Muzan was gone. Where had he gone?
Star Platinum's gaze was sharp as lightning, scanning the surroundings. Yet under his piercing search, not a single trace of Muzan could be found.
Muzan seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Yet Jotaro knew clearly that Muzan had not left; he was still nearby!
An enemy hiding in the dark was like a sharp blade poised at one's throat, fraught with extreme danger.
Jotaro stood tall and upright before the others, his entire body tense.
Seconds ticked by, beads of sweat covering his forehead.
The dull, throbbing pain from his wounds made it impossible for him to maintain his combat stance for long.
Yet as long as Muzan did not appear, he would keep holding on!
Due to the prolonged tension, the wounds Jotaro had managed to stop bleeding began to seep blood once more.
"Mr. Jotaro..."
Tanjiro, Nezuko, Kie Kamado, and Takeo could all sense how hard it was for Jotaro, yet there was nothing they could do to help him.
This filled their hearts with guilt.
When all was said and forth, Jotaro was only in this state because he was trying to protect them.
"Don't lose focus!"
Jotaro's steady voice rang out, interrupting their wandering thoughts.
"In the upcoming battle, I likely won't be able to look after you."
"If things reach a point where they are beyond control, I will hold him off as best as I can. Scatter and run, without any hesitation."
If it truly came to that, staying by his side would naturally be unsafe, so he had no choice but to choose the only other option that maximized their chances of survival.
Those unwavering eyes moved everyone present. They knew very well that in such a desperate situation, their escape would come at the cost of Jotaro's sacrifice.
It was as though he had already made up his mind!
Unflinching even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him.
Just what kind of person was this? Did he not care about his own life at all?
Or was there something in his heart even more important than life itself!
Before he could give them any more time to think, the roof of Tanjiro's house suddenly shattered, and at the same time, a dark shadow appeared before them.
"Star Platinum!"
Jotaro's eyes narrowed.
There had been no trace of him around, meaning the easiest places to hide were the roof or underground.
He had been keeping his attention on those two directions all along, and reacted the very instant Muzan appeared.
Star Platinum instantly threw a punch.
"Ora ora ora ora!"
Muzan's chilling, audacious laughter echoed all around as sparks flew through the air.
Tanjiro raised a hand to shield his forehead, narrowing his eyes in shock.
"What a terrifying monster! Mr. Jotaro is actually fighting a monster like that!"
There was an invisible force around Jotaro; the others had already noticed it when their wounds were being stitched up earlier.
"Just now, Mr. Jotaro used that invisible, evil-spirit-like power to crush the evil spirits."
But right now!
Tanjiro's eyes could not catch the fast-moving objects in the space, but the wounds appearing on Jotaro's body were static.
The scars on his body were multiplying!
"There's no mistake! That evil spirit dodged Mr. Jotaro's attacks, and Mr. Jotaro is on the defensive! Ah! Mr. Jotaro!"
"Ora!"
Star Platinum struck Muzan's palm with a single punch, driving him back. However, the force of this blow had decreased significantly, and other than some cracks appearing on his palm, Muzan sustained no other injuries.
In contrast, Jotaro was covered in blood, and his breathing grew ragged.
A human body had its limits and could not maintain its peak state indefinitely.
A decline in physical function was inevitable.
Even without being able to see Star Platinum, this bastard could still dodge his attacks.
Was it through the sound of the punches tearing through the air, or the air currents generated by the strikes?
"Good grief..."
Regardless of which it was, he was in an extremely passive position right now.
"Just as I thought!"
Unlike the hesitant Muzan from a moment ago, he was now brimming with confidence, carrying the air of someone with victory firmly in his grasp.
"There is something existing by your side."
In his eyes, most people in this world were like insignificant dust, but he had to admit that gold was sometimes hidden among the dust.
Some people were born different from ordinary mortals, possessing talents unmatched by others.
In his eyes, Jotaro was one such person.
That evil-spirit-like ability surprised him somewhat, but that was all.
Compared to his own innate talent, any other ability fell short, as long as that talent could not kill him!
The threat Jotaro posed in his mind plummeted.
To be honest, the moment Jotaro pierced through his brain earlier, he really had felt a sense of helplessness.
If a Demon Slayer who knew Sun Breathing had popped up back then, he would have split his body without hesitation and scattered to flee in all directions.
Because that was the best window to kill him.
Yet no one had done so at the time. When even the best opportunity could not be seized, his hanging heart finally settled back down.
Aside from Jotaro, who was slightly troublesome to deal with, these people posed zero threat to him!
That hanafuda earring was merely a decoration!
"To be honest, I am a man who appreciates talent. Had you not offended me, perhaps I would have turned you into a being just like myself, letting you serve under me."
Jotaro pointed at Muzan's face and said indifferently, "What's your name? Ever since a moment ago, you've been acting all full of yourself, like a completely different person."
"You don't need to feel pity on my account, because I have no desire to become a beast like you!"
For some reason, Jotaro's unconcerned, indifferent attitude always managed to stir up the fires of rage within Muzan.
Perhaps in his mind, only a supreme creature standing at the pinnacle like himself had the right to display such an attitude toward everything else.
"But now, I am going to torture you to death!"
Muzan's face flushed red-black with anger, twisting into a spine-chilling smile.
"Let me tell you a secret: up until now, I haven't even used my full strength."
"Oh?" Jotaro replied with his hands in his pockets. "If you don't use it now, you won't have the chance later."
Swish!
Muzan vanished from where he stood, charging toward Jotaro at a speed far surpassing before.
Jotaro's eyes widened instantly as Star Platinum's figure met the charge amid streaks of light.
"Useless! Though your attacks are elusive and ghostly, under my perception, they have nowhere to hide!"
Sensing the shifts in the airflow around him,
Muzan's head rapidly dodged left and right in mid-air, effortlessly evading both of Star Platinum's punches.
Yet the next second, his expression froze, and the arrogant smile vanished from the corners of his mouth.
Just a moment ago, the air vibrations came from at most two directions—why were there three now?