Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"I don't believe you can hold on for much longer!"

The human and the ghost bumped into each other again.

Despite the repeated blows, Zheng Jing's hearty laughter remained unshaken.

Beat the evil spirits with a stick, only advancing and never retreating—

There is death, but no life!

"Die!"

All he could hear was Zheng Jing's incessant laughter; before his eyes was Zheng Jing's bloodied smiling face; and on his body were Zheng Jing's heavy blows, one after another.

In the distance, the sky was beginning to lighten, revealing a hint of white.

The drug injected into his body by Tamayo had already taken effect, and Muzan Kibutsuji, who had no time to break it down, was now in a shocking state. The immortal body of the progenitor of demons was now showing a strikingly aged appearance!

If this continues, even Muzan himself doesn't know whether the medicine will break him down first, or whether the distant sun will scorch him to death first!

No matter what, he must kill Zheng Jing before that happens!

Muzan Kibutsuji brandished his flesh and blood weapons, letting out a scream!

"Why aren't you dead yet?"

"Why aren't you dead yet!"

"Die!"

"Die!"

"Die already!!"

Once again, he unleashed his strongest killing move; this was the last time Muzan Kibutsuji could use it in his current body.

To ensure Zheng Jing could not escape, he first entangled Zheng Jing with his own flesh and blood.

With a deafening roar, Zheng Jing's actions abruptly ceased.

And Muzan Kibutsuji also captured this moment!

"Go to hell!!!"

The all-out blow struck Zheng Jing in the chest.

With a clang, the long stick in Zheng Jing's hand fell to the ground.

"......"

"...Dead?"

"died!"

Seeing that Zheng Jing was no longer moving, Kibutsuji Muzan murmured with a trembling laugh.

"Hahahaha—you're finally dead!!"

—But in that instant, Zheng Jing suddenly raised his arms, his ten fingers forming claws, and stabbed into Muzan's body!

Muzan shuddered.

"you?!"

"You bastard, it's your turn to give me a hug!"

In an instant, all the masculine internal energy that Zheng Jing had secretly recovered during the fierce battle burst forth from his indestructible body!

"Ah—let go—let go—"

At the same time, a ray of sunlight suddenly appeared on the horizon.

The long night of humankind has ended...

Dawn quietly crept across the horizon.

Chapter 53: I, Old Zheng, am back!

When Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu arrived, what came into their view was Zheng Jing standing alone, facing the rising sun.

"Here you are."

Zheng Jing didn't turn around. What Tanjiro and the others heard was Zheng Jing's voice, which was always a bit frivolous, as always.

"Relax, this time it's really over. I, Old Zheng, can guarantee that Muzan Kibutsuji is absolutely dead."

"..."

Tanjiro and the other two exchanged glances.

Due to the urgency of time and insufficient experience, the three of them were unable to learn the extraordinary technique that allowed them to briefly activate their markings, unlike Jiuzhu.

Even so, they can still be considered the strongest group of swordsmen below the Pillar level in the Demon Slayer Corps. In the Infinity Castle, the three of them were the main force against the demon army.

That's why they had the energy to follow in Zheng Jing's footsteps when he fought Muzan Kibutsuji, becoming the first members of the Demon Slayer Corps to arrive here.

"...You won?"

We won!

"—We won!!"

Amidst the shouts of the three boys, the Black-and-White Gentleman flapped its wings and circled amidst the chaotic battlefield.

"Kibutsuji Muzan has been defeated by Zheng Jing!"

The exciting news, carried aloud by the beak of the Black and White Swordsman, reached the ears of every member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

In an instant, cheers, cries, and shouts erupted as the intense emotions between people intertwined in tears and laughter, composing the final chapter of this thousand-year-old tale of exorcising demons under the slowly rising sun.

The culprit, Muzan Kibutsuji, is dead.

The Demon Slayer Corps suffered many wounded, but none of them died!

A happy ending for the whole family.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

"Old Zheng!"

"The Stone Man!"

"Waaaaah!"

The boys rushed towards Zheng Jing, reaching out to embrace the powerful man who had personally killed Muzan Kibutsuji.

However, this indestructible body, which could once stop an entire speeding train head-on, was now easily tackled to the ground by the boys who were crying with joy.

Tanjiro was the first to notice something was wrong.

"Wait! Inosuke, Zenitsu! Get up quickly, Old Zheng seems to be injured!"

"what?"

Inosuke looked up.

His pig-head suit was damaged by Doma's Blood Demon Art when he participated in the battle against Upper Moon Two, Doma. At this moment, his face, which was more beautiful than many girls his age, was full of confusion.

