*Chapter 274: Zephyr: The Craving for Taking on a Disciple*

"Attention, the whereabouts of Muzan Kibutsuji have been discovered! He has taken the form of a man named Tsukihiko in the town of Asakusa. Everyone, hurry there immediately."

Zephyr wiped the blood off his hands and glanced at the crow circling above him, scratching his head in slight bewilderment.

He hadn't expected the Demon Slayer Corps' communication method to be so unusual—using crows for contact.

But there were no "Den Den Mushi" (communication snails) here, so being able to receive messages at all was fortunate.

At least here, their modified Den Den Mushi still worked.

“Kakashi, kid, I heard the Demon King has shown up.”

Zephyr, stepping on a demon beneath his foot, pulled out his Den Den Mushi to contact Kakashi.

“Oh! Instructor Zephyr, unfortunately, even though the Demon King appeared, none of our people were nearby at the time.”

“It was only spotted by a new recruit who recently joined the Demon Slayer Corps. By the time our people got there, all they found were a few corpses in the alleyways.”

Kakashi sounded frustrated. They hadn’t expected the biggest boss to be spotted by some unknown kid.

But now that they had the Demon King's whereabouts, things should go smoothly from here.

"Oh? Is the kid still alive?"

Zephyr's urge to take on a student kicked in.

“Still alive! Why?”

Kakashi curiously looked at the Den Den Mushi as he responded.

“Then tell me where the kid is. Let’s see if I can track down the Demon King with his help.”

"Right now, he’s the only one who knows the Demon King's whereabouts."

Zephyr let out a hearty laugh.

Surviving an encounter with the so-called Demon King? This kid must have quite the potential.

"Alright! Shouldn’t be a problem. They’re out on a mission, but you can head over and check things out.”

“I won’t send extra people. With you there, they shouldn’t have any trouble.”

Kakashi had already planned this out, but since Zephyr was interested, he figured he wouldn’t need to step in anymore.

Next, Kakashi intended to make contact with the demon who had broken free from the Demon King's control.

Rumor had it these demons could turn ordinary humans into demons, and Kakashi found them intriguing.

Tamayo! That woman held something they desired.

“No problem!”

Zephyr smiled in satisfaction after getting the location.

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Zephyr looked over at a man standing not far away.

The man had a black blade strapped to his back and hawk-like eyes scanning his surroundings.

He was searching for a worthy opponent, but along the way, they had encountered numerous demons, none of which had piqued Mihawk's interest.

Not once had he made a move.

“There’s no one here that’s worthy of my blade. I’ll take my leave.”

Mihawk spoke bluntly, not getting along with Zephyr.

There hadn’t been much conversation along the way—it was simply a matter of convenience.

Since that was the case, there was no reason to stay together.

“Fine.”

Zephyr nodded. They were on the same side now, after all.

There was no point in arguing, even though Mihawk used to be a pirate.

But Zephyr figured he wasn’t much of a good guy himself anymore.

“One of the Upper Moons is a swordsman. You could track him down.”

“But that demon’s a thousand-year-old monster, not like the small fry we’ve encountered before.”

“Whatever! If you get into trouble, Uchiha Reijin’s the one who’ll worry about it.”

Zephyr chuckled lightly, feeling he was overthinking things.

Ever since coming to Dressrosa, he’d been surrounded by pirates.

Now, he didn’t even resist interacting with them anymore.

“Thanks.”

Mihawk nodded and began walking in a random direction.

He had no idea where his target was, but for now, he was just wandering.

Zephyr shook his head. Mihawk had potential, but it was a pity he was a pirate.

Mihawk's swordsmanship talent had reached its peak, and he was obsessed with mastering the blade.

He didn’t care about what was happening on the seas—he was just looking for worthy swordsmen to challenge.

As for the state of the Navy? That was someone else’s problem now.

If the Navy had any issues, it was for Sengoku to handle, not him.

“Sir, recently, a strange group has been capturing us in large numbers. Many of us have been taken, but they’re not killing anyone.”

