Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

The heart, which had long since stopped beating, began to beat again, and everyone's attention was drawn to the faint breathing sound, their eyes involuntarily turning towards it.

Their facial expressions varied, ranging from excitement to shock.

While finding it unbelievable, I was also inexplicably excited.

"That's impossible!"

Muzan's subconscious reaction was undoubtedly quite intense.

Filled with an inexplicable sense of apprehension and a desire to retreat, it stood frozen in place for a moment.

Instead of launching an attack, he just stared intently at the corpse not far away—was it just an illusion? A so-called breathing technique swordsman, wanting to become a demon, how easy is that?

How long has it been?

Sometimes, being overly perceptive isn't a good thing.

It can clearly hear both the faint sound of a heartbeat and the sound of breathing.

No amount of self-deception will help.

That bastard is definitely still alive.

Let's get back to Kiyokawa Izumi.

The development of events was indeed unexpected. Even he did not expect that he would become a ghost—and the one who changed him was still Ms. Tamayo.

In a daze, having already died once, he didn't know why he couldn't muster any strength in his body.

I couldn't stand up; it was as if everything that had happened was just an illusion.

What is truth?

What is fake?

It was truly an incredibly magical world. The bizarre experience he had after death left him momentarily unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

The so-called soul, at the moment the heart stops beating, is drawn away from the body by some incomprehensible force and leaves uncontrollably.

Even the strongest will is not enough to resist this force.

Unable to refuse, he arrived in a world that seemed like chaos in a daze, enveloped by an indescribable darkness.

I can't see anything, and I can't hear anything.

Even at that moment, she questioned whether she truly existed.

As an unregistered person in this world, does he even have a next life?

On the other hand, even if reincarnation does exist, it probably has nothing to do with me.

Losing those memories, losing those experiences.

Will I still be called Kiyokawa Izumi after being reincarnated? Aren't I just a completely new stranger?

This is what death is all about.

"You really failed."

A strange and indifferent voice rang in my ears.

"Even someone as powerful as Yoriichi cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death."

"Doma killed you? No, he didn't have that power... It was that lord himself who killed you, wasn't it?"

The fact that he would address Muzan with such respect as "Master" and recognize him suggests that he must be Kokushibo.

Can't understand.

No matter what, I'm not a bad person, am I?

How did I end up seeing Kokushibo here? Or perhaps, this isn't actually hell?

"You bastard, haven't you gone to hell yet?"

"Heh, I'm just a little curious... What kind of choice would a swordsman like you make?"

Will I die from the side effects of the marks, or will I turn into a demon and repeat my past experiences?

"So, I didn't keep you waiting very long?"

"It's faster than expected... Neither you nor the other Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps are a match for that person... Should we wait a little longer? Perhaps we'll see your comrades again."

Kokushibo wasn't being sarcastic; he was simply stating the facts in a calm tone.

As one of the former Upper Moon Ones and Yoriichi Tsugikuni's older brother, no one knew better than him just how powerful Muzan truly was.

Although he and that person were equals, it was a so-called cooperative relationship.

However, in terms of strength, the gap between the previous one and the Demon King is still very obvious - it's not surprising to see Kiyokawa Izumi here.

With that lord personally taking action, isn't it inevitable that Kiyokawa Izumi will be defeated and killed?

If we wait a little longer, we might see other pillars.

The sound of footsteps rang out, and Kokushibo, whose curiosity had been satisfied, was no longer willing to wait.

He only wanted to know what choice Kiyokawa Izumi would make; he didn't care about the fate of the others.

"I wasn't wrong..."

Just as I was thinking this, a voice came from behind me.

"Perhaps you're wrong, but no matter how hard I try, I can never take a step forward."

Is it because of resentment, or because of an inability to let go?

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. Who knows, you might even end up in hell with Muzan."

"What?"

Kokushibo turned around in astonishment, only to see that Kiyokawa Izumi's figure had already become blurry.

Having come this far... how could there be any possibility of leaving? Are you kidding me?

No matter how unwilling or resentful one may be, it cannot change the fact that one is already dead.

But why?

What is the situation in the real world?

……

The afterlife may just be a fantasy.

Where is there any Black Death? Where is there any Hell?

The moment the soul returns to the body, it naturally regains control of the body.

"call--"

Driven by intense hunger and extreme weakness, Kiyokawa Izumi, whose humanity and rationality still remained, gazed at Muzan not far away and murmured softly.

"Looking at it this way, I'm still the luckier one."