"AAAAAH—! AAAAAAAH!!"
Sasaki's screams sounded like a wild beast being skinned alive.
His limbs had already been severed.
Yet the truly horrifying part was this—
no blood sprayed from the wounds.
Instead, one after another, grotesque ice lotuses bloomed from the severed ends.
These ice lotuses were alive.
They forcibly linked his nerves together,
preventing him from healing,
and also preventing him from passing out.
This was Doma's mercy.
And also—
the beginning of hell.
"Shh."
Doma crouched beside what remained of Sasaki's torso.
He extended a slender finger and gently wiped away the blood and tears on Sasaki's face,
as carefully as if polishing a porcelain doll.
"Don't cry, Sasaki-kun. You're too loud,"
Doma said softly.
"You'll disturb my memories."
He tilted his head slightly.
In those eyes, there was no mockery, no hypocrisy left.
Only emptiness.
"Do you know, Sasaki-kun,"
Doma's voice floated lightly, as if it might shatter at any moment,
"When that child… Inosuke, first came to the Eternal Paradise Cult, he was only this big."
He gestured, the size of an infant.
His gaze grew distant.
Fragments of memory flashed before him like a spinning lantern.
A stormy, snow-filled night.
A cliff's edge.
That chubby infant breaking free from his mother's arms—not fleeing,
but crashing straight into his bloodstained embrace.
Those emerald-green eyes held no fear.
Only trust.
That babyish, slurred "Dad"—
the most beautiful sound Doma had heard in centuries.
"He learned to walk for the first time… on my High Priest's seat."
Doma murmured, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"He stepped on my knees, pulled my hair, drooling everywhere while yelling who-knows-what."
"He even practiced his sword on you back then. Remember?"
Doma glanced at Sasaki's bone blade, now riddled with cracks.
"He was only seven. Holding a sword. Arrogant beyond belief."
Doma's fingers began to tremble.
Slowly, he pressed a hand to his chest.
A dull, tearing pain spread there.
"How strange…"
Doma turned his head and looked at the silent Akaza beside him.
A single tear slid down the corner of his eye.
"I'm supposed to be a monster without emotions…
I only ever treated them as interesting pets…"
"But why is it that…"
"Just thinking about going home and no longer seeing that brat rolling around on the tatami…"
"Thinking about having to look Kotoha in the eyes…"
"And telling her Inosuke is gone…"
"Why does it hurt… so much… right here?"
Crack.
Doma gently squeezed, crushing one of Sasaki's ribs.
Slowly.
Like crumbling a biscuit between his fingers.
"It was you who lost him!!"
Doma's voice turned glacial.
"It was you
who shattered my family!"
BOOM!!
On the other side, the long-silent Akaza finally exploded.
Without a word, he threw a punch that shattered Sasaki's newly regenerated jaw.
"Enough talk, Doma."
Akaza's body radiated savage killing intent.
Even his golden eyes burned with towering rage.
At long last…
At long, long last…
He had seen, in that boy,
the shadow of the person he once swore to protect.
That brat who called him "Striped Basketball."
That foul-mouthed, lazy kid who would still hand him a rice ball when he spaced out.
The only color in his endless demon life.
The only key to his memories.
Now the key was broken.
The color was gone.
"You deserve to die."
Akaza unleashed raw, primal violence.
One punch.
Two punches.
A hundred punches.
Every strike avoided vital points.
Every strike crushed bones into powder, turned flesh into pulp.
"Save me…
Lord Muzan…
I have strong luck…"
Sasaki wailed in despair.
Before the absolute might of two Upper Moons,
what "luck" was left?
He was less than dust.
"Lord Muzan?"
Doma laughed—laughed until tears streamed down his face.
"He can't hear you, Sasaki-kun. This place has been completely sealed by my Blood Demon Art."
"Here… there is no king."
"There are only two demons who lost a child…"
"A father. And an uncle."
"Before you die, savor our pain properly."
For Sasaki—
This was a long, endless execution by a thousand cuts.
Regeneration.
Dismemberment.
Regeneration again.
Crushed again.
An infinite loop.
Until, finally, his mind collapsed completely,
and the bone blade—his very core—was ground into dust.
There was no strong luck.
In Paradise Hell, he became nothing more than a formless pile of rotten flesh.
The wind and snow ceased.
The two Upper Moons stood before the remains, silent.
"Let's go, Akaza-dono."
Doma wiped the tears from his eyes and forced that familiar fake smile back onto his face.
But the smile looked fragile—
like a shattered mask barely held together.
