Screams echoed across the battlefield, sharp enough to make everyone's scalps prickle.
Not long after, the massive demon infant crumbled into ash beneath the sunlight.
"Finally…"
Someone let out a long breath and collapsed on the ground.
At the Ubuyashiki estate, the moment they saw their enemy of a thousand years, Muzan Kibutsuji, truly dead at last, the young master exhaled as well.
Two streams of tears slid down the corners of his eyes.
"Master…"
The former Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, felt his whole body go light. When he turned and saw the young master slumped over the desk, shaking with sobs, he hesitated.
"Let him cry," Shinjuro Rengoku stopped him, his eyes full of ache. "He's only eight years old."
"We finally brought Muzan down!"
"Yes! Yes! We actually did it!"
"Mom, Dad! Did you see that? I got revenge for you!"
The surviving Demon Slayers clutched each other, laughing and crying at the same time, emotion bursting out like a dam finally breaking.
A battle that had spanned centuries had ended today.
The evil that had plagued the world for a thousand years was gone.
"You idiots, it's not over yet!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa's roar cut through the noise.
"Anyone who can still move, move! Medics, treat the wounded! Everyone else who can walk, start carrying the injured over here!"
"We are not taking any more casualties!"
"Mr. Himejima!"
A few Kakushi, the ones with the three stripes, spotted Gyomei Himejima slumped in the corner at once.
They rushed over, ready to inject him.
"Don't… don't waste medicine on me. I… I'm beyond saving…"
"Don't say that, Mr. Himejima! Lady Shinobu is here! I'll get her right now!"
One Kakushi bolted away in a panic.
"It won't help…"
Gyomei whispered, weak as a fading candle.
"Mr. Himejima, are you alright?"
Shinobu Kocho arrived in a few swift bounds.
"Miss Kocho, listen to me…"
Gyomei lifted a hand, stopping her from administering the medicine.
"Save it for others. Aside from me, no one else's injuries are truly that severe."
"You know this. Once a Demon Slayer awakens the Mark, they all die by twenty five. I'm no exception."
"To witness Muzan Kibutsuji's death with my own eyes… I'm satisfied."
"This is the price of borrowing power through the Mark. Fate. No medicine can change that."
Shinobu could not stop the tears from falling.
"Is there really… no hope at all?"
Gyomei shook his head gently. "No."
"I only hope that before you reach twenty five… you can develop a medicine that saves lives…"
"Don't waste time on me. Go. Save the others…"
He waved her off. Shinobu clenched her lips, then nodded and turned back into the chaos, throwing herself into the rescue.
Only after he heard them leave did Gyomei allow a faint smile to appear.
Light filled his vision.
Several silhouettes were running toward him.
"Teacher!"
"It's you…"
Gyomei murmured, and slowly closed his eyes.
Watching the survivors reunite, Vincent Fox smiled quietly.
"So it's finally over. This instance really wasn't as simple as it looked."
With a soft sigh, Vincent turned and walked away.
Everyone he knew was being treated, and no one noticed him slipping out.
He found an empty corner and chose to exit the instance.
The mission was complete. There was no reason to linger.
A hazy white glow flashed, covering Vincent's body.
The next second, he vanished from the world of Demon Slayer.
At the same time, Vincent appeared within a pure white space.
The familiar exclusive space of the Forbidden Zone.
Now came the reward.
"Congratulations. Your performance in this Forbidden Zone run was exceptional. Total time: 578 hours. Ultimate mission completed. Highest evaluation granted…"
The Forbidden Zone's voice echoed. Vincent nodded lightly.
So it had been nearly half a month.
Of course, that was only because this instance spanned an enormous stretch of events, roughly equal in content to two or three normal runs.
It made sense.
"You have received 350 freely allocatable attribute points!"
"You have received the ability: Regeneration!"
As beams of white light poured into him one after another, Vincent's body underwent changes unlike anything before.
After a long while, the light faded.
Vincent clenched his fist, feeling the new power settle into his bones.
At the same time, he skimmed the information that had suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Calling it Regeneration was almost misleading.
It was more like a refined copy of Muzan Kibutsuji's ability.
Even having just obtained it, Vincent was confident he could reach Muzan's level.
And he could also induce minor shapeshifts in his flesh.
Like stretching his arms to twice their length.
Or swelling a fist until it was the size of a cooking pot.
His cells felt as if they had been injected with fresh life. Every movement radiated vigorous vitality.
He casually threw a punch. His speed was already far faster than before he entered the instance.
With a thought, his arm abruptly extended.
At a glance, it almost resembled Monkey D. Luffy's Gum Gum powers.
But the difference was this.
Regeneration, once pushed to the extreme, granted terrifying control over the body.
For example, right now Vincent could only alter certain parts of himself in one direction at a time.
But at the end of the path, he could transform into someone else entirely in an instant.
Even changing sex would not be an obstacle.
Muzan had already demonstrated that kind of control.
And Vincent would only grow stronger.
Not only that, as Vincent developed, Regeneration itself would continue to evolve.
Eventually, even legendary feats would be possible.
Rebirth from a single drop of blood.
Or creating an external incarnation.
A power that had seemed a little plain at first suddenly became a lot more tempting.
After checking himself, Vincent also realized that the Forbidden Zone had restored him, healing the backlash from his Ultra Instinct state.
With a thought, he dumped all of the newly awarded attribute points into Spirit.
Just like his previous skills, this Regeneration ability was tied directly to his Spirit stat.
"The problem is my Saitama Physique raises Spirit way too slowly," Vincent mused, a hint of smugness in his thoughts. "If I don't keep grinding instances for free attribute points, I'll never get Spirit and body both maxed out…"
"And when I do…"
"Who's left that can even stand against me?"
It wasn't arrogance.
If Vincent's current status panel were made public, it would shake the entire world.
And with Vincent still in his prime, every faction would be scrambling to recruit him.
Because with his current strength, a single punch…
The consequences would be unthinkable.
After one final check of his power and attributes, it was time to leave the Forbidden Zone and return to the real world.
As usual, Vincent turned left and stepped through the exit, walking out without hesitation…
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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