Chapter 51: A Chance |
Shinobu's cry drew the attention of the other Hashira.
'Does she know these uninvited guests?'
Just as the Wind Hashira was about to ask, Kanae’s shoulders trembled.
Then.
The Insect Hashira exploded.
Until that moment, she had been carefully suppressing her pain. But with Yeruashi's appearance, Shinobu’s emotions burst forth. First the death of her parents, then her elder sister... She lunged toward Yeruashi, unable to hold back any longer.
But Kanae, wearing her fox mask, blocked her path. She placed a hand on her younger sister’s shoulder, preventing her from reaching Yeruashi.
Even then, Shinobu’s gaze remained fixed on Yeruashi. The masked stranger’s movements felt vaguely familiar to the Insect Hashira, but she pushed the thought aside and ground her teeth.
"Why... why did you create a world like this, filled with so many tragedies?! Why did you take my sister? Wasn't it enough to take our parents?!" Shinobu snarled, her initial fury slowly giving way to a hollow despair until tears finally streamed down the Insect Hashira's cheeks.
She simply watched her weeping sister in silence.
As a silence broken only by Shinobu's soft sobbing descended, the eyes of the other Hashira widened in shock. The Insect Hashira's behavior made it perfectly clear who stood before them...
A God!
A God had appeared!
"G-God?" the Wind Hashira muttered blankly before grinding his teeth as he recalled the countless misfortunes they had endured. "I won't accept it... I'll never accept it! What kind of god are you if you're completely blind to what's happening on this earth?!"
Thump!
Immediately following those words.
Sanemi froze mid-sentence as a terrifying, insurmountable pressure washed over him, pinning his entire body. The Wind Hashira realized with startling clarity that he couldn't overcome this force even if he pushed his Wind Breathing to its absolute limit. In an instant, his body was slammed into the floor.
"Sanemi!" Tengen shouted, instinctively drawing his Nichirin Sword in an attempt to block the invisible attack on his comrade.
Yet a moment later, the Sound Hashira’s body was similarly crushed into the floor by the horrifying weight. He couldn't even move a finger.
"Please, have mercy on my comrades..." Kyojuro said calmly, his hand resting on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword.
The memory of the unfathomable power contained within a single strand of Yeruashi's hair was still fresh in the Flame Hashira’s mind. He knew all too well that he was nothing more than a pathetic ant in comparison. Even so, he still stood by his friends.
While the Flame Hashira hadn't reacted as explosively as the Wind and Insect Hashira, everything he had lived through left him with little reverence for a so-called God. Still, he was prepared to stand for his comrades until the bitter end, even if it was futile.
The Serpent Hashira stood silently in place. He had never believed in a god or sought salvation, considering his own life to be sinful. Now, he felt even more lost, questioning the very meaning of his existence.
In mere moments, everyone who had dared to oppose the deity was pinned to the floor by an irresistible force. Only those who remained calm and hadn't moved a muscle were left standing.
Kanae couldn't help but squint, unable to watch the scene even though she had known it would happen. She glanced at Yeruashi out of the corner of her eye, knowing full well he was simply disciplining the Demon Slayers for their rudeness.
Simultaneously, Kanae pressed down harder on her sister's shoulder to keep her from doing anything even more foolish.
After her sudden emotional outburst, Shinobu’s attention shifted to the other Hashira. She fixed a tearful gaze on Yeruashi as her burning rage and agitation gradually faded into sorrow, pain, and... a sense of betrayal.
'Why?'
'What did humanity do wrong?'
'To deserve this...'
By now, the thought was involuntarily creeping into her mind: perhaps the Progenitor of Demons was a punishment sent by God himself.
Meanwhile.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who was unable to intervene due to his physical weakness, slowly stepped forward through the silence and respectfully knelt before Yeruashi.
"Lord God, please forgive these children. They meant no harm," he said.
These words diffused the mounting tension.
'Lord God...'
The Serpent Hashira followed his leader’s example and sank to his knees.
The Flame Hashira knelt right after him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
The other Hashira who were still standing followed suit. Even the other slayers gathered near the Butterfly Mansion knelt before Yeruashi. Only the Sound and Wind Hashira remained sprawled on the cracked floor of the courtyard.
But once the others had knelt, the pressure on Tengen and Sanemi eased. After a moment's hesitation, the Sound Hashira bowed, followed by the Wind Hashira, who had finally come to his senses.
Only Shinobu remained.
Her large eyes reflected pain and suffering, mixed with a stubbornness that signaled her refusal to pay homage to a god.
Seeing this, Kanae sighed helplessly but remained silent.
Finally.
Yeruashi’s calm voice echoed through the silence.
"I did not create this world, and until today, I have interfered in its events as little as possible. However, I admire the human will, which shines like stars in the sky despite their weakness. That is why I granted you several chances to change your fate," he said softly, looking the Insect Hashira in the eye. "By the way, I gave you and your sister one as well, but you failed to grasp the driving force of evolution and, consequently, failed to change your fate. Nothing more, nothing less."
Those words left Shinobu speechless.
Then, her gaze dimmed.
'It was true.'
'They really had been given a chance.'
She could have become stronger—much stronger—and saved her sister if she had bothered to extract even the slightest benefit from that strand of hair.
Shinobu’s small frame gradually lost its strength, and her gaze went hollow as she sank to her knees without Kanae’s help.
The equally stubborn Wind Hashira also had no rebuttal.
'It was undeniable.'
'He, too, had come into contact with the hair but felt nothing.'
Even without believing in a god, what more could be said if Muzan Kibutsuji was not a catastrophe sent by Yeruashi himself?
"Thank you for your mercy..."