Chapter 88: The End of the War Between Demons and Humans
Enjoy~~~
"Damn it… damn those bastard Demon Slayers! Damn you, Tamayo… damn you, Akaza… and damn you too, Yukihara Ren!!"
The battlefield echoed with screams that did not belong to any living creature. Muzan Kibutsuji was screaming loudly in a distorted, inhuman voice.
His body had become a disgusting mass of flesh and blood, regenerating at a horrifying speed as it desperately tried to reform itself after being torn into hundreds of pieces by Ren's technique.
Standing before that writhing lump of flesh drowning in pools of blood was Ren Yukihara. His crimson eyes, carrying the aura of the "King of Curses," stared at Muzan with a calmness colder than ice, devoid of even the slightest trace of sympathy or fear.
Muzan screamed as despair devoured what remained of his pride:
"Why the hell do you keep resisting?! Why can't you just live normally and accept reality?! You humans are fragile, weak creatures! Don't thousands of you die every day from wars, natural disasters, diseases, and pathetic viruses?! Far more than the number eaten by demons! Why can't you simply treat me like an earthquake? Like a natural disaster that happened to strike you, and move on with your short lives?! Why do you cling so desperately to this hatred and meaningless revenge?!"
Behind Ren, Tanjiro Kamado struggled to stand after partially recovering thanks to the healing potion. Hearing Muzan's words dripping with contempt toward human life, Tanjiro's expression changed completely.
His body trembled violently, not from fear, but from pure and sacred rage. His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white, blood rushing to his face.
"You call yourself a natural disaster?!" Tanjiro roared hoarsely, carrying the pain of centuries of victims. "Natural disasters don't have willpower, Muzan! Earthquakes and hurricanes don't laugh while tearing families apart! They don't enjoy watching mothers cry over their children! You are not a force of nature… you're just a coward! A coward hiding in the dark because you fear death more than anything else!"
Tanjiro coughed blood, yet continued shouting with a voice that shook the battlefield:
"Our lives may be short, yes! But they are connected! The wills of those you killed never disappeared! The warmth of the family you stole from me, Hakugi-san, Lady Tamayo, and every human whose life you destroyed… their wills are all gathered here! We do not fight you because we hate death… we fight because you defile the very meaning of life itself! As long as even one soul filled with love exists in this world, there will never be a place for you in it, monster!!"
Tanjiro looked ready to lose himself completely. The mark on his forehead ignited once more, and he was about to charge at Muzan with his broken sword, offering up his life just to end this conversation.
But before he could take even one step, Ren raised a hand to stop him.
"There's no need for all this shouting and idealism, Tanjiro…" Ren said calmly in a dark voice as he tilted his head slightly toward his shoulder, looking at Muzan with disdain. "It's much simpler than that. I simply… hate the demon race. They're disgusting, they stink, and their existence annoys me. So… I want to exterminate them and crush them like insects."
Ren smiled crookedly, exposing his fangs, and continued in a tone dripping with sadism:
"If you object to being exterminated… then resist, 'King of Demons.'"
After saying that, Ren did not wait for a response. He flicked his index finger lightly, as if brushing away a fly.
Slash!
Muzan's body, which had nearly completed its regeneration, split cleanly in half!
Muzan screamed again and tried to merge the halves together, but Ren waved his other hand.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Ryomen Sukuna's innate technique, Cleave and Dismantle, shredded Muzan again. And again. And again.
The scene was horrifyingly bloody. Every time Muzan's cells tried to gather together, space itself sliced apart to tear him to pieces once more. Ren continued this cold, systematic torture for several long minutes, blood scattering like black rain while Muzan's screams ripped through the fading night… until the sky itself began to change color.
Gray streaks tinged with pale blue began appearing on the eastern horizon. The first true light of dawn was rising.
Ren stopped using cursed energy and took a deep breath. The black aura around him slowly faded away, and his red eyes gradually returned to their dark blue color. He had exhausted every last drop of cursed energy remaining in his body, and the Sukuna template was retreating due to total exhaustion.
Slowly, Ren approached Muzan, who had become nothing more than a mangled pile of flesh breathing heavily and desperately trying to reform before sunrise. Ren stood beside him and drew his Nichirin blade from its sheath.
