Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

Under the night sky, a figure dressed as a samurai walked slowly along the road. The grass beside the road rustled in the breeze, and the shadows of the trees swayed and cast shadows on the ground under the moonlight.

The figure in samurai attire looked up at the blood moon in the sky, his memories returning to four hundred years ago.

This kind of night view has arrived once again...

As Kokushibo gazed at the blood moon, the unbelievable sight it had witnessed that night came flooding back to its mind.

Over the past four hundred years, it has experienced countless blood moon nights, but it has never seen such a scene again. However, it had already foreseen this after that night four hundred years ago, when the flute broke.

Over the years, its strength has increased many times over, but the humiliation it suffered back then can never be erased.

After all... that person is already...

A face appeared in Kokushibo's mind. In the past, whenever it recalled this face, it would feel anxious and angry, but the passage of time gradually calmed it down, and the quiet environment of the night made it difficult for it to have any emotional fluctuations.

"Da da……"

The barely perceptible footsteps sounded incredibly clear on such a night, originating from ahead on the road.

He died...

Turning my head to look ahead, a figure gradually appeared from the front of the road...

Kokushibo's state of mind changed at this moment; his originally calm heart was now filled with turbulent waves.

The figure ahead of him also saw Kokushibo and stopped in his tracks.

A human and a ghost, with extremely similar appearances.

Kokushibo's body trembled slightly at this moment, whether from fear or excitement, it was unclear.

The scene was almost identical, and Kokushibo felt as if he had returned to that night four hundred years ago.

Blood Moon, Gentle Breeze, Yoriichi Tsugikuni...

Although the person in front of him was not old, Kokushibo could no longer recognize him.

The scene from that night vividly appeared in its mind, seemingly overlapping with everything it saw.

The person in front of him seemed to be his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, from his human days.

Kokushibo froze on the spot, staring at the figure in front of him.

"How pitiful, brother..."

The images in his mind came to life, and Yoriichi looked at them with tears in his eyes, saying this.

"The first one of the Upper Moons..."

The scene before his eyes suddenly separated from the memories in his mind. Different voices and different words brought Kokushibo back to his senses. The scene in his mind shattered, and what appeared before Kokushibo was a young figure.

...He is not Yoriichi...Yoriichi is dead...

Kokushibo's slightly trembling body stopped, and its mood calmed down again.

Kokushibo recognized the demon slayer in front of him as the one Muzan had ordered him to kill.

It felt a little strange. It originally thought that after encountering this person, it would be eager to draw its sword and fight, defeat him to relieve the humiliation it had suffered when facing Yoriichi, or be killed by his powerful strength and die gloriously.

But now that it has actually encountered him, it doesn't feel that way. Instead, a slight sadness arises from the bottom of its heart, just like the inexplicable sadness it felt four hundred years ago when it encountered the frail and elderly Yoriichi. It is inexplicable and unpredictable...

It was even shaken by this back then, attributing it to the surprise it felt when its younger brother showed emotion to it for the first time.

"Powerful swordsman, state your name."

Both sides remained silent for a while before Kokushibo spoke first. It had already learned that Gyokukō had been killed by Chiba Yo and acknowledged Chiba Yo's strength.

Chiba Yang, who was on the other side, was stunned when he heard the question. He felt that the ghost in front of him was quite different from the ones he had encountered before. He didn't know why, but he just had this feeling.

After leaving Tamayo, Chiba Yo followed his original plan to find the Upper Moon he had learned information about from the residents, and encountered him that very night, a day later.

When Chiba Yo first met Upper Moon One, he felt a sense of oppression similar to that of Muzan. Just as he was about to make a move, the demon unexpectedly asked for his name.

"Chiba Yang." After hesitating for a moment, Chiba Yang told the ghost in front of him his name. He was a little confused because the ghost gave him a vague sense of familiarity.

"Chiba... judging from your condition, you must be a descendant of that side branch from back then..."

Kokushibo spoke.

His words puzzled Chiba Yo. Because of that strange sense of familiarity, Chiba Yo didn't attack immediately. He frowned and asked Kokushibo, "What do you mean by that?"

"My name when I was a human was Tsugikuni Iwakatsu... I was a member of a samurai family with the surname Tsugikuni during the Sengoku period several hundred years ago... and you are a descendant of the children of the Tsugikuni family..."

Kokushibo slowly explained to Chiba Yang that after waking up from his memories, he had already discovered that Chiba Yang had the blood of the Tsutomu Kingdom, and he also understood why Chiba Yang looked so similar to his younger brother. Coincidence was one aspect, but genes also played a part.

However, it also revealed that Chiba Yo was not a descendant of his lineage, but rather a bloodline from a branch of the national lineage at that time.

