Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

Beast Breathing, Eighth Form: Burst Forward!

Inosuke's joints had been restored to their original state, and he charged towards Doma recklessly, his eyes fixed on the demon who had killed his mother, wishing he could tear him to pieces.

"Ah~ There are so many people~ Blood Demon Art: Winter Ice Pillar".

Doma said something with a surprised expression, then waved his iron fan. Suddenly, many sharp ice pillars appeared in mid-air and fell downwards, their target being Inosuke and his group who were rushing in from all sides.

"I've already seen through your moves perfectly!"

At this moment, Tengen leaped from the ground into the air, threw out many explosives with his right hand, and swung his twin swords. With a series of clanging and crackling sounds, he shattered all the ice pillars above Inosuke and the others.

At the same time, his body fell from the air towards Doma, raising his twin swords. Ignoring the potential damage that the ice crystals in the surrounding environment might cause to his lungs, Tengen fully activated his breathing technique.

"Sound Breathing, First Form - Boom!"

The next moment, Shinobu Kocho's slender Nichirin Blade pierced Doma's brain, injecting a large amount of poison in an instant, slowing Doma's reaction slightly.

Then Giyu's attack landed on Doma's waist, and the Life Flowing Technique, which had already spun more than twenty times, directly cut Doma in half at the waist.

Almost simultaneously, Kanao's concentrated slash pierced Doma's chest, causing his upper body to tilt forward.

At that moment, Inosuke arrived, slashing his twin swords upwards toward Doma's neck. However, although he did manage to strike Doma's neck, the force was insufficient to sever him.

At the same time, the two pairs of Tengen swords falling from the sky struck Doma's neck simultaneously, and a loud explosion rang out as both pairs of swords pierced Doma's neck.

Am I going to die...?

Despite feeling the four blades piercing his neck and his body already torn to pieces, Doma felt no fear.

What kind of expression should I make at this moment...?

Chapter 156 Komaji

With his head about to be severed in the next moment, Doma, who had never experienced anything like this before, was unsure of what his emotions should be. However, the Demon Slayer Corps' blades did not stop there. Inosuke and Tengen's twin swords pierced through Doma's neck at the same time, and his head fell to the ground...

Meanwhile, Akaza, who had been severely injured by Chiba Yo, could no longer hold on under the combined attack of the four Pillars and Zenitsu.

With the combined attack of the five, Kyojuro's crimson Nichirin Blade finally sliced ​​across Akaza's neck.

I... actually lost...?

The thought of not accepting defeat welled up from the bottom of his heart, but Akaza's body, which had already been separated from its head, did not begin to collapse.

No! I haven't lost yet! I can keep fighting! I must become stronger! Stronger than anyone else in the world!

Physical scars are nothing. As long as I'm alive, I can keep fighting and keep getting stronger!

A strong obsession surged into its heart. Even though its wounds had not yet healed and its head had been cut off, it did not fall. Instead, it once again assumed a fighting stance, and snowflake-shaped spells unfolded from its feet. At this moment, Kyojuro and the others around it were all shocked.

"Watch out! The battle isn't over yet!"

Kyojuro, who was the first to sense it, loudly alerted the others.

A fist slammed towards Kyojuro's chest. Kyojuro, who had just severed Akaza's head with his sword, had no time to defend himself. However, just when he thought he was about to take the punch, Akaza's fist suddenly paused.

"Please stop, Komaji-nii..."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang in Akaza's ears, and at the same time, the figure of a beautiful woman appeared in the darkness and grabbed its arm. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she wore three snowflake-shaped hair ornaments on her head, the same shape as the spell at Akaza's feet.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still in the outside world.

Akaza did not recognize the woman, but instinctively did not want to hurt her or shake off her hand.

"Let go, let go now! Who are you?"

"Please stop, Komaji-nii... Let's go together..."

"No, I must kill them with my own hands!"

"why?"

"Because I must become stronger, and anyone who dares to stand in my way will be killed without mercy!"

Why are you so obsessed with becoming stronger?

"Because... if I don't find a way to become stronger, I won't be able to... give the medicine used to cure my illness to... Dad..."

Akaza found it strange; it had never thought about this question before, but when asked, it immediately had the answer in its mind.

If you don't find a way to become stronger, you won't be able to escape capture with the stolen wallet.

If you don't strive to become stronger, you won't be able to fight back when someone teaches you a lesson.

If I don't find a way to become stronger, those officials will arrest me and take me to the yamen to be severely tortured.

Memories of the past gradually resurface: the father who was seriously ill in bed, the child who stole to buy medicine for his father, the severe torture he endured after being caught, the origin of the three tattoos on his arm, and... the father who ultimately committed suicide...

