The Prison of the World

A fierce wind howled.

Teiichi stood still, holding a knife in one hand, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the three people not far away, his eyes lingering on Kokushibo.

It seems that Kokushibo has indeed broken through the limits of a demon...

This is a very troublesome situation; all three ghosts are impossible to kill!

Their already formidable fighting strength, coupled with their indestructible nature...

Teiichi tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade, steadied his breathing, and tried to recover from his physical exhaustion.

Opposite to him.

Muzan's lips twitched, and he glared fiercely at Kokushibo and Akaza.

What do you mean by this?

Kokushibo turned his head to look at the Demon Slayer not far away, then turned back to look at Muzan.

"Muzan... Lord, let's... stay here and fight this... Demon Slayer!"

"Yes, Lord Muzan, the two of us can't stop Teiichi!"

Akaza nodded in agreement.

If they help Lord Muzan survive, they will definitely die; if they don't help Lord Muzan survive, when Lord Muzan dies, he will definitely drag them down with him!

Therefore, for them, there is only one path to take today—to fight to the very end with Lord Muzan and Teiichi!

As for what happened next?

Let's talk about all this after we survive!

Damn it! How dare those two! How could they do that?!

Muzan's face twisted slightly. If it weren't for the inappropriate situation, he would have already manipulated the blood belonging to him within Kokushibo and Akaza to explode.

But now... no matter how angry I am, I have to spare their lives and deal with Kato Teiichi together!

Although I hate to admit it, I have to say...

Kato Teiichi is no ordinary Demon Slayer!

Without the Infinity Castle as a backup, there's absolutely no way I could survive facing Kato Teiichi alone!

I already knew this from the time I ran into him at the train station!

So, are we just going to drag Kokushibo and Akaza into this fight?

Muzan took deep breaths to calm the flames within him as he pondered.

After a long while, he raised his head, looked at Teiichi, and shouted loudly:

"Kato Teiichi, let's make a deal!"

"A deal..." Teiichi, his voice carried on the breeze to the ears of Muzan two.

"Um!"

Muzan nodded.

"Your ghost has overcome the sunlight; she must have eaten the Blue Spider Lily, so you'll definitely find Blue Spider Lily!"

"I'll give you the formula to turn into a ghost, and you can become the most perfect creature in the world!"

A Muzan light appeared in Muzan's eyes.

"That's the most perfect creature!"

"It won't get sick, it won't die of old age, and it can recover immediately after an injury..."

"More importantly, he doesn't have the cannibalism you despise!"

"This can no longer be called a living being, what you call a ghost; it can be described as a new era..."

"God!"

At this point, Muzan looked down at Teiichi.

"And all you have to do is let me go!"

"So, is this deal a good one?"

Muzan looked at Teiichi with Muzan anticipation; in his view, no one could refuse this deal!

Immortality, eternal life...

This is a temptation that even those who have reached the pinnacle of world power cannot resist!

Ancient emperors could refuse only because they knew that immortality was unrealistic, not because they truly didn't want it!

But now...

A true chance for immortality is right in front of Kato Teiichi!

Therefore, he didn't think Kato Teiichi would refuse!

Moreover, he had already considered this when he proposed the deal...

Considering the fact that cannibalism is something the Demon Slayer cannot accept!

Those who obtain the Blue Spider Lily are capable of creating the most perfect recipe, and that recipe...

No need to eat people!

Therefore, he couldn't find a single Demon Slayer in front of him who would refuse...

"Oh..."

A cold laugh rang out on the battlefield. Teiichi Yi looked Muzan at Muzan and asked in return:

Why do you think everyone wants to live forever?

Muzan's smile froze slightly; he looked at Teiichi with disbelief.

Do you know what you're saying?

"Of course I know!" Teiichi calmly looked back at Muzan.

"That's immortality! It's immortality!" Muzan exclaimed excitedly.

"Immortality?"

Teiichi whispered something, then, under Muzan's Muzan nodding gaze, said:

So what!

The meaning of life lies not in its length, but in the brilliance it radiates throughout its journey!

"On the contrary, it is precisely because life is short that it possesses its own unique meaning!"

"What are you talking about!" Muzan.

"A human life is but a hundred years, as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind. But I possess endless time, able to witness the world's changes and control everything. Do you know what that means?"

Muzan stretched out his arms, facing the sky, his eyes filled with a hint of fanaticism.

"This means that I can easily obtain and control everything in this world!"

"Yes..." Teiichi murmured, "That's why your life is so meaningless!"

"My life... has no meaning?" Muzan lowered his head in astonishment. This was the first time in a thousand years that someone had said his life had no meaning.

"Yes!" Teiichi. "You're just a pitiful person trapped in endless time; you've long since lost any reverence or love for life!"

"Those things are fine with me. All I need is to find the Blue Spider Lily, and all I need is to become a perfect being!" Muzan waved his hand in front of him.

"And then?" Teiichi countered.

"And then? What then?" Muzan looked at Teiichi with some confusion.

"What do you plan to do after finding the Blue Spider Lily?" Teiichi asked.

"That's of course..."

Muzan stopped mid-sentence, realizing he hadn't really figured out what he wanted to do next. But now wasn't the time to think about that. He shook his head and shouted:

"What I do in the future doesn't matter; I have endless time to think about what I want to do!"

"Sigh..." Teiichi sighed softly, "If you really obtain the Blue Spider Lily, your current state will be your future state..."

"After experiencing most of what you can experience, you'll find..."

"I don't know what I should do, or what I can do..."

"You can roughly predict the ending of everything around you just by seeing its beginning."

"And everyone around you has absolutely nothing to do with you!"

You'll find yourself slowly detached from this world, like a tourist!

"Then, after a long time, you'll find that you slowly lose sight of the meaning of your own life!"

"And because of your own physical condition, you won't die!"

"At that time, you will despairingly discover that you are locked up!"

"I'm imprisoned in a cage called the world!"

"All that awaits you is endless time, and..."

"Despair..."