Chapter 258

The training of "Zanpi" is more difficult than expected. The nine pillars put pressure on each other. With the special approval of Mr. Umayashiki, they can even raise their swords against each other and use breathing techniques during training.

But except for Tanjiro who became more and more proficient in Fire God Kagura, none of the Nine Pillars succeeded.

This couldn't help but make everyone a little impatient. They had been going on missions frequently recently, and those who stayed in the team were also fighting a bloody battle with Mr. Komaji.

Everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps is indeed very strong, but given the limitations of humanity and time, it is difficult for most of them to fight against the Upper Ranks alone.

Therefore, the battle environment that Mr. Komaji created for them by using the pressure of the demons was very effective.

Xuanmi and I have already checked all the members of the Demon Slayer Corps and planted the blue red spider lilies that we had prepared in their bodies.

Of course, most of the power of the blue spider lily is connected to me, and excessive pain will be transferred to me - I have already strictly instructed Tanjiro not to tell anyone about this.

He was probably the only one who discovered this in detail.

The transfer of pain has no outward manifestation, and I was only exposed once in the beginning when Tanjiro observed me closely.

No one can know about this. Xuan Mi and I will not tell anyone about it, otherwise it will become a burden to everyone in the battle.

When the real battle begins, no distractions are allowed.

However, the usual training and fighting don’t really involve Xuanmi and me too much.

Everyone will be injected with the drugs developed by Ms. Tamayo and Ms. Shinobu in advance. The treatment priority of these drugs will exceed my ability. They are an extract after filtering through my flower juice and ghost blood. At the same time, they also use the research on Xuanya's body cells to quickly activate the power of the human body, so that everyone can have the same self-healing ability as ordinary ghosts in a short period of time.

Although it cannot reach the level of regeneration, it is enough to cope with most training and combat.

Only when the effect of this injection reaches its limit, or when I encounter an incurable injury, will my power be stimulated. It can be regarded as an alternative form of protection for me.

I stretched my body and was about to take a long break with Xuanmi when suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my heart, a burning sensation that swept through my body and made me stagger.

Xuan Mi was right beside me, and upon seeing this he quickly held my shoulders.

Is this a slap in the face?

I just said that normally it wouldn't be transferred directly to me, and then it really...

Wait, this pain coming from the heart and lungs, a burning sensation - it doesn't feel like an injury, but rather like a loss of life after overuse.

It's - it's "Stripes"!

I realized it immediately.

"Someone succeeded." Although my body was in pain, I was very happy mentally. "I wonder who it was..."

The suspense didn't last long, and the good news soon reached my ears from outside.

The person who reported the news was Tanjiro, whom I was just thinking about.

"Is it Mr. Kyojuro?!" It turned out that the burning feeling came from the breath of fire.

Just as I guessed.

In my previous assumption, the one who was most likely to develop "stripes" was Mr. Kyojuro.

There is a reason for this assumption. He had already broken through the limits of his body once before in the Infinite Train. At that time, even if he had not activated the "stripes", his body was already in a semi-"striped" state.

If the Tanjiro at that time was the Tanjiro of today, Tanjiro's own burning "marks" should be able to resonate with his body.

In the final analysis, the reason why the "spots" were not opened at that time was not because of talent, enlightenment or Mr. Kyojuro's ability, but because of the lack of an introduction.

Recalling past examples of opening "Stripes", the God of Fire Kagura - the Breathing of the Sun has always been an important factor in attracting the opening of "Stripes".

"Well! During the sparring with Mr. Komaji, Mr. Rengoku activated the pattern of fire!" Tanjiro was very happy, but his expression was not particularly excited. Instead, he looked at me with some worry.

In an instant, I knew what he was worried about.

"You don't have to worry about me, Tanjiro." I smiled and touched Tanjiro's head. The warm touch under my hand was not at all like the soft touch that the iron-headed boy should have. "As long as you are alive, the pain will pass one day."

The most terrifying thing is to watch an important person die in front of you and be unable to do anything about it.

Compared to these ghost-slaying team members, I have lived long enough.

As long as I can see Muzan Kibutsuji's tragic death, I will die with my eyes closed.

