Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

During training, Shinobu Kocho doesn't hold back; every hit leaves Asuka with a bruise, which is meant to enhance Asuka's sense of danger.

"I hope I won't get hurt too badly today, Mr. Asuka." Shinobu Kocho smiled, tossing pebbles with her hand, and looked in Asuka's direction with a hint of worry.

"It's okay, go all out."

In the corridor not far away, besides the female members of the Butterfly Mansion and the female swordswoman Asuka had met that day, three noisy figures were sitting and looking in his direction:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Asuka!!"

"Huh? Another training session! Do we have to do that kind of tough training every week?"

"Hmph! That Toritarou over there! I want to join the training too!!"

Chapter 44 Furious Kibutsuji

The Lower Moon Two, Lulu, who was enjoying the moonlight in his hiding place, looked at his arm, which had not yet fully grown back, and felt extremely depressed.

What exactly happened to that kid...? Why did his cut completely sever my flesh regeneration? Even after so many days, I still haven't fully recovered...

He wasn't the type to enjoy fighting and didn't know much about the Demon Slayer Corps, but he had heard that they possessed an Origin Breathing Technique that could inflict great damage on demons.

But weren't all the inheritors of that breathing technique killed by that lord long ago?

And this kid looks exactly like that woman—a Wind Breathing swordsman—how could he be...?

噔——!

The sound of a pipa (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) could be heard.

Lu Lu felt the ground beneath her feet suddenly give way, and her entire body sank in!

At the same time, three other ghosts also heard the sound of the pipa.

The Lower Moon Three, Disease Leaf, was wandering aimlessly in the mountains, enjoying the pleasure of torturing lost travelers, when suddenly her attention was drawn to the ethereal sound of a pipa.

Kamae, the Lower Moon Ridge, was tidying up the decorations in his home when he heard the sound of a biwa (a type of Chinese lute) and was suddenly pulled into an unknown space by a force.

There is also one, Lower Moon One: Nightmare.

He, on the other hand, was much more relaxed and cheerful, admiring the tattoos on his face in the mirror, a sickly satisfied smile on his lips.

After the pipa music started, he didn't seem surprised. He calmly opened his arms and fell to the ground.

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!

A moment later, except for Nightmare, which maintained its elegance and fervor, it landed steadily.

The other three demons were roughly thrown onto a flat tatami mat, leaving them in a sorry state.

They scrambled to their feet almost immediately, looking around at the strange place with panic and bewilderment.

Infinite city.

This is a nightmare space that completely defies the laws of physics.

The massive and ancient wooden structure is intricately interwoven, with countless corridors, pavilions, paper doors, and beams stacked at incredible angles, suspended in the air, forming a vast and chaotic labyrinth.

Gravity loses its meaning here, and the sense of direction—up, down, left, and right—is completely distorted.

The dim light from the paper lamps cast a faint glow, and the air was filled with the smell of decaying wood and a faint, almost imperceptible, stench of blood.

Apart from Nightmare, the three Ghost Moons were all somewhat uneasy, looking around anxiously.

"What's going on... are they all waning crescents?" Lower Rokufunu thought anxiously, "Where did Lower Fourth and Lower Fifth go? Why are there only four waning crescents?"

He looked up and saw a woman in black sitting there, her eyes hidden by long black hair, holding a pipa that exuded a bloody aura.

"Where is this? Is this that woman's Blood Demon Art?"

Amidst the unease of the three Ghost Moons looking at each other, the shadows in the space subtly shifted.

A chilling, bone-deep aura surged into my heart.

A woman's figure emerged silently from the shadows.

She wore an elegant dark kimono, the intricate patterns shimmering with exquisite stitching in the dim light, the wide sleeves swaying gently with her steps, revealing a section of her pale wrist.

Her long, jet-black hair was neatly styled and pulled back, and her face was flawless, like the finest porcelain.

If it weren't for those scarlet, inhuman vertical pupils, Fu Nue would almost have thought he was seeing some courtesan from a brothel.

"Lower your head and kneel down."

Om-! !

A strong sense of fear washed over me, and the dread in my veins began to surge.

Several Ghost Moons knelt down almost simultaneously, prostrating themselves on the ground with humility and reverence.

It's Lord Musan's voice! Oh no! Because his posture and aura were different, I didn't react in time to bow down!

Fu Nue wanted to slap himself twice. Why was he so stupid? How could he not recognize that this was Lord Mukhan!

The woman before me is none other than the ancestor of all demons and the source of all evil—Kibutsuji Muzan!

This is not his real appearance, but a disguise he wears to conceal his identity. He usually appears as a man, so it's no wonder that Fu Nue didn't recognize him at first.

"You are indeed very stupid, and it's not just about this." Wuchan's voice was full of coldness.

Huh? Fu Ye shuddered.

How could Lord Muzan read my thoughts?

Before he could speak, Wuchan coldly spoke again:

"Lower Moon Four and Lower Moon Five died, and they both died on the same day."

"There's only one thing I want to know: why is the waning crescent moon so weak?"

"Does becoming one of the Twelve Demon Moons mean the end? Why didn't you go and eat more people? Why didn't you become stronger? At least become something useful to me."

"For the past hundred years, the Upper Moon demons have never changed. They are the ones who have killed off the Pillar-level swordsmen of the Demon Hunters, and what about you?"

His voice and his gaze were like a freezing wind that swept over the waning moons, making them shiver uncontrollably.

