Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Urokodaki Sakonji gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, looking at the demon's unguarded back. At that moment, he felt that if he drew his sword, he could probably easily sever the demon's head.

But he didn't draw his sword; he simply watched quietly as the other person walked towards the cave entrance, and then silently followed.

outside

It was pitch black, with only a few stars twinkling in the darkness.

A raven flapped its wings and flew across the sky.

In the distance, one could vaguely see figures desperately rushing towards this direction.

…………

The Demon Slayer Corps never hunts demons alone. After finding the trail of Upper Moon Three, Sakonji Urokodaki sent a message to the Demon Slayer Corps using Kasugai Crows.

Until now

Not only swordsmen, but also the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps from the nearby area are rushing this way.

A swordsman arrived and, upon seeing the Upper Moon demon, rushed over excitedly despite his fear, slashing Akaza across the neck with his sword.

"boom!"

The sound was almost muffled; the blade seemed to strike a stone, failing to sever Akaza's head as the swordsman had hoped.

Akaza paused briefly, casually threw a punch, and the swordsman was sent flying backward, crashing dozens of meters away.

The swordsmen not far away gripped their sword hilts tightly, sensing Akaza's power. Fear flashed in their eyes, but none of them retreated a single step.

Akaza's golden eyes looked down at these frail humans.

Humans with such weak fighting spirit, despite being terrified, did not take a single step back.

Before he lost his memory, he would have thought that these weaklings always liked to do things that were meaningless.

Always doing these meaningless things.

Don't these people know that they are weaklings who can't protect anything?

But now, I've rediscovered those memories.

Only then did I understand why these people did what they did.

Just like how he once protected Lianxue, this... is the meaning behind why these people never retreated, even though they were afraid.

For what they want to protect, they will never back down, no matter how powerful the opponent.

In a way, these people are luckier than him; at least they can fight against stronger opponents to protect what they are protecting. But what about him?

When he returned to the 'Suryu Dojo', both Renyuki and Keizo, whom he wanted to protect for the rest of his life, had already died from poisoning. He lost the people he wanted to protect without even having a battle to fight for them.

Even if all the murderers were killed, even if their bodies were torn to pieces, what is lost can never be regained, and there is nothing left to protect.

One swordsman after another appeared...

Akaza paid no attention to these things and walked at a leisurely pace.

Urokodaki Sakonji appeared shortly after, making the swordsman blocking his way move aside.

Akaza strolled along until he stopped in a lush meadow, where he sat down under the watchful eyes of the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen.

Some swordsmen wanted to step forward and attack, but ultimately suppressed their killing intent at Urokodaki Sakonji's signal to shake his head.

"Whoosh!"

As the wind blew by, a man with white hair, a radiating red mark around his left eye, and two gold earrings on each ear appeared. His gaze sharpened the moment he saw Akaza.

It was Yuzui Tengen, the 'Sound Pillar' who arrived just in time.

With the appearance of the 'Sound Pillar', soon after, the 'Ground Pillar' Gyomei Himejima and the 'Wind Pillar' Sanemi Shinazugawa also arrived.

With the addition of Sakonji Urokodaki, the "Water Pillar," this place now gathers all four "Pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. It can be said that almost all of the Demon Slayer Corps' top combat power has been gathered here.

"Let's get started."

The 'Wind Pillar' Sanemi Shinazugawa could barely contain the murderous intent surging within him, his hand gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade at his waist.

"Let's wait a bit..."

Urokodaki Sakonji shook his head.

As a senior member of the Demon Slayer Corps, the 'Water Pillar' still held considerable prestige. Coupled with their fear of Upper Moon Three, everyone managed to barely suppress their killing intent.

In fact, all the swordsmen were somewhat puzzled at this moment, not understanding what this evil Upper Moon demon was trying to do. It seemed very strange.

Urokodaki Sakonji stood at the front, looking at Akaza who remained unperturbed despite being surrounded by numerous swordsmen. He could also sense the emotions emanating from Akaza and vaguely knew what this demon was up to.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

Everyone is silently enduring it.

