"…Nice work."
In the midst of clashing blades with Kokushibo, Uchiha Hikari glanced back and tossed a quick compliment to Eri.
Meanwhile, Bulma, watching the live stream from the Dragon Ball world, chimed in with enthusiasm:
[Bulma: Whoa, Eri, you're awesome!]
[LittleMonster: Hehe, thanks!]
Eri's cheeks flushed slightly, a shy smile spreading across her face.
Kikyo, ever observant, expressed curiosity about the "Judgment" ability.
[Kikyo: So this is the 'Speech Spirit' from the Dragon Road world that Hikari mentioned? It's fascinating, though it's a bit different from the 'Speech Spirit' I know.]
[Bulma: Oh, you mean like this?]
[Bulma: [Inuyasha_Sit.jpg]]
[Kikyo: …]
Back in reality, Kokushibo's brows furrowed, his six eyes locked onto Hikari.
At this point, he wasn't sure if she was truly Yorichii Tsugikuni's reincarnation.
But…
In how infuriating she was, this girl was practically a mirror image of his genius younger brother from centuries ago! For 400 years, Kokushibo had abandoned his identity as Michikatsu Tsugikuni, training relentlessly as a demon to prove he could one day surpass Yorichii. Yet now, despite unleashing power far beyond his human days, Hikari faced him with a casual, almost playful attitude. The contrast filled him with humiliation and rage.
Driven by these emotions, Kokushibo's aura surged.
As he unleashed his full strength, his body began to crack, grotesque blades sprouting from his flesh like twisted branches. His blood-and-bone-forged katana, Kyokokukamusari, seemed to come alive, pulsing with energy. Red, bloodshot eyes opened along its blade, hilt, and guard.
—This was Kokushibo's Blood Demon Art.
He transformed into a living arsenal.
Crescent-shaped wind blades formed with his movements, blending with the Moon Breathing techniques of Kyokokukamusari, slashing in all directions. Wisteria trees were sliced in half, stones by the pond were cleaved cleanly, and waves splashed across the water's surface, accompanied by the constant roar of dust and debris.
Kikyo reacted instantly, raising a barrier to shield the frail Kagaya Ubuyashiki and calling Eri over to avoid the onslaught.
Tanjiro, Himejima Gyomei, and others swung their Nichirin Blades or meteor hammers, deflecting the incoming blade gusts.
Amid the chaos, Hikari let out a soft sigh and took a deep breath. "Humans have limits, and so do demons… Let me show you once more the first breathing technique of this world."
"Origin… Sun Breathing!"
Back on Spider Mountain, Hikari had once used "Sun Breathing."
But that was a fake, conjured with Amaterasu.
Now…
Having studied all breathing techniques and fused them into her own "Ten Heavens Breathing," she'd grasped the essence of Yorichii Tsugikuni's original Sun Breathing.
As her grip tightened on her four-foot dragonbone blade, it accelerated, slicing through the air and sparking crimson embers in its wake. Then…
Flames erupted!
This time, Hikari didn't cheat with Fire Release or "Fire Thunder God." She used the native power of the Demon Slayer world—a Nichirin Blade!
And possibly one on par with Yorichii's own!
In that moment, Hikari herself radiated intense heat and flames, merging with her blade. To everyone watching, she became a streak of red light, a meteor tearing through the sky, obliterating every wind blade in her path!
Swish—!!
A flash of light!
From an onlooker's perspective, Hikari seemed to pass through Kokushibo, appearing over ten meters behind him in the blink of an eye.
She paused, casually flicking her blade.
Behind her, Kokushibo's Kyokokukamusari snapped in two. Then his body split down the middle, a red line of flame stretching from his forehead, burning slowly and silently along the cut.
A faint crack followed.
Hikari glanced back, noticing a small bamboo flute fall from Kokushibo's robes.
Like his blade, it was broken in half.
"…"
Kokushibo's gaze followed the flute, his mouth opening as if to speak, but no sound came.
Hikari sheathed her blade and walked back, picking up the flute under Kokushibo's complex stare. She pieced it together in her hands, then placed a hand on his forehead.
"…"
"Sleep."
In his final moment, Kokushibo's eyes reflected Hikari's figure, faintly overlapping with the image of a young Yorichii holding that same bamboo flute.
Then…
Whoosh! The flames of Sun Breathing erupted into a blaze!
Having lost all will to fight, Kokushibo could no longer hold his form. His body burned, splitting into two halves and turning to ash, scattering in the wind along with his broken blade and haori.
…
Soon after, Esdeath and Brand returned from outside, followed by Mitsuri Kanroji, Shinobu Kocho, and others.
Shinobu's eyes were red, as if she'd just been crying.
"Hikari-san!" Mitsuri rushed forward, enveloping Hikari in a big hug. "You're all okay, thank goodness! Esdeath-san was incredible—Upper Moon Two didn't stand a chance against her! Kanae-san's death is finally avenged!"
Mitsuri's excitement made her words a bit jumbled, but her meaning was clear.
