Chapter 92: Stepping Into the Trap, Annihilating All Humanity, Utterly Terrifying

After entrusting the task of handling the train car victims, who had been ravaged by Luo Fu’s Blood Demon Art and lost all sense of self, to the official organizations cooperating with the Demon Slayer Corps.

Luo Fu donned a wide-brimmed hat and long robe that concealed his entire body, then followed Makomo toward the direction of Mount Kumo.

One must admit that although the island nation now appears to be developing rapidly, in this era before World War I has fully erupted.

The only places where the island nation has truly progressed are a few core metropolitan cities.

Places like Mount Kumo, nestled deep within forests, remain in a state of extreme backwardness and savagery, unchanged from ancient times.

Through his conversations with Makomo, it was not hard to judge that at least several years still remained before the true plot began.

After all, Makomo’s soul did not meet Tanjiro Kamado until years after her death.

After following Makomo on a winding journey lasting nearly ten days, Luo Fu finally arrived at the so-called Mount Kumo.

Mount Kumo was layered with towering peaks, its highest summits perpetually covered in snow.

After Makomo led Luo Fu deep into the heart of Mount Kumo.

The guide ahead suddenly stopped and said, “Mr. Luo Fu, this is Mount Kumo. I assume this is your destination?”

The instant Makomo finished speaking.

Luo Fu’s gaze sharpened.

In the next moment, several figures clad in Demon Slayer Corps uniforms, wielding long swords, surrounded Luo Fu in an instant.

Luo Fu raised an eyebrow, staring at Makomo in sudden realization: “So the path Itachi led me on was a massive detour. Does that mean Itachi suspected my identity all along—and deliberately contacted members of the Demon Slayer Corps to set this trap for me?”

Luo Fu’s surprise was genuine; after all, his Blood Demon Art could manipulate the Seven Deadly Sins.

Even without activating the Seven Sins Eyes, if he wished, he could still keenly sense Makomo’s emotional fluctuations.

Throughout this journey, all Luo Fu had sensed from Makomo were faint traces of fear and anticipation—he detected no hatred or murderous intent whatsoever.

Clearly, this girl had suppressed her inner emotions entirely, and to ensure absolute certainty, she had even concealed from him, with a special ability that masked even his power to perceive the human heart.

This was precisely where Luo Fu had underestimated Makomo.

Although as a former Water Hashira’s disciple, Makomo had failed even the initial trial, there was a reason for it.

Not everyone is like Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist, who trained in the Sun Breathing since childhood and whose sense of smell reached the unimaginable level of detecting emotions.

Makomo, though certainly inferior to Tanjiro Kamado, possessed talent that, if fully developed, might one day reach Hashira level.

Especially in her composure—before Luo Fu, she revealed not the slightest anomaly. This ability to deceive even him, the one who could perceive the human heart, was the true cause of Luo Fu’s downfall.

Of course, Makomo’s cultivation, while perhaps weak in direct combat, excelled in other areas to a degree even Hashiras could not match.

At this moment, Makomo finally revealed her true emotions, glaring at Luo Fu with hatred: “Itachi underestimating me, demon! Even Demon Slayer Corps members are accustomed to hunting demons under cover of night, yet Itachi still wear a hat and robe to conceal yourself even in daylight. And since the Corps never discovered who was behind the train massacre, if I still failed to notice your anomaly, then I don’t deserve to be called a demon slayer.”

Ignoring the girl’s hatred, Luo Fu turned his gaze to the Demon Slayer Corps members surrounding him.

When his eyes fell upon a girl dressed in purple, wearing a half-sleeved haori, her hair adorned with a butterfly hairpin, and possessing violet eyes, Luo Fu’s gaze sharpened: “I never expected a Hashira would take such notice of me, setting up such a meticulously prepared trap.”

“It seems the demon gentleman knows me,” said Kanao Tsuyuri with a gentle smile.

Her gentleness was innate, entirely unlike her sister Kanao’s artificial facade.

As she drew her Nichirin Blade, Kanao smiled: “Itachi’re mistaken, demon gentleman. This time, it’s not just me alone who is a Hashira.”

“And… me,” came a voice from Luo Fu’s other side, halting and uneven—even three words were spoken with pauses.

Turning to look, as expected, beside Kanao Tsuyuri, the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, had also appeared.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising.

Kanao Tsuyuri’s Flower Breathing was itself derived from Water Breathing, one of its branches.

When a former Water Hashira’s disciple encountered an unsolvable, terrifying demon, the current Water Hashira and Kanao Tsuyuri would inevitably come to assist—unless utterly unable to spare themselves.

