Nakime sat on the central platform of the Infinity Castle, plucking the biwa in her hands.
Clang.
The strings rang out, and a square portal suddenly appeared above the Infinity Castle.
Splash.
A massive amount of minced flesh, accompanied by viscous blood, poured down from the portal and landed all over the platform in front of Nakime.
Nakime had never seen such a scene before.
She wanted to ask what had happened, but her subconscious was desperately trying to stop her.
If she really asked, her life would definitely be forfeit.
Sure enough, the next moment, the viscous blood and the large amount of minced flesh began to converge, gradually forming a human shape.
However, several sword marks that appeared on it caused the figure to collapse back into a pile of minced flesh.
The minced flesh tried several times in succession until it finally managed to pull itself together into a human shape.
Then, the figure slowly revealed its true appearance.
It was none other than Muzan Kibutsuji.
Throughout the whole process, Nakime kept her gaze and senses constrained, not daring to make a single sound.
The resonance from the blood within her body not only allowed her to perceive Muzan Kibutsuji’s current wretched state but also allowed her to feel his intense fear and hatred.
Yet Nakime dared not even harbor any unnecessary thoughts.
She could only keep her head bowed low, terrified of angering Muzan Kibutsuji and becoming the target of his venting.
Muzan Kibutsuji had just regained his human form.
Because he had split into numerous chunks of flesh to escape, his suit and fedora were still left on Mount Kumotori.
He was completely naked, without even a single piece of clothing to cover himself.
Gurgle.
Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly doubled over like a shrimp and violently vomited a large mouthful of blood.
When he lifted his head again, his appearance and hairstyle had changed.
He, who had originally appeared as a male, had now turned into a female with her hair tied up at the back of her head.
“Having changed like this, that guy shouldn’t be able to recognize me again, right…” He slowly stood up, ignoring the blood still spilling from the corners of his mouth, and stared fixedly at Nakime.
“Hmph, you know your place.” Not sensing any thoughts in Nakime’s mind, Muzan Kibutsuji nodded in satisfaction.
But the next moment, he reached out his hand.
His outstretched arm instantly swelled up, its surface turning crimson and covered in numerous yellow eyeballs.
Where his palm had been, it transformed into a large mouth filled with countless sharp fangs, dripping with viscous liquid, and it bit fiercely into Nakime’s body.
“But I am very angry right now!” A hair-raising sound of devouring echoed through the air.
When Muzan Kibutsuji released his arm, only Nakime’s head, neck, half of her shoulder, and one arm remained.
The rest of her had vanished.
Even though she had become a demon, such injuries and the intense pain of being devoured were far beyond Nakime’s ability to endure.
Yet she dared not make a sound, terrified that Muzan Kibutsuji would punish her further.
“How boring,” Muzan Kibutsuji tossed the mangled Nakime aside as if she were a discarded ragdoll.
He casually picked up Nakime’s black kimono and draped it over himself.
Having returned to the Infinity Castle where he felt most secure, changed his appearance, and abused his subordinate, the hatred and fear in his heart dissipated slightly.
Now Muzan Kibutsuji finally regained some of his reason.
“Summon Kokushibo to me,” he ordered coldly.
Nakime struggled to move her mangled body with her only remaining arm, reaching the side of her biwa.
Then, she played a note.
Clang.
On the ground in front of Muzan Kibutsuji, a square portal suddenly appeared.
A man appeared from the portal, wearing a purple base garment with a black-patterned haori, a katana made of flesh and blood at his waist, and overall appearing like a samurai.
On this man’s face, there were similarly dark red Demon Slayer Marks.
However, what was astonishing, or even disgusting and terrifying, was that he actually had six eyes.
On the two middle eyes, the characters for Upper Rank and One were clearly visible.
Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
Kokushibo did not seem surprised by his sudden appearance in the Infinity Castle.
But when he slowly raised his head and saw Muzan Kibutsuji’s current appearance, his face was filled with shock.
Of course, what Kokushibo was surprised by was not why Muzan Kibutsuji had turned into a woman and was wearing Nakime’s clothes.
His six eyes were fixed tightly on the wounds on Muzan Kibutsuji’s body that were not covered by clothing.
Those wounds were carved across Muzan Kibutsuji’s body, with large amounts of granulation tissue wrigglig around them, as if trying to stitch them up.
However, these granulation tissues turned into specks of ash the moment they touched the wounds.
This familiar type of injury…
Kokushibo was slightly dazed, followed by intense disbelief.
“This…
this is impossible.” Muzan Kibutsuji’s expression was exceptionally gloomy, and his tone was extremely cold.
“There is nothing impossible about it.
It has already happened.
Didn’t you say that you saw with your own eyes that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was dead, and that you had even cut him in half at the waist?” Three hundred years later, hearing the name Yoriichi Tsugikuni again, Kokushibo’s expression still fluctuated violently.
His brain uncontrollably began to replay his final meeting with Yoriichi Tsugikuni back then.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni must be dead.
And his body had been cut in half at the waist by his own hands.
Along with the flute that he had made himself and gifted to him, it had been broken into two pieces.
Muzan Kibutsuji continued, “And you and I have indeed killed all the swordsmen of Sun Breathing, haven’t we.” Kokushibo instinctively replied, “That is correct.
I…” Before he could finish speaking, the disbelief in Kokushibo’s six eyes almost materialized.
He knew very well that Muzan Kibutsuji’s questioning was definitely not without purpose.
And since the other party was asking him this, there was only one possibility.
Sure enough, Muzan Kibutsuji pointed to the wounds on his body and shouted, “The same wounds, and cut in the exact same location.
And that guy even told me that he had returned from hell.
That guy Yoriichi Tsugikuni was clearly just a human.
How could he possibly be resurrected from the dead?” Kokushibo lowered his head, having absolutely no idea how to respond to Muzan Kibutsuji’s interrogation.
Bang.
With a dull thud, Muzan Kibutsuji’s hand slammed heavily onto Kokushibo’s shoulder.
That originally beautiful female face was now covered in hideous veins.
“Tell me where that guy is buried.
I am going there personally right now.
No.
You go find that guy’s grave yourself.
Dig up his grave, and see clearly for me whether Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s remains are still inside.
I must figure out whether who I encountered was Yoriichi Tsugikuni himself, or an impostor who luckily obtained his inheritance and memories.”