I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

Asuramaru did not waste another word.

He lifted his left hand.

Deep blue lightning gathered in his palm, crackling violently, the sound sharp and piercing like the cry of a thousand birds. The light flickered across his crimson eyes as he stared at Kokushibo standing before him.

Then he swung his hand forward.

A spear of lightning shot out.

It crossed the distance in a blink, tearing through the air with a shriek.

Kokushibo's six eyes narrowed.

He did not dare hold anything back.

"Moon Breathing, Sixteenth Form: Moonbow, Half Moon!"

His sword descended from above with all his strength.

Several enormous crescent moons tore forward, accompanied by countless circular moon blades spinning within the slash. It was one of the strongest techniques within Moon Breathing, a devastating blow meant to overwhelm both space and escape routes.

Against the Chidori Sharp Spear, however, it barely lasted a heartbeat.

The layered moon slashes cracked apart like fragile glass.

Kokushibo moved at once.

He twisted his body and dodged with everything he had.

Even so, blood sprayed into the air.

His left arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder.

Kokushibo landed several steps away, his expression still controlled, but the pressure in his eyes had changed.

One exchange.

That was all it took for him to understand.

This being was not on the same level as him.

A chill he had not felt in centuries crept through his body. It was not fear in the ordinary sense. It was recognition. The same suffocating gulf he had once felt when standing before Yoriichi.

He gripped his sword with both hands.

His severed arm began to regenerate, but slowly.

Too slowly.

Asuramaru lowered his gaze for a moment.

In the distance, Nezuko was still carrying Tanjirou across the plain, fleeing with all the strength in her body. Tanjirou remained unconscious, his body limp against her shoulder.

Only after confirming their position did Asuramaru look back at Kokushibo.

His voice was flat.

"Have you decided how you want to die?"

Kokushibo did not answer.

The only response he gave was the flesh sword in his hand.

Kyokokukamusari shifted, the monstrous blade warping as if alive. Veins pulsed along its surface. Eyes opened on the steel. The sword seemed to breathe with its master.

Then Kokushibo advanced.

Douma joined him.

For the next half hour, the two highest remaining Upper Ranks were beaten into ruin.

Asuramaru moved between them like black mist given form. His sword cut through Moon Breathing. His lightning pierced ice. When Douma raised frozen lotuses, they were shattered. When Kokushibo released crescent moons, they were split apart before they could land.

Neither demon died.

Not because they could not be killed.

Because Asuramaru did not allow them to die yet.

If he truly unleashed everything, ending both Kokushibo and Douma would not be difficult. But that was not the result he wanted.

Muzan was watching.

And Muzan had to be shown a very specific performance.

Strong, but not unbeatable.

Dangerous, but not beyond hope.

If Asuramaru revealed his full strength here and frightened Muzan into hiding forever inside the Infinity Castle, then things would become troublesome. He could not actually burn one hundred thousand emotion points just to buy a shortcut from the System.

At least, not unless he had absolutely no other choice.

For now, the play had to continue.

Everything was still under control.

He only needed to drag things out until sunrise.

So Asuramaru began to weaken.

At first, it was subtle.

The lightning in his palm dimmed a fraction. His slashes lost their earlier sharpness. The black mist surrounding his body thinned, no longer as dense as before.

Kokushibo noticed first.

His six eyes studied Asuramaru's fading figure, the ethereal edges of his body, the way each attack became slightly less overwhelming than the last.

What is this?

The power of his attacks has been falling for some time.

Is there a restriction?

A time limit?

Douma also noticed.

He pressed one hand to his chest, where a deep sword wound refused to close. Blood stained his elegant clothes, yet he still managed to smile with that infuriating calm.

"How terrifying. But it seems we may have been saved after all."

Inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan watched everything through his demons.

His crimson eyes brightened.

The creature was weakening.

The strange sword spirit was not invincible. Its manifested body had limits. Its power could fade.

The corner of Muzan's mouth lifted.

"It seems I have won."

The moment those words left his mouth, Asuramaru's sword flew back through the air and landed in Tanjirou's hand.

In the next instant, the avatar in the sky scattered into black mist.

Asuramaru vanished.

Nezuko continued sprinting across the plain with Tanjirou on her back. Her legs moved so fast they blurred. Each step tore through grass and dirt. She did not look back.

Behind her, Kokushibo and Douma gave chase.

Both were heavily injured. Their bodies had yet to recover from the beating Asuramaru had given them, and their movements were no longer as terrifying as before.

But they were still Upper Ranks.

Even wounded, they were monsters beyond human understanding.

Worse still, the sky had begun to pale.

