Multiversal Chat Group: The Cultivator

The mere thought of Yoriichi Tsugikuni made Demon King Muzan feel an overwhelming sense of dread.

It was as if he had returned to that day.

When he was forced to explode into 1,800 pieces.

And then, in an instant, 1,500 of those pieces were sliced apart.

If he hadn't escaped fast enough, he would have been done for.

The longer one lived, the more they feared death.

Demon King Muzan's lifespan far exceeded that of humans.

He hadn't enjoyed life enough yet!

He did not want to die.

"Kokushibo, that useless failure!"

By sensing the blood he had left within Kokushibo,

Demon King Muzan saw the last moments before Kokushibo's death.

A white-haired Yoriichi Tsugikuni swung his blazing red Sun Blade.

That strike—it was fast.

Even faster than before.

Then, he sheathed his sword.

Kokushibo was gone.

This scene sent chills down Muzan's spine, as if he were the one being beheaded.

"No, no, I need to summon all the Upper Moons back immediately! At the very least, they can buy me time if I do run into him… enough time for me to escape!"

Although decapitation wouldn't kill Demon King Muzan, and he possessed seven hearts and five brains, it still wouldn't be enough against Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

That man could finish him in one move.

All the Upper Moons who were out hunting sensed the message through the blood Muzan had given them—

Get to the Infinity Castle immediately. If you're even a second late, you die.

Muzan could control these demons through his blood, including their very lives.

At the same time, Muzan began gathering other powerful demons.

While these demons weren't as strong as the Upper Moons,

if they could withstand Muzan's blood, they might earn a spot among the Twelve Kizuki.

With Kokushibo dead, there was now a vacancy among the Upper Moons.

A replacement was needed.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni had no idea what Muzan was planning.

But even if he did, it wouldn't matter.

It would all be over in one strike anyway.

As for Ren Asakura, he really didn't care.

He was just here for fun.

At worst, they'd just have to bask in the sun together.

That would definitely be entertaining.

—

Yoriichi Tsugikuni walked through the bustling streets.

In this era, every village—no, every nation—was governed by a powerful clan.

These noble families offered protection to their people.

The Tsugikuni family had once been such a clan.

But after Yoriichi and his brother Michikatsu left, their family declined.

Four hundred years later, the only descendant to emerge was Muichiro Tokito.

All the others had been slaughtered by demons.

Ren Asakura observed the bustling crowd.

Unlike the towering skyscrapers of the modern world, the area was filled with small wooden houses.

Ronin and samurai walked the streets.

There were also many beggars scattered around.

"Is Tamayo really living here? Won't Muzan be able to find her if she stays in a place like this?" Ren asked.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni answered honestly without hesitation.

"Lady Tamayo changes locations frequently. After all, demons do not age, and blending into human society helps her avoid being singled out and discovered."

Ren smiled.

"A demon that doesn't age or die, yet chooses to live among short-lived humans… But Tamayo is different from other demons. At the very least, she still looks and acts human. And she was the first demon to break free from Muzan's control."

Yoriichi nodded.

Lady Tamayo's hatred for Muzan ran deeper than anything—she despised him to her very core.

She wanted nothing more than for him to die without a burial site.

Because of that hatred, she dedicated herself to aiding the Demon Slayer Corps, ultimately creating both a cure to turn demons back into humans and a poison that forced Muzan to rapidly age.

If it weren't for Lady Tamayo, the Demon Slayer Corps might not have been able to kill Muzan at all.

Yoriichi's mind drifted back to the past.

To the first time he encountered Demon King Muzan.

He had never seen a demon as dangerous as that one.

Through his Transparent World, he could see Muzan's inner structure.

Seven hearts. Five brains.

Even if this demon was decapitated, he would not die.

And his attacks—like a whip striking at impossible speeds—could kill in an instant.

This was a monster that sheer numbers alone could never hope to defeat.

There was only one option.

Yoriichi had to end it in a single strike.

He cut through Muzan's head and hearts all at once.

If he hadn't wanted to ask him a question, his next strike would have finished him completely.

Unfortunately, he gave Muzan a brief moment to react.

And the coward took full advantage of it.

For someone who had been so arrogant upon their first encounter,

Muzan was pathetically desperate when he ran.

The last remaining pieces of flesh that escaped barely combined into something the size of a human head.

And the wounds left by the Nichirin Blade—after fifty or sixty years—still had not healed.

It was at that time that Lady Tamayo and Yoriichi first met.

Perhaps because she bore no malice, Yoriichi did not strike her down.

And Tamayo, as if she had finally found salvation, vented all the hatred festering in her heart.

She cursed Muzan, demanding to know why he had yet to die.

She told Yoriichi who Muzan really was—exposing all the horrific crimes he had committed.

It was only then that Yoriichi realized what he had let escape.

But by that point, it was already too late.

As long as Yoriichi lived, Muzan would never dare show himself again.

That was also the moment Lady Tamayo broke free from Muzan's control.

From then on, she became Yoriichi's friend and established a connection with the Ubuyashiki family of the Demon Slayer Corps.

She then dedicated herself to researching poisons—poisons that could kill demons—and a medicine that could turn demons back into humans.

As time passed, Yoriichi also learned why Lady Tamayo hated Muzan so much.

Centuries ago, when she was still human, Tamayo suffered from a terminal illness with no cure.

Desperate to see her child grow up, she searched for any possible treatment.

That was when she fell victim to Muzan Kibutsuji's deception.

He turned her into a demon, and in her uncontrollable bloodlust, she slaughtered her own husband and child with her own hands.

When her rationality returned, she was overwhelmed by deep regret.

But driven by her demonic instincts, she was forced to continue killing.

---

They moved through the bustling streets, weaving through the crowd.

Everything Ren Asakura saw fascinated him—it was all so new and different.

Eventually, they arrived at an inconspicuous house.

The air around it carried the faint presence of a Blood Demon Art.

It was a kind of barrier.

One designed to prevent other demons from spying.

This was Lady Tamayo's Blood Demon Art.

Just as Yoriichi reached the door,

it opened.

Standing there was Lady Tamayo herself.

Seeing her in real life felt completely different from watching her in an anime.

"You've arrived," she greeted them.

Yoriichi nodded slightly.

Tamayo smiled gently.

Ren took a moment to examine her carefully.

She was a stunning woman with long black hair, parted in the middle and styled into a large, low bun secured with a floral hairpin.

Her soft eyes were like a misty shade of pale purple.

Her lips were a deep red, contrasting starkly with her porcelain complexion.

She wore a dark purple kimono adorned with wavy, light purple branches and red flowers, fastened with a beige obi.

Judging by her appearance alone, she seemed no older than eighteen or nineteen.

Yet in reality, Lady Tamayo had lived for centuries.

"It's unbelievable… I never imagined you would regain your youth," she said softly. "And yet, I can sense it—Yoriichi, you are not a demon."

Though clearly surprised, she maintained her composure.

Meanwhile, in the chat group—

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]: "Everyone, come look! We've got a beauty here!"

[Group Leader Ren Asakura has started a group livestream: Immersive Mode activated.]

°°°

A/N: Stones, for a new fic!

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