Chapter 205: Insight Plan (Part 1)

"So, Muzan is really dead."

With Kagaya Ubuyashiki's confirmation, many of the nine pillars felt a sense of bewilderment. Their lifelong goal had been to eradicate demons, but now that the demons were truly gone, it felt somewhat unreal. There was also a sense of confusion about what to do next.

"Let's set other matters aside for now," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said, issuing two commands. The first was to further confirm the situation regarding the demons, and the second was to find Daniel Davis at all costs. Without a doubt, Daniel was the greatest hero in Muzan's defeat, but there had been no news of him, causing great concern. It was clear that killing Muzan wasn't easy, and the possibility that Daniel had perished alongside Muzan was not out of the question.

"Sword intent is indeed difficult to master. What exactly is the Transparent World?" While the Demon Slayer Corps worried about Daniel's safety and searched for him, Daniel himself was in seclusion, studying the Breath of the Sun.

The Breath of the Sun was challenging to master but not impossible. The people of this world struggled with it because their physical condition was insufficient. Training in the Breath of the Sun could easily lead to injuries similar to qi deviation. However, Daniel's physical condition was strong enough to withstand this, so he wasn't worried about that.

The Transparent World, on the other hand, was a real obstacle for Daniel. Despite having Observation Haki, he couldn't grasp the concept of sensing bones, blood vessels, and other internal structures like an X-ray or some kind of cataract vision. He had no clues at all.

"Is it innate?" Finding no leads, Daniel ended his training. While he desired to have sword intent, it wasn't his top priority. Checking the time, he realized another week had passed since he killed Muzan.

"It's time to go back. I need to address the poison in Shinobu's body." Although disappearing quietly was an appealing option, Daniel decided to return, remembering the unresolved issue with Shinobu's poison. Despite her expertise in medicine and poison, Shinobu couldn't resolve the poison within her own body, as it had accumulated to dangerous levels.

"Before returning, I need to prepare." With this thought, Daniel used illusion magic to create a strange black mark around his left eye, mimicking the demon mark. From Kokushibo, he had learned about the nature of the demon mark. Activating it required a body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius and a heart rate of 200 beats per minute, conditions that were too burdensome for ordinary people, which is why demon-marked swordsmen rarely lived past 25.

"It does look pretty cool," Daniel said, satisfied with his fake mark. No wonder some people liked having strange patterns tattooed on their bodies.

"It looks lively. The protagonist team is all here, even his sister." Arriving at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Daniel first observed the situation. Apart from a certain reckless pig-headed individual, the protagonist team was complete, including the Wind Pillar's brother, Genya Shinazugawa, who fought by eating demons.

"Nezuko's physical condition is really extraordinary." Nezuko had fully reverted to human form, but her time as a demon had significantly changed her body. While other aspects were uncertain, her strength had undoubtedly increased, as evidenced by her effortlessly carrying a heavy bag of rice. She seemed busy helping around the Butterfly Estate.

Not only Nezuko, but Tanjirou Kamado and Zenitsu Agatsuma were also helping out. With the demons eradicated, wounded demon slayers from all over had gathered at the Butterfly Estate for treatment.

"Thank you for your hard work." Shinobu, noticing Daniel's return, carefully examined him before smiling warmly and speaking softly. With Muzan dead, the demon that killed her sister was surely dead too. Though she regretted not avenging her sister personally, the vengeance was fulfilled nonetheless.

"Mission accomplished," Daniel said with a smile.

"So, you activated the demon mark." Kagaya Ubuyashiki, upon hearing about Daniel's appearance from his wife, Amane, finally understood how Daniel had managed to kill Muzan. The demon mark was a secret known only to the Ubuyashiki family. Kagaya wouldn't have revealed this information unless someone from the Demon Slayer Corps activated the mark.

"Yes, I activated it during the fight with Muzan. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to kill him." Muzan could split his body into over 1,800 pieces, and as long as one piece escaped, he could regenerate. Killing him without the Mirror Dimension would have been a real challenge. However, this referred to Muzan at his peak. The injuries Yoriichi Tsugikuni inflicted had weakened Muzan, making him easier to kill.

Daniel's words made Kagaya and Amane's expressions turn solemn. While others didn't know the demon mark's side effects, they did.

"What is the demon mark?" the pillars asked, seeing their leader's grave expression.

"It's a mark that greatly enhances one's strength, achievable only by those who have mastered the breathing techniques. However, according to records, no one who activated the mark has lived past 25," Kagaya explained.

