Chapter 60: Mountain-Crushing Blow
Kaito Shirogane's loud laughter made Muzan Kibutsuji frown. She felt something was wrong. This human before her radiated an alien aura. When she had mentioned eternal life, his heartbeat, pulse, and breathing had remained completely unchanged.
Muzan didn't spare a single glance for Hirohito's corpse on the ground. While he had been a decent collaborator—greedy and foolish—she had disliked the look in his eyes, like an insect staring at a succulent piece of flesh.
"Power, beauty, eternal life, authority. Anything you desire, I can grant you."
[Plot Character Muzan Kibutsuji has invited you to join her faction. Do you accept?]
Muzan had offered him terms even more generous than Hirohito's, and the Nexus had even provided a prompt. Clearly, the Infinite Space allowed for a great deal of freedom. Muzan Kibutsuji truly had no principles or bottom line; she didn't care how many of her demons or so-called collaborators Kaito had killed. She was genuinely inviting him to join her side.
Kaito looked at this version of Muzan, who, despite having been mysteriously "enlightened" in this derivative world, was still the same pathetic creature at her core. He narrowed his eyes, trying to observe her muscles and the flow of her power. But he saw nothing special about her current physical form.
"Muzan," Kaito said, his voice level. "I want the lives of a few of your [Twelve Kizuki]."
"For reasons you wouldn't understand, their lives can increase my power. Can you accept that?"
Muzan let out a soft laugh. She thought he was going to make some demanding request. "The lives of the Twelve Kizuki? Of course." She spoke as if her subordinates' lives were completely meaningless.
Kaito nodded, an identical smile on his own face. "Then let's start with Miss Nakime here. I'm quite fond of her ability."
Kaito pointed a finger at her. Nakime froze for a second but otherwise did not react. Kaito kept his finger pointed at the Biwa Demon, but his eyes were locked on Muzan's expression. As he'd expected, this version of Muzan was no fool.
"Human," Muzan said, the smile fading from her face, her eyes turning cold. "Nakime is not one of the Twelve Kizuki."
Muzan wasn't stupid. She had sensed the malice radiating from this human from the start, but the malice of a mere insect was beneath her notice. She just hadn't expected this lowly bug to actually try and scheme against her. This man's malicious gaze was a different kind of disgusting from Hirohito's. It was as if he were pointing directly at her nose and saying, You are my target. I want to kill you. And… I think I can.
Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes narrowed, her face darkening. The insult of being coveted by an insect made her eyelid twitch. Her killing intent was becoming almost impossible to suppress.
Kaito sensed the killing intent growing stronger and stronger. He wasn't afraid. On the contrary, he was delighted.
Holding the Blue Spider Lily, he took two steps forward, stopping at the threshold of the door. At the border between sunlight and darkness, Kaito and Muzan faced each other, their eyes filled with undisguised killing intent and arrogance.
TWANG!
The biwa was strummed. Several figures instantly appeared inside the dark, windowless wooden house. Nakime's form was now completely obscured by several tall, imposing figures.
Thump-thump-thump.
The sound of running footsteps came from the distance. Hirohito's men were finally about to arrive.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion roared from outside. The Professor and Elizabeth had begun bombarding the reformed soldiers with modern firearms. The local traditionalist factions joined in, launching a frenzied slaughter of Hirohito's remaining men.
Kaito glanced at the main quest's power balance. It had now shifted to 35% vs. 65%. Muzan's faction was inherently stronger than the Demon Slayer Corps; eliminating Hirohito had only trimmed away the auxiliary forces Muzan had acquired. To complete the main quest, they either had to kill Muzan's top commanders, or they had to further strengthen the alliance between the traditionalists and the Demon Slayer Corps.
Kaito knew that from this point on, the Professor and the others probably had the means to complete the quest themselves. After all, they still had over twenty days left in this world. That was more than enough time for the Professor and the Shintoists to spread the word about Muzan's infiltration of the government. The struggle between humans and demons would be brought out into the open. Given enough time, a player like the Professor, who excelled at plot manipulation, could probably find another path to victory, such as uniting the armed forces of all of Japan, and perhaps even acquiring foreign weapons, to completely suppress Muzan's forces.
But that method was not to Kaito's taste.
Kaito slowly opened his left hand, which was holding the Blue Spider Lily. He extended it toward the doorway, just an inch from the shadows. A wicked smile played on his face. Using the terrain and his own height advantage, he looked down on Muzan.
"Don't you want it?" he taunted. "Muzan Kibutsuji. With this, you can finally conquer your weakness to the sun." His voice was full of mirth, like a delinquent teasing a child.
Kokushibo took a step forward from the darkness, his hand already on his flesh-katana, Kyokokukamikiri.
The powerful swordsman's presence drew Kaito's attention, and his taunting of Muzan subsided slightly. Kokushibo's gaze was fixed on Kaito's hand, and from his eyes alone, Kaito could feel a terrifying sharpness, as if he could sever his hand in the next instant. But Kaito didn't even blink. His left hand didn't tremble in the slightest.
Go ahead and try it, Kokushibo. Kokushibo read this message in his opponent's eyes.
TWANG!
Another strum of the biwa. [Hunter] felt the space around him shift. The next second, he was in a lightless room.
"Hunter," Muzan's voice echoed, laced with a chilling malice. "Weren't you going to retrieve the [Blue Spider Lily] for me? Now is the time to fulfill your promise."
Hunter's night-ops gear was torn, revealing skin that was now covered in fine, black scales. After his demon transformation, his muscles bulged, and his body was sleek, radiating a sense of both speed and power. His hair was stiff, like steel needles.
After acquiring the demon lineage, [Hunter]'s rank had risen to [Paper - Upper Tier], and he had already met the conditions for advancement. His true strength was now likely off the charts; a weaker Lower Rank would be no match for him. But against Muzan's command, he was powerless to resist.
He looked despairingly at "Mercenary Tao," who stood bathed in sunlight. His eyes trembled, full of a desperate, internal struggle.
"Go!"
In that moment, the Reincarnator who had once been on top of the world, ready to take whatever he wanted from this low-difficulty mission, had become a mere insect under the foot of a plot character.
VMMMM!
With a low hum, the powerful Upper Rank demons vanished. Hunter, brandishing his greatsword, leaped forward and smashed the doorframe, kicking the splintered wood into the air to momentarily block the sun. Akaza's eyes lit up. This [Hunter] wasn't a complete idiot after all; he had some talent.
Using the fleeting shadow to cover Kaito, [Hunter] kicked off the wooden floorboards, which instantly shattered.
BOOM!
He exploded forward with terrifying speed, appearing before Kaito as a blur. He raised his greatsword high and brought it down in a swift, brutal arc.
[Mountain-Crushing Blow]!
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Guys We cross the 800 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 900 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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