"Madam, you wouldn't want to wake the children, would you?"
Yuki watched Kie, her face a mask of fear and vigilance, and quietly took a few steps back.
He knew very well the Kamado matriarch's combat prowess—
To protect her children, Kie had once knocked a wild boar unconscious with a headbutt!
His frail frame might not withstand her headbutt.
"Who are you? Why have you suddenly appeared in my home?!" Kie demanded in a low voice.
Yuki opened his mouth to answer, but no words came.
He couldn't exactly tell the Kamado matriarch that he was a cosplayer who had been transported to the world of Demon Slayer while cosplaying Tsugikuni Yoriichi at a comic convention.
Yuki instinctively glanced at the mirror behind Kie.
Despite the deep night outside, he could clearly see his current appearance.
Crimson hair, a red haori.
Dark red markings adorned his forehead, and Hanafuda earrings with sun patterns hung from his ears.
A wooden sword, meant for cosplay, was strapped to his waist.
Yes, he was still dressed as Tsugikuni Yoriichi from the anime convention.
And now he had suddenly appeared at the Kamado family's home...
No matter how he tried to explain, Kie would never believe he meant no harm.
Yuki could only say helplessly, "Madam, while I can't explain why I'm here, I assure you I'm not a bad person.
"Please rest assured, I'll leave immediately."
Noticing Kie's wary gaze fixed on the sword at his waist, Yuki quickly explained:
"Look, this sword is actually made of wood..."
As he spoke, he drew the sword from its sheath.
But the heavy weight in his hand and the razor-sharp blade froze him in place.
"Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a wooden cosplay sword? How did it turn into a real one?!"
Moreover, as he drew the sword, a line of text popped up before his eyes:
[Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Sword - Pseudo]
[Grants partial Bright Red Sword effects when equipped.]
[When fused with Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Sword - True, grants full Crimson Sword effects when equipped.]
Yuki's eyes widened in disbelief as he frantically tugged at his hair.
A few strands of deep crimson hair fell into his hand, and he felt a tug at his scalp.
He raised his hand again and vigorously rubbed the markings on his forehead.
Yet not a trace of paint stained his fingers.
Yuki was stunned!
The katana, the markings, the hair—these were all part of his cosplay. How had they become real after he transmigrated?!
As if sensing his confusion, another line of text popped up before his eyes:
[Current Cosplay Character: Tsugikuni Yoriichi]
[Current Fidelity: 10% - Preliminary mastery of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's abilities]
'Holy crap, this is a cosplay-come-true system!'
If the fidelity reached 100%, could he truly replicate Yoriichi, the Demon Slayer world's ultimate combatant?!
Yuki was still pondering this when Kie hissed:
"Leave immediately!"
As she spoke, Kie braced herself for a headbutt.
Yuki understood: his sudden drawing of the katana had clearly signaled danger in her eyes.
His subsequent actions—tugging at his hair, rubbing his forehead, and staring down in deep thought—only reinforced her impression of him as unhinged.
In Kie's eyes, he was nothing more than a dangerous madman!
Yuki could only retreat slowly toward the door, trying to avoid any misunderstandings, and whispered, "I'll leave now."
But the moment he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with a man in a black suit and a white top hat!
Yuki's only thought at that moment was:
"Holy shit, what the hell is going on?!"
Kibutsuji Muzan walked along a narrow path on Mount Kumotori.
The deep snow would have made progress difficult for ordinary people, but it posed no obstacle to the Demon King.
He glanced at a small wooden hut beside the path and muttered to himself, "An old man... and a child."
"Tch, utterly uninteresting."
For ordinary demons, this would have been an ideal hunting target.
But as the Demon King, Muzan had long lost interest in hunting humans. His true passion lay in "experimentation."
For a millennium, he had failed to find the Blue Spider Lily, which would grant him immunity to sunlight.
So Muzan shifted his approach.
He bestowed his blood upon humans, hoping they might evolve the ability to withstand sunlight.
If such a demon emerged, he would devour it, finally achieving his goal of becoming the perfect being.
But humans were inherently weak and fragile creatures.
Most who received his blood simply dissolved into puddles of flesh.
Muzan casually glanced toward the mountain peak. The vibrant life force emanating from that direction piqued his interest.
"Five children and one adult woman."
"One last experiment should do."
As he drew closer, Muzan suddenly stopped.
He faintly sensed that the room contained not only the children and woman, but also someone who had mastered a Breathing Technique.
"Tch, a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman?"
Muzan halted, his eyes gleaming with mockery.
"More of those overconfident fools. Still, they make for interesting experimental subjects."
These Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen posed a threat to ordinary demons.
But in his eyes, they were merely amusing test subjects.
After all, for centuries, only...
His expression suddenly darkened, veins bulging on his forehead.
He remembered that man again—
Tsugikuni Yoriichi!
A mere human who had forced him to flee in utter humiliation!
Muzan strode toward the house, muttering to himself:
"I was going to use you for experiments."
"But since you've reminded me of that man, I'll have to torture you to death."
"Almost forgot—I can't let the children see you being tortured. It would frighten them."
"Perhaps I should just kill the children first!"
With this thought, Muzan's face lit up with a sinister smile.
He could already envision the swordsman's desperate cries under his torment.
But as he approached, the door suddenly swung open.
Muzan looked up and immediately saw a cascade of crimson hair.
His gaze drifted downward, settling on the dark red birthmark at the corner of the man's forehead.
In that instant, Muzan's breath caught in his throat.
Even his pupils trembled.
Crimson hair, the birthmark...
The humiliating scene from three hundred years ago flooded back like a tidal wave!
Muzan's gaze continued to move.
He clearly saw the Hanafuda earrings with sun patterns!
Finally, Muzan's gaze settled on the man's entire face.
That face was identical to Yoriichi's face in Muzan's memories!
All seven hearts within his body simultaneously stopped beating.
And his five brains all formed the same thought:
'Holy shit, what the hell is going on?!'