Mount Sagiri!
Giyu Tomioka still had that same expressionless face, showing no emotion, but the air around him inexplicably grew colder.
He turned his head, his deep blue eyes sweeping over Tamayo.
Is there any way to kill him completely?
Giyu's voice was calm and even, but the content of his words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
The Yaoshi's head, which had been tossed aside in the corner, immediately perked up upon hearing this.
"What a joke!! You bunch of mortals!!"
The Yaoshi roared madly, spitting everywhere.
"I am the ultimate being, fused with the Blue Spider Lily and the Demon King's Blood! I am an immortal god!!"
"What right do you have to kill me? With your few pieces of junk?! Don't dream! When Lord Muzan arrives, your end will be nigh!!"
"Ara ara~"
Shinobu Kocho a smile, squatted down and gently poked the Yaoshi's eyeball with her slender finger.
"Still being stubborn, huh? Looks like the physical therapy the Sabito just received wasn't quite enough."
"Ah--! You wicked woman! Don't touch my sacred eyes!"
The Yaoshi screamed in pain, spewing out a variety of unique Chinese opera tunes.
Tamayo stood up, looking at the head bobbing up and down, her brows furrowed, her expression grave.
"Mr. Tomioka, I'm afraid that will be difficult."
Tamayo's voice was very soft.
"The Blue Spider Lily itself contains a life law that transcends life and death, which we cannot understand. It grants the Yaoshi's cells almost unlimited regeneration and evolutionary abilities."
"In addition, Muzan's Demon King's Blood provided him with a source of energy..."
"To kill him, we would need to find a way to completely break down his cells at their very core and annihilate his very existence."
But that... is almost impossible.
These words instantly chilled the atmosphere in the room to the bone.
Immortal.
These four words are like a mountain, pressing down on everyone and making it hard to breathe.
Tamayo remained silent for a moment, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her purple eyes.
"Perhaps... there is another way."
All eyes instantly turned to her.
"My life's goal is to develop a potion that can turn ghosts back into humans."
Tamayo took a deep breath, her tone firm.
"If we succeed, we might be able to break the curse of the Demon King's Blood at its root."
"At that time, without an energy supply, even with the power of the Other Shore Flower, the Yaoshi will just be a human with a strong regenerative ability."
"But..."
Tamayo's eyes dimmed.
"I've been researching this for centuries with very little progress! And I have absolutely no confidence in it!"
The room fell into a deathly silence once more.
Kanae looked at Giyu Tomioka, who was standing silently by the window, and felt a sudden pang in her heart.
How much untold weight does this man carry on his shoulders?
She pulled Giyu out of the wooden house and into the yard.
The night breeze was cool, stirring Giyu's unusually colored haori, making his already lonely figure appear even more desolate.
Kanae gently wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
Giyu's body tensed up instantly.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the pair of slender, white hands wrapped around his waist, a hint of panic flashing in his deep blue eyes.
"Kanae..."
"Don't speak."
Kanae gently pressed her cheek against his back, feeling his steady and powerful heartbeat, her voice so tender it could melt water.
I know you're tired.
"You always shoulder all the pressure and face all the dangers by yourself."
"But Giyu, you're not fighting alone."
We're all here.
Giyu remained silent, neither turning around nor pushing her away.
He simply stood there quietly, letting that long-lost warmth seep through his clothes and slowly penetrate his long-frozen heart.
Kanae raised her head, walked around to him, and stood on tiptoe.
In the moonlight, her gentle and beautiful face was so close.
His somewhat bewildered expression was reflected in those expressive eyes.
"Hmm~"
Her soft lips gently pressed against his.
Giyu was completely stunned.
He could clearly smell the Wisteria emanating from the girl's hair.
Moonlight filtered through the sparse leaves, dappling the two of them.
Kanae's fair neck gleamed with a warm, ivory-like sheen under the moonlight, her delicate collarbone faintly visible, making his heart skip a beat.
Giyu's mind went blank.
After a long while, their lips parted.
"This... this is a reward for you."
"Thank you... for always protecting everyone."
After saying that, Kanae turned around and ran back into the house like a frightened little rabbit, leaving Giyu standing there blankly.
He unconsciously raised his hand and gently touched his lips.
It seems that the soft touch and a hint of sweetness still linger on it.
Just then, Shinobu Kocho's amused smile peeked out from behind the door.
"Oh my gosh~ Mr. Tomioka, your face is so red, do you have a fever? Would you like me to get you some medicine? (¬‿¬)"
Giyu: "..."
He silently turned around, his back to that smug face.
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat under the wooden veranda in the courtyard, quietly listening to the Kasugai Crow that had just flown back, reporting urgent intelligence from Mount Sagiri with its rapid and sharp cries.
"Yeah?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki still wore that gentle and calm smile.
It was as if what was about to happen was not a cataclysmic disaster, but merely a trivial shower.
He waved his hand, signaling the Kasugai Crow to retreat.
"My dear husband..."
Amane's voice trembled as she grabbed her husband's sleeve.
"What... should we do?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki reached out and gently stroked his wife's hair.
Don't be afraid.
His voice has a strange power to soothe people's hearts.
He raised his head and looked towards the direction of Mount Sagiri, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of night.
In his mind, the image of that boy who was always alone, not good with words, yet created miracles time and time again appeared.
Giyu Tomioka.
The boy who regenerated his severed arm under the sunlight and single-handedly forced back Upper Rank One.
Kagaya's lips curled up slightly.
"Giyu- san, he's not only the hope of the Demon Slayer Corps, but also the source of our confidence."
"Now that Muzan knows of Yaoshi's existence, there's no point in hiding anymore."
"He thought he had seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but little did he know that he had also completely exposed himself to our hunting rifles."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, which appeared somewhat frail due to illness, seemed to hold up the entire sky at this moment.
He made a decision.
A crazy decision that will determine the course of an entire era.
Face Muzan!!
"Pass on my orders!!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire Ubuyashiki Estate!
"Demon Slayer Corps! Assemble at Mount Sagiri immediately!!"
"Flame Hashira - Shinjuro Rengoku!"
"Stone Hashira - The Gyomei Himejima!"
"Sound Hashira - Tengen Uzui!"
"Head to Mount Sagiri at top speed! Support the Water Hashira!!"
"This battle may be the final showdown to end this millennium-long destiny!!"
"Victory will bring dawn!"
"Defeat means utter annihilation!!"
As he finished speaking, countless Kasugai Crow soared into the sky from every corner of the headquarters, carrying their Oyakata-sama's final orders, and flew in all directions.
In the stillness of the night, it was as if countless long-silent knives, at the same time, emitted a buzzing sound and were suddenly drawn from their sheaths!
[I've been quite busy lately, so I can only manage one chapter a day!]
[I expect to resume two updates a day next week, so please take some time to read the book!]
[Terribly sorry!!]