Chapter 47 Tsugukuni Iwakatsu's Side Story: The First Brother Who Gives Birth to a Child with Waka
Under the cold moonlight, Jiguo Yansheng wandered aimlessly along the forest path, his eyes meeting only darkness, just like his current state of mind.
Not long ago, after returning to the Demon Slayer Corps after completing a mission, he learned that his childhood friend and younger brother had made a pact to get married if he killed the Demon King. This made Kokushibo feel suffocated and even breathless, which is why he came out alone to get some fresh air.
He walked for an unknown amount of time under the cold moonlight until he met a person, or rather, a ghost, and then he stopped.
The handsome young man with reddish-brown eyes looked at Yan Sheng with a half-smile and said, "Are you running away?"
Having long known the Demon King's appearance, Kokushibo recognized the man as Muzan Kibutsuji and immediately drew his Nichirin Blade, which gleamed like a cold moon in the night...
The purple-clad samurai, expressionless, used Moon Breathing to attack the demon king who had always wanted to kill him to prove his strength. However, even when his moon blade left wounds on Muzan's body, the injured areas would heal rapidly. Only then did he understand why Yoriichi was the savior. Only his Sun Breathing could truly kill Muzan Kibutsuji.
After discovering that his Moon Breathing was no match for Yoriichi's Sun Breathing, Kokushibo lost all interest in wielding his sword. He listlessly put down his Nichirin Blade, his mood worsening.
With the same confident smile as before, Kibutsuji Muzan said, "Your sword has no killing intent. You don't actually want to kill me, do you? Otherwise, the person you love most would have to marry the person you hate most."
Kokushiro Tsugikuni's sharp, imposing eyes immediately swept over Muzan Kibutsuji. As a member of a noble samurai family, Kokushiro Tsugikuni, who had grown up as the young lord of the Tsugikuni Kingdom, possessed an even greater aura of authority than this essentially cowardly and fearful demon king.
"Looks like I was right. It's really pathetic that you love songs so much, yet she didn't choose you." Muzan Kibutsuji smiled confidently, feeling even more certain about recruiting the Moon Pillar.
This was all thanks to the two unused subordinates who were captured and used as test subjects. Even though the little girl named Uta was wary of him and never revealed any information about the Demon Slayer Corps in front of the demons, he still managed to glean more important information through his subordinates' eyes, such as the fact that the Moon Pillar was jealous of the Sun Pillar's affection for Uta.
When he overheard rumors outside the wall about the Sun Pillar and Kagami being together through his subordinates' ears, he realized that the opportunity to eliminate the Demon Slayer Corps had arrived. That's why he waited here specifically to recruit this swordsman who uses breathing techniques.
"So what?" Kokushibo looked at Muzan coldly and readily admitted it.
That's right, he has always admired Ge, who can be considered his childhood sweetheart.
The girl had witnessed his most wretched, twisted, and darkest moments, yet she still sincerely considered him her best friend. Every time she saw Yoriichi's pure and radiant smile, it was as if a pair of gentle hands were caressing her heart, and her burning resentment towards him would briefly find peace.
He loved Ge's smile, loved Ge calling his name cheerfully, loved seeing his reflection in Ge's blue eyes. Yet, Yan Sheng never once told that girl how he felt.
As he grew older, Ji Guoyansheng, whose personality became more and more calm and reserved, could no longer say such frivolous words as "like". He could only express his love for the song through actions, such as dragging her to practice swordplay, swordplay, and swordplay again.
Kokuichi Katsumi enjoys practicing swordsmanship with his childhood friend. The time when he and Kagami are closest is when Yoriichi is not around to get in the way.
He was so fed up with the sight of Yoriichi standing next to Uta and trying to hold her hand. If he didn't know that the noble Yoriichi wouldn't deliberately take advantage of Uta, he would have loved to chop that hand off.
He would never admit that he was jealous, but he did feel some regret, regretting his awkward rejection when Ge reached out to him.