The pillars fell silent. Before Muzan's death, this wouldn't have been a concern, as few demon slayers lived past 25 anyway. But now, with the demons gone, it was heartbreaking.

"Is there no solution?" Obanai Iguro asked urgently.

"Don't worry about me. Activating the demon mark doesn't necessarily mean you'll die at 25. The creator of the Breath of the Sun lived past 25. Although he's the only one so far, it shows the mark isn't a death sentence," Daniel reassured them.

After explaining how he defeated Muzan, Daniel left Kagaya's presence. Despite Muzan's death, the Demon Slayer Corps still had work to do. Planning the future and managing the members were responsibilities that Kagaya and the pillars had to handle. The Corps, with its thousand-year history, wouldn't disband just because the demons were gone. Life had to go on.

"Are you alright?" Shinobu asked with concern once the others had left.

"Rather than worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. The Wisteria poison in your body needs to be addressed."

"I don't mind. I've been looking forward to seeing my sister."

Shinobu was indifferent about her life, having used herself as a vessel for poison to kill demons.

"I doubt your sister wants to see you just yet. I can help remove the poison, but I'll need your cooperation." Daniel had two methods to cure Shinobu: the normal and the abnormal. The normal method involved using various medicines to slowly detoxify her body, which wasn't difficult for Daniel but would take time. For someone eager to leave like Daniel, this method wasn't ideal.

The abnormal method involved using the Philosopher's Stone. While the Ope Ope no Mi powers were effective, they still required a lot of medical resources. The Philosopher's Stone, on the other hand, didn't.

"Remove the poison? How?" Shinobu asked, shocked. As a fellow doctor, she knew how difficult it was to achieve this. She had prepared herself for death when she started taking the poison.

"If you say so, I'll trust you," Shinobu said, surrendering herself to Daniel's care.

"What a woman," Daniel thought, slightly amused by her forwardness. While he did have some interest in Shinobu, it was the natural reaction of a man to a beautiful woman, not necessarily meaning anything would happen.

"Alright, this should do it. From here, regular medicines should suffice." Using the Philosopher's Stone, Daniel quickly reduced the Wisteria poison in Shinobu's body to a manageable level.

He didn't fully cure her with the stone because it would be difficult to explain how he did it.

"Such a match—big brother is the Flame Pillar, and little sister is a love interest." Tanjirou and Kanao's bond hadn't changed despite Daniel's involvement. Tanjirou and Kanao seemed to be getting along well, partly due to Tanjirou's gentle nature and partly because of his sister's matchmaking efforts.

Nezuko, having regained her humanity, seemed keen on helping her brother find a partner. Kanao, despite her reserved demeanor, was highly skilled, having been trained by Shinobu and her sister.

Zenitsu, meanwhile, remained infatuated with Nezuko, diligently working to impress her. He and Tanjirou were brought to the Butterfly Estate by Sakonji Urokodaki after receiving news of Muzan's death. With the demon king dead, Tanjirou no longer needed to continue his training, and the Demon Slayer Corps entrance test had been canceled.

"You're leaving," Shinobu said one day, seeing Daniel prepare to go.

"Yes, I plan to explore a bit while there's still time and see if I can solve the demon mark issue."

"Will you come back?"

"I don't know. We'll see."

"Take care."

"I will. Here, take this. I don't need it anymore." Daniel handed his Nichirin Blade to Shinobu. With the demons gone, the sword was no longer necessary.

"The Ubuyashiki curse is lifted, but Kagaya's condition won't improve."

While Muzan's death lifted the Ubuyashiki curse, it would only benefit future generations. Kagaya himself wouldn't experience relief.

Daniel could cure him, but he chose not to intervene.

"Foreign merchants are already arriving here." Daniel arrived at the port connecting this nation to the outside world. He saw numerous ships docked, with people of various ethnicities disembarking.

These ships were mostly steamships, and those who could afford passage were generally wealthy. Daniel wasn't there to take a ship; he was gathering information. Steamships of this era

 would take too long to reach his destination.

"It's hard to tell what era this is." The people boarding and disembarking from these ships were the early affluent, making it impossible to discern much about the outside world.

"It really is a different history." Using the Quinjet, Daniel soon arrived in the eastern nation of this world. Upon hearing the unfamiliar dynasty name, he wasn't too surprised.

"The upper echelons might be problematic, but this is still a strong country. No need for me to intervene." After understanding that this nation wasn't oppressed, Daniel decided not to get involved. However, he felt a twinge of disappointment, having been prepared to showcase some advanced technology if necessary.

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