“Itachi, demon—why do Itachi carry a Nichirin Blade?” Giyu Tomioka asked, his tone filled with confusion.

Although Nichirin Blades, specifically forged to slay demons, often vanished after their owners’ deaths, many likely ended up in the hands of demons.

But Nichirin Blades, forged from Xingxingfeishatie infused with solar power, were inherently demons’ greatest enemies.

Even when Kyojuro Rengoku’s older brother, Kokushibo, became a demon, he abandoned his Nichirin Blade and instead forged a blade from Blood Demon Art to wield his Moon Breathing.

No demon ever carried a Nichirin Blade.

A demon wielding a Nichirin Blade was like a human wearing reflective material as jewelry.

No wonder Giyu Tomioka and Kanao Tsuyuri, despite surrounding Luo Fu, had hesitated to attack—instead, they questioned him about the Nichirin Blade.

As Luo Fu drew his Nichirin Blade, he said: “Itachi mean this?”

Seeing Luo Fu shake the blade, its color now pitch black, adorned with countless glittering star-like specks that rendered it dazzling and mesmerizing.

Kanao Tsuyuri frowned: “I never imagined the demon gentleman not only carries a Nichirin Blade, but has even developed his own Breathing Style.”

Nichirin Blades are called “color-changing blades,” their hue shifting according to the user’s nature.

But Luo Fu’s blade—pitch black, yet adorned with dazzling starlight—was a phenomenon never before seen in the Demon Slayer Corps.

“What Breathing Style is this?” Giyu Tomioka asked, curious.

“It seems Itachi have no intention of attacking me just yet!” Luo Fu asked with interest.

“What is your purpose in seeking Mount Kumo?” Kanao Tsuyuri cared far more about Luo Fu’s reason for being here than his mysterious Breathing Style.

Or rather, this was not merely Kanao Tsuyuri’s curiosity—it came from higher up in the Demon Slayer Corps.

For instance… the 97th Head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

Do not forget: Ubuyashiki Kagaya is a unique being capable of glimpsing the future.

Perhaps Luo Fu’s presence here was triggered precisely by Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s foresight.

In truth, Luo Fu did not know the real reason Giyu Tomioka and Kanao Tsuyuri had not yet attacked: they were waiting for more reinforcements.

After Makomo reported her suspicions, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, through his ability, had seen a future of unimaginable horror.

This time, he was not facing merely two Hashiras—he was facing the entire Demon Slayer Corps mobilized.

Now that his identity was exposed, Luo Fu had no reason to conceal his Seven Sins Eyes.

As the Seven Sins Eyes activated, the seven primal sins and emotional fluctuations of all surrounding Demon Slayer Corps members fell under Luo Fu’s control.

Only then did Luo Fu truly realize the immense scale of the trap the Demon Slayer Corps had laid for him.

Around this forest, Luo Fu clearly sensed the presence of nearly a hundred humans.

Without doubt, these were all Demon Slayer Corps members—indeed, their elite.

“Sorry. I’m a bit late.”

As a bold voice rapidly approached from afar.

A towering figure with hair fading from yellow to red, draped in a white cloak with red trim, sprinted forward.

Seeing this figure, Luo Fu frowned: “Three Hashiras? Does the Demon Slayer Corps hold me in such high regard?”

“Wrong,” said the latecomer, Inosuke Hashibira, one hand resting on his Nichirin Blade’s hilt, the other gripping the scabbard, ready to strike: “Itachi are the second Demon King. The Master has seen the future—Itachi nearly wiped out all humanity. Such an evil existence demands our total sacrifice. The three of us are merely the beginning.”

Luo Fu’s heart tightened.

He had never imagined the Demon Slayer Corps had prepared such a grand setup for him.

The Flower Hashira, Water Hashira, Flame Hashira—these three were only the beginning.

Only the true Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, would warrant such treatment.

As Luo Fu had anticipated, soon after the Flower, Water, and Flame Hashiras, the Sound Hashira, Akaza, arrived with a contingent of Demon Slayer Corps members.

In fact, nearly half of the Demon Slayer Corps’s future peak strength was now assembled here—excluding those not yet joined or not yet Hashiras, including Tanjiro Kamado.

“Demon, accept your fate. Today, for all humanity, we will spare no cost to slay Itachi.”

Though surprised by the overwhelming force arrayed against him after his exposure, Luo Fu had come here to find the blue Amanogawa flower that could free him from his inability to withstand sunlight—not to fight the Demon Slayer Corps.

