Chapter 177: Demon Slayer Mark, Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and Transparent World
As someone known by Tamayo to be exceptionally cowardly and afraid of death, Muzan had an immense obsession with immortality.
Muzan, the progenitor of demons, was born during the distant Heian period. Even before his birth, his heart had stopped beating in his mother's womb, and he came into the world stillborn.
Although he eventually survived, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was told he wouldn't live past twenty, always remaining bedridden.
Someone like him should have died a long, long time ago.
However, a doctor developed a medicine to extend his life, thus changing Muzan's fate.
Yes, Muzan was originally a human who could die and could get sick. It wasn't until after he took the medicine from that doctor that his body transformed.
He not only regained his health but also obtained eternal life and immense power.
From that moment on, the world saw the emergence of a new kind of monster—a demon.
With that, the so-called progenitor of demons was born this way.
After becoming a demon, Muzan possessed a body that could recover from any injury, never age, and never die. Despite this, he still pursued perfection, aiming to overcome his weakness to sunlight and become immortal in the truest sense.
As a result, in his search for immortality and perfect life, Muzan abandoned his family and original identity, wandering the world.
Tamayo became a demon was also because Muzan wanted to utilize her expertise in pharmacology to develop a drug that could overcome sunlight.
As someone familiar with the original work, Riezel naturally knew about Muzan's obsession with immortality and understood what he had been seeking in the world for a thousand years.
"Blue Spider Lily."
Riezel revealed the secret, known to very few.
"Kibutsuji Muzan researched the formula of the medicine made by that doctor and discovered that it was actually incomplete. It required a plant called 'Blue Spider Lily' to become a finished product."
Needless to say, Muzan had been searching for traces of the Blue Spider Lily all along to complete the unfinished medicine and become the ultimate immortal monster.
Knowing this fact, after Riezel beheaded the seven demons in the Ubuyashiki Estate, he whispered something into Gyokko's ear just before he turned to ash.
—Blue Spider Lily is in my hands.
Riezel was certain that these words had already reached Muzan's ears.
Muzan could give his blood to others, turning them into demons and thereby exerting complete control over them.
Those who became demons through his blood could not only have their minds read when near him but also have their directions and locations sensed. They could even engage in telepathic communication and share visions, allowing him to know everything happening to them to the greatest extent.
Although this control had its limitations such as decreased precision over long distances or reduced control when his own condition was poor, generally speaking, barring unforeseen circumstances, all demons were under his control, and he knew their every action.
Because of this, Riezel could confidently tell everyone.
"Kibutsuji Muzan definitely heard what I said back then..." Riezel stated calmly. "So, he will definitely come looking for me."
In the face of his obsession with immortality, Muzan, no matter how cowardly, wouldn't stay silent and hide again as he did hundreds of years ago.
He had been searching for the Blue Spider Lily since the Heian period, for over a thousand years, with no results. Now, with the sudden news of it, no matter what, he would go crazy for it.
Even if he feared and dreaded Riezel's strength, or was shocked that Riezel knew about the Blue Spider Lily, or even suspected a trap, he would still take action for immortality and a perfect life.
After all, this was his only obsession.
Riezel didn't believe Muzan could restrain his thousand-year obsession and hide without even attempting to confront him.
"You could say, from the moment I mentioned 'Blue Spider Lily' to the Upper Five, it was inevitable that Kibutsuji Muzan and I would face each other."
In a room covered with tatami mats, Riezel declared confidently in front of the higher-ups of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Perhaps, it won't be long before we have a battle."
With those words coming out of Riezel's mouth, the room instantly fell silent.
Even Kagaya, along with everyone present, had their breaths slightly quickened in that instant.
No choice.
If all this was true, it meant one thing—the one they had always dreamed of finding and eliminating but could never locate was about to appear.
When that happened, as long as they killed him, all the demons in the world would perish.
No one would be eaten by demons anymore.
No one would suffer from the loss of their loved ones anymore.
No one would despair anymore.
No one would lose their happy lives anymore.
After all, each Hashira had, to some extent, lost their original lives and loved ones to demons. Naturally, this led them to harbor a deep-seated hatred toward demons, resenting them and desiring to exterminate every last one—especially Muzan.
Because of him, the demons that killed their loved ones existed in this world.
In other words, the tragedies in their lives were all caused by his actions.
With the imminent appearance of the culprit of everything, how could the Hashira remain calm?
At this moment, several astonishing auras filled the room.
One was surrounded by whirlwinds.