With a look of disgust that one would normally scoff at trash, Wu Can fixed his gaze on Lu Lu.

"Lulu." Wuchan's voice was so soft it sent chills down your spine: "Why is your aura so weak? Like a dog whose spine has been broken!"

He doesn't need any physical contact; with just a thought, he can violently invade Lulu's consciousness!

"Ugh—!"

Lu Lu let out a piercing scream, clutching his head tightly with one hand, enduring the pain as if a red-hot iron were being pierced directly into his brain!

His memories were brutally torn open and flipped through by an absolute force! And he was powerless to resist in the slightest!

[Osaki Hachiman Shrine...a young demon hunter...a long, grotesque gray-black sword...]

These images flooded into Wuchan's consciousness like a tidal wave, causing him to frown slightly.

This kid looks familiar... Then, he suddenly realized who it was.

As the Lower Moon Five, Rui, whom he valued and cared for the most, Muzan specially left him with more demon blood and planted a seed to connect his consciousness, just so that he could send messages to this little devil in a timely manner.

When he died of exhaustion, in his rage, he naturally checked the images in the memory seed.

In that final scene, besides the annoying earring-wearing boy Tanjiro and the swordsman using Water Breathing...

This stern-faced young man was also present....

He further churned his turbulent sea of ​​consciousness, completely ignoring the boy's painful cries, and carefully observed everything about the boy.

That serrated longsword, radiating an ominous aura, can actually devour the power of demons?

Wu Can's flawless face was furrowed with brows.

What is this? Is it a new weapon for the Demon Slayer Corps? Or a new breathing technique?

This was a variable he had never encountered in his long life, and a trace of cold annoyance swept across the depths of his scarlet vertical pupils.

“Useless.”

As the cold verdict fell, Lulu's body was suddenly lifted up by Muzan Kibutsuji's twisted demonic hand and gripped tightly in his palm.

"Why do you want to run away? He's not even a pillar!"

"I'm so sorry! Please...please forgive me, Lord Muzan!! I really..."

puff!

After a violent crushing, Lulu's body was actually crushed in mid-air by Kibutsuji Muzan!

The ghost blood splattered down, landing on the remaining three Ghost Moons.

Although ghosts cannot kill each other, this does not apply to Musan, the King of All Ghosts.

His twisted, demonic hands were covered with countless ferocious maws, which quickly devoured the mangled, mangled flesh, as if such a demon had never existed in the world.

"I think... for the Twelve Demon Moons, the waxing crescent moon is enough. I really can't find any meaning in your existence, don't you think?"

Bingye and Fuye froze in shock, fear and anger surging within them, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Meanwhile, Lower Moon One, Nightmare, had a flushed face and was trembling violently:

"Lord Muzan! My purpose in existence... is to become your most useful tool!"

"Eat away all your troubles! Clear away all obstacles from your view! Drag those reckless ghost hunters into an eternal nightmare of torment! Let them wail in endless despair! Is there anything more important than this?"

"This is the only value of my life! This is the whole meaning of my existence!"

"If you feel we're no longer useful, then my purpose is simply to satisfy your bloodlust and quell your anger..."

"This is...so wonderful..."

He held his head high, arms outstretched, his cloudy eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

His lips stretched into an inhumanly wide arc, and it was hard to tell whether the smile was genuine or deliberately flattering, but the fanatical expression on his face was truly difficult to imitate.

"Shut up!! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Shut up, you madman!"

The sick leaf and the cauldron were terrified by this crazy declaration and instinctively screamed.

Wu Can narrowed his eyes, sneered, and raised his twisted ghost claw high.

"...a smooth-talking brat."

boom!boom!

However, the devil's claws' targets are diseased leaves and cereus.

Chapter 45 The Boy's Kagura Dance

After the training at the Butterfly House is over, Asuka will lean against a pillar alone, close her eyes and reflect on the day's training.

This kind of movement technique cannot be mastered overnight. It is impossible to rely on Shinobu Kocho for help forever. He must learn to summarize his experience and strengthen his training results at all times in order to gain something.

"Mr. Asuka!!" Tanjiro's heavy footsteps approached from afar, and he stopped panting in front of him.

Because of his injury rehabilitation training, he has been working very hard these days and has barely been able to talk to Asuka.

He stood ramrod straight, his hair damp with sweat and plastered to his full forehead.

Those bright eyes looked directly at the bird, burning with pure gratitude: "I haven't been able to properly thank you! On Mount Natagumo, without your help, Nezuko and I would probably... We are truly grateful to you!!"

Tanjiro abruptly bent over, bowing deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle, his attitude extremely humble.

Asuka opened her eyes, not caring how much Tanjiro thanked her, and glanced at him with a slight smile.

"Is your injury any better?"

"Thanks to my friends at Butterfly House, I'm slowly getting better!"

"Hmm...that's good. No need to thank me. This was just a transaction." He nodded and pointed to the wooden training sword in his hand: "Pay me when you're feeling better."

Tanjiro straightened up, a warm smile on his face: "Even if it was a transaction, you saved us! I will remember this kindness forever!"

His eyes shone brightly: "Do you want to learn Hinokami Kagura now? I see you've been practicing all day, do you want to take a break?"

"It's alright."

Tanjiro listened without saying anything more, took a deep breath to calm his rapid breathing, and walked to the sunniest open space in the courtyard.

There were no drumbeats, and no accompaniment.

The boy lowered his waist and dismounted, his hands clenched as if holding up invisible taiko drumsticks and kagura bells.