Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters — Main Hall
"Kaito-sama, how do you plan to eliminate Muzan?"
"Find him, then kill him directly. It is that simple!"
Kaito replied with a completely relaxed expression.
Everyone in the room went stiff.
That simple?
This was Kibutsuji Muzan. The Demon Slayer Corps had searched for him for five hundred years without success.
"You mentioned earlier that you could locate Muzan. Do you have a particular method for this?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked with a measured expression. He could not imagine what approach Kaito would use to find someone who had evaded them for centuries.
Overwhelming strength did not necessarily mean skill at finding people.
"Haha, Kagaya, there is no need to worry about that. I have my own methods."
"For now, all you need to do is gather every Demon Slayer Corps member and prepare for a full relocation."
As for the matter of killing Muzan, Kaito genuinely did not give it much thought. To him, Muzan was a minor obstacle. The real task was getting the entire Demon Slayer Corps packed up and ready to move.
"Since you say so, I will not press further. But are you truly certain you need no assistance? Even if it is only dealing with ordinary demons along the way, we would like to help."
"Please take us with you! Even if we cannot face Muzan directly, we can still handle the Twelve Kizuki!"
Rengoku Kyojuro stepped forward respectfully.
Seated beside him was a beautiful young girl in a white haori, with curly pink hair and golden eyes.
She was staring at Kaito with wide, sparkling eyes.
'That face, and that sunny, confident air he carries… could he be the one I have been looking for?'
"Yes, Kaito-sama, please take us along! I beg you!"
Hearing the girl's voice, Kaito glanced toward her. What caught his attention first was not her face.
'Is this Mitsuri Kanroji? This is… remarkable. Also, at her age, is this figure not somewhat unfair to everyone else?'
One should not read too much into Kaito's reaction. It was purely instinct. A hero's true nature, as they say.
"Mitsuri! You cannot speak to him like that!"
"It is fine. Hmm… if you all truly want to come, then come. You have been fighting demons for years. You deserve to see this through to the end."
Seeing so many people eager to go, Kaito thought it over and agreed.
After all, this had gone on for hundreds of years. Now that it was finally ending, they should be there to witness it.
"Then it is settled. Once all Demon Slayer Corps members are gathered, we depart to eliminate Kibutsuji Muzan."
"In the meantime, I will be staying at the Butterfly Estate. If anyone needs to reach me, contact Kanae. That alright with you, Kanae?"
Kanae Kocho nodded with a quiet smile:
"Understood, Kaito-sama. Leave it to me."
Kaito nodded to her, then turned to look at Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Seeing the toll the curse had taken on his frail body, like a candle struggling against the wind, Kaito spoke:
"Kagaya, now that the main matters are settled, let me do something about your condition."
"And while I am at it, let me treat this fellow who is also without sight. What is your name?"
Kaito looked toward Gyomei Himejima and asked.
He knew the name, of course, but since they had not been formally introduced, using it unprompted would have been strange.
"I am Gyomei Himejima. Are you saying you can truly restore my sight?"
Gyomei Himejima held his composure, though the hope in his voice was unmistakable.
"Yes, of course."
Kaito raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and circulated the spiritual energy within his body.
A golden orb of light slowly formed in his palm, growing steadily until it filled his entire hand.
Then it split in two, one larger and one smaller. The larger orb drifted toward Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and the smaller toward Gyomei Himejima. Both merged silently into their bodies.
[System Note: What, do you only have a right hand? Can you not lift your left one?! (♦ฺ◣ω◢)♦ฺ!!!]
"This is… my body!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki clenched his right fist, feeling an unprecedented lightness coursing through him. He gently moved his wife's supporting hand aside and stood on his own.
"Oyakata-sama can stand by himself!"
"This is wonderful! Oyakata-sama is finally well!"
"You have truly cured our Oyakata-sama!"
The room erupted. Every Hashira present could not hold back their voices.
