"The Demon King Attacks (Part 2)"
"Since then, we've married women from the Shinto priestess lineage, preventing infant deaths. Yet, even so, none in our family has lived past thirty."
Muzan Kibutsuji's brow furrowed slightly. He approached Kagaya Ubuyashiki, extending a hand. "Your pointless rambling is over, isn't it? If so, I'll send you to your grave."
Simultaneously…
"Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!" A crow flew through the forest, its cries echoing. "Ubuyashiki Mansion attacked! Ubuyashiki Mansion attacked!"
Upon hearing this, the Hashira immediately raced towards Kagaya Ubuyashiki's mansion, including Tanjiro, who was with Giyu Tomioka.
"I have to get there!" Tanjiro urged himself, his heart pounding as he ran.
…
Sanemi Shinazugawa: "In my opinion, at least two Hashira should be assigned for the Master's personal protection."
This was a discussion from a Hashira meeting several months prior.
Mitsuri Kanroji: "Isn't there another way, Gyomei-san?"
Gyomei Himejima: "No. Since becoming a Hashira at nineteen, this has been discussed at every meeting for eight years. The Master has always refused, insisting that the Hashira are the Corps' most valuable assets and cannot be reassigned for personal protection."
Shinobu Kocho: "It's a difficult situation. As far as I know, the Ubuyashiki family has never had personal bodyguards."
…
"Master! Master! I see it! The mansion! We can still make it!" Sanemi Shinazugawa, the first to arrive, saw the mansion seemingly intact and believed he could still reach Kagaya in time.
However, the next instant, the mansion exploded. The immense blast completely destroyed the building, scattering debris and sending a thick, acrid cloud of smoke into the air.
The smoke cleared, revealing the scene to the arriving Hashira, who stood frozen in shock. Tanjiro smelled the sickening odor of burning flesh amidst the flames.
Then, a figure emerged from the inferno, his face horribly burned—Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Ubuyashiki… that man… He had a serene smile on his face, using explosives to kill himself and his family. I underestimated him. I suspected Ubuyashiki was different from ordinary people, but this… this is beyond comprehension!"
"I anticipated a trick, but not on this scale. To maximize the blast's lethality, he added countless small, cross-shaped nails to the explosives. This would hinder my regeneration after the explosion. This isn't over. Ubuyashiki must have prepared a countermeasure."
"Several presences are converging—the Hashira, most likely. But it can't be that simple. There must be something else. A cunning dying man, using himself as bait. That intense hatred and rage towards me, like a venomous viper, coils deep within his dark heart."
"To conceal such immense killing intent at such a young age… truly remarkable. Were his wife and children aware?"
"Stop. This isn't the time for speculation. My body will recover quickly."
His decaying flesh began to regenerate at an astonishing rate. Suddenly, Muzan Kibutsuji noticed numerous flesh seeds—a Blood Demon Art—materializing around him.
The next instant, sharp thorns erupted from the seeds, binding Muzan Kibutsuji tightly.
"Immobilized!" Muzan Kibutsuji was surprised. "Whose Blood Demon Art is this? My body is impaled from within. I can't use brute force. It's fine. The number of thorns isn't excessive. I can just absorb them."
As Muzan Kibutsuji prepared to absorb the thorns, a figure rapidly approached, sharp claws piercing his body.
Tamayo.
"Tamayo, what are you doing here?" Muzan Kibutsuji's expression darkened. He had hunted Tamayo for centuries. Their reunion was a bitter clash of enemies.
"These thorny vines are from the innocent man you turned into a demon in Asakusa! Muzan, you absorbed my left hand, didn't you?" Tamayo said, a sinister smile spreading across her face. "Do you know what was inside it? The medicine to turn demons human! Is it already taking effect?"
Muzan Kibutsuji's expression changed drastically. "Impossible. That's impossible."
Tamayo chuckled darkly. "No! It's complete! I couldn't have done it alone, but the situation has changed."
After a moment of silence, Muzan Kibutsuji attempted to manipulate Tamayo's emotions. "Tamayo, you're relentless. You resent me? Who killed your husband and son? Was it me? No, you consumed them yourself. Why resent me?"
Tamayo recalled her past, a surge of vengeful fury overwhelming her. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed to become a demon! I didn't want to die from illness! I wanted to see my children grow up!"
Muzan Kibutsuji continued to provoke her. "But you've killed many others since then. Were those all illusions? You seemed to enjoy it."
"Yes! Despairing, I killed many innocents. To atone for my sins, I will die with you today! Muzan Kibutsuji!" Tamayo cried, tears streaming down her face.
She had been terminally ill, beyond the reach of medical science. Muzan Kibutsuji had offered her immortality by becoming a demon.
To see her children grow, Tamayo had agreed, unaware that demons required human flesh to survive.
Driven by insatiable hunger, she had killed her beloved husband and children, committing an unforgivable sin.
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