Return to the Old Place

He likes to devour strong individuals, but he isn't interested in women.

Yuko felt this guy would get along well with Doma.

Running through her thoughts, Yuko asked the question she cared about most.

"Are there any other dojos in the city?"

The young girl shook her head.

Yuko's brows furrowed slightly, but she relaxed them in an instant.

There was no need.

As a martial artist, the Blood Demon Art shouldn't be too different.

He should be the type to fight with pure physical strength.

Although it was a bit regrettable that she was a step too late, she hadn't come away empty-handed.

After finishing her questions, Yuko slowly stood up.

The young girl quickly wiped her face and looked up at her.

Although she didn't say anything, Yuko understood her meaning.

After a moment of silence, Yuko said, "If... if you can live to be over seventy, I can bring you news of his death."

It was already the end of the Edo period. Her knowledge of Japanese history wasn't great, but she knew about the Meiji Restoration.

The Taisho period would be in the early 20th century.

This meant the girl in front of her would have to live to at least seventy or eighty before she could possibly see the end of Demon Slayer.

This sudden remark stunned the young girl for a good while.

Yuko lowered her eyelids slightly and turned to walk outside.

"Wait!"

The young girl called out to stop her.

Yuko glanced sideways slightly.

The young girl gritted her teeth and asked, "Are you serious?"

"I am."

"I'll be right here!" the young girl clenched her fists, her tone becoming firm. "No matter how many years it takes, I'll be here and won't leave!"

"I won't let my father's dojo disappear!"

"...I understand."

Yuko nodded slightly and turned to leave the dojo.

As she reached the doorway, her steps suddenly paused, and she turned back to ask, "Oh, right, did that demon mention his name?"

"Akaza! Father called out his name before he died."

Yuko's mind went blank for a moment.

How did she mix up 'chicken' and 'Akaza'?

Even if she only recognized half of a character, it should still be read as 'yi', right?

After thinking it over, she could only blame those weird netizens.

She was already a casual viewer, and they were misleading her in the comment sections of short videos. Wasn't that just making things harder for her?

Now, she was even starting to doubt the other information in her little notebook.

Yuko sighed inwardly and left without looking back.

It wasn't that she was heartless.

The tragedies brought about by demons were countless.

The reason the Demon Slayer Corps' legacy continued was essentially because demons constantly wreaked havoc on the human world.

Those who lost family and friends because of them would want to eat their flesh and drink their blood.

Seeing so much and being unable to change anything can lead to depression.

Did all the generations of Demon Slayer Corps members who failed to achieve the wish of defeating Kibutsuji Muzan die with regrets?

Everyone harbored the desire to defeat demons and save the world, not just to sacrifice themselves in vain.

One day, those harmed by demons would drive their blades into his chest and tear his body apart.

The journey to find Upper Ranks was not easy. In the more than a hundred years since parting ways with Tamayo, besides running into Doma, there was only that one time she almost found Akaza.

Other than that, she hadn't encountered any other Upper Ranks.

She had dealt with two Lower Ranks, though. Because they were too arrogant, Yuko sent them to their demise as soon as she found them.

It was a way of indirectly reducing the pressure on the Demon Slayer Corps.

Decades flew by in the blink of an eye, and time finally reached the twentieth century.

The era Yuko had been waiting for.

It was the era of the Taisho Nine Hashira, and Tanjiro's era.

An era where Muzan could be killed.

At this point in time, Yuko wondered if Tanjiro had even been born yet.

One day, this thought suddenly popped into Yuko's mind, and she couldn't shake it.

After wandering this land for who knew how many years, Yuko once again had a brief destination.

She located the direction of Tanjiki's family and set off, climbing mountains and crossing rivers.

Many changes had occurred over the centuries.

The town at the foot of the mountain had developed, and even utility poles had been erected. The town was visibly prosperous.

It was winter, and everything was covered in a layer of white snow.

The crisp, cold air entering her lungs seemed to dissipate much of the pent-up frustration in Yuko's heart.

Using the moonlight as her guide, Yuko began to climb the mountain.

Centuries had brought many changes to the mountain path, but Tanjiki's family's ancestral home should not have moved. So, as long as she found the direction from memory, the rest would be left to time.

When she encountered impassable roads, Yuko leaped over them as if she were a blade of grass springing from dry land.

Her formidable physical prowess allowed her to effortlessly achieve effects akin to 'lightness skill.'

A faint flicker of fire appeared in her vision, growing larger as she advanced.

Was it the Kagura Dance?

Hundreds of years ago, she had seen one of Tanjiki's descendants demonstrate the sword forms of Sun Breathing.

Standing in the dark forest, using the trees for cover, Yuko looked towards the clearing.

The house had undergone considerable changes from hundreds of years ago, but its location remained the same.

In the clearing, a man wearing ceremonial attire, with white paper bearing the character 'Flame' stuck to his face, was tirelessly wielding a ceremonial tool, dancing in the snow.

Dance of the Fire God...

Or rather, Sun Breathing...

How could these twelve sword forms be passed down so accurately?

This was not the effort or talent of a single generation.

It was almost like... the will of a god.

Yuko's eyes saw through the man's physical condition.

Terrible. He didn't have many years left to live.

It wasn't much different from when she was half-dead back then, maybe just a little better.

Yuko's first reaction.

It must be Tanjiro's father.

Yuko desperately tried to recall anything about him, but all she could remember were the words she had written in her books.

During Tanjiro's battle with Lower Rank Five Enmu, his memories helped Tanjiro learn Sun Breathing.

Beyond that, she couldn't recall anything. She had even forgotten what Lower Rank Five looked like.

Yuko's mind went blank, and then she suddenly realized that the man's breathing frequency was surprisingly good.

Looking closely, he had seemingly learned the breathing technique to this extent in the Clear and Transparent World, without a teacher.

The breathing technique was allowing his body to hold on almost perfectly.

Hmm?

Two figures emerged from the snow-covered house, one tall and one short.

Yuko's eyes automatically ignored the taller figure, her gaze fixed on the shorter silhouette.

Human memory typically only lasts a few decades, or even less.

Even elementary school classmates who played together for six years might not recall many clear faces when reminiscing twenty years later.

But even after centuries, Yuko still remembered Tanjiro's appearance.

There was no other reason.

He was the protagonist.

He could defeat Muzan.