Right at the moment when the eerie balance of this tense standoff—where every aura was locked onto one another and a massive battle was on the verge of breaking out—was about to shatter.
Within the Infinity Castle, in the high-pressure zone formed by the confrontation between the Demon King, the Demon Slayer Corps, and the otherworldly visitors, a security door suddenly appeared right in the center of the space.
It wasn't a door opened by Nakime's Blood Demon Art. This door seemed to belong to an entirely different art style from everything else present, as if it had forcibly squeezed its way into this world.
Immediately after, a lean, muscular man wearing a white tank top and sporting a signature handlebar mustache tumbled out of the security door, tightly clutching a bright red brick in his hand.
A string of colorful curses burst from his mouth. "Holy shit! Son of a bitch!"
He rolled several times across the hard ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
With a street-brawler's kip-up, he leaped up from the ground. His form wasn't exactly textbook, but it exuded the fierce toughness of a battle-hardened veteran.
But the moment he found his footing and looked around, he was completely dumbfounded. His face, which practically screamed "ruthless" and "don't mess with me," now displayed an unprecedented look of bewilderment.
To his left was a group of people. However, every single one of them was dressed in bizarre outfits.
One wore a flame-patterned cloak, his golden-red hair looking as if it were actually on fire. Another was wrapped in bandages with a live white snake coiled around his neck.
Further away stood a massive, ten-meter-tall metallic construct painted in red and blue, quietly watching him with glowing blue optical lenses.
The weapons in their hands were incredibly strange and varied, but without exception, they all looked terrifyingly powerful. Every single one of them was a heavy hitter.
And to his right was a group of... what the fuck were these things?
Most of them were haggard monsters with green faces and sharp fangs. Rather than humans, they looked more like a horde of evil spirits that had crawled straight out of hell.
What was even more terrifying was that these ghastly creatures were currently staring at him with bloodthirsty desire, looking at him as if he were food.
The information-processing center in Liu Haizhu's brain temporarily went on strike at that moment.
He looked at the red brick in his hand, then at the domineering weapons held by the people on both sides. The familiar and reliable weight in his hand suddenly offered him absolutely no sense of security.
"Damn it, where the hell am I!" he yelled. "Is this even fucking Earth anymore?"
Following Liu Haizhu's arrival, no new doors had appeared on the battlefield for quite some time, leading everyone to believe it was finally over.
Suddenly, the air was torn open by a hand.
Then, something was tossed down. The crowd focused their eyes and saw a figure with a cold, aloof aura, wearing a loose cyan training suit.
He performed a mid-air roll and landed silently, his posture as light and graceful as a falling leaf.
Wuxian, who had just finished making lunch for Luo Xiaohei at home, stood up with a bewildered expression.
His mind was still stuck on the previous second. He had been seriously pondering whether he had put a bit too many mooncakes in his innovative dish, "Stir-fried Mooncakes with Green Peppers," and if it would affect Xiaohei's nutritional balance.
But now... where was this? His perception, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, instantly captured the dozens of powerful auras in the surrounding environment.
Meanwhile, in another world, a cute little black cat was staring at the plate of green and black "innovative cuisine" in front of it, which emitted a bizarre, sweet-and-salty smell, lost in deep thought.
A few seconds later, after confirming that its master was nowhere to be found in the entire house, it immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
'Master is gone! Great! Now I don't have to eat this weird stuff!'
...
Back in the Infinity Castle, beside the throne.
The biwa-playing demon woman, Nakime, looked utterly miserable at this moment.
Her consciousness was still awake, but she could only watch helplessly as her body became a tool for that unknown entity to sow chaos. This sense of powerlessness, stemming from the very depths of her soul, terrified her even more than death itself.
"Enough!!" Muzan Kibutsuji finally snapped.
He no longer wanted to know, nor did he care, what kind of "Hashira" these bizarre freaks who had been inexplicably dragged in were. He only knew that the grand ceremony he had been preparing for so long had been completely ruined by these uninvited guests!
This was a blasphemy against him, a "god"!
