Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

With almost no hesitation, he swung his hand, his sharp nails flashing, and killed the woman and the girl in disbelief.

Immediately, some people nearby noticed what was happening and panicked.

After the murder, the violence in his eyes subsided somewhat. The man named Tsukihiko looked at the mother and daughter who had died in his rage. Mei Hong raised her head and looked at the dark night sky. The Demon Slayer Corps was getting weaker and weaker after losing the 'Transparent World', the 'Scarlet Mark', and the 'Crimson Blade'. They were becoming less and less of a threat. Why did this accident happen again?

Why does this happen?

Also, how did that ghost, which was suddenly controlled and disappeared silently, manage to break free from my control?

Why do these unexpected events always happen?

"You...you killed your wife and...daughter?"

An employee walking out of the office building stared at the scene in disbelief.

"Ah……"

A cold voice came from Yueyan's mouth. Then, the staff member clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground, his pupils gradually losing their life force.

The surrounding area suddenly descended into chaos.

The man named Yueyan glanced around and walked into the deeper darkness. His figure changed again in the depths of the darkness, transforming into the appearance of another person.

Chapter 187 Komaji, do you still remember a woman named Koyuki?

The train stopped

Urokodaki Sakonji stepped out of the carriage with his increasingly aged body. A 'hermit' was already waiting by his side. He boarded the carriage and headed straight for the Rengoku family.

A white curtain was draped over the entrance, and the once bustling Purgatory Family was now desolate.

The wind was a bit chilly, and memories of the past flooded Urokodaki Sakonji's mind. He remembered joining the Demon Slayer Corps with Makijuro and hunting demons together, their fiery passion seemingly appearing before his eyes.

"Senpai Urokodaki..."

When Senjuro learned that his father's old friend was coming, he hurriedly came out to greet him.

Upon arriving at the mourning hall, Urokodaki Sakonji offered incense to Makijuro. Standing before the hall, looking at Makijuro lying on the body, he remained silent.

…………

Sagiyama

Makomo stood in the newly cultivated rapeseed field, lost in thought.

What are you thinking about?

A gentle voice came to my ear.

Makomo turned around and saw Su Mu walking over, carrying a wine jug. Su Mu was looking at her with a big smile on his face. In the sunlight, Su Mu's smile gave people a warm feeling.

"nothing."

Makomo turned her head away and continued looking at the rapeseed field.

"I heard from Urokodaki-senpai that Makomo loves rapeseed flowers the most."

Su Mu arrived at Zhen Gu's side and looked at the newly cultivated rapeseed field with her. Perhaps the seeds had just been sown, as the entire field was not yet green.

"Your master is telling you all this?"

Makomo's voice was somewhat muffled.

"Yes! He talked a lot about Makomo. After all, Master Urokodaki cares a lot about Makomo."

The girl listened, then just lowered her head, looking sullen.

You probably already know, right?

Su Mu looked at the girl in front of him with a sigh.

Makomo didn't say anything, but she became increasingly silent.

"That's just how people are, there's nothing we can do about it, so we should live well and live longer."

As he spoke, he picked up his glass, poured a drink, and handed it to Makomo: "I told you last time, we'd drink together after the Fujikasayama assessment."

Makomo turned around, looked at the wine glass handed to her, took it, and then pulled off the mask on her face, revealing her pretty face.

The girl gently pursed her lips and drank the glass of wine in one gulp.

With no snacks to go with their drinks, Su Mu and Zhen Gu sat on the edge of the field, watching the thin mist in the distance shimmer with the glow of the sunset.

The girl was not in a good mood and drank without restraint. In addition, she didn't have a high alcohol tolerance, and soon she became a little drunk.

After the girl got drunk and fell asleep, Su Mu carried Makomo back to his residence.

Seeing the tears streaming down the girl's face as she was drunk, Su Mu knew that Makomo must have found out about her master and probably knew that Urokodaki Sakonji might not live much longer.

After placing Makomo on the bed and tucking in the mattress, he went to the window and looked at the now dark Mount Sagiri. Because he had brought up the 'Crimson Blade', 'Marked Pattern', and 'Transparent World', Urokodaki Sakonji had activated the 'Marked Pattern' this time.

If he hadn't brought these things up, perhaps there wouldn't have been the unexpected moment when Urokodaki Sakon first activated his 'spot,' and perhaps Makomo wouldn't be experiencing this sorrow today.

In fact, from the moment he proposed the 'spots', he knew that, given Urokodaki Sakonji's personality, he would definitely try it for his junior.

