Chapter 24 – Tales from the Past
From the very beginning, Hikaru had never truly believed he could defeat Muzan Kibutsuji.
That kind of ambition... was little more than a distant fantasy.
And yet—
Failing to defeat him didn't mean he couldn't ruin Muzan's plans… or force him to retreat.
Hikaru understood Muzan's fear. He understood that cowardly instinct that lay just beneath the surface of the Demon King's arrogance. But more than that, he understood the shadow that had haunted Muzan ever since the past—
The shadow of a man who once brought him to the brink of death.
The First Breathing Swordsman.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The man who created the Breathing Techniques, the one who embodied sunlight itself through Sun Breathing.
It was the only time in Muzan's long existence when death had ever felt real.
The only time he had ever truly stood on the edge of annihilation.
For someone like Muzan—who loved life to a twisted, obsessive degree—that memory alone was enough to shatter any resolve.
And that was exactly why...
Using sunlight reflected through a series of ice mirrors and focused along the blade of his sword, Hikaru recreated that fear.
Not to attack.
But to terrify.
It had all been a gamble, of course.
If Muzan had managed to suppress his fear...
If he had realized that Hikaru wasn't truly using Sun Breathing—and that the sunlight channeled through the blade wasn't strong enough to burn him...
Then the one who would've fled...
Would've been Hikaru.
But with Void Breathing, Hikaru could bend light, vanish into the storm, blend into the snow and shadows—and disappear, just like he had sneaked in.
Yet the outcome had been different.
As long as Muzan couldn't walk freely under the sun, he remained shackled by the ghost of his own fear.
And so—
Hikaru succeeded.
He saved the Kamado family.
And for now, Muzan would remain haunted by that experience.
Maybe one day, Muzan would realize that the swordsman he faced wasn't a true wielder of Sun Breathing. But that wariness—that caution—would be enough to keep him at bay for a while.
And that was what strengthened Hikaru's resolve—
This world… was real.
And everything in it could be changed.
He looked up at the sky.
The light was still faint.
A single snowflake landed on his shoulder—followed by a wave of heavy snowfall that swept across the entire mountain range, swallowing the world in white.
In the distance, someone approached—walking calmly through the snow.
It was Giyu Tomioka.
His expression was more serious than usual.
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"So you're saying... you ran into Kibutsuji Muzan—and forced him to retreat?"
Outside the window, a blizzard wrapped the world in white silence.
A single candle flickered in the corner of the room, casting a soft, warm glow. Giyu sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, his normally calm face drawn into a hard line.
"Yes," Hikaru nodded. "There's no mistaking it. That man was Muzan."
He sat straight across from Giyu, meeting his eyes.
This wasn't something he could hide—
Even if Giyu had arrived later, the crow scouts had already reported everything.
Every member of the Demon Slayer Corps had one—Kasugai Crows. Intelligent birds that could speak and deliver precise reports.
Even if the crow hadn't seen every detail clearly, what it had said was enough to explain the situation.
The room fell silent.
If this had happened at any other time, Giyu likely would've dismissed it outright.
Even the Hashira—those at the pinnacle of the Corps—had never truly seen Muzan face-to-face.
The man was too good at hiding.
And for a new Hashira to make him flee? That was… hard to believe.
But...
The crows never lied.
And their reports matched everything.
Giyu narrowed his eyes, the disbelief lingering in them unmistakable.
"Muzan... Why would he…"
He murmured, furrowing his brow.
Just then, Mrs. Kamado quietly stepped into the room, holding a tray with two cups of steaming tea.
"Please… have some."
She didn't yet understand everything that had happened—but it was clear that Hikaru had saved her family.
The memory of that monstrous, fanged figure still sent chills through her body.
"Thank you very much," Hikaru said with a respectful smile, accepting the tea.
Giyu nodded silently.
"For someone like Muzan... this family must've been a reminder. A shadow from his past."
Hikaru took a slow sip. The warmth spread down his throat, pushing back the cold from outside.
He glanced toward Mrs. Kamado and the children peeking from behind the door, their innocent eyes filled with curiosity.
"Mrs. Kamado," he said softly, "I know all of this must be confusing. But what just happened… it's something you were bound to get caught up in."
"What do you mean?" Giyu asked, voice tense and serious.
"I stayed at the Butterfly Mansion for a while—you know that. While I was there, I came across some ancient records in their library."
Hikaru's voice was calm, but there was weight behind each word.
"They spoke of the Sengoku era. Of a swordsman who created the very first Breathing Style—Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"Yoriichi…" Giyu murmured, eyes widening slightly.
Of course he recognized that name.
"Right," Hikaru said, turning toward Mrs. Kamado. "You're probably wondering… what exactly that creature was."
She nodded slowly, still shaken.
"There have long been rumors about monsters that feed on humans after dark. Those weren't fairy tales. They're real. In this world... demons truly exist."
"And we—The Demon Slayer Corps—are the ones who fight them."
"But the one you saw today... wasn't just any demon. He is the origin of all of them—Kibutsuji Muzan."
Mrs. Kamado's expression shifted in shock. But after what she'd just lived through, she couldn't deny it.
"Normally, Muzan is extremely cautious. He wouldn't appear so recklessly—especially not during the day. But…"
"Your family… is different."
"There was a note in those ancient records. It said that Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the creator of Sun Breathing, once nearly killed Muzan. And that trauma… never left him."
"Yoriichi had a close friend. Someone who inherited his techniques. His name was…"
Kamado Sumiyoshi.
Mrs. Kamado froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Giyu fell silent too—connecting the pieces at last.
"The descendants of Yoriichi's successor… The Kamado family…"
Hikaru nodded.
"That's why Muzan came here. That's why he targeted you."
"Honestly, I didn't expect it either. But… I'm glad I arrived in time."
He smiled again—gently, peacefully.
This time, it wasn't the smile of someone who had won a battle.
It was the smile of someone who had protected something precious.
A whole family… saved.
A gentle mother.
Children with innocent eyes and curious hearts peeking from behind the doorway.
A happy home—on the verge of being lost to fate.
But not this time.
Not if things could still be changed.
Not if someone had the courage to act.
After all… if this really is a story—
Then why must it begin… with tragedy?
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