Agony and terror gripped Muzan Kibutsuji's soul like two invisible hands.
Tanjiro's inconceivable "Thirteenth Form" had left wounds inside him as indelible as brands from a hot iron. That searing power kept destroying his cells, hindering the regeneration he took such pride in.
Even more horrifying were the memories of his fear of Yoriichi Tsugikuni that those wounds brought back, spanning nearly five hundred years.
Sun Breathing again! That look in his eyes again!
Why! Why were these damned Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen like weeds that could never be wiped out!
Under the combined torment of body and mind, Muzan's sanity began to teeter on the brink of collapse.
He glanced at the enormous Purple Deity and its utterly unmoving energy barrier, then at the Hashira behind that barrier, who kept attacking him like rabid dogs.
For the first time, he realized that he might truly die here.
No! I cannot die! I am a perfect organism! I am the chosen king!
Escape! I must escape right now!
As long as I can escape this place, as long as I can find Nezuko, devour her, and overcome sunlight, I will become truly immortal!
Frantic thoughts flashed through his mind, and Muzan's desire to survive overwhelmed everything else.
He immediately issued the highest-priority order to Nakime, the controller of the Infinity Castle.
"Nakime! Separate them all! Throw that brat who uses Sun Breathing to the farthest reaches of this space! Now!"
He roared in fury, waiting for the space to change.
But one second passed.
Two seconds passed.
The Infinity Castle remained utterly still.
The surrounding space remained firmly locked down by the power of that man with the Rinnegan.
"Nakime?!"
Muzan issued his order again, only to be met with the same deathly silence.
Just then, his senses, muddled by