In his heart, he stood as a third party, independent of both demons and the Demon Slayer Corps—or rather, above both.

To Luo Fu, demons and Demon Slayer Corps members were indistinguishable.

At this stage, he might be the weakest among the three factions—but he had already found his future path. He would not face the entire Demon Slayer Corps while still at his weakest.

As the Demon Slayer Corps members finally assembled their strongest formation.

Luo Fu’s body suddenly became ethereal. In the next instant, one after another figure split from his body.

The seven incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust—and the seven emotions—Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Fear, Love, Hatred, Desire—appeared.

Beyond them, even more inexplicable entities emerged.

For instance, a boy holding a wooden fish and mallet, a girl cradling a bronze gong, a middle-aged man holding a bell…

These previously unseen incarnations were not as overtly manifest as the Seven Sins or Seven Emotions, yet their presence evoked a profound inner peace.

Though these new incarnations had yet to demonstrate any ability, merely their existence caused the surrounding Demon Slayer Corps members to suddenly lose some of their killing intent and battle spirit.

“This… a Blood Demon Art of incarnations?” Inosuke Hashibira finally drew his Nichirin Blade and charged straight toward the incarnation of Pride.

Giyu Tomioka, Kanao Tsuyuri, and Akaza each engaged other incarnations of Luo Fu.

The boy struck the wooden fish. The girl rang the bronze gong, its tones resonating like a cleansing balm to the soul.

The sound of bells, gongs, and wooden fish intertwined. In moments, the very trap the Demon Slayer Corps had prepared for Luo Fu transformed into a sacred Buddhist paradise.

As the direct architect of the trap, the one who had led Luo Fu here—Makomo.

Clutching her Nichirin Blade, she had not even charged forward before the sudden sacred aura washed away all her battle intent, killing urge, and hatred, leaving her soul in unprecedented tranquility.

At this moment, Luo Fu’s true form silently appeared beside Makomo, while the other incarnations distracted the Demon Slayer Corps.

The girl had no time to react before Luo Fu seized her effortlessly and fled toward the deepest forest, where Demon Slayer Corps members were sparsest.

Though Luo Fu lacked the ability to see through objects like the Byakugan, his Seven Sins Eyes could directly manipulate the seven primal sins of humans.

In this battle, every Demon Slayer Corps member about to engage or already engaged appeared to Luo Fu like a torch of emotion.

All he needed to do was carry Makomo toward the direction with the fewest emotional torches—and he could easily find the trap’s weakest point.

With his multitude of incarnations, even Hashiras could not catch Luo Fu’s trail in a short time.

And Luo Fu’s true form, having seized Makomo, gave the girl no chance to resist, racing straight into the depths of Mount Kumo.

In this process, every Demon Slayer Corps member who attempted to intercept Luo Fu was instantly manipulated in their emotions.

Under such extreme emotions, these Demon Slayers, already weak in power, how could they possibly be a match for Luo Fu, a former Upper Rank Four?

Even though Luo Fu deliberately restrained his killing urge and chose mostly to injure rather than kill, countless Demon Slayers still fell beneath his Nichirin Blade.

At every flash of starlight, at least one Demon Slayer either died or was wounded by Luo Fu’s hands.

Though Shinobu struggled with all her might, she was merely a novice who hadn’t even passed the Demon Slayer examination—what chance did she have against a powerhouse like Luo Fu?

Quickly!

Carrying Shinobu, Luo Fu broke through the Demon Slayers’ encirclement and plunged deep into Mount Kumo.

Luo Fu’s clones clearly lacked his own luck; indeed, none of them matched even the power of Hantengu after breaking his limits. In the instant their heads were severed by Nichirin Blades, they inflicted noticeable damage upon Luo Fu’s true body.

Luo Fu’s clones were closer to the Shadow Clone Technique of the Hokage world—upon death, their experiences, memories, and even the agony of dying were transmitted to Luo Fu’s true body without loss.

Precisely because of this, Luo Fu, while fleeing with Shinobu, periodically endured waves of death’s impact.

These clones’ voluntary sacrifices granted Luo Fu ample time, allowing him and Shinobu to vanish into the vast, endless mountains.

When the final clone was instantly beheaded by Rengoku Kyojuro’s Nichirin Blade,

as the clones gradually turned to ash,

Rengoku Kyojuro said: “No wonder the Master considers him a being capable of surpassing the Demon King. This cloning technique is infuriating—I alone have slain seven clones, each of them nearly equal in strength to a Lower Rank demon.”

“Mission failed,” Tomioka Giyu said flatly. “Target escaped—entered the depths of Mount Kumo.”