He picked up one of Inosuke's broken sword hilts from the ground
and carefully tucked it into his robes.
"We still have to go back…"
"and make up a reason for Kotoha-chan."
Doma's voice trembled slightly.
"Say he went on a journey? Special training? Or maybe…"
"…he was just being playful and got lost?"
Akaza said nothing.
He simply turned away.
His fists were clenched tight, nails digging deep into his palms.
As they stepped out of the ruins,
the two demons who stood at the pinnacle of the demon world
shed a single tear each.
Deep in their hearts, a seed named revenge
began to sprout wildly.
Not long after Doma and Akaza left—
Two figures rushed into the deathly silent ruins.
"Inosuke-boy!!"
Rengoku Kyojuro shouted, his voice hoarse—almost pleading.
He begged to hear that arrogant voice again.
Begged to see the boy jump out shouting that he was fine.
But no one answered.
Only the lingering, terrifying demon aura—
and that horrifying pool of blood on the ground.
Iguro Obanai stood at the edge of the crater, his heterochromatic eyes trembling violently.
"We're too late…"
His voice was rough.
"That idiot… really is… gone."
Rengoku stood still, staring at the sky.
That back, once straight as a pine, now seemed slightly hunched.
Two lines of hot tears streamed down his face, falling onto the scorched earth.
"Again… it's always like this…"
"Yoshiwara… and now here…"
"Why… am I always one step too late?"
"I couldn't… protect him."
Grief surged like a tide—
But in the next instant, Rengoku wiped away his tears and turned around,
the flames in his eyes burning brighter than ever.
"Iguro! Now's not the time to cry!"
Rengoku drew his Nichirin Blade, the steel glowing red-hot.
"Inosuke-boy sacrificed himself to protect everyone!"
"There are still kids fighting over there! Villagers waiting to be saved!"
"If we fall here, then we truly betray him!"
"Carry Inosuke-boy's share with us—
and slaughter every last demon!!"
"…Yeah."
The white snake around Iguro's neck hissed mournfully.
"Kill them all."
"Leave none alive."
"ROOOAR!! ZOHHAKUTEN!!"
Driven into a corner, Hantengu finally broke.
Sensing the killing intent of the youths, he fused all his clones into his strongest form.
A massive wooden dragon roared. Thunder drums boomed on its back as it charged to crush the humans before it.
"You villains! How dare you bully the weak!!"
Zohakuten pounded the drums furiously.
"I'm the victim! I'm a good person! You're the real demons!!"
Normally, this technique would trouble even Hashira.
But now—
He faced people who had just lost the most important family of their lives.
"SHUT UP!!"
The mark on Tanjiro's forehead glowed blood-red.
He abandoned all defense, letting the wooden dragon pierce his shoulder.
He didn't retreat even a step.
His blade carried the resolve of trading life for life.
"Give him back to me, you bastard!!"
Thunder Breathing · Seventh Form · Flaming Thunder God!!
Zenitsu became a golden lightning dragon.
So fast even Zohakuten couldn't track him.
He showed no hesitation.
Every slash struck the dragon's joints.
Bones broke.
Organs ruptured.
He didn't stop.
"Die! Die! Die!!"
"I'll take your head to honor my big brother!!"
Muichiro's strikes cut straight into vital points.
The boy had completely lost himself to bloodshed.
Mitsuri lashed out wildly, her ribbon-blade turning into a living meat grinder.
Then—
Two even more terrifying presences joined the battlefield.
Flame Breathing · Esoteric Art · Rengoku!!
Serpent Breathing · Fifth Form · Slithering Serpent!!
Rengoku and Iguro tore through the wooden dragon's defenses in an instant.
Across the mountains, demons were annihilated.
"There! The main body is there!!"
Tanjiro smelled Hantengu's true form.
Like a frenzied execution—
Six Nichirin blades, six breathing styles,
struck Hantengu's tiny body simultaneously.
"Eeeeeeeek!!!"
With a shrill scream, Hantengu's head rolled away,
his body turning to ash.
The battle was over.
There were no cheers.
No joy of victory.
Only deathly silence.
Tanjiro's blade clattered to the ground.
He collapsed to his knees in the mud, staring at the empty village entrance,
and let out a heart-rending cry.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
He slammed the ground again and again, fists bleeding without him feeling it.
"We won…
but Inosuke…
isn't coming back…"
Zenitsu hugged his knees, curling into himself, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Big brother… liar…
you big liar…"
At that moment, two figures came stumbling over—
Haganezuka Hotaru and Kanamori.
Haganezuka clutched two brand-new twin blades in his arms.