Another had flames igniting on his body.
Another had water flowing around his body.
Some caused anomalies in the atmosphere around them, with sounds like sonic booms or the shadow of a snake rising behind, looking particularly terrifying.
*Cough!* *Cough!*
Even Kagaya started coughing from his intense emotions, coughing so hard that blood dripped onto the tatami. In the next second, his wife and children panicked, hastily patting his back and feeding him medicine.
Riezel watched all this, furrowing his brows, not saying a word. Nonetheless, at this point, even if he didn't speak, no one present could ignore him.
"Is everything you said true?"
Sanemi stared at Riezel with bloodshot eyes, squeezing out the words through gritted teeth.
"Kibutsuji Muzan will come to find you? Are you absolutely sure?"
All the Hashira's gazes instantly focused on Riezel, filled with various intense emotions.
Riezel had expected the members of the Demon Slayer Corps to be excited if he told them about Muzan's matter, but he hadn't expected such a very strong reaction.
In fact, it was actually understandable.
After all, Riezel wasn't one of the Demon Slayer Corps, unlike these people who had experienced despair, pain, and the nightmare of having their loved ones taken by demons.
Even if he knew through the original work that the Hashira had various tragic pasts, knowing was one thing, understanding them was another.
In light of this, Riezel had to remind them.
"You all seem to think this is a good thing, but I don't." Riezel poured cold water on their excitement. "I won't comment on myself, but for you guys, if you face Kibutsuji Muzan, there's only one outcome, complete annihilation."
Evidently, this splash of cold water extinguished the intense emotions in the hearts of the Hashira. Only a few Hashira, who had very deep grudges against demons, were completely undeterred.
"As long as we can kill Kibutsuji Muzan, who cares about complete annihilation?!" Sanemi shouted. "Even if I die, I'll drag him to hell with me!"
"No, the problem is, I'm afraid you won't even be able to do that." Riezel said mercilessly. "You can't even defeat the Upper Ranks. Even if you all go together, without the Mark, without the Transparent World, without the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, you won't be able to hurt him at all."
"What did you say?!" Sanemi abruptly stood up.
Riezel glanced at Sanemi indifferently, then looked away, showing he didn't want to talk to him much.
Seeing this, Sanemi lost his temper.
"Sanemi!"
*Cough!*
Just as Sanemi was about to rush over and grab Riezel's collar, Kagaya spoke up in time.
"Don't be disrespectful to His Excellency. He saved me, saved the entire Ubuyashiki family, and saved the Corps."
Kagaya's simple sentence calmed Sanemi down.
At this moment, it was Obanai, who had also had conflicts with Riezel and had never been very friendly, who spoke up.
"What are these so-called Mark, Transparent World, and Bright Red Nichirin Sword you're talking about?"
His question successfully shifted everyone's attention to this topic.
"I remember, Tsugikuni mentioned these three names last time..." Shinobu suddenly brought up the topic.
"Ah, that's right!" Mitsuri also recalled it.
"So, what is it? It sounds pretty flamboyant to me." Tengen couldn't help but speak up.
Giyuu, Muichirou, Gyoumei, and Kyoujurou also showed expressions of interest.
Seeing their reactions, Riezel thought for a moment before deciding to explain.
"Well, it doesn't matter if I tell you..." Riezel crossed his hands over his chest. "The so-called Mark, Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and Transparent World refer to three types of ability."
"The Mark, also called the Demon Slayer Mark, is a veined mark that appears on the bodies of Demon Slayers, greatly enhancing their physical abilities."
"The Bright Red Nichirin Sword is an ability that significantly increases damage to demons, even reducing their regenerative abilities."
"The Transparent World is an ocular extrasensory perception that alters your vision, allowing you to perceive other living beings as if they were transparent. Once achieved, it maximizes perception, enables seeing through bodies, and significantly enhances movement speed, attack prediction, and reflexes."
Riezel explained calmly to everyone.
"These three abilities, if you manage to get one, can really boost your strength and make you a bigger threat to demons."
"If you have all three, you might stand a chance against an Upper Rank."
"In fact, even a low-ranking Demon Slayer with these three abilities could easily pose a threat to an Upper Rank."
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Chapter 178: Head Instructor
If the emergence of breathing styles allowed humans to confront demons directly, then abilities like the Demon Slayer Mark, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and the Transparent World further enhanced these humans, making them high-end combat power capable of facing even the strongest demons.
Whether it was the Demon Slayer Mark or the Transparent World, any of these abilities noticeably increased human strength.
