I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

She, all by herself, overwhelmed him in a way that was almost like a "lesson" to him.

This realization reminded him of the countless comrades who had fallen on this bloody road.

Their hard-won victory, achieved at the cost of their lives, seems so insignificant in the face of this almost "game-like" triumph.

This almost absurd contrast brings a pain far exceeding that of physical penetration.

It was this pain that made Purgatory, for the first time, begin to question the beliefs it had upheld throughout its life.

—A path of "protection" at the cost of "sacrifice".

He recalled his mother's words—"Kyojuro, your strength is for protecting the weak."

He had always believed that this was the only answer.

Burn yourself until you die.

But what he saw before him told him in an undeniable way—

Protection does not necessarily require sacrifice.

Protection can also be... an absolute victory.

This thought jolted him awake.

My mother was right.

Incorrect……

He had always believed that the only path to "protection" was "sacrifice"!

Kyojuro Rengoku was completely stunned.

Meanwhile, a boy named Tanjiro Kamado, with his eyes trembling with shock, desperately searched for his own answer.

Tanjiro collapsed to the ground, staring in shock at the scene before him.

He saw Mr. Purgatory's indomitable figure, and he also saw the figure standing on that scorched earth.

Immediately afterwards, two images flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

First, when Mr. Purgatory was pierced through the abdomen and his life was about to end, Ms. Butterfly descended like a goddess and pulled him back from the brink of death.

Secondly, when she was on the verge of collapse, it was she who stood in front of the wind pillar and protected Nezuko from being hurt.

redemption.

guard.

At that moment, Tanjiro understood.

That overwhelming power that could crush even Upper Moon demons was precisely the prerequisite for her to achieve "redemption" and "protection".

In order to protect the people he cares about, he must possess the power to overcome all despair!

Tanjiro clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm.

He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I must—"

"Strive to become like her!"

"And then—protect everyone!"

This burning vow clearly reached the ears of the witness from the old era, awakening him.

Rengoku Kyojuro's gaze slowly shifted from that powerful figure to the boy beside him who had just made a vow.

Then, past them, I looked up at the boundless, higher sky.

A thought, more profound than the "future" itself, was born.

"A teacher who can shape 'victory' in such a way..."

"What kind of being is he, exactly?"

……

···Requesting flowers··· ···

On the corroded scorched earth.

Shinobu Kocho took a step forward.

The moment the wooden clogs touched the poisonous swamp, they turned into black smoke with a soft "sizzle".

The next step is a pristine white tabi bag that melts upon touch and vanishes silently.

The next step.

She was barefoot, stepping onto that death.

Black venom, like that of a thirsty snake.

They scrambled up her snow-white ankles, but before they could leave a trace, they slid down, powerless.

Throughout the entire process, Shinobu Kocho never even glanced down.

And so, she passed through this deathly realm and came to rest before the dying Akaza.

A sickly flush finally crept onto her cheeks uncontrollably.

Even her breathing became slightly rapid due to the intense excitement of finally seeing her "teacher," which had been suppressed for so long.

She lowered her head, looking at Akaza's face, contorted with fear, as if admiring a work of art nearing completion.

Then, she spoke softly:

"do you know?"

“I could have killed you from the very beginning.”

“I can use a simpler, more direct, and more effective way to vent my personal anger.”

..... ...... ...

"but……"

Her voice carried a chilling obsession.

"...The first lesson my teacher taught me was 'process'."

"I must restrain my pure killing intent."

“I will demonstrate all the tactics he taught me, step by step, on your perfect ‘material’.”

Looking at Akaza's expression, which had become silent with despair, she added one last sentence.

"This is my real challenge."

After she finished speaking, she didn't look at him again.

She slowly raised the Nichirin Blade in her hand.

The blade was covered with a dense network of cracks, as it had borne such terrifying power.

Her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn't because of fear, nor because of exhaustion.

Rather, it was the pure killing intent that she herself had been suppressing for so long by the "process."

And the supreme joy of the impending "sacrifice".

The two intertwined, producing... a tremor deep within the soul.

—"Endure, and complete a work of art."

The teacher's words are etched into my mind like a brand.

Shinobu Kocho's lips finally couldn't help but curl into a holy yet twisted arc.

She opened her eyes again.

Those purple eyes held a fervor powerful enough to move even gods and Buddhas.

But her voice was as soft as a dream.

"teacher……"

"Student Shinobu Kocho—"

"Presented to you!"

Knife light.

A flash.

Fall.

In the instant his head was severed, Akaza's memories, which had been imprisoned by Muzan for hundreds of years, finally broke free of their shackles.

He saw it.

I saw that girl from the Edo period, in a moonlit courtyard, awkwardly making a wish in front of the dazzling fireworks.

She was physically frail, yet she always smiled shyly.

"Sorry……"

"Love Snow..."

His head flew high into the air, facing the rising, warm morning light.

No screaming, no struggle.

In that holy yet deadly light, he saw the final phantom.

The girl in the kimono reached out her hand to him amidst the fireworks.

Then, along with his centuries of sins and regrets, he turned into countless ashes.

Chapter 141: I taught you how to slay demons, and you came knocking on the door in a wedding dress?

The morning light pierced through the clouds.

Akaza's final, mournful cry, along with his centuries of sins, vanished in the warm sunlight, leaving no trace.

The earth was scorched black.

Shinobu Kocho stood alone in the center of this dead zone.

The flowing swamp of poison, like called believers, rushed toward her.

They climbed up her snow-white ankles, only to slip away helplessly in the next instant.

It fell, then climbed back up.

This futile cycle is their most devout worship.

She slowly raised her hand and sheathed the cracked Nichirin Blade.

"Qiang."

With a soft sound, this "project" dedicated to the teacher came to an end.

It was this soft sound that made the frozen world start to turn again.

Overhead, a flock of ravenous ravens swooped and swooped, cawing as they circled and swept across the low sky.

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"Upper Moon Three has been confirmed dead!"

"Shinobu Kocho, the Pillar of Karma, single-handedly crushes them head-on!"

"Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku has survived! He has survived!"

Amidst the clamor of good news, she began her journey.

She brushed past Kyojuro Rengoku.

He was leaning on his broken sword, staring at her with his single eye, his gaze a violent mix of shock, admiration, and the erosion of his old beliefs.

She continued walking, passing the three boys.