Chapter 34

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

Zero arrived early at the Ubuyashiki estate’s courtyard alone, guessing he had come too soon—the courtyard was empty, and the other Pill members were still on their way back.

With nothing else to do, he sat cross-legged on the tatami inside the courtyard house, pulled out some paper and a pen, activated his [Analytical Glasses], and recorded all the information he would report, along with the features and attack patterns of Muzan Kibutsuji, for easy reference later.

Worried they might not understand his handwriting, he used his [Analytical Glasses] to convert it into Japanese script and rewrote it again, ensuring they could read it.

Meanwhile, Ubuyashiki Kyojuro and Ubuyashiki Amane entered with their two daughters; Zero, fully absorbed in his documentation, didn’t notice them standing behind him.

Seeing this, Ubuyashiki Kyojuro said nothing, only smiled faintly and whispered to his wife and two daughters: “Don’t disturb him.”

“Understood.” x3

Thus, Ubuyashiki Kyojuro, his wife, and their two daughters sat a short distance away from Zero, waiting quietly for the other Pill swordsmen to return and begin the Pill Meeting.

First to arrive were the Butterfly sisters; upon seeing Ubuyashiki Kyojuro, they knelt halfway and cried out together: “Lord!”

Ubuyashiki Kyojuro raised his left hand, placing a finger to his lips, then glanced back at Zero, who was still scribbling in his notebook.

The Butterfly sisters understood at once and stood silently to the side.

After intervals, other Pill swordsmen arrived, including the retired former Flame Pill, Rengoku Shinjuro, who also came to attend the Pill Meeting.

They lined up without speaking, as Ubuyashiki Kyojuro had previously sent a message via the Messenger Crow that shocked them all: Zero had encountered Muzan Kibutsuji.

Of course, except for Tomioka Giyuu—he already knew, as Zero had asked him to keep it secret for now.

For this reason, Ubuyashiki Kyojuro had instructed the eleven of them to wait inside the inner chamber, seated in two rows.

The Ubuyashiki clan founded the Demon Slayer Corps solely to eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji.

Every member of the Demon Slayer Corps had lost family or close friends to the demons Muzan Kibutsuji created, and thus bore an unyielding hatred toward demons.

For a thousand years, the only Demon Slayer to ever encounter Muzan Kibutsuji—and nearly kill him—was Kokushibo, the original swordsman of the Warring States era.

But at the final moment, Muzan Kibutsuji escaped, went into hiding, and vanished completely, never appearing again.

Over these thousand years, countless Demon Slayers had died without ever encountering Muzan Kibutsuji or even the Upper Twelve Demons.

Even if they had encountered them, they were all dead by then, leaving almost no usable information.

And now, Zero had encountered Muzan Kibutsuji.

Muzan Kibutsuji, hidden for centuries, had revealed his tail once more, clashed with Zero, been driven back, and emerged unscathed.

The news of Muzan Kibutsuji was too immense; upon receiving Ubuyashiki Kyojuro’s message, every Pill swordsman turned their attention to Zero, and all waited patiently.

Even the most hot-tempered, Shinobu Kocho, now sat in silent anticipation.

Two hours later, Zero finally finished recording all the information, divided it into eleven copies, so everyone could learn about Muzan Kibutsuji.

Zero had originally planned to sketch Muzan Kibutsuji’s appearance, but considering the information mentioned Muzan’s ability to mimic appearances, he couldn’t tell whether what he saw was his true form or a disguise, so he abandoned the idea.

Instead, he wrote down in detail the distinctive features of Muzan Kibutsuji.

When he raised his head and stretched, he realized everyone had gathered beside him—nearly giving him a heart attack.

Zero: “Huh? When did you all get here?”

“Oh my, we’ve been here a long time already~ We’ve waited over two hours for you! Hehe~” Butterfly Kanae teased, clearly enjoying Zero’s occasionally flustered cuteness.

“Uh… sorry, everyone. I was too focused and didn’t notice. My apologies.”

“It’s fine, Zero. You’ve already done more than enough!” Ubuyashiki Kyojuro immediately spoke up to ease the tension.

Huh~

He took a deep breath, picked up his recorded papers, and said: “These contain information on [Muzan Kibutsuji]’s abilities and traits. Take a look.”