Several times he thought of simply holding Uta's hand naturally like Yoriichi did, but his pride as a samurai prevented him from doing something so humiliating. He could only use various reasons to separate their habitually clasped hands time and time again.
Of all these reasons, the one that Jikuni Iwakatsu liked the most was using the excuse of teaching Moon Breathing to get Ka to practice swordsmanship with him. He felt that Ka should be able to sense his feelings. If he didn't really like her, why would he willingly waste his precious training time to teach her the moves of Moon Breathing? It wasn't like he was taking her in as an adopted son.
He always thought that his relationship with Uta would develop naturally, and even if his swordsmanship was not as good as Yoriichi's, his feelings for Uta would definitely be deeper than Yoriichi's.
Compared to the bland relationship between Uta and Yoriichi, Uta was always so enthusiastic towards him, always smiling brightly whenever she saw him, and always saying that the two were best friends. In fact, this was a disguised confession.
Ji Guoyan Sheng thought that after he killed the Ghost King and proved himself, he would take Ge back to Ji Guo to get married, believing that the girl who always smiled brightly at him would happily agree.
He truly believed that, but he never expected that just one mission would change everything. The girl he liked unexpectedly got together with Yoriichi and even made a promise to get married after killing the Demon King. There could be nothing more ironic.
So when Kata greeted him with a smile as usual, Iwakatsu walked away without looking at her or giving any response. He was afraid that he would lose his temper and question Kata about why she was with Yoriichi, which would be too embarrassing.
"Are you really content to run away like a loser, letting your despicable younger brother possess the woman you love? Why don't you try to take back everything you've lost?"
Kibutsuji Muzan's seductive words interrupted Tsugikuni Iwakatsu's thoughts. He looked at the Demon King thoughtfully and said in a deep voice, "What do you want to say?"
"As a human, you can never defeat Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Only by becoming a demon who transcends humanity can you achieve that. And that little girl named Uta, since you like her, turn her into a demon who belongs only to you. From now on, she can never be with your brother again. Are you satisfied with this future?"
"What's your purpose?" Kokushibo admitted he was tempted, while Muzan Kibutsuji said with a victorious smile, "I just want to try turning a swordsman who uses breathing techniques into a demon. Besides, the Moon Pillar becoming a demon would be a major blow to the Demon Slayer Corps, wouldn't it?"
As if it were destiny, Kokushibo agreed to accept Muzan Kibutsuji's blood and become a demon without much hesitation. At that moment, he even felt that this was his own fate.
Remembering that Ge could see the future and had always emphasized to him that once he became a demon, there would be no saving him, Yan Sheng suddenly realized that becoming a demon might really be his destiny. If it weren't for the medicine Ge developed, he would definitely decide to become a man-eating demon for the sake of unlimited time to practice his sword skills, since he would not live past the age of twenty-five and had no future.
Fortunately, even if he becomes a ghost now, he won't need to eat people. He has researched a drug that prevents ghosts from eating human flesh and blood. Even if the price is falling into a period of sleep, it is better than abandoning his humanity. This is why Yan Sheng readily agreed to become a ghost.
It took three whole days of transformation for Tsugikuni Iwakatsu to completely turn from a human into a demon. When he saw his ugly six-eyed face reflected on his Nichirin Blade, he suddenly lost the courage to appear in front of Uta.
Ultimately, he gave the choice to Ge.
If Ge, knowing she will become a ghost, still chooses to see him, then he will transform Ge into a ghost and they will be together forever. If Ge refuses to come, he will not force her, but without the medicine Ge brought that prevents ghosts from eating humans, he will become unable to control his hunger and hunt humans, thus becoming a true ghost.
In the first option, his strength would be limited by his inability to eat people, but he could be with Uta. In the second option, his strength would increase dramatically by eating people, even giving him the possibility of defeating Yoriichi, but he would be unable to be with the person he loves.
Even Iwakatsu didn't know what choice he hoped Kata would make. He only knew that, now in such an ugly state, he would never be able to confess his feelings to the girl he loved. The only thing he could do was maintain the last vestige of dignity as a samurai, even as an enemy.
