Muzan Kibutsuji
If Doma had to define him, he would say that his former boss is both his benefactor and a person trapped in his own head.
In reality, Doma was neither completely wrong nor completely right in his assumption about Muzan.
The truth is far more complex and nuanced.
Muzan never helped Doma out of pity or sympathy, as had been the case with Rui, the current Lower Moon 6.
He had turned Doma into a demon on a mere whim.
The ice demon's request to become a demon was just one factor among others that led to the desired outcome.
Muzan could have eliminated him that night.
A fact well known and accepted by Doma. Yet, the ice devil did not see the glass as half empty.
He saw it as half full.
After all, he is rational most of the time, and such a creature only believes in facts.
The word "if" does not exist in Doma's dictionary, since with it, one can always remake the world.
As for the fact that he is trapped in his head?
Doma is right.
Muzan is a prisoner of his mind, haunted by the ghosts of the past, like Kokushibo.
At least, the Upper Moon One had managed to rid himself of them without too much difficulty.
An unexpected butterfly effect.
'Maybe… I can convince Muzan too,' he thought to himself, staring at the delicate and familiar face.
On the other side, Muzan was observing Doma in the same way.
His plum-pink eyes exuded a melancholic atmosphere, while the silhouette of the ice demon seemed to embody the word "masterpiece."
For over 1000 years of existence, Muzan Kibutsuji had wandered the human world.
She had searched for the flower mentioned in the note from the mysterious doctor and had turned countless people into demons.
Why? To become perfect.
Muzan's aspiration for perfection was born from the fear of death, but it had become sincere after the dream induced by Enmu.
Even though the demon is now a traitor, Muzan knew that he had not lied to her at the time.
Muzan dreamed of being perfect, but also of being accompanied by beings worthy enough to share that joy.
'Kokushibo, Doma, and Akaza…' she thought, clenching her fists.
Blood began to flow, and the condition of the former Upper Moon One worsened under the stunned eyes of the other demons and curious observers.
"Muzan-san, can you stop? I don't like saying this kind of thing, but you can still turn back," he said, extending his hand to her.
Indeed, he preferred to avoid coming to blows with Muzan.
"Doma…"
The demon king's voice was neither loud nor thundering, but it made everyone present shiver.
Even Hlökk was shocked by the density of the killing intent that Muzan had just emitted.
'Is this possible? How can a person exude such a bloody aura? No, how many people must she have killed to get to this point?' she thought, observing the scene from within her partner's mind.
"Tell me… since when do you give me orders?" asked Muzan, advancing with a measured step.
The sound of her footsteps echoed strangely loudly in the silence of the vast Infinity Castle. Even Nakime's biwa had fallen silent in that instant.
"Oh, that? Sorry if I hurt you ~ but it was neither a request nor an order. Simply a suggestion for the good of us all. And especially for yours." replied Doma, advancing in turn.
Before passing Michikatsu, he injected his blood into him with an almost nonchalant gesture. This detail made Muzan's delicate eyebrows furrow slightly.
'Fast, but the real issue lies elsewhere,' she thought, observing Kokushibo.
The six emblematic eyes of the Upper Moon One had disappeared, and his silhouette even seemed to have grown in size.
And that wasn't all: his aura was becoming increasingly dangerous in Muzan's eyes.
Indeed, Doma had just granted the former samurai a bit of Heracles' blood.
As for his chances of survival? It all depended on him, for Doma did not yet fully understand the evolution of this blood in others.
Intervening during the transformation could do more harm than good, but he decided to bet on the indomitable spirit of the former samurai.
"You cut my connection with Kokushibo?"
It wasn't a question, but a icy statement from the demon king.
"Kokushibo? No. His name is Michikatsu Tsugikuni." he retorted, having finally closed the distance.
Muzan's eyebrows furrowed even more intensely, while veins appeared on her pale and delicate skin.
"Tsugikuni? That name is dead and buried in the annals of History!"
Her voice started calm, but ended exploding in pure rage.
Muzan attacked.
"Oh oh… I'm scared. But be careful, if you keep frowning like that, you might get wrinkles."
Doma tilted his head nonchalantly before lowering his fan onto the grotesque creature sprouting from Muzan's arm after her claw strike.
The monstrosity was crushed into a small crater, but neither of the two adversaries deigned to care.
"Doma!!"
Hlökk's worried voice echoed in the ice demon's ears, who simply replied: "I know."
Poison.
Muzan was using poison in her attacks, and it seemed far more aggressive than Gyutaro's.
"Muzan-san, have you forgotten? I'm also a poison enthusiast."
A fake polite smile stretched his lips.
Immediately, the environment warped and reshaped under the effect of the cold that Doma invoked with his divine fans.
"Nakime."
Faced with her mistress's demanding tone, Nakime strummed the biwa strings without hesitation.
The terrain that Doma had just shaped vanished in an instant, and he was hurled near Muzan through a portal.
"Tss… that's two against one." he said in a falsely indignant tone, using vector manipulation to deflect the tentacles summoned by Muzan.
'Damn, why tentacles? We're not in an H manga!' he thought, wanting to curse at Muzan.
He forgot his bad influence on the demon king, who slightly restructured her tentacles after having read enough in the ice demon's mind.
Muzan had been a shota, a tanned blond man, even a bold old grandfather during her free time.
She simply hadn't had the time to test the tentacle monster.
Unfortunately, Doma was the unintended test subject.
"Haha, it's more like three against one!"
Hantegen's voice rang out before he appeared right behind Doma, but he was immediately kicked away with a back kick.
(Image)
"Huh? Did you hear something, Hlökk?" he said in a falsely confused tone.
"No, Doma. I didn't see anything." replied Hlökk, playing along with her partner's little game.
Without realizing it, Doma had begun to influence the valkyrie's habits.
Yet, they had spent very little time together. If the ice demon noticed this personality anomaly, he would assume it was a side effect of their bond.
"Incapable… I have to do things myself," declared the demon king, as mouths began to appear all over her slender body.
(Image)
Muzan's new form emitted an even more intense killing intent and also exerted considerable pressure.
Everyone present couldn't help but feel fear, but Doma's next patron destroyed Muzan's tyrannical atmosphere.
"Muzan-san, not in front of the children… I'm a bit shy about doing it in public ~" Doma simply declared in a falsely timid tone, after hiding half his face behind his fan.
Contrary to his words, Doma's multicolored eyes did not avert their attention from Muzan's "naked" form.
'Can those mouths do anything other than bite?' he thought, blocking this thought so it wouldn't reach Hlökk.
***
Author's note: bonus chapter at 300 power stones, good luck young Jedi.