Chapter 103 103: The Curtain Falls

Tanjirou's words faded into the ruined forest.

His gaze fell on Muzan Kibutsuji.

The Demon King's body was crumbling.

Bit by bit, the flesh that had clung to life for more than a thousand years blackened, dried, and scattered into ash. His severed remains twitched weakly against the earth, but no matter how desperately his cells tried to regenerate, the result did not change.

This was death.

True death.

Only now did Muzan finally lose the last shred of dignity he had been pretending to hold.

His eyes, once filled with arrogance and contempt for all living things, twisted into something ugly and pitiful. They stared at Tanjirou with naked pleading.

"Wait!"

His voice cracked.

"I beg you! Inherit my will! Become the strongest god! You are the only one in this world who can do it! Don't you understand?!"

His remaining flesh trembled, ash peeling away from him with every word.

"Only you! Only you can become the perfect ultimate lifeform!"

Eternal life.

Absolute power.

The dream Muzan had chased for a thousand years.

To countless people, such a temptation would have been enough to shake their souls. To live forever. To never fear sickness, age, wounds, or death. To stand above all beings as something beyond human.

But Tanjirou only looked at him quietly.

Then he smiled.

It was gentle.

Relieved.

And utterly free of desire.

"I'm sorry," Tanjirou said. "I must refuse."

Muzan's face warped.

"No..."

His voice dragged itself out of his throat like a curse.

"No, you can't refuse..."

He roared with the last of his strength, but Tanjirou did not move. His eyes did not waver. Eternal life, ultimate power, the title of god, all of it meant nothing to him.

Not even worth a second glance.

Muzan could not understand.

From the moment he was born, he had struggled at the edge of death. He had clawed his way forward through sickness, fear, and the unbearable fragility of his own body. Everything he had done, every life he had taken, every demon he had created, all of it had been for one simple wish.

To live.

Why?

Why was that not allowed?

Why was such a simple wish so far beyond his grasp?

His thoughts shattered beneath the weight of agony.

His body turned fully to ash.

His senses vanished.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

What waited beyond that darkness was not peace. It was the fire of hell, a flame that burned sin down to its roots, waiting to consume the monster who had trampled countless lives beneath his feet.

Muzan Kibutsuji was gone.

Tanjirou watched it happen with his own eyes.

The demon who had murdered his family, who had shattered his life, who had stained the world with grief for more than a thousand years, had finally vanished.

Yet there was no wild joy in his heart.

Only a quiet emptiness, followed by relief so deep it almost hurt.

He lowered his gaze to Asuramaru in his hand.

His eyes softened with sincere gratitude.

"Asuramaru," he said quietly, "thank you. Truly. Because of you, I was able to avenge my family. Our contract..."

Before he could finish, Asuramaru's voice rang inside his mind.

"That was decent revenge. I'll praise you a little for that."

His tone was as arrogant as ever.

"As for the contract, it still stands. Remember this, Tanjirou. If even the smallest crack appears in that firm heart of yours, I will seize your body."

After saying that, Asuramaru fell silent.

Tanjirou understood.

He smiled gently.

"Then I'll be in your care from now on too."

He sheathed the sword and turned toward the dark forest.

Inside the sword, a system notification sounded in Asuramaru's mind.

[Ding! Detected intense negative emotions from Muzan Kibutsuji before death. Obtained 150,000 emotion points!]

[Obtained 100,000 Demon Power. Would you like to feed back thirty percent to the Sword Master?]

This time, Asuramaru answered quickly.

"Wait. No feedback this time."

[Ding! No Demon Power feedback will be performed this time!]

[Beginning world settlement for this world.]

[Template: Asuramaru.]

[Sword Master: Tanjirou Kamado.]

[Total battles: 56.]

[Record: 56 wins, 0 losses.]

[Total demons slain: 600.]

[Upper Moons slain: 5.]

[Lower Moons slain: 6.]

[Muzan Kibutsuji slain!]

[Obtained Title: Ruthless Demon Killing Machine!]

[Completed task: Slay Muzan Kibutsuji.]

[Reward: 100,000 emotion points!]

[Would you like to initiate world travel immediately?]

For once, Asuramaru did not answer right away.

After a brief silence, he asked, "What happens if I don't initiate world travel immediately?"

[Ding! After completing the task, you may travel at any time. However, the next world travel requires notifying the system seven days in advance. Other than that, there are no restrictions!]

Hearing that, Asuramaru felt reassured.

Then there was no need to leave immediately.

The horn had not been unlocked yet.

