Episode 71: Yoriichi: You, what do you think human life is?!
『 As soon as he finished speaking, Muzan's hands suddenly transformed into sharp spikes.
They shot straight towards Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the spikes as sharp as blades, slicing through the surrounding bamboo.
The instant Muzan launched his attack, Yoriichi agilely leaped back, dodging it.
His mind was filled with questions.
Although he had encountered many demons before, he had never seen such a strange attack method.
Without any warning, those spikes seemed capable of severing anything in the world.
If he hadn't been momentarily distracted just now, this terrifying attack might have already ended his life.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had been almost invincible since childhood, felt a chill run down his spine and a lingering fear when facing Muzan's attack for the first time.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Kibutsuji Muzan suddenly burst into laughter.
His offense became even more ferocious.
But for Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was already prepared, this level of attack was simply not worth mentioning.
He even began to counterattack Muzan.
While attacking Muzan, he used his "Transparent World" ability to sense that Muzan's body structure was extraordinarily bizarre.
It was as if he were some creature not from Earth.
There was no discernible pattern; he actually had seven hearts and five brains.
All these phenomena that defied common sense were laid bare before Yoriichi.
At that instant, seeing the opponent's unique body structure, Yoriichi Tsugikuni suddenly realized.
Ordinary attacks wouldn't harm the opponent in the slightest... 』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto): "This guy is so cowardly, so many brains and hearts." ]
[ TheHerta (Honkai: Star Rail): "What a strange creature, how do so many organs work together?" ]
[ Ruan Mei (Honkai: Impact Third): "What a magical creature, if only I could study it, that would be perfect." ]
[ Tatsumi (Akame Ga Kill): "So many hearts, how afraid of death is this?" ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "Yes, how afraid of death." ]
[ .....]
『 On the screen, just then, Yoriichi Tsugikuni decided to use all his strength to completely end the life of the source of all evil, Kibutsuji Muzan, right here.
As soon as the thought arose, the sharpness of the blade in his hand began to change unpredictably.
A spark of fire flashed by,
Yoriichi's body spun lightly,
He swiftly unleashed the ultimate killing move of his most exquisite martial art in his life.
Sun Breathing – Thirteenth Form!
In the blink of an eye, the power of this ultimate technique exploded astonishingly before everyone's eyes.
It not only blocked Muzan's storm-like attacks,
But also, in a flash of lightning, severed both of Muzan's arms and his head.
The situation, at this moment, suddenly reversed... 』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer): "Excellent! This is how it should be, directly eliminate Muzan in one go!" ]
[ Genos (One Punch Man): "This is simply a power as strong as Sensei's, unbeatable." ]
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "..." ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "But, why did such a powerful force still allow the opponent to escape?" ]
[ Hatake Kakashi (Naruto): "You mean? The thing that was killed, ultimately escaped?" ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "Yes, even now, hundreds of years later, he is still our biggest threat." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But, but he was already killed, why is he still alive?" ]
[ Jean (Genshin Impact): "Could it be that only by hitting the weak point can the enemy be defeated?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Eww, what a disgusting enemy." ]
[ .....]
『 On the screen, ...
"Cough... cough, cough." Muzan's throat was cut open by Yoriichi Tsugikuni's blade, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
The bright red blood instantly stained the entire bamboo forest path.
"So, this is the effect." Yoriichi Tsugikuni muttered softly, gripping his Nichirin Blade tightly, his face filled with undisguised surprise.
He had originally thought that defeating the Muzan in front of him would require risking his life and enduring countless bitter battles to achieve.
Who knew that the opponent was so fragile, almost finished with a single blow?
If it weren't for Muzan's tenacious life, this demon disaster would have ended long ago.
All of this was because of that one move,
The Thirteenth Form of Sun Breathing, his most powerful ultimate technique now.
It was precisely because this move could inflict such heavy damage on Muzan,
Yoriichi Tsugikuni suddenly realized that his Sun Breathing was simply Muzan's natural nemesis.
The great demon king, who had been so arrogant and overbearing just a moment ago, in the blink of an eye, fell into the bottomless abyss of pain and death.
However, even after enduring such a terrifying blow, perhaps Muzan had some inkling,
His head hadn't completely fallen off yet,
Although it was swaying, hanging on the edge of life and death.
Muzan knew clearly in his heart that if the formidable swordsman in front of him struck again,
His life would end on this nameless bamboo forest path.
"You bastard!" Muzan propped his head with one hand, his eyes wide, glaring at Yoriichi Tsugikuni: "How dare you do this to me?"
But the gap in strength between the two sides was too great, and Muzan also felt a knot in his stomach.
If they continued fighting like this, was there any chance of winning at all?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at Muzan's devilish face, like a grim reaper who had just crawled out of hell.
