Blue Spider Lily || Muzan Kibutsuji (PAUSED)

Chapter 1: Crimson Pillar

CHAPTER 1: CRIMSON PILLAR

Muzan's POV

Muzan is walking along the forest path when he felt a presence among the bushes. He stopped and glared at it. Making his fingernails grow and slowly approached it.

He looked over the bushes but found nothing. That's strange... He was sure that a human had been hiding there.

Then suddenly, he felt the presence behind him and his eyes widened. He jumped to the side, barely evading the attack of the human.

He turned and saw a glinting crimson red nichirin blade had been swung diagonally by a demon slayer wearing a cloak. If he hadn't dodged in time, the demon slayer would've sliced his back. He wouldn't have been able to regenerate fast enough because the demon slayer is wielding the only color of the nichirin blade that he is vulnerable to.

Judging by the demon slayer's body build, Muzan guessed that his attacker is a male. He formed a battle stance ready to attack his enemy.

Neither of them move for a moment. Both waiting for each other to make the first move.

Muzan would never fall for the first move trick. He knows that the one who makes the first move in a fight is usually the ones who got injured first for the other can predict their moves. So he stood still in his stance and waited.

The demon slayer made the first move and dashed towards him. He grinned for he knows that he will have the upper hand. The demon slayer, upon being close enough to him, swung his sword towards him. He dodged it and attacked when suddenly, the demon slayer vanished and reappeared beside him.

Unable to dodge quickly enough when he is in mid-attack, the demon slayer successfully cut his upper arm deep enough for him to feel the pain and make it hard to move his arm but, not deep enough to completely severe it.

He growled and held his bleeding arm. He glowered at the demon slayer and charged at him. He refused to be beaten and humiliated. He is, after all, the leader and progenitor of the demons!!!

He released attack after attack at the human, smirking when all of it had hit him. He stopped and the human crumpled to the ground. He stood over him victoriously when he unexpectedly felt blades slicing all over his body. He quietly yelped in pain and fell on his knees.

Muzan looked up and was surprised to see the demon slayer standing in front of him completely unscathed! He was sure that he had already killed him with his relentless attacks. How is he still alive?

The demon slayer raised his sword, seemingly preparing to cut his neck. Muzan refused to die and so, as a last resort, he made his body burst into lumps of flesh and escaped the demon slayer.

He can't believe it... Another man almost killed him with the other one being Yoriichi Tsugikuni. That must mean that he still isn't strong enough!

He regenerated his whole body back inside a cave far from his enemy, though it did nothing to heal the cuts made by the crimson blade. Refusing to let the other demons see him in such a pathetic state, he didn't summon them in order to help him move. He passed out right then and there from the exhaustion and pain that he was feeling.

※※※Timeskip※※※

Muzan woke up when he felt a hand touching his forehead. Strangely, he felt a foreign sensation coursing through him that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant. He started to open his eyes and swore he saw green eyes glowing for a second. It vanished right after he fully regained his consciousness.

"Oh, you're awake." He heard a female said. "Sorry... Did I wake you up?" She took her hand away from his forehead.

Muzan didn't bother to answer her but instead, he looked around at his surroundings. The layout of a house filled his vision instead of the rocky walls of the cave he was in. He tried to sit up but then flinched when a sharp pain shot throughout his body.

"Careful..." The female gently pushed him back to the futon. "Your wounds aren't fully healed yet."

His wounds hadn't healed? He took away the blanket covering him and sure enough, blood is still seeping through the bandages around him. Impossible... The bleeding should've at least stopped by now.

"Umm... If I may ask... What is your name?" The female once again tried to talk to him and that's when he looked at her.

The girl has long blonde hair and green eyes. Her skin is fair and he can make out that she has an ideal body shape for a woman. With her hair down, she is wearing a single flower crown tilted diagonally so that the flower rests on the side of her head. To complete it, she's wearing a kimono that matches her overall beauty. Not that he's going to admit it.

She is kneeling down beside him, looking at him with a kind smile. He narrowed his eyes at her. What is a human doing taking care of him?

"My name is Aina Igarashi and you are?" The girl is still smiling as she placed a hand on her chest when she introduced herself.

He narrowed his eyes at her further. Annoying... That's one way he can describe her. Her kind aura is really irritating for him. Nonetheless, he decided to make up a name and introduced himself, "Hiroto Yoshihara."

"Souka. (Trans: I see)" A knowing smile flashed on Aina's face for a moment. "Nice to meet you, Hiroto-san." She beamed.

Muzan became more irritated at her. If only he could move, he would've already tried to attack and scare her by now. Kill her even.

"That's right! I made this udon for you... You should eat up." Aina placed a bowl beside him and he glanced at it.

"That wouldn't be necessary." He told her and tried to sit up again. Aina helped him sit up this time.

"It's alright... I made it specially so that demons can ingest it." Aina responded then gave him a soft smile and look.

Muzan's eyes widened, narrowing when he once again looked at her. So she knew that he was a demon and yet she was showing him so much kindness. Pathetic!

"Well then, I'll be leaving so that you can rest and recover." Aina stood up and walked towards the door. Before closing it, she looked back at him and gave a small bow, "Rest well, Hiroto-san." She closed the door with a click.

Muzan glared at his bandage covered body as he thought back to who caused the injuries in the first place. That man... He'll make sure that he's going to have a painful death.

Now that he thought about it, there's a rumor among the demons that a hooded figure wielding a crimson red sword had been going around killing so much of them. He remembered them referring to the person as "The Crimson Pillar."

Could it be the same person that he encountered? He paid no mind to the rumor at first because he thought that the demons that were killed were only just too weak to kill a demon slayer. It seems that he had been proven wrong and he hates it. He hates it so much that he can feel his blood boil with anger.

He glanced at the bowl of udon beside him; staring it down as if he's letting out all his anger on it. He took the bowl along with the chopsticks. Might as well try it...

He took a sip of the soup and his features immediately softened. Lowering the bowl back on his lap, he used the chopsticks and began to eat the udon.

'Hmph... Not bad.' He thought.

~~~To be continued~~~