"Where are you going, Mr. Muzan Kibutsuji?"
Suzuki Makoto's voice clung to Muzan Kibutsuji like a vengeful spirit, who was already running so hard he'd lost all sense of his surroundings.
"Don't you want to live forever? Are you content to be bound by a mere lifespan? I know you fear the sun, but as long as we capture Nezuko Kamado, we can break free from the boundaries of day and night and enjoy eternal life without any side effects!"
Muzan Kibutsuji gasped, ran, and then let out another scream.
"Do you know why I don't just slice through all your hearts and brains at once?"
Muzan was silent. Of course, he didn't know why, but as a demon who often played cat-and-mouse, this scene was all too familiar.
"Because a human-shaped target like you, one that can regenerate instantly, is just too rare."
Suzuki Makoto's figure appeared again. This time, he used a different stance to dice Muzan into mincemeat, then watched him slowly recover.
Of course, Muzan Kibutsuji had tried to escape, just as he did when facing Yoriichi Tsugikuni. But on that attempt, Suzuki Makoto had instantly used his Crimson Red Blade, combining it with Sun Breathing to completely annihilate his body, leaving only a single piece to slowly regenerate.
After that, he understood. If he tried to run, Suzuki Makoto would end the fight in an instant. Only by cooperating could he prolong his life as much as possible.
And Suzuki Makoto was, of course, very pleased. While the Upper Rank Kizuki hadn't been enough to satisfy him, Muzan Kibutsuji was making up for it nicely.
"I'm begging you, I'll be your training partner—I don't even care if you keep killing me! The sun is about to come out! Let me hide in the shadows! Please!"
In that moment, Muzan Kibutsuji abandoned all his dignity. He just wanted to live. As long as he could live, that was all that mattered!
"That's true, it's almost dawn."
Suzuki Makoto nodded in complete agreement.
"Well then, it's time for you to go, Muzan Kibutsuji."
With a light swing of his blade, the man turned, brushed past Muzan Kibutsuji, and walked back the way he came.
Muzan Kibutsuji blinked. His opponent had slashed him, but he hadn't cut his neck, nor had he struck any of his hearts or brains.
Was he... really letting him go?
Overjoyed, he took a step and ran towards the dissipating darkness ahead.
Still alive! I'm still alive! This isn't a loss yet! I still have a chance to fulfill my long-cherished wi—
Muzan Kibutsuji fell to the ground. Confused, he tried to push himself up, only to slip and fall again.
It was only then that he noticed his limbs were slowly turning to ash, the decay spreading towards his torso.
"Why? Why? He didn't use the Crimson Red Blade! He didn't use Sun Breathing! He didn't even cut my neck! Why? Why? Whyyyyyy—"
His roar turned into a whimper, and finally, there was nothing.
Evidently, Muzan Kibutsuji hadn't noticed the deeper issue when Doma died, so now, just like Doma, he could only walk towards the end of his life filled with endless confusion.
Meanwhile, Suzuki Makoto hummed a lighthearted tune and began to admire his first fully awakened weapon.
"[Note: Kill demons with precision. Kill them scientifically. Kill them efficiently. Kill them strategically. The first kill must lead to the next. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill.]"
"Good killing, buddy. Good killing."
Suzuki Makoto lowered the blade and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
A familiar feeling washed over him—just like the one he'd had after speaking with the village chief last time.
A space-time vortex appeared before him. This time, however, it didn't swallow him up but simply stood there quietly. The moment Suzuki Makoto felt the slightest resistance in his heart, the vortex vanished instantly.
The man's eyes widened. He raised the blade in his hand, and when the thought of returning crossed his mind, the space-time vortex instantly reappeared. And when he resisted again, the vortex disappeared once more.
"So I can control it after the awakening. That gave me a scare."
Suzuki Makoto was finally at ease. He had originally planned that if the system unreasonably sent him back again, he would ask his master to send him over once more. Then, once he truly learned how to slash through space, he should be able to travel back and forth at will.
He hadn't expected to be able to do it already. It seemed this system wasn't as useless as he'd thought.
With not a single worry left in his mind, Suzuki Makoto ran joyfully towards the morning sun.
"It's been treated. Just don't let the wound reopen. And don't overuse your legs for a while, or you'll end up with a permanent disability."
A Kakushi from the medical division finished examining the person on the bed, and after finding no issues, gave a few instructions and left.
The old man, Jigoro Kuwajima, no longer looked like he wanted to die. He just gazed with a relieved expression at Zenitsu Agatsuma lying on the hospital bed. Nothing else mattered.
Just a moment ago, Zenitsu Agatsuma had dragged his heavily injured body to him, said only, "I killed my senior," and passed out. The old man was so scared he threw away his cane and used Thunder Breathing to carry Zenitsu to the Butterfly Mansion. Though his legs were throbbing with pain, hearing that Zenitsu was okay made the pain disappear completely.
"Ah! Miss Kocho! Where is Mr. Suzuki Makoto? I want to thank him for teaching Zenitsu all that he did."
Shinobu Kocho seemed to be startled awake. Hearing Jigoro's words, she managed a faint smile.
"I don't know either. He said he was going after Muzan Kibutsuji. The Stone Hashira has already taken the other Hashira to pursue them. I stayed behind to handle medical treatment, so I'm not entirely sure."
"Oh—don't worry, Muzan Kibutsuji will definitely die this time!"
Jigoro Kuwajima didn't know what else to say for a moment, so he could only offer some dry words of comfort.
Shinobu Kocho nodded and continued to care for the other injured. It was the only way she could comfort herself right now.
"Kanao, we're out of bandages. Go get more, quickly."
A new roll of bandages was placed in Shinobu Kocho's hands. She immediately began wrapping, only looking up after the wound was treated.
She stared blankly at the man before her, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"I've already brought them. Kanao went to the storehouse to get more."
Suzuki Makoto held up a box of bandages, giving it a little shake in front of Shinobu Kocho.
The young woman threw her arms around Suzuki Makoto, burying her head in his chest.
"Alright, alright, I'm back. There are still many wounded waiting for us to treat. You wouldn't want someone to skip our wedding out of spite, would you?"
A slight sting on his chest made it clear someone was biting him with their small, pearly teeth. Shinobu Kocho didn't look up again. She just wiped her face, leaving a damp patch of cloth with a teeth mark on it, and turned to continue bandaging the next injured person.
Suzuki Makoto was right. There were still many wounded people waiting to be treated.
Sorry for the error and thank you very much for letting me know! I've just fixed the chapter <3
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