"Post-Mortem Nen," as the name suggests, was Nen that could only be activated after death.
For example, the Nen Ability "Million Beli Cat," belonging to Kakin Empire Second Prince Camilla Hui Guo Rou, could activate automatically after Camilla died, stealing her killer's life and bringing her back to life.
Another example was Neferpitou. After being killed by Dark Gon, she activated Post-Mortem Nen to stop Gon from continuing to bother Meruem. Using "Doctor Blythe," she kept controlling her headless corpse to attack Gon, and was forced to stop only after it had been completely destroyed.
Then there was the Post-Mortem Nen Chrollo had collected—"Double Face"...
And Hisoka's voluntary resurrection...
In short, "Post-Mortem Nen" had many uses. It could save its user or be used to take revenge on and strike back at others, and it possessed traits such as—
"Intensity," "obsession," and "willpower."
But the man before them clearly wasn't...
First, Minamino Hirotomo was merely an ordinary traveling merchant, not a Nen user...
Second, this was the Demon Slayer world within Roy's Cognitive World. As a local "native," there was no way he could come into contact with Nen or do anything beyond the limits of his own understanding without Roy's guidance. So...
There was only one possibility—
He was a lingering fragment of a soul!
A soul was the supernatural, immaterial component of a human being.
It was the manifestation of the human mind and will transcending the body.
This was clear from Tanjiro's attempt to help Minamino Hirotomo to his feet. His hands had passed right through the man's body.
"A demon... He's another kind of demon..."
After seeing demons with powerful physical bodies, like Sato Takeichiro and Dohi, Tanjiro stared blankly at his hands, which had passed through Minamino Hirotomo. For a moment, he didn't know what to call him.
Minamino Hirotomo himself was quite optimistic. Or perhaps, after years of traveling far and wide as a merchant, he had long since learned how to speak to people and ghosts alike. He smiled warmly at Tanjiro. "My benefactor, there's no need to feel troubled. I was buried by demons, yet I'm fortunate enough to see the world one last time. That alone is a blessing."
Just as Minamino Hirotomo had said, his lingering soul was unstable. A gust of cold wind blew past, and he visibly grew fainter.
"Nii-san, he's fading!" Tanjiro cried in alarm...
That night, he had seen too many bones. He couldn't bear to watch another "life" fade away.
But was Minamino Hirotomo really still a living "life"?
Roy pondered this...
In silence,
he coated his right hand with Nen and tried to help Minamino Hirotomo up, imitating Tanjiro.
To Tanjiro and Minamino Hirotomo's amazement... he actually managed to help Minamino Hirotomo, who had been reduced to a mere wisp of a soul, to his feet.
For an instant, Minamino Hirotomo seemed to have gained a "physical body," an utterly baffling sight.
Minamino Hirotomo looked at Roy in surprise, then bowed to him again. "Thank you for saving me, my benefactor. I feel much better now."
Indeed...
"Nii-san, he really does look much more solid..."
Tanjiro circled Minamino Hirotomo in wonder.
Roy said nothing. He could directly feel his "Nen Qi" being depleted.
In other words, Minamino Hirotomo could exist and briefly maintain his current state only because Roy was continuously supplying him with "Nen."
Once Roy stopped "resupplying" him, Minamino Hirotomo's only fate would be to disappear.
Ultimately... Nen Abilities relied on the six categories, combining "essence," "energy," and "spirit" into one...
They were the reflection of all the "intangible values"—"emotions," "will," "personality," and everything else that defined a "person" as a living being...
To sum it up—they were the "Force of 'I Think So,'" relying on "stats" and "mechanics"!
"Can I touch souls because of Nen?"
Roy pondered this... Just then, the panel flickered twice and appeared...
A new entry had appeared beneath "Nen Ability Form Transformation"—
"Nen Ability Nature Transformation"!
Roy froze... What was this? A reward for slaying demons?
He remembered his great-grandfather's book mentioning "nature transformation," but it hadn't explained any specific training methods.
Or perhaps... the old man had thought Roy had only just opened his Aura Nodes and hadn't systematically developed his Nen Ability yet. It was too early to go too far into "nature transformation," so he had only given him half the material.
But...
What Maha hadn't realized was that Roy's Nen Ability was "Gate of Cognition"...
Ever since his first dream, Roy had been continuously exploring and developing his Nen Ability...
Which raised the question...
"When I get back, should I ask him for the second half of the book on 'Nen Ability Nature Transformation'?"
Roy thought it over for a few seconds, but in the end decided... there was no rush.
You ate one bite at a time, and walked one step at a time. For now, his priority was to improve his "stats" and learn how to use "Total Concentration" with "Sun Breathing."
A host of thoughts flashed through his mind...
Roy came back to himself and told Minamino Hirotomo bluntly, "Don't rush to thank me. You're still going to disappear in the end."
Minamino Hirotomo wasn't a Nen user, and his physical body had already been destroyed. There was no chance of using "Post-Mortem Nen" to bring him back to life.
The only thing he had left was a wisp of a "lingering soul," and even that was being sustained by Roy's Nen... Roy couldn't keep supporting a stranger forever.
"I already said that being able to see this world one last time is a blessing." Minamino Hirotomo smiled.
"But once you disappear, you'll really be gone..." Seeing how calm he was, Tanjiro couldn't help worrying on his behalf.
Roy glared at him. "Quiet!"
He looked calmly at Minamino Hirotomo. To be honest, he admired the merchant for remaining so accepting even in these circumstances. "You truly are an optimistic man..."
"If you have any unfinished business, speak up. If it's within our power, we brothers will do our best to help..."
"Nii-san's right. I can help too." Tanjiro blurted out, then hurriedly covered his mouth and peeked at Roy from the corner of his eye.
Thankfully, Roy didn't hold it against him this time.
"There is one thing." Minamino Hirotomo gazed toward Mount Sagiri, past the mountain slopes draped in white snow like a white veil. His knees buckled, and he knelt at Roy's feet once more...
"I beg you, my benefactor. Take me to see my little girl one last time. Then... I'll be content."
"How old is your daughter?"
"One and a half."
"Can she say 'Papa'?"
"She can." Minamino Hirotomo replied happily. "She can not only say 'Papa,' she's learned to walk, too."
"You have no idea—every time I come home, she clambers onto my belly and calls, 'Papa! Papa!' She leaves drool all over my face..."
"I was thinking that when she's a little older, I'll tie her some pretty little braids, take her to Tokyo, and let her try the famous rice dumplings..."
"And while we're there, I'll stop by the Muto Family's children's clothing store and get her a few pretty dresses. I can watch her admire herself in the mirror..."
Minamino Hirotomo rambled on...
It was as if he had endless things to say...
Roy didn't interrupt. He simply listened in silence, with Tanjiro standing beside him, already in tears.
Dohi's last words, "This damned world!" suddenly rose in Tanjiro's mind.
The boy instinctively touched the axe tucked at his waist.
Moonlight reflected off the blade, flashing with a cold gleam...
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