Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Who is the Monster (Part 2)
Bang.
With a flick of his right hand, Daniel Davis flung the pierced Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, aside. He was not one to take pleasure in torturing others. The reason for tormenting Upper Moon Four was purely out of anger towards his twisted ideas. After a while, he lost interest.
"You demon."
"If I hear your voice again, I will kill you immediately." When Hantengu, as usual, trembled and started to shout, Daniel's cold gaze swept over him. The look, filled with indifference and killing intent, made Hantengu cover his mouth with his hand, not daring to make a sound.
"This Muzan guy still hasn't come out. He sure has some patience," Daniel thought as he walked towards Upper Moon One, Kokushibo.
"Annihilation Technique."
"Blood Demon Art: Mist Ice, Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva."
"Blood Demon Art: Array Killing Fish Scales."
At this moment, Upper Moon Three Akaza, Upper Moon Two Doma, and Upper Moon Five all prepared to attack Daniel. Unlike the cowardly Upper Moon Four and the new Upper Moon Six, these three demons were not afraid of death.
Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, had transformed into his final form, becoming a monster with a snake-like lower body. In this form, Gyokko could use his most powerful ability, the God Hand.
The God Hand could turn anything his fist touched into fish. Coupled with his transformation, he could use the smooth scales on his body to increase his speed and change his movement trajectory. His complete form made him several times stronger than before.
While Akaza launched a high attack on Daniel, Gyokko used his special ability to move quickly around Daniel, looking for an opportunity to land a punch. With the God Hand's ability, hitting Daniel's vital points could turn the tables.
Doma, on the other hand, used his strongest Blood Demon Art, creating a massive ice giant in front of him. The giant, shaped like a sitting Bodhisattva with hands clasped, not only possessed immense strength but could continuously release poisonous ice mist.
This poison was not very effective against demons but was deadly to humans. However, it was very exhausting. Doma had been silent, preparing this Blood Demon Art. In his view, no matter how strong Daniel was, he would eventually succumb to the poison.
"Couldn't you have just stayed quiet?" The coordinated attack of the three demons was impressive, but the disparity in strength was too great. Akaza was once again reduced to a limbless state and kicked away by Daniel. Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, was sliced into pieces and turned into a salted fish again. Doma, like Akaza, was turned into a limbless figure.
Daniel had wanted to avenge Shinobu Kocho by torturing Doma, but this guy was devoid of emotions and indifferent to pain. In fact, Doma had a casual attitude towards death. Daniel had no good way to torture someone like him.
This discovery made Daniel very frustrated. He wasn't using other abilities and was relying on physical techniques to fight the demons, not to bully the weak but to strike at the demons' psychology. He wanted these demons, who considered themselves superior to humans, to witness human strength.
Whether it was Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon king, or Upper Moon One and the other Upper Moon demons, Daniel was confident he could deeply impact them. But Upper Moon Two Doma was an exception. If he were born in the Marvel world, he would be a natural anti-human figure, a villainous boss-level character.
Being human but against humanity, it's not unusual. After all, in the Marvel world, there are people who eat others not out of extreme hunger but as a hobby. If Muzan were in the Marvel world, he would definitely have a large group of fans. At that point, Hydra might be full of demons.
"Now there's no one to interfere with us, Tsugikuni Michikatsu." After dealing with the three demons, Daniel stood in front of Kokushibo, looking at him calmly.
The name Tsugikuni Michikatsu caused Kokushibo to tremble. It had been many years since anyone called him by that name, and he had almost forgotten it himself.
"Let me see your power as a swordsman who became a demon. I hope you don't disappoint me," Daniel said, raising his Nichirin Blade.
Kokushibo took a few deep breaths and drew his own Nichirin Blade, which looked disgusting to Daniel with all the eyes on it. This was the mutated Nichirin Blade after his transformation into a demon.
"Breath of the Moon, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace."
Kokushibo's draw speed was like a flash. In the trajectory of his slash, numerous tiny crescent moon blades appeared. These blades were so subtle they could hardly be seen unless observed closely.
"Breath of Water, First Form." Facing Kokushibo's attack, Daniel also unleashed his sword technique.
Crack.
Despite only using Breath of Water, Kokushibo was no match. His mutated Nichirin Blade was shattered into pieces, and both his arms were cut off simultaneously.
"So weak." Daniel, standing behind Kokushibo, turned around and softly said, watching the six eyes on Kokushibo's face filled with disbelief.
"How is this possible?" Kokushibo couldn't feel the pain in his body; his heart was filled with confusion. Daniel's strike reminded him of many past events.
After becoming a demon and fearing his brother Tsugikuni Yoriichi's pursuit, Kokushibo, like Muzan, hid for many years. Even when he guessed that Yoriichi might have died due to the demon mark's curse, he still didn't dare to come out.
Decades later, Kokushibo dared to return to his hometown, only to find Yoriichi still alive. The curse of the demon mark at twenty-five had no effect on him.
This discovery made Kokushibo furious and resentful. He decided to kill Yoriichi to prove his worth, having trained hard even as a demon to surpass his brother. Unfortunately, the battle's result was brutal. Against the aged Yoriichi, Kokushibo couldn't even draw his sword before almost having his head cut off.
Years of training were meaningless. His only advantage was his demonic physique, which allowed him to survive Yoriichi's attack and claim victory. If Yoriichi could strike twice, Kokushibo would have been dead, regardless of his ability to regenerate from decapitation.
Even with the power to regenerate from decapitation, Yoriichi's attack would have been fatal. Seeing Daniel now, Kokushibo was reminded of his brother Yoriichi. The same youth, the same astonishing talent.