Not long after, he heard the song. The girl who always had a bright smile looked at him with a pained expression, even thinking that he had called her over to eat her.
That's not wrong; he did want to eat her, in a different sense.
Moreover, he really loves music more and more.
Even after becoming a ghost and taking on such an ugly form, Ge still relentlessly tries to save himself.
Even when injured to the point of near death, he felt no resentment or regret; instead, he was saddened and apologized for being unable to save himself.
Uta never lied. Although she chose Yoriichi, she always regarded him as her most important friend.
After Guo Yansheng fed his demon blood to Ge, it wasn't the blood that was expected to drip from his palm, but rather the blood that he couldn't help but kiss Ge and force her to drink the blood that flowed from his bitten tongue...
That was his first kiss. Although it was filled with blood, it was also incredibly sweet. It was the first time he realized how soft Ge's lips were, making him linger and reluctant to leave.
Then, Uta's transformation began, and Iwakatsu stayed by her side until the Kasugai-raven he had transformed into a demon conveyed the message that Yoriichi was about to arrive. Only then did Iwakatsu carry Uta away from the place to find a safe place for the transformation.
Three days later, the transformation of the song ended, but she still did not wake up, which made Yan Sheng very worried. He even found human blood to feed her, but she vomited as soon as she was fed it and could not swallow the human blood at all. He could only wait for her to wake up on her own.
Unable to consume human flesh and blood, Tsugikuni Iwakatsu was also very weak these past few days. He was content to have Kasugaiya guard outside while he held the girl he loved and fell into a deep sleep, only to awaken again six months later.
After sleeping for half a year, Kokushibo woke up full of energy. After settling Uta, who was still asleep, he went out to find out what was going on. He learned that Yoriichi had already fought Muzan. As a result, not only did Muzan escape, but he also let go of a female demon who was by his side. As a result, Yoriichi left the Demon Slayer Corps and disappeared.
Although he had always wanted to defeat his younger brother, Kokushiro did not want to see him for the time being, knowing that he was no match for Yoriichi and that he still needed to practice his swordsmanship diligently.
High-ranking demons all possess Blood Demon Arts, and Kokushibo quickly discovered that his own Blood Demon Art was the ability to transform his own flesh and blood into a blade. It was a rather useless Blood Demon Art; given his current inability to eat humans, using this energy-consuming technique would only plunge him into a prolonged slumber. Kokushibo could only temporarily continue using the Nichirin Blade he used in the Demon Slayer Corps, the inscription "Demon Slayer" on it rather ironically.
Another six months passed, and Ji Guoyan's body weakened again. Knowing that it was time for him to fall asleep again, he went to the place where Ge was to be placed, preparing to fall asleep with Ge once more.
However, before he could even enter the underground chamber, he unexpectedly encountered Yoriichi Tsugikuni, his twin brother.
The young man, who had lost his brother and lover overnight, looked extremely depressed and exhausted. When he saw Tsugikuni Iwakatsu, who had become a ghost, he couldn't help but shed two clear tears.
...elder brother...
Yoriichi's voice was unusually hoarse. He rarely showed his emotions, but at this moment he was filled with a deep sadness. Even Kokushibo, who had always been jealous of his talent, wavered a little and felt a slight sadness in his heart. From now on, he would never be able to get along with Yoriichi as before.
Quickly dispelling this inexplicable sadness, Ji Guoyan asked in a deep voice, "Why did you fail? With your strength, you could have easily killed that man."
Although he became the Upper Moon One of the Twelve Demon Moons, Kokushibo did not feel like a subordinate. He was very dissatisfied with Yoriichi's failure, not because he was dissatisfied with not being able to kill his current boss, but because Yoriichi had thwarted Uta's wish and wasted her years of hard work.
"...I wavered, realizing that killing the Demon King would kill my brother and Kagami, who had become a demon because of him, and I could no longer wield my sword."
Yoriichi spoke with difficulty, still blaming himself for what happened that day. He could have killed Muzan, but instead he let him escape, turning into pieces. He had let everyone down. But even if he had to do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.
