Inside the train, Minoru’s subtle smile was fully observed by Yuji and Megumi.
Yuji elbowed Megumi, lowering his voice and winking.
“Fushiguro, look at Shibata’s expression.”
Megumi looked over expressionlessly.
He immediately met Minoru’s suddenly lifted, highly warning gaze.
The two instantly sat up straight, looking straight ahead, as if they had developed an extreme interest in the scenery outside the window.
Time flew by quickly.
During this time, Minoru explained some general precautions and the specific division of labor between the two of them.
Nearly two hours later, the train arrived in Tokyo.
As soon as Minoru stepped off the platform, he glanced at his system panel.
[Plunder Node Countdown: 2 hours 14 minutes 58 seconds]
There was still plenty of time.
“Let’s go.”
After arriving, Minoru and his companions wasted no time and immediately got into a pre-booked taxi.
“Driver, Mount Kumotori, as fast as you can.”
The taxi sped wildly through the night.
Along the way, Minoru thoroughly explained the existence of Demons to Megumi and Yuji.
Of course, he did this on his phone, avoiding the driver.
Otherwise, he might scare the man unnecessarily.
He also used Cursed Energy to reinforce the paper ‘nichirin blade’ he gave Yuji, adding a minor adjustment that could be used for self-preservation.
If Yuji couldn’t win the fight, immense Cursed Energy would be unleashed, enough to save his life, at least.
An hour and a half flew by.
[Plunder Node Countdown: 28 minutes 17 seconds]
1:24 AM.
The 60-second usage time limit for Sukuna’s Finger had fully recovered.
“We’re still in time.” Minoru’s eyes narrowed.
Just then, as the taxi entered the mountainous area of Mount Kumotori, a bone-chilling coldness pierced the entire carriage, seemingly ignoring the barrier of the windows.
“This aura…”
Megumi’s expression drastically changed, and the Cursed Energy throughout his body surged.
“It’s so ominous.”
Minoru perceived it much clearer than Megumi.
It was the scent of a demon.
The taxi drove a little further.
Screech!
The ear-piercing sound of brakes shattered the dead silence of Mount Kumotori, startling several crows perched on the trees.
They flapped their wings and flew into the dim night sky.
The taxi driver’s hands trembled on the steering wheel, his face was as pale as paper, and his teeth chattered.
“I…
It’s too scary ahead.
I don’t dare to drive any further.” The driver’s voice was full of tremors, and he was somewhat incoherent.
Minoru nodded and paid with his card.
[Payment successful: 29,850 Yen]
The already exorbitant taxi fare had a 30% price increase for early morning.
Looking at the credit card limit, which was just over forty thousand, Minoru didn’t know how he would get through the rest of the month.
It was only the beginning of the month!
But at this moment, saving people was the priority.
At Minoru’s words, Yuji and Megumi quickly scrambled out of the car.
The taxi driver stomped on the accelerator, and fled without looking back.
The moment the car lights disappeared, the surrounding visibility became extremely low.
“Hiss…
So cold.
The feeling around here is so strange.”
Stepping into the mountain, even Yuji, whose physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, hugged his arms and shivered.
“It’s normal.
After all, there are demons here.” Minoru said.
Yuji shivered even more upon hearing this.
“Shibata, please don’t scare me anymore.”
Minoru looked into the depths of the mountain forest.
At the edge of his perception, there was an almost imperceptible fluctuation, which didn’t seem like a trace left by a demon.
“Stay close.
There’s more than one anomaly here.”
Minoru frowned and continued, “Fushiguro, be on guard.”
Megumi felt the strong negative energy around him.
His expression became extremely solemn, and he formed a hand sign.
“Divine Dogs!”
Two Shikigami, one black and one white, emerged from the shadows, baring their teeth vigilantly and letting out low growls.
Immediately after, Megumi unhesitatingly summoned the Shikigami with the best reconnaissance ability.
“Nue!”
The huge flying Shikigami spread its wings, stirring up a gust of wind, and soared into the sky, its eyes scanning the entire mountain forest.
