The Me I Once Was

Oboro and Shiwei arrived at the desolate outskirts outside the city.

The two stood facing each other.

As the Shiwei exhaled, a pattern resembling a birthmark appeared on the back of his ear and down his neck.

The Demon Slayer Mark are now visible.

In an instant, Long observed that the opponent's physical strength had become unparalleled.

But... that's only relative to the level of 'ordinary people'.

Shiwei raised his Nichirin Sword, his calm gaze revealing a resignation to certain death.

"It seems... you also know that you can't beat me."

Although Oboro is no longer ill, he still carries the cane that Kamado Tanpei gave him with him, and he is currently using it as a support.

Back then, when he played tricks on the seven pillars, including the Shiwei, he also used this wooden stick.

"Winning or losing is not important sometimes."

The Shiwei replied.

Oboro clapped his hands in praise, "Although I have never met any of the current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, at least the seven of you... truly impress me."

"You're a ghost."

The Shiwei added another sentence.

"From your perspective... that's correct."

Long raised a hand, and under the watchful eyes of the Shiwei, one of his fingers suddenly changed color. The moment it came into contact with the sunlight, the fingertip was burned to ashes. When he lowered his arm, the finger, hidden under his sleeve, grew back and returned to its normal appearance, no longer subject to the scorching sun.

"However, I don't consider myself a ghost... The standard for judging whether someone is a human or a ghost should not be their appearance, but their inner self."

Long smiled.

"Stop pretending... To this world, you are the most dangerous demon!"

The veins on the back of the Shiwei, which was gripping the hilt of the knife, bulged, and he lunged at Long in an instant.

The blade flashed like a fleeting glimpse of a swan, its speed and angle both perfect, making it almost imperceptible.

However, Oboro still managed to block the attack in front of his chest with his wooden staff.

At this moment, the usually calm Kawai Ichie revealed a side of himself that no one had ever seen before. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his face, which was so close to mine, became much more ferocious.

"Um?"

Just as Long was about to retaliate, he suddenly raised an eyebrow.

My entire arm felt incredibly heavy, which affected my movements.

Water Breathing, a new technique! It seems to be able to restrain the target, and the power of the blade makes the surrounding air viscous.

You've grown a lot.

Long sighed.

Bang bang bang.

Shiwei didn't respond. Their weapons clashed rapidly, and what made Oboro's smile grow wider was... he realized that the techniques he had used to toy with several people back then were now ineffective against Shiwei. This had only happened once before, when he fought Kokushibo.

"Every day I dream about reliving your every move from back then... Now, I'm returning it all to you."

The Shiwei said coldly.

As the two weapons clashed, Oboro retreated continuously, while the Shiwei pressed forward relentlessly.

Moreover, Oboro's wooden staff was also chipped with nicks by the Nichirin Sword.

There was no way he could use skill to circumvent the inherent quality difference between the two weapons made of different materials.

Oboro was indeed not very skilled at using a knife.

Having learned breathing techniques, Shiwei gained a deeper understanding of breathing and was able to develop new techniques suitable for himself from Water Breathing.

To launch an effective attack against Oboro, we must seek innovation and change.

Otherwise, it's useless if you only rely on breathing techniques.

That night a few years ago already proved it.

It's clear that the Shiwei has put in a lot of effort.

A moment later, with a crisp sound, the wooden cane in Long's hand fell off and was knocked away by the Shiwei... The dazzling blade light before his eyes seemed to transform into a winding stream, like a pale blue silk thread, falling towards his neck.

Long jumped back in time, dodging the attack, but the black haori on her body was torn in two by the blade's force.

Kawai Ichie possesses the power to kill an Upper Moon demon! He is also the only current Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps to have ever killed an Upper Moon demon.

"Stop being so reserved... I am now qualified to threaten you." Shiwei's aura reached its peak.

Once, the seven of them fought Oboro all night, but they couldn't even scratch the man, let alone damage his clothes. Now, Oboro's signature haori, which he has always worn, has finally been destroyed... In a way, this foreshadows that things are different now.

The man remained relaxed... but in the eyes of the Shiwei, it was more arrogance.

Arrogance... comes at a price.

Especially their contempt for life.

Oboro glanced at the wooden staff in the distance, then at the clothes lying on the ground, and looked at the Shiwei. "When I taught the Demon Slayer Corps the breathing technique, it was for the purpose of 'sowing seeds.' The seven of you were the first batch of seeds... So far, it seems that only you have sprouted, while the others have been eliminated."

"This achievement has exceeded my expectations... I thought that you wouldn't see any signs of it in your generation."

"I underestimated the potential of the will to carry on the legacy and make you who you are."

"Very nice."

"Finally willing to tell the truth and reveal your true colors?"

The Shiwei observed that the man's expression turned cold, and the aura he exuded began to become terrifying.

It's no longer a facade of gentleness and approachability.

Instead, it is a terrifying creature that exudes danger from head to toe.

"My true self? That is indeed my original personality, but I have no interest in taking the weak too seriously... I'm just showing you the real me out of appreciation for your awareness."

"I hope... you won't regret it."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Shiwei's soul trembled, and he instinctively wanted to unleash one of his prepared killing moves, "Water Breathing..."

However, before the words were spoken and the starting stance was even set, the ground opposite suddenly churned and exploded.

The man moved with terrifying speed, as if he had traversed time and space, and arrived in front of them in an instant.

The sheer force of the wind made the Shiwei squint and his hair sway.

He used the power of the Demon Slayer Mark and breathing techniques to forcibly activate the incomplete sword's power... However, the sword's power was shattered as soon as it arose, like a mirror being broken. The water droplets formed by the Water Breathing dried up instantly, and a fist carrying indescribable power destroyed everything.

Compared to the power of that punch, Shiwei felt that the power of his sword was like child's play.

No one can withstand the power contained in that fist.

"I'm going to die!" A thought flashed through the Shiwei's mind.

He couldn't believe it.

But he did not waver, and continued to stubbornly swing his sword.

He will not back down.

After breaking the sword's stance, the fist's power shifted in mid-air, opening its palm and suddenly grabbing the Shiwei's neck.

As Oboro's fingers contracted, Shiwei immediately struggled to breathe, his face turning a deep liver color, and within seconds, white saliva appeared at the corners of his mouth.

He was in a daze, and he didn't loosen his grip on the knife. Instead, he slowly and weakly raised the knife and slashed at Oboro's body.

He wants to fulfill his own will.

Long tightened his grip, pinching Shiwei so hard that his eyes rolled back and blood gushed from his nose and mouth.

"Did you see that?"

"This is the real me."

"In this state, I follow my own will, and my own will reigns supreme... which is also the state I am most used to."

"My will is a gift left to me by a world you cannot imagine... Although I have always praised your inherited will, don't misunderstand, in the face of my will, your little bit of awareness... is all garbage."

He spoke with a blank expression.

At this point, the Shiwei could hardly hear what he was saying.

"Your growth... surprised me. You still have value as a seed of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"Go become a mentor... let those younger generations step on your shoulders to reach even higher heights."

"I am much more lenient now... You would never want to see what I would do to the world if I were driven by my own will."

After saying this, Long threw away the already suffocating Shiwei like trash.

"Compared to true destruction, you can already be secretly happy about what you have now."