"Ah!"
Butterfly Mansion.
A panicked scream came from the innermost bedroom.
Kanae sat bolt upright in bed, clutching her chest, her body covered in a cold sweat.
The next moment, a light footstep sounded from outside, followed by someone pushing open the door and entering.
Looking at her older sister sitting blankly on the bed, Shinobu Kocho asked anxiously.
"Sister, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Shinobu Kocho's words brought Kanae back to her senses, and she turned to smile gently at her younger sister.
"It's nothing, I just had a nightmare..."
"Nightmare?"
Shinobu Kocho was puzzled.
"Yes."
What nightmare did you have?
Kanae frowned upon hearing this, thought about it carefully for a moment, and then slowly shook her head.
"I don't remember, I can't recall..."
Suddenly, Kanae seemed to remember something, and placed one hand loosely on her chest, saying with a hint of worry:
"Ren, do you think something might have happened Teiichi Dingyi?"
Shinobu Kocho her head. "Sister, why do you think that?"
"Isn't it said that if something happens to a close relative, the family can sense it?"
Shinobu Kocho puffed out her cheeks. "Then, will you be there if something happens to me?"
Thump--!
"Ah!"
Kanae raised a hand and slammed it hard on Shinobu Kocho's forehead, causing Shinobu Kocho.
Looking at Shinobu in front of her, Kanae said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense!!"
"Alright, alright! We'll spar when he comes back for the New Year, won't we? That guy's getting more and more ruthless. Even if something happens to us, nothing will happen to him!"
Despite Kanae's words of comfort, Kanae still couldn't completely put her mind at ease.
Turning her head, she looked out the window with concern at the falling snowflakes...
I had a feeling that someone was watching me just now...
Click--!
The Nichirin Blade snapped in two with a crisp sound...
The Nichirin Blade that had been with Teiichi for Teiichi ten years was severed right before Teiichi eyes.
Then.
The dark red blade, now unobstructed, slashed towards the figure below with breathtaking speed.
Whoosh--!
As the blade fell, a figure was thrown into the air by the immense force, tracing a poignant arc.
Crimson blood droplets bloomed in the air, like the most dazzling red plum blossoms in winter.
The figure tumbled through the air, eventually crashing heavily into three thick trees before finally coming to a stop against the fourth.
The remaining force kept the figure suspended in the tree, preventing it from falling.
Pain surged like a tidal wave, Teiichi felt every muscle in his body trembling, his throat churning.
The next moment.
"Cough... cough cough..."
A mouthful of blood gushed out, staining his clothes red and reflecting the crimson color onto Teiichi's pale face.
With the action of vomiting blood, his body slowly slid down the tree trunk, his legs awkwardly supporting him underneath, his back pressed against the cold tree trunk.
The wound on his chest was shocking, stretching from his shoulder all the way to his abdomen, with blood gushing out and staining his clothes crimson.
"Whoosh--whoosh--"
Heavy breathing echoed Teiichi Dingyi's ears.
Teiichi looked up and gazed at the distant Kokushibo.
They seemed to think victory was assured.
Kokushibo didn't rush to finish him off. Instead, he held the massive blade in one hand and slowly walked towards Teiichi.
Teiichi wanted to get up and continue fighting, but intense pain and fatigue overwhelmed him.
They struggled like this for a while.
Realizing that he seemed to have no extra strength, Teiichi's tense mind finally relaxed.
Is this where my path ends...?
I watched the snowflakes fall one by one before my eyes.
Teiichi's eyelids began to droop uncontrollably, and his consciousness gradually began to blur... blur...
In a daze, Teiichi felt as if his soul had left his body and was drifting away.
A hazy, unreal feeling, unlike anything he had ever experienced before, enveloped Teiichi.
He seemed to see the small, empty hilltop where they had left, the silent Yamada Town, Kanae's gentle sleeping face, and all the little things that had happened along the way...
Time seemed to lose its meaning at this moment.
Maybe it will take a year, maybe two years, maybe ten years...
It's also possible that it's just a fleeting moment.
The next second.
Teiichi's slightly lowered eyelids slowly opened again.
This moment.
The world slowly unfolded before Teiichi's eyes!
He felt the branches trembling, the wind blowing, and the snowflakes falling...
Everything was so real, so... vivid.
Teiichi slowly raised his left hand, and a snowflake gently landed in his palm. Under the care of his palm, it slowly melted into ice water, bringing a touch of coolness.
His gaze then shifted slightly upwards, fixed on Kokushibo approaching from afar.
A purple and black kimono was being worn by Kokushibo.
His eyes closed gently, then opened again.
Every muscle on the humanoid skeleton was displayed before Teiichi's eyes.
Even the movement of bones, the state of muscles, and the flow of blood are depicted in exquisite detail.
Transparent World...
Teiichi muttered a sentence to himself.
Her eyes were slightly lowered as she felt the gentle breeze surrounding her.
It seems there's more...
But there wasn't time to delve too deeply into it at that moment.
At this moment, Teiichi felt that he had reached an unprecedented level of control over his body.
He looked down at his wound and saw that the muscles and blood vessels at the wound were trembling slightly, as if responding to his will.
The next moment, the wound, which had been bleeding profusely, stopped bleeding instantly.
In the distance, Kokushibo's raised foot suddenly stopped in mid-air.
As someone who had also comprehended the Transparent World, he naturally saw what Teiichi just done.
Breathing Style can help control the body to achieve a certain degree of hemostasis, but they can never stop the bleeding from a wound you just inflicted.
Those who can achieve this level of skill are undoubtedly...
The Demon Slayer before me has mastered the Transparent World!
but...
Looking at the Demon Slayer who had risen from the ground once more, Kokushibo spoke:
"Even if you comprehend the Transparent World, so what? With your current severely injured body? Or with that broken blade in your hand?"
Teiichi exhaled softly, his breaths long and drawn out.
He gently lifted the remaining Nichirin Blade with his right hand.
Teiichi silently stared at the Nichirin Blade in front of him, which, including the hilt, was less than half the original length.
Although almost every member of the Demon Slayer Corps has experienced their weapon breaking during battle.
But this was the first time Teiichi had encountered this.
Sorry, old friend...
Teiichi muttered something to himself.