Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kanae Butterfly didn't know how long she had been unconscious; she only knew that she was constantly floating in a hazy light and shadow.
Sometimes you can hear Ren crying, intermittent, like silk threads being torn apart by the wind; sometimes you can feel the warmth of the sunlight on your face, but you can't grasp anything concrete.
Only now did she see everything around her clearly for the first time: the cracks in the bluestone path, the lanterns hanging under the eaves, and the people wearing Demon Slayer Corps uniforms.
In the courtyard now, the breeze is gentle, carrying the faint scent of lingering cherry blossoms. Logically, there shouldn't be any scent in a dream. Yet, she can smell it now.
"That was a wonderful dream."
She lightly jumped down from the railing, the hem of her light-colored kimono skirt sweeping across the bluestone ground, and walked to Shinobu Kocho's side, tilting her head to carefully examine her.
As she got closer, she could see that Ren's hair was much longer than she remembered.
At this moment, she wore a butterfly hair clip, and although the fear in her eyes had not yet faded, there was a newfound determination she had never seen before.
"This time, it seems that our Shinobu has become a Pillar who can stand on his own."
Kanae Butterfly smiled gently.
This smile froze Butterfly in place, her pupils shrinking sharply.
Looking at the face she had longed for day and night, and at the familiar tenderness in her sister's eyes, she felt as if something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't utter a sound.
It wasn't until Kanae's fingertips touched her cheek, the warm sensation spreading along her skin, that she suddenly snapped back to reality, and tears streamed down her face without warning.
"Sister... Sister..."
The touch on her fingertips felt so real that she couldn't help but stumble forward a couple of steps, clutching Kanae's sleeves tightly with both hands.
Kanae was also stunned. Then she gently wrapped her arms around her back and patted her back softly with her palms, just like when she was a child having nightmares.
"It's great to see Shinobu again. I haven't seen you for so many days. The other day when I saw you, I reached out my hand and you disappeared..."
Ren suddenly raised her head, tears falling even more fiercely, "It's me, it's me, it's not a dream, it's not a dream! It's really me."
How many days and nights has she longed to hear that gentle voice again?
How much unbearable pain and pressure did she want to confide in her sister?
No one knew the deep longing in her heart, nor did anyone understand how much she longed to be held in her sister's arms like this again.
Hearing her sister's heartbroken cries, Kanae felt her heart soften completely. Even though it was still a dream, she couldn't ask for more from the real Shinobi she felt.
She gently patted Ren's back, just as she had comforted her when she had nightmares as a child, and then slowly rested her cheek on her sister's shoulder.
Then, her gaze passed over Ren's slightly twitching shoulder and looked at the other people in the courtyard.
Not far away, many familiar and unfamiliar people were watching her.
Giyu Tomioka stood quietly to the side, a barely perceptible emotion flickering in his eyes; Sanemi Shinazugawa clicked his tongue and turned his head away, his fists clenched until they turned white; Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together, tears streaming down his face as he chanted Buddhist mantras.
"This dream seems more real than any of my previous ones," Kanae murmured softly, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
"Because it is true."
A crisp voice broke the silence, and everyone turned to look at the source of the sound—
Chinatsu.
"Nice to meet you, Flower Pillar. I am Chinatsu, a newly recruited member. My goal is to become an excellent Pillar and kill Muzan Kibutsuji."
Chika's eyes were sparkling. Even though you could tell she was a demon, you couldn't feel any disgust towards her.
Kanae tilted her head and glanced at her, then looked at Shinobu in her arms. "Are demons allowed to join the Demon Slayer Corps now? That's incredible."
“Chika is special,” Shinobu explained softly, briefly introducing Chika’s identity.
Kanae suddenly realized, "I see, so he was Sanemi's stepson before he became a demon. What an excellent child. So, the reason I can communicate with you now is because of this lady's Blood Demon Art??"
"So, do we have many people like Ms. Chinatsu?"
She easily let go of her grudge, her gaze sweeping over the pillars present before finally settling on Chika. The clarity in her tone left Chika stunned for a moment.
She never imagined that Shinobu Kocho's older sister would be such a gentle person.
There are three so far!
Chika held up three fingers. "Due to some special reasons, I cannot bring everyone to see her for the time being."
"Um, speaking of which, has Lord Hanabira been in a coma for many years?"
Chinatsu leaned closer to examine Kanae closely, her fingers lightly stroking her chin as she observed her thoughtfully.
"Hiss, being able to get here means that although your body is asleep, your consciousness is awake, and you can even move freely on some level... Wow, this is unprecedented. Come to think of it, this shouldn't be the case..."
