Demon Slayer World.
Since the Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji's factions successively fell into silence, this world ushered in a brief period of peace.
But both sides knew that this balance would be broken.
And the day that balance was broken would be the moment one side was completely annihilated.
A large number of swordsmen gathered at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, focusing on training. Kagaya Ubuyashiki hoped they could survive as much as possible in the upcoming decisive battle.
All the Pillar-ranked swordsmen at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters had mastered the power of the Mark.
With Chu Yang helping them replenish vitality, the after-effects of the Mark were almost negligible.
As for the Transparent World after the Mark, it required them to raise their Breathing Style techniques to the extreme while resisting the pain brought by such actions with tenacious will.
This was a stage Chu Yang could not interfere with.
Among the many swordsmen, only Gyomei Himejima not only mastered the Mark but also became the only one among them to comprehend the Transparent World.
Next was Kyojuro Rengoku; he was very close to this step but still fell short.
So far, it seemed only he showed signs of comprehending the Transparent World; the others were far behind, likely hopeless for life.
Chu Yang, realizing this, talked with Kagaya Ubuyashiki for a long time and decided to interrupt their training in a few days.
But this order had not yet been relayed.
Muzan Kibutsuji arrived with his demon army.
These days, Muzan Kibutsuji had been frantically creating subordinates while having Nakime pinpoint the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Pillars were not even in his eyes; his goal was one and only one!
Chu Yang!
As countless demons launched a surprise attack on the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters in the dead of night, Chu Yang was about to draw his sword and slay demons with the others when he found himself alone in a strange city.
Here, it seemed as if time and space were in disarray.
Clap, clap, clap~~~
Clapping sounds came from the depths of the town, and Muzan Kibutsuji, dressed in a suit, slowly walked over.
"Welcome to the Infinity Castle."
Beside Muzan Kibutsuji were several figures Chu Yang had never seen before, neither Kokushibo of the Upper Moon nor other Upper Moon demons.
"This is a gift I prepared for you."
Muzan Kibutsuji smiled and snapped his fingers, and these dark figures surrounded Chu Yang.
Chu Yang's lips curved slightly upwards.
Killing intent overflowed!
76. Chapter 76: Demon Slayer Ends! Newcomers Arrive! [Sixth update, seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly votes]
76.
Chu Yang looked around and found that most of the demons lurking around had no rationality. Although their aura was powerful, it was extremely unstable.
Clearly, these were temporary creations Muzan Kibutsuji had spawned at great cost to deal with him.
But even as temporary creations, judging solely by the intensity of their aura, these demons' power was already very close to Muzan Kibutsuji, enough to crush Doma and Akaza, whom Chu Yang had fought.
As for who would be stronger or weaker in an actual fight, that was another matter.
"One, two, three, four." Chu Yang counted the number of demons nonchalantly, his tone full of disdain, and he sneered at Muzan Kibutsuji: "You expended so much blood just to create these few wastes?"
Chu Yang's arrogance and might repeatedly reminded Muzan Kibutsuji of a familiar sense of oppression.
It was as if Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood before him, speaking in the same tone.
"I am no longer the Muzan Kibutsuji of centuries ago, and he is not Yoriichi Tsugikuni. I have no need to fear."
Muzan Kibutsuji clenched his fists, veins bulging, his gaze growing colder. The humiliation left by Yoriichi Tsugikuni centuries ago, he would repay it all on Chu Yang today.
The four demons lingering around Chu Yang sensed Muzan Kibutsuji's will, their faces becoming exceptionally hideous. As they roared at Chu Yang, saliva dripped from their mouths.
"It seems you really enjoy brains dominated by primal instincts." Chu Yang mockingly said with amusement, "Is this what you advocate as evolution? I must say, your taste is truly…"
"Hmph!"
Before Chu Yang finished speaking, Muzan Kibutsuji snorted coldly, and then the four demons simultaneously attacked Chu Yang.
Compared to any demon Chu Yang had seen before, these four temporary creations were even more grotesque and ugly.
They had lost their human form and resembled stitched-together animals.
Blood-red fur covered their entire bodies, their limbs were ape-like, their heads resembled starving wolves, they had a pair of wings on their backs, and their spines extended continuously outwards from their tailbones, looking like a long tail with barbs.
The strange tails shot towards Chu Yang like venomous snakes.
Facing their encirclement, Chu Yang prepared in advance using his Observation Haki. He actively retreated a step, first blocking the attack of the monster behind him with his broad zanmatō, then violently slashing horizontally in a circle.
The flame-enveloped zanmatō accurately cut into each tail shooting towards him, severing the barbs with a single strike.
The flames, like maggots on bone, burned upwards along the wounds on the tails, causing the monsters' bodies to become bloody and mangled, emitting shrill roars.
The raging flames made a flicker of fear cross Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes. He knew this was the power of Sun Breathing, once his greatest fear.
However, what slightly reassured him was that the monsters were not instantly killed by Chu Yang's attack but slowly stood up.
