Chapter 25 (starting with a reverse V) "...She was..."
But she didn't actually make a sound.
Those cold, hard ribbons scurried away as if mice had seen a cat, wishing they had never been there at all, as if every second they stayed was torture.
There's nothing wrong with saying that.
It's hard to say whether a ghost without a human form is more terrifying, or a ghost that wears a human skin and whose strangeness can only be glimpsed from a few subtle details.
His attire was very smart; he wore a kimono with purple snakeskin and black spots on his upper body, and black riding hakama on his lower body, along with a long sword. Judging from these clothes alone, he looked every bit the swordsman... if it weren't for those six eyes.
The thing in front of her was a ghost; that was an undeniable fact. Azhi couldn't even deceive herself, and the name Upper Moon One was clearly etched on the golden iris.
This is Upper Moon One, "Kuroshibo," Aori heard the Ribbon Demon call him earlier.
Her first reaction was that it was impossible; how could she possibly be worth having an Upper Moon kill her?
Since she could remember, she had never heard of any Demon Slayer Corps member encountering an Upper Moon demon, even though Demon Slayer Corps members travel all over the world.
...No, it can't be said that they never encountered an Upper Moon. It's possible that those who did were all sacrificed and didn't have the chance to send a message back.
The terrifying association sent chills down her spine. Azhi covered her mouth in panic, her wide sleeves sliding down her forearms, appearing as white as a handful of fresh spring snow in the room.
She felt as if she were immersed in a terrible nightmare, unable to wake up. Of course, she also wished that she had really had a nightmare.
When she woke up, she found that the demon hiding in Yoshiwara had been destroyed. Then Giyu took her and the landlady to say goodbye, with at most some negative emotions of reluctance and melancholy.
What a cruel reality, today is supposed to be the day I leave...
What Azhi didn't want to admit was that she had a bad feeling. Unlike when she encountered the Ribbon Demon, the Upper Moon in front of her had an overwhelming aura that made it impossible for her to resist.
With no one to help her, she could only timidly call out "000" in her heart, grasping at the last straw, hoping to draw a little bit of strength to keep herself from immediately breaking down in tears.
Kokushibo walked up to Aori and stood still, looking down at her without moving, like a silent statue. But he knew he wasn't as calm as he appeared.
The girl was pale, her pitiful eyes filled with tears, and her breathing became shallow and almost imperceptible. She looked at him with fear, and a layer of fine sweat floated on her temples. Her soft, wispy hair clung pitifully to her skin.
His gaze fell on Azhi's hair, which had fallen loose from her struggle. Because she was sitting, the long ends of her hair were haphazardly spread on the ground.
The girl was filled with panic and had no time to think about anything else. She twisted her body, and the collar of her clothes came undone, revealing her long and graceful neck.
From the vantage point above, one could just make out a small, bright red birthmark hidden on the upper part of the shoulder blade—a barely noticeable red birthmark that would normally be invisible.
—Found it, there's no mistake!
While walking alone at night, Kokushibo received a message from Muzan Kibutsuji, a message that drove him almost to madness, so he rushed towards Yoshiwara without stopping.
He could certainly sense the subtle thoughts hidden behind Muzan Kibutsuji's actions, but as the memories of the women Muzan saw in the red-light district flowed into his mind, a voice hidden in his heart rang out more and more clearly.
—Found it!
Kokushibo's breathing became erratic. A surge of anger, jealousy, and... an overwhelming ecstasy that could not be ignored mixed together into an indescribable complex emotion, causing him to clench his teeth and his expression to twist slightly.
Ah Zhi was completely enveloped in the shadow created by the evil spirit. He was so tall that he could block out the sun just by standing there, and his sharp pupils stared at her without blinking.
In that instant, time and space seemed to be put on hold and stretched out infinitely.
The gaze was like a piercing wound to the soul, containing a multitude of ambiguous emotions that she neither understood nor could comprehend.
Azhi suddenly snapped out of her frozen state, all color draining from her face. She finally collapsed, curling up backward, trembling all over, tears silently wetting the tip of her chin.
She's been very well-behaved, gets along well with everyone in the office, and never actively seeks out trouble. So why does trouble still find her?
Her dark eyes were filled with a layer of mist, blurring her vision. No matter what the evil spirit was going to do next, she had nowhere to retreat. She couldn't help but sob, and Ah Zhi closed her eyes in despair.
A gesture resembling a sacrifice.
Kokushibo reached out his hand, which was large enough to cover the girl's face without fully opening it. He bent his knuckles, making a gesture as if to touch her.
However, when they finally got close enough to it, they hesitated, as if they were dealing with a treasure they had been searching for for a very long time, but dared not touch it easily after finding it.
“…A-Zhi.” The demon first uttered a hoarse whisper, as if speaking to itself, then its gaze lingered on the girl’s face inch by inch, its eyes growing deeper and deeper, and its voice became more steadfast, “A-Zhi.”
A deep voice carried through the darkness, clearly reaching A-Zhi's ears. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the second call sounded almost like a sigh.
Does this ghost seem to know her?
In a moment of fear, this thought suddenly popped into Azhi's mind.
********
When Giyu Tomioka and Sabito arrived in Yoshiwara, they saw Tengen Uzui and Tanjiro fighting against demons.