He then handed the papers to Ubuyashiki Himeka to distribute to everyone present.

Since Obanai Iguro was blind, Ubuyashiki Kyojuro had his daughter Ubuyashiki Hinata read aloud the recorded information to him.

About half an hour passed; after repeated verification, everyone understood the information on Muzan Kibutsuji—but their hearts remained unsettled.

Not only because Zero had meticulously recorded Muzan’s traits and abilities, but also because they now faced another question: Could the Demon Slayer Corps truly defeat him?

“Zero, is what’s written here true?” Rengoku Shinjuro asked.

“It’s true. If you still don’t believe me, I can show you the footage of my battle with Muzan Kibutsuji.”

"It's true. If you still don't believe me, I can show you my battle with Kibutsuji Muzan." [61] "Moreover, the true face of Kibutsuji Muzan you're seeing now may not even help you find him! Why? You just saw the message I wrote—he has shapeshifting ability. He can take on the appearance of any man, woman, child, or elder, then blend into modern human society."

Everyone present except Rengoku Shinjuro already knew what Zero intended to do.

Zero placed his [Analytical Glasses] on the tatami again, just as before, and activated [Projection Mode].

Rengoku Shinjuro was startled by this technique; though he’d heard Zero possessed strange weapons, actually seeing it still surprised him.

The projection showed Zero firing a shot from midair, forcing Muzan Kibutsuji to retreat and saving the family living in the mountains.

When they saw Muzan Kibutsuji’s face on the projection, they felt an inexplicable pressure.

Even just a glimpse on the projection left them breathless…

Then they saw eight cross-shaped floating cannons suddenly appear beside Zero, defending him while he fought Muzan Kibutsuji…

Soon after, the projection showed Zero retracting his weapons; just as everyone thought he was done, another scene appeared.

Not long after, the projection showed Zero sheathing his weapon—just as everyone thought he was giving up, another scene appeared.

The space around Zero rippled again; black-and-red metallic plates emerged, encasing him like a fully armed warrior.

They all felt the chilling aura radiating from the black-and-red armor, some shuddering involuntarily…

They all felt the chilling, murderous aura emanating from the black-and-red armor, some shivering with dread...

Soon after, the projection ended.

Everyone remained stunned; the images they’d just seen lingered in their minds, as if they had personally fought Muzan Kibutsuji and narrowly escaped death.

Obanai Iguro, blind, felt the same sensation from Hinata’s narration and the voice from Zero’s [Analytical Glasses].

“Now, do you understand just how strong Muzan Kibutsuji is? Even ignoring him, his Upper Twelve are already formidable—let alone their creator.”

“Moreover, the face you just saw may not even be his true one! Why? You saw what I wrote—he can mimic anyone, young or old, male or female, and blend seamlessly into human society!”

Moreover, the true face of Muzan Kibutsuji you're seeing now may not even help you find him! Why? You just saw the message I wrote—he has the ability to shapeshift. He can take on the appearance of any man, woman, child, or elder, then blend into modern human society.

Zero: “My advice is simple: if you encounter Muzan Kibutsuji and he hasn’t noticed you yet—run.”

Shinobu Kocho immediately retorted: “What do you mean?! Why must we run?!”

Zero: “Then tell me—how likely is it that all of you Pill swordsmen together could kill Muzan Kibutsuji?”

This silenced Shinobu Kocho; he had no reply.

He knew well—if he faced Muzan Kibutsuji, he’d be dead in an instant. And from the projection, he’d seen how brutally fast Muzan’s attacks were, too swift to even track.

If not for the armor’s protection, Zero’s body would’ve been shattered or at least critically wounded by those strikes!

If Zero knew Shinobu Kocho’s thoughts, he’d probably knock him out with a blunt strike.

He hadn’t been unable to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji—he’d only been protecting the Kamado family and gathering data.

Otherwise, he’d have already crushed Muzan Kibutsuji with his mech, dragged him into the sunlight, and let the sun burn him to ash.

Wouldn’t that be far more satisfying? Final and complete?

Besides, a creature like Muzan Kibutsuji, in the vast cosmos, is merely a slightly unusual low-level lifeform.

