Hidden Reincarnator, Vincent

Kibutsuji Muzan appeared within the crater, his eyes gloomy. His body had taken on the form of a Shōnen, while the tentacles trailing behind him like tails remained inside that narrow "rat hole."

Muzan had indeed not left Kyoto. It was not that he could not leave; in truth, Hantengu had merely lost his clones, while the main body, the Cowardly Demon, had suffered no harm. He remained an Upper Rank Demon Moon who retained most of his combat strength.

If he wished to leave alongside Hantengu, ordinary humans and even Hashira-level Swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps would be unable to stop him, except…

Muzan raised his head. Beneath the silver moon, his crimson eyes fixed upon the man beside the crater. They held hatred and revulsion, but also an inescapable fear.

Although Kibutsuji Muzan had indeed recalled Kokushibo’s dying roar afterward, he discarded that voice after only a moment.

For a being with a nearly endless lifespan to fight desperately against an insect with only a few decades to live—how foolish. That was what Kibutsuji Muzan thought.

Yet in the end, Muzan had Hantengu remain with him in Kyoto.

The reason was that he remembered how, at the very end of that battle, this human who could wield the power of sunlight had not chosen to grab his head. Instead, he had cut down Nakime’s body.

He realized that the other party did not truly want to kill him.

Or perhaps that transaction, which had seemed like a provocation at the time, had been serious?

The moment he considered that possibility, Kibutsuji Muzan no longer wished to leave.

He hid and fled from place to place before finally returning underground and sneaking back here. Sure enough, he once again sensed the scent of the person who had cast the shadow of death over him.

After hesitating for days, Muzan finally showed himself tonight.

"No one can control what kind of Blood Demon Art they awaken."

Muzan’s eyes were filled with hatred, but his tone was not sharp. On the contrary, it contained a timidity even he himself had not noticed.

"Nakime is dead, and her Blood Demon Art is gone with her. Even if I create several thousand more demons, I cannot guarantee that another Blood Demon Art like hers will appear."

Bai Cangshu understood this point perfectly well.

Unlike many others, Bai Cangshu did not think much of the Man-eating Demon bloodline, but he held Blood Demon Arts in much higher regard.

Among the many Man-eating Demons, whether it was Akaza’s Compass Needle, which strengthened himself, or Doma’s ability to control blood and ice, Bai Cangshu did not believe they possessed much potential.

The strength of an ability was not equivalent to the strength of its user.

On the other hand, the abilities of Nakime, who controlled the Infinity Castle and could freely teleport anyone within her perception to other places; Kyogai, who could freely alter the spatial structure within a house; and Yahaba, who controlled objects’ movement and direction through invisible vectors—these three demons made Bai Cangshu realize the potential of Blood Demon Arts.

In a sense, all these abilities possessed "higher-order" traits that even Kibutsuji Muzan himself did not have.

Though their absolute power level was insufficient, in terms of potential, they were far more powerful than Kibutsuji Muzan and the Upper Ranks.

Perhaps abilities like these were the greatest treasures of this world.

The corner of Bai Cangshu’s mouth curled upward. What was so good about becoming a Man-eating Demon? It only added a whole host of weaknesses for no reason.

"Tch, you really are useless, Muzan."

Bai Cangshu stood, walked to the edge of the crater, and crouched down to look at Muzan below.

Kibutsuji Muzan’s pupils shrank, and he instinctively wanted to flee. But soon, he noticed that both of this human’s hands were wrapped in thick bandages. His right hand in particular was so heavily bound that the shape of his palm was nearly unrecognizable.

Bai Cangshu noticed Kibutsuji Muzan’s gaze and spread his arms, adopting a completely unguarded posture.

"What, want to have another go at me?"

His tone was mocking, but Kibutsuji Muzan did not become enraged. He merely looked away.

"Hmph. I’m only telling you that Nakime’s ability cannot appear again."

Bai Cangshu gave a disdainful laugh. His goal had never truly been to make Muzan create another Nakime. Nakime’s Drop Card was already in his Backpack. With enough luck—or enough paid in the Space—that ability might not be impossible to obtain.

"Since you can’t do that, then give me the source of your bloodline—the prescription that pharmacist gave you back then."

"I can take my time finding someone to prepare it."

Several of Kibutsuji Muzan’s hearts sank at once. He felt that this human had finally revealed his true intentions.

That bastard wanted that thing?!

His expression immediately darkened.

"How could I possibly still remember something like that?!"

By moonlight, Bai Cangshu looked at the cursed mark on the back of his left hand. What he had just done was not a bluff. Bai Cangshu would never place his life and death in the hands of another’s cowardice.

Just like in the previous battle, even with both hands shattered and unable to use Hamon, he had been confident that if Kibutsuji Muzan turned back to fight him to the death, he could immediately leave the basement and return to the sunlight.

Now that he had this cursed mark, he was even more confident that he could suppress Kibutsuji Muzan’s resistance at any time.

It was simply that this human scum was indeed a little too difficult to kill.

Especially since he had somehow "gained intelligence" in this world.

As a Kibutsuji Muzan capable of splitting himself into hundreds or even thousands of chunks of flesh, who could survive so long as a single piece escaped, he could be considered a bargain-bin Majin Buu in a sense.

"Muzan, stick your finger into your brain and stir it around hard a few times. I believe you’ll remember."

Muzan looked into the other party’s eyes for a long while before finally speaking.

"I can give you a portion of my source blood. Once I obtain the Blue Spider Lily, I will naturally leave this place. Hmph, I won’t do anything unpleasant to those friends of yours."

Kibutsuji Muzan’s words were half concession, half threat.

But the mocking smile on Bai Cangshu’s face grew even wider.

"What you do to those people is your freedom. Of course, if I want to slaughter you, that is my freedom as well."

"Now, give me a portion of your so-called source blood, along with that prescription. I will naturally give you the Blue Spider Lily."

Not only did Bai Cangshu refuse Kibutsuji Muzan’s terms, he escalated his demands.

Muzan’s lips and teeth trembled. If he could, he wanted to tear the other party apart right now.

But…

Because Muzan possessed seven hearts, their pounding was exceptionally intense at this moment—so loud that Bai Cangshu could hear it clearly.

This Demon King was likely in an extreme struggle.

Precisely because his own life was in his hands, he had no choice but to act cautiously. He could not abandon it.

Tap.

Bai Cangshu’s pupils contracted. A figure suddenly emerged from the residence on the other side. He turned his head and saw someone dressed in a kimono with exquisite makeup, seemingly a geisha from some household. Yet her footsteps… were exceptionally heavy.

Tap, tap, tap!

After several steps, the slender geisha’s body swelled. With a wet tear, her lovely outer skin ruptured, revealing a burly blond man.

"Lord Muzan, perhaps you don’t need to trade with him."

"The Blue Spider Lily is not something only ‘Mercenary Tao’ left behind one of."

Vincent’s originally honest-looking face became animated at this moment. Light flashed in his hand, and another Blue Spider Lily appeared.

At the sight, Kibutsuji Muzan revealed an ecstatic expression. He instantly turned into an afterimage and pounced at Vincent.

Bai Cangshu lowered his eyelids and gently raised his left hand. The next moment, he spoke.

"Boom."

The instant Bai Cangshu spoke, a gigantic fox nearly a hundred meters tall suddenly appeared out of thin air and swallowed Vincent, along with the entire street block he stood on, in one massive bite.

Secret Rite: Inari God’s Strike.