Kokushibo recalled a conversation he once had with Yoriichi about the Breath of the Sun. Yoriichi had said that the Breath of the Sun would not be lost because the world would always produce someone with greater talent.
Kokushibo hadn't believed it then. He didn't think anyone could surpass Yoriichi. But Daniel's appearance made him reconsider that belief.
"You were right," Kokushibo murmured to himself.
At this moment, Kokushibo's fighting spirit was completely gone. Defeated in one strike, his four centuries of training felt like a joke. He had become a demon to escape the curse of the demon mark and gain more time to train, trying to prove he wasn't inferior to his brother.
For both Kokushibo and Akaza, being a demon meant endless training. Daniel would scoff at their thoughts. Even gods have limits; the ceiling applies to all beings. In the world of One Piece, the Four Emperors are the ceiling. In the world of Harry Potter, the ceiling is Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald.
"Muzan is hiding in the mirror dimension." After a moment, Daniel decided not to pursue Muzan immediately. He would first turn the Upper Moon demons into Philosopher's Stones.
"Goodbye, everyone." Putting away his Nichirin Blade, Daniel took out golden chains, binding the Upper Moon demons together, and threw them into a transmutation circle.
"What are you doing?" The strange patterns and chains made the cowardly Upper Moon demons scream, but it was too late.
"Your turn." He left Kokushibo for last because he needed the Breath of the Sun.
Facing the somewhat lost Kokushibo, Daniel easily hypnotized him, obtaining the complete training method for the Breath of the Sun.
"So, the Breath of Water and other styles were also improved by Yoriichi." As a contemporary of Yoriichi, Kokushibo knew the history. It was a glorious era for swordsmen, with nearly thirty marked swordsmen, who hunted down the demons, causing their downfall.
Four hundred years ago, Muzan wasn't so cowardly. He created many demons during that time, making it the darkest period where demons reigned.
Yoriichi's emergence and the numerous marked swordsmen killed the Twelve Kizuki, severely injuring Muzan, who took a century to recover.
This is why the current Twelve Kizuki, except for Kokushibo, were less than two hundred years old. Demons became legends because Yoriichi's generation nearly exterminated them.
"This training threshold is too high. No wonder no one in this world can master it." The Breath of the Sun required innate clarity, which was very difficult to achieve. Even with Observation Haki, it would be challenging for Daniel to master it.
"Indeed, the most suitable is the best." Daniel wasn't too disappointed. Though powerful, the Breath of the Sun was just another technique in this world.
Then Daniel realized something. "Muzan took a century to recover from his injuries. He's the demon king; how could it take him that long to heal?" Daniel wondered. He had seen firsthand the recovery abilities of demons, and it was inconceivable that Muzan, the demon king, would be slower to heal than his subordinates.
"If it's not Muzan's fault, then it must be something to do with Yoriichi," Daniel thought. "I've underestimated Yoriichi."
He decided to find Muzan and ask him directly. "Muzan, you managed to hide even in the mirror dimension," Daniel muttered as he made his way to Muzan's hideout.
"Found you, Muzan Kibutsuji," Daniel said as he entered the room where Muzan was hiding.
"Die!" Muzan, in a fit of rage, attacked immediately. From his back, eight long tentacles shot out, aiming at Daniel.
"Do you people from the Demon Slayer Corps have a problem? Killing a few people is no big deal, yet you keep coming after me for centuries. Why can't you just live your lives peacefully?" Muzan yelled as he attacked.
Daniel dodged Muzan's attacks effortlessly. "Peacefully? You call slaughtering innocent people living peacefully? Your twisted sense of peace ends here."
The fight between Daniel and Muzan was intense. Muzan's tentacles lashed out with incredible speed, but Daniel anticipated every move, countering with precision.
"Your reign of terror is over, Muzan," Daniel declared, his voice calm but resolute. He moved with such speed that Muzan could barely keep up, each strike pushing the demon king closer to his limit.
"You think you can defeat me? I am the progenitor of all demons!" Muzan roared, but there was a hint of desperation in his voice.
"You will fall, Muzan. Not because of what you've done to me, but because of what you've done to countless innocent lives," Daniel replied, his resolve unwavering.
With a final, powerful strike, Daniel severed Muzan's tentacles and brought him to his knees. Muzan, weakened and defeated, looked up at Daniel with a mix of fear and rage.
"It's over," Daniel said, raising his sword for the final blow.
Muzan's eyes widened as he realized his end was near. "No... this can't be happening... I am immortal!"
"Even immortals fall," Daniel replied, and with one swift motion, he struck Muzan down, ending his reign of terror once and for all.
The room fell silent as Muzan's body disintegrated, leaving behind nothing but ashes. Daniel stood there, taking a moment to catch his breath. The battle was over, and the world was free from the threat of Muzan Kibutsuji.
Daniel looked around at the fallen Upper Moon demons, now nothing more than remnants of a dark past. "Rest in peace," he whispered, knowing that their souls could finally find peace.
With Muzan defeated and the Upper Moon demons vanquished, the world could finally heal. Daniel knew that the fight against evil would continue, but for now, there was a moment of calm, a moment to remember those who had fallen and to honor their sacrifice.
As Daniel walked out of the hideout, he felt a sense of closure. The journey had been long and arduous, but it was worth every step. He had upheld the legacy of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the world was a safer place because of it.
Looking up at the sky, Daniel whispered, "For you, Shinobu. For all of you." And with that, he disappeared into the horizon, ready to face whatever new challenges awaited him.
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