Pointing the sword toward the brightening horizon, Ren smiled faintly.
"Let's enjoy the sunrise together… Muzan."
"No… no! Please!" Muzan screamed hysterically as he saw the light approaching.
After speaking, Ren moved like a phantom. He no longer possessed cursed energy, and his endurance had fallen below zero, but he forced every remaining ounce of strength from his muscles. His blade blazed crimson.
Slash!
Ren severed Muzan's arm as it attempted to regrow. Then he turned and cut off both legs. In Muzan's current state—poisoned, exhausted, mentally and physically shattered—Ren gave him no opportunity to recover or use any Blood Demon Art to escape underground.
Ren completely restrained him by continuously severing his limbs with the crimson Nichirin blade, whose heat burned Muzan's cells and prevented regeneration.
As Ren swung his sword like an unstoppable machine, carving apart Muzan's body while demon blood stained his blade, clothes, and face, Muzan finally broke completely. The arrogant King of Demons, the being who considered himself a ruler, was now crying.
"Wait! Wait, Ren! Please!" Muzan begged in a pathetic, tearful voice. "I'll give you anything! Do you want power?! I'll give you all my blood! You'll become the strongest creature on Earth! You'll become the new Demon King! No… I'll let you live happily forever with your family! Immortality! I'll grant you and your family eternal life! You'll never get sick, never grow old, and never die! Please… get me away from this light!"
Ren paused for a moment, his sword embedded in Muzan's chest, staring at him through half-lidded eyes filled with disgust and mockery.
"Immortality? You offer immortality to me? From a parasite like you? What happiness is there in living like a rat hiding in sewers from sunlight?"
Ren twisted the blade deeper into Muzan's chest, making him scream in agony. Then he leaned down near Muzan's ear and spoke in a tone filled with sharp sarcasm he had long wanted to unleash as a fan of anime:
"By the way, Muzan… there's something about you I've always pitied. For a thousand years… an entire thousand years, you and your army of idiots searched every inch of Japan for the Blue Spider Lily to complete your formula for immortality under the sun, didn't you?"
Muzan's eyes widened, his screaming stopping instantly from shock.
"How… how do you know about the Blue Spider Lily?! Do you know where it is?! Tell me! Save me and I'll give you the world!"
Ren let out a cold, dry laugh.
"Yes, I know where it is. And I know why neither you nor your demons managed to find it for ten whole centuries. The reason is unbelievably simple, Muzan… so simple that it proves what a pathetic fool you truly are."
Muzan swallowed blood in his throat.
"Why…?"
Ren leaned closer and whispered coldly:
"Because the Blue Spider Lily only blooms during bright daylight… for just two days each year… beneath the warm sunlight you flee from like cockroaches. The flower was right beneath your noses the entire time… in the very world you could never enter."
At those words, Muzan's mind froze.
A thousand years of searching. Of killing. Of creating demons and Upper Moons. Of terror and fear…
All of it had been meaningless?
All of it had been impossible from the very beginning?!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Muzan released a scream of despair unlike anything before, the scream of a completely broken mind. At last, he understood that his entire existence had been nothing more than a cruel cosmic joke.
And with that scream filled with despair, the pleas of Muzan Kibutsuji came to an end.
The first true golden rays of sunlight pierced through the blood mist, bathing the battlefield in warm, sacred light.
"Nooooo! The sun! The sun is coming!"
Muzan's body began boiling and bubbling violently. He tried to swell into a shield of flesh, but Ren was already prepared.
Gathering every last ounce of strength left in his soul and shattered bones, Ren gripped his sword with both hands and pinned Muzan firmly to the ground.
"Sun Breathing… Maximum Flame!"
Ren completely restrained Muzan, preventing him from shrinking, hiding, or forming any shield.
The sunlight touched Muzan's body.
And the final burning began.
Flesh crumbled into drifting ash. Muzan's final screams tore through the air before gradually fading away… flesh melting, bones scattering like smoke, the seven hearts and five brains consumed by the merciless flames of nature itself.
Within mere seconds… Muzan Kibutsuji completely vanished. Nothing remained except black ash scattered by the warm dawn wind.