Most people who have been asleep for many years will have some difficulty distinguishing between reality and dreams, to the point that their consciousness will eventually fall into an infinite realm of confusion, ultimately losing themselves and becoming what is medically known as a "vegetative state".
"Could it be related to the evil spirit that caused her to fall into a coma back then?" Sanemi stepped forward with his arms crossed, his face full of murderous intent. "If we kill him, will Kanae be able to wake up?"
These words sent a chill down Chika's spine. Ooi~ This is terrible~
She had noticed before that Shinobu's expression was off, and it was highly likely that it was Doma who had injured the flower pillar and caused her to fall into a coma.
Thinking this, Chika quickly stepped forward, interrupting their conversation, "Alright everyone, my Blood Demon Art won't last long, so let's focus on the important matters first. Let's talk about how to deal with Muzan and the other Crescent Moon Demons. How about that?"
Shinobu naturally knew why Chinatsu was so nervous, but Kanae didn't. As soon as Sanemi finished speaking, Kanae frowned, carefully recalling the scene from back then.
"It seems like the one who hurt me was Crescent Moon Demon. If I'm not mistaken, he should be an Upper Moon Two. He has white hair and his weapon is a pair of golden iron fans... Huh, why do you guys have that expression?"
Yes, as Kanae finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Chinatsu.
Shinobu's face darkened, Sanemi clenched his fists even tighter, and even Mitsuri Kanroji covered her mouth, whispering to Obanai Iguro, "Upper Moon Two... isn't that Chinatsu-san's boyfriend?"
Qianxia felt a chill run down her spine and quickly lowered her head, clasping her hands together. "I'm sorry, the person who hurt you was my boyfriend. I apologize on his behalf, and I promise I will find a way to wake you up and will never let him hurt anyone again!"
As Chika said this, her heart was pounding, after all, it was the Upper Moon demon who had injured the Pillar.
As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
After a long silence, Kanae spoke up, "So, he's on the Demon Slayer Corps' side now, just like you? He's really strong, you know. If that's the case, he'll probably be a great asset to the Demon Slayer Corps."
Chinatsu looked up at Kanae in shock.
Unsurprisingly, she met a pair of eyes that were incredibly gentle.
The breeze in the courtyard softened, and cherry blossom petals fell on the three of them.
As Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat on the stage, looking at the scene before him, he suddenly felt that perhaps this dream would be the beginning of changing everything.
......
Muzan Kibutsuji rarely dreams.
Since he abandoned his fragile human body and became a perfect being, sleep has been nothing more than a physiological necessity for him, and dreams have long been a weakness that he has rejected.
However, lately, he has been frequently falling into dreams.
Not the present as the progenitor of demons, but the distant past when we lived as humans.
He saw himself, pale and frail, lying on his sickbed, trembling in the shadow of death. He heard his mother's gentle sobs and his father's disappointed sighs.
That home was never warm, only filled with fear of early death and disappointment in its heir. Every detail is as clear as if it happened yesterday.
The clearest picture is that of the doctor. The man who gave him hope, only to have it destroyed by his own hands.
In the dream, the doctor approached with a bowl of medicine in his hand, his eyes filled with compassion and determination: "You will live."
Muzan sneered in his dream.
To survive?
He will certainly live on, in a way that transcends humanity, in an eternally perfect form.
But when he reached out to tear apart this ridiculous illusion, he saw only his own trembling, human fingers.
"......!"
Muzan suddenly sat up on the couch, his scarlet eyes surging with violence.
Dream?
Was I dreaming?
He got up, opened the door, and walked to the veranda in the courtyard. The moonlight made his pale skin appear even colder.
Having been the progenitor of demons for hundreds of years, he had long since discarded all human weaknesses. Those dreams were nothing but insignificant noises in the process of evolution, and those emotions were merely the pathetic shackles of inferior beings.
He told himself that.
However, in a forgotten corner of my heart, these dreams still cause a slight sting.
Especially in the dream, the doctor's gaze as he lay dying.
There was no resentment, only pity, and a hint of an expression he still couldn't understand.
"Evil..." the doctor's voice echoed in the dream, "A demon..."
Wu Can clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm.
He was the closest person to the divine...
He is God!
Outside the window was a tranquil courtyard filled with wisteria blossoms. The moonlight was like water, and all was silent. Until his gaze froze on the ancient tree in the center of the courtyard.
There was a figure standing there.
He wore a ripe sun-shaped flower earring, had crimson hair, eyes as calm as the deep sea yet containing boundless power, and a knife whose chilling aura he could feel even from across a courtyard.
Jikuni Genichi.
Muzan's thoughts froze instantly.
The unforgettable fear, like the coldest venom, instantly seeped into every cell of his body.