He waved his hand fiercely, his voice icy. "It seems you are no longer needed here."
"As you command," Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, replied.
Having lurked beside him this whole time, Kokushibo flashed forward like a phantom, instantly appearing in front of Nakime.
The demonic blade that had accompanied him for centuries and slain countless swordsmen swung without a shred of hesitation. Carrying a shriek that tore through the air, it slashed viciously toward Nakime's fragile neck.
However, his blade hit nothing but air.
Just a split second before the edge could touch Nakime's skin.
A gentle force appeared out of nowhere, enveloping Nakime's body. Her form instantly became ethereal, as if she had been plucked from this world by an invisible giant hand and teleported to the distant heavens above.
Up there, a leisurely figure sat upon a throne constructed of pure energy, looking down at the theater below with great interest. This person was none other than Ian.
Ian felt that Nakime couldn't die just yet. If she died, wouldn't the Infinity Castle—the most important part of the Infinity Castle battle—disappear?
He glanced at his side, at the various entities whose terrifying auras were enough to make the universe tremble.
The octopus-headed Cthulhu, the avatar of chaos and destruction Nyarlathotep, the All-in-One Yog-Sothoth...
The Ennead of ancient Egyptian mythology, the Seventy-Two Demon Pillars ordained by King Solomon...
At this moment, these big shots, who could trigger apocalyptic disasters in their respective worlds just by stomping their feet, were all looking at him with incredibly aggrieved, even somewhat resentful expressions.
It was as if they were accusing Ian of letting the others go out to play while forbidding them from visiting this interesting world.
Seeing their wronged expressions, Ian waved his hand and chuckled. "Don't be in such a rush."
"This world is a bit fragile this time, and the stage is too small. If you guys take the field, you'll probably shatter it instantly, and then there'd be nothing left to play with."
"Next time. Next time, I'll definitely let you take the field and let you play to your hearts' content."
...
Down below in the Infinity Castle, the crowd seemed to have already forgotten Nakime's existence as they resumed their standoff.
Looking at the chaotic scene before him, the monstrous rage in Muzan Kibutsuji's chest bizarrely transformed into a strange calmness.
He took a deep, long breath.
The warm, holy sunlight poured down continuously through the massive skylight in the dome, greedily absorbed and converted by every cell in his body, providing him with a vast, endless power akin to the sun itself.
He looked down at his feet, at the demon army loyal to him. He looked around at the modern firearms capable of leveling a small hill. Then, he felt the power within his body—the eternal, indestructible divine authority he had always boasted of.
He regained his confidence once more.
He began to calmly analyze these uninvited guests before him with a scrutinizing, condescending posture.
That giant iron man over ten meters tall? It certainly looked intimidating, covered in metal chunks and clearly possessing immense strength. But among his subordinates was a demon that perfectly countered it, possessing a corrosive Blood Demon Art. It would probably turn that hunk of metal into a pile of useless scrap in no time.
That white-armored man who could create giant trees out of thin air? His ability was indeed miraculous, practically divine. But he had several demons under his command whose Blood Demon Arts possessed fire attributes. Mere trees were nothing to fear.
That effeminate man with long purple hair striking seductive poses who called himself the Ultimate Being?
A contemptuous sneer curled the corners of Muzan Kibutsuji's mouth.
'Does he really deserve to be called the Ultimate Being? How laughable! In this world, the only perfect, singular Ultimate Being is me, Muzan Kibutsuji! What the hell is that guy supposed to be?'
As for the rest of those guys... that loudmouthed blond brat and the group of old, weak, and sick people, that cold-faced pretentious teenager, that pompadour-wearing delinquent, and that blank-faced youth in the training suit.
Although they seemed to have some tricks up their sleeves, in the face of his absolute power, absolute numbers, absolute regeneration, and absolute immortality, they were nothing more than slightly stronger bugs!
Muzan's mind raced, instantly formulating a guaranteed-win script for the impending battle.
He was the immortal, indestructible, sun-conquering Ultimate King who commanded a demon army and modern firearms!
'The advantage is still mine!'