章 49: Sunrise Countdown Arc (Finale)
"Revival!! Muzan has revived!! The Pillars must gather at once!! Gather at once!!"
Recovering my body through breathing, I snap my eyes open before shouting, "Muzan!!"
My voice echoed off the walls of the castle and Muzan seemed to have heard me, for his presence began to move closer to me.
"Oyakata, tell all Pillars to converge on my position, Muzan is coming straight to me." I tell the crow circling around my head.
And sure enough, the faint sound of a biwa being strummed causes Muzan and I to suddenly be teleported to an upside-down diner. Turning myself around, I stare at Muzan's new appearance.
His hair having aged white and numerous mouth all over his limbs, each one lined with a set of sharp fangs. His skin with dark-red mass growing from the ends of his limbs and branching onto his body.
"Persistent. You are seriously persistent. And it bores me. It sickens me from the bottom of my heart. Compared to last time, you're nothing but an insignificant bug. And what exactly is your notion for fighting. Others have that one dumb notion about avenging their parents, kids, or siblings, but as far as I'm concerned, I haven't killed anyone important to you. You yourself are alive, so that should be enough."
"I have the strength and ability to help those in need, so why wouldn't I."
Muzan scoffs, "How hypocritical of you. Your family never got slaughtered, so what's the problem here? Think yourself as lucky and go back to the way you lived life before."
"But if I did that, then all I'd be doing is languishing. And Muzan, you are a threat. If I leave you alone now, you'll simply come back with a new army and then slaughter my loved ones."
"Well, look at it this way." Muzan begins, "Being killed by me is the same as encountering a great calamity. You don't need to think so hard about it. Rains, winds, volcano eruptions, earthquakes. You can't get revenge on a natural disaster, no matter how many lives it takes away. You can't bring dead humans back to life. Just stop fussing over such a small issue and live quietly to earn your daily wages. Most humans live that life, why can't you?"
"As a demon slayer pillar," I hold my hand to my chest, "It's my job to have learned from those before me. Those who suffered from a natural disaster, I can learn from and prepare better for it. Until eventually, we reach a point in which the disaster is no longer a problem. And what are you doing comparing yourself to a great calamity? You can be killed after all."
"As if you ever could." Swinging his hand forward impossibly quick and shapes his arms into elongated distorted flesh swords that fling towards me, decimating anything that they touch.
Pulling my first sword that lay at my hip, I use 'Water Breathing Eleventh Form: Calm Before the Storm' causing Muzan's attacks to lose all momentum and shrink in size so they can't reach me. Feeling flooded with power from Muzan's one technique, I let out a short laugh before shotting forward toward Muzan, ready to cleave him in half.
The look in Muzan's eye was that of disinterest as he simply created more flesh blades from his body to shot towards me. Barely being able to stop my own momentum and dive off to the side, the side of my cheek gets nicked.
"You should already know that I can't be killed by such a simple slash." Muzan states, "And even if you choose to buy time waiting for the sun, it won't reach into this fortress."
"Well, that's what teammates are for, right?" I scoff.
"Oh, but it seems that a multitude of the Pillars seem to have been greatly injured by my subordinate, you know?"
Sending out more of his flesh blades, the ceiling we're standing on gets easily marked, and I am once again forced to dodge. Being pushed consistently over, I eventually reach the wall, and in turn, I bounce myself off the wall, pushing myself past Muzan's attacks, closer to himself.
And just in time, the 'ceiling' bursts open with Gyomei's flail and Muzan's attention is diverted to the appearance of eight Pillars and three other Demon Slayers. While Mitsuri uses 'Breath of Love Sixth Form: Cat-Legged Winds of Love' to inflict literally no damage upon Muzan, I use Muzan's lack of attention on me and use 'Ice Breathing Fourth Form: Piasuaisu', managing to stab my sword in Muzan's chest, causing a huge portion of it to turn into ice. Yet, Muzan remain unimpressed, swatting me away like a fly before I can headbutt the frozen area and destroy it.
Skidding backwards into my group of friendly Hashira, Muzan scrapes away the area of ice like one would dust, and then screams in anger, "What the hell are you doing Nakime!"
Following Muzan's question, the entire fortress begins to shake, almost the same exact way that it had when I used 'Uncontested Might'.
"As I said before Muzan, that's what teammates are for."
Muzan tries to wrestle back control of Nakime, but all of us of course took this opportunity to charge at Muzan.
Giyu used 'Water Breathing Fourth Form: Striking Tide', Rengoku used 'Flame Breathing Fifth Form: Flame Tiger', Shinazugawa used 'Wind Breathing First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter'. Being able to weave through their attacks, Obanai used 'Serpent Breathing First Form: Winding Serpent Slash' and Gyomei used 'Stone Breathing First Form: Serpentine Bipolar'.
Staring at all these attacks and us like we were pests, arm whips, leg whips, and spine whips shoot out from Muzan, flying toward each Hashira and deflecting each of their attacks. In that exact time, the floor beneath us suddenly opened us, driving us into a freefall.