He instinctively tried to move, but his body felt as if it were bound by invisible ropes; he wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his throat.
Only that tremor originating from the depths of the soul clearly permeates the entire body.
He watched as Yoriichi raised his eyes, those clear eyes calmly looking at him, as if to say—
"I've found you."
Just as this extreme fear was about to engulf him, a female voice with a contemptuous laugh suddenly rang out behind him.
"What a sorry sight, Muzan Kibutsuji."
Muzan's pupils suddenly dilated, and the scenery before him changed abruptly.
Turning his head, he saw Qianxia's figure appear behind him at some point, looking at him with a mocking expression and a leisurely air.
"So you can be afraid too? Hiding behind countless flesh and blood puppets, claiming to have transcended everything and pursued perfect eternity, you were so terrified when you saw a phantom from hundreds of years ago that you couldn't even move a finger?"
"Look at you, trembling like this. You don't look like the progenitor of demons at all. You're just a pathetic wretch who's been scared out of his wits by the hunter's blade. Your strength, your perfection, are so easily defeated. Just a memory has exposed the weakness at your core."
She paused, then her voice suddenly turned cold, filled with undisguised sarcasm: "Unloved by your father and mother, you're so pathetic~~~"
"Shut up!"
Muzan finally regained his voice in shock and rage, roaring out with terrifying pressure that exploded outwards as if it were a tangible force, causing the entire Dream Garden to violently distort and collapse.
Chika's figure became blurred in the turbulent dream, but her clear and cold words could be heard clearly, word by word.
"Muzan. This is just the beginning. If you're so capable, then stay awake forever."
"After all, I will be waiting for you in every dream."
......
After discussing the plan with the Demon Slayer Corps members and peeking at Muzan, Chinatsu returned to the initial scene of the dream.
On the snow-covered mountaintop, a beam of light slowly rose from the foot of the mountain not far away, then spread across the snow-covered mountains, illuminating the entire world.
Chika quietly turned around and looked into the distance.
A familiar face was embedded in an ominous little hill made of flesh and blood, with ivory-white hair fluttering in the wind.
She stared at the outstretched hand, as if trying to grasp something, her face devoid of any emotion.
Her feet sank into the thick snow. She took one step at a time, knelt down, and gently took the cold hand in her own. Then, she gently cupped it and softly pressed it against her warm cheek.
"...Wait for me, Doma."
The whispers faded into the wind, like a sigh, or perhaps a solemn promise.
......
The cold touch seemed to linger on my cheek; it was the warmth of Doma's fingertips.
Amidst the swirling snow and churning flesh, Chika suddenly opened her eyes. What greeted her was no longer the frozen mountain peak, but a low wooden ceiling.
"You're awake."
A gentle female voice came from the side.
Tamayo was sitting beside her, holding a box in her hands. "Miss Chinatsu! How are you feeling? Did the medicine work?"
Beside her, Yushiro still stood with his arms crossed, his eyes still filled with vigilance, like a young beast guarding its territory.
Fifteen minutes ago, Chinatsu was injected with a potion that would allow her to completely break free from Muzan's control. Now, she is completely free from Muzan's control and no longer needs to worry about him finding her.
Tamayo told her that the reason she was able to escape Muzan's control was because of the string of Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist.
“This string of prayer beads is very unusual.”
Tamayo's voice pulled Chika back to reality. She gently opened the wooden box, inside which was the string of Buddhist prayer beads.
"It contains a special power, and it is this power that protects you and prevents Muzan from completely controlling your consciousness."
She paused, looked up at Qianxia, and for the first time, her gentle eyes revealed an undisguised confusion and inquiry.
"But what's even more puzzling is that after our in-depth investigation, we discovered that the source of this power... is actually the same as your current power."
Chika subconsciously touched the prayer beads. As Tamayo spoke, she seemed to feel a faint pulse that resonated with her heartbeat beneath the cool, hard touch.
“However…” Tamayo’s tone suddenly became very serious, “The contradiction is that, according to the energy decay model, the power of the prayer beads is not a recent product, but comes from a hundred years ago.”
A hush fell over the room. Yushiro held his breath; this conclusion was clearly beyond their comprehension.
Chika stared blankly at the bead in her hand, her mind a jumble of thoughts. "But I've only been a ghost for a month, and you injected me with the drug just a quarter of an hour ago."
“So, Ms. Chinatsu,” Tamayo leaned closer, “I suspect that your Blood Demon Art has other… effects you are unaware of…”
......
In the pitch-black night, Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, and Genya Shinazugawa raced through the jungle.
Tanjiro Kamado took the lead, his keen sense of smell acting like the most accurate compass, guiding him through the scent of soil, decaying leaves, and faint demonic energy.