Any random alien beast from the stars could easily crush Muzan Kibutsuji, beating him until he screamed for his mother and no god would answer.

He’s just a thousand-year-old child—how many alien beasts have lived for millennia?

“Actually, you needn’t be so discouraged. If you can master [Hekito], you may not defeat Muzan Kibutsuji—but at least you can fight the Upper Twelve!”

“Hekito? What’s that?” Butterfly Shinobu asked.

“Hekito is a blade that suppresses a demon’s regenerative ability. I’ve tested it—even the Upper Twelve’s regeneration can be suppressed!”

“What?!” Shinobu Kocho exclaimed: “Even the Upper Twelve’s regeneration?!”

“Yes. I’ll now teach you how to activate Hekito.”

Zero took his scythe from his [Nanotech Space], adjusted the force of his mechanical left hand, and gripped tightly—the blade’s edge glowed crimson.

Everyone felt the intense heat, like the sun itself.

“To activate Hekito, grip the Nichirin Blade’s hilt with immense force—it becomes Hekito! From my prior analysis, Nichirin Blades are forged from Gyokuro steel that absorbs sunlight; the grip’s pressure activates the stored energy, causing the blade’s temperature to surge and transform into Hekito!”

“Sunlight is the demon’s enemy. Likewise, a Nichirin Blade forged from sunlight-absorbing Gyokuro, when turned into Hekito, becomes the same!”

They suddenly remembered—the wounds Muzan Kibutsuji suffered in the projection had been sealed, unable to regenerate!

They’d assumed it was due to Zero’s unusual weapon, not realizing it was Hekito’s effect!

If Zero was right—if Hekito could suppress even Upper Twelve regeneration—then future battles against them would gain a crucial advantage!

Even if one couldn’t kill them, they could at least delay them, waiting for backup or until sunrise!

Since Muzan Kibutsuji was temporarily out of reach, they should first eliminate his Upper Twelve, weaken his power, then find a way to deal with him!

Everyone began testing Zero’s method, stepping outside the inner chamber, drawing their weapons, and increasing their grip strength to try activating Hekito.

The results were unexpected: only a few succeeded; others either lacked sufficient grip strength, or had enough strength but suffered wrist fatigue.

“This is magnificent!” Uzui Tengen stared at his now-red twin blades, eyes gleaming with admiration.

“Wow! I did it too!” Kanroji Mitsuri said, gazing at her Nichirin Blade, now supple as a whip.

“Though Hekito works well, I feel it drains my strength terribly!”

Inosuke Hashibira stared at his red snake-blade, Hekito activated—but his stamina was draining exponentially, his wrists already weakening.

“Umu, same here!” Rengoku Shinjuro looked at his blazing red blade, Hekito active—just like Inosuke, his strength and stamina were vanishing rapidly.

“If this is true, we’ll be at a disadvantage in battle, left helpless before our enemies!” Rengoku Shinjuro added his concern.

“But why do I feel no such un-magnificent fatigue?” Uzui Tengen gazed at his Hekito blades, still relaxed, showing no sign of exhaustion.

Everyone experienced different outcomes—but Obanai Iguro was an exception, as his weapon consisted of a chain-linked broadaxe and meteor hammer.

“Om mani padme hum… how do I activate Hekito on my broadaxe and meteor hammer?”

Zero stared at Obanai Iguro’s weapon, lost in thought—he knew how to activate Hekito on Nichirin Blades, but broadaxes and meteor hammers…

Zero stared at the weapons of Ming of Beiming Isle, lost in thought—he already knew how to activate the Sun Wheel Blade, but the broadaxe and the meteor hammer...

Hmm... alright, he really didn’t know how to activate it.

“Sigh... I really don’t know how to activate He Dao for Xing Ming’s weapon—the great axe or the meteor hammer... I can’t fathom how that blacksmith from Blacksmith Village hammered each one into shape... wait! Hammered each one...” Zero seemed to have realized something.

“Xing Ming, maybe I know how to activate your weapon’s He Dao—but this is only my guess. Perhaps you could try it!” Zero said.

Everyone’s curiosity was stirred by Zero’s words.

“Amitabha, then we rely on you, Zero!”

…………