The blades he had forged overnight, exactly as Inosuke demanded.
Savage serrations lined the edges—
as flamboyant and unrestrained as their owner.
"Hey… you brat…"
Haganezuka's masked voice trembled as he looked around, searching desperately.
"The blades are done…
Didn't you say you wanted the coolest serrations? I made them…"
"Where are you? Come out!
Kanamori and I won't yell at you anymore…"
"Come out and take your swords…"
Looking at those twin blades gleaming coldly—
destined to never meet their owner—
everyone finally broke.
Mitsuri collapsed into Iguro's arms, sobbing until she nearly fainted.
Muichiro tilted his head back, silent tears falling.
In the sky, hundreds upon hundreds of Kasugai crows circled,
crying out in mourning.
…
…
…
Infinity Castle.
A suffocating, deathly silence.
Inosuke knelt beneath the high platform.
[Demonization Countdown: 01:00]
Before him, Kibutsuji Muzan looked down from above.
In those plum-red eyes was scrutiny—
but more than that… satisfaction.
"Splendid."
Muzan's voice echoed through the vast castle.
"Inosuke, you truly didn't disappoint me."
"That Sasaki… even with my blood, he was like an infant before you."
Inosuke kept his head lowered.
Inside his sleeves, his fists were clenched so tightly they trembled.
The urge to rip the man's head off nearly shattered his reason.
They all think I'm dead…
They must be crying now…
But he couldn't move.
Kotoha was still in the Eternal Paradise Cult.
If he turned against Muzan now, she would die.
Endure.
He had to endure.
Inosuke took a deep breath.
When he raised his head again, his face wore a look of fervent admiration.
"Lord Muzan."
He rubbed his neck and complained softly.
"Next time, could you not yank people away so suddenly?
I was just about to crush that trash's bones. Totally stole my spotlight."
Muzan narrowed his eyes—but didn't get angry.
"Why didn't you obey the command?
Why couldn't I summon you?"
"Because I'm a spy."
Inosuke spread his hands casually.
"My constitution can temporarily suppress your blood and act as a human."
"I've been in the Demon Slayer Corps for ages—saved the Flame Hashira, fought Upper Moons, earned their trust."
"This trip to the Swordsmith Village was to gather intel for you."
"If I didn't act like a hero, how could I access their core secrets?"
He tapped his head, grinning slyly.
"That Sasaki was an idiot. Nearly ruined my plan."
"But I'm different. I'm special."
"I was raised by Doma. I have a human identity."
"I can walk in sunlight. I can stroll into the Corps' headquarters, even reach Ubuyashiki's bedside."
Muzan stared at Inosuke.
He was reading his mind.
But all he found was the ambition and greed Inosuke deliberately showed.
This child… was a born villain.
Two-faced, ruthless, willing to do anything to reach his goal—
Exactly Muzan's type.
"Hmph. Smooth talker."
Muzan sneered, but the killing intent in his eyes vanished completely.
"Still… you're right."
"A piece that can walk in sunlight is rare indeed."
[Demonization Countdown: 00:05]
"Since you're so loyal…"
"I'll grant you this privilege—
to become a true… insider."
Muzan extended his hand.
His fingertip pierced straight into Inosuke's forehead.
"Ugh!!"
Inosuke groaned.
Gurgle!
A massive amount of blood—far more than before—poured violently into his body.
Just as Inosuke's eyes were about to return fully to human—
They changed.
Two characters engraved themselves deep within his pupils.
Upper Rank · Five
"From today onward, you are the new Upper Rank Five."
Muzan withdrew his hand, nodding in satisfaction at his creation.
"You may maintain a human form while operating within the Demon Slayer Corps."
"But remember—your life is in my hands."
"If you dare betray me…"
Muzan pointed at his own heart, voice icy.
"I'll make you personally devour your mother
and kill your foster father."
Inosuke's pupils contracted violently.
He lowered his head at once, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent surging within him.
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
At that moment, the long-absent system notification exploded in Inosuke's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for achieving the achievement: "True Villain"!]
[Achievement Description: Successfully gained Kibutsuji Muzan's trust and ascended to Upper Rank Five, completing the perfect disguise of dual identities.]
[Rewards Issued:]
Unlocked free switching between human and demon forms. Daily demonization limit increased to 5 minutes.Special Intelligence Acquired: Location of a critical resource—
the grave of Uta, wife of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Inosuke knelt on the ground, staring at the coordinates displayed on his retina.
In the shadows, the corner of his mouth slowly curled into a manic smile.
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