In this time of confusion for all of us, Muzan lifts his hand and crushes it, most likely trying to remotely detonate Nakime. Being stopped from our downfall, we arrive on a floor where dead bodies lay.
"To rob such souls of their meager lives, Muzan, you shall suffer." Gyomei cries, wanting to throw his weapons at Muzan.
Muzan hadn't waited a moment to send his whips out again though. Leaving for each of us to fight a piece of Muzan. In the meanwhile, the sound of creaking became prevalent, stating that the castle was breaking up, leaving for sweat to begin dripping from my head. After all, if the castle collapsed before we got outside, then everyone but Muzan and I would die.
The building then once again shakes, leading to the building to rise. The building rose and rose until it eventually crashed into the ceiling, and we were all shoved outside. Having abandoned the fortress, I hop to my feet and discover something rather problematic. We brough Muzan to the surface, that's true, but the place we were brought to be the city.
It was a skills showdown between Yushiro and Muzan, so the fact that he managed to bring us to the surface was already impeccable, but there was still so much time before the sun would rise, and we had to hold him for that long and prevent him from using the cities populace to make more demons to slow us down.
"There's till one hour, and a half left! Hour and a half until sunrise!" A crow shouts out.
Looking around at my surroundings, I find that everyone is safe, but I can't seem to find Muzan. An obvious signal is given though when the greatest amount of rubble explodes outwards, revealing a pissed Muzan.
"Do you intend to keep me here until sunrise?! Try it if you can!"
Creating a vortex with his own whips, the cities buildings are sliced open in seconds and our positions destabilized. Jumping over to Muzan, I find Giyu, Obanai, and Mitsuri having followed me. Stopping just short of Muzan, I watch them use their breathing forms and cut through Muzan, but his injuries heal in an instant leaving all of them befuddled. His regeneration easily beat out their cutting speed.
As Muzan recalls his whips and sends them converging down onto Mitsuri, Giyu, and Obanai, I step in and use 'Sun Breathing Thirteenth Form'.
Having my sword coated in it's earie blue, I vertically slash through Muzan, making him grunt, and the first of his hearts to be cut through. Following the vertical slash of 'Dance', I do a 360-degree spin and cut through Muzan again.
"Insignificant."
Taken aback for a moment by Muzan's words, Muzan's form greatly condenses for a split second before spines shoot out from him, preventing me from continuing the remainder of my attack. As his spines continue to nick me, Muzan's torso and upper body morph into a gigantic beastly mouth and he releases a strong energy-like shockwave, causing my body to freeze before going into convulsions, and I even find myself unable to breath.
As I'm flown away, my ankle is grabbed by something, and I'm pulled straight back to Muzan. Holding me by the neck, Muzan cocks his head, having black brambles shoot out from his arms and tangle around me, tearing through my flesh and infecting me with his own blood.
"You will be the first to die Shiro, consider it a blessing. Although, I will let you suffer for I've now soaked you in my own blood and like a fatal poison, it will destroy your cells and you'll perish."
"Yeah, as if." I grit my teeth, transforming myself into a demon, yet I can't recover the injuries in the thing that caused them is still there.
Muzan then shows an earie smile, "That's what I was waiting for. Now, I'll consume you and be completely immune to the sun. Farewell, Shiro."
Muzan then opens his jaw, and it grows disproportionate, turning his head into a complete abomination of flesh. Trying to tear at the flesh that held me, Muzan's regeneration was simply too fast, making me completely unable to free myself. The sound of my heart pumping in my flesh rings in my ears and the feelings of fear begin to set in.
Just in the corner of my vision, I see Mitsuri appear, running towards me. Slashing through Muzan's head, it regenerates instantly, but it does manage to attract Muzan's attention. Staring at Mitsuri, Muzan doesn't hesitate to ram one of his arm whips through Mitsuri's stomach. My eyes go wide as I stare at Mitsuri who had blood flowing from her mouth. Looking at me, Mitsuri shows me her usual bright and lovely smile.
Removing his arm from Mitsuri, she drops to the ground, and Muzan monstrously sneers, barely getting out, "Pests don't deserve to interfere."
Continuing to stare at the barely living Mitsuri, Muzan finally chomps down upon my head.
My emotions, dominated by anger, lead for me to cause Muzan's head to burst like a balloon, sending flesh in every which direction. From it, I step towards Muzan's body. The muscles in my arm then become extremely dense and my arm looks as though it becomes atrophied. Yet, by simply throwing a punch at Muzan, my punch manages to distort the surrounding air, until it hits Muzan's torso.
Exploding outwards, all that's left of Muzan is his legs. Regrowing from the two limbs, I don't hesitate to pull the blade I received from Haganezuka. This blade becomes a fiery red in color and emits a light bright enough to illuminate Muzan's deformed person.
"Twin Final Forms. Thunder Breathing Seventh Form: Smite and Flower Breathing Eighth Form: Eutierria"
Using the two halves of my lungs for the different breathing arts, I slam my left sword down and then disappear from my spot and appear behind Muzan, sending a powerful barrage of omni-directional slashes to cut through him. The moment that Muzan tried to strike me with his attacks, I simply teleport to a single point where he wasn't paying attention to.