He had actually anticipated this long ago.

Because of what he did, Makomo was plunged into sadness, yet now he was concerned about her. At this moment, even he himself was lamenting his own hypocrisy.

…………

Purgatory Family

After paying his respects to his old friend, Urokodaki Sakonji also looked at his friend's broken Nichirin Blade and sensed the aura of a demon on it. He gently stroked the blade at his waist, and his eyes, which had become increasingly cloudy with age, became incredibly clear at this moment, as bright as the light reflected from the blade.

Before leaving, Urokodaki Sakonji patted Senjuro on the shoulder and then went out the door.

As I walked into the bustling town, feeling the vibrancy and prosperity of the place, a smile unconsciously appeared on my lips, and I took a sniff.

The scent of ghosts is very faint, but not impossible to detect.

It seems that the demon did not intend to escape after killing Rengoku Makijuro, perhaps thinking that the 'Pillars' were nothing special, so why bother to escape?

"Upper Moon Three".

Urokodaki Sakonji silently pressed the hilt of his sword at his waist, following the scent as he walked silently.

After passing through the town and arriving in the wilderness, the scent of ghosts grew stronger.

at last

They stopped in front of a cave in front of a mountain range.

Although we didn't go inside, we could faintly hear muffled sounds coming from inside the cave, as if something was hitting the cave walls.

Urokodaki Sakon raised his head again. The sun was gradually setting and night was about to fall. He lowered his head, picked up a gourd of sake tied to his waist, and took a big gulp.

He rarely drank alcohol before, but he learned to drink from that kid and gradually came to like it.

Speaking of which, that kid is really quite good. The only thing that makes people dislike him is that he seems a bit too scheming. Although he appears gentle on the surface, he is as cold as ice inside.

This is what Urokodaki Sakonji perceived through his nose.

After taking another sip of sake, Urokodaki Sakonji threw away his sake gourd and strode toward the cave.

Apart from the occasional dull thuds striking the mountainside, everything around was quiet. The further you went in, the stronger the ghostly aura became, and the dimmer the view grew.

Until the last ray of sunlight is seen.

Lighting the torch, Urokodaki Sakonji continued forward, and finally, deep inside the cave, he saw the demon relentlessly smashing against the stone wall.

A ghost that seems to be constantly honing itself.

I don't know fatigue

A demon who is always thinking about becoming stronger.

The moment Urokodaki Sakonji saw the demon, he knew that Makijuro's defeat to it was not unjust.

"boom!"

Akaza slammed his fist into the stone wall again, then stopped, turned around, and looked at Urokodaki Sakonji: "I thought you would ambush me, just like that swordsman I killed earlier."

Urokodaki Sakonji did not speak, but slowly drew his Nichirin Blade.

This Nichirin Blade had remained unsheathed for a long time after his retirement.

"I feel you are much stronger than the swordsman I just killed. I like you very much."

Akaza licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "I love fighting strong opponents like you. Every time, I feel my blood pounding."

“However, you are too old. Why don’t you become a ghost? That way, we can keep fighting and reach that ‘supreme realm’ together.”

"Like me, will you become a ghost?"

Urokodaki Sakon bent down and stuck the torch into the ground beside him. In the flickering light of the torch, his aged eyes were revealed beneath the Tengu mask.

At this moment, flames were shooting everywhere.

The old man stood quietly, his knees slightly bent, the blade held between his brows, looking at Akaza opposite him with a look of pity in his eyes.

"Become a ghost? I never even considered such a pathetic creature."

"Pitiful and pathetic, a monster who has forgotten all his past memories, even the things he once wanted to protect, and only knows how to become stronger."

Akaza simply stood there casually, completely unconcerned about these meaningless words that had no bearing on becoming stronger.

The torches burned, crackling and popping intermittently.

Akaza held his fists horizontally in front of him, eagerly awaiting the old man's attack.

In the firelight, the old man looked at Akaza with pity, but spoke again at this moment: "Komaji, do you still remember a woman named Koyuki?"

Chapter 188 Akaza Breaks Free from Muzan's Control

Akaza raised his fists, excitedly awaiting Urokodaki Sakonji's attack, completely ignoring the old man's pointless remarks about 'demons being pathetic creatures'.

But when the old man said, "Komaji, do you still remember a woman named Koyuki?", he froze in shock.

Perhaps Akaza never cared about Komaji, who belonged to the human era, but the name 'Koiyuki' was one he could never forget.

This is the person I was supposed to protect.

But in the end, they still couldn't protect it.