I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

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Chapter 12: Curious Muzan Kibutsuji

The paper airplane across the street has finally flown into my hand!

Lifting his head from the table in front of him, the red-eyed, curly-haired youth looked at Ron and the others with his eerie eyes. Ron simply smiled and waved. Seeing Ron's gesture, the medical students beside Muzan Kibutsuji, thinking Ron wanted to befriend them, were about to stand up when, before they could say anything, a strong chill swept over them.

The chill came so suddenly that it plunged not only the medical students in the booths into an unprecedented deathly silence, but the entire coffee shop itself.

Within it, all that people could feel was unprecedented fear and bewilderment. A chill ran down their spines; even the Pillars felt goosebumps rise on their skin. A murderous intent enveloped them, and the piercing sensation on their backs caused their thoughts to momentarily freeze.

If the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps are like this, what about the ordinary people present?

It can be said that the moment they were enveloped by the killing intent, the medical students who were close to Muzan Kibutsuji rolled their eyes, foamed at the mouth, and fainted to the ground.

Ron was initially surprised to see Muzan Kibutsuji here. However, this surprise only lasted a short while before he understood—Muzan Kibutsuji had been searching for the Blue Spider Lily to overcome his fear of sunlight. After searching for a thousand years without success, he naturally began looking for a shortcut.

For example, in the original story, he once disguised himself as the young master of a family of doctors and devoted himself to studying medicine, hoping to overcome his fear of sunlight from the perspective of modern medicine.

In this context, it's not surprising at all that Muzan Kibutsuji would conceal his identity and study at a medical school—the biggest advantage of modern medicine is that it allows for rapid mastery through systematic learning.

As he stood up, Muzan Kibutsuji slowly turned his gaze to Ron and the others. While he looked at the others, his eyes narrowed slightly when they landed on Ron, revealing a hint of wariness and uncertainty.

Sitting there, not only Ron, but even the middle-aged ninja with graying temples was completely unaware of his presence, simply sitting there silently, quietly watching him.

If the ninja Muzan Kibutsuji could still sense a threatening aura from the wolf, what Muzan couldn't understand was why the pregnant girl was completely unaffected and instead looked at him with curiosity.

Thinking to himself, Muzan Kibutsuji made no attempt to conceal his identity. Instead, accompanied by the writhing of flesh and the sound of clothes tearing, his boyish body rapidly swelled into that of a young man, and his clothes were completely transformed, changing from a school uniform into a well-tailored suit.

Touching his chin, Muzan Kibutsuji asked, "How did you find me?... When?"

"I felt it when I came in again." Ron leaned back in his chair, seemingly unaware of any pressure or killing intent, looking at Muzan Kibutsuji with a relaxed and carefree expression.

"How should I put it? It's full of abruptness and contradictions. Despite possessing terrifying power beyond the imagination of ordinary people, the heart is filled with fear, anxiety, and unease. It's like a person falling into the water, desperately grabbing onto anything they can, afraid of drowning."

Upon hearing this, Muzan Kibutsuji narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked at the Pillars beside Ron, and said thoughtfully:

"If you discovered me a long time ago, why wait until now to say so? Did you think that these guys' arrival would increase your chances of winning?"

Upon hearing Muzan Kibutsuji's words, even the most foolish members of the Demon Slayer Corps realized that the person before them was none other than Muzan Kibutsuji, whom the Demon Slayer Corps had been searching for for over a thousand years without finding a trace!

At this thought, their anger and fighting spirit were aroused like never before. Looking at Muzan Kibutsuji in front of them, Shinobu Kocho and the others even stubbornly overcame the fear lingering in their hearts, drew their Nichirin Blades from their waists, and seemed ready to sacrifice their lives for righteousness.

Unfortunately, before they could actually rush over, Ron's somewhat embarrassed voice came from the side: "If you ask me, you guys should just forget about it."

"……Um?"

Upon hearing this, the Demon Slayer Corps Hashira were taken aback. Then, Uzui Tengen frowned and said, "Mr. Ron, our strength may not be as great as yours, but our resolve to slay demons will never waver!"

To be fair, Uzui Tengen had already tried his best to control his emotions. After all, although the Pillars had come to communicate with Ron and confirm the relevant matters regarding the encirclement and suppression of Kibutsuji Muzan, they also knew that Ron and his group had already defeated an Upper Moon demon.

However, the Demon Slayer Corps members also share the mission of slaying demons. Regardless of how times have changed—the samurai class has now largely shifted towards the nobility—the Demon Slayer Corps remains steadfast in its mission. In this situation, they can sense Muzan Kibutsuji's power, but that doesn't mean they will back down. On the contrary, the stronger the opponent, the more courageously they should advance.

"Because killing these demons is our mission! If Mr. Ron is worried that we might hinder your battle, then rest assured, you don't need to worry about us. Even if we die in battle, it's our own choice!"

"That's right!"

Upon hearing Tengen Uzui's words, the hot-blooded young man, Kyojuro Rengoku, excitedly drew his Nichirin Blade from his waist, his eyes widening as he gazed at Muzan Kibutsuji, his eyes filled with excitement and fighting spirit.

"Even if it costs me my life, as long as I can block his blade and be the key to the fatal blow, it's worth it!"

"That's quite difficult."

Hearing the passionate young men's words, Ron calmly said, "Normally speaking, once you have grown up enough and mastered the necessary powers, although it's still unlikely that you can defeat this guy one-on-one, as long as you cooperate well, there is still a chance of victory."

"But right now... well, unfortunately, without mastering the Mark, the Crimson Blade, and the Transparent World, no matter how many of you come, it's all the same—just suicide. If you don't believe me, you can go ask that guy and see what he has to say."