When Muzan finally came up with the idea to create spikes to cover all areas around him, white lightning dropped from the sky, frying Muzan to a crisp. As the light finally cleared, I store at a barely standing Muzan. In addition, Gyomei and Shinazugawa stepped in. With Gyomei obliterating his legs and Shinazugawa setting his upper torso on fire.
"I'll kill you!! You piece of shit!!"
Watching like from behind a pane of glass, I'm brought out of it by a hand pulling on my uniform.
Looking back, I see Kanao crying, "She can still be saved, but please… Muzan needs to be killed. You're the only one."
This was proven by the fact that no matter how hard the other Pillars tried to kill Muzan, he'd simply move an organ or two and then regenerate immediately.
"I was born with special strength for the purpose of defeating Muzan Kibutsuji. I will not fail here. I will protect those in the future and save those within my grasp." I murmur.
With tears streaming from my own eyes, I take a step forward.
"Move!!"
Almost out of instinct, all Hashiras moved away, falling back, and leaving me to deal with Muzan alone. Having recovered from his injuries, Muzan's tried to attack me with his whips, but I augmented the muscles in my legs and appear in front of Muzan with enough speed that it leaves even him surprised.
"Sun Breathing: Thirteenth Form"
Compared to before, with the addition of another blade, Muzan didn't have the time to try and fight back against my slashes. As his limbs were dismembered, and his head cut, and his will destroyed, Muzan lay down on the ground, supporting his severed head so it wouldn't fall.
Due to anger, his face turned dark red, and he began to grind his teeth. Like he had done with me so many years ago, his body burst apart with incredible force scattering into 1,800 pieces of flesh.
With the flash of my sword, I managed to get rid of 1,799 of them, leaving for one of them, one that just so happened to have his last heart, to regenerate his body.
When he manages to reach a point at which his body is completely back, scars litter his body, signs of Yoriichi's previous battle with Muzan centuries ago. Upon reviving himself, Muzan begins to run away, but while running away, Muzan stumbles and coughs a mouthful of blood. Muzan's arms grow heavy, and his movements become sluggish.
Even as I scrape my blades against the ground and get closer to him, Muzan tries to shoot out whips, but all of them are almost like the same strength as a baby demon. He even tries to execute a scream again, but the mouth that would scream, instead coughs up blood for him.
Just in time while he runs away, the sun begins to rise. Limping over to a building to get shade, I appear in front of him. As I go to stab my sword forward, Muzan enlarges in size, becoming the definition of a huge baby as he defends himself against my strike and the sun.
"Not this time Muzan, And I know of that special technique of yours, so I'll end it all."
I breathe in, feeling as though my own lungs were disappearing, "Void Breathing First Form: The Soul Stays with The Body"."
Slashing vertically, a black slash cuts through Muzan, but seemingly doesn't do anything. Leaving a confused look to be transferred from the babies eyes.
"Goodbye Muzan. 'Ice Breathing Final Form: Nilfheim'."
With my left sword covered in the blue aura and my right sword colored red, I clash the two swords together and seemingly teleport Muzan and I to a different place. One where the sun is shining brightly, and the air even begins to freeze the flesh. Watching as his flesh crumbles to the sun high in the sky, I use the first form I'd ever learned to finish it all.
"Water Breathing First Form: Water Surface Slash x1,800"
With a single slash of my blade through Muzan's body, and the absolute ultimatum that I could perform, Muzan is slashed, from head to toe, 1,800 different ways, causing his body to explode into dead demon flesh.
With Muzan's death, and tears still flowing from my eyes, my technique cancels, letting Muzan's dead cells run free and his soul, having died alongside his body, unable to transfer no matter how much he wanted to.
The strength of my body felt sapped, like I had lost all of my immeasurable strength as a demon.
Taking very slow steps, I arrive over Mitsuri's body which was being held in the shivering arms of Obanai, while Shinobu did everything in her power to stop the bleeding.
"Shiro-san… did we win…?" Mitsuri gets out, her eyes glazed over.
"Yeah, we won." I shake, "Muzan is dead."
"Thank goodness… My body doesn't even hurt… I think I'm going to die soon… I don't want to die Shiro-san… I wasn't very helpful, I'm sorry…"
"Shhh… don't say that. You did more than you could possibly know. Now… hold on, we'll get you fixed up right away…"
Mitsuri lets out a slight chuckle, "Okay… I'll rely on you Shiro…"
Looking to Shinobu, tears were streaming from her face, and she shook her head, a statement that Mitsuri couldn't be saved.
Taking Mtsuri from Obanai's arms, I cradled her, and tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Waaah, I didn't want it to end this way… I… I like you, Shiro-san. I just wish I could live and get married to you…"
Trying and failing to wipe away my falling tears, I do the only thing I can think of.
Slicing open my palm, I let my blood dribble into Mitsuri's mouth.
Holding my head in my other hand, I beg, "Please… Please let this work… I beg of you… Don't take her away from me…"
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