Finally, Kokushibo, whom we had not seen for several chapters, made his reappearance.
However, his mood was far from pleasant.
The reason was simple: he had discovered something that absolutely should not exist within this world.
As Kokushibo stared at the grotesque humanoid creature standing before him, devoid of reason and instinctively twitching like a starving beast, even he felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.
No wonder Arashi had previously reported encountering a man-eating monster.
At first, Kokushibo had assumed it was merely another unusual species of demon. Yet according to Arashi, the creature had attacked him on sight and attempted to devour him without hesitation.
More importantly, when Arashi examined it closely, he noticed the thing possessed no visible pupils whatsoever.
Though its outward appearance resembled that of a human, its true form was far more horrifying.
The moment its flesh split apart, countless insect-like appendages emerged from beneath its skin. Spider-like limbs protruded from its back while sharp mantis-like scythes extended from its arms.
Even now, seeing the abomination directly with his own six eyes, Kokushibo still found the sight difficult to believe.
Suddenly, the creature's head split open.
A triangular insectoid skull emerged from within, lined with countless compound eyes that covered nearly its entire face. Its mouthparts resembled the feeding appendages of a giant praying mantis, twitching hungrily as thick saliva dripped onto the ground.
"…What exactly are these creatures doing in this world?" Kokushibo muttered coldly as he drew his flesh-forged katana.
Rather than fear the overwhelming pressure radiating from him, the monster became excited.
For an instant, it genuinely believed it could kill him.
The half-human, half-mantis creature lunged forward with explosive speed, swinging the blade-like scythes attached to its arms.
Even Kokushibo was slightly surprised.
Its speed had already reached the level of a Lower Rank demon of the Twelve Kizuki.
Ordinary demons would likely be torn apart by such a creature.
Unfortunately for it, Kokushibo was no ordinary demon.
Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace.
A single crescent slash erupted through the air.
The monster was instantly cleaved apart.
Its upper and lower halves crashed onto the forest floor as blood and mangled flesh scattered everywhere.
Kokushibo gazed silently at the remains.
Unexpectedly, something this strange had appeared.
As expected, this world was not as simple as he initially believed.
Originally, he had assumed that possessing near-peak combat ability while knowing the future of the world would allow him to dominate everything with ease.
Clearly, that assumption had been foolish.
There were still unknown variables hidden within the shadows.
Suddenly, the pile of flesh began to squirm violently.
Kokushibo's pupils narrowed.
"It's still alive?"
Before he could strike again, the minced remains rapidly stitched themselves back together.
The creature regenerated completely.
Then, in a distorted voice, it muttered:
"…Manju…"
Kokushibo frowned.
"Manju? Is that its name?"
Before he could think further, the monster charged again.
This time, however, it had clearly learned from its previous death.
At the last moment, it actually dodged Kokushibo's slash.
"What?"
Kokushibo's expression sharpened slightly.
"It adapted after only a single exchange?"
The creature let out a shrill clicking sound as though celebrating its success before bringing both scythe-arms crashing downward toward Kokushibo's neck.
"Hmph. Interesting."
This time, Kokushibo unsheathed the Nichirin Blade hanging at his waist.
Since his flesh blade had failed to completely destroy the creature, he decided to test whether sunlight-infused ore would be more effective.
He no longer held back.
Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing.
A far more powerful crescent slash exploded outward.
The monster's arm was severed instantly.
Before it could regenerate, Kokushibo followed with another devastating strike aimed directly at its neck.
Slash!
Its head flew into the air.
The creature's body stiffened before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
Yet just as Kokushibo thought the battle had ended, another shadow burst from the trees and bit directly into his arm.
Kokushibo reacted instantly, smashing the attacker away with the back of his hand before it could tear deeper into his flesh.
"Another one?"
At the same moment, the first creature's shredded remains began regenerating once more.
Soon, two monsters stood before him.
Both stared directly at Kokushibo with eerie, insect-like fascination.
"…Annoying creatures."
Kokushibo abandoned the Nichirin Blade.
Truthfully, aside from its effectiveness against demons, the weapon itself was inferior to the monstrous durability and flexibility of his own flesh-forged katana.
Without hesitation, Kokushibo activated the Transparent World.
The surroundings slowed.
The internal structure of the creatures became visible before his eyes.
And what he saw was horrifying.
Inside each insect-like body was a central parasite resembling a massive worm.
Everything else surrounding it was composed entirely of fused human remains.
Bones.
Muscle tissue.
Fragments of organs.
Even traces of demons that had been devoured and absorbed into the creatures' bodies.
Kokushibo could clearly distinguish more than ten human skeletons merged together within a single body.
"…So that is your true form."
The monsters were not natural beings at all.
They were parasites wearing corpses like armor.
"Not even demons are safe from you, it seems."
Now that he had identified the core of their bodies, the solution became simple.
Destroy the parasite.
End the creature.
Kokushibo slowly raised his blade.
Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon Infinite Darkness.
An overwhelming storm of crescent slashes erupted in every direction.
The forest shook violently.
One of the creatures attempted to flee, but its speed was insignificant before Kokushibo.
The barrage swallowed both monsters instantly.
Their bodies were shredded into microscopic fragments before they could even scream.
This time, they did not regenerate.
Kokushibo approached cautiously and used the Transparent World once more.
Within the remains, he discovered two surviving insect parasites.
Each was nearly half the size of his palm, grotesque and writhing despite having lost their hosts.
For a rare moment, even Kokushibo did not know what to make of the situation.
Without lingering further, he immediately departed.
Some time later, members of the Demon Slayer Corps arrived at the scene.
Upon discovering the remains of the bizarre creatures along with human bones scattered throughout the flesh, they quickly collected the evidence and prepared to transport everything back to headquarters.
Since none of them had ever encountered such monsters before, they decided to have Shinobu Kocho examine the remains personally.
As dawn approached, Kokushibo still had not secured a safe hiding place from the rising sun.
Left with no choice, he urgently summoned Nakime.
In an instant, his surroundings distorted as he was transported into the Infinity Castle.
The moment Muzan Kibutsuji saw Kokushibo arrive so abruptly, he raised an eyebrow curiously.
"What could possibly frighten you enough to summon Nakime in such a hurry, Kokushibo?"
Muzan was currently dressed in refined Western clothing, appearing every bit the elegant nobleman.
Kokushibo glanced at him calmly.
Ever since informing Muzan that their mental connection had weakened, the relationship between the two had subtly changed.
Though still technically master and subordinate, they now interacted more like equals.
"It's nothing serious. Surely Lord Muzan does not fear anything."
Kokushibo paused before adding flatly,
"Dawn was simply approaching."
The moment those words left his mouth, Muzan's expression changed drastically.
He immediately slammed the door shut behind him.
"Nakime!"
His voice echoed throughout the Infinity Castle.
"Lower the castle deeper underground immediately! Another hundred meters! No two hundred!"
Nakime merely continued plucking her biwa in silence.
Even she had limits.
At that moment, Kokushibo stepped forward and placed the two insect parasites onto the table.
"Lord Muzan," he said quietly, "these creatures are extremely strange."
Muzan examined the shriveled parasites with narrowed eyes.
Their appearance was grotesque beyond description.
Wrinkled flesh.
Rows of jagged teeth.
A dry, withered exoskeleton that resembled neither demon nor animal.
"…An unusual species," Muzan murmured thoughtfully. "Perhaps some newly evolved lifeform "
Before he could finish speaking, Kokushibo interrupted him.
"They consume demons."