Why do I have to hold back a demon king for half an hour just for a bunch of strangers?
As Hachiman Hikigaya walked toward Muzan Kibutsuji, he pondered this question.
He was clearly just a deadbeat who ran away whenever trouble arose, whose life goal was to find a rich woman and become a house-husband, completely unmotivated.
What on earth was wrong with him that made him decide to "cover the rear while you guys escape" in such a self-sacrificing way?
No, that's not right.
It's not even heroic.
After all, only Tanjuro Kamado and his family would appreciate what he was doing.
If he died, maybe Tanjuro would erect a tombstone and tell his story to future generations?
But that was something he wasn't interested in.
Komachi was still waiting for him at home — how could he just die inexplicably in another world?
Lost in such chaotic thoughts, Hachiman found himself right in front of Muzan Kibutsuji before he realized it.
"You're voluntarily staying behind to die?"
Muzan was very wary of Hachiman's strange behavior.
That sudden burst of sunlight had really startled him earlier.
Although the light wasn't damaging, Muzan couldn't be sure if Hachiman had something similar to sunlight that could harm him.
So he quietly watched Tanjuro's family leave without interfering.
After all, as long as he got Hachiman's blood and turned him into a demon, he could ambush Tanjuro later.
Muzan didn't believe a severely injured Tanjuro could fight both him and Hachiman at the same time.
Hachiman looked at Muzan's androgynous face without expression.
He was far weaker than Muzan, and attacking first would be suicide.
His goal was just to stall Muzan for half an hour until sunrise — that was enough.
So Muzan didn't move, and Hachiman didn't move either.
Muzan should be the one getting anxious, not him.
Just as Hachiman expected, after over a minute of standoff, Muzan couldn't hold back any longer.
Spreading his sharp, slender nails, he tentatively attacked Hachiman — using only four layers of force, just in case Hachiman was tricking him.
Hachiman laughed at Muzan's cautiousness.
Even at four layers of force, or one layer less, he wouldn't be able to withstand it!
The instant the nails clashed with Hachiman's Blade, a strong force surged from the blade into his body, sending him flying backward.
"So weak?" Muzan was stunned to see Hachiman fly away like that.
What was this human thinking, daring to stand alone against him?
Or was he already prepared to sacrifice himself for others?
The thought made Muzan smirk.
Sacrifice was admirable, so he'd grant this human his wish.
Without hesitation, Muzan pushed off the snowy ground and quickly caught up to Hachiman midair.
No longer holding back, he swung a claw with full power, aiming to disable Hachiman in one strike.
The anticipation of tasting the sweet blood of Hachiman made Muzan lick his lips, his eyes gleaming wildly.
But when he saw the smile on Hachiman's face, Muzan froze. This guy definitely had a backup plan!
"A surprise for you."
As Muzan's face came closer, Hachiman took several red objects from his pocket and threw them.
The moment they hit Muzan, they exploded into raging flames, engulfing the demon king.
After throwing the super-powerful incendiary bombs he bought from the system shop, Hachiman summoned a magic circle, firmly protecting himself.
Muzan burst out of the flames and frantically charged at Hachiman, slamming against the magic barrier.
"What is this thing?!" Muzan asked, eyes red with rage as he struck the magic circle repeatedly.
The small objects Hachiman had thrown ignited such a massive fire that clung to him and couldn't be extinguished!
"Just modern technology..." Hachiman replied calmly despite Muzan's fury.
Since rescuing Tanjuro earlier with the sunlight lamp, Hachiman had been thinking: why did he have to fight Muzan in close combat? The system shop had modern tech weapons for sale.
He hadn't used them before because the spirits in his own world weren't physical; only his Blade and magic could harm them.
But Muzan was different — he had a physical body.
Aside from being a demon king, Muzan was basically a mutant human with amazing healing, full points in speed and strength.
He could be hurt, feared the unknown, and could run away.
Modern weapons might not kill him, but they could break his body and buy time.
So, in Muzan's confused eyes, Hachiman pulled out the Gatling heavy machine gun he'd just exchanged for 1,000 spirit coins from the system's space...
Of course, because of his weak physique, the Gatling gun was mounted on a recoil-dampening swivel stand.
Seeing the black muzzle aimed at him, Muzan suddenly felt a chill, as if hunted by a terrifying beast, but he didn't immediately flee.
Muzan had seen guns before.
Ever since the Westerners came to Japan, he'd tried to use their firearms against the Demon Slayer Corps.
But those guns loaded slowly and weren't powerful enough, far less efficient than his claws.
So, he subconsciously assumed the gun in Hachiman's hands was an improved version — stronger but still slow to reload.
But when blue sparks shot from the Gatling's muzzle, Muzan immediately realized he was ridiculously wrong...