Shing!
Even with his extreme reaction speed, Tengen Uzui only managed to rush in front of the Master.
The Nichirin blade in his hand had only swung halfway when a pale hand, tipped with blood-red claws, smashed straight through his defense with irresistible force.
It grabbed his head, and with crushing power like a mountain bearing down, slammed him viciously into the ground.
Boom!!!
The floor shattered. Broken stone flew everywhere.
Tengen Uzui's body was pinned firmly to the ground by that hand, his head driven into the cracked floor.
Blood instantly poured from his forehead, staining half his face red.
He struggled on instinct, his twin blades hacking madly at the arm, but although blood mist scattered from the wounds, the arm itself did not budge in the slightest.
"Tengen-sama!"
Several Kakushi cried out and tried to rush forward, only to be blasted away by that terrifying presence.
"What happened?"
Yushiro, who had heard the commotion from the next room, charged inside. But the moment he saw the scene within the room, his whole body trembled violently.
He raised his arm, about to activate his Blood Demon Art.
Splurt!
A hideous whip of flesh and blood pierced straight through his body, pinning him firmly to the wall.
At the same time, a strange force bound his body, leaving him unable to move.
Inside the entire room, the only one who remained calm was probably the small figure sitting upright—
Kiriya Ubuyashiki.
His bright eyes stared fixedly at the figure that had suddenly descended.
There was no fear on his young face, only calm.
"Heh heh heh."
A low, mocking laugh, filled with an indescribably eerie power, echoed through the room.
The figure slowly straightened and released the hand pressing down on Tengen Uzui's head.
But immediately after, three or four thorny whips stabbed out together, still pinning Tengen firmly to the ground.
At the same time, more grotesque thorn whips surged out from its back, making it look like a demon king risen from Yomi itself.
That face, the face the Demon Slayer Corps had hunted for a thousand years, was now blinking with scarlet eyes.
Reflected in those pupils was Kiriya Ubuyashiki's small figure.
The corners of Shokyu's mouth curved into a cruel smile. With the fingertips of his other hand, he lightly brushed his own lips.
"The Demon Slayer Corps' little Master."
Its voice was like a snake flicking its tongue—light and airy, yet filled with malice.
"How pitiful. A little baby like you… what can you possibly do?"
Kiriya Ubuyashiki raised his head and met those scarlet eyes.
His fingers trembled slightly, but they quickly returned to stillness.
"Should I call you Muzan Kibutsuji, or Shokyu?"
His somewhat childish voice asked calmly.
There was no fear in it, only the composure of someone who had already seen through life and death.
"But I suppose that no longer matters, does it?"
Shokyu tilted his head.
A trace of amusement flashed through his eyes as he took a few steps forward.
Tengen Uzui, pinned down by the thorn whips, began to struggle again.
His bones made an awful creaking sound.
But the moment he managed to shift his body even slightly, an even more terrifying force pressed down on him.
He groaned, but did not scream.
"You're not afraid of me, brat?" Shokyu asked with great interest.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki raised his head.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly, revealing a calm smile utterly unsuited to a child his age.
"I am."
He said, "But fear will not make us retreat."
Shokyu lowered his head, looking down at the tiny figure who did not even reach his waist.
A hint of curiosity flashed in his scarlet eyes.
He had seen countless humans tremble, rage, and collapse in fear before demons.
But he had rarely seen someone like this.
The child before him was clearly trembling down to his fingers, yet he still straightened his back and looked at him with those clear eyes.
"Interesting."
Shokyu rubbed his chin, then turned his head slightly, as if overcome with emotion.
"I saw your father in Muzan's memories too—Kagaya Ubuyashiki. He was just as calm when facing death. He even had that same expression."
"By all rights, the same blood flows through our bodies. So why do I feel that you people of the Ubuyashiki family are more like monsters?"
Kiriya Ubuyashiki quietly looked at Shokyu.
Then his gaze moved away from Shokyu's face and fell on Yushiro, who had been pinned to the wall by the thorn whip.
Blood dripped down along the whip, staining the entire wall red.
Then he looked at Tengen Uzui on the floor, whose limbs had been pierced through, leaving him unable to move.
Tengen was still struggling.
Even drenched in blood, even with all four limbs pierced, he was still using the last of his strength to try to break free.
"The sins of our ancestor must be repaid. The Ubuyashiki family has long since prepared itself for that. We only pray that redemption may come upon our clan once more." Kiriya spoke.
His voice was not loud, but it was very clear.
Shokyu frowned. His scarlet eyes were full of confusion.
"What are you talking about? A little brat like you is already trying to imitate adults and act mysterious?"
"No. I am stating a fact."
"You and Muzan are both stains upon the family. Indelible stains in the history of the Ubuyashiki clan. The mission of the Ubuyashiki family is to erase stains like you."
Kiriya corrected him, his tone still calm.
"Stains?"
Shokyu seemed to have heard some amusing joke and let out a low laugh.
"Heh heh heh. What do ignorant fools like you understand?"
"I am going to become a god. A god who controls life and death. When I rule over Yomi, all things in this world will crawl beneath my feet."
Kiriya fell silent for a moment.
Then he slowly stood up.
He was too short. Even standing, he had to lift his head to see Shokyu's face.
"You cannot do it." Kiriya spoke word by word.
His voice was still young, yet it carried a force that allowed no doubt.
"You could not even live properly as a human. How could you possibly become a god?"
"You are not a god. Nor will you ever become one."
"You are only the same as Muzan…"
"A pitiful demon who fears death."
The moment his words fell, the room sank into a deathly silence.
The smile on Shokyu's face disappeared little by little.
In his scarlet eyes, the light became dangerous and cold.
He slowly raised his hand, spreading his five fingers, his palm aimed at Kiriya.
"Do you know something, brat?"
Shokyu's voice was low. Each word sounded as though it had been squeezed out from between his teeth.
"I originally intended to give you a quick death."
"But now, I have changed my mind."
As his words fell, a dark-red light gathered in his palm.
"Master!"
Tengen Uzui forced himself to turn his head and saw a scene that made his eyes nearly split with rage.
Just as Shokyu gathered his power and prepared to smash the annoying brat's head apart with one swipe, a water-blue light suddenly tore through the roof.
"Hm?"
The sharp flash of a blade was extremely fast.
Although it was not much of a threat to Shokyu, being caught off guard would still leave him in a somewhat sorry state.
So in that instant, his body turned into a cloud of blood mist, avoiding the attack.
By the time Shokyu's body solidified again, another figure had already charged into the room.
"Hm? How is it you? Weren't you already…"
What answered Shokyu was a roaring water dragon!