Several days later, on the outskirts of Suzuran Town-
Cold, desolate moonlight spilled over the bamboo grove, now reduced to ruins...
A tall, straight-backed figure in an exquisite Western suit appeared soundlessly in the middle of the ruins, like a ghost.
Driven by his desire to overcome sunlight, Muzan Kibutsuji had chosen to come in person after all...
"Rustle..."
Pale fingers brushed a massive, broken bamboo stump, feeling the lingering traces of sword energy that both frightened him and drove him mad.
His gaze swept swiftly over every inch of the battlefield.
Then his eyes stopped.
At the center of the ruins, in the spot that had once been covered with fresh soil.
Now, a speck of spectral blue light stubbornly pierced the thin layer of soil, casting a dreamlike glow beneath the moonlight.
It was the "Blue Spider Lily"!
Beside the flower, a scrap of deep purple kimono was barely discernible beneath a thick covering of dust.
Nearby, there also seemed to be the remains of a bamboo flute, long since trampled into the dirt and crushed beyond recognition.
Muzan's breathing instantly quickened. He swept over to the flower in a single step, even kicking the obstructing kimono scrap farther away in disgust and grinding the remnants of the flute completely into the mud.
Only after doing all this did he crouch down carefully, almost reverently.
His entire body shook as he extended his faintly trembling fingers and gently brushed aside the covering soil, terrified of damaging this priceless treasure.
When the whole flower, radiating its alluring blue light, was fully revealed before him, unprecedented greed blazed in Muzan's eyes.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, he tore the flower from the ground. Without even bothering to wipe the dirt from its roots and stem, he opened his mouth