After Kyojuro's good news, the opening of "Stripes" suddenly became smooth.

Maybe it's because Kyojuro doesn't have the same devastating expressiveness as Tanjiro, the next one to open the "marks" is the youngest Muichiro, who is worthy of being a genius who was promoted to the rank of Pillar only two months after picking up the sword.

Next comes Mr. Xing Ming, who is the most powerful.

What was somewhat surprising was that the three people who followed, Mr. Giyu, Mr. Shimizu, and Mr. Obane, all activated their "spotted patterns" almost at the same time.

Although outsiders do not know the reason, Xuan Mi and I, who were present at the scene, saw it very clearly and were deeply impressed.

At that time, the three of them were fighting with Mr. Komaji in turn in the martial arts arena. The first one to go up was Mr. Giyu. Genmi and I sat over at the end of the battle. At that time, apart from the four parties involved, there were only two of us spectators.

As soon as we sat down, I felt my breathing stagnate, and I quickly grabbed Xuan Mi's arm. He felt the strength of my hand and understood instantly.

As Mr. Komaeda fought with him, a wave-like pattern appeared on Mr. Giyu's face, and his fighting power suddenly increased, blocking the fighting spirit that Mr. Komaji was about to hit him in the chest.

Then came the point. According to the management, the team members who turned on the "stripes" naturally had to share their feelings a little bit. Although they didn't get along well with Mr. Giyuu, Mr. Obana and Mr. Shimizu still sat seriously and listened attentively on such an important matter.

They had been training very hard, and their awareness and comprehension were very high, but they just lacked a strong stimulus to activate their "stripes". Then, Mr. Giyuu said something.

"I am different from you. I have nothing good to say to you."

Can anyone imagine the expressions on Mr. Shimizu and Mr. Obane's faces at that time?

Especially Shimi, his only younger brother who had always admired him was sitting next to him and heard these words clearly - these words seemed to be belittling Shimi.

The two of them immediately turned green. Even Mr. Komaji's expression became strange. This subtle atmosphere among the three of them reminded Mr. Komaji of Douma, who was once disliked by the demons.

Did Mr. Yiyong really hear what he was saying?

I clearly felt that he had no ill intentions, but instead had a very sad feeling.

Wait, he didn't mean that he felt that he had no merits, so the process of opening the "stripes" was of no value to refer to.

I feel very confused.

Although Mr. Giyu and Douma seem to have nothing in common, they both seem to have some subtle similarities in their relationship.

"What did you say?!" Veins popped out on Shimizu's forehead, and his voice sounded like a warning gust of wind before a rainstorm.

The other one, Mr. Obane, even pulled out his sword. Ever since getting Mr. Sanyashiki's special approval, these two people have been fighting with Mr. Giyuu every other day.

Then the next second, the two furious men's bodies became hot, their heartbeats accelerated rapidly, and then I had a very clear perception.

Both of them activated "Stripe" at the same time.

...Mr. Yiyong, you are worthy of being me.

It is easy to do what ordinary people can't do.

Can this thing be used as a strong stimulus?

Although the result seemed good, a battle was still inevitable afterwards, which allowed the three of them to quickly figure out the fighting style of "Zebra".

Moreover, in every sense, Shimizu and Obane's fighting tacit understanding has reached a higher level. If nothing unexpected happens, they will be assigned to the same group in the final battle.

Now, the guessing game begins: who will be the next person to unlock the "stripes"?

I never dreamed that after the above-mentioned pillars, the next person to open the markings would be the Flame Pillar's successor, Agatsuma Zenitsu.

I was shocked for a long time when I heard the news.

Agatsuma Zenitsu, although he is the successor of the Flame Pillar, later inexplicably began to train with the Sound Pillar Tengen.

It may be because the two people's breathing methods are similar, or perhaps it is because Mr. Tengen's wives have a fatal attraction to Zenitsu, or it may be because Mr. Tengen himself has a very good relationship with Grandpa Zenitsu.

In short, when even the Sound Pillar was unable to open the "Marking", Zenitsu became the first person in the younger generation to open the "Marking" except for Tanjiro.

