Under the dark night sky, a fleeting figure was on the run, constantly glancing back.
It was Zekawa, still in a state of constant escape.
He rode his beloved dog, his gaze firm.
His experiences during this period had stripped the childishness from his face.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a streak of fire rushed from afar, instantly slashing towards Zekawa's body. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, immediately leaping off Cangmaru's back, dodging the fatal blow.
However, his demonic pet dog, could not escape. Its four limbs were severed by the sharp blade, and it skidded a long way across the ground.
Zekawa rolled and landed, taking advantage to create distance.
Before he could retreat far enough, a blade tip had already appeared at his neck.
It was about to cut into his skin.
Zekawa's pupils contracted. He raised his hand and gripped the blade, showing no change in expression even as the Nichirin Blade sliced off half his palm.
Then, like a leaping grasshopper, he instantly soared over ten meters high, returning to where Cangmaru had fallen.
The large dog, its body constantly oozing blood as if it were a conglomerate of mud and decaying flesh, regrew its limbs and stood up.
Saliva dripped from its mouth, its fangs bared, letting out fierce growls.
The man and the dog stared at the two suddenly appearing swordsmen.
Demon Slayer Corps.
Before this, Zekawa never knew of the Demon Slayer Corps' existence... he only encountered them after leaving the pleasure quarters.
Including other demons under Muzan.
This also gave him a deeper understanding of this world.
Therefore, he had always acted with extreme caution and low-key.
However, he had also anticipated that killing the ruler would inevitably lead to trouble, and he had been prepared.
These two Demon Slayer Pillars had been chasing him for a long time; this wasn't their first encounter.
Flame Hashira and Water Hashira.
The ones pursuing Zekawa were Ichiei and Tenjurō.
The two Pillars also looked at the boy and the dog with serious expressions. Before this, they had a brief conversation with Zekawa and basically confirmed that the boy was transformed by Oboro, not Muzan.
Additionally, during their investigation, they also found that the boy had harmed many innocent civilians and eaten many people in order to successfully kill the ruler of the nation.
Although most of these victims were the scum and cancer of society, from the perspective of the Demon Slayer Corps, they were still vibrant human lives, and demons had no right to judge them.
Furthermore, normally, a demon's appetite has limits... but the boy and his dog were unrestrained, eating frantically and desperately digesting, all in pursuit of rapidly increasing their power by any means necessary.
Under normal circumstances, even if a demon ate many ordinary humans, their growth would be very limited, which is why most demons prefer to seek out rare blood. But the boy was somewhat special; his growth and speed were astonishing.
Even relying solely on the blood of ordinary humans, he could make rapid progress.
This somewhat shattered Ichiei and Tenjurō's understanding of demons.
After chasing him for so long, the boy had already escaped from them once and possessed strength comparable to a Lower Rank of the Twelve Demon Moons... yet there were no numbers in his eyes.
And from Zekawa's earlier direct mention of Muzan's name and drawing a clear line between them, it was clear that the boy had also broken free from Muzan's blood control.
"I've said it many times... I have no relation to Muzan Kibutsuji, and I don't kill indiscriminately. Those I've eaten are the scourges that made this world more diseased, including the man named Tokugawa."
The boy's expression was grim.
Ichiei and Tenjurō positioned themselves, one in front and one behind, surrounding the boy.
"Did someone send you to commit murder in the Shogunate?" Ichiei asked calmly, raising his Nichirin Blade.
"It was fate. Heaven guided me to do it," Zekawa said expressionlessly. "This world is sick, many people are sick... someone needs to stand up and make a change. Look closely at this world: war rages, lives are devastated, people are not like people, demons are not like demons... I do this only to quickly end the suffering and grant this world a new life. Those who die because of me are but a small fraction; if I don't act, more will die in the future."
"Besides, the people I ate deserved to die... they don't belong in the new world."
Ichiei frowned. He saw an unshakeable determination in the boy's eyes.
It was hard to imagine that these were the words of a boy barely in his teens.
He and Tenjurō had heard this speech once before.
"Was it that man... the one named Oboro, who told you this?" Ichiei asked. "The current collapse of the nation's power is entirely due to your actions. Without your assassination in the Shogunate, the current situation wouldn't exist."
