Chapter 73: Nezuko Awakens |
A strange, open space stretched out, filled with countless rooms and chaotically intersecting staircases in a traditional Japanese style. It felt as though the entire place had been turned upside down, quite literally. Even gravity seemed to fluctuate wildly from one room to the next.
This was the Infinity Castle—a sprawling fortress created by demons deep beneath the earth using a Blood Demon Art.
In the center of one of these inverted rooms stood Muzan.
He stared intently into the void for a long moment until his features suddenly contorted with rage, veins bulging at his temples. "Hmph, useless trash! I knew Daki was dragging him down. Without her, Gyutaro might have overcome the weakness in his neck..."
The Progenitor of Demons was seething.
The ignominious death of Upper Rank Six had thoroughly soured his already foul mood.
Gyutaro's failure was one thing, but to lose despite his potential was unacceptable. He’d had a genuine chance to turn the tide when he nearly overcame his fatal flaw.
What a waste...
Despite the Progenitor's blood suppressing the will of those he turned, they often managed to retain shards of their past lives and personality traits.
"Traces of humanity are nothing but a hindrance..." Muzan spat coldly. He shifted his gaze to Nakime, who sat with her biwa in hand. "Inform the rest of the Twelve Kizuki that Gyutaro is dead and that I am deeply disappointed! Never mind the Lower Ranks, but the Upper Ranks? Not only have they failed to wipe out the Demon Slayers or find the Blue Spider Lily, but they have suffered yet another defeat! I am beginning to consider restructuring the ranks if the situation does not improve."
Nakime responded with a submissive bow. She softly plucked the strings of her biwa and vanished into the shifting geometry of the Infinity Castle.
*
Meanwhile, back at the Sword Hashira Residence.
The usually listless Nezuko lay nestled in Mitsuri's warm embrace.
However, the girl's body soon began to change—her fangs retracted, her claws shortened, and her pupils regained their human shape.
Every last demonic trait vanished.
Then, her eyes flickered.
Nezuko slowly blinked her eyes open and looked around in confusion, immediately meeting Mitsuri's friendly smile.
"You've come back to us!" Mitsuri chirped.
Nezuko remained dazed for a moment until a flood of memories and information rushed into her mind—everything she had experienced since being turned into a demon.
"Ah..." Nezuko clutched her splitting headache. Once she regained some clarity, her first instinct was to call out to her brother. "Big brother..."
"Your brother isn't here, but he is perfectly fine. He just defeated a powerful demon," Mitsuri said with a reassuring smile.
"You're... Mitsuri?" Nezuko murmured, touching her chin as she slowly pieced together where she was and what was happening.
The girl remembered Mitsuri, of course—the woman who had spent so much time playing with her as if she were a soft toy. At the thought, Nezuko’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her gaze.
"It seems you have fully recovered," Mitsuri noted with a satisfied nod, patting the blushing girl on the head.
Nezuko quickly scrambled off Mitsuri's lap as she felt the eyes of Kanae, Kanao, and Yeruashi upon her.
"Thank you... thank you so much for your help. And please forgive me for all the trouble I've caused," she stammered, dropping to her knees and bowing before Yeruashi, her voice thick with confusion and nerves.
"Don't worry about it," he replied with a casual smile, gesturing toward the table. "Come, have some dessert with us. It has been a long time since you have eaten properly, and there is much for you to learn."
"Well, I..." Nezuko mumbled bashfully.
Although her subjective memories didn't give her a full picture of the situation, she knew enough. She understood that this man was a true god.
It was no surprise that Nezuko, who had spent her life praying and making offerings to the gods alongside Tanjiro, was speechless in his presence. She was lucky Yeruashi was so approachable; had he radiated even a hint of divine majesty, she would have been utterly lost.
"Mhm, okay..." Nezuko took a deep breath to steady herself. She turned her gaze toward Kanao and Kanae.
Kanao met her with a friendly but silent smile, her expression conveying how happy she was to have Nezuko back. Kanae greeted the girl with her signature gentle smile, as refreshing as a light spring breeze.
As they gathered together, Mitsuri explained everything over dessert, while Nezuko stared wide-eyed at the water screen.
'So this is how a god watches over the world?'
It was confusing, but fascinating!
A huge weight was lifted from her heart when she saw that her brother was safe.
"Well... the final arc is upon us," Yeruashi interrupted their chatter.
At his reminder, the attention of Nezuko and the others immediately snapped back to the screen, which had split in two once more. The second screen showed a crow from the Demon Slayer Corps flying over Tamayo's hideout.
"Well, what do you say?" Tamayo asked the messenger that had just landed on the windowsill.
"I shall place my trust in you," the crow croaked, its voice strange and grating.
"Then let us join forces and send Muzan screaming into the depths of hell," Tamayo declared with a firm nod.
She had reached out to the Demon Slayers and communicated with Kagaya after perfecting a wide array of poisons. Finally, he had agreed to her proposal to unite against Muzan.