[Ding! Dungeon Mission initiated:]
[Main Quest 1/1. The Human World is Again Defiled]
[Quest Summary: The multitude of Demons runs wild, and humans are treated like livestock! Slay the Demon King and cleanse the human world!]
[1) Slay Kibutsuji Muzan before the dungeon ends, with the number of Hashira survivors fewer than 3 ☆]
[2) Slay Kibutsuji Muzan before the dungeon ends, with the number of Hashira survivors fewer than 6 ☆☆]
[3) Slay Kibutsuji Muzan before the dungeon ends, with all current Hashira surviving ☆☆☆]
In the dimly lit alley, Aomori frowned.
Slay Muzan? And he had to ensure all the Hashira survived?
The Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan, also known as the Progenitor of Demons, was the ultimate antagonist of the Demon Slayer world. He had single-handedly created countless man-eating Demons and was the root of numerous tragedies.
Demons not only possessed strength far surpassing that of humans but were also extremely difficult to kill. Only sunlight or items possessing its related characteristics could destroy them. Muzan's own abilities were far superior to those of ordinary Demons.
To resist the Demons, humans established the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira were the strongest members of the Corps. However, humans, using only flesh and blood against the Demons, had never truly been their match. If Muzan hadn't constantly underestimated humanity, the Demon Slayer Corps would have been wiped out long ago.
Therefore, the difficulty of this mission was significantly higher than the last one. There was a good reason why the original work was jokingly referred to as "Hashira Slayer"; very few Hashira survived the Final Battle.
Also, there was only one dungeon mission. Was this because slaying Kibutsuji Muzan would cause all other Demons to perish as well?
Aomori's thoughts raced internally, yet his reaction in reality was swift. He stood up, stretched his body, and said to Tanjiro, who looked worried, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern."
"That's great! I saw you lying in the alley and thought something had happened to you," Tanjiro patted his chest and sighed in relief. "You're wearing so little, you must be freezing. How about I take you to Granny Hanako's place to warm up? Granny Hanako is a very kind person, you know."
It was the middle of winter, and a heavy snow had fallen last night. Aomori was wearing the Tattered Tracksuit he had just drawn from the system, which was why Tanjiro assumed this.
"No need," Aomori had a good Physique, so this much cold was nothing. He surveyed Tanjiro from head to toe, finally focusing on the bamboo basket strapped to his back.
Tanjiro noticed his gaze and smiled, saying, "I brought charcoal from my home to sell in town. I just finished selling it and was getting ready to head back."
He had smelled a very pleasant scent emanating from Aomori, which made him firmly believe Aomori was a good person, and his words and actions conveyed added familiarity.
'Is this the very beginning of the plot? A head-on confrontation with Muzan at the start? Should I avoid it or fight?'
In a split second, Aomori made up his mind. He solemnly asked Tanjiro, "Do you trust me?"
"?" Tanjiro stared blankly, then nodded.
"Good. Let's go back to your house first. I suspect your family is in danger."
"Danger?"
"No time to explain; I'll tell you on the way."
Aomori pulled out two Poké Balls and released Pidgeotto and Absol. "Pidgeotto, aerial lookout. Absol, carry this boy."
"Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
"Sol!" Absol gently grasped Tanjiro's clothes with its mouth and tossed him onto its back.
"W-What are these?" Tanjiro had never seen an animal that looked like Absol before, and they had emerged from small balls?
Tanjiro felt his perception of the world collapsing.
"Which way is your house?"
The dizzy Tanjiro pointed to the right.
"Hold tight. We're off."
"A-Aah, slow down!"
...
Under the night sky, two dark figures sped across the snow.
"Aomori-nii, is what you said really true? That there are man-eating Demons in this world?" Even though Tanjiro could tell from the scent that Aomori wasn't lying, he still asked, incredulous.
"That's right. A thousand years ago, for some reason, a man named Kibutsuji Muzan turned into a Demon and gained the ability to turn humans into Demons. Unless the Demon King is killed, the Demons will not disappear. I came here precisely to hunt him down."
"Came here?" Tanjiro instantly understood. "Are you saying that Demon King will attack my family?"
"Yes."
"Then what should we do?!" Tanjiro panicked; his family was everything to him.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Aomori said calmly.
Feeling the mysterious creature beneath him that seemed to fly across the snow, and watching Aomori next to him move effortlessly and swiftly across the snow-covered ground, Tanjiro suddenly felt an immense sense of security and quickly calmed down.
"Okay!" He nodded heavily.
"Oh, there's one more thing."
"Huh?"
...
Passing through a small grove of trees, the dim orange light of the small wooden house could already be seen in the distance.
"No smell of blood!" Tanjiro completely relaxed.
Aomori also nodded. It seemed they had made it in time.
Arriving at the door, Absol stopped, and Tanjiro immediately jumped down and knocked.
"Mom, Nezuko, I'm home!"
Creak. The door opened quickly, and a cute girl with a headscarf peeked out, placing a finger on her lips to shush him. She whispered, "Welcome home, onii-chan. Rokuta and the others are asleep. Keep it down, please."
"Alright," Tanjiro slowed his breathing and quietly said, "Nezuko, everything okay today?"
"Everything's fine, everyone is well." Nezuko saw Aomori behind Tanjiro and asked, confused, "Onii-chan, who is this?"
"This is Aomori-nii, I met him in town..." Tanjiro stammered, unsure how to explain why he had brought Aomori home.
"Hello, Aomori-nii," Nezuko bowed and said, "Please come inside. It's cold out here."
Aomori shook his head, taking two steps back. "I won't come in. Tanjiro, remember, no matter what sounds you hear later, don't come out. You'll be fine once dawn breaks."
"Aomori-nii, you..." Tanjiro wanted to help.
"Tanjiro, your mission is to protect your family," Aomori's tone deepened. "Don't wait until you've lost them to regret it."
With that, Aomori turned and entered the small grove of trees without looking back.
'A smell of sadness. Could Aomori-nii be...' Tanjiro gritted his teeth, went inside, and secured the door.
He found an axe, gripped it firmly, and sat down by the entrance.
Nezuko and his mother looked at his actions, their hearts a little panicked. "Tanjiro, what is going on?"
"Mom, there's something harmful outside. Don't worry, I'll protect you all. I promised Father." Tanjiro clutched the axe, staring intently at the door, while silently praying, 'Aomori-nii, please be safe!'
...
Aomori walked into the forest and recalled Pidgeotto; even with its keen sight, it wasn't much use in this kind of darkness.
"You two stand guard here."
Absol and Pidgeotto responded.
A head-on confrontation with Muzan at the start—this was a rare opportunity. If he missed it, the cowardly Muzan would go into hiding, and Aomori couldn't wait two years until the end of the original plot.
However, even if he seized this chance, Aomori, without a Nichirin Sword, could protect himself but would find it incredibly difficult to kill Muzan, whose regeneration far surpassed that of a cockroach. Given the complex terrain here, stalling until morning was also a stretch.
Regardless of the method chosen, the probability of success was not high. He only regretted that he hadn't taught Absol how to learn Sunny Day.
In this situation, he could only rely on divine light.
Healing Spell is an eternal treasure!
Simultaneously, the homebody Muzan, who rarely ventured out, was seized by a strange whim. Stirred by restlessness, he left his lair and came to this mountain forest, where he coincidentally encountered Aomori, who was sitting beneath a tree conserving his strength.
Their eyes met, and Aomori and Muzan smiled at the same time.
————
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