Kokushibo's words surprised Chiba Yo. His words made Chiba Yo realize that he still retained his memories from when he was human. In addition, there was another reason that surprised Chiba Yo: the surname Tsugikuni.

Four hundred years ago...the Warring States period...it coincides perfectly with the era of that predecessor of the state of Ji...and its appearance...

Is it a coincidence...?

Chiba Yo didn't care whether he was a descendant of the nation or not; hundreds of years had passed, and such a relationship was no longer relevant. Even if his bloodline came from a powerful family, he had still lived a life of poverty and misery in the past.

However, Kokushibo's words also made Chiba Yo understand why he felt this strange sense of familiarity; it was a feeling passed down to him by his bloodline.

Besides that, he was more concerned about the relationship between this Tsugikuni and the senior Tsugikuni he had heard about from Tamayo.

"What is your relationship with that senior named Yoriichi Tsugikuni?" Chiba Yo asked Kokushibo.

Upon hearing the name, Kokushibo fell silent, looked up at the sky, and muttered to himself, "Does anyone still remember your name...?"

The surname of Tsugikuni has long been lost to history, and people have even forgotten that such a family ever existed. However, the name of Yoriichi Tsugikuni is still remembered by some people to this day...

Chapter 124 Battle

Kokushibo felt jealous of Yoriichi once again. When Yoriichi was alive, he could not surpass him in any way. He did not expect that even after Yoriichi died, he would still feel frustrated because of him.

It failed to notice its mother's discomfort, but Yoriichi had known all along and had been taking care of her. At the time, not knowing any of this, it thought Yoriichi was just being affectionate with its mother. It wasn't until it looked through its mother's diary after her death and Yoriichi's passing that it realized the truth.

Needless to say, in terms of talent and strength, Yoriichi, who was only seven years old and had never received any guidance, easily defeated the teacher who taught him swordsmanship. However, even when Yoriichi trained so hard that his palms bled and developed thick calluses, he had never been able to hit anyone, yet Yoriichi easily defeated him.

Even now, though he is dead and even Jiguo's name has disappeared into the river of time, his name is still mentioned.

Even though your body is completely rotten... you are still so outstanding that it makes people jealous...

Jealousy ignited in his heart, and the humiliation caused by past karma surged up once again.

Chiba Yo sensed that something was wrong with the demon opposite him, so he placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword so that he could strike as quickly as possible no matter what.

Despite his jealousy, Kokushibo quickly calmed down because he knew that Yoriichi was already dead.

"Yoichi Tsugikuni... was my younger brother when I was human..."

Kokushibo answered Chiba Yo's question.

Although he had already guessed it, Chiba Yo was still surprised by Kokushibo's answer.

Two brothers, one became a powerful swordsman who protected humanity and nearly destroyed the demons, while the other became Upper Moon One, serving the progenitor of demons and harming humanity.

"The fact that you know his name means you must know something about him... But without living in the same era as him, you will never understand what kind of person he was, a man favored by all the gods..."

I made this choice in order to catch up with him... but I failed to do so until his death..."

Seemingly guessing what Chiba Yo wanted to ask, Kokushibo explained it to him first, while placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I still can't understand your thinking."

After hearing Kokushibo's explanation, Chiba Yo lowered his eyes and gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly in his right hand.

Chiba Yo could never understand the thoughts of these demons. Why could they so easily abandon the bonds between people? Those who were passively turned into demons had nothing to say, but Chiba Yo couldn't understand why they would choose to become man-eating demons.

"If you could meet him, you might understand why I made this choice... A guy who has never been jealous of anyone... It's just that I haven't met someone like him who is favored by all the gods..."

Kokushibo defended himself.

In order to escape the death threat brought by the Demon Slayer Mark, in order to reach a higher realm, and in order to catch up with that person who shines like the sun, it killed the lord of the Demon Slayer Corps in that generation, and in order to prove its innocence, it met Muzan and transformed into a demon to gain eternal life.

It didn't think it had done anything wrong. Once it died, the possibility of catching up with Yoriichi would completely disappear, which made it feel desperate. But even after becoming a demon, it still couldn't catch up with him, and with Yoriichi's death, it lost that possibility forever.

“You are so much like him… The humiliation and frustration he brought me… I will repay you in kind…”

Kokushibo looked at Chiba Yo and said, gripping the hilt of the Hollow Crying God's sword tightly with his right hand, his body slightly lowered, assuming an attack stance.

It knew it could never beat Yoriichi, but since Yoriichi was dead, it could not afford to lose to anyone else!

"Breath of the Moon, Form One: Dark Moon, Night Palace!"

The Void Crying God was drawn, and a fast-moving Iai Slash, too fast to see clearly, struck towards Chiba Yang, its trajectory marked by countless tiny crescent blades.

