Chapter 38: Will You Continue to Help Me? |
The endless river of time halted its tireless flow, and the dim moonlight creeping between the clouds froze into a silent stillness.
Yeruashi finished his long tale and looked calmly at Mitsuri, waiting for her reaction.
But the girl was currently lost in a profound daze, her mind completely blank. She stood there in a stupor, staring vacantly at the world around her...
Yeruashi was in no rush; he waited patiently for her to process everything.
It took a considerable amount of time before Mitsuri's tangled thoughts began to unravel.
"This... this must be a dream, right?" she whispered, the realization finally beginning to sink in.
Yeruashi couldn't help but smile at the sight of Mitsuri's dazed yet adorable expression. For a moment, he actually felt a spark of joy at being able to stun her like this, relishing the chance to witness every facet of her charm and experience more of those precious human emotions.
"Witnessing something like that isn't easy, even in the most vivid of dreams," Yeruashi said with a smile.
At his words, Mitsuri froze once more.
To travel to the unimaginably distant past, witness the miracle of life's origin and the birth of the world itself, and then return to the present...
Such things were beyond the reach of even the wildest imagination.
"You are my companion and my assistant in one of the myriad lives that has reached its end today..." Yeruashi said, his voice calm and steady.
Upon hearing those words...
...Mitsuri, who had still been drifting in a daze, snapped back to reality. A sudden chill washed over her, like being doused with ice water in the middle of a nightmare.
A divine being had descended into this world to experience the life of a mortal, and now that this life was over, Yeruashi would...
But before she could finish the terrifying thought, a soft, gentle voice reached her ears.
"So, will you continue to help me from now on?" Yeruashi asked.
It was no exaggeration to say that Mitsuri had contributed more than anyone to the revival of his waning emotions. In fact, across all the lives he had lived in this world, she was the only one he had ever truly called his wife.
His offer pulled Mitsuri back from the edge of despair.
"I... can I?" she stammered after a long silence, her voice a mix of helplessness and self-reproach. "I’m... I’m just... just..."
Of course she was ready to help him!
She might not have understood everything he had told her, and many details had gone over her head, but she knew one thing for certain—her beloved husband wasn't just a doctor or a powerful man. He was effectively a god looking down from the heights of his own omnipotence.
Infinite, powerful, and magnificent...
The scale of it was beyond her comprehension, but she couldn't bear to let him go. The mere thought of being separated from him made her heart ache.
"Of course you can," Yeruashi replied with a nod and a warm smile. "Regardless of the powers I possess, human emotions are the most precious things in existence. Your task is to help me hold onto them so I don't lose who I am."
"But... I don't know how," Mitsuri whispered, her voice trembling.
She was willing to do anything to stay by his side, but she simply didn't understand what he expected of her.
"That’s for you to figure out," Yeruashi said with a wink. Without waiting for a response, he shifted his gaze toward the Demon Slayers and Wakuraba.
It was impossible to count how many deaths he had seen or how many demons he had encountered throughout his countless lifetimes. Now that his omnipotence had returned, he cared as little about the Lower Rank Three as he did about Muzan.
"What should we do with him?" Yeruashi asked, leaving the decision to Mitsuri.
The girl blinked her large, light-green eyes.
Only moments ago, she had wanted this monster to suffer a gruesome death and rot in hell; she had even hated herself for her inability to protect her husband. But now, that hatred had faded into a distant echo.
"Did he kill many people?" Mitsuri whispered.
"A great many," Yeruashi nodded. "And he didn't just kill them. He devoured them—the elderly, women, and children alike."
"Then he deserves to burn in hell," Mitsuri declared.
"Very well. Then to hell he goes," Yeruashi said with a smile.
With that...
...an elegant World Gourd manifested in his palm with a simple thought. With a flick of his finger, the demon was sucked inside.
The Demon Slayer world didn't exactly have a hell—at least, not in the traditional sense—but the world of Bleach had exactly what was required.
And that was where Wakuraba was sent.
"Is that... the one?" Mitsuri’s eyes widened as she stared at the World Gourd.
During his long tale, Yeruashi had mentioned placing some of the worlds he had visited into a World Gourd. Mitsuri didn't understand how such a thing was even possible, but she simply chalked it up to his divine power.
"Yes," Yeruashi nodded. "There are several different worlds contained within, including this one. Would you like to see them?"
Mitsuri simply stared at him in silence.
She truly wanted to see the strange and wondrous worlds he had described, but more than anything, she wanted to stay by his side.
"We’ll go together later," Yeruashi said, putting the World Gourd away as he sensed her thoughts.
"Yes, okay!" Mitsuri chirped, nodding vigorously, though a sudden sense of awkwardness and formality began to wash over her.
She suddenly felt a desperate urge to hug him. In the past, she had constantly clung to him, sometimes for hours on end, only letting go when necessary. But now, she couldn't shake a lingering sense of apprehension.
At that moment...
"Don't worry. I’m still the same person," Yeruashi said, stepping forward to take her hand in his. "Besides, your job is to keep my emotions alive."
Mitsuri’s face turned bright red. Even though she had been in his arms countless times, she still got as flustered as the very first time.
"I’m just... I’m not used to this yet," she whispered, her grip on his hand tightening.
The girl who could easily wrestle a bull felt unusually fragile and weak at that moment, more than she ever had before.
"Wait... does that mean... you can see right through me?" Mitsuri asked, suddenly looking up at him, her voice trembling slightly.
To be honest, she had always sensed that she couldn't hide anything from him, but as she replayed the details of his incredible story in her mind, the realization finally struck home.
"Only since I stopped suppressing my power," Yeruashi said, looking down at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "And for the record, your soul is just as charming as the rest of you."
Poof!
Mitsuri’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red, and she felt as if steam were literally whistling out of her ears. She was more flustered now than on her wedding day as she buried her face in Yeruashi’s chest.
"Alright, alright, I promise I won't read your thoughts," Yeruashi said soothingly, seeing that she was ready to die of embarrassment.
As he spoke...
...he tapped her forehead, sending a tiny thread of power into her soul to shield her from his omniscience. Of course, it was somewhat redundant, as her heart was already an open book to him.
After a moment...
...Mitsuri regained her composure and silently scolded herself. What did it matter if he could see her thoughts? She had already given him everything—her body, her heart, her very soul. It was just that her private thoughts were occasionally... a bit too embarrassing.
"Let time resume its flow!" Yeruashi commanded, waving his hand.