After everything was settled, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat beside the wooden coffin and quietly waited for Muzan's arrival.
Time passed like the sun hanging at the edge of the sky, steady and slow. The sun sank in the west. Silence filled the area.
The setting sun scattered light like broken gold across Kagaya's face. He narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head back, watching the last glow of the sunset.
His expression was unnaturally calm. Not a trace of fear showed. "This thousand-year grudge will finally end in my hands. Perhaps the era of the Demon Slayer Corps should end as well."
No one answered him. He simply muttered to himself in a soft voice.
Under the shogunate's arrangements, the nearby residents had already been moved elsewhere. It felt as if he was the only person left here.
Soon darkness drove away the orange light. It was as if an invisible monster was looking down on this land.
Tap. Tap-tap.
The sound of leather shoes striking the ground came from the distance. Muzan Kibutsuji, dressed in a black overcoat and looking refined and meticulous, stepped out with the first strand of darkness and walked toward Kagaya.
A smile rested on his face. Both hands were in the pockets of his black dress pants. Above them he wore a pure white suit, the tie tucked into a dark-patterned shirt.
Tap.
The footsteps stopped. So did the suited figure of Muzan.
He quietly stared at Kagaya, who sat cross-legged a short distance away.
At the same time, a panel quietly appeared.
"You really are the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. Presence like that can't be faked," Muzan said with pleasure.
"This is our first meeting. You arrived right on time, Muzan Kibutsuji…"
Kagaya's lips were dry and cracked from going so long without a drop of water. He pressed them together and looked at the demon the Corps had hunted for a thousand years with complicated eyes. "I knew you would come in person."
"Where is what I asked for? And… that coffin. Is it prepared for yourself?" Muzan had little interest in the man in front of him. He cared far more about whether the item he wanted had been brought.
Kagaya did not answer the question. He simply continued speaking on his own. "Do you know? It is because of your birth that the Ubuyashiki family has carried a curse for over a thousand years…"
After hearing that, Muzan's eyes filled with disdain. "Only fools believe in that kind of thing. Of course, it doesn't matter in the least."
He pointed at his own head. "Cause and effect is the most boring idea imaginable. Look at me. I've slaughtered countless lives, yet no so-called heavenly punishment has ever fallen on me. There are no gods, no Shinigami, no Buddhas in this world. If there is one, then it would be me—immortal, undying, and endless in lifespan."
Faced with Muzan's arrogance, Kagaya only smiled calmly.
That reaction made Muzan uncomfortable. A strange, loose feeling of disgust rose in him. Why was this man not the least bit afraid of him?
"Enough. I have no patience for your long speeches. Hand over the item, then kneel in front of me and beg. Maybe I'll let you leave." For some reason Muzan kept feeling that this place was not safe.
Before coming he had already had Nakime scout the area thoroughly and confirmed that neither that man nor the Hashira were nearby before revealing himself.
"Is this… the item you wanted?"
Kagaya took a wooden box from his robes. Every movement pulled Muzan's gaze. Long, slender fingers slowly opened the box. Inside rested a flower with blue petals. The stem was covered in sharp thorns. It was a species Muzan had never seen before.
The blue spider lily.
Muzan's heart pounded wildly. He flashed forward to the wooden box and reached for the flower. Slap! Kagaya closed the lid.
"Are you looking to die?"
With the wish he had held for so many years finally within reach, Muzan could no longer stay calm. He glared at Kagaya with pure ferocity. "Hand it over, or I'll cut you into pieces and bury you as fertilizer."
Kagaya remained unhurried. He simply set the wooden box on the coffin lid. "There is a mechanism I designed myself inside. If anyone tries to force it open, the blue spider lily will be sliced into scraps by the blades. You will get nothing. I brought the flower. Where is your sincerity?"
"You want me to personally kill the few remaining Upper Ranks? I'll tell you right now—im-poss-ible!" Muzan's face twisted. He clamped a hand around Kagaya's throat and snarled, "You ugly scarred bastard. Don't test my patience. If you don't want to die, open the box like a good little dog."
Kagaya's feet left the ground. Blood flow to his head was cut off, yet his voice stayed calm. "You think I'm afraid of dying? If I cared about that, I never would have come to meet you today."
That reaction made Muzan realize this man was another hardheaded bastard.
"You Demon Slayer Corps lunatics really give me a headache. Always ready to throw your lives away for some empty, meaningless idea. Don't you want a peaceful life? Even if people get killed by demons, isn't that normal? It's like a natural disaster. People die. Why do you care so much?"
Muzan's voice grew more irritated. He truly could not understand how the Demon Slayer Corps thought.
"You will never understand. Because you never should have been born into this world." Kagaya used the last of his strength to speak.
Bang! Muzan hurled him away. Kagaya slammed hard against the wooden coffin.
"What about that other one? He's a demon just like me! Why do you treat him differently? Just because he's not afraid of sunlight?!"
Completely broken, Muzan clenched his teeth and roared.
"Cough, cough." Kagaya struggled to adjust his body. "He is not the same as you. The difference between a demon and a human is not the body. It is the heart."
Without anyone noticing, more than half an hour had already passed.
[Analysis Complete]
[Talent Ability: Perfect Mimicry]
[Analysis Condition: Destroy Muzan Kibutsuji's disguise and force him into his original form]
[After fusion, the player can freely change appearance, aura, gender, and every other characteristic. Anything the player's eyes can see can be perfectly replicated, provided the player fully understands all information about the target. The degree of completion is directly tied to the amount of information the player possesses.]
[Talent Ability: Original Blood Demon Art]
[Analysis Condition: Absorb more than three hundred milliliters of Muzan's blood]
[After fusion, the player will be unable to consume any food other than human flesh and blood. The more flesh and blood consumed, the stronger the Blood Demon Arts become. This ability has an upper limit. At the same time, the player will master every Blood Demon Art Muzan possesses, including but not limited to:
Blood Demon Art: Black Blood — Thorns
Blood Demon Art: Spatial Opening…]
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69