Akaza had already lay down, his hands behind his head, quietly gazing at the dark night sky, as if he could see that night when fireworks bloomed. On that night, Koyuki's soft voice gently rang in his ear: "Komaji, will you marry me?"

"Thump, thump..."

My heart was pounding at that moment, and even though so much time had passed, recalling those moments still made me tremble with uncontrollable joy.

but……

Everything is lost.

With nothing left to protect, the pursuit of becoming stronger has lost its meaning.

"What is this ghost trying to do?"

A swordsman looked at Akaza, who was still standing there, with great confusion.

"Who knows? But if we keep waiting like this, it might be dawn."

"It'll be good when it's light, then we can burn these wretched monsters to death."

A swordsman gritted his teeth.

…………

Akaza heard the swordsman's low voice, laced with hatred, but he paid no attention. He simply rested his hands on his head, lay quietly on the grass, and looked at the starry sky.

Even the longest night will eventually pass, and dawn will eventually break.

Sensing that the sun was about to rise, his body felt an instinctive fear of sunlight. His body was afraid, panicked, and urging him to hide in a dark corner.

Akaza used to do this.

Even Muzan Kibutsuji wouldn't dare expose himself to the sunlight.

Akaza simply gazed quietly at the sky, watching the first rays of dawn gradually rise, his thoughts drifting away.

Chapter 190 Akaza Standing in the Sunlight

Soryu Dojo

The dampness of the soil mixed with the fresh air rushed into Akaza's nostrils, and Akaza found himself in a room he hadn't been to for hundreds of years.

This room once belonged to a human named Komaji.

On the table, there is a wooden carving of a woman, the girl's face as beautiful as a painting etched in her golden eyes.

Akaza gently stepped forward and stroked the wooden carving. He had carved it for Renyuki while taking care of her, but it was not yet finished.

Before I knew it, it seemed as if I had traveled back hundreds of years.

Before all the tragedies happened

He stood there blankly, tears streaming down his face.

.........

The weather was exceptionally fine today. The vast dojo was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind. The light-footed girl moved silently and quietly into Komaji's room.

These days, Komaji has been taking care of her; it is her illness that has burdened the gentle Komaji.

However, thanks to Mr. Komaji's tender care, her illness has improved significantly. Once she recovers, she can marry the gentle Mr. Komaji...

Thinking this, the girl's heart skipped a beat.

She gently pushed open the door and saw Mr. Komaji with his back to her. She saw him carving wood with a carving knife. Koyuki knew that he was carving her, and he had been carving her secretly all along.

Gentle Mr. Komaji! Koyuki already knew about the surprise you were planning to give me!

But they still pretended not to know.

When the gentle Mr. Komaji presents her with the gift, she will be very happy, very happy.

But why does Mr. Komaji seem different today? His hair is now pink, and his clothes are different too...

"Well... I definitely need to ask them about this later."

Lianxue thought to herself, then quietly stood at the door and greeted them.

Good morning... Mr. Komaji.

Akaza turned around and saw the pretty girl standing at the door. He practically pounced on her and hugged her tightly.

The strong arms tightened around Lianxue, causing her some pain.

"Hey... Mr. Komaji... what's wrong?"

In Koyuki's eyes, Komaji, who seemed to have changed, simply buried his head in her body and suddenly started crying. Although she felt that Komaji had changed a lot, he was still... her Mr. Komaji.

That feeling that belongs to Mr. Komaji hasn't changed.

"It's alright, Mr. Komaji. No matter what happens, Koyuki will always be on your side."

The girl gently patted Komaji's back, her heart filled with tenderness.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

The man's voice seemed to be filled with endless grievances, and his voice was trembling.

"Although...although I don't know what happened, it's okay! It's okay, tell me, Mr. Komaji, you can say anything."

Akaza looked up at the woman before him. The girl's appearance and voice made him almost unwilling to look away for even a second. He just stared at her blankly.

"What happened! Mr. Komaji, you seem like a child today, which is not like you at all!"

"I...I've done a lot of wrong things..."