Even the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, though useless against anything other than demons, had significant destructive power against them.
Therefore, among the Hashira, all but one had to awaken at least one of these abilities to have the power to confront an Upper Rank.
"So that's how it is..."
Every Hashira was deeply shocked upon learning the three abilities.
It couldn't be helped.
Because the legacy of the Demon Slayer Corps had been lost and destroyed many times throughout history, it remained incomplete. Most of the Hashira knew almost nothing about the Demon Slayer Mark, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, or the Transparent World.
Only Kagaya, after coughing a few times, spoke up.
"Regarding the Bright Red Nichirin Sword and Transparent World, I won't discuss those two abilities. However, in the history passed down within the Ubuyashiki family, I've seen records about the Mark."
Kagaya revealed this information.
"Legend has it that during the Sengoku period, some of the first-generation Demon Slayers, who had pushed Kibutsuji Muzan to the brink several times, had veined marks on their bodies. I believe that must be the so-called Demon Slayer Mark."
Upon hearing Kagaya's explanation, Riezel smirked.
"Pushed Kibutsuji Muzan to the brink, huh?"
Riezel was skeptical about this claim, but he didn't correct it.
"That is indeed the Demon Slayer Mark. Demon Slayers who awaken the Mark have significantly more strength than ordinary Demon Slayers. Whether they could push Kibutsuji Muzan to the brink, I don't know, but they certainly had the power to push the Upper Ranks to the brink—that's unquestionable."
Upon hearing this, the Hashira couldn't stay calm.
"Young Tsugikuni, are you this strong because you've mastered the three abilities you mentioned?"
Kyoujurou asked hastily, causing the eyes of every Hashira present to burn with intensity.
If Riezel was strong because he possessed these three abilities, did that mean they could become just as strong if they also acquired them?
Thoughts like this couldn't help but arise in the minds of the Hashira.
Unfortunately, Riezel dashed their hopes.
"I did awaken the Transparent World, but that's all. I haven't awakened the Mark or the Bright Red Nichirin Sword."
His words shocked everyone.
"Just one ability made you this strong?" Mitsuri covered her mouth, looking incredulous.
"No, my strength has nothing to do with how many abilities I've unlocked." Riezel shook his head. "Although the Mark and the Bright Red Nichirin Sword are indeed impressive, to me, they're just that, decent. Especially the Mark, it comes with a terrifying price after awakening it. I know how to awaken it, but I don't plan to."
"Price?" Sanemi seemed particularly concerned about this. "What price?"
Riezel glanced at him for a second, then answered calmly.
"The Mark is an ability that boosts strength by overdrawing one's life force. In other words, using the Mark shortens your lifespan. Everyone who has awakened the Mark rarely lived past twenty-five years old."
As soon as Riezel finished saying this, everyone fell silent.
It was because of this side effect that Riezel didn't plan to awaken the Demon Slayer Mark. In his view, the Demon Slayer Mark might be good, but it was just that.
Among the Hashira, the weakest one had strength equivalent to lower Level 4, while the weakest among the Upper Ranks was about upper Level 4. In other words, if a Hashira used the Demon Slayer Mark, even the weakest one would have the power to directly confront the weakest among the Upper Ranks.
It might sound impressive, but just increasing strength from lower Level 4 to upper Level 4 wasn't that amazing.
In this world, the Demon Slayer Mark was undoubtedly a strong ability, but to Riezel, it seemed just average.
With an overpowered enchant magic like Ariel that allowed one to challenge opponents with a higher level, an ability that only allowed one to challenge opponents half a level wasn't that appealing. Without any side effects, it might be worth trying, but with a side effect as severe as reducing one's lifespan, it was better left alone.
Considering this, Riezel never thought about awakening the Demon Slayer Mark from the beginning.
As for the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, he had some interest at first, but now, this ability was redundant for someone who had the Pioneer of the Sun.
Against demons, the Pioneer of the Sun's special attack capability against evil entities was certainly more lethal than the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, not to mention, his Nichirin Sword, Hermit, also had a massively damaging effect on demons.
Moreover, Sun Breathing, as the first and origin of breathing styles, has a sunlight-like restraining effect on demons, like his previous use of 'Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance', which could temporarily suppress a demon's regenerative ability, even causing them intense pain.
Because of this, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword was no longer important to Riezel.
Among the three abilities, only Transparent World had significant usefulness to him, while the other two were either unacceptable due to their side effects or had become redundant.
