Chapter 78: The First Winner |
Makomo gently ran her fingertips along the edge of the blade her teacher had given her. She would not lose to the Upper Rank One, nor would she bring shame to Yeruashi's illustrious name.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Kokushibo and the Sword Hashira clashed once more in a life-or-death struggle, Yeruashi, Mitsuri, Kanae, and the others quietly appeared near the makeshift arena.
"She can win, can't she?" Mitsuri asked softly.
"She can," Yeruashi replied succinctly.
With her mastery of the sword and her mastery of Total Concentration: Constant, Makomo was generally no weaker than Kokushibo. The blade he had gifted her should secure her victory, though it would be a hard-fought one.
Just as Yeruashi predicted, Makomo soon began to pressure Kokushibo, using a skillful combination of breathing techniques and pure swordsmanship. This forced the Upper Rank One to unleash his Blood Demon Art. Multiple lethal blades sprouted from his flesh, allowing him to launch a barrage of wide-range attacks that severely restricted her movements.
They exchanged hundreds of blows...
Until Makomo finally delivered the decisive strike!
"It's over," Yeruashi declared before Makomo's strike even reached its mark. He added, "Over the centuries, Kokushibo has honed his skills to perfection, but his will has grown dull. It is hard to say how it would have ended if he were as bold and decisive as his opponent, but his resolve simply isn't strong enough."
Having said his piece, he turned away.
On the platform, the two figures blurred past each other in a flash.
Splat!
Blood sprayed across the mangled tatami mats beneath Makomo's feet. Deep gashes appeared on the girl's waist, shoulder, forehead, and left leg. They were so deep that bone was visible in places, and at her waist, her internal organs were exposed.
However, none of these wounds were fatal.
Kokushibo stood frozen behind the Sword Hashira. He struggled to look back at his opponent before turning a dazed gaze toward the sky.
Spray!
A thin stream of blood trickled down his forehead. A moment later, his body split in two vertically and collapsed onto the tatami.
Darkness slowly clouded Kokushibo's vision...
When the dead demon opened his eyes again, he saw nothing but pitch-black void, with a faint light and flickering flames on opposite sides.
'Am I in the afterlife?' Kokushibo wondered. He looked around for his brother, adding with a touch of irony, 'It seems we are not destined to meet again. You would never end up in Hell...'
He walked blindly through the darkness for a time until two human silhouettes emerged from the gloom.
"It has been a long time... Kokushibo-san. To think fate would bring even you here," Gyutaro said, sounding slightly surprised. He was sitting on a futon in the middle of the void and made a welcoming gesture. "Sit, let us have a drink."
"Gyutaro?" Kokushibo asked in surprise. He didn't immediately recognize the demon in his human form. He sat down and remarked, "You two are not as you were before..."
The oppressive darkness retreated at a light wave of the former Upper Rank Six's hand, and a table with a jug of wine appeared before the futon.
"Yeah. By a stroke of luck, God took notice of us and appointed us as judges of this place after our deaths," Gyutaro said with a faint smile.
Kokushibo froze for a moment at the news, but he regained his composure almost instantly. If there was life after death, it stood to reason there was a God.
"There is no need to delay. Simply send me to Hell," he said calmly.
"True, a formal trial is unnecessary in your case," Gyutaro nodded. "Do you have any last words?"
"I would like to ask God... why was I born into this world?" Kokushibo mused after taking a drink from the jug.
"God is busy with his own affairs for now, but who knows? Perhaps one day he will give you an answer," Gyutaro replied, shaking his head.
"By the way, since even you are here, what happened to Muzan?" Daki suddenly chimed in, having been silent until then.
Her devotion and reverence for Muzan during her time as a demon had vanished after death. She had paid her debt for her saved life in full and now owed the Progenitor of Demons nothing. From now on, her faith lay only in Yeruashi, who had granted them a second chance at a happy life.
Kokushibo ignored the disdain in Daki's voice; such things no longer seemed important here.
"It is not yet clear, but I am certainly not the last," he stated.
"I see, I see," Daki nodded, pressing him for details.
The conflict between Muzan and the Demon Slayers was the only thing that still held any interest for her in the world of the living.
*
While Daki and Gyutaro spoke with Kokushibo in the afterlife, Yeruashi watched the other battles alongside Mitsuri and the rest of the group.
The battle between the Sword Hashira and the Upper Rank One was the first to reach a conclusion. Kokushibo was dead, and while Makomo had suffered severe injuries, she recovered quickly thanks to Tamayo's specialized medicine. She immediately hurried off to assist her and Gyomei.
Next, the struggle between Gyokko, Obanai, and Inosuke came to an end.
The Serpent Hashira was far from the weakest of his peers and had made significant progress in mastering his swordsmanship. Thanks to this, he managed to crush the Upper Rank Five in a brutal fashion, awakening his Demon Slayer Mark while on the brink of death.
Then, Muichiro and Zenitsu finished off Hantengu.
Soon after, it was the Upper Rank Six's turn. Muzan personally ended Nakime's life through his demon blood when Yushiro nearly seized control of her mind.
With four of the six Upper Ranks dead, it was finally Doma's turn.
Yeruashi, Mitsuri, and the others naturally moved to observe the battlefield where the Insect Hashira faced the Upper Rank Three.