Chapter 57: Muzan's attack begins

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Flashback sometime before the attack on Oyakata, third person POV

"We should have at least two pillars guarding Oyakata-sama at minimum," Sanemi said to the other pillars.
"Can't you do something about this Himejima-sama?" Sanemi continued, all of them wanted Oyakata to be safe and protected but he wouldn't let them.
"Impossible. I became a pillar when I was nineteen and I have been asking him for eight straight years, but he refuses to budge. He insists that someone as strong as a pillar shouldn't be wasted on the likes of him...It's a problem" Himejima explained.
"I heard that the heads of the Ubuyashiki family have never had a bodyguard throughout history," Shinobu said.
"That's not exactly true" Hikaru said and they all looked towards the newest pillar.
"Generations ago the Akatsuki were the Ubuyashiki's bodyguards but over the years demons hunted the Akatsuki's down. It became too dangerous for both the Akatsuki's and the Ubuyashiki families to be guarding one another and they split ways. Soon it was forgotten just as the Akatsuki's were forgotten as they were hunted" Hikaru explained and they nodded.
"Then you could offer to guard him" Kanroji smiled and Hikaru shook his head.
"I already offered and he refused," Hikaru explained with a frown.

Flashback over, Hikaru's POV

I had outrun Genya and really I should have held back and stayed with him but I was too focused on the different aura's that I could sense. To my right I could see Sanemi's aura that held the same sort of desperation that I was feeling and in front of me was five auras. Four of them belonged to Master, Amane and their two eldest daughters and the fifth one was one that had haunted me ever since that snowy night. Muzan Kibutsuji had found us, more importantly they had found Master.
'Faster, Faster. You can go faster than this. The mansion is right in front of you. You can make it' I thought as hope bloomed in my chest. That hope was destroyed as a mighty boom rang out in the air and the mansion exploded. Sanemi had stopped running and looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. Muichirou looked at the flames from a distance, not knowing what to think. Kanroji had her hands over her eyes and looked distraught. Obanai had stopped running and was looking at the building. Shinobu's mouth was parted like she was going to cry out but no sound came out. Giyu had a horrified look on his face as he heard and saw the explosion.
'An explosion! And this smell! A lot of burning blood and flesh!' Tanjiro thought as he put his hand to his mouth, not sure what to do, think or say. I collapsed to my knees looking at the explosion as I watched Master, Amane and their daughters aura twist into agony before they started to dull and disappear.
"NO!" I roared in anger, tears streaming down my face. I hadn't made it on time.

"Gh! Ubuyashi!" Muzan growled out, his body was mostly destroyed by the explosion and flames but he was regenerating quickly.
'That man's face! He had the smile of a buddha but then he along with his wife and kids, blew themselves up! I made a mistake, I judged Ubuyashiki to be a normal human but he was actually a complete nutjob. I figured he was planning something, but not something of this scale. He made the explosion even more deadly by adding spike traps into it, just to delay my regeneration. Which means there's still something coming, Ubuyashiki still has something up his sleeve after this' Muzan thought as he was nearly fully regenerated. He looked around trying to figure out what was next.
'There are human presences coming closer, most likely pillars and the Akatsuki. But that's not all, there's something different. That shithead used himself as a decoy. His hatred and anger towards me were like a viper. It was coiling in that dead, black stomach of his. I'm in awe at how stunningly he hid his murderous intent, were his wife and kids aware of his plans? Whatever, it's not worth thinking about it now. Don't panic, your body will regenerate very soon' Muzan decided. He was so focused on regenerating that he only just realised the floating ball-like objects in the air when there were already more than half a dozen there.
'Flesh seed, blood demon technique!' He thought just as the technique activated. The balls changed into large spikes and pierced straight through him, pinning him in place and making him bleed as they continued to grow.
'I've been immobilised. Someone's using a blood demon technique, the spikes are branching into my flesh so I can't pull them out. No. No problem, this isn't too bad. Just absorb them and you'll be fine,' Muzan planned and he started to absorb the spikes before something else caught him off guard. There in front of Muzan with one hand grabbed by said man and the other inside of his stomach was Tamayo looking determined.
"Tamayo! Why are you here.." Muzan glared.
"These blood demon spikes belonged to the man who got turned into a demon in Asakusa" Tamayo said.
'She got close to me using a smokescreen demon technique' Muzan realised as he saw the papers attached to her back.
'What's her goal? What did she do? Why did this woman?' Muzan questioned.
"You absorbed my fist, Muzan. Do you have any idea what's inside it? A drug to turn demons back into demons as well as a certain person's blood. So? Is it working?" Tamayo questioned.
"You shouldn't be able to," Muzan started.
"Oh but I've done it! The situation's completely changed though it would have been impossible for me alone" Tamayo smirked.
"....You are one stubborn woman, Tamayo and your hatred towards me is unjust" Muzan said as he let go of Tamayo's arm and grabbed her head instead.
"Who killed your husband and kids? Was it me? Not at all, nobody but you. You ate them all up" Muzan said.
"If I knew that would happen, I wouldn't have become a demon! All I wanted was to not die from my disease! I just wanted to see my kids grow up!" Tamayo cried, tears streaming down her face at the memories.
"Then you killed a whole bunch of humans after that. Was that all an illusion too? I noticed you had a lot of fun eating those humans" Muzan gloated with a smirk.
"That's right, I killed many people after falling into the depths of despair so to pay for my sins, you and I are dying right here!" Tamayo said as Muzan drove his thumb into her right eye.
"Himejima-san! Do it please!" She yelled out and the rock pillar came from in the flames with a cloaking spell having been on him as well. Like normal he had tears coming from his eyes but these weren't sad tears, these were tears of anger.
"Namu Ami Daibutsu" He yelled out as he swung the ball and chain that was his weapon and destroyed Muzan's head in a spray of blood.

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