[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!]
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Nanashi gazed at the swirling plasma sphere he had created, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
"Muzan, you're afraid of the sun, aren't you?"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"Well, this is hotter than the sun—10,000 degrees Celsius. Do you think it can burn you to ashes? I'm looking forward to finding out."
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Muzan's agonized screams echoed through the battlefield as his flesh melted and burned, his regenerative abilities futile against the overwhelming heat.
The sheer horror of the moment shook the other demons to their core.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Run.
They needed to run.
Even Muzan-sama was powerless—what chance did they have?
In an instant, the demons scattered, fleeing in every direction.
"Eh? They're running?"
Lemuel raised her gun again, aiming at the retreating demons, but Nanashi stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"No need." His voice was calm. "If Muzan dies, they die too."
Lemuel blinked in surprise before lowering her weapon.
Her gaze shifted back to Muzan.
His body convulsed within the burning plasma sphere, his limbs twisting, disintegrating, regenerating—only to melt again in an endless cycle of agony.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
He could do nothing but scream.
The Demon Slayer Corps did not look away.
They did not pity him.
Instead, they reveled in his suffering.
He deserved it.
Every single one of them had lost someone to this monster.
Even Kagaya Ubuyashiki, weak and frail, closed his eyes and smiled peacefully, listening to Muzan's agonized wails as if they were a soothing melody.
Someone even pulled out a bowl of rice, eating with relish, enjoying the moment.
For ten full minutes, the screams of Muzan Kibutsuji filled the night sky.
Then—
Silence.
"NOOO! MY BODY! IT CAN'T BE... NO!!!"
As Muzan perished, the demons who had attempted to escape crumbled into dust.
A ding echoed in the minds of those connected to the chat group.
[Evil Presence Undetected! The Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji has been slain by Nanashi!]
[Doomsday Journey Completed!]
[Nanashi has received 300,000 points. Esdeath: 80,000 points. Lemuel: 50,000 points. Aqua: 50,000 points. Shinobu: 30,000 points.]
"300,000 points..."
Nanashi murmured, but his expression was unreadable.
The points weren't the issue.
He suddenly remembered something—
His eyes snapped toward Nezuko and Kie.
"…?"
The two tilted their heads in confusion.
Why was he looking at them like that?
Behind them, Tamayo chuckled softly, covering her mouth.
"He was worried you would disappear with Muzan."
Nezuko and Kie's eyes widened.
"E-Eh?!"
So… Nanashi cared about them?!
An overwhelming warmth filled their hearts.
Seeing them safe, Nanashi let out a breath and dismissed the plasma sphere with a wave of his hand.
Muzan was gone.
Not a single trace remained.
"..."
A moment of silence—
Then, the realization hit.
"WE WON!"
A deafening roar of celebration erupted across the battlefield.
Thousands of voices cheered.
Some cried in joy, hugging their comrades.
The Demon Slayers had finally won—the war that had lasted for centuries was over.
But—
Before Nanashi could soak in the victory, a sharp, burning gaze locked onto him.
Esdeath stood right in front of him.
Her eyes burned with something fierce, her battle-hungry aura palpable.
Nanashi sighed.
"I knew this was coming."
She had seen his strength.
There was no way she would back down.
The woman who ruled the battlefield with absolute power—she would never settle for anything less than fighting the strongest opponent.
"Let's not waste time," Nanashi said flatly.
Esdeath's lips curled into a dangerous smirk.
"It is as you wish, Mahāpadma!"
In an instant—
A suffocating cold filled the air.
The battlefield froze over as time itself came to a halt.
"Huh? Time... stopped?"
Nanashi stood still.
Everything was silent.
Even the wind had frozen in place.
Esdeath turned her head, her smug smirk widening—
But then, she froze.
Because—
Aqua was walking freely among the frozen figures, curiously poking people.
"Oh? Looks like time only froze for a moment."
Aqua murmured to herself.
Then, she glanced at Nanashi.
"Wait… where is he?!"
Esdeath's smirk vanished.
Nanashi standing in front of her disappeared.
"You lose."
Her eyes widened.
A warm breath brushed against her ear.
Before she could react, she felt a firm grip on her throat.
Esdeath's body stiffened.
Her limbs refused to move.
A crushing pressure wrapped around her, leaving her completely restrained.
She couldn't break free.
She was lifted effortlessly into the air.
For the first time in her entire life—
She was powerless.
Her icy blue eyes flickered with disbelief as she choked out a whisper.
"…How did you do it?"
Behind her—stood Nanashi.
Completely unaffected by her frozen space.
At that moment, time resumed for everyone else.
Nezuko, Kie, and Lemuel stared in shock at the scene before them.
Nanashi let out a bored yawn.
"That's it?"
Esdeath's ability, while flashy, was useless against him.
Her instantaneous burst of extreme cold could temporarily freeze space itself, affecting the environment and those around her.
But against Nanashi?
Useless.
In her own world, Tatsumi's evolved demon form had already overcome Mahāpadma after adapting to it.
For Nanashi—it wasn't even a challenge.
At best, Esdeath's power level was somewhere between Lv.4 and Lv.5.
Her once-per-day time freeze was interesting, but the other effects were mediocre—nowhere near his standards.
She simply wasn't strong enough to affect him.
His natural reflexes alone kept him immune to any external freezing effects.
His grip tightened around her throat.
"Stop bothering me. Next time, I won't be so polite."
Silence.
A strong feeling of suffocation surged through Esdeath's chest.
Then, finally—
She forced out three words:
"I... lost."
Nanashi smirked, satisfied, and released her.
Esdeath gasped, inhaling deeply, her body instinctively trying to recover from the lack of air.
She stood still.
Not saying a word.
Her eyes, hidden beneath the shadow of her military cap, remained unreadable.
What was she thinking?
Nanashi had no interest in guessing.
Maybe she was feeling autistic after losing so easily?
Who cares?
"Are you guys done yet?"
A sudden voice interrupted the silence.
Aqua.
She hopped over, hands on her hips, looking smug.
Nanashi narrowed his eyes.
"What did you do?"
Aqua flashed an innocent smile.
"Hehe, I found a bunch of wandering undead spirits in this world. I wanna purify them!"
"Oh?"
Nanashi raised a brow, genuinely surprised.
Aqua… saying something serious for once?
That was rare.
Aqua's cheeks puffed out, clearly offended.
"What's with that look?! I'm a goddess! Helping lost souls is literally my job!"
She lightly kicked his leg with her small foot in protest.
Nanashi chuckled.
It was rare for Aqua to be this serious.
And honestly?
She looked… kind of cute.
Without thinking, he reached out and pinched her soft, elastic cheek.
Aqua froze.
She even forgot to curse at him.
Nanashi smirked. "Fine, do whatever you want. How do you wanna handle it?"
Aqua perked up immediately, her eyes sparkling.
"Okay! Watch closely, commoner! I'll show you the divine power of a goddess!"
She raised her arms, preparing to summon her holy energy.
"Wait."
Nanashi held up a hand, stopping her.
Aqua pouted. "Now what?"
Ignoring her complaints, Nanashi turned to Nezuko, Kie, and Tamayo.
"You three—go back inside."
Nezuko and Kie immediately obeyed.
"Yes, Master."
Tamayo, however, hesitated.
Still, she followed without question.
After all—they were still demons.
It would be a disaster if Aqua accidentally purified them too.
Once they were safely inside, Nanashi nodded at Aqua.
"Alright. Now you can start."