As he spoke, Ron gestured with his chin towards Muzan Kibutsuji in the distance. Upon seeing this, Muzan Kibutsuji narrowed his eyes, ignoring the expressions of the other Demon Slayer Corps Hashira around him, and stared intently at Ron, saying:

"What else do you know?"

The Demon Slayer Mark, the Transparent World, and the Crimson Blade are the three most powerful technologies in the Demon Slayer universe.

Seeing this, Ron grinned, then, amidst the puzzled gazes of the Demon Slayer Corps members, said:

"The Demon Slayer Corps has lost a great deal of technology due to numerous attacks over the past thousand years. Among these, the Demon Slayer Mark, the Crimson Blade, and the Transparent World are the most regrettable. The Demon Slayer Mark increases power by raising body temperature, but its true essence is burning one's own life force to gain temporary power enhancement. Under such circumstances, even in a one-on-one battle, if the opponent is a Pillar, even just one, an Upper Rank Demon needs to concentrate. The slightest carelessness will result in being overwhelmed and killed by brute force from the front."

"However, because it consumes life force, no one who awakens the markings can live past the age of twenty-five. Coupled with the high intensity of combat, it is not surprising that the lineage has been severed."

Upon hearing this, a thoughtful look appeared in the eyes of the Demon Slayer Corps Hashira. After exchanging glances, Kyojuro Rengoku, from a Demon Slayer family and relatively more learned, said thoughtfully, "There is indeed some record of this in our family books. However, because it cannot be verified, it is often considered a rumor..."

Muzan Kibutsuji silently clenched his fist, seemingly preparing to kill Ron on the spot. However, after a long silence, he finally relaxed his fist, then looked at Ron with feigned ease and said, "Sure enough, such a technique exists; I can vouch for it. What about the other two? Techniques that will give me trouble. If you answer them all correctly, I might give you a chance to become a demon."

Despite saying this, in reality, Muzan Kibutsuji never intended to let Ron and his group go from the very beginning—the reason being simply that Muzan Kibutsuji sensed something unknown in Ron.

He disliked this feeling, but he wasn't in a hurry to kill him. At least, he could determine the man's identity through the details in his words. The safest approach was to gather this necessary information before deciding whether and when to kill him.

Ron, somewhat sensing Muzan Kibutsuji's thoughts, chuckled and raised his second finger, saying:

"Secondly, the Crimson Blade. The friction between the grip and the weapon raises the blade's temperature, activating the solar power contained within the crimson sand iron of the Nichirin Blade, thus creating the 'Crimson Blade.' Using the Crimson Blade greatly increases the damage inflicted on demons, while also slowing the regeneration rate of parts of the demon struck by it. Furthermore, it can destroy anything that can be slashed by Blood Demon Art. Any demon that relies too heavily on Blood Demon Art will be at a disadvantage when facing the Crimson Blade. Even without relying on Blood Demon Art, the Crimson Blade's destructive power can drastically reverse the balance of power."

Upon hearing this, the Pillars glanced at the Nichirin Blade in their hands, their expressions a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, and turned their gazes toward Muzan Kibutsuji.

Muzan Kibutsuji remained expressionless and calmly said, "Continue."

It was clear that Ron was right. At least, Muzan Kibutsuji didn't deny it.

"Thirdly, the Transparent World. A purer world that can be perceived when the will breaks through its limits. This realm can be mastered by both ghosts and humans, but it is more effective for humans than ghosts. It can shut down unnecessary organ functions during combat, thereby greatly enhancing speed, agility, precognition, and perception. It can also perfectly control one's own muscles, and even clearly sense the enemy's breathing and blood flow."

"Each of these three abilities individually is only average. Therefore, only by using them all and fully mastering all three can one possibly contend with Muzan Kibutsuji. That's why I said you absolutely cannot defeat Muzan Kibutsuji right now." Ron said, looking at the Pillars beside him.

"You haven't mastered any of his three abilities. Whether it's hard power or soft power, you're no match for Muzan Kibutsuji. Besides, it's nighttime now; you can't kill him."

Ron stretched out his hand and gestured twice across his neck with his palm, saying:

"Ordinary demons will die if their necks are cut off, but some demons that have broken through their limits will not die even if their heads are severed. For example, Muzan Kibutsuji. Under normal circumstances, the only way to kill him is by sunlight."

As he spoke, Ron shrugged and looked helplessly at the Pillars: "So, you really can't beat Muzan Kibutsuji... at least, you definitely can't right now. The reason I called you here is simply to collect some local specialties."

After a long silence, Giyu Tomioka calmly and coldly said, "Doesn't that mean we're no match for this guy at all?"

"..."

Although Giyu Tomioka was telling the truth, the surrounding Pillars couldn't help but glance at him upon hearing his words. For a moment, their expressions were complex. Admittedly, he was right. But the way he said it gave off a strange feeling… like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, extinguishing even the most fervent flames of fighting spirit.

Upon hearing Tomioka Giyuu's words, Ron said, "That's not necessarily true. For example, during the Warring States period, this guy was beheaded by one of your predecessors and didn't even dare to show his head until he was sure the other party was dead of old age before he dared to come out and continue causing trouble."

Upon hearing this, before anyone else could say anything, Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes suddenly narrowed. Accompanied by a surge of murderous intent, the Pillars, who had previously harbored a sliver of hope that even if they couldn't defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, they could at least use their lives to delay him for a while, immediately realized how ridiculous their thoughts were.

However, noticing Muzan Kibutsuji's state, everyone's curiosity grew. Without them even needing to ask, after hearing Ron's words, Muzan Kibutsuji turned his murderous gaze towards Ron:

"What do you know?! Tell me!!"

"Don't worry, don't worry. Right now, only Kokushibo knows about this, right? Don't be so neurotic."

(End of this chapter)