"Bee Fang Dance" was a direct stab! Tom, though just a cat, was light and fast. Under the influence of the breathing technique, his speed was even greater than that of the Insect Pillar. With such a precise thrust, Tom was confident that not even an Upper Moon demon could evade him.
However, now that Muzan regarded Tom as an enemy, he wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Tom's direct thrust failed, as Muzan merely tilted his head slightly to avoid the strike. But in response, Tom's body twisted unnaturally, like a snake, evading Muzan's counterattack with an eerie flexibility that was impossible for both humans and cats.
This move was beyond Muzan's expectations!
"Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
Tom, having dodged Muzan's blow, quickly launched a counterattack! He unleashed nine consecutive attacks at Muzan from four directions, the cherry-pink sword light dancing in the air, as beautiful as the petals of a peony.
Seeing the oncoming flurry, Muzan narrowed his eyes. His right arm suddenly expanded and deformed grotesquely before he swung it violently! In an instant, Muzan's powerful strike shattered Tom's sword technique, and the force sent the cat flying through the air.
While Tom was still airborne, Muzan made his move. His right arm stretched out like a whip, quickly coiling around Tom and binding him tightly.
"Although I don't know what you are," Muzan sneered, "you're going to die!"
With those words, the whip-like arm constricted violently, twisting Tom's small body into several pieces in mid-air. With a pop, the dismembered pieces of the cat fell into the snow below.
"Cat... Cat-san!"
Kamado Aoi, who had brought her children to the doorway to help Nezuko and Rokuta in the snow, witnessed the horrifying scene of Tom being torn apart. The children, seeing their savior in pieces, immediately burst into tears. They knew that this strange cat had saved their lives, and the sight filled them with unbearable sadness.
"Is that all you've got?" Muzan muttered, staring at the pieces of Tom scattered in the snow. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that even monsters like Tom weren't as strong as they seemed.
Sure enough, only he, the Demon King, was the strongest in the world. Once he found a way to overcome the sun, he would ascend even further, becoming the ultimate creature—absolutely invincible! As Muzan pondered this future, he turned his gaze back to the Kamado family. He had almost been scared off by that cat earlier, but now, it was time to finish off this family.
Just as he was about to act, Muzan noticed something strange. The humans were staring at something behind him with expressions of shock. Instinctively sensing that something was wrong, Muzan quickly turned his head toward Tom's body—and what he saw left him speechless.
The pieces of Tom's body were reassembling themselves, stacking up like blocks. In a matter of moments, Tom was standing whole once again, completely unscathed.
"How is this possible!"
Muzan stared at Tom in disbelief, his worldview shattered once more.
Tom, seeing Muzan's reaction, grinned smugly. He raised his head proudly, as if to say, Are you serious? You want to become the ultimate creature? The real ultimate creature is right in front of you!
Being immortal, Tom didn't care about taking hits. After restoring his body, he launched another attack.
"Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag!"
With a powerful stomp, Tom dashed forward at an incredible speed! His movements were erratic and unpredictable, zigzagging in every direction like a centipede with countless legs. Tom's speed was so fast that his figure vanished from sight, leaving even Muzan struggling to track his general direction.
"Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon!"
Tom reappeared next to Muzan in a flash, his Nichirin sword raised. He stabbed Muzan six times in rapid succession, each strike injecting a large dose of wisteria flower poison from the blade into Muzan's body.
Muzan frowned slightly as the wisteria toxin entered his system, feeling a brief moment of discomfort. He violently lashed out with his thorn-like whip arm, forcing Tom to retreat. However, the toxins were quickly broken down and neutralized by Muzan's powerful body. For an ordinary demon, the wisteria poison would have been fatal, but for Muzan, it was just a mild irritation.
After all, Muzan only had one true weakness: his fear of the sun.
Tom could only sigh in frustration, thinking, As expected, Muzan is the big boss of the Demon Slayer world. He really is strong. If it weren't for my immortality, I'd be dead already.
Sure enough, delaying until sunrise had been the right choice from the start. The wisteria flower poison wasn't meant to kill Muzan, but to slow him down.
"Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
"Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum!"
"Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
"Sixth Form: Whirling Peach!"
"Dance of the Butterfly: Caprice!"
Tom moved swiftly, his cat claws gripping the Nichirin sword tightly as he unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks toward Muzan. Cherry-pink sword slashes filled the air, surrounding Muzan and slicing at him from all directions! Cherry blossom petals mixed with snowflakes swirled in the air. Sparks flew from the clash of Tom's blade against Muzan's tentacle whips, and the entire area echoed with the sound of metal clashing!
The dazzling display of swordsmanship and ferocious combat left the Kamado family in awe. The second daughter, Hanako, watched in wide-eyed wonder.
"Meow-san is so awesome!" Hanako exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
But in the midst of the fierce battle, one of Muzan's thorny whips broke through Tom's defenses! With a loud boom, half of the Kamado family's house was instantly destroyed!
Tom was beginning to struggle to keep up with Muzan's speed and ferocity. Muzan's thorn whip lashed out again, wrapping around Tom tightly. This time, Muzan wasn't planning to slice him apart. He had learned from their previous encounter. Instead, Muzan was ready to drain Tom's blood, suspecting that the cat's incredible regenerative abilities came from the blood itself.
"I wonder what cat blood tastes like?" Muzan muttered as the thorn whip pulled Tom closer. His fangs sank deeply into Tom's furry neck, and he began to suck.
"Ah!"
Tom screamed in pain as Muzan bit into him.
However, Muzan's expression quickly twisted into one of disgust. After a few mouthfuls, Muzan abruptly pulled away from Tom's neck and spat out a foul, black liquid. His mouth, now entirely blackened, contorted in a grotesque expression of revulsion.
"Soy sauce!!!"
Muzan spat out, tasting the lingering flavor in his mouth, his face contorting with extreme displeasure.
Although Muzan had never tasted cat blood before, he was certain it didn't taste like soy sauce. His confusion only deepened when he saw Tom, who was still bound by his whip, suddenly pull out a bottle of soy sauce and start chugging it!
"Aha!" Tom stopped drinking and flashed a cheeky grin at Muzan. Before Muzan could even process what was happening, Tom swung the bottle in his paw and sprayed soy sauce all over Muzan's face!
Muzan instinctively closed his eyes as the black liquid splattered across his face. Seizing the moment, Tom tossed the bottle aside, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and blew hard! His right paw ballooned in size. After a few exaggerated windmill-like swings, Tom delivered a powerful uppercut right to Muzan's chin.
"Take my uppercut!"
"Bang!"
The impact sent Muzan flying 100 meters into the air! For a brief moment, it seemed like Muzan was going to break free. But just when Tom thought he had the advantage, the thorn whip binding him suddenly sprouted sharp barbs! The barbs pierced into Tom's body, tightening the hold and putting a halt to his escape plan. It was clear now—Muzan was furious and determined to finish him off.
"Damn cat! Don't think you can get away this time!" Muzan snarled.
Tom blinked innocently, and in response, his body suddenly slipped through the gaps in the whip like water, smoothly landing back on the ground in one fluid motion. His body shimmered as it turned into a puddle of liquid.
"Cats are made of water, didn't you know?" Tom quipped, his voice playful.
Still in mid-air, Muzan roared in frustration, his fury erupting.
"Ahhh! I'm going to kill you!" Muzan screamed in rage.
----
Enjoy the chapter