Chapter 83: The Blade's Finale |
Tamayo's actions did not escape Muzan's notice, but Shinobu did everything in her power to prevent him from interfering.
He gnashed his teeth in fury at the sight of the approaching Tanjiro, who had somehow managed to maintain his sanity after his transformation into a demon.
A distinct mark.
A clear, unwavering gaze.
A crimson blade.
A perfect stance.
Obtaining the power of the Progenitor of Demons had allowed Tanjiro to perfectly unify the Transparent World, the crimson Nichirin Sword, and Sun Breathing into a single whole. He had essentially become a second Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
The Progenitor of Demons even felt as though he were facing the great and terrible Yoriichi himself rather than Tanjiro.
Tanjiro swung his blade!
"Aaaagh!.." he shrieked in a frenzy of agony. The sensations were identical to those he had felt several hundred years ago on that fateful night.
Following those memories, a long-forgotten terror and fear seized him. His body abruptly swelled and ruptured in a desperate attempt to scatter and escape.
"Water Breathing!"
"Stone Breathing!"
"Wind Breathing..."
Gathering their last reserves of strength, the heavily wounded Hashira surrounded and pinned Muzan. Shinobu's timely intervention stripped him of his final chance for a successful flight.
In his attempt to divide himself to flee, the already precarious balance within Muzan's body shattered. His form devolved into a grotesque, frantically writhing mass of flesh.
Swish! Swish! Swish...
The crimson blade in Tanjiro's hands knew no mercy.
"Aaaaah!" the formless mass shrieked, once again trying and failing to explode, as it was pierced at that very moment by the numerous branches of the Insect Hashira.
Strike after strike...
Sun Breathing sought to claim Muzan's life once more.
After some time...
The formless mass of flesh finally grew still.
And quietly turned to ash...
But Tanjiro's attacks did not cease.
"Tanjiro! Tanjiro!!" Zenitsu, Giyu, and the others screamed, trying to reach him, but their attempts were in vain.
Soon, Shinobu stepped in. One of her branches pierced Tanjiro's body, injecting a wisteria-based serum along with several other compounds, including the medicine intended to return him to human form.
Thanks to this, Tanjiro managed to regain a modicum of composure.
And while he struggled to keep himself in check.
Shinobu pumped the demon blood from his system, while Zenitsu and the others held down his resisting body.
A short while later.
Shinobu successfully extracted the demon blood. A deathly pale Tanjiro collapsed to the floor unconscious as his human appearance returned.
The Wind Hashira, the Stone Hashira, and the other Demon Slayers were barely clinging to consciousness by this point.
"We did it..." Gyomei murmured, closing his eyes with a weary smile as he slumped over.
Following him, Sanemi, Obanai, and the rest dropped to the floor.
Yushiro wept on his knees before Tamayo's ashes.
However, she herself had soared upward in the form of an ethereal phantom, floating smoothly before Yeruashi, Mitsuri, and the others.
"Is it finally over?" she exhaled in relief.
"Yes, it's all over..." Yeruashi nodded calmly.
Then.
With a wave of his hand, Tamayo's soul was granted a new body.
"You can go down if you wish. I'll see you in a few days," Yeruashi smiled gently, dissolving into nothingness before their eyes.
The death of the Progenitor of Demons marked the conclusion of this story.
Even though Muzan had been accompanied by luck at certain points, it hadn't been enough to shatter Tanjiro's plot armor. The finale fully satisfied Yeruashi.
*
After a few days had passed.
"Are you really leaving?" Yushiro asked, lowering his head. He didn't know what else to say; he had already accepted the miraculous resurrection and knew that Tamayo had to leave according to her old agreement.
No matter who Yeruashi was—even if he were a god himself—Yushiro had always felt the man's questionable intentions toward his lady.
"Yes, it is time to say goodbye," Tamayo nodded in response, gradually fading from Yushiro's sight.
*
Meanwhile, in a certain house.
A smiling Shinobu gazed at Yeruashi for a long time.
"Go ahead, scold me," he said, spreading his arms.
"Oh, please, how could I scold the god who saved my elder sister? I am truly grateful to you..." Shinobu said with a sweet smile.
"Tsk..." Yeruashi shook his head and added, taking a sip of fragrant tea. "Well, in the future, you and your sister will be responsible for guiding restless souls to the true path... and since there are very, very many of them, Makomo, Mitsuri, and Kanao will assist you... Nezuko, you can join them too, if you wish."
It could be said that Makomo, Mitsuri, Kanae, Kanao, Shinobu, and Nezuko became his priestesses in the Demon Slayer world. Since the local reincarnation system was far from refined, he decided to bring order to it while giving the girls a purpose for the future.
Tamayo, on the other hand, was to oversee hell along with Daki and Gyutaro.
"Understood, Teacher," Makomo said, kneeling before him.
"Alright, I'll be away for a while. Upon my return, we'll head to another world for a vacation. Be ready," Yeruashi said, stretching nonchalantly before rising from his chair to look out the window.
"Mm-hmm!" Mitsuri nodded happily. She was eager to see the fairy-tale worlds she had heard about in Yeruashi's stories.
Meanwhile, Kanae and Shinobu exchanged knowing smiles, perfectly understanding each other's thoughts.
Kanao's entire expression radiated anticipation as well.
Just then, Yeruashi vanished, and Tamayo appeared in the doorway.
"I see everyone is gathered," she said, stepping inside unhurriedly. "Is there anything I should know?"
"Before he left, he said..." Kanao summarized briefly.
Tamayo also felt a surge of excitement at the mention of other worlds. She had long ago lost her desire to live in this world, which was why she had passed all her power to Tanjiro without hesitation, whatever the cost.
Such thoughts had once tormented her.
In fact, Tamayo had even hoped that if she died, she wouldn't have to fulfill her part of the bargain with Yeruashi.
But who could have imagined that even death itself would be no obstacle to settling her debts? However, in practice, she had gained career prospects, excellent benefits, and even the right to a vacation.
'Perhaps life isn't so bad after all...'