Less than half an hour remained before sunrise.

For the demons, that was both hope and doom.

If they could kill Tanjirou before dawn, everything would be settled.

If they failed, they would have to retreat.

Muzan watched with growing anxiety. If he could descend in person, he might have already done so. Instead, he immediately ordered Nakime to send out a clone and open an entrance to the Infinity Castle nearby.

At the same time, he commanded Gyokko and Akaza to break away and support the pursuit.

Akaza and Gyokko, who had been desperately holding off the Hashira, received Muzan's order through their blood.

They retreated at once.

Sanemi, Kyojuro, Mitsuri, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and the remaining Demon Slayers followed without hesitation.

By the time both sides crossed the forest and reached the plain, an absurd scene unfolded beneath the paling sky.

Nezuko was running in front with Tanjirou on her back.

Kokushibo followed behind, swinging his sword and sending Moon Breathing techniques forward again and again.

Douma gave chase as well, releasing Blood Demon Arts with his folding fan, though the power of his ice had clearly dropped due to his injuries.

Behind them came Akaza and Gyokko, both battered but still dangerous.

Behind those two were Sanemi and the others, pursuing with everything they had.

One group chased another.

The chased became the pursuers.

The pursuers became the ones being hunted.

For a moment, the entire battlefield looked less like the final struggle between Upper Ranks and Demon Slayers, and more like some ridiculous procession across the plain.

Muzan Kibutsuji had lived for more than a thousand years.

This was the first time he had ever seen anything like it.

Even Asuramaru, who was pretending to be silent inside the sword, nearly lost his composure.

Near the final stretch, Gyokko relied on the strange mobility of his pots and finally caught up.

A pot with water patterns emerged beside him.

He thrust his hand into it and released a water whip.

The whip lashed forward and struck Nezuko from behind.

Crack!

One of Nezuko's legs broke under the blow.

Her body lurched.

She nearly fell.

But Nezuko gritted her teeth.

She looked toward the horizon.

The sun was rising.

With the last of her strength, she threw Tanjirou forward.

At that exact moment, Asuramaru seized the opportunity.

He entered Tanjirou's mental world and forcibly dragged his consciousness awake.

Tanjirou's eyes snapped open.

For a brief instant, everything was a blur.

The ground.

The wind.

The burning sky.

Then he saw Nezuko, missing one leg, stumbling behind him.

He was in midair.

Tanjirou twisted instinctively and landed on the ground, but his spirit was still exhausted, his body heavy from the long battle.

Then the first pale rays of dawn spilled over the plain.

Sunlight touched the earth.

Kokushibo's skin ignited.

Douma's body began to burn.

Akaza and Gyokko recoiled as flames devoured their flesh.

And Nezuko, standing beneath that same light, began to burn as well.

Inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan's face darkened.

Tanjirou was awake.

The sun had risen.

The chance to kill him was gone.

But even now, Muzan was unwilling to abandon everything. His Upper Ranks could not all die here. He still needed them to search for the Blue Spider Lily. He still needed them to serve as his hands.

More importantly, he had understood something.

From this day forward, he would no longer confront Tanjirou directly.

He would wait.

He would hide inside the Infinity Castle until Tanjirou grew old and died.

The decision settled in his mind like poison.

Muzan issued the order at once.

"All units retreat. The entrance to the Infinity Castle is to your right."

Nakime plucked her biwa.

A doorway opened nearby.

Kokushibo and the others took one final look at Tanjirou's position, then turned and rushed toward the entrance.

Tanjirou saw them fleeing.

He also saw Nezuko burning.

His heart split in two.

He moved toward his sister, wrapping his arms around her as if his body alone could shield her from the sun.

"Asuramaru!" he shouted in his heart. "Please, protect Nezuko!"

There was no response.

The voice that always answered him, that always cursed him or guided him or warned him, was silent.

Tanjirou could only watch as the demons fled before his eyes.

For the first time, he was truly trapped between two choices.

Slay the demons.

Or save his sister.

His grip tightened around Nezuko, his eyes trembling.

Then Nezuko made the choice for him.

With her remaining leg, she kicked him away.

Tanjirou flew backward.

In midair, he saw her burning beneath the morning light.

He saw her smile.

The moment he landed, something inside him broke.

Even if the outcome had already been decided, even if Asuramaru still gave no answer, hatred and fury surged into Tanjirou's eyes.

He staggered to his feet, staring at the demons escaping into the Infinity Castle.

The words Zenitsu had once shouted flashed through his mind.

Tanjirou clenched his teeth and roared after them.

"Don't run!"

His voice tore across the plain.

"You cowards!"

.....

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