Late at night, pale moonlight cut through rolling black clouds and lit up a figure tearing through the darkness at insane speed.
How in the world!?
How the hell did that guy find me?
Muzan Kibutsuji's plum-red pupils were filled with raw unease.
The pressure coming off Ivan wasn't as heavy as what Yoriichi Tsugikuni had given him hundreds of years ago, but it was still no joke.
His mind raced through every ability Ivan had shown so far: supersonic speed, body transformation, Water Breathing and Sun Breathing, plus that weird ability to sense demons.
The one that scared him the most was Sun Breathing.
Just thinking about Sun Breathing made his hair stand on end. Even his breathing turned ragged.
The shadow that man had cast over him back then still haunted him.
"Fucking hell. How can a demon learn that thing?!"
Muzan ground his back teeth so hard they creaked.
At the same time, his hunger for the blue spider lily grew even stronger. In his mind, the only reason Ivan could use Sun Breathing and turn the power of the sun into his own was because he'd eaten the blue spider lily and removed demons' last weakness.
"Why?! Why didn't you give me the complete medicine back then?!"
Hatred burned in Muzan's eyes until it nearly overflowed. Unwillingness and rage twisted his face. He hated it. He hated that the doctor hadn't given him the full formula before dying.
Because of that, he still feared sunlight. He still couldn't become the perfect, immortal, ultimate being.
Boom! Boom boom!!
Right then, heavy, powerful thuds came from behind him. Each one felt like an invisible hand squeezing Muzan's heart.
A chill shot through his entire body.
This… this was the sound of a heartbeat!
He whipped his head around and saw a red figure rapidly closing the distance. One kilometer!
Five hundred meters!
One hundred meters!
Muzan's eye sockets trembled violently. Blood vessels crawled across his plum-red eyes. Shock. Terror. Disbelief. His expression turned ugly and complicated.
Run or fight?
No question. Muzan chose to run. Riiip! The muscles in his legs swelled violently and shredded his white suit pants. Even at full speed he could barely keep pace with Ivan, and the gap between them kept shrinking.
Boom!
In that instant, it felt like the whole world hit pause.
Haa! Two jets of scorching steam burst from the corners of Ivan's mouth. He leaned forward, right arm muscles bulging. Bright red cracks like flowing lava spread from his chest across his entire body. The cracks and markings mixed together into a grotesque, twisted pattern.
"Found… you, Mr. Muzan…"
Ivan's eyes had turned completely blood-red from the massive rush of blood. This was his heart engine pushed to the absolute limit, not his body's limit.
In places no one could see, his heart was hammering so hard that countless tiny cracks had already spread across its glassy surface. It looked like a delicate porcelain piece right on the edge of shattering. Beautiful. And extremely dangerous.
"What are you running for, Mr. Muzan?" Ivan's fingers tightened. He reached into the fresh crater and pulled out Muzan's crushed head. He straightened up and held the blood-soaked head right in front of his face.
A vicious grin spread across Ivan's lips.
Analyze!
Muzan's body structure!
He couldn't keep control of Muzan for long, so he had to pick the talent skill that would take the least time to parse.
"AAAAAHHH——!!" A huge mouth full of fangs suddenly tore open across Muzan's chest. A furious roar exploded out of it.
The giant mouth snapped its razor teeth around Ivan's right hand. Crack crack crack! The skin on the back of Ivan's hand caved in under the pressure, but it didn't break the way Muzan wanted.
"You some kind of fucking dog?" Ivan frowned and hurled Muzan away.
Muzan hit the ground hard. A disgusting, twisted tentacle shot out of his neck. It swayed for a moment, then quickly formed a brand-new head.
"This speed…" Muzan twisted his new head around, killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Really is something."
...
Elsewhere.
Deep in the mountains and old forest, a hunched figure was rushing toward Muzan's location.
Even though he looked like an ordinary old man, his movements were surprisingly agile. He leaped from branch to branch, weaving through the tall trees at high speed.
"I'm so pitiful. It's the middle of the night and I still have to go help my lord. Who knows what kind of trouble he's in that he needs me to get there as fast as possible." Tears welled up in the wrinkled corners of Hantengu's eyes. He genuinely believed no one in the world was more miserable than him. "Why doesn't anyone show me any pity? Why?"
Under the moonlight, Hantengu's true form became visible between the trees. A massive tumor sat on his forehead, and on either side of it grew a pair of dry, yellowish horns covered in cracks.
There was no Upper Rank marking in his eyes. He just looked like any other demon.
"This dark forest is really scary. I need to get out of here fast." Hantengu's face looked genuinely frightened.
Suddenly.
A Kasugai Crow flew overhead and nearly scared the shit out of him.
"A Demon Slayer Corps Kasugai Crow? Did the Lord get surrounded by the Demon Slayers?" Hantengu instinctively slowed down after spotting it.
How many Hashira did the Corps send out this time to make the lord so desperate to gather the Twelve Kizuki?
Hantengu clearly remembered the last time Muzan had called an Upper Rank meeting was 111 years ago.
...
A dozen minutes later, just after Ivan had left, a Kasugai Crow that had flown in from far away began circling above the Asakusa area, letting out sharp, piercing cries.
"Gah! Gah! Gah!!"
Inside Tamayo's residence, Torataro, who had been stealing fruit, immediately perked up its wings at the sound.
"It's 'Yo.' What's it doing here?" Torataro asked, confused.
"You mean Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku's Kasugai Crow 'Kaname Yo'?"
Not long ago, Kyojuro Rengoku had killed Lower Rank Two, during a mission in Tokyo. Because of that, he took the title of Flame Hashira from his father, Shinjuro Rengoku.
"That's the one."
Torataro flew to the window and let out a few sharp caws.
"It won't find us. I set up a concealment barrier around here." Yushiro walked out of the room with a blood-stained towel in his hands and a cold expression. He set the towel down, picked up a basin of clean water, and went back inside.
"I see." Murata immediately opened the window and let Torataro fly out.
A moment later, Torataro returned with Kaname perched beside it.
Kaname looked like any ordinary Kasugai Crow — solid black. But standing next to Torataro, the difference was obvious. Torataro had the vibe of a street thug, while Kaname stood straight with sharp, focused eyes. It was clearly the elite of the elite.
"Caw! Urgent report. The Master sensed you might be in danger, so he contacted headquarters and had me link up with their crow. Since Master Rengoku is the closest Hashira to Tokyo right now, he sent me to guide him here to support you," Kaname said.
"Where is Lord Kyojuro? Has he arrived yet?"
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69