"Is this the power of the Progenitor Demon?"
Haruto barely saw the massive arm swinging towards him, only managing to raise his nichirin blade to block. As a result, he and his blade were caught by the giant demon claw and snapped in half at the waist.
The agony of being cut in half was unspeakable. He writhed on the ground for several minutes, cursing Kibutsuji Muzan with the most venomous words he could conjure in his lifetime.
But that beast… merely watched him calmly, experiencing life draining away in torment.
There was not a trace of emotion in his eyes, as if he had stripped his feelings from his body. He even seemed perplexed and confused by Haruto's actions.
"Why do you bother me over the deaths of others?"
His gaze flickered beneath his felt hat: "If you didn't make it, wouldn't it be better to pretend you didn't know?
If you hadn't rushed here so frantically, you wouldn't have died.
Humans should be grateful for certain things they possess, like life.
It's enough to be alive yourself; why concern yourself with others?"
Unfortunately, Haruto could no longer answer him. Blackish-red blood mixed with foam gushed from his mouth—it was his ruptured spleen.
At Mt. Sagiri, Haruto stood blankly in front of the wooden house for two seconds, then rushed inside, rummaging through everything.
Damn it, damn it, damn it—f*ck!
That feeling of pain, worse than death, seemed to linger in his memory, making him retch uncontrollably as he frantically searched.
He clutched the last demonization potion from the drawer in his palm. He kicked open the wooden door and ran towards Mt. Kumotori without hesitation.
Pretend not to know?
Indeed, what kind of thing says what kind of words; a rotten demon can only speak demonic words!
If I only cowered when faced with difficulties… then I might as well have stayed in Swordsmith Village and not become a Demon Slayer Swordsman!
The white-haired swordsman ran even faster. He didn't know when Muzan had arrived at Mt. Kumotori. If he had gotten there earlier, would he have had a chance to take the Kamado Family away beforehand?
"Sora! Go find Tomioka Giyu… Wait, never mind, don't go."
If one Pillar-level Swordsman was instantly killed, could two Pillars escape the fate of death?
It would probably only add to the sorrow… Haruto arrived at Mt. Kumotori at night, panting. He tried to regain his breath and approached the small Kamado Family home.
The mountain was very quiet; there was no smell of blood, nor any screams.
Could it be… The wooden house appeared in Haruto's line of sight.
Also appearing in his line of sight was… Kibutsuji Muzan, who was about to push open the door but, hearing a sound, cast a curious glance in his direction.
"Meeting love around the corner?"
"Love my grandmother's butt, Fan Zhu Ge, run!"
"What a terrifying scene, holy crap!"
Haruto's Adam's apple bobbed; he felt like retching again.
Muzan turned around and calmly asked, "Who are you?"
"…"
What to do? What to do?
Is there any way to make this evil demon leave here?!
Not getting the answer he wanted, Muzan frowned.
"I've seen you, or rather, my subordinates have seen you."
As the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan could see through the eyes of all demons and access their memories, whether from a year ago or decades ago.
"…Was it Douma? Or Daki?" Haruto raised his head and asked in a hoarse voice.
"The Ubuyashiki Family's intelligence isn't as isolated as I imagined; at least you know their names."
Muzan turned around and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Haruto: "You really resemble the person in Daki's memories, even more so than your father, whom she devoured, you resemble your grandfather.
Perhaps what humans call reincarnation is a deception; they are using this method to achieve a different kind of immortality."
The evil demon before him was very calm. Beneath his elegant and gentlemanly exterior, he seemed to hide not the infamous Kibutsuji Muzan, but a mysterious researcher devoted to learning.
Perhaps because their conversation was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest, a sound of footsteps in wooden clogs suddenly echoed from inside the house.
Haruto and Kibutsuji Muzan both turned their heads simultaneously. The former's eyes were bloodshot with fury, while the latter's held the calm gaze of one looking at a dead man.
Don't open the door… Go back to bed—whoever it is!
Unfortunately, Heaven seemed not to hear Haruto's silent prayer. The wooden door opened, and a young woman's face peered out.
Kie rubbed her sleepy eyes: "…Mr. Haruto?"
Do something… Compared to the lives of ordinary people, the life of a Demon Slayer Corps Pillar-level Swordsman should be more interesting to Muzan, right? Haruto reacted in an instant—he leaped backward, using the starlight, trying to get out of Muzan's attack range as quickly as possible!
Kibutsuji Muzan froze for a moment.
Was he… running away?
Among the Demon Slayer Swordsmen he had encountered in nearly a thousand years, very few had deserted in battle, let alone a… Pillar-level Swordsman.
These Pillars, more annoying than burrs clinging to pant legs, always saw themselves as saviors of the world. Under the Ubuyashiki Family's instigation, they charged at Muzan fearlessly, one after another.
So, when the Pillar before him abandoned a house full of ordinary people and fled into the mountain forest, Muzan was momentarily stunned.
After regaining his composure, he decisively ignored the human woman in front of him and calmly pursued Haruto's footsteps… Excellent, at least he actually followed.
Haruto darted into the dense forest, which seemed to be where the Kamado Family usually cut trees, but now it was about to become his bloody burial ground.
He moved like a streak of light through the mountain forest, searching for a suitable battlefield, but it looked more like a senseless escape.
Because Kibutsuji Muzan's speed was too fast!
He wasn't running, wasn't panting, nor was he letting a flash of blade light carry him away… The young, curly-haired man simply moved with light steps, very much like Haruto's shadow in the moonlight, tightly trailing behind him.
Then, he casually waved his sleeve, knocking down the surrounding large trees, leaving Haruto with nowhere to hide.
Muzan understood the Demon Slayer Swordsman's intention: "How are you so sure I would follow you?"
Didn't you yourself say you were more interested in me… Haruto gasped, he had nowhere left to run.
And… his hand reached into his pocket, where a Kochou brooch was hidden.
If he could set an anchor point here, all subsequent work could revolve around "escape" instead of "rescue"… But.
Who could tell him why Tomioka Giyu appeared in the middle of the mountain path?
Wasn't he searching for demons on the adjacent mountain? Why was he at Mt. Kumotori?!
His messy black hair was flying in the wind. The cold-faced young man drew his nichirin blade from his waist, tensing his entire body like a bow!
"Another Demon Slayer Corps member."
Muzan turned around and sighed softly.
"Like… a bothersome bug."
The massive demon claw stretched open the fitted suit sleeve, suddenly growing larger in Haruto's vision… You're doomed, Tomioka Giyu.