It seems that the death of his senior brother, his grandfather's grief and expectations of him gave him a great stimulus. After observing Tanjiro's Fire God Kagura's breathing method, he actually developed a new move that combines the Sun Breathing and Thunder Breathing - Thunder Breathing·Seventh Form·Fire Thunder God and Thunder Breathing·Eighth Form·Sunny Day Thunder.

It combines the power of different breathing methods, which places extremely high demands on sword users, who need to change and adjust the rhythm of their breathing during combat.

Especially the Eighth Type, which has the speed of Thunder Breathing and the power of Sun Breathing, but the number of times this breathing type can be used is very limited, and it needs the auxiliary effect of Xuanya and the power I left in him.

The opening of his "stripes" was also a stimulation to Miss Mitsuri and Mr. Tianyuan.

Miss Shinobu is probably the only one among the pillars who has almost never thought about opening the "Mark". On the one hand, she has no time. She is needed in many places before the war. She has much less time to practice swordsmanship than others. Because of the special nature of the Butterfly House, her identity as the leader of medical staff is more important than that of a combatant. On the other hand, the way she kills demons mainly comes from the wisteria flower poison she made, rather than the power of beheading by breathing method, so the "Mark" has a very limited effect on her.

Rather than directly improving her own strength, she wants to provide every swordsman with as much help as possible through her own efforts to protect their survival rate in battle; and, when she recently shared her experience with Ms. Tamayo, she received a lot of inspiration and even developed a lot of new types of poisons, which was a great harvest.

Mr. Obane was the only one who witnessed the opening of Ms. Mitsuri's "spots". It was said to be a one-on-one targeted instruction, but for some reason, after the opening, both of them had strangely red faces.

Even the white snake on Mr. Bane's neck seemed to be a little red. I really don't know what's going on.

The key lies in Mr. Tianyuan, whose "stripes" opening process was very difficult.

It's not that he's not strong, nor that he has no enlightenment. On the contrary, it's because his enlightenment is too high.

Unlike ordinary swordsmen, ninja training is a completely different field.

Although Mr. Tianyuan hates many of the ninja's concepts, it is undeniable that what he was taught since birth is deeply rooted in his heart.

He has undergone specialized pain training, drug resistance training, and mental torture training. He actually does not have that much reverence for his own life, and he has a thorough understanding of all forms of combat, so the stimulation he experiences during combat is unlikely to exceed the limits of his mental endurance.

I was thinking, maybe I was using the wrong method?

Instead of letting Tian Yuan fight directly, should he be allowed to watch his wife fight with others?

To him, his wife should be far more important than himself, right?

Or perhaps, compared to being a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, Mr. Tengen's fighting style is originally more like a ninja.

The training time passed by little by little, day after day——

Everyone is getting stronger. Inosuke, who was stimulated by the activation of his two friends' "spotted patterns", is also on the verge of activating them. And Kanao, who I am not familiar with, has been getting close to Tanjiro recently. Unexpectedly, she can understand Tanjiro's abstract words.

But I have less and less energy to pay attention to this matter. The consumption that the pillars have transferred to me by opening the "Stripes" is almost irreversible.

In order to avoid letting too many people notice my condition, I have not been going out at all recently.

I was a little worried that if I continued like this, I would not be able to hold on before the final battle. In addition, the connection between the seeds in the Infinite Castle and me was getting weaker and weaker due to the large amount of ghost energy and the lack of sunlight for a long time. I was worried that the seeds would wither, so I quickly notified Mr. Ubuyashiki.

A complete battle plan has been distributed to everyone. The extremely detailed text even clearly specifies which person should do what and what contingency plans are available.

Looking at the dark circles under Mr. Sanyashiki's eyes, you can tell that he hasn't had a good night's sleep for a long time.

On the last noon before the operation, the people from Butterfly House and "Hidden" prepared a very sumptuous lunch for everyone, and almost everyone gathered in the headquarters.

I sent Xuanmi away to attend this last gathering before the war, while I continued to sit in the courtyard basking in the sun. My face was too pale, and although it did not affect my movements, I was worried that it would affect everyone's mood before the war.

