Blood covered much of his body, and bandages were wrapped around him in many places.
Tetsu no Sosuke leaned closer and saw wounds and needle marks of all shapes and sizes across his body.
"You've been through a lot." Tetsu no Sosuke poked him with a finger.
Noro Kira opened his eyes groggily. At first, his hollow gaze held no spark, but the moment he saw Tetsu no Sosuke, fire flared in his eyes. "Hammer Pillar!"
"You really do hate me." Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "Even with my hair turned white, you still recognized me?"
But Noro Kira had already sunk back into confusion.
"His condition keeps getting worse," Tamayo said. "Your arrival briefly stimulated his brain, but he'll soon slip back into a daze. His memories are no longer coherent. They're scattered fragments. Only someone especially important or meaningful to him might stir his mind again. I never expected you to have left such a deep impression on him."
Tetsu no Sosuke scratched the bridge of his nose. "Should I be proud?"
"Hammer Pillar!"
Noro Kira suddenly roared.
Blood surged through his veins, and his muscles swelled as he strained against his restraints.
All he accomplished was making his nearly healed wounds bleed again.
"His ability to heal himself is completely gone," Tamayo said. "So is his Blood Demon Art. He's now an ordinary human with a strong body. But he still fears Sunlight. I haven't dared expose him to it in case he disintegrates on the spot."
"So he's still not quite there?"
Tamayo nodded. "This is the final hurdle. If he gets past it, recovery will be possible. Otherwise, he'll go on living like this, neither human nor demon."
She sighed and glanced unconsciously at Yushiro.
More than anything, all her efforts were driven by the hope