Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

At this moment, the demon, who had spent his life yearning to become stronger and had never stopped training to become stronger, put down the opponent who excited him and just stood there blankly.

Even as the old man before him raised the Nichirin Blade that was meant to kill him.

Like flowing water, the blade sliced ​​open Akaza's unsuspecting neck, and his bloodied head fell to the ground. The demon's eyes remained immersed in their own world.

The opponent that appeared before Akaza was not the one who excited him.

It's in a completely different area.

"Su-liu Dojo"

The plaque in front of the gate stood there quietly, as if a long-sealed memory was about to be unlocked. The grass swayed in the wind, carrying the fresh scent of the earth.

Akaza stared blankly at the plaque.

My head suddenly hurts so much

Unconsciously taking a step

The door was pushed open.

A woman stood inside the door, looking at him tenderly.

At that moment, Akaza stood there dumbfounded. Despite being a murderer who had killed countless people and was the infamous Upper Moon Three, he didn't even have the courage to look away from the girl in front of him.

He stood there dumbfounded as the girl walked up to him, gently took his hand, and then led him through the door.

The moment Akaza stepped through the door, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, realizing that his head had probably been severed by his powerful opponent.

No matter how powerful a demon is, once its neck is severed by a Nichirin Blade, it is almost certain to die.

However, for Akaza, who has already broken through his 'limit,' severing his neck will not lead to death. As long as his consciousness returns, he can continue fighting and easily defeat the old human with his powerful demon body.

Almost immediately, he wanted to break free from the girl holding his hand, but he found that the little hand holding him was getting warmer and warmer, and the grip was getting stronger and stronger.

My head hurts so much...

He was clearly in the middle of a battle, his head had been severed, and he was supposed to immediately regain his senses and continue fighting his excited opponent, but...

But she just couldn't bear to break free from the little hand holding her. As Upper Moon Three, she could easily break free from the restraints! But she just couldn't refuse to be led forward by her.

My head was hurting more and more, and I was becoming increasingly agitated and confused.

As if sensing his emotions, the girl who was leading him stopped. Akaza tilted his head and looked at the woman who had suddenly stopped, only to meet a pair of eyes that he could never forget.

Perhaps it was because they hadn't met for so long, or perhaps it was the grievance of not seeing each other for so long, but her beautiful eyes were filled with misty tears, but even more so with deep affection.

In that instant, Akaza couldn't take his eyes off that pale little face.

He just stood there, staring blankly, letting the girl lead him inside.

As he walked further, everything around him vanished, and Koyuki, who was holding his hand, suddenly disappeared. Akaza stared blankly ahead.

Ahead lay a land engulfed in flames, like the open gates of hell.

The girl he couldn't look away from gazed at him tenderly and softly said:

"My husband, welcome home."

…………

'boom!'

Memories flooded back into his mind at that moment; everything came back to him. His real name had never been Akaza.

Instead, it is a human named Komaji.

A pathetic human who wanted to protect Renyuki.

A human being who has nothing left to protect.

…………

With a single, effortless strike, Urokodaki Sakonji severed Akaza's head. He looked down in disbelief at his dripping blade as he glanced at Akaza's head, which lay rolling on the ground.

Almost easily, without any resistance, he severed Upper Moon Three's head, leaving Urokodaki Sakonji in disbelief. He had been prepared to die in this battle against Upper Moon Three.

But it wasn't what I expected.

However, what shocked Urokodaki Sakonji even more was that Akaza was still alive even after his neck was severed by the Nichirin Blade.

This was hard for Urokodaki Sakonji to believe.

For hundreds of years, there has never been a demon whose neck has been severed by a Nichirin Blade and who has not died.

If it weren't for the fact that it was all happening right before his eyes, Urokodaki Sakonji would never have believed it.

At that very moment, Urokodaki Sakonji sniffed lightly and detected a scent on Akaza that did not belong to Akaza.

Another aura seemed to descend upon Akaza through some special connection.

Without hesitation, Urokodaki Sakonji gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He then saw Akaza's headless body, walked up to the fallen head, and picked up what was originally his head.

