"Ah, ah, ah!!!"
Everyone from the Demon Slayer Corps standing around Kaito was stunned. Weren't they supposed to slip in quietly, without tipping anyone off?
To just openly announce to Kibutsuji Muzan, "I'm here to kill you" — wasn't that a little too brazen?
"Um… Kaito-sama, isn't this a bit much?"
Kanae Kocho leaned closer to him and asked carefully.
A faint, delicate fragrance drifted from beside him. Kaito replied a little awkwardly:
"Uh… don't worry about it. It's fine. He's not going anywhere."
With that, he gripped Tenkuu and strode into the Infinity Castle. The others scrambled to follow.
"Kaito-sama! This place is enormous. Do you know where Muzan is?"
Tomioka Giyuu, nichirin blade in hand, fell into step beside him.
"Relax. Someone will come to us. Look… here they come."
Kaito pointed ahead at the shapes slowly emerging from the dark.
"Demons!!! Everyone, stay sharp and do not get separated!!!"
"First squad, draw blades!"
"Second squad, draw blades!"
"Third squad…"
The sound of hundreds of blades leaving their sheaths filled the air at once. The atmosphere turned razor-sharp, a killing intent settling over everyone present.
Kaito looked at the horde of demons rushing toward them and clicked his tongue.
'What is this, a welcoming parade of cannon fodder? This is how Muzan entertains guests?'
He decided the local hospitality was sorely lacking and that someone needed to teach them better manners.
"Demon Slayer Corps! Avenge your families, charge!!!"
"Kill!!!"
"Kill… ugh, ugh, ugh!!!"
The Corps members charged forward, faces burning with fury — and then a wave of golden sword energy flooded everyone's vision.
It swept through the demon horde in an instant. Everything in its path, buildings and demons alike, was reduced to fragments. Demon corpses scattered across the ground. Wooden structures dissolved into drifting sawdust.
By the time the Corps members blinked and recovered their senses, they were still mid-charge — but there was nothing left in front of them. Just ruins, open space, and bodies.
They turned, almost in unison, to look at Kaito, who was still holding his follow-through pose with Tenkuu.
"Ha! What did I say? I could have handled all of this myself. You just needed to stand back and watch."
'Not that I wanted to babysit anyone. But after all that big talk back at headquarters, I could hardly just stand around doing nothing. And besides, what's the point of being this strong if you don't show it off a little? Rich and not returning home is like wearing fine clothes in the dark.'
He let his gaze drift over the stunned, admiring faces around him and felt quietly satisfied.
'And a leader needs to demonstrate strength every now and then anyway. Look at those loyalty numbers climb.'
"Is that… Kaito-sama's power?!"
"He's like a god!"
"With him leading us, Kibutsuji Muzan is finished!"
"Yeah!!!"
The morale of the Corps surged. Kaito turned to Rengoku Kyojuro, who was serving as field commander at his side.
"Take everyone and sweep the ordinary demons in the area. Lower Ranks, your teams handle them yourselves. If you run into an Upper Rank, call out loud and I'll come. Understood?"
Rengoku Kyojuro dropped to one knee immediately.
"Understood! And you, Kaito-sama…?"
"Me? I'm going to go play with Muzan. I just wonder if he's up to it. Hehehehe."
Rengoku Kyojuro caught that grin and couldn't suppress a shiver.
'Kaito-sama in this mood is genuinely terrifying.'
"Whoosh…"
In the blink of an eye, Kaito used [Flash Step] and vanished from the group entirely.
Rengoku Kyojuro rose to his feet and turned to address the Corps.
"Everyone, split into small teams and begin clearing the remaining demons. Call for help the moment you are in danger. Is that clear?!"
"Yes!!!"
While the Corps fanned out to hunt, Kaito stood still and studied the six-eyed figure in front of him.
'So this is Kokushibo. Looking at his presence alone, he honestly feels more like the final boss than Muzan does.'
Kokushibo, for his part, was examining the human who had appeared before him without warning.
Black hair. Strange clothes from who-knows-where. An air of complete laziness about him. An ancient longsword in his right hand. Nothing about him looked like a powerful fighter.
And yet the sheer fact that he had appeared in front of him without warning was enough to demand attention. Kokushibo tightened his grip on his nichirin blade.
"Human. I don't care what trick you used to get here. But since you had the nerve to intrude, I hope you're ready to die."
"I haven't really given much thought to how I'd die. Why don't you tell me?"
Kaito waved a hand at him lazily.
"Human! It has been many years since anyone dared to speak to me that way. I will grant you a magnificent end. Consider it mercy."
'Good grief, this one's even better at showing off than I am. No. This world does not have room for any demon who out-shows me. That position is taken.'
Kaito decided to pour a little more fuel on the fire.
"Oh, how impressive. A man who spent his whole life being outshone by Tsugikuni Yoriichi is really up here acting like he owns the place. When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king, I suppose."
Kokushibo's pupils snapped shut. The hand on his hilt went white.
"How do you know about that?! It has been hundreds of years. How could anyone still know?!"
"Damn you, Tsugikuni Yoriichi! I have long since surpassed you! Human, I promise you will die badly for this!!!"
He lunged.
"[Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace]!"
The slash came fast and savage. Kaito didn't move.
"[Golden Light Incantation]!"
[System: Once again, [Basic Cultivation Method] carries the day!!!]
The attack struck a shimmering golden barrier and died without leaving a single ripple.
"That's all you've got? You really ought to go back a few hundred years and ask your brother for a few more lessons."
"Damn it, what is this?!"
Kokushibo's eyes burned. He leaped back and committed everything to his next technique.
"[Moon Breathing, Sixteenth Form: Moonbow, Half Moon]!"
He launched himself upward and brought the full force of a downward barrage crashing toward Kaito, the kind of strike that could split the earth itself.
It reached the golden barrier.
It did nothing.
"This… how is this possible?!"
"Done? Good. My turn. Watch."
Kaito channelled spiritual energy into Tenkuu. A single arc of golden sword energy shot forward.
Kokushibo's pupils contracted. A cold, absolute certainty of death flooded through him from head to foot.
He tried desperately to move. His body refused, locked in place as if something had nailed him to the spot. No matter how hard he fought it, he could not shift an inch.
He watched the golden light close the distance.
'So there really are humans infinitely stronger than me. After all this time… was I wrong? But… brother. I only ever wanted to be like you.'
The sword energy passed through him and vanished. Kokushibo's body split cleanly in two, the light in all six of his eyes slowly fading until only stillness remained.
"Heh. Spiritual energy really is the perfect counter for demons. One clean hit and it's over, no regenerating from that."
Kaito glanced at the body and turned to walk away. Nothing worth lingering over.
"Alright, Muzan, my dear. Big brother is coming to play. Hehehehe."
[System: You are genuinely a little unhinged, you know that. (;￢_￢)]