"Ooh! What profound wisdom!" Kyojuro nodded vigorously, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "Instead of wallowing in self-pity over our weaknesses, we should strive to refine ourselves through diligent training!"
His voice remained as cheerful as ever, completely oblivious to the dark, stormy expression now clouding Sanemi's face.
Murata cowered behind Yuki, sensing that Sanemi was about to draw his sword at any moment!
Fortunately, Kyojuro continued with his usual vigor:
"Yuki! Though it pains me to say goodbye, we've completed our mission and must take our leave!"
"It has been an honor to serve alongside you!"
"I will personally report your slaying of two Lower Moon Demons to Lord! I'm certain he will be overjoyed to hear this news!"
"Sanemi, let's go."
Upon hearing this, Murata's eyes widened in astonishment.
He actually killed two Lower Moon Demons?!
Yuki is truly extraordinary!
Meanwhile, Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Kyojuro took Sanemi away. Otherwise, I'd have to witness the infamous "Surround Giyū" scene again.
After seeing off Kyojuro and Sanemi, Yuki, Tomioka, and Murata exited the mansion.
At the entrance, Yuki turned to Tomioka and Murata:
"You've likely completed your investigations as well. Go attend to your duties. I'll remain here a while longer."
Just then, a Kasugai Crow flew over, squawking:
"Caw! Southeast! Southeast!"
"Demon traces detected on a train!"
"Pillar-class Swordsman Tomioka and Kanoe rank swordsman Murata are ordered to investigate immediately!"
Upon receiving the message, the two exchanged brief farewells and hurried off.
Yuki exhaled softly and began searching for Yoriichi's grave, following Tamayo's instructions.
Before long, he found a tombstone that, though weathered with age, still bore clearly legible inscriptions:
[Tomb of Tsugikuni Yoriichi]
Yuki stood before the grave in silence for a moment, then began clearing the surrounding weeds.
At the same time, memories of Yoriichi's past, which Yuki had read in the original work, slowly resurfaced in his mind.
He remained lost in thought for an unknown length of time before finally snapping back to reality.
A sudden realization struck him, and he instinctively checked the Restoration Rate, sensing it had increased again.
It had now reached 42%.
Just then, an incredibly powerful sonic boom echoed through the air.
Yuki turned his head to see a figure land heavily in a nearby clearing with a dull thud.
A shockwave of dirt and grass fragments erupted from the impact site.
As the dust settled, Yuki clearly saw a new figure standing there.
He observed that the figure stood with perfect posture, clad in a kimono patterned with purple snake scales and black patches.
At his waist hung a living, flesh-and-blood katana that seemed almost alive.
Looking up, Yuki confirmed his suspicions: the figure possessed six terrifying golden eyes!
On the central pair of eyes, he saw the characters "Upper Rank" and "One."
Upper Moon One - Kokushibo
Kokushibo's six eyes locked onto Yuki with an unwavering gaze.
When Muzan had ordered him to search for Yoriichi's grave, Kokushibo had held no hope of success.
He still remembered how, after severing Yoriichi's corpse, he had retrieved the flute he had personally crafted.
In that moment, Kokushibo regained a flicker of his human emotions, and tears welled in his eyes.
Unable to face Yoriichi's mangled corpse any longer, he turned and fled.
In those turbulent times, even if Yoriichi's body wasn't left to rot in the wilderness, it would likely have been buried hastily in an unmarked grave.
After nearly three centuries of relentless change, even if someone had properly entombed Yoriichi, his remains would have long since decomposed into dust, leaving not even bones behind.
Yet Muzan's firsthand account and the scars on Kokushibo's own body forced him to confront the impossible:
Yoriichi had returned from the dead!
He had crawled out of his grave!
Following his memories from that fateful day, Kokushibo first searched the last place he had encountered Yoriichi.
But after days of relentless searching, he found no trace of him.
Just as Kokushibo was about to abandon the search and return to Infinity Castle to report to Muzan, he overheard nearby demons whispering about a peculiar grave hidden deep within the forest—one said to have existed for centuries.
Moreover, they claimed that every few decades, a beautiful woman would appear at the grave to pay her respects.
As Kokushibo listened to the demons' tales, an overwhelming premonition surged through him:
This strange grave must be the final resting place of Yoriichi!
Without hesitation, Kokushibo swiftly headed toward the grave the demon had described.
Upon arriving, he saw—
Crimson hair, a red haori.
A dark red Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead.
A face identical to the Yoriichi he remembered.
And... the pair of sun-patterned Hanafuda earrings his mother had left him.
The person before him slowly overlapped with the Yoriichi of his memories.
Kokushibo suddenly felt as if a giant hand had clenched his heart.
Fear, shock, longing, hatred, jealousy...
A flood of emotions surged through Kokushibo's mind.
After centuries of calm, he had almost forgotten he still possessed such intense feelings.
Finally, Kokushibo spoke slowly:
"You... you truly resemble him."
His voice was abnormally hoarse, like two pieces of rusted iron scraping together.
"But you could never be him!"
"Three hundred years ago, I personally witnessed Yoriichi die before my eyes."
"The dead cannot return to life. You are merely an imposter, a mimic of Yoriichi. You..."
Yuki gave Kokushibo a deep, penetrating look.
Earlier, he had stood by Yoriichi's grave for a long time, immersing himself in the man's spirit and fully embodying Yoriichi's persona.
He reached out and gently stroked the tombstone beside him, murmuring softly, "Elder Brother, you haven't changed at all."
"Ever since my return, I've wondered if we'd meet again, but I never imagined it would be here."
Kokushibo seemed enraged by Yuki's words. All six of his eyes flashed with fury as he snarled, "Stop pretending! You could never be Yoriichi!"
"You might fool That Lord, but a pathetic imitator like you could never..."
Yuki raised his head to meet Kokushibo's gaze and slowly uttered, "How pitiful, Elder Brother."