"Hmph! Foolish!"
Kushiro Kokushi snorted coldly, not telling his foolish younger brother that the potion that Uta brought over, which prevented the demons from eating flesh and blood, also contained a semi-finished potion that would free the demons from Muzan's control.
Although he can still receive Muzan's orders in his mind, that's all. Even if Muzan dies, it won't affect him in any way, and naturally, the song that turns into a demon by consuming his blood won't be affected either.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at his brother, who had called him stupid, with confusion, and then asked, "Brother, where is the song?"
"She's my wife! I won't let you see her!"
Ji Guoyan Sheng spoke without changing his expression, saying things that were completely unfounded. In his view, the two of them were ghosts now, and they would have countless hours together in the future and would eventually get married. He had enough patience to wait for Ge to marry him.
Yoriichi, who was usually very good-tempered, gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly upon hearing his words, and the previously peaceful atmosphere around them suddenly became tense.
This was the first time Yoriichi had shown his imposing presence to his older brother, making Kokushibo feel as if an invisible boulder was pressing down on his shoulders.
The next moment, Yoriichi drew his Nichirin Blade and slashed at his brother, whom he had always admired but who had taken away his beloved. The speed was so fast that Kokushibo didn't even have time to draw his sword before his chest was cleaved open and a large amount of blood gushed out.
Completely crushed, Kokushiro was furious, but he knew that Yoriichi had shown mercy. If that sword had been aimed at his neck, he would have been decapitated and dead.
Yoriichi, covered in blood, looked sadly and pityingly at his brother, whose six-eyed face was becoming increasingly grotesque. This only fueled Kokushibo's anger. When did it become Yoriichi's turn to pity him?
Just as he was about to draw his sword, something unexpected happened. Yoriichi vanished into thin air, leaving only a sharply defined gem lying on the ground.
He recognized the stone; it belonged to Yoriichi and was called the World Stone. It was said that if it was stained with blood, it could transport a person to another world. He never expected it to appear here. Yoriichi's sudden disappearance must have been because of this stone, since he was covered in his own blood.
After picking up the World Foundation Stone, Kuniyama Katsuya bent down and stared blankly at the spot where Yoriichi had disappeared for a while before returning to the place where the song was placed.
Entering the underground chamber, Yan Sheng casually tossed the World Foundation Stone aside and, as usual, embraced Ge and fell into a deep sleep. The wounds on his body inflicted by the Crimson Blade were healing very slowly, so he would likely remain asleep for a while longer.
Wait a minute! Could it be that he did something in his sleep that he has no memory of?
Although he had no memory of the incident, Ji Guoyansheng gladly accepted the fact that Ge was pregnant with his child and took good care of Ge while she was in a coma, hoping that she would give birth to his child soon.
Perhaps because both parents were demons, the child remained safely inside the body of the song until the Taisho era, more than four hundred years later, when the child was born, and incredibly, was a pure human.
When Kokushiro Tsugikuni awkwardly held his son, who had beautiful mint-colored eyes but never cried, he inexplicably thought of his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and felt that the child's temperament was somewhat similar to his.
The name "Muichiro" suddenly popped into his mind, and he felt it was very suitable for his son, so he officially named him Tsugikuni Muichiro.
As a new father, Kokushiro Tsugikuni clumsily but attentively cared for his son. As the child grew older, Muichiro's personality became cheerful and optimistic, no longer resembling Yoriichi in temperament when he was young, which made Kokushiro secretly relieved.
Thankfully, he doesn't resemble Yoriichi anymore, otherwise I'd always feel like I've been cheated on. Especially since his black-haired son's hair ends are a similar green to his eyes, it feels quite unkind to him as a father.
Even with his serious, dignified, and aloof demeanor, Jiguo Yansheng is having a day full of hidden passion.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2021-02-25 20:18:15 and 2021-02-27 14:30:11!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 6 bottles for "Don't Want to Take Exams"; 4 bottles for "After the Rain"; and 3 bottles for "Abandoned Flowers".
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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