After a moment of silence, he gently exhaled and said to Muzan in a cold voice: "I think you'd better not talk to me like that anymore."
This sentence sounded like a kind reminder, but it only provoked another round of curses from Muzan.
"Damn guy..." Muzan suddenly had a wicked idea and burst into laughter: "Haha, were your family members all eaten by demons?"
"Otherwise, why would you hate demons so much? They ruined your life, shattered your hope, right?"』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "He's really brave, even at this point, he still dares to threaten like this." ]
[ Boros (One Punch Man): "Hahahaha, I think this guy will die a miserable death." ]
[ Genos (One Punch Man): "But, so many attacks just now couldn't successfully kill him, can he really be killed?" ]
[ Boros (One Punch Man): "Can't die? That's even better, I can kill him countless times." ]
[ .....]
『 On the screen, He might have already realized that he couldn't defeat the man in front of him this time.
So, while threatening the other party, Muzan used the most vicious words he could think of.
And this sentence, not long after, made her personally experience the bitterness of regret during her subsequent hiding days.
Because upon hearing these words, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's brows furrowed tightly.
Although his singing voice also disappeared in that demon attack, it had been a long time, and the memories had become blurred.
But under Muzan's mockery at this moment, those memories interwoven with beauty and despair kept replaying in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's mind.
Just as Yoriichi Tsugikuni was heartbroken by the memories of the past,
Muzan, who didn't know when to stop, continued with a smug expression:
"Oh? What's wrong with you? Did my words touch your sore spot?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't retort directly, but his hand unconsciously reached for the Nichirin Blade hanging at his waist.
Muzan was about to say a few more sarcastic remarks,
The burning anger in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's heart could no longer be controlled.
"You, what do you consider human life to be?!"
From Yoriichi's mouth, a cold question was uttered.
This seemingly ordinary sentence...
But it made Muzan suddenly feel something was wrong.
The dangerous atmosphere instantly made all his hair stand on end.
This was a premonition that the opponent was about to erupt.
Although Muzan sensed this, he didn't feel afraid,
Instead, he became more excited.
Because under anger, a person's reason quickly recedes,
They can only react based on instinct.
This way, he would have an excellent opportunity to escape the opponent's attack range.
At this moment, Muzan was already contemplating how to escape.
And on the opposite side, Yoriichi Tsugikuni also noticed Tamayo by Muzan's side.
Although she had come with him, she didn't seem to have any intention of helping.
Her eyes looked more if she wished she could tear Muzan to shreds.
Seeing this scene, Yoriichi Tsugikuni roughly understood that she might be filled with hatred for Kibutsuji Muzan, just like himself.
This way, besides Muzan, the resentment in his heart could also be slightly relieved later.
After all, carrying the hatred of others is not a pleasant feeling.
Ready, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's eyes were as cold as ice, locked onto Kibutsuji Muzan on the ground.
"I will never let you go." Yoriichi Tsugikuni uttered the vow that Muzan would remember for hundreds of years.
In the scene at this moment, Muzan looked particularly miserable.
Facing Yoriichi Tsugikuni's increasingly cold face, he didn't know why, but he just didn't dare to provoke him anymore.
His heart was pounding, fearing that the other party would seize the opportunity and strike him down with one blow.
So, for the first time, he swallowed the humiliation and quietly waited for the moment of justice to arrive.
He had already made up his mind to see if God was on his side when that time came.
"Crack!" A sound suddenly rang out.
The surroundings instantly became gloomy.
This strange feeling came too fiercely, even Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was about to attack, couldn't help but take a step back.
At this critical juncture, the cornered Kibutsuji Muzan finally waited for the moment when the opponent was distracted.
"Boom!" With the sound of an explosion,
Kibutsuji Muzan, who was standing properly, instantly exploded into countless fragments,
Like a swarm of locusts, flying in all directions...
Although Yoriichi Tsugikuni quickly used Sun Breathing and slashed at the surrounding shredded meat after discovering it,』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "Wow, so powerful, it instantly turned into so many fragments." ]
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "I can't even achieve this effect." ]
[ Boros (One Punch Man): "Yes, you just made it disappear, where would there be fragments?" ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "Was the battle recorded back then actually like this?" ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "Besides him, there's no one else who could deal with this situation, right?" ]
[ Hatake Kakashi (Naruto): "It turned into this, and in the end, he still couldn't be defeated?" ]
[ .....]
『 However, everyone underestimated Kibutsuji Muzan's desire to escape too much.
His speed was actually faster than Yoriichi Tsugikuni's swinging speed.
Strangely, as if deliberately teasing, the remaining pieces of flesh ran back in front of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, as if to buy time.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni naturally wouldn't miss this good opportunity,
He quickly raised his sword again,
And processed over a thousand pieces of Kibutsuji Muzan's exploded flesh on the spot...
But doing so still didn't fundamentally solve the problem.
