that Kamunue.

"Fuck!" The other Kamunue cursed at the sight, then sprang forward and severed the tentacle with one slash.

"You..." The Kamunue whom Muzan had attacked looked puzzled when the other one saved him. A moment later, however, he saw that his rescuer had pulled a long blade from somewhere. White flames wreathed the blade as it cut his head off in a single stroke.

[Ding! High-level demon killed. Exchange points ×357.]

Without a doubt, this Kamunue was actually Ye Chen. He had only used the Transformation Technique to take Kamunue's appearance on a whim and have a little fun. Who would have thought Muzan wouldn't even bother telling the real one from the fake and would attack the real Kamunue outright? He truly lived up to the name Trash Boss. Ye Chen had almost lost the kill on this high-level demon. This is my first high-level demon kill! Over three hundred exchange points, and I almost lost them.

Ye Chen didn't forget to collect blood, either. He inserted a syringe into Kamunue's body, drew some blood, then slowly stood up.

"As expected of Trash Boss. You're ruthless even toward your own people."

Clapping his hands, Ye Chen expressed his admiration for Muzan. Turning on his own side and killing one of his subordinates in front of an enemy—Trash Boss truly lived up to his name.

"Useless trash. If he dies, he dies."

Muzan's expression didn't change at all, as though he had accidentally stepped on an ant rather than killed one of his own.

"Mm, impressive. No wonder you're Boss Scum..."

Ye Chen praised him again, but before he could finish, Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, attacked once more. His Nichirin Blade was covered in eye-like structures, and he unleashed several attacks straight at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen grinned, though his smile was hideous in Kamunue's current form. At the same time, he took a deep breath and swung his long blade.

Netherworld Breathing, second form: Qi Refinement Release: Crescent Moon Slash!!

The words rang out in Ye Chen's mind as he rapidly slashed his blade, sending several waves of sword energy toward Upper Rank One to collide with Kokushibo's attacks.

Boom!!!

Unable to withstand the collision of the two attacks, the small house exploded. Splintered wood flew everywhere, scattering through the air.

Indeed, just like the first form, this second form of Netherworld Breathing was a Hunting Art from Monster Hunter that he had incorporated into his Breathing Style. Upon activation, the second form maximized the Breathing Style's energy for a period of time and allowed him to release sword energy from his blade.

"What Breathing Style is this? I've never seen it before."

After the smoke cleared, Muzan remained standing where he had been. He realized he had never heard of Ye Chen's Breathing Style before, nor had he ever seen that technique. Had Ye Chen created his own Breathing Style?

"This man does have some ability. He can exchange a few blows with Kokushibo." Upper Rank Two, Doma, still wore a strange smile. Then his gaze shifted, and he noticed two more people standing in the distance...

"L-Lord Muzan! He's impersonating me again! I'm the real one!" Lower Rank Three, Byōga, was terrified to see someone who looked exactly like him standing beside him. He hurriedly shouted to Muzan.

"No! I'm the real one! Please believe me, Lord Muzan!"

Seeing this Byōga play the victim and accuse him first, the other Byōga was utterly beside himself and hurriedly shouted to Muzan.

Upper Rank One, Kokushibo: "..."

Upper Rank Two, Doma: "..."

Muzan Kibutsuji: "..."

They all wanted to say the same thing to Ye Chen: Fuck, are you addicted to this game?