The nightmare that had weighed upon Japan for a thousand years… had finally disappeared.
With Muzan gone, all strength instantly left Ren's body.
His sword slipped from his hand, and it felt as if Earth's gravity had multiplied a hundredfold. He fell to his knees, his eyes slowly closing from total spiritual and physical exhaustion.
He was about to collapse face-first onto the rocks… but he never hit the ground.
A large, powerful arm caught him across the chest.
Ren slowly opened his eyes to see the broad, familiar back of Tengen Uzui before him. Finally, Ren closed his eyes completely and leaned all his weight against him.
"Are we finally done?" Ren muttered weakly.
Tengen grinned broadly despite the blood and bruises covering his face. He effortlessly lifted Ren onto his back and stood up.
"We did it… and it's thanks to you, kid. You were incredible."
As Ren rested his exhausted head on Tengen's shoulder, he opened one eye and looked down toward the other Hashira gathering nearby.
"The view from up here is pretty great… everyone looks like insects from this height."
Tengen laughed mockingly.
"Hahaha… right? That's exactly what I always say!"
As they talked, both of them looked down at Obanai Iguro with smug, provocative smiles.
Obanai noticed their expressions and frowned deeply.
"Why are you two looking at me like that, you bastards?!"
Ren answered calmly:
"Probably because you're short… maybe."
"What did you say, you deformed bastard?! Get down here and I'll cut you apart!"
"Obanai-kun! Please stop moving! Your wound will open again!" Mitsuri Kanroji shouted tearfully while gripping his shoulder tightly to stop him, while Shinobu Kocho stood beside them calmly applying medicine to his injured eye.
The atmosphere felt… strange.
The battlefield was destroyed, blood everywhere, corpses scattered across the ground… yet the air felt light. Clean. For the first time in centuries.
Joy and the pure feeling of victory filled the battlefield.
All ten Hashira stood alive thanks to Ren's plans and miraculous potions. Giyu Tomioka stared at the sky with a faint smile rarely seen on his face.
Sanemi Shinazugawa sat atop a rock, panting while laughing madly at Muzan's ashes.
Muichiro Tokito gazed peacefully at the clouds, remembering his twin brother, while Kyojuro Rengoku stood proudly despite his shattered ribs, his eyes shining with pride.
Nearby, Ren's companions gathered together. Zenitsu Agatsuma cried rivers of tears while hugging Inosuke Hashibira, who laughed loudly.
"We won, you pig!"
"Who are you calling a pig, idiot?!" Zenitsu screamed while crying from pain.
Tanjiro cried silently with his forehead pressed against the ground, thanking every soul that had supported them. And Kanao Tsuyuri stood beside Shinobu, her eyes filled with life for the first time.
As everyone celebrated in their own way, Ren looked down from Tengen's back and saw his subordinate Zenichiro and his friend Sakurai carefully carrying a body.
It was the corpse of Hakugi.
Despite the horrific injuries and mutilated body, Hakugi's face wore a wide, peaceful smile.
Ren stared at the corpse quietly.
Then he smiled sincerely and muttered softly:
"That stupid smile… looks like you really did punch Muzan in the face in the end… I hope you met her again, Hakugi."
Ren closed his eyes once more in respect for the hero's spirit.
"By the way… where did Yushiro go?" Muichiro suddenly asked while glancing around the ruins.
Zenichiro replied seriously as he wiped blood from his sword:
"He's a demon, even if he was an ally. Maybe he ran to hide from the sunlight once dawn arrived. Come to think of it… Lady Tamayo is gone too. We never found her body."
"So… Tamayo survived?" Ren thought to himself while gazing at the clear blue sky.
Ren was not worried about Yushiro or Tamayo harming humanity in the future. From his knowledge of the story, Tamayo would likely end her own life later after confirming Muzan's death and fulfilling her revenge.
As for Yushiro…
"Don't tell me he's really going to spend eternity painting portraits of Tamayo forever just like in the original story?" Ren thought with a faint smile. "Well, let him do whatever he wants. A world without Muzan is a safe world."
He slowly shook away those thoughts when the sound of hurried footsteps caught his attention.
Looking up, he saw his little sister Eri running toward them beside Rengoku.
