Four hundred years ago.
Summer night.
Tsugikuni Michikatsu was extremely unwilling after not getting the answer he wanted from Yoriichi.
He believed that both he and his brother were special.
Whether it was Yoriichi or himself.
They had already stood at the pinnacle of the world.
No demon or human could withstand the mighty power of the Breathing Technique.
However...
"No need to worry, brother..."
"You and I... are merely passersby..."
Yoriichi's calm and gentle voice echoed in his ears.
Lying on the rooftop, gazing at the starry sky, Tsugikuni Michikatsu gnashed his teeth in hatred.
He crushed the stone he was tossing in his hand!
"What a joke!"
"I am not a passerby in human history!"
"There is no way any infant could surpass you and me! We will leave an indelible mark on history!"
"What do you think I abandoned my wife and child for!?"
"You don't understand me at all!"
"How annoying... just like when we were little, the same hypocrisy, the same disgust!"
The drastic change in his emotions made him gasp for breath.
It had been like this since he was a child.
No matter how much unfair treatment he suffered, Yoriichi was always so gentle.
So much so that all of his mother's love was focused on him alone.
Michikatsu hated, even detested these things.
Because it was completely inconsistent with the samurai philosophy his father taught him.
Compromise was undoubtedly an act of cowardice!
It was in the past, and it still is now.
But Michikatsu couldn't change Yoriichi's way of thinking.
After all... even the power he possessed was taught to him by Yoriichi.
He was the sun.
He himself.
It was merely a bright moon that basked in the sun's radiance, emitting only a faint glow.
His chest felt extremely heavy.
The moonlight shone on his face, but he felt no warmth.
He touched the mark on his forehead.
Twisted marks, like flames, were rooted there.
Warm...
And terrifying.
Tsugikuni Michikatsu suddenly recalled a rumour circulating within the Demon Slayer Corps.
Some said that while the mark granted great power to its user, it also limited their lifespan.
Without exception, all who awakened it did not live past twenty-five.
Originally, Michikatsu didn't believe it.
But when he saw one swordsman after another inexplicably drop dead in the middle of the night.
Even the most steadfast belief began to show some doubt.
Along with it came an inexplicable dread.
He—was twenty-four years old this year.
His twenty-fifth birthday.
It was less than a month away.
"If..."
At this thought, Tsugikuni Michikatsu's unwilling and agitated voice rang out again:
"If I die in a month, then what was I born into this world for?"
"Yoriichi, I abandoned everything just to see the world through your eyes, and in the end, will I die because of you?"
"I am unwilling..."
"I am the Demon Slayer Corps' Moon Pillar..."
"I want to live..."
"I want to catch up to you...!"
Clap! Clap!
Just then.
Two sudden claps came from above.
"Well said, human."
Kibutsuji Muzan's playful voice echoed in the silent night.
He watched Tsugikuni Michikatsu go from calm to explosive, like facing a fierce tiger, quickly performing a carp leap, drawing the blade from his waist and pointing it at him.
He showed no sign of panic.
His dark yukata and the black wisps of hair on his forehead gently swayed in the breeze.
He sat cross-legged, one hand clasped to his chest, revealing an expression of keen interest:
"To happen upon this place and encounter such an interesting human."
"The Moon Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"I've heard a little about it."
"My demons were killed by you, I presume."
"So what?"
"Who are you?"
"Me?" Kibutsuji Muzan chuckled softly, his arrogance evident in his expression.
"Didn't your Demon Slayer Corps always look for me?"
"Now I stand before you... And you don't recognise me at all?"
"Interesting."
He extended a finger.
In Tsugikuni Iwakata's suddenly constricted pupils.
He tilted it slightly.
"Human, you said you want to live, didn't you?"
"I can give you that chance."
"You want to master swordsmanship to its utmost."
"Coincidentally... I also want to know what difference there is between a human who wields a Breathing Technique becoming a demon, compared to an ordinary human becoming a demon."
"Ultimately, humans are simply too weak; they age, they get injured, they die, but after becoming a demon, it's different."
"You too, become a demon..."
...
...
"Your name is..."
"Tsugikuni..."
"No, that's too unpleasant. From today onwards, you shall be called Kokushibou."
"Remember, I despise weakness. If you stop here, you will have no value in existing..."
Layers of voices echoed in his mind.
The illusory scene slowly shattered.
"Hiss—!!"
Kokushibou clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
A large amount of oxygen was compressed into his demon body at once.
His rapidly moving body transformed into a phantom.
His hands gripped his Nichirin blade tightly.
Then!
Bang!
He swung it with force!
"Moon Breathing..."
"Eighth Form..."
"Moon-Dragon Wheel Tail!"
Countless tiny crescent-shaped purple moon blades condensed on the blade!
Instantly forming a swaying river of sword energy that swept towards Inosuke!
This sword energy was sharp and dangerous, like a swinging dragon's tail, seemingly intending to cut everything in front of it in half!
The position where Yoriichi stood, including Giyu Tomioka, was within its attack range.
Inosuke's charging horn suddenly stopped the moment Kokushibou moved.
He stared blankly at everything in front of him.
Gulp~
His throat worked.
He only felt he had come to the wrong place.
His stiff arms prevented him from swinging his sword.
And he had no time to turn and run.
"Ah~"
He only managed to let out a cry.
The dangerous, sharp, crescent-shaped sword energy was already reflected in his eyes.
The wind pressure was close at hand, blowing off his boar head mask, revealing the delicate, almost feminine face beneath.
The muscles on his body were a stark contrast to his face.
However.
Kokushibou did not hesitate at all.
Just as he was about to be cut in half.
The next moment.
Whoosh!
Countless sparks shot out from the blade, scattering in all directions.
Immediately after.
"Yoriichi..."
"Why are you still alive!!"
Kokushibou gritted his teeth, his arms suddenly exerting force.
Clang!
He smoothly adjusted his blade upwards, attempting to tear the man in front of him into pieces with a minimal swing.
Killing intent permeated the air along with his roar.
Countless swirling, tiny crescent sword energies, like a tornado, surged towards Tsugikuni Yoriichi!
"Moon Breathing..."
"Fifth Form..."
"Moon-Spirit Calamity Vortex!"
The tornado was close at hand, almost soundless, the tiny slashes it carried cutting the surrounding trees into invisible sawdust!
Seeing this situation.
Yoriichi stepped forward, lightly swinging the blade in his hand.
Instantly!
Like a giant axe splitting the heavens, the slash directly cleaved the vortex in two!
The vortex dissipated.
He sighed: "Long time no see, brother."
"You are still so... impulsive."
......
Thank you , Sahal Ibrahim for supporting me on Patreon.
Fund raised:- $442/$1000
You can support me and access advanced chapters on Patreon:-
patreon.com/Stories_hub739