Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

"I will never forget that day, when I saw my parents being devoured by ghosts right before my eyes. I will never forget it. If I could really forget all of this, I would rather die."

Su Mu was slightly surprised to see Shinobu Kocho return.

Shinazugawa Sanemi lowered his head and clenched his fists. If possible, he only wished to walk the blood-stained path of demon hunting alone.

"Those of us whose happiness has been destroyed by ghosts can no longer live like ordinary people."

Shinobu Kocho calmly looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa: "Your expectation of bearing everything alone is simply impossible. Do you think my sister doesn't want me to leave the Demon Slayer Corps, doesn't want me to live a normal life, and have the happiness of an ordinary person?"

As she spoke, Shinobu's tone was tinged with sadness: "I can no longer pretend to forget everything, I can no longer deceive myself, and I don't need this so-called happiness of forgetting everything and deceiving myself. Such happiness is no different from death for me."

At this moment, Shinazugawa Genya also spoke through tears: "I saw with my own eyes my brother kill our mother, who had fallen into demonhood. I don't blame my brother; I only hate that bastard who turned our mother into a demon. It was that bastard who caused me to lose my mother, to lose the younger brother and sister I wanted to protect, and to make my brother suffer so much pain. I can hardly imagine the grief my brother endured when he killed our mother, who had fallen into demonhood..."

As he spoke, Shinazugawa Genya stepped forward and gently took his brother's hand.

Since the day they witnessed their brother kill their mother, who had fallen into demonhood, the two brothers had never been in contact again, let alone held hands.

“I know you want to bear everything alone, but when have you ever thought about yourself? Seeing the scars on your body now breaks my heart. When I was little, I could act spoiled by you, and even now that I'm grown up, you're still my support. But who can you act spoiled by now? Who can you rely on?”

"Why should everything depend on my brother alone? I only have you as my brother, and you have always been the most important person to me! Why can't my brother rely on me too? Even just for a short moment would be fine, so that my brother wouldn't be so tired."

The string of words completely stunned Shinazugawa Sanemi.

He could endure pain, accept the danger of fighting demons, and accept any dangerous situation, but he simply could not bear the concern from his younger brother.

No matter how much he tried to disguise his fierceness or his violent nature, Shinazugawa Sanemi could no longer maintain it at this moment.

Seeing the two brothers standing together, Su Mu quietly pulled up Shinobu Kocho, who was still standing there.

The girl was slightly taken aback when her hand was pulled, and then seemed to realize what was happening. She quietly followed Su Mu out of the room, giving the two brothers some time alone.

As Shinobu Kocho stepped out of the room, she turned back and looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa, who was usually irritable and fierce, with a rare gentleness in his eyes. She could hardly believe her eyes, and all of this was probably inseparable from...

Unconsciously, she looked at the large hand holding her small hand, and then looked up at the tall figure in front of her. Suddenly, she felt that this man was really amazing, really amazing, and had an indescribable charm.

…………

Inside the room, Sanemi broke free from his younger brother's hand, tilted his head back, and dared not meet his brother's gaze. His voice was fierce: "Since you want to follow me to hunt demons, I will stop you. However, starting tomorrow, I will personally supervise your training."

"it is good."

"Don't regret it when you suffer later. I won't spoil you like I used to."

"I won't regret it."

Shinazugawa Genya whispered, the boy's face still wet with tears, yet his smile was now full of joy.

"Stop talking big. We'll see how you cry later."

"You won't cry."

Sanemi lowered his head, looking into his younger brother's determined eyes. For a moment, he felt a little dazed, as if he had returned to the days before the demons destroyed their happiness. During that difficult period, the two brothers supported their mother and took care of their younger siblings.

He dared not look into his younger brother's eyes any longer, turned his head to look at the window. A gentle breeze blew in through the window, blowing against his prickly exterior, which he had always disguised as a person who suppressed all his pain and hid it in his heart. Suddenly, he had a younger brother he could rely on.