"Eri-chan, stop crying already! Look, Yukihara-shonen is perfectly fine over there!" Rengoku declared brightly despite being covered in blood and catastrophic injuries.
Seeing his little sister with red eyes swollen from crying and clothes torn from running through the ruins, Ren's expression softened completely. The cold warrior vanished, replaced by the warmth of a caring older brother.
"Tengen… can you put me down?" he muttered quietly.
Tengen nodded calmly.
"No problem."
He gently lowered Ren beside Eri.
Ren could barely stand due to the pain in his muscles, so he crouched on the ground instead. Looking at Eri, who had stopped several steps away as though afraid he might disappear if she touched him, Ren smiled warmly and gestured for her to come closer.
"What's with that stupid look on your face? …Come on, smile." Ren said teasingly. "Anyway… you'll be going back to school soon. Vacation's over."
Seeing his familiar smile and hearing his reassuringly annoying tone shattered Eri's emotional restraint. Smiling through tears, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his bloodstained chest.
As Ren gently patted her back, Eri sniffled and said:
"How about… how about we forget school for a year or two? I think I deserve a vacation after all this!"
"Hah?" Ren raised an eyebrow theatrically. "Absolutely not. Idiot girls like you need at least some education and discipline to have a future. Or did you just enjoy playing with the girls at the Butterfly Mansion and eating cake all day?"
Eri puffed out her cheeks.
"Come on, big brother! That's unfair! You haven't gone to school for years either!"
"I'm different…" Ren replied with fake seriousness.
"What's so different about you exactly?"
"I'm a boy. Genius boys don't need school."
"That's blatant discrimination!! I refuse to accept it!" Eri shouted while lightly punching his chest.
Ren laughed from the bottom of his heart, the first genuine laugh he had given since arriving in this world.
"Yes, yes… you're going to school. End of discussion."
While the siblings argued affectionately, the other fighters began leaving the battlefield or receiving treatment from the Kakushi support team, who had finally arrived while crying tears of joy upon seeing the Hashira alive.
During this, Ren called out to Gyomei Himejima, who sat nearby praying with his beads.
"Himejima-san, how's your condition?" Ren asked.
The blind Hashira turned calmly toward the sound.
"I only feel slight weakness in my limbs due to exhaustion and the mark's activation… but nothing unusual. My heart beats peacefully."
Gyomei had already passed the age of twenty-five, and activating the Demon Slayer Mark should have guaranteed his death before dawn, yet he remained alive.
Ren pulled out the final high-grade healing potion from the system storage and tossed it toward Gyomei.
"Drink this. It'll remove any remaining exhaustion and cleanse your body of any lingering curses."
Gyomei drank it without hesitation. Moments later, the tension faded from his face.
"Namu Amida Butsu… yes, I feel completely healthy now. You've given me a second life, Ren."
"Did the curse of the Demon Slayer Mark disappear after Muzan died… or maybe because of all those high-grade healing potions?" Ren muttered quietly while looking around at everyone.
He stared at the faces that should have been buried beneath the earth in the original story, but now smiled and breathed beneath the morning sun.
He had truly changed everything.
"Well then…" Ren muttered softly as he stretched his arms. "Let me sleep now… my battery's dead."
Ren leaned backward, and Tengen caught him immediately.
"I'm counting on you to carry me to a comfortable bed… Tengen-sama," Ren whispered sleepily as his eyes closed.
Tengen sighed dramatically while adjusting Ren's position on his back and walking away from the ruins.
"My god… have I become your personal transportation now, brat? I'm the god of festivals!"
Ren replied in an extremely sleepy voice as he drifted into deep sleep:
"No… you're still… just a flashy gorilla…"
"What did you say, you little bastard?!" Tengen shouted, though he was smiling.
And so, beneath the warm rays of the morning sun and the sounds of laughter mixed with tears of joy echoing across the battlefield… the curtain finally fell.
The final battle had ended.
And a new era began… an era without demons.
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We finally finished… and with that, the volume "The Sun Hashira in the Modern Era" has ended, and a new arc with even greater hype will begin.
If you enjoyed the chapter, please tell me your thoughts in the comments. That's my only motivation to continue 😇❤️