“This demon gentleman truly is as the Master described: utterly evil and cautious,” said Kanao Tsuyuri, her brow furrowed with worry. “We’ll need to thoroughly search Mount Kumo from now on.”

“By the way,” Rengoku suddenly slapped his forehead, “the Master mentioned this fellow came to Mount Kumo for a purpose. He didn’t order us to kill him—only to stop his goal at all costs.”

After a brief pause, Rengoku added: “But what exactly is his goal?”

“Regardless of his goal,” Uzui Tengen said grimly, “if possible, this demon must be slain.”

Rengoku nodded, then suddenly paused as if recalling something. “Wait—I feel like this guy looks familiar… but I can’t place it.”

“Familiar?” Tomioka Giyu glanced at Rengoku with curiosity.

After a moment of thought, Rengoku’s mind suddenly flashed back to a childhood memory.

It was when his father was still the Flame Hashira—he had been determined to master Flame Breathing and surpass his father as the next Flame Hashira.

In his father Rengoku Makio’s room, he had once seen a portrait—the man in it bore a striking resemblance, seven or eight tenths, to the Luo Fu he had just encountered.

Most crucially, after his father suddenly fell into despair, Makio had personally burned that painting.

Because he had seen the image only once as a child, and though it had left a deep impression, the Luo Fu he had just met wore a wide-brimmed hat and long robe—nothing like the portrait.

For a moment, Rengoku had failed to connect the man in the portrait with the Luo Fu he had just faced.

His eyes flickered, and Rengoku blurted out: “I remember! When I was a child, I saw a portrait of this man in my father’s room.”

“Master Rengoku Makio?” Kanao Tsuyuri’s eyes brightened instantly.

Rengoku Kyojuro was, in fact, a rather unique member of the Demon Slayer Corps—or rather, all Flame Breathing users were somewhat unique.

Because Rengoku Kyojuro was a true heir of a demon-hunting family.

Unlike other demon hunters, who typically trained under masters from childhood or became hunters after suffering personal tragedies at the hands of demons,

the Rengoku family had been training their children to become Demon Slayers since they were very young.

This made the Rengoku family, in terms of uniqueness within the Demon Slayer Corps, second only to the Ubuyashiki family.

Even many secrets unknown to most Demon Slayers were preserved in the Rengoku family’s records.

Rengoku Kyojuro spoke with a tone of melancholy: “This man… may be connected to our family—or even to the Demon Slayer Corps itself. Because… because in the portrait I saw, he was wearing a Demon Slayer uniform—and even… even a Hashira’s haori.”

The haori was a special garment worn only by Hashira-level Demon Slayers.

Through the haori, one could instantly identify a Hashira’s identity and their Breathing Style.

For example, Rengoku Kyojuro, as the Flame Hashira who practiced Flame Breathing, wore a haori with a white hem adorned with flame patterns.

Likewise, the Flower Hashira Kanao Tsuyuri wore one, and her sister Kanao’s was even more direct—its design was simply a butterfly.

Wearing a haori meant Luo Fu… had once been a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

For a moment, the reality left all present Demon Slayers stunned into silence.

“That man… was once a Hashira?” Tomioka Giyu’s voice showed no emotion, yet somehow, everyone could feel his fury.

Rengoku Kyojuro’s face darkened.

Luo Fu carried a Nichirin Blade—deadly poison to other demons—and as a child, Rengoku had seen a portrait of Luo Fu wearing a Hashira’s haori.

These facts clearly told Rengoku Kyojuro: Luo Fu was a former Hashira who had betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps and joined the demons.

Though rare, there had been cases where Demon Slayers, for various reasons, were eventually turned into demons.

But a Hashira becoming a demon? That had never happened in the entire history of the Demon Slayer Corps.

For the Demon Slayer Corps, this was an unprecedented, crushing humiliation.

Thinking of Luo Fu’s troublesome cloning technique,

Rengoku Kyojuro’s expression turned grim. “I’ll entrust the task of searching the forest to all of Itachi—I’m going down the mountain.”

“Master Rengoku Kyojuro,” Kanao Tsuyuri reminded him, “there’s a telegraph office in the town below. Itachi might contact Master Rengoku Makio via telegraph to learn this man’s past identity. We’ll do our best to track him down.”

“Understood!” Rengoku nodded firmly. “I’ll leave everything to Itachi. I’ll find out his identity as quickly as possible and rejoin Itachi.”

The moment he finished speaking, Rengoku vanished from everyone’s sight without delay.