Knowing that Chiba Yo could easily kill Gyokko, Kokushibo did not hold back.

Almost the instant Kokushibo drew his sword, Chiba Yo also moved, unleashing a similar draw slash. His crimson Nichirin Blade was enveloped in blazing flames the moment it was drawn from its sheath.

"The Sun's Roaring Dance".

The arc-shaped slash wrapped in flames collided with Kokushibo's attack, scattering sparks and moonlight.

However, in the end, Chiba Yo gained the upper hand. Kokushibo's slash with its small crescent blade was engulfed by flames, and its body was also knocked back two steps.

The moment Chiba Yo drew his sword, the feeling Yoriichi had given Kokushibo reawakened, almost exactly the same feeling. When he didn't make a move, he was just like an ordinary person, but once he did, he would create an extremely strong sense of pressure, as if two huge rocks were pressing down on his shoulders.

Although Chiba Yo's feeling for it wasn't that strong, the nature of it was similar.

I have clearly cultivated for over four hundred years, and even Yoriichi might not be able to defeat me again. Why was I defeated by a junior?

The recent defeat plunged Kokushibo into doubt; it even found it hard to believe.

A genius... a person favored by all the gods... such talent... why doesn't it belong to me?

It quickly figured out the reason: the guy in front of it was the same kind of person as its younger brother.

Kokushibo gripped the Hollow Cry God's hand, and the veins on his face bulged as jealousy and anger instantly filled his heart.

"I have cultivated for another four hundred years... I cannot possibly lose to anyone again!"

Moon Breathing, Form 3: Aversion to the Moon, Erosion!

Kokushibo's Hollow Cry God Blade generated numerous crescent blades on its blade. Then, it swung the blade and released two crescent-shaped blade slashes, which, along with numerous crescent blades, flew towards Chiba Yo's direction.

The recent clash also made Chiba Yo realize Kokushibo's strength; this was the first demon he had encountered who could withstand his attacks head-on.

We must not be careless, or we might die...

Faced with the overwhelming crescent blades, Chiba Yo gripped his Nichirin Blade with both hands, and in an instant, three arc-shaped flame slashes flew out, colliding with Kokushibo's crescent blades.

Sun Breathing II - Three Lives Heaven

Their attacks collided and neutralized each other. Neither Kokushibo nor Chiba Yo let the opportunity pass, and they both charged at each other.

The clash between the Void Crying God and the Nichirin Blade surprised Chiba Yo, as the Crimson Blade, which had never encountered any obstacles before, was blocked this time.

But Chiba Yo was unaware that Kokushibo was even more shocked. It could feel the blade of the opponent's Nichirin Blade cutting into its Hollow Crying God. The weapon forged from its flesh and blood could be felt by it, and a burning pain came over it. However, since the Hollow Crying God was an external object, its feeling was not strong, but it was still enough to shock it.

The situation clearly could not continue like this, and Kokushibo immediately came up with a solution.

Chiba Yo, who was suppressing Kokushibo with force, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Under the clear world, he saw what Kokushibo was about to do. He jumped back a step away from Kokushibo's body. The moment he jumped away, a large number of blades suddenly surged out of Kokushibo's body.

If Chiba Yo hadn't taken that step back, he probably would have been pricked like a hedgehog.

"You can see this transparent world too... just like him..."

Chapter 125 Fierce Battle/Legacy

“But I’ve already done that… I’ve caught up with you… Yoriichi…”

In Kokushibo's eyes, Chiba Yo's body was also completely transparent.

With an almost identical appearance, the same breathing technique, a crimson Nichirin Blade, and a talent that transcends the mortal realm, Chiba Yo possessed these qualities that led Kokushibo, who was in the midst of battle, to mistake him for Yoriichi.

It now feels like it is fighting Yoriichi; it wants to prove that it has caught up with that dazzling, sun-like figure.

"Moon Breathing Seventh Form o Calamity Mirror o Moon Reflection!"

Suddenly, more blades sprouted from the weapon in Kokushibo's hand, and the entire sword transformed into a shape resembling deer antlers. Then, it swung the evolved Hollow Cry God, and five shockwaves close to the ground rushed towards Chiba Yo, while small shockwaves also emanated from the attack trajectory in all directions.

Dust billowed from the ground, affecting the swaying tall grass, causing blades of grass to fly everywhere.

It seems it also possesses this ability...

Kokushibo's words made Chiba Yo understand this point, but he didn't care too much about it. Having also possessed the Transparent World, which he was born with, he naturally understood this ability very well and knew how to deal with it.

If you move quickly enough, you can react as soon as there is a warning sign. In that case, how can you predict the outcome based on your physical condition?