They all knew how much their Master had endured. Watching him suffer day after day under the curse, helpless to do anything, had weighed on all of them. And now, the miracle none of them had dared to hope for had simply happened.
"Haha, you really are a man of miracles. I am so glad to have met you."
Kanae Kocho watched quietly as Kaito worked. Without realising it, her gaze had grown softer, and her heart was beating faster than usual. Somehow, only Kaito seemed to fill her field of vision.
"My eyes… I can see!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki slowly opened his eyes. The daylight hit him all at once and he instinctively raised a hand to shield them.
After a moment, once they adjusted, he found himself looking at the young man seated directly across from him.
Neat black hair, a composed face, and an open, sunny quality that was difficult to look away from.
"So this is your face. Just as I pictured. Thank you very much for curing me."
"My eyes can see as well! Kaito-sama, thank you sincerely! Truly, thank you!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki bowed deeply, and Gyomei Himejima, now with sight restored, lowered himself into a full prostration of gratitude.
Kaito waved a hand helplessly.
'These people really do love to bow.'
"Alright, for me it was a small matter. Kagaya, now that everything is in order, I should head back. Kanae, shall we go?"
Kaito stood and called to Kanae beside him. She rose quickly and stepped to his side, bowing slightly to Kagaya Ubuyashiki:
"Then, Oyakata-sama, I will take him back first."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded:
"Of course. Kanae, please take good care of our guest."
"Well then, farewell everyone!"
Kaito gave a cheerful wave to the room and turned to leave the hall with Kanae Kocho.
Watching his retreating figure, the Hashira bowed their heads in unison and called out together:
"Farewell, Kaito-sama!" x8
Butterfly Estate — Afternoon
Back at the Butterfly Estate, Kaito headed to his room after lunch without delay.
He looked at the pill in his hand, placed it in his mouth, and sat cross-legged to absorb its power.
The spiritual energy within the elixir spread through his body in an instant. The [Golden Core] in his dantian, struck by the flood of incoming energy, grew more and more fragile.
Crack crack…
As the fractures spread, a resonant boom rang out from within. The [Golden Core] shattered, and in its place, a small figure identical to Kaito floated silently in his dantian, eyes closed, seated in meditation.
Kaito did not stop. He pressed forward, riding the surge of medicinal power.
[Nascent Soul Mid Stage]… [Nascent Soul Late Stage]… [Nascent Soul Peak Stage].
"Hoo…"
He exhaled a long breath and looked inward. The Nascent Soul resting in his dantian was unmistakably him in miniature. The strength he felt now was at least a thousand times what he had possessed at [Golden Core].
He just wanted to shout: I feel incredible!
'As expected of me, even my Nascent Soul is impressively formed. And that makes me a Nascent Soul Ancestor now. When I return, I will not have to worry about anyone. System, open the panel!'
Host: Kaito
Gender: Male
Age: 23 years old
Realm: [Nascent Soul Peak Stage]
Cultivation Realms: [Qi Condensation] — [Foundation Establishment] — [Golden Core] — [Nascent Soul] — [Soul Transformation] — [Integration] — [Tribulation Transcending] — [Mahayana] — [Earth Immortal]…
Items: [Dimensional Gate], Coke x4
Overall Evaluation: In the myriad worlds, you are already a presence worth noticing, though you might still occasionally get stepped on! ┓(´-`)┏
'If I returned to the Slime World right now, I should not need to fear anyone. My current strength ought to be around Benimaru's level or beyond.'
'As for the myriad worlds… this is an adventure story, not a primordial cultivation epic. What grandmaster is going to come stepping on me? o(▼_▼ﾒ;)o'
'Rimuru! When I come back, I am bringing you a surprise, wahahahaha!'
Meanwhile, in the Slime World…
Inside the thatched hut at the centre of Goblin Village, a Slime that had fallen into a deep slumber from depleted magicules suddenly gave a small shiver.
The Goblin girl keeping watch nearby startled at the sight and bolted out of the hut, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Village Chief, something is wrong! Something is happening to Rimuru-sama!"