The Demon regretted his actions the moment he saw Yuki draw his blade.
Though he couldn't understand why this man's aura felt even weaker than that of the black-haired, middle-parted Demon Slayer...
The moment the Demon saw Yuki draw his sword, its blade instantly turning crimson, an instinct deep within its blood screamed a warning:
Danger!
The Demon was instantly gripped by panic.
Just then, an absolute and inviolable will descended into its mind.
The Demon's heart surged with joy.
'This supreme will must mean that the Great One is watching over me!'
'Great One, save me!'
But the Demon's hope was extinguished in an instant.
To fully express his respect, Yuki unleashed the longest-named form among the thirteen styles of Sun Breathing:
'Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Sun Halo Dragon - Head Dance'
The crimson blade, wreathed in flames, tore through the night sky.
The Demon felt as if it were being dismembered by fire, its vision spinning wildly.
By the time it regained its senses, only its severed head remained, rolling across the ground.
Its crimson Demon eyes were filled with disbelief.
'The Great One was clearly watching over me.'
'But why did that will recoil like it had been burned the moment it saw the sword technique?'
Nearby, Tomioka had just finished slicing through the Demon's "tongue spear" when his peripheral vision caught Yuki's movement.
Even the usually calm and composed Tomioka couldn't hide his surprise.
This sword technique and its effects were undoubtedly a Breathing Style.
However, this flame-infused Breathing Style differed significantly from the Flame Breathing he had witnessed from Kyojuro.
'Could this be a self-created Breathing Style...?'
Tomioka was certain he had never seen this Yuki within the Demon Slayer Corps before.
Yet the current situation made him understand why the Lord had wanted to meet him.
He also realized why the Demon atop Mount Kumotori had fled in such terror, screaming loud enough to shake the entire mountain, even abandoning its clothes in its desperate escape.
Tomioka's mind raced with possibilities, but Murata's thoughts were far simpler.
When the severed tongue coiled around him, his first reaction was panic.
The dense rows of barbs and fleshy spines on the tongue threatened unimaginable injuries if it tightened its grip.
But before the tongue could constrict Tomioka's companion had already slain the Demon.
So now, aside from some torn clothing, he was... completely unharmed!
Within the Infinity Castle, Muzan had already changed Nakime's clothes, dressing her in a magnificent kimono with a black base embroidered with golden patterns. Her dark hair, no longer simply coiled behind her head, was now adorned with golden and crimson ornaments.
Meanwhile, Nakime had reverted to her usual form, clutching her biwa and cowering in a corner of the platform. She was desperately trying to empty her mind, terrified of harboring even a stray thought that might provoke Muzan's wrath.
Yet Muzan, who had appeared calm moments before, suddenly stiffened. As if seeing something in the void, his pupils contracted to pinpricks.
In the next instant, he recoiled as if spotting something foul, covering his eyes with his hands. Bulging, earthworm-like veins crawled across the skin around his eyes.
"Damn it!"
"Incompetent fool! You dare order me to save you?!"
"You were merely sliced to pieces! Why don't you reflect on your own failures?!"
"And..."
Muzan pressed his hands tighter over his eyes, the crimson burn scars visible through the demon's eyes searing his own.
"Nearly identical wounds!"
"That man is just a human! Could he truly have crawled out of his grave?"
"Kokushibo! Why hasn't he reported back to me yet?!"
Terror and resentment gnawed at Muzan's sanity like swarming insects. He whirled toward Nakime, his voice cracking with fury:
"Nakime!"
Early the next morning, Tomioka and Yuki, having rested at the nearby Wisteria House, resumed their journey.
Murata walked alongside them, occasionally stealing glances at Yuki.
Yuki's breathing technique and astonishing swordsmanship from the previous night had left an indelible impression on Murata, sparking new questions.
'Could this swordsman, who isn't wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, be a new Pillar?'
Murata had considered asking directly, but the swordsman named Yuki seemed to be on good terms with Tomioka.
'If he's close to Mr. Tomioka... then Yuki's personality must be just as peculiar.'
Yuki remained oblivious to Murata's thoughts.
He was currently assessing his restoration progress.
The battle the previous night had increased his restoration by another 3%, bringing it to 20%.
This rapid progress surprised Yuki.
After all, even landing two strikes on Muzan had only increased his restoration by 7%.
Yuki had only used the Eleventh Form of Sun Breathing once to eliminate an ordinary Demon, not even a Lower Moon, yet his restoration rate had increased by another 3%.
'So, the difference between these two scenarios lies in whether I directly killed the Demon?'
A peculiar expression crept across Yuki's face as this thought occurred to him.
He remembered some clues about various Demons.
'If I went door-to-door and slaughtered them all, would my restoration rate skyrocket?'
Moreover, leveraging the information gap, he could even invite the Pillars along, specifically choosing daytime hours to drag these Demons out into the sunlight!
As he continued to ponder, Yuki's expression grew increasingly bizarre.
This thoroughly frightened Murata, who occasionally glanced at him, sending a chill down his spine.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Yuki was contemplating something truly outrageous...
Noticing that his reaction had caught Yuki's attention, Murata immediately tensed up. He forced himself to strike up a conversation with Tomioka, desperately trying to change the subject:
"Mr. Tomioka, I really wasn't injured at all."
"I'll be fine resting at the Wisteria House. Is it really necessary to go to Headquarters and the Butterfly Mansion with you?"
Tomioka replied earnestly:
"Demons rarely gather. It's extremely rare for two demons to appear in the same area."
"I suspect there's another secret hidden there."
"Sending you to the Butterfly Mansion is just to ensure you haven't sustained any hidden injuries."
"More importantly, we need to report this matter to the Lord at Headquarters."
Murata's eyes widened at this.
'As expected of a Pillar! His thinking goes far beyond what an ordinary swordsman like me could ever imagine!'
'But wait!'
'Isn't Mr. Tomioka notoriously bad at communicating?'
'Why is he speaking so... normally now?'
As Murata pondered this, Tomioka suddenly quickened his pace.
"Headquarters is just ahead."