Given this, Riezel neither planned to awaken the Demon Slayer Mark nor to delve into the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, as having the Transparent World was already enough for him.
Of course, this was a different matter for the Hashira.
"As long as we awaken the Mark and the other two abilities, we can defeat the Upper Ranks?"
Shinobu, speaking on behalf of all the Hashira, made the final confirmation.
To her question, Riezel gave a straightforward answer.
"Let's not talk about the strongest Upper One right now. That guy's on a whole different level compared to the other Upper Ranks. But aside from him, as long as you all can use all three abilities, you'll at least have a chance of defeating the other Upper Ranks in a one-on-one fight."
In Riezel's view, the strength of the Hashira could be divided into three tiers.
Firstly, there were the Insect Hashira, Kochou Shinobu, the Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri, and the Mist Hashira, Tokitou Muichirou. Since these three were relatively the youngest among the Hashira, their strength was comparatively weaker. They were at the bottom tier of the Hashira, equivalent to lower Level 4.
Next, there were the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyoujurou, the Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu, the Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa Sanemi, the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, and the Serpent Hashira, Iguro Obanai. Since these five were the backbones of the Hashira, they possessed relatively stronger strength, equivalent to middle Level 4.
Finally, there was the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyoumei.
Riezel glanced at the monk who was silently weeping with his hands clasped together.
Gyoumei was the oldest among the Hashira, already twenty-seven years old. Yet, it was precisely because he was the oldest that he was also the strongest.
As such, the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki was the Upper One and the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps was this Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyoumei.
Gyoumei's strength was approximately equivalent to upper Level 4, making him the only one among the current Hashira who could confront an Upper Rank head-on without the three abilities.
Even so, upper Level 4 was still the weakest strength among the Upper Ranks.
For instance, Gyuutarou, the Upper Six, was roughly at upper Level 4.
Gyokko, the Upper Five, was about the same.
As for the Upper Four, Hantengu, though his ability was tricky, Gyoumei wouldn't struggle too much if he knew the right strategy.
Gyoumei could even hold his own against the Upper Three, Akaza.
Unfortunately, this was probably his limit.
Going beyond that, without using any of the three abilities, it would become very difficult for him to win.
Especially the Upper One—he was on a whole other level.
Riezel suspected the Upper One had the strength equivalent to Level 5, so even if Gyoumei used all three abilities, he wouldn't be able to defeat the Upper One one-on-one.
However, excluding the Upper One, if the Hashira could awaken all three abilities, they would have some chance of victory against the other Upper Ranks in one-on-one—especially Gyoumei.
If Gyoumei used the Demon Slayer Mark, the Transparent World, and the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, he would be at least at the limit of Level 4, possibly even reaching middle Level 5. Such strength would give him a good chance of victory, even against the Upper Two.
As Riezel provided the answer, all the Hashira exchanged glances with each other.
"Hmph." Tengen held his forehead. "Since that's the case, isn't the solution already laid out brilliantly before us?"
Every Hashira's eyes ignited with flames.
Seeing this, Riezel understood that these people were really ready to go all out.
"You know the way to awaken those three abilities, right?" Obanai asked with a serious expression. "Please, tell us."
Without a doubt, all the Hashira present were willing to bear the consequence of using the Demon Slayer Mark.
"As long as we can kill the Upper Ranks, kill Kibutsuji Muzan, dying instantly wouldn't matter, let alone living until twenty-five." Sanemi's eyes gleamed fiercely.
"Umu, that's right!" Kyoujurou crossed his arms, a cheerful smile still on his face.
"Amitabha." Gyoumei chanted the Buddha's name again, tears streaming down even more than before.
Shinobu, Giyuu, and Muichirou remained silent but their expression clearly expressed their intentions.
Even the seemingly weakest and clumsy Mitsuri was the same.
Seeing the Hashira with eyes full of a readiness to die, Riezel fell silent. He understood that saying more would be useless.
"If none of you are really afraid of death, I can grant your wish."
Riezel's indifferent words seemed quite heartless, but even so, many people in the room cast grateful glances at him, even bowing their heads to him in respect.
Kagaya silently observed everything, neither stopping nor saying more, merely announcing one thing.
"From today onward, the Demon Slayer Corps will establish a head instructor position, to be held by His Excellency, Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
"Moreover, the status of head instructor is above the Hashira and equal to mine."
"Everyone must obey Head Instructor Tsugikuni Yoriichi's orders and prepare for the final battle with the demons."
To Kagaya's announcement, all the Hashira had only one response.
""YES!""
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