Chapter 3 — All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ash — Shikai!
While stuffing rice balls into his mouth nonstop, Ken sprinted along the mountain path.
He was…
Racing against time!!!
Though Grandpa Saburo had no idea why Ken was so desperate to find Tanjiro, he still handed over his own dinner and reminded him to be careful on the road.
According to Grandpa Saburo, if he followed this mountain path all the way to the end, he would reach Tanjiro's home.
Even though Ken was pushing Water Breathing to its limit, enhancing his stamina and maintaining high-speed movement for as long as possible—
The setting sun did not wait for him. It continued sinking, little by little.
"Faster! Faster!! I have to go faster!!!"
"Slower! Slower!! Sun, please set a little slower!!!"
Ken didn't know how many times he had repeated those words in his mind. But the sun didn't seem to hear him.
Ten minutes later, the sun had completely disappeared beyond the horizon—yet it still wasn't fully dark!
Though the sunset was no longer visible by the mountains, Ken kept running.
As long as it wasn't completely dark, he still had a chance!
From sunset to full darkness, he should have about an hour!
That was only because it was winter and daylight hours were shorter. If it were summer, he would have had much more time.
Nezuko—no!
Tanjiro, wait for me!!!
The rice balls Grandpa Saburo gave him had long since been eaten. Under the effects of Water Breathing, Ken's stamina increased, and his digestive system worked frantically to break down the food in his stomach, converting it into energy.
Constantly maintaining high-speed sprinting through Water Breathing also allowed Ken to completely master it. No longer was he stumbling through it like before.
Ten minutes… twenty minutes… thirty minutes…
At this moment, Ken could feel time slipping away with terrifying clarity—like life itself draining toward inevitable death.
Forty minutes…
The sky had grown completely dark, but Ken's feet did not stop.
Fifty minutes…
Night had fallen!
......
"Tanjiro, tomorrow morning go bring that child home. Grandpa Saburo lives alone—it's not easy for him. One more mouth to feed is a burden."
Kamado Kie set dinner on the table while reminding Tanjiro, who was playing with his younger siblings nearby.
"I understand, Mother. I'll go tomorrow."
"Good. Come eat. After dinner, get some rest."
The family of seven sat around the table. Though the meal was simple, nothing tasted better than Mother's cooking.
Just then, a faint scent drifted into Tanjiro's nose.
That faint trace alone made his entire body tremble violently. His limbs refused to obey him.
Compared to this scent, even the giant bear his father killed a year ago didn't come close— not even one ten-thousandth of it!!!
"Tanjiro, what's wrong?" Kamado Kie hurried over and hugged him. His younger siblings gathered around him in confusion.
Tanjiro pointed toward the door with trembling fingers and roared with all his strength—
"Run!!!"
Bang!
The moment his words fell, a massive arm composed of countless arms smashed through the wooden door.
At the same time, the foremost hand of that grotesque limb pierced straight through Kamado Kie's chest. That blood-soaked hand stopped mere centimeters from Tanjiro's face…
Ugh!
A mouthful of blood splattered across Tanjiro.
"A mere human, yet able to sense my scent. It seems my luck is good. I've found an interesting experimental subject."
A voice drifted into the house.
The next moment, the giant arm retracted—dragging Kamado Kie's body out with it.
"No!!!"
The wooden door had shattered into pieces. Tanjiro looked outside.
In the pitch-black night stood a tall young man with paper-white skin and plum-red eyes. His black hair framed a pale face beneath a white hat decorated with black patterns. He wore a well-tailored black suit with a white tie—completely out of place against the snowy mountains.
Not far before him, Kamado Kie lay motionless in the snow, her eyes unfocused.
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Nezuko, take them and run!!!"
Roaring in despair, Tanjiro charged out of the house, grabbing the axe by the door, his eyes bloodshot as he rushed toward the black-haired youth.
"Don't rush. I'll save you for last," the young man said lightly.
......
Though night had fully fallen, Ken continued sprinting—because he could already see a faint light in the distance.
"Almost there! It's only been a little over ten minutes since nightfall. There's still time. Muzan wouldn't just camp outside Tanjiro's house waiting… he wouldn't…"
Just as Ken tried to reassure himself—
A heart-wrenching scream filled with despair echoed clearly from ahead.
