Infinity Castle
It was so quiet here that even time itself seemed to have stopped.
Only the glug-glug of an unknown blue liquid boiling inside test tubes occasionally broke the dead silence.
Muzan set down the flask in his hand and gracefully wiped his fingers with an expensive silk handkerchief.
These past two days, he had been in an excellent mood.
He felt it was time to summon that Inosuke—the one who had left him rather satisfied.
That child had made contributions in Yoshiwara…
Though in the end it was a Hashira who killed Gyokko.
But that was purely because Gyokko was trash.
Inosuke's performance, on the other hand, had genuinely allowed Muzan to glimpse the possibility of victory.
"Inosuke, come here."
Muzan closed his eyes and issued a command through the blood flowing within him, sending it toward Inosuke—the one who carried his bloodline.
This command was absolute.
For a thousand years, no demon had ever dared resist it—
Not even delay it by a single second.
Contained within that blood was supreme authority over life and death.
And yet—
Silence.
No spatial ripple of summoning.
No terrified, obedient response from the boy.
Muzan's consciousness followed the blood connection—
Only to crash into an invisible wall the instant it reached Inosuke's position.
It was an extremely bizarre sensation.
He could clearly sense that his blood was indeed inside Inosuke's body.
But that portion of blood had completely severed its connection to his will.
As though it had been forcibly frozen by some overwhelmingly tyrannical power—
Alive, yet no longer obeying him.
A pool of stagnant water.
"..."
Muzan's eyes snapped open.
Those plum-red vertical pupils shrank to needle points, shock filling their depths.
"Out of control?"
Something that had never happened in thousands of years—
"No… impossible."
The shock in Muzan's eyes quickly turned into raging fury. Veins bulged violently at his temples.
With his arrogance, he would never admit that someone had broken his curse.
He rapidly constructed a "reasonable" explanation in his mind:
"Was it Doma? That useless thing must have used some Blood Demon Art to temporarily suppress my will within the boy.
Or perhaps…
Because the brat made some contributions, he thinks he's now qualified to stand on equal footing with the Upper Ranks—
Or even with me—and thus dares to block my call so brazenly?"
"Arrogance bred by favor."
Muzan sneered.
Crack—the test tube in his hand was crushed to powder. Shards pierced his palm, only to heal instantly.
"You think having a bit of talent means you can ignore my orders?
"It seems Doma has spoiled you rotten. You've forgotten who it was that granted you power in the first place."
Muzan stood up. Beneath his black suit, several whip-like tubes writhed restlessly.
"Since you think your wings have hardened…
"I'll find you an opponent.
"I'll make you understand that without my protection, you are nothing."
Eternal Paradise Cult — Rear Mountain Cliff
The night wind was sharp.
This was the place closest to the moon.
Everyone in the main hall was already asleep.
Only Inosuke sat alone atop a massive boulder by the cliff.
He rolled up the sleeve on his left arm and, under the moonlight, coldly stared at his forearm.
Beneath the pale skin, a mass of purplish-black markings writhed violently, as if alive—
Trying desperately to crawl toward his heart.
Just moments ago, this blood had surged violently.
Clearly, that old bastard Muzan had attempted to forcibly seize control of his body.
"Hmph. Couldn't hold it in any longer, huh?"
Inosuke frowned and suddenly clenched his left arm with his right hand.
Total Concentration — Ice Breathing: Absolute Zero Seal
An extreme cold, born from his Ice Spirit physique, erupted instantly from within his body, locking down his left arm completely.
Under the suppression of absolute frost, the purple blood stopped writhing—
And once again fell into deathlike stillness.
"…Hah."
Inosuke exhaled a long breath, his gaze growing deep.
If not for this physique of his, he would have long since become Muzan's puppet.
And after the battle on the Mugen Train, he had discovered something astonishing.
"That day, to save Rengoku, I forcibly drew out a trace of demon blood to activate Sun Breathing…
"Two forces that should never have been compatible—
After colliding, the violent will belonging to Muzan within that demon blood…
Was actually burned away."
Inosuke clenched his fist.
He thought of the original ending.
Why was it that only Nezuko and Tanjiro could conquer sunlight?