Just as Xuanmi left, I heard the courtyard door open.

Without looking back, my branches entwine around my fingertips, "Didn't Mr. Komaji go? There must be a lot of people in the Demon Slayer Corps who have something to say to Komaji, right?"

I have confidence that I can keep everyone alive, but I cannot tell anyone about this confidence.

Only when one knows that the threat of death is always around him will his nervous system reach its peak.

Therefore, for many people, this noon is already regarded as the last noon.

Of course, if you can't say anything, you have to say it all.

Mr. Ubuyashiki's room is filled with suicide notes. I think that after the battle, everyone will have different feelings when they read their own suicide notes, right?

But when I looked at the white paper in front of me, I couldn't write a single word.

The sunlight beside me dimmed for a moment, and Mr. Komaji sat down next to me. "I've said everything I needed to say. I just can't bear to leave you alone."

I turned my head to look at him, but Mr. Komaji's eyes were not on me. Instead, he was looking at the sun in the sky, and he didn't seem to be afraid of the glare.

"Why are you worried about me, Komaji? You are the ones who are in more danger." I smiled lightly, and there was an undisguised weakness in my voice, and I knew it myself.

I held my hand out to Mr. Komaji, "Okay, I know you're here to deliver something for Ms. Tamayo, give it to me."

External force alone is not enough. Muzan Kibutsuji Murei has too many cards in his hand and is too strong. His power needs to be weakened, or at least he won't be too comfortable.

For this reason, the medicine that Ms. Tamayo injected into Nezuko has other uses.

Although the drug may not be enough to turn Muzan Muzan back into a human, it will definitely have an eroding effect on his strength.

By then, I will be the living bait, and I will be the only one who has the chance to get close to Muzan Kibutsuji Murei.

He would let me get close to him, and he would grab me and bring me to him.

But after waiting for a while, Mr. Komaji showed no intention of moving.

"Komaji, don't worry. Nothing will happen to me." He was unwilling to give it to me, probably because he didn't want to be captured by Muzan Muzan, as I was?

I saw him lower his head slightly and then look at me.

I suddenly realized that at some point the golden center of his pupils had turned into pure blue like the sea.

"Komaji, you—"

"He won't give you this chance." Mr. Komaji spoke, his voice was unprecedented, and I suddenly felt a little panicked, "The blue spider lily has huge side effects on him. In the decisive battle, Muzan will definitely not take such a big risk. Ao, you are not his first choice--"

"I am."

My pupils shrank. He took out the tube of golden liquid from his arms and swallowed it together with the tube in front of me, using his own muscles to keep the medicine stuck in his body.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

"Don't persuade me, Qing - don't persuade me. If I don't understand this sin myself, how can I have the face to see Ren Xue again?" Mr. Komaji said softly, but I knew he was serious.

Such a light and floating tone is more determined than any other sound.

If he does not atone for his sins, he will not be able to rest in peace even if he goes to hell.

Suddenly, I had no reason to speak up and stop him.

"Qing." he suddenly called out.

I caught his eye.

"What's your real name?" Mr. Komaji's nonsensical question made me pause for a moment. I didn't know how to answer. To him, I am both snow and blue, and even another form of love for snow, isn't it?

So what is the significance of this question?

I felt my head sink. He touched my hair, smoothed it back, and patted my shoulder. "You are you, and Lianxue is Lianxue. I hope I can always be the good side of Lianxue. I love her."

I understand. Who would want to look like a wolf in front of their lover?

Especially for someone like Mr. Komaji, who has done so many irreparable things in the past hundred years, he wants to cleanse his sins and regain the qualification to see Koiyuki.

"But you - you are different, Ao. Thank you for sharing my worst side with me. It doesn't matter who you are. No matter who you are - no matter what the outcome is after today, you will always be my most important friend."

I felt a sour sensation in my nose, which was different from the feeling I felt in the pistil in my body last time.

This is my emotion.

"So - my friend, who you are and what you are, is the same to me and to Lian Xue."

"My friend, your name 'Qing' will be left to me from now on."

"You need to remember your real name."