"Heehee, Lord Kokushibō,"
"Are we still not showing ourselves? What if that old man kills him?"
Gyokko grinned grotesquely as he watched the scene unfolding before them.
"Wait. Only Lord Muzan's orders matter."
"As for whether Kaigaku lives or dies... that's up to him."
Kokushibō didn't even glance at the confrontation ahead. He knew Muzan's command well. Once Kaigaku destroyed that Demon Slayer base, his mission was complete.
By now,
the Demon Slayer Corps must be fully enraged.
Atop the Peach Mountain,
beneath the cold glow of moonlight, two figures stood apart—one tall, one short. Their shadows stretched in opposite directions, cast long and lonely by the pale light.
Short in stature, leaning on a cane, with a deep scar cutting across his face, Kuwajima Jigorō looked at the disciple before him, his eyes filled with pain.
Known for his strictness, today his face showed no trace of severity—only sorrow and bitter disappointment.
From the look of Kaigaku, newly returned, the old man already understood what had transpired.
Clinging to his final shred of hope, he opened his mouth:
"Kaigaku..."
"Tell me... this wasn't of your own will, was it?"
A man who had devoted his entire life to the Demon Slayer Corps—he still couldn't bring himself to accept the truth.
"Old man, what's the point of asking that now?"
Kaigaku's voice dripped with impatience.
He wanted to end this quickly, fulfill his mission, and earn his master's approval.
Still, he didn't move just yet.
He knew well this man—his "teacher"—wasn't as feeble as he appeared.
"Before you came here..."
"Did you kill anyone?"
Kuwajima Jigorō's voice suddenly boomed like thunder, echoing with the strength of a former Hashira.
"Haha... Hahahahaha!"
Kaigaku wasn't the least bit shaken.
In his eyes, the once-formidable old man now looked utterly powerless.
He sneered, "If a demon doesn't eat people, is it even a demon?"
At that moment, Jigorō fell silent.
His eyes closed tightly, and his frail body trembled uncontrollably.
He remembered—remembered the day this child first came to Peach Mountain, begging to become his student. Remembered the nights he spent teaching breathing techniques, remembered how he'd encouraged the boy when he couldn't master the First Form.
He thought he had given meaning to the second half of his life by training two disciples.
He believed that through them, his legacy would live on.
But now...
His eyes snapped open.
Gone was the affection. Gone was the sentimentality.
The man staring at his "first disciple" was no longer a gentle teacher, but a warrior ready to end a mistake of his own making.
"Kaigaku, every technique you know, you learned from me."
"Today, I'll take it all back."
Now fully aware of the carnage Kaigaku had caused, Jigorō's heart had hardened.
He raised his cane.
Kaigaku understood immediately—his master no longer hesitated to kill him.
"Hahaha! Old man..."
"You still think this is all my fault?"
"If you hadn't been so biased... if you had just taught me the First Form instead of giving everything to that stupid stray you picked up—"
"You're the reason I became this way!"
Kaigaku had always believed that his master looked down on him.
He, the first disciple, had been cast aside for someone who came later and, insultingly, managed to master what he never could.
To him, it could only mean one thing: Jigorō was playing favorites.
"Why... why did it turn out like this?"
For the first time, Kuwajima Jigorō finally saw what had been hidden in Kaigaku's heart all along.
So this was what his eldest disciple had come to believe.
They had drifted so far apart without him even realizing it.
He didn't try to explain.
Once, he had hoped for harmony between brothers, for mutual support.
But the moment Kaigaku chose murder, Jigorō knew—it was already too late.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
In a blur faster than any demon's eye could follow, the short figure of Kuwajima Jigorō launched forward like a lightning strike.
This blow...
was meant to kill in one strike!
He knew he had no chance against Kaigaku in a prolonged battle.
His only hope lay in this one, unexpected move.
"Go to hell and atone for your sins, Kaigaku!"
Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!
Blood Demon Art!
Kaigaku unleashed a storm of lightning-shaped slashes from the center of his body in every direction.
With the aid of his Blood Demon Art, his Lightning Breathing techniques had shifted from gold to jet-black.
Under the barrage of attacks, Jigorō managed to slice off one of Kaigaku's arms—but paid dearly for it, his body torn open by gashes that burned with searing pain.
The wounds were brutal.
He knew... his final chance was gone.
From the severed stump, Kaigaku's arm began to regenerate at astonishing speed.
"This... is the power of a demon, master!"
"Look at it!"
"See how strong I've become—far beyond any human!"
"Hahaha! Now will you finally admit that I'm stronger than you ever were!?"
Even when kneeling before someone as terrifying as Kokushibō, even when enduring suffering, Kaigaku had never surrendered.
So long as he lived, he believed he could change everything and force the world to recognize him.
Jigorō stared at Kaigaku with eyes full of hatred.
This disciple of his... had strayed beyond redemption.
"Then next... it's time to send you on your way, Master."
Kaigaku didn't wait for a reply.
Back in the Infinity Castle, he had already severed the bond between them.
All he had to do now was kill Kuwajima Jigorō and complete Muzan's orders.
Then, perhaps, the Demon Slayer Corps would learn to fear his name.
As Kaigaku walked step by step toward him, Jigorō didn't move.
Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.
His elderly body had long lost the strength for intense battle.
That one attack had already consumed all he had left.
Now, the agony from his wounds gnawed mercilessly at his spirit.
"Die!"
Kaigaku didn't hesitate. His old Nichirin Blade came crashing down toward his master's head.
"Master Ubuyashiki..."
"I, Kuwajima Jigorō, have let you down."
Faced with death, he didn't flinch.
There was no fear—only guilt.
Goodbye...
The old man closed his eyes.
Sound Breathing!
A sonic boom cracked through the air—
A Nichirin Blade with a crescent-shaped notch blocked Kaigaku's strike just in time.
Fwsh!
"Just made it in time!"
"Former Thunder Hashira, Kuwajima Jigorō-sama,"
"I, the current Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui—"
"Have arrived!"
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