Hundreds of meters away.
A figure dressed in a luxurious suit suddenly stopped.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
It was Kibutsuji Muzan.
“Someone is coming this way?”
Muzan raised his head, and in his red vertical pupils, Nue circling in the air was reflected.
“Hmm?
What is this?
A Kasugai Crow that uses breathing techniques?”
“Are the Demon Slayer Corps’ little crows coming here to die?”
“No, it’s a power I’ve never seen before.”
“Are these bugs tracking my location?”
Muzan noticed that this ‘owl’ was circling within the range of the wooden house, clearly with a target.
“Are they coming for this family?
Are they trying to stop me?
Or do they want to kill me?”
He shook his head and smiled.
Muzan was not angry at all.
Instead, a playful cat-and-mouse feeling arose within him.
He wanted to see what kind of performance these ants, who dared to intrude into his hunting ground, would bring him.
“Nakime.”
In the depths of space, a sound of a biwa suddenly rang out.
The next second, three figures were thrown out of Infinity Castle by Nakime like trash, falling onto the path Minoru and his group were destined to take.
Lower Rank Two, Lower Rank Four, Lower Rank Six.
Having done all this, Muzan turned around, and continued walking towards the wooden house from which a warm aura emanated.
In his opinion, three Lower Ranks were enough to crush these interesting toys.
…
“They’re here.”
Almost the instant the three demons appeared, Minoru sensed them.
This dense negative energy was like a torch in the darkness.
“Itadori, Fushiguro, follow me.
Three demons have appeared, I’ll take care of them.”
A cold light burst from Minoru’s eyes, and Cursed Energy was already wrapped around his fist.
Nue let out a sharp warning at the same time.
“Remember, you have only one goal, and that is to rescue the Kamado family.
Do not get bogged down in battle.”
The three began to quickly reposition themselves.
According to the original setting, a demon can only truly be killed by sunlight or by severing its head with a nichirin blade.
Without a nichirin blade, it’s only possible to truly kill them by fighting until all of their regenerative factors are exhausted.
If the injuries are not severe, a demon can recover in moments.
As for whether reality is like this, only personal experience will tell.
Could a power system like Cursed Energy, which is completely different, hinder a demon’s regeneration?
“Itadori, use the ‘blade’ I gave you, following my instructions.”
“Okay.”
Yuji drew the paper ‘nichirin blade’ from his waist.
The blade was straight, imbued with immense Cursed Energy by Minoru, emitting a terrifying aura.
Three demons of different forms appeared before the group, blocking their path.
Megumi’s eyes narrowed, and almost instinctively, he stepped forward half a pace, his Divine Dogs beside him ready to pounce.
Boom!
Minoru disappeared from his spot.
Divergent Fist!
The Cursed Energy wrapped around his fist suddenly erupted, emitting a visible pale blue glow.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Lower Rank Two, who was the first to try to use a Blood Demon Art, didn’t even have time to react before his chest was pierced by Minoru’s punch.
Minoru flashed, grabbing his head.
His arm muscles tensed, and he slammed the demon into a nearby large tree.
The entire tree trunk trembled, and spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread from the point of impact.
The demon was embedded into the tree, unable to move for a moment.
“It worked!” Minoru’s eyes lit up.
The Cursed Energy constantly suppressed the demon’s wound, preventing it from fully recovering.
If he could shatter it with one blow, wouldn’t it be an instant kill?
Minoru didn’t know if all the settings in this world followed the constraints of the original series.
But he knew that brute force worked wonders.
Even against someone like Muzan, who had absurd regeneration powers, if he was completely shattered, Muzan would still die.
Although in the original setting, Muzan would not die even if decapitated by a nichirin blade.
Even after Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s self-detonation and being smashed in the head by Himejima Gyomei’s weapon, he was fine.
Minoru recalled how Hantengu, Kokushibo, and even Muzan reached their regeneration limits in the original series.
Then, if he could hit that limit by unleashing Sukuna’s power, wouldn’t defeating Muzan be a piece of cake?