Minamino Hirotomo's Dying Wish: Nen Ability Nature Change

"Post-mortem Nen," as the name implies, is Nen that can only be activated after death.

For instance, the Nen ability "Million Beli Cat" belonging to Camilla, the second princess of the Kakin Empire, can trigger a passive effect upon her death, stripping the murderer of their life to resurrect her.

Take, for example, the cat-woman Neferpitou. After being killed by the darkened Gon, she activated her post-mortem Nen to prevent Gon from continuing to trouble Meruem. Using "Doctor Blythe," she continued to manipulate her own headless corpse to attack Gon, only stopping once it was completely destroyed.

Then there is the post-mortem Nen collected by Chrollo—"Double Face"...

Or Hisoka's active resurrection...

In short, "post-mortem Nen" is versatile, capable of both self-preservation and retaliatory strikes against others, possessing many characteristics such as—

"Intensity," "Paranoia," and "Willpower."

But the person before him was clearly not that... 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," without Roy's guidance, it was impossible for him to have come into contact with Nen or perform actions that transcended his own cognitive world. Therefore...

There was only one possibility—

He was a lingering soul!

Soul: Specifically refers to the supernatural and non-material components of a human being.

It is the concrete manifestation of human mental will transcending the physical body.

This could be seen when Tanjiro tried to help Minamino Hirotomo up, only for his hands to pass right through the man's body.

"Demon... He is a different kind of demon..."

With powerful physical demons like Sato Takeichiro and Dohi already encountered, Tanjiro stared blankly at his own hands passing through Minamino Hirotomo, momentarily unsure of what to call him.

Minamino Hirotomo himself was quite optimistic, or perhaps, as a traveling merchant who had roamed far and wide for so many years, he had long since mastered the art of saying what people wanted to hear. He smiled at Tanjiro and said, "Benefactor, do not take it to heart. To have been buried by the hands of a demon and still be fortunate enough to see the world one last time is already a great blessing."

As Minamino Hirotomo said, this lingering soul of his was not stable; as the cold wind blew, it became visibly thinner.

"Big brother, he's fading away!" Tanjiro cried out in a panic...

He had seen too many corpses tonight and could not bear to watch another "life" wither away.

However, was Minamino Hirotomo truly still a living life?

Roy was lost in thought...

In the silence, He coated his right hand in Nen and, imitating Tanjiro, attempted to help Minamino Hirotomo up.

To the astonishment of both Tanjiro and Minamino Hirotomo... he actually managed to support Minamino Hirotomo, who was nothing more than a lingering soul.

It was as if Minamino Hirotomo had gained a "physical form" in that instant, which was truly mind-boggling.

Minamino Hirotomo looked at Roy in surprise, bowed, and offered another salute: "Thank you for your help, benefactor. I feel much better now."

Indeed...

"Big brother, he really has become much more solid..."

Tanjiro circled Minamino Hirotomo in wonder.

Roy did not speak; he could intuitively feel his "Nen" being consumed.

In other words, Minamino Hirotomo's ability to exist and briefly maintain his current state was based on Roy's continuous supply of "Nen."

Once he withdrew the "supply," the only end awaiting Minamino Hirotomo would be dissipation.

Ultimately... Nen ability itself relies on the six major categories, a product of condensing "Jing," "Qi," and "Shen" into one...

It is a reflection of the "virtual quantities" that measure a "person" as a biological entity, such as "emotion," "will," and "personality"...

To summarize in one sentence—it is the "power of I think, therefore I am" that relies on "numerical values" and "mechanisms"!

"Is it because of Nen that I can touch a soul?"

Roy had a sudden realization... The panel flickered twice and popped up...

Below "Nen Ability Morphological Change," a new column had appeared—

"Nen Ability Nature Transformation"!

Roy was stunned... What was this? A reward for slaying demons?

He only remembered his great-grandfather mentioning "Nature Transformation" in a book, but it hadn't introduced any specific training methods.

Or perhaps... the old man felt that since he had only just opened his aura nodes and hadn't systematically developed his Nen abilities, it was too early to delve into "Nature Transformation," so he had only given him half the content.

However...

Maha could not have imagined that Roy's Nen ability was the "Gate of Cognition"...

From the very first dream, he had been constantly exploring and developing his Nen ability in depth...

So, the question arose...

"After I go back, should I ask him for the second half of the content regarding 'Nen Ability Nature Transformation'?"

Roy pondered for a few seconds and ultimately decided... no rush.

One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time; for now, the priority remains increasing his own "stats" and learning how to achieve "Total Concentration" with Sun Breathing.

A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant...

Roy regained his focus and told Minamino Hirotomo bluntly, "No need to rush to thank me; you will eventually vanish."

Minamino Hirotomo was not a Nen user, and since his physical body had already been destroyed, there was absolutely no possibility of him being resurrected through "Nen after death."

The mere wisp of a "lingering soul" he had left was only being sustained by Roy's Nen... and Roy could not support a stranger forever.

"I said that being able to see this world one last time was already a great fortune," Minamino Hirotomo said with a smile.

"But, once you dissipate, you'll truly be gone..." Tanjiro, seeing his indifferent demeanor, couldn't help but feel anxious for him.

Roy glared at him: "Shut up!"

He looked at Minamino Hirotomo calmly, and to be honest, he felt a sense of admiration that this traveling merchant could maintain such a sense of relief even in this situation: "You are truly an optimistic man..."

"If you have any unfinished business, just speak up. If we brothers have the ability, we will do our best to fulfill it..."

"Brother is right, I can help too." Tanjiro blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth, daring only to steal a glance at Roy from the corner of his eye.

Fortunately, Roy didn't hold it against him this time.

"There is indeed one thing." Minamino Hirotomo looked toward the direction of Mount Sagiri, along the foothills draped in a white veil of snow, and his knees went weak, causing him to kneel once more at Roy's feet...

"I implore my benefactor to take me to see my little daughter just once. If you do... I shall be content."

"How old is your daughter?"

"One and a half years old."

"Can she call you Papa?"

"She can." Minamino Hirotomo said blissfully: "Not only can she call me Papa, she has also learned to walk."

"You don't know how every time I came home, she would crawl onto my belly, calling 'Papa,' 'Papa,' and rubbing drool all over my face..."

"I was even thinking that when she grew a bit older, I would braid her hair into pretty little pigtails, take her to Tokyo for a stroll, and let her taste the famous rice dumplings..."

"I'd also stop by the Muto Family's children's clothing store to buy her a few pretty little dresses and watch her preen in front of the mirror..."

Minamino Hirotomo rambled on and on...

It was as if he had an endless supply of words...

Roy did not interrupt him, listening silently, while beside him, Tanjiro was already streaming with tears.

Dohi's final words, "This damn world!"

Suddenly surfaced in Tanjiro's mind.

The boy couldn't help but touch the axe tucked at his waist.

The blade reflected the moonlight, flashing with a cold, chilling gleam...