A demon knelt before Muzan, trembling as he spoke.

“Enough! I don’t want excuses! Have every demon in the area and all of the Lower Moons mobilize. Find the one with the earrings and bring me his head.”

A flash of red appeared in Muzan's eyes as he split the demon in half with a wave of his hand.

The other demons nearby trembled, not daring to lift their heads even as blood splattered over them.

They didn’t even dare express their thoughts.

“So many years have passed, and now those earrings have resurfaced!”

Muzan’s eyes were filled with intense killing intent.

He didn’t send out the Upper Moons because the kid was too weak.

A regular demon should’ve been more than enough to kill him.

No need to bother the Upper Moons.

However...

“Sir, there’s no one left nearby. The only one around is Lord Rui, one of the Lower Moons, on Mount Natagumo.”

One demon nervously spoke up.

There was no one left alive nearby, except for the few demons always with Muzan.

“.Then summon the Lower Moons!”

Muzan’s eyes grew darker. The sudden appearance of this group had completely disrupted his plans.

Now, he had no capable subordinates left. His only option was to summon the Lower Moons.

As for himself? Muzan didn’t plan on showing up.

The Demon Slayer Corps was constantly hunting for him.

He had lost too many underlings. There was no need to confront them head-on.

First, he’d kill the brat with the earrings, then slowly wear them down.

As long as no one like Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared, he was confident that he would eventually achieve his goal of eternal life.

“Yes, sir!”

All of the Twelve Kizuki received the order: to kill anyone wearing those earrings on sight.

Muzan rarely issued commands, so many demons were intrigued, wondering what those earrings symbolized or what had provoked their master to this extent.

“Earrings, huh? I’ll take a look.”

Kokushibo thought of his brother.

His brother had worn those iconic earrings.

Even after all these years, it was surprising they hadn’t been lost to time.

No wonder Lord Muzan was so upset.

But...

Even if someone had inherited the earrings, could they possess his brother's talent?

A person like that—blessed with such terrifying talent—had only appeared once in a thousand years!

Only one person had ever held such a gift.

Kokushibo’s eyes were filled with murderous intent as he stepped out of the Infinity Castle.

He wanted to see if this person shared his brother’s talent.

Besides, after all these years...

Kokushibo believed he had grown even stronger than Yoriichi Tsugikuni!

If Yoriichi appeared before him again, he’d cut him down with a single strike.

But could he really do that?

Kokushibo wasn’t sure.

Back then, Yoriichi had stood there, and Kokushibo hadn’t even been able to move.

He couldn’t even put up the most basic resistance!

That was what left him uncertain.

“Near Mount Natagumo, huh? One of the Lower Moons is there.”

Kokushibo glanced in a certain direction and began walking slowly into the distance.

After passing through three towns, he noticed that all the demons in the area had been wiped out.

It seemed like someone had been systematically eliminating every demon in the vicinity.

Had the Demon Slayer Corps grown that strong, or had another Yoriichi appeared?

Kokushibo’s hand trembled as he gripped his sword. Finally, after all these years, it felt like his revenge was within reach.

He had waited so long, and now it was time to show his strength.

To the successor of his brother!

The one who carried those earrings.

All he had to do was kill him!

“Are you a swordsman?”

At that moment, a sudden voice broke the silence.

A flash of red light flickered in Kokushibo's eyes, and he instantly drew the blade in his hand.

A crescent moon-shaped slash shimmered through the air, aimed at his opponent with a swift, sideways strike.

Clang!

A black blade appeared, blocking Kokushibo's attack head-on.

The crescent slash halted mid-air, completely frozen in place, unable to move an inch!

"A demon... with numbers in its eyes. I guess you're one of those so-called Twelve Kizuki swordsmen."

"I’ve been looking for you. Your swordsmanship is supposed to be the strongest in the world, right?"

Mihawk calmly said to Kokushibo, watching him without any sign of disgust, despite his strange appearance.

