Chapter 6 The Price of Failure
"Why can't it be restored?"
Muzan Kibutsuji stared in shock at his torn body, each break seemingly separated by something invisible. This unprecedented sensation terrified him.
Looking at the man who stood before him, at that face marked with crimson flames, a face as still and unmoving as stagnant water, and at the very first thing he said, Muzan felt a sense of sanctity that disgusted him.
What do you value life for?
Ha, monster. What is life anyway? Heaven didn't care about me when I was sick, leaving me to suffer day and night. What is life anyway!
Muzan Kibutsuji stared intently at the man before him, filled with dread. No wonder it was called the Breath of the Sun; the techniques he unleashed were like being scorched by the sun, causing excruciating pain from which there was no recovery.
You'll die! Run!
Muzan clearly felt that the man before him truly instilled in him boundless fear and immense rage. He thought of the swordsman who looked exactly like him, and a wicked idea popped into his head.
I already liked it a lot, so let's bring it to my side.
"You'll regret this, hahahahaha! I'll make you regret this!"
Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, his body exploding into countless pieces of flesh like fireworks. Even though Yoriichi Tsugikuni reacted quickly, slashing over 1,500 times, some small pieces of flesh still managed to escape.
A deathly silence fell. Yoriichi knew he had failed; he had let him escape. He stood there, the moonlight illuminating his figure.
"Why?! Just a little bit more! Why don't you just die! You filthy thing! Kibutsuji Muzan!"
The woman who had been watching without making a move broke down, bursting into tears and cursing Muzan Kibutsuji. Her cries were loud and heart-wrenching in the quiet environment.
Yoriichi looked at the demon who had fallen and sat on the cobblestone path. Tears streamed down her face, and the hatred and despair on her face moved Yoriichi's heart.
He approached the woman and knelt before her, just as she thought she was about to die. During this peaceful time together, Yoriichi heard Tamayo's confession; she told him everything about Muzan Kibutsuji's situation without leaving out a single detail.
Tamayo looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni with gratitude; she had finally escaped that man's control.
"You'll likely have a hard time catching him. That despicable man will definitely hide until you're dead!"
Tamayo said through gritted teeth, she hated it to the core.
"Thank you so much. Because of you, he is now very weak and unable to control me."
"Control?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't expected this. He knew the progenitor of demons could control other demons, but he hadn't imagined it would be so absolute, controlling even their thoughts and actions. He pondered for a long time before asking Tamayo.
"Can you help me? Help me kill Muzan Kibutsuji."
Tamayo hesitated for a long time, but thinking of that disgusting man, she gritted her teeth and agreed to the alliance with Yoriichi Tsugikuni. After talking for a while, Tamayo looked at Yoriichi's face and suddenly remembered...
"Do you have a brother? Did you go out together today?"
"Yoriichi went on a mission with his older brother."
"Oh no, he's injured. What if Muzan Kibutsuji goes after him..."
Before Tamayo could finish speaking, Yoriichi Tsugikuni jumped to his feet. Remembering Muzan Kibutsuji's frenzied actions before exploding, he felt a pang of panic; he had been so careless. He hastily told her it was almost dawn and he would contact her later, then turned and rushed back.
Brother, you absolutely must not be hurt!
The clear view allowed Yoriichi Tsugikuni to pass directly through layers of trees. As dawn broke and his field of vision widened, he ran swiftly, cutting down any obstructing bushes in his path. Finally, he saw several figures moving about. He quickly parted the bushes to reach them, but there was no sign of Iwakatsu; only members of the Hidden Team were lingering.
"Has my elder brother already returned?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni stared expressionlessly at the drying grass before him, the bloodstains on it beginning to dry. He stood there, hoping for the best, his Nichirin Blade still drawn.
The members of the hidden squad remained silent. After a long while, one of them stepped forward, carrying a white rag stained with blood. Yoriichi knew that this was his brother's haori.
“Lord Sun Pillar, we are quite far away. When we arrived, we could no longer find Lord Moon Pillar, only this one remained.”
Yoriichi Tsugikuni took the blood-stained haori fragments, clutched them tightly in his hand, and his aura suddenly became dangerous.
Ghost Dance Tsuji Muzan!
Meanwhile, Yan Sheng was in a dilapidated temple. Because it was deep in the mountains, surrounded by tall trees, no sunlight shone in, no matter how old the temple was.
Yan Sheng could already feel the changes in his body. The wound on his abdomen had completely healed, and his fingernails had turned black and become long, thin, and sharp. He dared not go out to try to sunbathe now. Looking at the transparent panel in front of him, the second prerequisite task was still marked as 'completed' in a very faint way.
"Xiao Liu, haven't I already become a ghost? Why is the mission still not completed?"
"Honey, you're still very different from the original character. You're going to become Upper Moon One, honey."
"...Did I change my appearance for nothing?"
"Dear, in the original story, Kokushiro Tsugikuni accepted the offer tonight, so if I'm not mistaken, you will meet Muzan Kibutsuji tonight."
"Okay, I hope so."
Yan Sheng didn't press the matter further; he was exhausted and hungry. Since he couldn't go out anyway, he decided to sleep first and talk about it later that night.
And so they waited until the sun set.
Kokushi had actually woken up long ago, but had stayed in the temple because of the sun. During this time, he repeatedly confirmed with 1008 that he could break Muzan Kibutsuji's control over him and create a false situation so that Muzan wouldn't discover it. He could also flexibly switch on and off whether Muzan Kibutsuji could hear his thoughts, etc.
"Great! That way, I can just pretend on the surface and slack off behind the scenes. A good worker has to learn to take advantage of any situation, especially when there's no pay." Yan Sheng was now full of confidence.
Just as Kokushiro was idly waiting for a long time, contemplating whether to go out, he sensed a connection from Muzan Kibutsuji. He had finally found him!
Yan Sheng pondered for a moment, but decided against using false information. After all, it was just location tracking, not surveillance, which would give the other party a sense of reassurance. With that in mind, he quickly straightened his clothes while the other party arrived, knelt down, and pretended to be melancholy. His back was straight, and his noble and elegant demeanor immediately became apparent.
Even if he's down on his luck, he's still a noble young master, so he must be careful about his image and never be out of character.
When Muzan Kibutsuji arrived at the temple, he saw Iwakatsu sitting upright in the darkness. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn after the fight, covered in blood and torn in many places. Even in such a disheveled state, his bearing remained undiminished, clearly indicating his noble birth.
"I've heard that swordsmen who develop markings don't live past twenty-five."
Muzan watched as the people in front of him suddenly tensed up. The moment they made contact, he glimpsed some of their deepest emotions.
Jealousy, despair, resentment.
"You also want to move forward, right? There are more possibilities, and you can hone your swordsmanship." Muzan walked up to Kokushiro, his words carrying a tempting tone. "Anyway, there's no turning back now. Cooperate with me and become a demon."
Muzan Kibutsuji reached out his hand to Iwakatsu, patiently waiting for his answer. He watched as Iwakatsu gripped the fabric on his knees tightly with both hands, his sharp nails even tearing the fabric slightly.
Time slowly passed, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he placed his hand on Muzan's outstretched hand.
"Okay, let's cooperate."
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