It was as if he had heard some strange, absurd things from Tanjiro.

"Cough—it's nothing, don't worry, Charcoal Boy, it's just a fatal wound."

Zheng Jing, lying on the ground, twitched the corners of his mouth and waved his hand with a grin.

Seeing this, Zenitsu quickly grabbed Inosuke and stood up.

"A fatal wound?!"

Tanjiro knelt down and examined Zheng Jing's body.

The Demon Slayer Corps' uniforms are specially made and offer excellent protection, with the Pillars' uniforms being among the finest.

However, the team uniforms offered negligible protection against Muzan Kibutsuji's attacks.

Now, through his tattered clothes, Tanjiro can clearly see that Zheng Jing still has some small wounds on his body that have not fully healed.

...No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like he has suffered a fatal injury.

"Let me see."

"Miss Tamayo!"

Upon hearing Tamayo's voice, Tanjiro turned around and quickly shifted his position so that Tamayo could observe Zheng Jing's current physical condition up close.

Holding Zheng Jing's right hand, Zhu Shi could tell at a glance that these tiny wounds were all Muzan's doing.

She knew all too well how terrifying Muzan's attack methods were, so the more she looked at these wounds, the more amazed she became by Zheng Jing's power.

...and the more we mourned Zheng Jing's final moments.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zheng, if it weren't for protecting me..."

"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? If it weren't for your injection, I wouldn't be confident that I could shred over a thousand pieces of flesh jumping around in an instant."

"Miss Tamayo, what... what exactly is Old Zheng...?"

The more Tanjiro listened to their conversation, the more something seemed off, so he quickly interrupted.

"...Muzan's attacks contain poisonous blood that can cause the victim's cells to collapse. Given the number of wounds on Mr. Zheng Jing's body, the fact that he could hold on until now... no, that he could kill Muzan under such circumstances is an unimaginable miracle."

With a sorrowful look in her eyes and tears welling in them, Tamayo whispered, "I'm sorry, but it's come to this, and there's nothing I can do..."

"...How could that be?"

Tanjiro slumped down.

"Alright, stop being silly. While I'm still awake, all of you come here."

Zheng Jing waved his left hand at the three boys.

"I'm sorry, Tanzi, Muzan is really good at escaping, and I really can't spare the time for you to kill him personally."

Tanjiro, with tears in his eyes, shook his head vigorously, his throat choked with sobs, unable to utter a complete reply.

"Now that Muzan is dead and your sister is healed, go back to Ayao's place and get some money to start a small business or something, and live a peaceful life. Don't be polite with Ayao, he's an old angel investor, and now that Muzan is dead, all he has left is money. By the way, find a good girl. I think Shinobu's stepson, that girl named Kanao, is very nice. You and she have made some progress, haven't you... Alright, I won't interfere in your young people's affairs any longer."

"And then there's you, Shanzai, you little rascal... You should go back and see your grandfather soon, especially when you're preparing to propose to Xiaodouzi. As for your cowardly and timid nature, people always say that love can change a person. For the sake of love, you'd better change, understand?"

"Finally, hey, Pigsy, when you cry, your face is all wet with tears, it's actually quite cute."

"Who—who's crying—"

Seeing Inosuke sobbing uncontrollably, Zheng Jing grinned and smiled even more broadly.

"Judging from your expression, you already know about your background? That's good. From now on, stay with Charcoal and Little Bean, and don't always make them worry."

"Okay, people do tend to be more talkative as they get older..."

Zheng Jing raised his hand and gently patted each of the three boys on the head before lowering his hand and closing his eyes.

"I'm going to take a nap, you guys do as you please."

"..."

Holding Zheng Jing's right hand, Zhu Shi gently shook her head.

In an instant, wailing echoed through the sky.

-

Legend has it that there once existed man-eating demons in the world.

When night falls, evil spirits emerge, and blood will stain the world.

And all evil spirits in this world have their origin.

It was an evil creature that had lived for over a thousand years and was regarded as the progenitor of all evil spirits.

To eradicate this evil that plagues humanity, righteous people from all walks of life gathered together. Faced with the immortal body of the progenitor of evil spirits, they moved mountains like the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains, generation after generation sacrificing themselves...

Finally, during the Taisho era, an extraordinary person emerged.

It is said that this was a highly accomplished monk from a superior country.

It is said that this was an invincible master who lived for hundreds of years.

It is said that this is a Vajra Arhat who descended to earth to rid the world of evil spirits, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the voice of the people...

In short, after this extraordinary person personally eliminated the progenitor of evil spirits, he disappeared without a trace.