Among demons, only those who could use Blood Demon Arts had obvious "effects." The Breathing Styles used by humans had no visible traits.
In plain terms—no special effects.
So when a guy wreathed in flames suddenly appeared…
And spoke to Muzan with that kind of disrespect…
There was no way he was a demon, right?
At that moment, the flames receded slightly, and everyone finally saw the Ubuyashiki family.
Tears slid down faces—silent, unconscious.
"Master…"
"Lord…"
"Leader… you're alive… Thank goodness…!"
…
Kagaya Ubuyashiki had misjudged one thing.
His death would indeed raise the Demon Slayer Corps' morale—
but the strength those people drew from protecting him…
was no less terrifying.
—
The instant Muzan met Uchiha Sora's gaze, three tomoe surfaced within Muzan's already-red eyes.
Inside a mental realm woven from flesh and blood, a blazing sun rose.
Muzan hadn't seen the sun in a thousand years.
His psychological defenses collapsed on the spot—his naked soul dragged out and scorched beneath that light.
…
This creature had almost no resistance to genjutsu.
In fact, he was weaker than an ordinary human with real resolve.
Uchiha Sora rummaged through Muzan's memories at top speed—
but he wasn't skilled in genjutsu. He couldn't do what Shisui could, locating the crucial fragments instantly.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have missed something as important as the Infinity Castle earlier.
Time was running out…
…
From the outside, it looked simple:
Uchiha Sora walked closer, and Muzan's eyes went vacant. He couldn't move.
Sora pressed a hand to Muzan's head—
and Muzan didn't even react.
It was a kind of power none of them could understand.
…
With Muzan's consciousness severed, Nakime couldn't confirm his location.
And now, through some chain reaction, nearly every demon froze in place, unable to move.
In Sora's probing, the deepest scar carved into Muzan's mind was one man.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The strongest force this world had ever produced—who had nearly erased Muzan in an instant centuries ago, leaving wounds that would never heal.
Transparent World…
A weakened Byakugan? Not bad.
Breathing Styles…
They had a hint of taijutsu in them. If that man had been born in the shinobi world, he would've been a monster there too.
Sora flipped through Muzan's memories as fast as he could—
and found Muzan's head full of Yoriichi.
What… the hell? The trauma is that deep?
He finally forced his way past the shadow—
and hit Muzan's obsession.
The Blue Spider Lily.
Conquering sunlight. Becoming the "ultimate lifeform."
Yeah, sure.
The last "ultimate lifeform" that conquered the sun ended up thinking in space until he stopped thinking at all.
It was all too chaotic.
A thousand years of memories were a tangled mess—
and he couldn't find the method to seize the Infinity Castle anywhere.
Damn it! How is your own base not the single most important thing in your life?! Pay attention!!
Ding—
Countdown: 30 seconds. Transfer will begin when time expires. Prepare immediately.
What a headache…
If he'd known, he wouldn't have removed the danger from those people earlier.
This contract ended automatically once the task was completed—it wasn't like his loan with Rayquaza, where time duration was the core.
That probably had something to do with whether the target actually had the platform…
Tch!
This was your fault, you bastard.
I didn't even hit you that hard—how did you suddenly stop wanting to kill them?
The thousand-year old monsters I know have way more guts than you do.
No time.
Even if he found the method now, he wouldn't have time to act.
Take Muzan with him?
Not an option. If he took Muzan and that demon called Nakime died, the link to the Infinity Castle would be cut.
So…
He'd store it first.
—
Uchiha Sora withdrew from the mental realm and looked at Tamayo, who was clinging to Muzan.
"That—"
He grabbed her shoulder and flung her away before she could say a word.
Then his hands flew through seals as he barked:
"Gather boards and make a barrel. I'm sealing Muzan!"
"Do what he says!" Kagaya shouted urgently, watching the battlefield.
The Hashira instantly changed professions, becoming carpenters.
CRACK—THUD—BANG!
In barely ten seconds, a crude wooden barrel was assembled.
"Cover him!"
The towering Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, swung the barrel forward and dropped it over Muzan. Thoughtfully, he dragged over a mostly intact plank to serve as a lid.
Uchiha Sora pressed both palms to the barrel. Black curse-marks spread outward, sweat beading on his brow.
When the black pattern covered the barrel, Sora pulled five forbidden tags from his ninja pouch and slapped them on.
A low hum vibrated through the air.
The black marks and the tags faded from sight, replaced by an invisible barrier wrapping the barrel.
Ninja Art: Triple Seal Barrier!
The forbidden tags—linked to Sora's chakra—anchored a jutsu that turned the enclosed area into a barrier-space.
To release it, three of the tags would need to be torn off.
Until then, physical force couldn't break it.
The principle was the same as Pain's Five Seal Barrier—only far weaker.
But for trapping Muzan…
it was more than enough.
He'd had them make a barrel for one reason: Muzan couldn't be exposed to sunlight and die.
This thing couldn't die.
…
Less than ten seconds remained.
His trip to this other world was about to end.
Like a sudden flash of understanding, Sora realized how to leave an imprint—just like Rayquaza had.
An imprint was a marker linking two worlds.
Simpler still:
it was the business card of a cross-dimensional lending platform operative.
If they accumulated enough Reputation Points, they could use the imprint to submit a loan request—
or rather, exchange Reputation Points for power.
Because for people without the platform, requesting help consumed their Reputation Points.
Kagaya had probably been the wealthiest in Reputation here. He must have prayed for Muzan's death before.
And the platform never answered him.
Meaning: the cost to "kill Muzan" was beyond what he could pay.
…
So if Sora wanted to descend again…
he'd have to make sure these people stopped wishing for something ridiculous like "world peace."
He looked toward Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
No good. The man was about to die.
He swept his gaze across the crowd—
and spotted someone with a white snake coiled around his neck, bandages wrapped around his face.
A lot of "elements" there.
He looked like Orochimaru.
Which meant one thing: the guy screamed long-lived.
Obanai Iguro hadn't even reacted before Uchiha Sora vanished—
and appeared right in front of him.
…
So fast!
There was no track, no blur—nothing.
…
A finger tapped Obanai's forehead.
A tomoe-mark, black laced with red, bloomed at the point of contact.
With almost no time left, Sora spoke quickly:
"My power will hold this seal for at most a hundred days. During that time, you need to build as many connections with people as possible."
"Help them fulfill wishes, or lend money and get repaid—whatever works…"
His body began to fade as he spoke without stopping.
"Use my business card. Apply every day… pray for me to come handle jobs for you."
"It can't be something like 'kill Muzan.' You can't afford that price."
"Make it something like saving a cat—whatever. Ask your boss, he'll understand."
"Don't damage my Infinity Castle. When I come to claim it, I'll conveniently deal with Muzan for you."
"And last—"
"Learn from your seniors in other worlds. Treasure your life."
"Whatever you do… don't die."
He exhaled hard.
It was the first time he'd spoken so much, so fast.
And with those words, Uchiha Sora's existence vanished completely from this world.
Only the barrel containing Muzan remained—
proof that none of this had been a dream.
…
Obanai Iguro touched the fading mark on his forehead, utterly at a loss.
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