Seeing this, Urokodaki Sakonji's hand holding the sword trembled slightly. He wasn't afraid of the Upper Moon Three in front of him; in fact, he no longer cared about his own life or death. What truly frightened him was how his juniors would face such a desperate moment, given that even a Nichirin Blade couldn't kill an Upper Moon demon whose neck had been severed.

How should the descendants deal with a demon that has overcome the defect of having its neck severed?

For a moment, Urokodaki Sakonji was in a state of agitation.

Akaza twisted his neck, his pair of faintly crimson eyes looking at Urokodaki Sakonji who was right in front of him, and also sensing the 'spots' hidden under the Tengu mask.

However, the faint crimson in the eyes was gradually suppressed, and the pupils gradually turned golden.

"Why cling to memories of the past when they are so painful?"

"Fight on, keep fighting! Only by fighting can you become stronger. Isn't that what you're after?"

A soft voice echoed deep within Akaza's heart, subtly trying to suppress the memories that Akaza had just regained.

But this time, no matter how hard they tried to suppress that voice, they couldn't.

"I have never been Akaza."

Akaza raised his fist and looked quietly at his hands: "I have never been Akaza. My name is Komaji, a Komaji who wants to protect Koiyuki."

As that soft voice fell, the constraints that had been under control seemed to be completely severed at that moment.

At this very moment

Far, far away, in the depths of darkness, Muzan Kibutsuji raised his crimson eyes, and all contact with Akaza was severed.

Once again, after hundreds of years, he lost control of his subordinates.

The last time, it was when Yoriichi Tsugikuni slashed him, and he was almost on the verge of death when his attendant Tamayo broke free from his control.

This time, however, it was the Upper Moon demon, nurtured by a large amount of his own blood, that forcibly broke free from his control.

…………

The cave was silent, the torches still burning. Akaza opened his golden eyes and quietly looked at the old man before him.

The old man beneath the tengu mask gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly.

"Several hundred years..."

Akaza looked at the old man behind the tengu mask and said calmly, "I have been carrying out meaningless killings for hundreds of years."

“I have tarnished my master’s moves.”

"It also goes against my father's dying wish."

Urokodaki Sakonji loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword slightly as he recalled everything Su Mu had told him about Akaza when they left Mount Sagiri.

"If possible, we can persuade Akaza to deal with Muzan."

When Su Mu said those words, Urokodaki Sakonji really felt it was absurd, but now, he looked down at the blade in his hand and saw the blood dripping from the tip of the knife.

Just now, he only uttered the name 'Koiyuki', and it made this Upper Moon Three, who was clearly full of fighting spirit, lose its fighting spirit, allowing him to easily sever its head.

perhaps

It's not as absurd as it seems.

perhaps

Could he really convince Akaza to deal with Muzan Kibutsuji?

However, when looking at Upper Moon Three in front of him, he could smell an extremely powerful aura, but at the same time, he could not smell any signs of life, like a large tree that was gradually withering away.

Chapter 189 The Sun Rises

Beneath the tengu mask, Urokodaki Sakonji gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, warily eyeing Akaza while preparing his words.

However, Akaza had no interest in Urokodaki Sakonji's invitation, just as Akaza had always invited some powerful Demon Slayer Corps members to become demons, but those people had no interest in becoming demons.

Everyone has their own path to walk and will not follow in someone else's footsteps.

He originally had his own path to walk, and he kept getting stronger in order to protect what he wanted to protect.

but now

He had nothing left to protect.

For hundreds of years, he has lived a life of emptiness and defiance, violating his father's dying wish that even if he committed suicide, he would not implicate him and would no longer live a life of crime.

This also goes against the master's teachings.

They also failed to protect Lianxue.

"He...did nothing, and always did a terrible job...no matter how hard he trained or tried, what he was trying to protect slipped through his fingers."

My heart suddenly felt a sharp pain.

It's very painful

I do not know how long it has been

Akaza looked up at the old man before him. With his keen sense of fighting spirit, he could feel the old man's life force constantly draining away. And because of the draining of life, the old man's fighting spirit became stronger and stronger than any opponent he had ever encountered before.

In the past, if he sensed his opponent's strong fighting spirit, he would be very excited and eager to fight.

but now

I have absolutely no interest.

Her golden eyes glanced at Urokodaki Sakonji only once before she strode outside.