The sword that failed to strike
As Muzan, besieged by the potion and the Nine Pillars, looked a bit embarrassed, and wounds that could not heal instantly continued to accumulate on his body, a trace of extreme resentment and madness flashed in his red eyes. He suddenly raised his head and screamed:
"Miracle Girl—!"
Buzz——!
The space groaned as it was overwhelmed, and the ground beneath everyone's feet instantly disappeared, and the familiar feeling of weightlessness hit them again! The strange space of Infinite City was like a giant beast opening its mouth, swallowing and separating everyone in the fierce battle.
"white!"
In the chaotic vortex of falling, Giyuu's first reaction wasn't to adjust himself. Instead, he yanked Bai tightly into his arms, using his entire back to withstand the tearing sensation of the distorted space. His haori fluttered in the turbulence, like a protective barrier. He pressed her head against his chest, isolating her from any danger as much as possible.
I don't know how long it took, perhaps just a moment, or perhaps an eternity. With a dull thud, Yiyong, holding Bai, fell heavily onto the wooden floor of a corridor in Infinite City. He groaned, completely using his body to cushion the impact of the fall.
"Ahem...Husband, are you okay?" Bai hurriedly raised her head from his arms and anxiously checked his condition.
"It's okay." Yiyong stood up quickly, still protecting her behind him, with the Sun Blade already unsheathed, and looked warily around this strange room with a twisted layout and a sense of oppression.
However, the room was not empty.
A towering figure, like an eternal rock, stood silently in the shadows of the room. Six blood-red eyes slowly opened, locking onto Tomioka Giyu with icy murderous intent. The terrifying oppression was even purer and more suffocating than when facing Muzan.
Upper Moon One: Kokushibo.
He didn't even look at Bai, as the alien katana was already raised, and the cold, moon-like aura began to gather. In his eyes, this human swordsman was the culprit who had defiled his most special disciple and was about to take her away from him. He must be eliminated immediately!
"Breath of the Moon..."
Just as Kokushibo was about to strike, his movements suddenly stopped. Those six blood-red eyes narrowed slightly, as if piercing through Giyuu's body, directly seeing Shiro, who was tightly protected behind him.
Transparent world.
He saw the thriving vitality within Bai's body, and the faint halo in her belly that was thriving and connected to her and Yiyu's blood.
At that moment, the cold murderous aura around Kokushibo suddenly changed, turning into a deeper and more terrifying kind of rage!
"You...actually..." His deep voice seemed to come from the Netherworld. With incredible anger, he finally turned his gaze to Bai, "You actually gave birth to a child for this human?!"
His anger did not come from the possessiveness of Muzan, but more like a kind of... betrayal, extreme disappointment and anger like an old father.
"I'm letting you go..." Kokushibo's voice trembled slightly with anger, and the sword in his hand hummed. "I didn't want your blood to be polluted by humans, and I didn't want you to indulge in this illusory and fragile bond! Shiro Inji! You disappoint me so much!"
The terrifying murderous intent surged again, this time even more fierce than before, and even more targeted at Yiyong! He wanted to get rid of the source of Bai's "pollution" as soon as possible!
"Teacher! Don't!" Bai screamed in horror and wanted to rush forward.
But Yiyong had already moved. He knew the terror of the enemy before him, and he pushed Bai back fiercely. The deep blue water light roared like a huge wave to meet the cold moonlight!
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form, Life Flowing!" vs. "Moon Breathing, One Form, Dark Moon, Palace of the Night!"
boom--!
The water flow collided violently with countless crescent blades, and the dissipated energy instantly shredded the paper doors and partitions in the room! Yiyong groaned, his knuckles cracked, blood trickled down the hilt, and the immense force sent him sliding backward, slamming heavily into the wall. Even with just the first collision, he was already at a complete disadvantage!
"Husband!" Bai's heart was in his throat.
