Illusion

But in the next instant, under their terrified gazes, the corpse on the ground stood up again, and the severed head lying nearby wore an arrogant expression.

The "headless corpse" strolled over, picked up his head, and pressed it back onto his neck, grinning at the two before him. "Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?"

At that moment, a word Muzan had once said popped into Yoriichi's mind: Fuck!

How the hell were they supposed to fight this thing?!

Muzan had told him every day, "You'll be the strongest fighter in this world. Kill any human who stands in your way, and any demon too!"

Now Yoriichi wanted to grab Muzan and ask him just what the hell this demon was!

Tsugikuni Michikatsu looked equally grim. Already injured from the beating he had taken, he could neither escape nor win.

Yoriichi drew a deep breath and slowly turned toward the absurdly powerful demon without looking at Michikatsu. "Brother, run. I'll hold him off."

Tsugikuni Michikatsu, who had been planning to flee, froze at those words. His expression darkened further. He viciously snatched the Nichirin Blade from Yoriichi's hand, hauled him behind him, and stood in his way. "I don't need you sacrificing yourself to save me! I'll hold him off. You run!"

Jingyue Qianyu watched the two standing motionless before him. A transparent, mirrorlike screen displayed the events within the illusion, while Muzan's voice sounded in his mind.

"Don't get carried away playing. Change Tsugikuni Michikatsu's way of thinking for me."

Qianyu curled his lip. "Boss, I just play around with illusions. I'm not a therapist."

"I don't care."

Qianyu scratched his head. "Fine, fine. I'll do my best."

Muzan's voice sounded in his mind again. "I'll give you a reference for the illusion."

In the next instant, an enormous story poured into his mind. Taking in so much information at once actually made Qianyu's head hurt like hell for a moment.

"Hiss-"

Enduring the pain, he seemed to manipulate something in the air.

Naturally, no one could defeat the strongest being in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, but creating the illusion of it was easy enough.

Jingyue Qianyu wasn't actually all that strong, but his Blood Demon Art was useful. Though it took a long time to set up, once he tricked someone into an illusion, manipulating it was easy, and it was very difficult to see through.

Within the illusion, Yoriichi Tsugikuni knew perfectly well that his older brother could no longer fight. He grabbed Michikatsu and stepped back to dodge an attack, snatching the Nichirin Blade at the same time. He held the demon off with his blade, then hurled Tsugikuni Michikatsu away with a powerful thrust of his other hand.

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!"

Tsugikuni Michikatsu flew backward, roaring in fury.

In reality, Tsugikuni Michikatsu's body instinctively staggered, taking him outside the illusion's range. Of course, Qianyu had deliberately arranged that too.

Freed from the illusion, Tsugikuni Michikatsu barely steadied himself and looked around in bewildered suspicion. A moment later, he realized what had happened, drew his sword, and charged at Jingyue Qianyu.

But in the next instant, he entered another illusion Qianyu had prepared.

Within the illusion, Tsugikuni Michikatsu killed Jingyue Qianyu with a single slash, then returned to the Demon Slayer Corps with his younger brother, who had contributed little.

Years later, he still could not defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He could not even narrow the gap between them.

He unlocked the Transparent World and the Demon Slayer Mark.

But he also learned that he would inevitably die at twenty-five. Unwilling to accept death, he encountered Muzan and became a man-eating demon under his command.

Soon afterward, he learned that Yoriichi had encountered Muzan and nearly killed him. But because Yoriichi had failed, because his older brother had become a demon, and because he had let Tamayo go, he was punished for all these offenses and expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps.

Afterward, Muzan also deliberately hid from Yoriichi.

Yoriichi, who had been born to slay the Demon King, never again had the chance to fulfill his purpose.

At twenty-five, he thought Yoriichi was about to die. That day, he recalled all his memories of Yoriichi from their time in the Demon Slayer Corps, and felt only pain. Despite his discomfort, he drank bottle after bottle of alcohol, yet could not get drunk.

He vaguely felt as though he understood something, yet also understood nothing.

From then on, he devoted himself solely to growing stronger.

Many years later, he suddenly spotted an aging Yoriichi beneath the roof of a thatched hut in the woods.

He listened to Yoriichi's account.

As a child, he had not been loved by his father, but his older brother had cared for him.

After leaving home, he had met Shi, only for her to be killed by a demon.

He had wanted to do something useful by slaying the Demon King, but had been powerless to do so.

Then he had learned that his older brother had become a demon.

All alone, he had truly wanted nothing more than a loving family and a small home, with his wife and children within arm's reach.

But it was all gone.

After listening to Yoriichi's account, Kokushibo silently left.

Many years later, Kokushibo encountered the elderly Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

"Brother, how sorrowful..."

As that slash came toward him with unmatched might, a flicker of terror crossed Kokushibo's face, then suddenly gave way to acceptance.

But after that first slash, which had merely gravely wounded him, no second slash came. He stared at his younger brother, whose life had ended.

Clack-

A Bamboo Flute fell to the ground. Kokushibo bent down and picked it up, speechless for a time.

Had he been wrong?

Over the following centuries, he seemed lucid and driven, yet also lost and trapped in a haze.

Until, centuries later, in the Infinity Castle, a young man fought him. In the reflection of the Nichirin Blade, he saw what he had become, and his younger brother's words kept echoing in his mind.

"Brother, how sorrowful..."

There was so much meaning in those words. Tsugikuni Michikatsu suddenly seemed to truly understand. A blade swept across his neck, and he closed his eyes.

Everything before him went dark. Was he going to hell?

But gradually, a figure grew clearer out of the blur. Nearly five hundred years of memories grew hazy, like a dream. In an instant, as though he had awakened, the dream rapidly faded, leaving only a few unforgettable feelings.

The figure before him came into focus.

Who was it?

His memories from before entering the illusion returned. Tsugikuni Michikatsu froze, then looked down and saw the sword he had dropped upon entering the dream. He hastily grabbed its hilt while retreating warily.

"Mission accomplished, Lord Kokushibo. Farewell~"

The demon's figure faded away with a smile.

But another sentence came from somewhere unseen. "Don't worry. I didn't hurt any ordinary people."

Nearby, Yoriichi also emerged from the illusion and looked at the scene before him in confusion.

Hadn't he thrown his brother far away?

Hadn't he been holding the demon off, trying to last until dawn?

Then Yoriichi realized what had happened too. Just as he'd thought! It was an illusion!

Tsugikuni Michikatsu curled his lip. What was that demon after? Why create an illusion like that?

And what did he mean by "mission accomplished"?

"Let's go."

Tsugikuni Michikatsu glanced at Yoriichi, sheathed his sword, and walked away.

Yoriichi looked around and spotted the man who wanted to become a Demon Slayer sleeping nearby. "I'm bringing someone."

"Hurry up."