As long as one piece of Muzan's flesh was alive, he could quickly recover to his original state.
Therefore, this plan to deal with Muzan can be said to have completely failed. 』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Genos (One Punch Man): "So regrettable, in the end, he still escaped." ]
[ Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto): "So powerful! As long as there's one piece of flesh alive, he's immortal?" ]
[ Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer): "No wonder, that crisis back then only happened after Yoriichi-senpai passed away?" ]
[ Otto (Honkai: Impact Third): "After all, that guy is truly terrifyingly strong." ]
[ .....]
~Demon Slayer World~
A certain medical clinic
Tamayo looked at everything happening on the screen.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Why, why? Why couldn't that damned guy just die back then!"
Hundreds of years had passed, and her promise with Yoriichi Tsugikuni had not yet been fulfilled.
However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, as a human, had long passed away, while the Demon King Muzan...
.....
『 On the screen, Yoriichi Tsugikuni understood all the details and had a plan.
He made a promise to Tamayo
He could let her go now, but she had to lend a hand at a crucial moment.
Tamayo didn't hesitate and immediately agreed.
After sending Tamayo away, Yoriichi Tsugikuni planned to leave. Before departing, he received a shocking piece of news from the hastily arrived ancestor of the Rengoku family:
His own brother, Michikatsu Tsugikuni,
Had actually turned into a demon and defected to Kibutsuji Muzan's side,
The very Muzan who had just nearly died by his sword.
This news was like a bolt from the blue, and the strength in his Nichirin Blade instantly vanished.
With a "clank," it fell onto the cold stone path.
His face instantly lost all its color.
When he returned to the Demon Slayer Corps,
Everyone heard that he had let the Demon King go and that another demon had slipped away right under their noses.
Coupled with his brother's betrayal, which felt like a thorn in his side,
People within the Corps began to point fingers at Yoriichi Tsugikuni,
Completely ignoring the great contributions he had made to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Some people even stirred up trouble, shouting for Yoriichi Tsugikuni to kill himself to show remorse.
Seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had made great contributions, suffer such injustice,
Everyone felt indignant for him.
At that time, the people in the Demon Slayer Corps treated their savior, Yoriichi Tsugikuni,
With surprising harshness...
After a heated exchange of words, it was as if Yoriichi Tsugikuni had committed some heinous crime.
Except for the ancestor of the Rengoku family, everyone else shook their heads at him, and curses were incessant.
Those harsh words, each one like an arrow, pierced Yoriichi Tsugikuni's heart.
Although the ancestor of the Rengoku family tried desperately to dissuade them from going,
One person's strength was simply too small.
The members, amidst the incessant curses, turned to the ancestor of the Rengoku family,
The angry crowd cursed the two of them together:
"You pair of disgusting traitors, how can there be people like you in this world?"
Someone, without thinking, blurted out:
"Since you're so powerful, why didn't you just kill Kibutsuji Muzan? What are your intentions?"
Finally, even Yoriichi Tsugikuni was questioned:
"You guy, do you also want to be like that damned Michikatsu Tsugikuni and defect to Muzan?
Don't forget, your damned brother defected to Muzan like that, do you want to wipe out humanity?』
『 .....』
~Chat Room~
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "He clearly defeated Muzan, so why was he criticized like this?" ]
[ .....]
『 Fortunately, at this moment, someone stepped forward to stop them.
This was the young Oyakata of that era, who had just lost his father not long ago, even though he was only about nine years old.
But this young Oyakata still bravely stepped forward and said a few words for Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni at that time didn't want to cause too much trouble for the young Oyakata, so he left the Demon Slayer Corps alone.
.....
Much later, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had long left the Demon Slayer Corps, sent a letter to the first Flame Hashira.
The letter described in detail the entire process of his struggle with Muzan.
But the course of events exceeded Yoriichi Tsugikuni's expectations.
The Flame Hashira, after reading the letter, was not only not encouraged but also particularly disappointed.
He had originally supported Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but he didn't expect the truth to be like this.
After understanding the truth, the Flame Hashira no longer protected Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
If Muzan had escaped for some other reason, it could be explained,
But because of such a small oversight, someone as powerful as Yoriichi Tsugikuni,
Made a big mistake due to temporary negligence and let the world's disaster, Kibutsuji Muzan, escape.
One must know how much pain Muzan had brought to people.
This incident directly caused the Flame Hashira to feel disgusted with Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The voices that had spoken up for Yoriichi Tsugikuni within the Demon Slayer Corps completely disappeared.
From then on, the records about Yoriichi Tsugikuni in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps were gradually forgotten.
As for Michikatsu Tsugikuni, he had long become a byword for shame, and no one mentioned him anymore.
From that day on, Yoriichi Tsugikuni completely disappeared from the history of the Demon Slayer Corps. 』
『 .....』