Charging into the next world too early would be reckless. It was better to remain in this world for a while, gather enough emotion points, unlock the golden horn, and only then move on.

Caution was never a bad thing.

"System," Asuramaru said, "open my personal panel."

[Host: Alex]

[Template: Asuramaru]

[Demon Power: 250,000]

[Extracted Abilities: Eternal-grade Buff, Indestructible; Chidori Current; Ittō Shura; Platinum-grade Ability, Perception; Silver-grade Ability, Sharpness; A Match Made in Heaven...]

[Template Abilities: Blood Weeping; Devour; Healing; Feedback; Demonization...]

[Locked: Golden Horn. Blowing it unlocks the Seraph of the End form, code name: Salt King. Unlocking requires 500,000 emotion points!]

[Emotion Points: 430,000]

Seventy thousand short.

Not much.

Asuramaru looked at the number and silently made his decision.

Sure enough, it was better to proceed steadily and fully unlock the template first.

Outside, Tanjirou walked without noticing how long he had been moving.

By the time he came back to himself, he had already reached the plain from earlier.

The surviving members of the Demon Slayer Corps had gathered there after escaping the Infinity Castle. At a glance, there were far fewer of them than before.

Tanjirou understood without asking.

Some people had been left behind forever inside that shifting fortress.

No matter how familiar the Demon Slayer Corps was with death, no one could truly grow used to loss.

Still, when Sanemi Shinazugawa and the others saw Tanjirou arrive, shock and joy broke across their faces.

Zenitsu was the first to rush forward.

"Tanjirou!"

His face was pale, his uniform torn, his body covered in dust and wounds, but his voice carried the question everyone was desperate to ask.

"Did you defeat Muzan Kibutsuji?"

The moment he spoke, the entire plain seemed to go still.

Every gaze landed on Tanjirou.

Hope.

Fear.

Exhaustion.

Anticipation.

Tanjirou looked at them.

The tension in his chest slowly eased. Then, with a gentle smile, he said the words they had waited centuries to hear.

"Muzan Kibutsuji is dead."

Silence.

Then the plain erupted.

"We won?"

Zenitsu's eyes widened.

"We really won!"

His expression twisted wildly between crying, laughing, and fainting on the spot. Somehow, through sheer determination, he managed to keep standing.

Then, because he was still Zenitsu, he immediately grabbed Tanjirou's sleeve.

"By the way, Tanjirou, you have to ask Asuramaru to treat me later, alright? I awakened my Slayer Mark too, and I really don't want to die young!"

"Don't worry, Zenitsu," Tanjirou said.

He could at least promise that much.

As for whether Asuramaru would agree easily, it was probably better not to say that part out loud.

"Me too, Tanjirou!"

Inosuke charged over, pointing at his own face beneath the boar mask.

"I awakened a Slayer Mark too! I, Lord Inosuke, refuse to die before becoming the strongest!"

"You'll be fine too," Tanjirou said with a tired smile.

Around them, relief spread through the surviving swordsmen like dawn breaking through storm clouds.

Some laughed.

Some collapsed to their knees.

Some covered their faces and sobbed without shame.

The nightmare that had haunted their world for a thousand years had ended.

Sanemi Shinazugawa stepped forward, blood still staining his uniform. His fierce eyes fixed on Tanjirou, and for once, there was no sharpness in them.

"Muzan Kibutsuji is dead," he repeated, almost as if confirming it to himself.

Then he bared his teeth in a grin.

"Well done, Tanjirou."

Mitsuri Kanroji clasped her hands against her chest, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"That's wonderful... It really is wonderful."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something terribly important, her expression grew troubled.

"But if the Demon Slayer Corps disbands after this, what am I supposed to do? I still haven't found a marriage partner..."

Obanai Iguro stood quietly behind her.

His eyes rested on her back, softer than anyone would have expected.

Kyojuro Rengoku strode forward next, his bright eyes blazing with pride despite his own exhaustion.

"Young man!"

His smile was broad and sincere.

"I knew you could do it!"

One by one, they thanked him.

Not because Tanjirou alone had carried every battle.

Not because the sacrifices of the fallen could be repaid by a single victory.

But because he had delivered the final blow.

Because he had ended the source of countless tragedies.

Because from this night onward, no child would wake to find their family slaughtered by Muzan Kibutsuji.

No swordsman would have to inherit a centuries-old hatred.

No generation would have to carry the same curse.

Far away, at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Kagaya Ubuyashiki received the news as well.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

His thin body trembled.

His blind eyes lifted toward the night sky.

Then, from the depths of his heart, a smile slowly appeared.

.....

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