At this moment, Xuanmi still looked up at his brother. He had always followed in his brother's footsteps, and now he could finally stand by his brother's side. Although he was still weak, he would definitely become his brother's steadfast support.

Chapter 205 The Ultimate State of Tranquility

Half a month after Urokodaki Sakonji died, almost all those who came to pay their respects had already left.

Genya Shinazugawa was personally taken away by his older brother, Sanemi Shinazugawa, the "Wind Pillar," and embarked on their brotherly path of demon hunting.

Kanae Kocho goes to investigate the disappearance of a woman within the Eternal Bliss Cult and to investigate the possible appearance of the Twelve Demon Moons.

Shinobu Kocho went to the Butterfly Mansion to continue treating the injured. Meanwhile, with the Demon Slayer Corps' large investment, she began to research more about the wisteria flower poison used to slay demons.

Others, such as the 'Sound Pillar' Tengen Uzui and the 'Rock Pillar' Gyomei Himejima, also began to carry out their own missions.

Makomo took over from her master, Urokodaki Sakonji, to continue teaching the boy and girl who were still training in 'Water Breathing' at Mount Sagiri.

Everyone has their own things to do.

…………

Once a person dies, the traces of their death gradually fade away, and people gradually get used to life without that person. Thus, everyone gradually got used to the fact that Mount Sagiri no longer had Urokodaki-senpai, who liked to wear a tengu mask.

…………

Giyu Tomioka is currently on leave and has not been on duty.

Because of his taciturn personality, he is not good at communicating with people. Perhaps, Giyu Tomioka is also used to the fact that everyone seems to dislike him and he is always alone.

After finishing his training, Giyu Tomioka stood at Urokodaki's grave for half a day.

He was in a state of high-intensity training almost every day, and only such high-intensity training could make him feel numb.

For Giyu Tomioka, this seemed to be the only way to keep him from thinking about anything else.

Although Master Urokodaki instructed him to learn Kyojuro Rengoku's passion and smile before his death, these were difficult things for Giyu Tomioka.

I don't know when it started, but I no longer smile, and I can't even force a smile.

The deaths of his sister and Sabito were irreparable regrets for Giyu Tomioka, like a heavy mountain pressing down on him, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Mr. Tomioka."

A cheerful voice came from behind me.

Giyu Tomioka turned around and saw a young man with long, bright red hair and a fiery passion on his face.

Giyu Tomioka remembered him; the other person was Tanjiro, the one who split the boulder. Every time he saw him, the other person always seemed cheerful.

"Ah."

Yoshiyuki Tomioka lowered his head slightly, his hair covering half of his face.

For Tanjiro, his nose can smell people's emotions, and every time he sees Giyu Tomioka, he feels that Giyu Tomioka is crying.

"The master asked me to call you over for dinner."

Tanjiro walked in.

"Need not."

It was almost an instinctive reaction to refuse.

He had barely finished uttering his brief refusal when he noticed Tanjiro had already grabbed his hand. Before Giyu Tomioka could react, Tanjiro was already pulling him away.

"Everyone is waiting for you. Uncle said that if Tanjiro doesn't bring Mr. Tomioka, I won't be allowed to eat."

Tanjiro turned around and looked at Giyu Tomioka: "Mr. Tomioka, you can't refuse me!"

They soon arrived at a spacious courtyard with a long table. At the head of the table, a tall man named Su Mu greeted him with a gentle smile and invited him to sit down before the meal began.

The meal wasn't a fancy meal, but it was plentiful and nutritious, enough to meet everyone's energy needs after a hard training session.

There were many people eating, including the Kamado family, Su Mu, Kanao, Makomo, and the boys and girls training here. Everyone was chatting and laughing while eating, and the air seemed to be filled with a warm atmosphere.

"The gentleman said that Mr. Tomioka would like to eat radish salmon, so I specially caught it in the stream and then my mother cooked it by hand."

Next to him, Tanjiro handed a plate of radish and salmon to Giyu Tomioka.

"Thank you."

Yoshiyuki Tomioka didn't say anything, he just kept his head down and ate silently.