At this moment, Chu Yang also realized the characteristics of this group of monsters: they not only possessed top-tier strength and speed but also had powerful regenerative abilities comparable to Muzan Kibutsuji.
Like Muzan Kibutsuji, they possessed multiple hearts and brains, just not as precise.
"If the little toys you created only have this much strength, it's truly disappointing." Chu Yang plunged his zanmatō into the ground, grinning, "Friendly reminder, you don't have much time left."
Muzan Kibutsuji took a deep breath, his complexion gradually turning rosy, perhaps from surging blood due to anger. He revealed a morbid smile, "Of course, it's not just this. Now, enjoy yourself. This is a treatment Yoriichi Tsugikuni never received!"
The Infinity Castle began to shake violently, many sealed rooms opened, and a large number of monsters appeared vaguely in the darkness!
Muzan Kibutsuji spread his arms, laughing hysterically, "This is the blood I've accumulated for a thousand years. Even if Yoriichi Tsugikuni were reborn, he would surely die here today!"
As he spoke, Muzan Kibutsuji's body also began to change.
In the blink of an eye, crimson fur covered his entire body, and hideous barbed whips protruded from his arms.
He transformed from a suit-wearing gentleman into a bloodthirsty monster.
"From now on, there will be no more Demon Slayer Corps in this world!"
Muzan Kibutsuji vented his emotions wantonly, rushing towards Chu Yang with countless monsters. The overwhelming black tide seemed to engulf the world.
The situation seemed to have been reversed, but Chu Yang still stood calmly in place, his hands crossed on the hilt of his zanmatō.
"You wouldn't think this is necessarily your home turf, would you?"
After Chu Yang said this, his subsequent actions left Muzan Kibutsuji bewildered. In the latter's eyes, Chu Yang's fingers were constantly making irregular movements.
It was neither a sword technique nor a new Breathing Style.
They were clearly meaningless movements, but for some reason, Muzan Kibutsuji's heart suddenly began to feel apprehensive.
The moment the black tide of monsters was about to touch Chu Yang.
The ground of the Infinity Castle suddenly cracked, and countless verdant trees shot up from the ground, lifting the monsters into the air.
In an instant, the bizarre Infinity Castle transformed into a vibrant, lush forest.
Thick vines and tree roots coiled and twisted on the ground like giant anacondas. Any monster attempting to approach Chu Yang would be ensnared and then strangled one by one.
The entire forest was like a living entity, silently protecting Chu Yang.
Muzan Kibutsuji stared blankly at the earth-shattering changes before him, filled with deep doubt.
Where did my Infinity Castle go?
Am I dreaming?
Warm blood flowed to his feet, and he suddenly jolted awake.
In front, piles of monster corpses had already accumulated.
Muzan Kibutsuji looked up at Chu Yang, and a question inevitably arose in his heart.
"Is he still human? Or rather, is he the true god?"
…
Outside the Infinity Castle, at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
The former tranquility and peace had been buried beneath a sea of fire. Every part of it was a battlefield, covered in blood and severed limbs.
Fortunately, without Muzan Kibutsuji participating in the battle, the Upper Moon, having lost Doma and Akaza, could not gain an advantage against the Pillars, all of whom had mastered the Mark.
Tengen Uzui, the second oldest among the Pillars, was responsible for fighting the Upper Rank Six siblings, Gyutaro and Daki.
Before mastering the Mark, Tengen Uzui truly struggled against these two siblings, as proven by the original plot. But after mastering the Mark, the situation was entirely different.
With just one encounter, Daki was instantly killed by Tengen Uzui, unable to even retaliate. Gyutaro's appearance also failed to defeat Tengen Uzui, whose speed and strength had greatly increased.
Even with both siblings working together, they could barely hold their own against him.
In truth, Gyutaro was the real Upper Moon Six; Daki's power was greatly inflated, making her an easy breakthrough point for Tengen Uzui to kill the siblings.
Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, was handled by Iguro Obanai and Mitsuri Kanroji. Both sides were evenly matched. Although Mitsuri Kanroji was still young, her abnormal monstrous strength, amplified by the Mark, was astonishingly destructive, making her the main combat force.
Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, had Sanemi Shinazugawa and Kocho Kanae as his opponents.
For Kanae and Sanemi Shinazugawa, this was a rather tricky enemy. Hantengu's cloning ability rendered numerical advantage meaningless. As the number of clones increased, the two even fell into a disadvantage, being the only team on the battlefield showing weakness.
On the other side, as a powerful demon second only to Muzan Kibutsuji, Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, was so strong that the Demon Slayer Corps had to dispatch three Pillars to contend with him.
Gyomei Himejima, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Tomioka Giyuu teamed up to fight Kokushibo.
Even under such circumstances, Kokushibo could still fight these three to a standstill, not losing ground at all.
This greatly shocked Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who was overseeing from the rear!
He found it hard to imagine how this battle would have continued had the Demon Slayer Corps not mastered the Mark beforehand.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki was protected by the former Water Pillar Sakonji Urokodaki and the former Sound Pillar Jigoro Kuwajima. Behind them were Shinobu Kocho and Makomo, who were responsible for medical treatment.