"No!!!"
The wail struck his ears. Ken faltered, nearly stumbling.
When he looked up again, his eyes were already blood-red.
......
Watching Tanjiro crawling inch by inch toward his siblings lying in pools of blood, Kibutsuji Muzan smiled.
"If they can withstand my blood, then your family will be reunited."
"If not, then dying is simply dying."
"Mother… Nezuko… Takeo… Hanako… Shigeru… Rokuta…"
Tanjiro's vision blurred, but he continued muttering their names, crawling forward.
He had only been struck once by that massive arm, yet he had already coughed up multiple mouthfuls of blood. His consciousness was fading.
Even so, seeing his siblings collapsed in blood, he still tried to crawl to protect them…
Just as Kibutsuji Muzan was about to inject his blood into Tanjiro—
A furious roar tore through the night.
"KIBUTSUJI MUZAN!!!"
Sensing an extremely weak fighting spirit approaching, Kibutsuji Muzan raised an eyebrow.
"A member of the Demon Slayer Corps? Interesting."
"I'll leave you alive for now. I'll crush him first."
He turned and waited.
"Kibutsuji Muzan, you short-lived bastard! Sewer rat hiding in the gutters like a cockroach!!!"
Instead of an attack, insults reached him first.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Kibutsuji Muzan threw his head back in laughter—then his face instantly darkened.
"I will turn you into a demon and torment you for eternity until your mind collapses!!!"
"Ha… ha… ha…"
Heavy yet rhythmic breathing echoed clearly through the night.
Ken stood in the darkness. Kibutsuji Muzan stood in the darkness.
"Still too late…?"
Ken looked at Kamado Kie lying in the snow, the children fallen in blood, and Tanjiro crawling toward them.
His heart clenched painfully.
Rage surged through him, making his blood feel as if it were boiling, burning.
But the next moment—
Overwhelming, boundless killing intent erupted from Kibutsuji Muzan, crashing into Ken.
Ken's mind went blank. It felt as though a mountain pressed down on him. He swayed on the verge of collapse.
Seeing Ken unable to withstand even a fraction of his presence, Kibutsuji Muzan sneered.
"This is all? And you wish to kill me—"
"Last time, you didn't speak to me with such bravado, Kibutsuji Muzan. Or have you forgotten how you self-destructed and fled from me a second time?"
Hearing this, Kibutsuji Muzan's aura faltered. He unconsciously staggered back several steps.
For the first time, fear and fury twisted his face grotesquely.
"Who are you?!" he shrieked.
"Who do you think, Kibutsuji Muzan?" Ken's face was pale, but he sneered.
"Impossible! He died hundreds of years ago! You cannot be him!!!"
"I am indeed not Yoriichi Tsugikuni…"
Hearing Ken admit it, Kibutsuji Muzan burst into laughter.
"I knew it! You cannot be him! Ha—"
But before he could finish laughing—
"But my previous life was indeed named Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
Kibutsuji Muzan's laughter choked off like a duck strangled mid-quack.
"..."
After a moment, his expression returned to calm.
"Haha. I don't know where you learned these things, but I must admit—you are bold to deceive me."
"However, your strength is your greatest flaw. It cannot support your lie! If your past life were Yoriichi Tsugikuni, how could you possibly be this weak?!"
"In gratitude for amusing me, I'll devour you slowly," Kibutsuji Muzan said, regaining his refined composure.
Ken said nothing. He slowly drew Ryūjin Jakka, his expression turning deadly serious.
Seeing this, Kibutsuji Muzan sneered.
"You cannot even withstand my presence. How could you possibly be—"
[All things in the universe…]
Ken began to chant. Two voices seemed to overlap in the air—one aged, one youthful.
"Stop bluffing, it's no use." Kibutsuji Muzan scoffed.
[All things in the universe, turn to ash—Ryūjin Jakka!]
Shikai!!!
In the next instant, blazing flames erupted from Ryūjin Jakka's blade. Fire coiled around it, releasing terrifying heat that instantly melted the surrounding snow into water—then evaporated it into steam.