Was it really just because of the Blue Spider Lily—
The flower Muzan searched for a thousand years without finding?
Nezuko had never seen that flower.
Tanjiro had only glimpsed it once as a child with his mother.
"No."
Inosuke shook his head. Multicolored light flickered with intelligence in his eyes.
"More likely, it's because of the Hinokami Kagura.
"That Fire God ritual breathing, passed down for generations in the Kamado family.
"Through centuries of inheritance, that breathing style already altered their physiques.
"Combined with their unyielding willpower…
That's the real secret to overcoming sunlight."
"If I continue cultivating Sun Breathing, paired with my Ice Spirit body—
Sooner or later, I should be able to completely refine all the demon blood within me.
"When that happens, everything Muzan did…
Will merely be wedding clothes sewn for me."
His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
"But just in case…
The Blue Spider Lily still needs to be in my hands.
"In the original story, that flower bloomed once at the grave of Yoriichi Tsugikuni's wife…"
That system thing was unreliable.
At critical moments, you had to rely on yourself.
"Looks like I'll need to send someone to guard that place.
"No one but me is allowed near it."
"As long as I hold that card…
My odds of winning rise even further…"
While Inosuke calculated the future—
Thousands of miles away, in a forest—
A filthy, disheveled figure wandered like a wild beast, muttering madly.
"I'm a sword master… I'm the strongest…
"That brat… dual blades…
Impossible… he couldn't beat me twice…"
Sasaki.
The samurai who, in the Eternal Paradise Cult's main hall, had been instantly defeated by a seven-year-old Inosuke—
His sword shattered along with his pride.
And just months ago, that same brat had beaten him again, effortlessly.
Inosuke had become his nightmare.
He had gone completely insane.
"What a perfect hatred."
A cold voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Sasaki whirled around. In his cloudy eyes was reflected a man in a black suit, wearing a white fedora.
"Who are you?! Are you here to laugh at me too?! I'll kill you!"
Sasaki roared and charged.
Pshhk.
There was no suspense.
A pale hand pierced straight through his chest, lifting him into the air.
"Trash."
Muzan looked at the human before him like refuse.
And yet—
He was very satisfied.
Satisfied with the towering hatred for Inosuke buried deep in this man's soul.
Satisfied with his twisted craving for power.
"Do you hate that child?" Muzan asked softly, his voice dripping with temptation.
"The one who trampled you underfoot.
"The little brat who turned you into a stray dog."
"HATE!!! I HATE HIM!!!"
"Very good."
Muzan smiled cruelly.
"Since you crave revenge so badly…
"I'll grant you power—
Power enough to crush him."
Pshhk!
Muzan's fingers stabbed violently into Sasaki's neck.
This time, the amount of blood he injected was enormous.
Highly concentrated demon blood poured into the madman like a raging river.
"I want you to evolve within one month—
To a level comparable to Lower Rank One.
"Go crush that brat's pride.
"Make him understand that defying me means he is nothing.
"Of course… just make him suffer.
"Don't let him die."
"AAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Sasaki let out a scream of unimaginable agony—
which quickly twisted into a roar of mad ecstasy.
Chunks of flesh peeled away from his body.
His tattered ronin clothes were torn apart as black bones burst through his skin—
Forming a skeletal armor resembling that of a Sengoku-era warrior.
His tangled hair grew long, turning stark white.
A bone blade sprouted from his right arm, forming a katana that radiated chilling cold.
His face became handsome yet eerie.
Slowly, his forehead split open—
And a crimson demon eye snapped open.
"…Hah."
The reborn Sasaki exhaled slowly.
He raised his bone blade arm and gazed at his reflection along the edge of the blade.
A terrifying smile spread across his face.
"This power… this feeling…"
"Wait for me, little brat…"
Muzan watched calmly, then turned away, satisfied.
"Inosuke.
"I hope this gift teaches you…
How to be an obedient, good child."
"Only I—
Am your final salvation.
"Inosuke…"
◇You can read the complete book on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/CanonBreaker
◇ The book is now complete! Thank you for all your support throughout this journey.
◇ Want to read ahead or access exclusive content?
Join my Patreon:
patreon.com/CanonBreaker