They arrived not too late; the battle had only just begun, but several of them had sustained injuries of varying degrees.
Having learned the general situation from Tanjiro, Sabito joined the battle without hesitation, and he sent Giyu Tomioka to Tokitoya to pick up Ori.
On his way there, Yoshiyuki Tomioka saw the ribbons fluttering from Aori's window from afar, and he was puzzled by this.
The closer you get, the more you can feel the gradually increasing, scalp-tingling pressure, unlike any other time before, this pressure makes it hard to breathe.
Giyu Tomioka subconsciously came to a conclusion: an Upper Moon had appeared in Ori's room. He discovered the Upper Moon, and the Upper Moon naturally discovered him as well.
There was no smell of blood in her nose, so Azhi was not injured.
Yoshiyuki Tomioka's heart pounded. When he landed at the window, he saw a tall figure that almost filled the entire room.
The figure completely concealed Azhi, making most of her invisible except for a section of her shapely calves, which seemed to glow like moonlight in the dim room.
His body reacted faster than his mind; Yoshiyuki Tomioka retreated sharply to defend himself, the iron blade emitting a loud hum as it came into contact with something hard.
At the same moment, the commotion startled Azhi, who opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure.
—The rescue team has finally arrived.
Aori put the idea that "the demon knows her" out of her mind. She looked in the direction of the black-haired swordsman, and almost subconsciously leaned forward towards him and reached out her hand to Tomioka Giyuu.
"Yiyong, you've come..."
The moment she made a move, a strong hand gripped her waist and lifted her off the ground. Her small, rounded shoulders slammed against a hard chest, causing a slight pain.
Even though there was still a layer of clothing between them, the iron-like arms wrapped around her waist, and the position where there was no gap between them, gave Azhi the illusion that they were directly sinking into each other's flesh.
As her vision shifted, she was pulled into the arms of the evil spirit.
Azhi opened her eyes wide, wanting to shout for help, but almost the instant she opened her mouth, all the sounds she wanted to make were blocked by a hand.
Therefore, she had never been so clearly aware of her own weakness and powerlessness. She tried to struggle, but all her actions were as if she were playing a game and had no effect.
Rather than depicting the current scene as a ferocious predator and a pitiful prey, perhaps a more fitting description would be a dragon coiled in a tower, firmly guarding its treasure.
Unfortunately, neither the people nor the ghosts present had the mind to think about these things.
—It's too much of an eyesore.
Both the girl's heartfelt trust and the solemnity and worry on the black-haired swordsman's face were extremely irritating to Kokushibo!
Kokushibo's face was hidden in the darkness, with prominent veins on his forehead and a gloomy expression that seemed to drip water. In an instant, his thoughts were pulled back to a long, long time ago, and the scene overlapped with that time.
If it weren't for this moment, Kokushibo would never have given up so easily. His breathing became heavy, and then he sensed the petite body pressed against his chest, trembling and struggling weakly.
Azhi is like a phantom reflected in a pond; if you're not careful, she'll be blown away by the wind and disappear without a trace. Kokushibo will not allow such a thing to happen again.
********
Sabito is the strongest and most outstanding of the "Water Pillars" in recent years, and his strength ranks quite high among the "Pillars". His addition prevented the battle from lasting long.
The final ribbon merged into Daki's body, but it did not bring any change to her predetermined fate. As the heads of the demon siblings fell to the ground, the battle ended.
Defeating Upper Moon Six without losing any manpower brought them no joy whatsoever; on the contrary, from a certain moment on, they were in a state of indescribable agitation.
An undeniable aura emanated from the direction Giyu Tomioka had gone, an aura even stronger than that of Upper Moon Six they had just faced.
It pressed down on them like a towering mountain, sending shivers down their spines. This was undoubtedly another Upper Moon, and two Upper Moons, a rare sight in a century, had appeared here.
And then there's Muzan Kibutsuji, who has already left.
On his way there, Sabito, very unlike his usual self, prayed in his heart that things wouldn't be so bad.
—He was destined not to get what he wanted.
The wall with the window collapsed entirely, violently broken open from the inside. A large hole was torn in A-Zhi's room, and the fierce night wind and torrential rain made the room a mess.
The wisteria sachet that Ah Zhi cherished and kept hanging on her waist, almost never leaving her side, was carelessly discarded on the ground like trash, rolling alone in the wind and rain.
The black-haired swordsman lowered his head, his jaw clenched, and an unprecedented aura of ferocity emanated from him. In his hand, he held a broken knife.
Sakoto's breathing became rapid, and an indescribable bitterness rose from the back of his tongue: "Yiyong?"
Giyu Tomioka's voice sounded somewhat ethereal amidst the howling wind. His pupils trembled violently, and for a moment, he stared blankly at the group rushing towards him.
"...She was taken away."
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Author's note: Kokushibo: I took him away in a flash, and even threw away the wisteria sachet. It was quick!
Daki and Gyutaro: Is nobody speaking up for us? He really doesn't care whether we live or die!
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I might not be able to update daily anymore, and I'm completely out of drafts _(:з」∠)_
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-04-20 22:06:52 and 2023-04-21 20:07:40!
Thanks to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 silly sculpture;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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