Roy narrowed his eyes slightly, and with a thought, a glowing orb radiating soft light slowly coalesced in his hand.
The orb flickered and danced in Roy's palm, releasing warm and brilliant radiance.
Nezuko, who had been standing quietly nearby, was instantly drawn to this light the moment she sensed it.
Her eyes shimmered with a strange brilliance, and her feet moved beyond her control, slowly carrying her toward Roy.
"How interesting," Roy murmured softly, watching Nezuko's reaction as the curiosity in his heart grew ever deeper.
He could not help but wonder, 'I just don't know what kind of structure Muzan has, to be able to create such a peculiar demon.'
Roy's curiosity toward Muzan grew stronger and stronger, and he quietly resolved that he absolutely had to bring Muzan back and let Orochimaru study him thoroughly.
Just as Roy was absorbed in his own thoughts, the air around them suddenly turned cold and dark.
Several black shadows appeared in an instant like spectral wraiths, shattering the calm that had existed before.
It was the Upper Ranks.
The members of the Demon Slayer Corps, upon seeing this, instantly went on high alert.
They swiftly drew their weapons and took up battle stances.
Water Pillar Tomioka Giyuu gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, his gaze locked hard onto the Upper Ranks.
Then, Muzan's figure slowly materialized, his pale face bearing eyes that gleamed with greedy light.
When his gaze fell upon Nezuko, his eyes instantly blazed with fierce intensity, as though he had laid eyes on the treasure he had pursued his entire life.
"This is the most perfect demon..."
Muzan muttered to himself, his voice saturated with greed and longing.
"As long as I obtain Nezuko, I will surely be able to unravel this secret."
However, in the next moment, Muzan saw Roy reach out and gently pat Nezuko on the head, and not only did Nezuko show no resistance, but a faint expression of enjoyment crossed her face.
This sight utterly enraged Muzan, and murderous intent surged from him like something tangible as a raging fire instantly ignited in his eyes.
"Wretch, take your hand away!"
Muzan let out a furious roar, as though he intended to crush Roy in an instant.
But suddenly, Muzan's brow furrowed slightly, and the unease in his heart grew ever stronger.
He looked around and found that the members of the Demon Slayer Corps wore strange expressions, particularly the Pillars, whose eyes conveyed a calm that was difficult to put into words.
'What is going on?' Muzan pondered inwardly, 'These wretches, why are they so composed? Could they truly believe they are capable of opposing me?'
He looked toward Roy once more, attempting to read something from the other man's expression, but Roy's face remained placid, even carrying a trace of amusement.
Muzan felt an inexplicable pressure, as though what he faced was not a human being, but an existence of unfathomable depth.
"Upper Ranks, attack!" Muzan issued the command, his voice tinged with agitation.
The Upper Ranks, upon hearing this, immediately sprang into action.
Upper Ranks such as Kokushibo, Akaza, and Doma released powerful auras and lunged toward the Demon Slayer Corps and Roy.
Yet the members of the Demon Slayer Corps did not fall into the panic Muzan had anticipated, and instead appeared exceptionally composed.
"How laughable," Wind Pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi said with a cold laugh.
"Mere demons, daring to act recklessly before a god."
"A god?" Muzan's heart jolted at this word, and he suddenly realized something.
He looked toward Roy once more and found that the other's aura had in an instant become immeasurably profound, as though it had merged and become one with heaven and earth.
"You... just what are you?" Muzan's voice trembled, an emotion he had not felt in hundreds of years.
Roy gave a faint smile, slowly raised his hand, and lightly tapped a finger.
In that instant, heaven and earth seemed to come to a standstill, as the Upper Ranks' movements halted abruptly, as though bound by an invisible force, unable to move.
"Impossible... this is impossible!" Muzan let out a furious roar and attempted to break free from that invisible restraint, but no matter how he struggled, he could not move so much as a fraction.
'Forget it, let Garp have some fun.'
He had no intention of acting personally, as that would be far too undignified.
With a gesture from Roy, Garp strode forward, his bold laughter echoing across the entire sky above.
This battle was nothing more than a game to him.
His aura erupted in an instant, and his terrifying Conqueror's Haki swept across the entire field like a tidal wave, causing the very air to tremble.
"Ha ha ha! Let me see just what these so-called demons of this world are capable of!"
Garp laughed heartily, his fists clenched tight.
The overwhelming pressure of his Conqueror's Haki instantly blanketed the entire battlefield, and though the members of the Demon Slayer Corps had mentally prepared themselves, they were still so overwhelmed by this terrifying force that they could barely stand.
The Pillars barely managed to hold their bodies upright, cold sweat seeping from their foreheads, their hearts shaken beyond measure.
"This... is this Mr. Garp's power?"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth and barely kept his footing, though his legs trembled involuntarily.
"It is terrifying... even just this aura alone makes it feel suffocating," the Water Pillar said in awe.
Muzan and the Upper Ranks were utterly stunned as well.
Muzan's expression became extremely ugly, as though what he faced was not a person, but an insurmountable mountain.
For the first time in his heart, a truly genuine fear arose.
"How can this be... how can there exist a human this powerful in this world?"
Muzan's voice trembled, and his body stepped back involuntarily.
The Upper Ranks were also so overwhelmed by this Conqueror's Haki that they could not move.
Powerful Upper Ranks such as Kokushibo, Akaza, and Doma were at this moment bound as though by invisible chains, to the point that even breathing had become difficult.
Garp laughed heartily as his gaze swept over Muzan and the Upper Ranks.
"Is that all you've got? It seems these so-called 'demons' of this world are nothing more than this!"
Garp stood at the center, his bold laughter not yet faded, when his aura suddenly shifted.
The savage Conqueror's Haki that had raged moments before gradually withdrew, replaced by an energy fluctuation of scorching intensity.
His eyes seemed to burn with roaring flames, and the air around him warped from the extreme heat.
"Let me show you true Flame Breathing," Garp said with a grin.
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Garp drew in a deep breath, his chest swelling high, as though he had drawn all the air into his body.
Then, with a sudden exhale, an immense torrent of flame erupted from his fists, transforming in an instant into a vast sea of fire that swept toward Muzan and the Upper Ranks.
"BOOM!" The flames roared like a raging dragon, and the scorching heat turned the entire battlefield into what felt like a furnace.
The members of the Demon Slayer Corps stared at this spectacle in stunned disbelief, their hearts shaken beyond words.
"This... is this Flame Breathing?" The Pillars stood with their mouths agape, realizing that the former Flame Pillar, compared to this, was like an infant.
"The scale and power of these flames have completely transcended the bounds of Flame Breathing!"
"It is terrifying... this is simply not a power that any human should be able to command!" Cold sweat seeped from the Wind Pillar's forehead.