Chapter 160 The Awakening of Memories

Every word Yuichiro uttered felt like a direct provocation and contempt for Gyokuko, making this self-proclaimed artist feel an unprecedented insult.

"Aaaaaah, I'm going to kill you, you brat!!!"

Yu Hu's defenses crumbled instantly. He screamed, his voice shrill and piercing, as if tearing the air apart. The pot in his hand began to vibrate violently. Then, a large group of goldfish monsters emerged from the pot's spout, tumbling in the air and emitting strange cries.

They circled in the air, swarming towards Ichiro and launching an even fiercer attack. Ichiro's heart tightened at the sight. He knew he was severely exhausted. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He observed his surroundings, using the terrain to dodge the successive attacks.

It's so stuffy, so uncomfortable. There's only enough air left in my lungs to throw one punch.

Trapped in the pot, which rippled like waves, Muichiro felt dizzy and his vision blurred. He held his breath and focused all his attention on the sword in his hands. Gripping the hilt tightly, Muichiro took a deep breath and then thrust out with swift and decisive movements.

"Breath of the Clouds - Form One - Clouds Hanging Far Away in the Sky".

The nicked blade couldn't pierce through. Muichiro couldn't help but open his mouth, the water pressure relentlessly squeezing his lungs, each breath filled with pain. He opened his mouth, but could only inhale less and less air, the remaining air suffocating him. He felt unbearably bloated; perhaps, this was the end.

Why do I think that? Nobody knows what will happen next.

A voice rang out, carrying a hint of warmth and encouragement. But Muichiro was confused. He tried to make out the person in front of him. A flash of red eyes appeared. Was it Tanjiro? No, it wasn't Tanjiro. He had never said such a thing to him.

Moonlight filtered through the water, dappling the space surrounded by the current. Muichiro felt his vision narrowing, and Tanjiro's face appeared in his misty mind. Tanjiro's mouth opened and closed, but Muichiro couldn't hear anything, and the air seemed to be disappearing.

'There's a limit to what one person can do, which is why people work together.'

The voice rang out again, and Muichiro reached out. "Who are you? No one can save me, because everyone is weaker than me. I need to be more reliable, to make the right judgments, but I was wrong. I overestimated myself, I was arrogant towards the Pillars. So, I will pay the price for my arrogance. I am going to die."

"Muichiro...Muichiro, hold on, open your eyes—".

Muichiro's consciousness wavered between blurriness and clarity. He struggled to open his eyes, and the scene before him was as if seen through a thin mist, but the familiar figure was exceptionally clear, covered in blood, fighting against the demon.

He watched, his heart clenching. The number of bone needles on Yuichiro's body kept increasing, each one leaving streaks of blood, a testament to the ferocity of the battle. He couldn't understand why Yuichiro didn't choose to flee, despite his already severe injuries.

Yuichiro stared at Gyokuko, watching as the severed part of his opponent healed rapidly. Gyokuko moved his newly grown arm, touching the wound on his neck inflicted by Yuichiro. Warm blood stained his pale hand, and even as the wound healed at an astonishing pace, a surge of rage welled up within him.

"Blood Demon Technique - Ten Thousand Gliding Fish".

He looked at Ichiro, and in an instant, ten jars appeared in his hand, each engraved with a fish pattern. With his movement, the mouths of the jars seemed to become endless abysses, from which a continuous stream of sticky fish poured out, their sharp teeth bared, heading straight for Ichiro.

"Breathing of the Moon, Form 5, Lunar Calamity Vortex".

The crimson blade, adorned with a golden crescent, spiraled upwards like a conch shell, its wide-ranging slashes accurately striking the sticky fish and cleaving them in two. However, the number of sticky fish was simply too great, seemingly endless, as they continued to surge forth, filling the void left by Ichiro's slaying.

"Damn it."

Ichiro dodged the deadly venomous fluids sprayed out by the dying slimefish and took the opportunity to kill the other persistent slimefish.

"Breath of the Moon - First Form - Dark Moon Palace".

The blood loss made him feel dizzy. He swung his sword, severing the sticky fish while simultaneously cutting a slit in the water with the red blade, allowing a tiny bit of air to flow in.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh, the venom has already seeped into the organs, how pathetic, not artistic at all."

Yu Hu looked at the figure lying on the ground, then turned and went into the wooden house. In his eyes, Yuichiro would only slowly bleed to death.

The leaking air helped Muichiro recover, and the pressure on his lungs lessened. He looked at the motionless figure on the ground, and anger welled up in his heart.

"Breath of the Mist, Second Form, Yae Mist".

Eight rapid slashes instantly shattered the surrounding water flow, and he fell heavily to the ground, coughing violently. The sudden influx of air into his lungs, which squeezed the water, made him feel nauseous, and every breath was painful.

"No...no, wake up."

He stepped forward and embraced Ichiro, water droplets dripping from his hair onto the other's body, staining it with blood. He held Ichiro tightly, his memories constantly reconstructing in his mind.

My father was a nobleman who left home; he became a lumberjack, and I was his son. My mother fell ill, and her overwork caused her cold to turn into pneumonia, which led to her death. That day, a violent storm raged, and my father, while gathering herbs, fell off a cliff and died. I was ten years old that year, and I became a person.

No, that's not right, I'm eleven years old. I have an older brother, and we're twins.

My brother is a very blunt person. I resembled him a lot when I had amnesia. Living with my brother was very stifling. I always felt that my brother disliked me because he was a cold person.

My brother never cared about what my father taught me. He thought it was incredibly foolish for my father to die for my mother, and even when I argued with him, he would still belittle me with that unhappy face.

'Muichiro's "Mu" means incompetence, and "Muichiro's" also means meaningless. Stop saying such meaningless things; the past won't change.'

The following spring, someone came—the lord's wife. She was so beautiful that I initially mistook her for a birch tree fairy. But my brother rudely chased her away. He was unmoved by what Lord Tenon had said. I suggested that my brother and I become swordsmen together, as I wanted to help those harmed by demons.

'What do you think you can do? A guy who can't even cook wants to be a swordsman? You make it sound so easy, just like your parents, too optimistic.'

My mother is the same; she doesn't say anything even when she's not feeling well, and she exhausts herself. And my father, he insists on going out to get some herbal medicine even in a torrential downpour.

I tried so hard to stop her, and I told my mom so many times to rest. Why, why won't she listen to me? Saving lives is something only chosen people can do; what can we, as children, do?

I don't want to hear about this anymore. That's enough. Go and prepare dinner.

That day, my brother threw a huge tantrum and had a big fight with me. Since then, even though Lady Tianyin has been visiting, we haven't spoken to her.

When summer came, it was a very hot summer, and we were very irritable. The cicadas were also very noisy, so we chose to sleep with the door open, but a ghost came in.

My brother was injured while saving me. My intense anger made me lose my mind. When I came to my senses, the ghost was almost dead. Chaoyang's body turned the ghost to ashes. Everything was so indifferent.

My body felt as heavy as if it were filled with iron. I struggled to get home, only to find dried blood and the other person unconscious.

"If it's bad... only... me... is going to suffer divine retribution... then let me... bear it alone... I know... actually... Muichiro's... Mu... is... the Mu of infinity..."