Kokushibo had no expression on his face, and there was only cold murderous intent in his six eyes. He raised his katana again, and an even more terrifying Moon Breathing was about to erupt.
"Teacher!!!" Bai used all his strength to shout out the name again, his voice shrill and tearful, "Please stop!!"
The word "teacher" seemed to carry some kind of magic, causing Kokushibo's sword-swinging movement to pause ever so slightly.
Bai rushed to Giyuu, opened her arms, and faced Kokushibo fearlessly. Tears fell from her dark eyes, but her eyes were firm:
"Teacher! You don't understand! This isn't pollution! This is love! It's Giyuu-senpai and everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps who have given me warmth and a sense of belonging that I've never felt before! They've taught me that living isn't just about survival and strength, but about loving, protecting, and looking forward to the future!"
She pointed at Giyuu who was struggling to stand up behind her, her voice strong and powerful: "And he, Tomioka Giyuu, is the destination I chose myself! He is the one I am willing to exchange my life for! This child is the testimony of our love and our hope for the future! This is a million times more precious than the cold and cruel eternal life given by Lord Muzan!"
"Lord Muzan brought me nothing but imprisonment, experimentation, and fear! But what Giyuu-senpai and everyone else brought me is home! It is trust! It is the truth that even if I die tomorrow, I can still be extremely happy today!"
Shiro's words, like the sharpest needle, pierced Kokushibo's heart, long frozen by obsession. He looked at the fiery and resolute light in Shiro's eyes, an emotion so different from the path of "Supreme Swordsman" he had pursued for centuries... In a trance, he seemed to see another figure - his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugukuni, who was as dazzling as the sun, but ultimately led him into endless obsession and jealousy.
Yunyi possessed all the talents he desired, but ultimately chose family and ordinary life... And now, his disciple, whom he personally taught and regarded as a special existence, has also embarked on a similar path...
Should one give up everything for power, and eventually turn into a ghost in jealousy and unwillingness; or should one protect the people he cherishes and find a home in love and bondage... Two completely different paths formed a sharp contrast at this moment.
Kokushibo's raised blade slowly lowered. Within those six blood-red eyes, a complex mix of emotions surged—anger, disappointment, bewilderment, and a hint of… a deep exhaustion and… envy… that he himself hadn't even noticed.
He was silent for a long time, and finally, in that low and hoarse voice, he said:
"...a stupid choice."
But this rebuke no longer contained any murderous intent.
He gave Bai a final, complex look, a look that seemed to pierce through time, revealing the silver-haired little girl who clumsily practiced swordsmanship under the moonlight. He turned and prepared to leave, leaving behind only a few words so soft they were barely audible:
"...I wish you... happiness."
He is going to complete his final mission as the First Upper Moon, and perhaps, it is also his way to put an end to his long and twisted life.
"Teacher! Please wait a moment!" Bai called him.
Kokushibo paused without looking back.
Bai quickly stepped forward and pulled out a delicate vial from her bosom. Inside was a potion that Miss Tamayo had painstakingly crafted, capable of transforming demons back into humans. She handed the vial to Kokushibo's back, her voice choked with sobs and a final burst of hope:
"Teacher... please accept this... I don't know if it still works for you... but... I... I hope that one day you can break free from this curse and live with us... under the sun."
Kokushibo's body trembled slightly. He slowly turned his head, looking at the small bottle in Shiro's hand that emitted a faint light of hope, and then looked into Shiro's tearful eyes filled with sincerity and reluctance.
Hundreds of years of obsession, and this tiny gift from the disciple who "betrayed" him...
Finally, he stretched out the hand covered with strange eyes, silently took the vial, and tightly grasped it in his palm. He did not promise, nor did he refuse.
He just looked at Bai deeply again, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into eternity, and then his figure slowly disappeared into the depths of the twisted corridors of Infinite City as if blending into the moonlight.
He took the potion and Bai's final wish away, heading towards his own unknown ending.
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