The blade in Hayashi's hand pierced into Muzan Kibutsuji's body—
but his words pierced deeper, cutting into Muzan's very soul.
The fear Muzan had buried for hundreds of years resurfaced violently.
His five brains froze all at once, paralyzed by terror, leaving only his primal instincts in control.
"Uhhhhh—hhhhh!!"
The moment the second slash struck the same place Yoriichi Tsugikuni had scarred centuries ago, Muzan let out a scream that tore through the night.
The roar was so deafening it shook snow from the eaves and branches, reverberating across the whole of Mount Kumotori.
At the center of the blast of sound, Hayashi felt the impact pierce straight through his eardrums, rattling his skull until dizziness blurred his vision.
He staggered, instinctively stopping his swing to clutch his ears.
Even in that moment, a thought escaped him:
This is the Demon King? Why does his scream sound more like a cornered beast?
The cry disrupted his assault—and bought Muzan precious moments of clarity. He had no time to weigh his current wounds against those of the past. Only one thought remained:
Escape!
"Split—split immediately!"
"Only by splitting apart can I survive this monster!"
Puff, puff, puff—
Sickening sounds burst from within Muzan's flesh.
In Hayashi's eyes, his body shriveled like a collapsing husk.
Countless lumps of flesh, each writhing with tiny tendrils and limbs, crawled out from beneath his clothes, scattering in every direction with horrifying speed.
The "skin" Muzan had left behind swelled grotesquely—
then exploded with a thunderous bang, spraying a storm of blood mist and fragments of meat that drenched the surroundings in gore.
Hayashi, though nauseated by the grotesque display, exhaled slowly.
He had actually forced Muzan Kibutsuji to flee.
Still gripping his blade, he slashed at whatever fragments he could reach, chopping the crawling flesh to bits.
At last, only Muzan's discarded suit and top hat remained. The rest had vanished beyond even the sight of the Transparent World.
Hayashi relaxed his stance. His chest rose and fell, and an incredulous laugh nearly escaped him.
With only 10% restoration, I actually scared the Demon King into blowing himself apart and running away. Not even his clothes remain…
How deep is Muzan's terror of Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
No wonder, in the original timeline, Muzan hid for decades and only emerged after Yoriichi's death.
If I ever reach 100% restoration… won't Muzan practically worship me as his "second father"?
He smirked at the absurd thought.
If asked what he valued most in life, Muzan would probably shout in panic:
"Life itself! I treasure it, I really do!"
Shaking his head, Hayashi turned back to the matters at hand.
Though Muzan's scream had rattled his body, he was already recovering. His restoration, though incomplete, still granted him durability beyond human limits.
The Kamado family, however, had collapsed under the sonic assault. One by one, they had fainted.
Kamado Kie had crumpled instantly, toppling to the ground. Hayashi hurried to lift her and lay her gently beside her children.
Only then did he notice something strange—Tanjiro was not among them.
A quick memory surfaced: according to the original flow of events, Tanjiro had been spending the night at Grandpa Saburo's house.
Hayashi's gaze hardened, a thought forming in his mind.
Because of his time travel, the Kamado family had escaped their destined tragedy.
In this case, would Tanjiro still join the Demon Slayer Corps?
While pondering this, Hayashi did not forget to close the door, ensuring the Kamado family did not catch a chill.
Relying on his medical knowledge, he judged that the family's condition was stable, though they might not regain consciousness anytime soon. For a moment, he considered sending them to the Butterfly Mansion. But as a traveler from another world, though he knew of its existence, he had no idea where it was located. More importantly, he couldn't possibly carry the entire unconscious family by himself.
Fortunately, the commotion earlier had been so loud that Giyu Tomioka—who, in the original story, had been patrolling nearby—should already be on his way. When he arrived, he would likely summon a Kasugai Crow to request the aid of the Demon Slayer Corps' support unit. That would be far safer than attempting to manage this alone.
Just then, footsteps approached from outside.
The night gradually faded, and the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. Normally, in such an environment, man-eating demons would have ceased their activities. Yet Giyu Tomioka did not relax. Instead, his speed increased.
Though he was still some distance away, his sharp hearing had picked up a terrifying scream reverberating across Mount Kumotori. At that sound, his heart tightened. Only a demon could produce such a noise.
The Water Hashira, clad in his two-toned haori, raced up the snowy mountain like a gust of wind.
When he finally arrived, even his usually stiff expression flickered with surprise.
"What… happened here?"
All around the wooden house at the summit, the snow had melted away, leaving the ground bare. Before the house lay wide pools of blood, staining the earth crimson. Among the gore, Giyu spotted a tattered suit and fragments of flesh twitching unnaturally.
"This amount of blood… no human could have survived this. And human flesh certainly doesn't writhe like that."
Though not prone to wild speculation, even Giyu felt a chill. The scene, combined with the scream he had heard, suggested something impossible: a demon had arrived, let out a scream so loud it shook the mountain, and then… exploded—leaving nothing but blood and minced flesh behind.
"…Absurd," he muttered, shaking his head to dispel the thought. Demons didn't behave this way. Unless… unless there was someone here who could inspire such terror that even a demon lost control.
Setting aside his doubts, Giyu approached the cabin. If the demon had been destroyed, perhaps survivors remained inside.
Raising his hand to knock, he suddenly recalled Kocho Shinobu's advice:
You can't simply bark orders at people hiding inside. You must speak gently, reassure them. Let them know you understand their fear.
Taking a breath, Giyu knocked firmly and said:
"Don't stay silent inside. I know you're there—you're safe now."