With Rengoku’s departure, the remaining Demon Slayers began a thorough, ground-by-ground search across Mount Kumo.

Deep within Mount Kumo, in a remote, uninhabited cave,

Luo Fu stared at the unconscious girl, Shinobu. After a long sigh, he forced out a single drop of his own blood and let it fall into her mouth.

If possible, Luo Fu didn’t want to use his blood to transform someone into a demon so soon.

After all, his goal was to remedy the demons’ fatal weakness to sunlight.

In Luo Fu’s view, the Blue Kamuro Flower was the essential key to transforming demons into perfect beings.

If he could transform others into demons after obtaining the Blue Kamuro Flower, he had a strong premonition: those he transformed would inherit his own ability to withstand sunlight.

But now, Shinobu had not only betrayed him, but also made finding the Blue Kamuro Flower in Mount Kumo even harder.

Luo Fu had no choice—he had to turn Shinobu into his ally first.

He was certain the Blue Kamuro Flower grew near the family of Tanjiro Kamado.

After all, if it was gathered as a wild vegetable, it couldn’t be too far from a dwelling.

But Luo Fu knew nothing about Mount Kumo—surrounded by countless Demon Slayers hunting him, yet utterly ignorant of the terrain.

Shinobu, a girl whose hometown was Mount Kumo, had become an indispensable tool for him.

As the blood entered her mouth, Shinobu grimaced deeply.

In this world, the process of demon transformation was far faster than when Luo Fu used his blood to transform others in the ninja world.

In mere moments, Shinobu let out a soft moan and suddenly opened her eyes, glowing with a crimson aura.

In her pupils, a black tomoe spun rapidly.

In his eyes, a pitch-black tomoe spun rapidly.

He hadn’t expected that, upon returning from the Shared Space in this world, his first transformation of a human into a demon would grant Shinobu a Sharingan from the ninja world.

Awakening, Shinobu was overwhelmed by an unprecedented, ravenous hunger.

Her crimson eyes fixed on Luo Fu. “Itachi… what did Itachi do to me?”

At this moment, Luo Fu had no patience for games.

After giving Shinobu a moment to accept reality, Luo Fu spoke bluntly: “I assume Itachi now understand your situation—Itachi’re a demon now. To escape the weakness that prevents Itachi from facing sunlight, tell me: where does the charcoal-burning family live in Mount Kumo?”

“Itachi… Itachi vile, evil demon! I’ll never tell Itachi anything!” Now that her disguise was gone, Shinobu had no reason to hide.

But her reaction made Luo Fu’s eyes flash with sudden interest.

Even demons directly transformed by Muzan Kibutsuji lost much of their former memories—some forgot everything entirely.

Even Luo Fu’s original self had been the same. The man whose family was slaughtered by demons and the demon Luo Fu that emerged afterward were like two entirely different people.

The latter felt no empathy whatsoever for the former.

But Shinobu was clearly not like that.

She retained every single memory from her human life after becoming a demon.

In this alone, Shinobu was far more unique than any demon Luo Fu had ever encountered.

Luo Fu naturally attributed this reaction to his own unique nature—having merged the memories of Uchiha Luo Fu and the alien Luo Fu.

Compared to studying his own transformation, finding the Blue Kamuro Flower was far more critical.

Shinobu’s refusal made Luo Fu smile coldly.

Don’t assume her cuteness will make him forget that his current predicament was entirely due to her flawless, even deceptive, acting.

In the Shared Space, the three Luo Fus who had crossed into different worlds, after awakening their past memories, likely felt the least attachment to their current selves—especially the Demon Slayer Luo Fu.

Not only because he was a man-eating demon, but more crucially, because the time he now inhabited—before World War I.

From decades prior until the end of World War II, Japan had committed unforgivable crimes against the Eastern ancient nation in its own memory.

No matter how innocent Shinobu appeared, Luo Fu was not a man whose morals followed his eyes.

Facing Shinobu’s martyr-like resolve, Luo Fu merely smiled coldly—and immediately unleashed the torment of a superior upon a subordinate.

Demons formed a rigid hierarchy. Beneath the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, authority was sharply divided.

Subordinates could never influence superiors—but superiors could easily torment subordinates.

This torment was comprehensive, even more terrifying than death.

The Lower Rank demon Leiji, who controlled threads, had turned his future family members—all of whom feared him to the core—yet none dared resist his slightest command. Their fear surpassed even their dread of death and sunlight.

From this alone, one could judge the extreme rigidity of the demon hierarchy.

From this alone, one could clearly judge the strict hierarchy among demons.

(End of chapter)