Behind him, Nezuko Kamado's lithe figure moved silently through the darkness, the hem of her pink kimono fluttering like a butterfly in the night.
Zenitsu Gasai let out an unintelligible sob, complaining, "Why do we have to fight in this terrifying forest in the middle of the night..."
That's what he said, but his pace didn't slow down at all.
Inosuke Hashibira, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He wielded his twin swords, cutting down the vines and branches blocking his path, his wild roars particularly jarring in the silent forest.
"Hahaha! Fight! Fight!"
Then--
"Bang--"
A large hand suddenly shot out from the deep darkness with lightning speed, its five fingers gripping Inosuke's entire head and face like iron clamps!
The immense force abruptly halted his forward momentum, leaving his feet off the ground as he futilely kicked in the air.
"Inosuke!!!"
Tanjiro's pupils suddenly contracted, and without the slightest hesitation, he drew his Nichirin Blade, the blade instantly enveloped in a light blue light.
"Water Breathing - Type II Waterwheel!"
His body, like a rapidly spinning blue waterwheel, charged fiercely toward the giant arm with a sharp, slashing arc.
Almost at the same time, Zenitsu Gasai's face, which had been filled with timidity, was instantly replaced by extreme focus, and his eyes were as calm as a deep pool.
He lowered his waist slightly, his hand already resting on the hilt of the knife.
"Breathing of Thunder - First Form: Thunderclap Flash!"
A golden bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, shooting straight into the source of darkness at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.
Genya Shinazugawa was a beat slower to react, but his movements were equally swift.
He took a deep breath, the ground beneath his feet slightly sinking, and his unique spiritual power frantically converged into the weapon in his hand. The blade of the Sun Wheel Blade hummed, emitting an ominous yet powerful aura.
"Mind Breathing - First Form - Draw Sword Slash!"
The dark, tearing slash followed closely behind the two of them, whistling out!
"boom--!"
Three forces simultaneously struck the giant arm and the darkness, causing shockwaves and scattering fallen leaves.
However, the expected results did not materialize. Instead, countless pure white spider silks, shimmering with a viscous sheen, descended upon the three from all directions like a premeditated net!
"What?!"
"Oh no!"
"Ugh—!"
Tanjiro's waterwheel was hindered by the sticky threads, Zenitsu's incredible speed was hampered by the omnipresent net, and Genya's slashes were neutralized by layers of spider silk. The three were like insects caught in a net, instantly entangled and unable to move.
The situation reversed instantly.
Nezuko, the only one free, suddenly stopped and stood protectively in front of her brother. Her clear pink eyes widened in shock and anger, and a threatening growl escaped her throat.
"Hey hey~ Game over!"
A mocking voice came from above. A white-haired boy was hanging upside down from a high branch on his slender legs, his body incredibly flexible, like a spider hanging in its own web, leisurely observing its prey.
His light-colored eyes swept over the three bound men, then glanced at the struggling Inosuke and the wary Nezuko, a slight smile playing on his lips.
A red light flashed in Nezuko's eyes, and her petite figure sprang up, lunging straight at the boy.
The boy chuckled, flicked his wrist, and even denser spider silk shot out.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Burst!"
Nezuko spun in mid-air, grabbed a spider silk thread, and roared, the resulting flames instantly severing the silk.
Taking advantage of this moment, Inosuke, who was being choked, roared and his muscles bulged, managing to pry open the giant hand by a tiny gap!
"Beast Breathing - Fourth Fang!"
He wielded his twin swords wildly and finally broke free from his restraints, landing on the ground.
Tanjiro seized the opportunity and drew a circle with his Nichirin Blade: "Water Breathing - Third Form, Flowing Dance!"
A flash of light, and the spider silk binding the three people snapped instantly.
Zenitsu and Genya immediately escaped.
"Breathing of Thunder - First Form!" Zenitsu transformed into several bolts of lightning, disrupting the surroundings.
"Nen ability—En! Draw Sword Slash!" Genya crouched down, instantly drew his Nichirin Blade, and charged straight up with unstoppable momentum.
"Tsk, troublesome."
The white-haired youth swung his body strangely, and more spider silk shot out from his hands, weaving into a giant net in the air, which descended upon the crowd.
"careful!"
Tanjiro's warning forced the five to retreat repeatedly.
"Aaaaaahh ...
Zenitsu Agatsuma screamed in terror, wildly swinging his Nichirin Blade, and then—
He was tied up very tightly.
Everyone's faces turned deathly pale.
It's over! I'm doomed!
The next moment—
"Fool!"
The white handwritten notes tapped on their heads, making a crisp sound that was particularly clear in the silent forest.
The group regained consciousness, as if just waking up.
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