"... "
Kokushibou was startled.
Immediately,
Jealousy consumed him.
His face twisted in an instant, and he wanted to step forward, for this was his strongest form.
But for some reason, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move at all.
After a long while, he finally realised the reason for this…
—Fear!
It was like a human seeing a beast; even knowing the other party was extremely dangerous, they were still unable to move, and in the end, were obediently killed.
Seeing this situation, Yoriichi sighed deeply:
"How pathetic, my brother…"
"Is this what you wanted to become? Then…"
"What was the purpose of your swordplay, cultivated over four hundred years?"
How was it pathetic?!
I… am the strongest!
Kokushibou gritted his teeth, clenching his bone blade.
He wanted to refute Yoriichi's words, but as the words reached his lips…
Step.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly took a step forward, his expression returning to its usual calmness.
He slowly raised his Zanpakuto:
"Enough, my brother."
"Say nothing more. Let me see you off on your final journey."
After speaking,
Yoriichi instantly vanished.
Kokushibou's pupils contracted.
In his astonishment, he only had time to hastily parry the incoming slash.
Then…
Crack!
The bone blade, reinforced to be harder than diamond, directly snapped.
On his skin, the bone membrane defence, which even Pillar-level swordsmen struggled to overcome, was rendered useless, sliced open by a single strike!
Finally…
Splurt!
The spurting blood transformed into a dazzling rose in mid-air, and Kokushibou desperately clutched his neck!
His eyes were bloodshot, staring at Yoriichi, who had instantly vanished and instantly returned to his original spot.
It wasn't until he came to his senses and a pang of pain spread from his neck to his limbs that he realised!
—He himself.
Had been decapitated!
"No…"
His body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing.
"It shouldn't be like this…"
"I…"
"I am the strongest!"
"But why… "
Kokushibou's eyes became unfocused, and the bone blade in his hand was the first to turn to dust.
He staggered back to a tree, raised his dim six eyes, and felt the wound that could not regenerate.
His tone gradually changed from resentment to confusion and bewilderment:
"You can defeat me… again and again…"
"In the end, I left nothing behind…"
"Changed nothing…"
"What was I born for, after all?"
"Can you answer me…"
"Yoriichi…"
He could no longer recall the faces of his wife and child, only that he had resolutely abandoned them.
As a human, he was undoubtedly a failure.
As a demon…
Four hundred years had yielded no achievements…
The more humans he consumed, the more he felt his own weakness.
Because he needed to spend four hundred years to catch up…
How despairing was this gap?
"I…"
"I am unwilling."
"But…"
Kokushibou's body rapidly turned to sand, and his voice gradually faded with the disappearing sandstorm.
Until only his head remained, his six eyes all faded, and in the ethereal dust, he gradually recalled everything from his human life.
Afternoon, tranquillity.
Mother…
In the last moments of his consciousness,
He took one final look at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the characters in his eyes completely vanished, and the corners of his mouth, which were weathering away below, suddenly curved into a smile.
A human smile:
"I remember now…"
"I am… Tsugikuni Michikatsu."
"Goodbye, Yoriichi…"
At the same moment his voice fell,
A soul detached from his body.
It was so ethereal it was almost illusory, and it was entering the world of the dead as his head vanished.
Click. A door invisible to humans slowly opened above his head.
Yoriichi held his sword, the blade slightly moving.
Whoosh…
The blade returned to stillness.
He quietly watched the scene before him.
And did not interfere.
It wasn't until there was no longer any scent of a demon in the air that Yoriichi slowly turned and descended the mountain.
"Senior…"
Giyu Tomioka slowly raised his eyes at this moment. He struggled to stand, attempting to stop him:
"Please wait!"
"Oh my~" A female voice suddenly drifted from the air, and Kochou Shinobu exhaled deeply as she descended from the sky.
She pressed one hand to her chest, her face pale, but her condition was relatively good due to the great distance.
After landing, she glanced at Giyu Tomioka, revealing an 'as I expected' expression:
"Tomioka-san is really too careless…"
She murmured silently.
She then raised her head and suggested to Tsugikuni Yoriichi:
"Tsugikuni-senpai, please don't leave for now, alright?"
"The Master asked me to tell you."
"Tanjiro Kamado, whom you value, encountered Kibutsuji Muzan a few days ago."
Buzz.
As soon as her voice fell, an invisible ripple suddenly spread across the ground.
Yoriichi instantly appeared in front of Kochou Shinobu.
Looking at her,
His tone became a few shades heavier:
"Where?"
...
"Ah… Tsugikuni-san, it's been a long time."
After some time, Tanjirou finally ascended the mountain.
The moonlight spilt down like water from the sky, and he bowed to Tsugikuni Yoriichi, his voice gentle:
"I'm very happy to see you again."
"If there's anything you wish to ask, I will tell you everything I know."
"Where is Kibutsuji Muzan?" Tsugikuni Yoriichi did not bother with pleasantries.
Kokushibou was already dead; all that remained was to kill Muzan, and then, revive Uta.
Tanjirou pondered for a moment: "I'm very sorry, Tsugikuni-san, I only know his location from a few days ago."
"If I remember correctly, it should be in Asakusa, Tokyo."
"I met him there and used the Breathing Technique you taught me to slay two demons under his command…"
"They were very weak."
This was natural; Tanjirou, without mastering the complete Sun Breathing, could still survive until the end, let alone with Yoriichi's personal instruction.
Yoriichi did not pay attention to the weakness or strength in his words; he only heard two words.
Tokyo… Asakusa.
"Understood."
After a moment of silent contemplation, he vanished again amidst the unspoken gazes of the others.
As he vanished, a voice also came through:
"Whether or not I find Kibutsuji Muzan, I will appear promptly at the Flame Pillar's residence tomorrow morning."
"If there are important matters to discuss, come here for a talk."
Hearing this,
Kochou Shinobu and Giyu Tomioka exchanged glances.
Then,
They looked at each other in bewilderment.
...
...
Soon.
"What?!"
A few exclamations of surprise came from inside a classic Japanese residence:
"Are you kidding me?!"
"The Master is coming to my house to hold a Pillar Meeting?!"
"Tomorrow?!"
"You're not joking?!"
"Kyoujurou!?"
In the warm room, Rengoku Shinjuro looked at his son, Kyojuro Rengoku, who was kneeling before him, and nearly spat out the sake in his mouth.
Gulp~
He stared, mouth agape, his brain, numbed by the sake, rapidly processing everything.
Kyoujurou, hearing his father's doubts, did not flinch; instead, he loudly exclaimed: "Yes, Father!"
His voice was as clear and resonant as ever:
"You heard right!"
"It is indeed tomorrow!"
"Not only will all the Pillar-level swordsmen and the Master be there, but also the originator of the Breathing Technique from four hundred years ago, the one mentioned in the Flame Pillar's records!"
"Please be prepared!"
...
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