"Pain is only temporary... what's more worth looking forward to is rebirth."
Zekawa's expression became slightly distorted.
"And... don't you dare speak that man's name."
As his words fell, Cangmaru, who stood beside Zekawa, instantly transformed into a liquid-like substance, flowing along the boy's arm and surging into his body.
Blood Demon Art activated!
Zekawa knew well that this time, he couldn't shake off the two Pillars.
He had to fight to the death.
As he merged with Cangmaru, under the gaze of Ichiei and Tenjurō, the boy's form suddenly multiplied in size, growing rapidly.
In just a few seconds, he transformed into a monster nearly five meters tall, with a wolf's head and a human body, exuding an astonishing aura.
A single palm of his was the size of a millstone, and his sharp claws resembled black daggers.
"Roar!"
The roar that burst from his mouth unleashed a violent gust of wind.
"Breathing Technique First Form: Abdominal Internal Breath."
Almost simultaneously, Ichiei and Tenjurō changed their breathing rhythm. All the muscles in their bodies instantly tensed and contracted.
Then, Ichiei's blade tip dropped. With gentle movements, like gliding across a calm lake, he walked towards the boy.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Azure Abyss."
As he spoke, a gentle breeze seemed to sweep across the field. The next moment, the lake formed by the blade's power rippled.
Like a surging tsunami, countless water spouts erupted, all shooting towards the monster standing at the center of the lake.
Each water spout was a flash of a blade.
This was a technique Ichiei had created himself after studying breathing techniques and combining them with Water Breathing.
The towering Zekawa roared wildly at the approaching water spouts, leaping forward.
However, his powerful body and movements seemed unable to avoid the impact of the dense water currents. He couldn't even stand steadily; the ground beneath his feet seemed to have truly turned into a tumultuous body of water, making it impossible to gain a foothold.
Boom!
On the other side, a figure was sprinting across the 'lake surface,' the scorching flames in his hand making the 'lake water' seem to boil, emitting large bubbles and steam.
"Flame Breathing Eighth Form: Blazing Sun in the Sky!"
As Zekawa was cut and buffeted by the water, reeling backward, Rengoku Tenjurō's blade unleashed a towering pillar of fire, instantly engulfing the monster's colossal form and piercing through the sky.
"You are not the only one who has been granted power," Ichiei muttered softly, his eyes scanning the screaming black silhouette within the scorching blade's fury.
...
While Zekawa suffered a heavy blow.
Elsewhere, Oboro sat in a courtyard, holding a cup of warm tea, gazing at a disheveled woman dressed in rags.
The woman's tattered clothes were stained with blood, and she gripped a katana in her hands.
Her exposed skin was covered in whip marks and scabbed wounds.
Just moments ago, the woman, with her seemingly frail body, had slaughtered everyone in the courtyard.
She was somewhat distraught now.
Chiyoko and Rina, the two maidservants, stood calmly at Oboro's side, one on his left, one on his right.
"Your actions have already given you the answer..." Oboro took a sip of tea, looked at the woman, and smiled. "See... if you just do it, things will change, and you will gain freedom."
"It's not that hard..."
"However, this freedom is only temporary. As long as this world doesn't change... one day in the future, you will still encounter the same situation. They all say you are crazy, but is it you who is crazy, or are they?"
As Oboro was speaking, his expression suddenly changed.
He felt a premonition.
He looked up at the sky.
He sensed that something had happened to Zekawa.
Since the boy had his blood infused in him and was an inheritor of his will, Oboro could sense it.
"Good."
Zekawa might be dying, yet Oboro revealed a satisfied smile.
Regardless of who killed Zekawa, be it a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman or one of the Twelve Demon Moons... it proved one thing: the difficulty of this world was increasing, and all combat powers were evolving.
The woman in front of him plopped to her knees, dropped her weapon, and bowed her head.
A hand reached out to her, its skin and texture immaculate, with a faint warmth...
"Go. Go prove yourself... Tell everyone you're not crazy... that you're the only one who's sane."
The woman's pupils trembled. She looked up at the man's smiling face.
Slowly, she placed her hand into his.
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