Muzan walked into the house, the dim yellow light shone on his pale face. Even so, it could not hide the sickly look covering his face.
Tanjiro, bringing his younger brother and sister, carefully followed behind Jotaro. They were not being noisy like usual, because all of them could feel a killing aura from this unfamiliar man.
It was a kind of aura that could make all things wither.
Kie was a gentle and slow-witted woman. Even at this moment, she still hadn't realized the danger approaching. Seeing the man in front of her in such a state, she was even concerned about him.
"Sir, are you ill?"
Upon hearing this, Muzan's veins bulged on his forehead, and the killing aura on his body was released instantly.
This woman, who in his eyes was no different from a lowly pig, actually dared to say such offensive words to him. He prided himself as a perfect being, how could he tolerate these lowly scraps saying he looked unhealthy? This was practically blasphemy. Absolutely intolerable.
He slowly moved toward Kie, the expression on his face could only be described as terrifying.
Kie was also frightened, and blankly said, "Sir, did I say something wrong?"
Muzan spoke word by word, "Do I really look that weak to you?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand. The fingernails on his hand became sharper and aimed straight at Kie's forehead to stab.
Kie was dumbfounded. Seeing Muzan's fingers approaching, she even forgot to dodge.
Suddenly, Jotaro reached out and grabbed Muzan's wrist.
Muzan's arm wasn't particularly thick, but the strength hidden within made Jotaro frown slightly.
You have to know, he could beat up grown men at seven years old. His physical quality, needless to say, was unmatched by ordinary people.
However, his strength in front of Muzan was like an ant shaking a tree.
"ORA!"
The arm of Star Platinum instantly attached to his arm, and an enormous force instantly stopped Muzan's movement.
Muzan turned his head in disbelief and looked at the tall man beside him. He himself was around 1.8 meters tall, which was definitely considered tall in Japan. However, facing Jotaro, he had to lift his head. This kind of feeling made him hate it.
The indifferent-looking man in front of him also made him hate him. And those light green eyes that held no fear of him pushed his hatred to the extreme.
He did not hesitate at all and instantly changed his target. That sharp claw flashed in midair with a gleam and slashed straight toward Jotaro's neck.
A lowly creature dared to touch his noble body without his permission? This was great disrespect!
Just as the sharp claw was about to touch Jotaro, Star Platinum's fist instantly extended from Jotaro's body and hit Muzan's shoulder.
"ORA!"
Muzan, who was unaware and had no defense, was instantly blown away and crashed through the Kamado family's door.
But he did not fall to the ground. Muzan reacted quickly and changed his posture, unloaded the force from his body, and landed steadily.
His blood-red vertical pupils were filled with shock as he stood there, holding his shoulder in a daze.
Ever since becoming a demon, only one person had ever injured him. But now there was another?
The sudden turn of events made the children behind Jotaro scream, and Kie quickly asked, "Jotaro-san, what exactly happened? Why is this man...?"
"All of you shut up!" Jotaro shouted sternly.
Tanjiro, beside him, could clearly feel that this normally calm man was now breathing rapidly, and there were fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. And also… Blood.
"Yare yare…" Jotaro's chest rose and fell.
This man in front of him, no. He should be called a demon. This bastard's speed exceeded his imagination and was far beyond what a human could react to.
If he had been just half a second slower just now, he would already be dead.
The counterattack just now, rather than saying it was him, it was more like Star Platinum acted on its own will. Even though it luckily blocked the attack, the wind from Muzan's claw still cut the skin on his neck.
He reached out his broad palm, wiped the blood from his neck, and said seriously to the Kamado family, "No matter what happens next, don't leave my side!"
'This demon is more troublesome than expected.'
Although he didn't know why this demon hadn't taken further action, every cell in Jotaro's body became alert.
Keeping the Kamado family close from the start was the right decision. Otherwise, with Muzan's speed, he could instantly kill this group of powerless people. Even with Star Platinum, he couldn't protect scattered people in time.
"Do you understand?!"
It was the first time Jotaro showed such a severe expression. The few people were stunned for a moment and nodded one after another.
Tanjiro clenched his fists. He could feel the pressure on Jotaro, but he had no ability to share even a bit of the burden.
That one punch from Star Platinum didn't cause any real injury to Muzan, but it seemed to shatter his fragile and unbearable dignity.
He was enraged and wanted to tear these people apart, but the fear from the depths of his soul stopped him from stepping into the house again.
Because even now, he still didn't know what had hit him.
His pupils were like those of a feline, narrow and sharp, but his actions were more cowardly and sneaky than rodents.
Those eyes looked around the room repeatedly. After confirming that no one was hiding, he finally fixed his gaze on Jotaro and the others.
To escape or to stay. He had already started wavering.
He, who claimed to be a perfect being above all lifeforms, was actually more afraid of death than some low-level beings. In the process of evolution, it seemed he never evolved something called "courage."
Jotaro would never have imagined that a seemingly powerful monster was actually so cowardly inside. Even small gangsters on the street, when beaten up by him, dared to raise their fists and keep fighting.
So Muzan standing in place, lost in thought, made Jotaro feel a trace of unease.
A strong opponent was nothing, but a strong and calm opponent was extremely deadly. Non-Stand users basically couldn't see the form of a Stand. But not being able to see didn't mean they couldn't feel it.
As a demon with sharp senses, even if Muzan couldn't see the Stand, he had other ways to sense its existence.
Jotaro understood this point.
The calmer Muzan got, and the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for him.
Jotaro's brain was spinning rapidly, and the cold sweat on his forehead became more and more.
He thought Muzan hadn't attacked again after being hit by Star Platinum because Muzan was analyzing the Stand's characteristics, trying to find his weakness.
'Escape? Or stay and kill them all...' Muzan couldn't decide.
Running away was very humiliating, but for the sake of his own life, what was humiliation? It wasn't like he hadn't run away before.
As long as he could live, with his long life, he would eventually survive all dangers.
But if he killed them all...
He once thought he had already killed all the swordsmen who knew the Sun Breathing technique, but later intelligence revealed that there were still people wearing those earrings.
This kind of out-of-control feeling made him extremely disgusted.
Judging by their breathing styles, Muzan could tell none of these people knew breathing techniques. But who knew if they were pretending to be weak, luring him into a trap?
Back when he faced Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he also looked down on him. And the result? He was nearly chopped to death in an instant.
'So... it's better to run away.'
As a perfect lifeform, perhaps sometimes one must endure some grievances. If one cannot endure the pain that ordinary people can't bear, how can one stand at the top of the world?
Even someone as strong as Yoriichi Tsugikuni eventually died, leaving not even bones behind. And he, Muzan, was still alive and well.
He patted his shoulder that had been hit by Star Platinum.
'Forget it... Just take it as being hit by his son...'
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