Demons had incredible regenerative abilities, especially Upper Moons. Without a Nichirin Blade, Esdeath could only crush Douma, leaving Mitsuri and others to finish him off.
Hikari, enjoying the soft embrace of the bubbly Hashira, glanced at Brand, who nodded. "It's done. 'Demon Bind' couldn't kill him, but Muichiro was there to decapitate him with a Nichirin Blade."
"Good job."
Muichiro "killing" Gyokko again was almost poetic, a twist of fate.
Now, only Yamato's fight was ongoing.
[NoName @DemonPrincess: How's it going?]
[DemonPrincess: Huh, you're all done already? This guy's strength is so-so, but his vitality is unreal. I've turned him to paste, and he still regenerates. Kinda fun…]
[NoName: …Alright, take your time.]
Hikari's lips twitched, and she left Yamato to it.
Tanjiro, a bit worried, discussed with Sanemi Shinazugawa before they both ran off to check on Yamato.
At that moment, Kagaya, supported by Himejima, approached Hikari and the others. "Hikari-san, and everyone here… thank you so much. Without your help, the Corps would've suffered devastating losses, even if we won."
"Heh, just a small effort," Hikari said, waving it off. Her gaze swept the area. "Go check on casualties. If there are new deaths, gather their bodies for revival later."
"Understood."
Muzan and the Upper Moons weren't the only ones who came to the headquarters. Some weaker demons had tagged along but were intercepted outside by other Corps members. With Kyojuro Rengoku and others guarding the perimeter, any losses should be minimal.
With that, Hikari shifted her focus to Muzan.
He was completely dumbfounded.
Hikari's strength made sense—she was "Yorichii's reincarnation." But why were the others so powerful too? Since when did the Demon Slayer Corps have this many secret weapons? After just one year out of the public eye, had he become a frog in a well?
All these questions turned to panic as Hikari approached.
"Y-You… what are you going to do?"
"Let's take a look at that brain of yours."
…
Moments later, Hikari emerged from Muzan's memories, rubbing her temples wearily.
How to put it…
She'd known Muzan was a thorough villain, committing countless atrocities over a thousand years, even forcing some of the Twelve Kizuki into his service. But diving into his memories revealed he was even more vile than she'd imagined.
If she didn't need him as a test subject, she'd have sliced him up on the spot.
Of course, there was another reason to keep him alive—
Muzan's life was tied to all the demons he'd created.
If he died, every demon—except Yushiro, Chachamaru (converted by Tamayo), and Nezuko (now human again)—would die with him.
The other demons didn't matter.
But there was one Hikari wanted: Nakime.
The "Infinity Castle" wasn't Muzan's ability—it was Nakime's.
Her power was similar to Obito's Kamui, creating a separate dimension to trap or transport people. But unlike Kamui, entering or exiting the Infinity Castle was effortless—a pluck of Nakime's biwa strings could summon anyone from anywhere or send them back to any real-world location.
Plus, the castle's terrain could shift according to Nakime's will.
These traits surpassed even Kamui.
Hikari was a bit jealous.
Her first thought was to study the source of Nakime's Blood Demon Art to absorb it for herself.
But that wasn't something she could do quickly.
So, taking Nakime as a subordinate was a decent alternative.
—The question was whether the Infinity Castle would work in other worlds.
"Nakime's still under Muzan's control. One thought from him, and she's dead…"
"But to meet Nakime, I'll likely need Muzan…"
Hikari pursed her lips.
If Muzan just escaped via the Infinity Castle, that was fine—she'd already marked him with a seal, making it easy to track him down even if Nakime pulled him in. But if Muzan, realizing he was doomed, decided to take Nakime down with him out of spite, that'd be a problem.
—He was absolutely capable of such a petty act.
"Eh, I'll start by taming Muzan's consciousness… Nakime's not going anywhere for now."
Hikari made up her mind.
She sealed Muzan into a scroll and tucked it away.
—Speaking of which, she still had Naraku sealed in another scroll, yet to be dealt with in the Inuyasha world. To avoid these two vile beings crossing paths, she stored their capsules in separate boxes.
With that done, Hikari yawned, feeling drowsy.
Staying up all night was no big deal, but sifting through Muzan's thousand years of memories—even just skimming—had drained her chakra and mental energy, leaving her eyes sore.
"…I'm sleepy. I'm gonna rest. Call me if anything comes up."
"Don't worry, Hikari-san, we'll handle the rest," Kagaya said solemnly, nodding.
Kikyo also gave a slight nod. "Rest easy. I've got things covered."
Kikyo was reliable as always.
After a quick word with Esdeath, Hikari headed to her room, rinsed off hastily, and collapsed onto the bed without changing, falling into a deep sleep.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, Hikari didn't stir until the sun was high, woken by a ray of light.
As she opened her eyes, she felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Eri curled up beside her, sleeping soundly. Nearby, Esdeath leaned back in a chair, arms crossed, dozing off.
"Wait…"
Hikari blinked, noticing the checkered pajamas she was wearing. Her expression turned odd. "Last night… who changed my clothes?"
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