It was said that this demon was a powerful warrior from a hundred years ago, who, in his fear of death, chose to walk another path.

Mihawk didn’t care about his identity—he was only interested in whether Kokushibo was truly a powerful fighter.

If he was strong enough, perhaps Mihawk would feel a little excitement.

"You must be one of those people who appeared recently, right? Who are you?" Kokushibo frowned, realizing something was off about Mihawk.

The fact that this man easily blocked his sword technique proved his strength was remarkable.

This group had appeared suddenly, and there wasn’t any information about them in the Infinity Castle.

Even the demons sent after them never returned—dead or alive.

"I'm just an ordinary swordsman. If you defeat me, I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"But... do you think your blade can manage that?"

Mihawk smiled slightly, speaking softly as he swung his black blade.

A slash of emerald green flew toward Kokushibo, carrying an overwhelming pressure.

For a moment, Kokushibo felt like he was seeing the image of Yoriichi Tsugikuni from long ago.

But his survival instinct pushed him to move his body desperately.

Splat!

Blood splattered!

Kokushibo’s six eyes looked down at his arm, seeing a clean cut at the shoulder.

"Ah!"

With a roar, Kokushibo's arm instantly regenerated, growing back in a flash—an impressive recovery that even left Mihawk astonished.

Even Kaido of the Beasts from the New World couldn’t compare to this level of regeneration.

Huff, huff…

Kokushibo looked at Mihawk with growing wariness, not daring to make any sudden moves.

In his eyes, Mihawk’s body structure became visible.

But!

"You're clearly human. Why... why do you possess such incredible strength?"

"And you're not even using Breathing Techniques, are you? What kind of swordsmanship is this?"

Kokushibo gasped, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He could clearly see that Mihawk’s body was no different from a regular human's.

Yet Mihawk had strength far beyond his own, so much so that Kokushibo felt completely powerless to resist.

This sensation made Kokushibo deeply uncomfortable.

He was desperate to know how this man in front of him managed to do it.

He had once reached the limits of human ability, even awakening the demon marks.

It could be said that, aside from Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he was the strongest in the entire Demon Slayer Corps.

But the man standing before him—he wasn’t using Breathing Techniques, nor traditional swordsmanship.

Yet he wielded power far surpassing his own. It was…

...unbelievable.

"Swordsmanship? I just casually slashed you," Mihawk said.

"Even if I held back to compete with you in swordsmanship, your technique is far too crude."

"In my presence, you don’t even have the courage to raise your blade. How disappointing."

Mihawk frowned, looking at Kokushibo.

He had expected a formidable opponent, but to his surprise, Kokushibo was this weak.

Even children from the ninja academy had more courage—they still dared to swing their swords at him when he unleashed his aura.

But the man before him, though immortal, radiated nothing but a fear of death from the inside out.

"Impossible..."

Kokushibo muttered in disbelief.

A casual slash?

He spoke so lightly of it.

But why? Why couldn’t he even muster the courage to lift his blade?

He didn’t understand, staring down at the sword in his hand.

A shadow of gloom crossed Kokushibo’s eyes. This man... was just like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

That same gaze!

"Since you’re this weak, I’ll use this blade."

Mihawk thought for a moment and then removed a cross from his neck, pulling out a small knife and speaking to Kokushibo.

Though this opponent was weak, he was still the strongest swordsman Mihawk had encountered so far. Before meeting any other swordsmen here, he planned to have a bit of fun.

Mihawk didn’t want to be too disappointed, at least hoping to see some of the swordsman’s technique.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Kokushibo had never been so belittled before. Seeing the small knife in Mihawk's hand, his fury erupted.

"Dark Moon: Palace of Night!"

"Pearls of the Moon!"

"Loathsome Moon: Erosion!"

Kokushibo unleashed the full extent of the Moon Breathing technique’s ten forms.

After becoming a demon, his Moon Breathing had grown even stronger.

Clang!

Clang!

(To be continued...)