Giyu Tomioka is a man of few words, and his words are simple. Sometimes he says things that are not the opposite of what he really wants to say, which can be quite annoying. But this doesn't seem to affect Tanjiro much. The passionate young man always strikes up a conversation with him from time to time, talking about himself and asking him questions about Giyu Tomioka...

For some reason, Yoshiyuki Tomioka suddenly found today's meal particularly delicious, not just because it contained his favorite radish and salmon, but more so because of the atmosphere in the air.

The death of Master Urokodaki plunged the entire Sagiri Mountain into an atmosphere of extreme sadness. In fact, in Giyu Tomioka's mind, with the departure of his master, there were no more familiar people left, and Sagiri Mountain would become more and more unfamiliar.

But it seems... no, in fact, it's like a forest after a great fire, now bursting with vibrant life again. Tanjiro seems to have become like Sabito, just as passionate as ever. Besides training every day, he also helps others. Makomo, like a senior sister, teaches the boys and girls every day. And Su Mu, this very powerful man, has taken over the position of Urokodaki's former master...

Mount Sagiri seems to have changed, yet it also seems that nothing has changed.

"Courage and righteousness."

Just as Giyu Tomioka was immersed in the atmosphere in his heart, a man's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

Tomioka Yoshiyuki looked up and realized that it was Su Mu, who was sitting in the main seat, who had called him. He was a little puzzled.

"How many sword forms has Giyuu mastered with his 'Water Breathing' technique?"

Su Mu took a sip of wine and asked.

Makomo, standing beside her, also looked up at that moment. She had now mastered the "Ninth Form of Water Breathing: Water Flow and Spray: Chaos." She wondered what form her junior brother had mastered. She remembered that when they went to Fujikasayama, her junior brother had mastered the "Fifth Form: Heavenly Dry Rain."

"Upon reaching the stage of picking up, life flows and transforms."

Yoshiyuki Tomioka put down his chopsticks and said something.

Makomo was slightly surprised, because she hadn't even reached the 'Picking Form' yet, which meant that Giyu Tomioka had surpassed her in sword form during this period.

Su Mu nodded slightly after listening: "Then, do you have any ideas for the next sword shape?"

Giyu Tomioka frowned slightly. The only sword form of the 'Water Breathing' technique his master had taught him was 'Pick-up Form: Life Flow'.

"Water has no fixed shape and follows the flow. It can be a raging waterfall or a tranquil pool. It can cut through the hardest rock, and it can also gently embrace all the harm that comes. Water can bear everything. No matter how heavy the sorrow or how turbulent the pain, water can contain and embrace it in the gentlest way."

As he spoke, he looked at Yoshiyuki Tomioka and said, “I feel that you seem very calm on the surface, but your heart is in turmoil. I wonder if you can achieve the ultimate peace of mind, just like water can contain all things.”

"If that's the case, is it possible to achieve a state of perfect tranquility? After all, the constant flow of life is like a rushing waterfall. So, is it possible to have a sword shape that is as still as a deep pool?"

"When one's mind enters a state of ultimate tranquility, can one, like still water, turn any attack that enters the range into nothingness?"

"A state of ultimate tranquility..."

After Su Mu finished speaking, he looked at Giyu Tomioka and said, "I will call this sword technique the ultimate secret of 'Water Breathing,' the Eleventh Form: Nagi."

Chapter 206 Rengoku Kyojuro, Times Have Changed

"Water Breathing. Ultimate Technique, Eleventh Form: Nagi"

Tomioka Yoshiyuki murmured the word, vaguely understanding it in his heart. Recently, he had actually had some ideas in this regard, but they had always been very vague. At this moment, after Su Mu said these things, it seemed that what was originally very vague had suddenly become very clear.

Not only Giyu Tomioka, but Makomo next to him also narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly at this moment, with a hint of contemplation.

Su Mu didn't disturb the two any further and silently drank his wine.

…………

After everyone finished eating and rested briefly, they resumed their exercise. Kamado Aoi, Hanako, Takeo, and several 'hermits' came over to clean up the dishes.