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A lot has happened over the past few months.
The scale of it all has even made me open my eyes wide.
I heard that Tanjiro and the other two assisted Tengen on a mission. There were plenty of twists along the way, but they ultimately managed to track down Upper Rank Six and kill him.
"Mr. Uzui was in low spirits for a long time after the mission wrapped up, but he's finally come around."
The biggest gain from that battle was Tanjiro himself. A mark appeared on his forehead, right over that old scar — in exactly the same position as Yoriichi's mark.
When Ritsu heard about it, she dragged him straight back to the Swordsmith Village. With Kotetsu's permission, she had Tanjiro spar against the mechanical doll Yoriichi had left behind.
Something happened at the Swordsmith Village after that. The details never made it back to Kanae Kocho, only that some demons had managed to find the village's location and attempted a raid.
The attack was planned by the Lower Ranks.
From what they let slip, Muzan had given the Lower Rank demons a list of tasks, offering more of his blood as a reward for completing them , and for the most ambitious, a chance to claw their way up into the Upper Ranks.
It drove them into a frenzy. They started hunting humans and Demon Slayers with real purpose.
The village's location had probably been leaked through the routine supply runs, or maybe someone who'd gone out had let something slip. Either way, it drew the demons' attention.
They saw it as a perfect opportunity to earn merit.
So all five Lower Ranks reported to Muzan, joined forces, and brought along every demon they'd each turned, then marched on the Swordsmith Village.
With Ritsu already there, and Muichiro Tokito visiting at the same time to have his sword repaired, five Lower Ranks shouldn't have been a serious threat.
But Muzan had apparently grown very unhappy with the string of failures. He decided he needed to recoup his losses.
He sent the Lower Ranks as the visible force. What he didn't show was Kokushibo waiting behind them.
If Kyojuro and Mitsuri Kanroji hadn't been close enough to rush over in time, they probably wouldn't have lasted until the end.
The casualties were heavy. The cost was real. But they drove Kokushibo back.
The greater gain was Muichiro Tokito. He recovered his memories during the battle, and his mark activated.
And then there was Nezuko Kamado, who underwent something stranger still.
"You're saying... Nezuko has overcome sunlight?" I asked.
It wasn't that I doubted Kanae Kocho. It was just too extraordinary to take in all at once.
Kanae Kocho smiled and nodded. "Yes. I took some of Nezuko's blood for research — the changes in it are remarkable, though not quite the same as the Blue Spider Lily. But Miss Tamayo says her research has made tremendous progress. Combined with the data Shinobu and I provided, she expects to develop a medicine that can turn demons back into humans very soon."
All these years, Tamayo and the Demon Slayer Corps had been researching from completely different angles. Who could have imagined that putting their findings together would produce a breakthrough this large?
But if Nezuko had overcome sunlight, that wasn't the kind of news that could stay hidden from Muzan for long.
I asked, carefully, about his recent movements.
Kanae Kocho shook her head. Demons had suddenly vanished. Not a reduction in activity like before , a complete disappearance. No traces anywhere.
That kind of quiet doesn't bring relief. It presses down on you, like the stillness before a storm breaks.
I know Muzan has an Infinity Castle. Its location is unknown, but it's certainly large enough to hold every demon he commands. Pulling them all back meant one thing: he'd seen the hope of his wish within reach, and he was gathering strength for a final strike.
And he still didn't know about the Blue Spider Lily. If...
I turned that thought over in silence while Kanae Kocho kept talking.
"Since demons have stopped appearing entirely, the Hashira held a meeting and agreed to run a joint training session for everyone — to raise the Corps' overall combat strength as quickly as possible."
It wasn't like the training I'd put them through before. This was aimed at the entire Corps, top to bottom.
But Kanae Kocho had gone through all of it , everyone's movements, everything that had changed , and she still hadn't mentioned Kagaya.
"How is Kagaya's health?"
She bit her lip, just slightly, and sighed the way I'd expected her to. "Lord Kagaya... You've probably already guessed. His condition has worsened further."
My heart clenched. I'd seen it happen before, more times than I could count, and still I couldn't keep the ache from settling in.
"I'll... go see him."
It had been a while since I last visited the Ubuyashiki estate. It was as quiet as ever. Amane kept the household in perfect order, and she was keeping Kiriya closer to her side than usual.
She came to greet me with the same expression she always wore , so calm it bordered on blank, as though none of it had touched her.
But when I looked more carefully, I saw the powder she'd applied to her face. Just enough to hide what was underneath.
I reached out and patted her head. "You haven't been sleeping, have you? You can't be the one who breaks first."
Amane lowered her head slightly, let out a quiet breath, and the tension in her shoulders finally gave way. "Yes..."
Kiriya bowed in greeting beside her. He still wore the women's clothing, but the girls' accessories were gone. And in his face, faint but unmistakable, was the same composed steadiness Kagaya used to carry.
I patted his head too. He used to smile when I came to visit.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Kiriya looked up and gave me that smile anyway. "I'll take care of myself. Please, go see Father. He's been missing you."
Over the past few months, Kagaya's decline had accelerated sharply.
Before, he couldn't see, but he could still move. Still sit up. Still be present in a room.
Now, what lay in the bedding was barely a human shape.
Dense, dark patterns had spread across his already pale skin, branching from his face down to his limbs, all of it wrapped in bandages. The air in the room was thick with the bitterness of medicine and disinfectant, and beneath it, something else , faint, subtle, unmistakable. The smell that clings to the dying.
I knelt beside the bed and gently took his hand.
Before I could say anything, he stirred. "Is it... you?"
"It's me." I gave his hand a small shake. "I slipped out to enjoy myself for a while. Come back and you've gone and changed your whole look on me."
His chest trembled faintly. The laugh that came out was so quiet it was almost nothing at all.
"I was worried... I wouldn't get to see you... one last time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, putting on an offended tone. "You're not welcoming me back anymore?"
"No... I only meant..." He paused between each breath, but every word came out precise and deliberate. "That time... is finally coming. So... I thought it was time... to give you your freedom."
And then I understood.
So much had happened. And not one person had come to tell me. That had been Kagaya's doing , all of it, his quiet instruction.
The final battle was almost here.
And he had decided to leave me out of it.
➤ Next: Pre-Battle Special Training
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