"He killed the Upper Moon demon! Gahahaha! Wonderful! He's so strong, I want to fight him!" Inosuke laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"How can this be?" Tanjiro murmured in disbelief, his eyes wide as he stared at Ryou. 'The demon Rengoku-san fought with everything he had, was defeated so effortlessly by Ryou-san. He's incredible!'
"Wonderful!" Rengoku laughed heartily.
--
'Demon Points +10'
[~ Killed an Upper Moon for the first time.
Reward: 50 Demon Points ~]
"System, are you kidding me? You only gave me 50 demon points for killing an Upper Moon!" Ryou complained as he was expecting some kind of reward.
"Host, your strength has already reached the pinnacle of this world. Providing any more rewards would be pointless. The system is being generous by giving you 50 points," the system replied in a monotone voice.
Ryou was left speechless. He knew arguing with the system was fruitless, so he sighed and decided to check his status panel instead.
[~ Name: Ryou
Physique: Nature [Advanced - 42%]
Skill: Nature Breathing - Proficient [1/500], Tekkai [Max], Sharingan [Not upgradeable], Transparent World.
Demon Points: 100-->120-->180 ~]
"At least, I got some Demon Points," Ryou thought, feeling a bit better. He then closed his status panel and went to check Rengoku and others.
--
Walking over, Ryou glanced at Rengoku using his Transparent World to check his condition. Despite Rengoku's battered condition, his injuries were recoverable.
"Well done, Ryou," Kyojuro expressed in a loud tone. "If not for you, I might have fallen here. But fighting that demon has given me some inspiration. I will definitely surpass my previous self after some training."
"Forget about training, you need treatment first," Ryou chuckled. "Judging by your injuries, you'll need at least a month to recover. Is your eye alright?"
"Yes," Kyojuro reassured him. "That demon didn't damage my eye directly. I managed to turn my face at the last moment, but it seemed a blood vessel got damaged. I just can't open it."
Ryou nodded, "Good. You fought fearlessly, Kyojuro."
At that moment, a crow's caws sounded in the distance. Following the sound, the Kakushi arrived. They urgently provided the medical emergency and carried Tanjiro and Kyojuro who were injured heavily.
The news of the Upper Moon's fall spread rapidly among the ranks of the Demon Slayers, filling them with happiness. Meanwhile, on Muzan's side, it's the opposite; the loss of an Upper Moon Three was a significant blow to their strength.
--
Inside a mansion belonging to a family specializing in medicine, Muzan, in his child form, flipped through a medicinal book in an unhurried manner, searching for any information on the Blue Spider Lily.
This elusive flower may be the key to his greatest desire—overcoming the sun.
Suddenly, his expression changed from calm to cold, and his demonic momentum shot through the room. He could feel the situation with Akaza and the approaching sunrise in the distance.
A deep irritation rose within him. "A mere human forced you into this state? Useless trash!" Muzan burned in anger as his human pupils turned deep red, preparing to seize control of Akaza to help him escape his predicament.
But then, without warning, his connection to Akaza was severed. "What?" he exclaimed. After a few seconds, his demonic senses conveyed to him—Akaza was dead!
In a moment of anger, Muzan tore the book in his hand into pieces. "You've disappointed me, Akaza. How dare you lose to a human? If you hadn't died, I would have killed you myself!"
After a few seconds, Muzan calmed himself and searched through Akaza's final memories. After a few moments, he muttered, "The Nature Hashira, Ryou... the same one who fought Kokushibo. A user of Nature Breathing? I don't recall any Nature Breathing users in the Demon Slayer Corps before.
Could it be that another human like Yoriichi Tsugikuni is about to emerge? No, only the Sun Breathing user may pose a threat to him.
When he thought of Yoriichi, a memory suppressed deep within him surfaced—that humiliating memory of being forced to flee like a dog and hide like a rat.
He would not let history repeat itself. He would not allow another threat of that magnitude to rise. The human named Ryou must be eliminated—crushed before he could grow any stronger.
His thoughts once again returned to Akaza. He was a loyal subordinate who had been searching for the Blue Spider Lily. Creating another demon of Akaza's caliber would take time—a process Muzan despised very much.
His rage reignited, and Muzan's gaze turned cold. In a voice as cold as ice, he commanded, "Nakime, summon the remaining Upper Moons."
---
At the Ubuyashiki mansion:
"Well done, Ryou, Kyojuro. You managed to defeat Upper Moon Three without any casualties," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said, his voice filled with rare excitement. However, in his enthusiasm, he began to cough violently, a mouthful of blood spilling from his lips.
"Kagaya-sama..." Amane, his wife, rushed to his side, helping him with her gentle hands.
Kagaya smiled, his eyes bright. "A century-old pattern has been broken. This is a sign—a sign that fate has begun to change. Soon, it will reach that man... Muzan Kibutsuji."
He took a deep breath and uttered in a resolute tone. "I swear, we of this generation will be the ones to defeat him, the sole black mark upon our family. The curse ends with me."
---
The Kasugai crows swiftly delivered the news to all the Hashira, their cheerful caws echoing through the various places of Demon Slayer Corps.
Wind Hashira Manor,
In the training ground, Sanemi's figure flickered between the wooden stakes, each swing of his sword cleaved the stakes cleanly in half. The crow's arrival interrupted his intense training.
"Upper Moon Three has been defeated through the combined efforts of Ryou-sama and Rengoku-sama!"
Hearing the news, Sanemi paused, his grip tightening on his blade. "Good for him. But I won't be outdone," he muttered, a ferocious glint in his eyes. "I'll intensify my training and slay even more demons."
The image of Ryou flashed in his mind. 'An Upper Rank… I won't lose to you, Ryou.'
---
Butterfly Mansion,
"Ryou-san is incredible! He defeated an Upper Moon demon," Shinobu praised with a bright smile. "As expected of the man my sister likes."
Kanae didn't refute her sister's words, her expression calm yet filled with joy. "With his strength, it's no surprise he could defeat an Upper Moon. Thankfully, he anticipated the attack and went with Kyojuro."
"Kyojuro-san is injured. I should prepare the medicines in advance," Shinobu remarked and quickly instructed Aoi to gather the supplies required to treat internal injuries.
--
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