Live on, you still have time to turn back.

Dad didn't want to prolong his life with money obtained from stolen goods.

It's all Dad's fault, Dad is so sorry...

If he could, he wouldn't want to steal, but in those days, the money he earned from working was simply not enough to buy those medicines...

Even if he was struck with a hundred lashes that would knock an adult unconscious, even if he was whipped, even if he was beaten until his bones were broken, he didn't care. All he wanted was for his father to live...

After that, he was exiled from his hometown. In the course of his memories, after he had beaten down seven adults with his bare hands in a fit of rage, he met a middle-aged man who took the initiative to approach him.

The middle-aged man easily defeated him, took him back to his dojo, and told him that his name was Keizo.

Qingzang asked him to take care of his seriously ill daughter, named Lianxue.

He saw Lianxue, lying in bed just like her father, her face covered in cold sweat, coughing incessantly...

A boring past...

I will definitely heal you, save you, and protect you. My boring life was entirely built from a bunch of nonsensical ramblings...

All the promises turned out to be lies and empty words...

Why do people with serious illnesses always apologize?

I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time...

Sorry, coughing must be really annoying...

Sorry, this body just can't handle even a little bit of physical labor...

They must also want to take care of themselves and live like normal people.

The people who are suffering the most are clearly themselves...

Having experience caring for his seriously ill father, he took good care of Lianxue, and for various reasons, he was not opposed to this job.

Like her father, Lianxue was always saying sorry, but she would also often start crying while talking.

Although he knew that being bedridden was very uncomfortable, seeing this situation still made him feel suffocated.

His life settled down there, where he took care of Lianxue and learned martial arts from Master Qingzang.

This period of time brought him peace of mind and is a very precious memory for him.

Until one day, Master Qingzang called him over and said something to him.

"Komaji, are you willing to inherit this dojo and marry Koyuki? Koyuki has already told me that she likes you."

At this moment, Lianxue sat next to Qingzang, her face flushed and her head bowed, looking extremely nervous. He was almost the same after hearing those words.

Bearing the tattoo of a sinner from the six realms, he never properly envisioned his future, let alone fantasized that any girl would fall for someone like him...

He remembered his father's dying words, which told him to start over.

Could it be... that I can really live a normal life like my father said?

Such a thought began to grow in his mind, and his small expectation swelled wildly...

"I will risk my life to protect this dojo and to protect Lianxue!"

He made a promise to Keizo, and a few days later he carried Renyuki to see the fireworks she had been looking forward to.

Under the night sky ablaze with fireworks, feeling somewhat unreal, he asked Lianxue for confirmation one more time. The answer was still affirmative. This time, he was certain that this was not a dream. That moment was the brightest moment in his tragic life, and his world was completely illuminated, as if countless fireworks had risen and bloomed.

"Brother Komaji, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I want to become stronger than anyone else, so I can always be by your side and protect you."

The dazzling fireworks eventually come to an end, and his world once again turns dark.

Like a candle flame, though faint, the father who had long comforted him had vanished; like fireworks, brilliant and dazzling, the rebirth of Lianxue and Master Qingzang, who had given him a second chance, ultimately led to their deaths as well…

He knew the value of light when he was in darkness, and he desperately tried to protect those who illuminated his world, but in the end it was all in vain...

"Someone poisoned the well! They knew very well that they couldn't defeat you and Mr. Qingzang by fighting directly! So they resorted to underhanded tactics!"

The scene was simply... horrific... even Lianxue... was poisoned to death..."

Chapter 157 Begging for mercy?

He went back to his hometown to tell his father about his current situation.

Although he was eager to return home and went back to the dojo before dark, he was still a step too late.

He received devastating news once again on his way home.

Whenever the people I cherish most are in crisis, I'm never there for them...

He ran into the house and saw Master Qingzang and Lianxue lying on the floor covered with white sheets, their clothes still stained with blood.

He left in silence, barging into the adjacent sword dojo with his bare hands. Single-handedly, he brutally murdered all sixty-seven disciples inside. The scene was littered with limbs and entrails; even the ceiling and walls were covered with the victims' chins, skulls, and eyeballs…

In the end, only a maid, who had been driven insane by fear, remained in the dojo...

Covered in blood, he left the sword dojo like a walking corpse, wandering the road, unsure of where to go or what to do. He hadn't even considered this question at the time.

But Muzan, who arrived after inquiring, decided on his destination...

Even after becoming a demon and losing my memories, I continue to pursue power.

There's nothing left that I want to protect...

I clearly don't want to continue living in this world where there are no family members...

Yet they continued this pointless killing spree for hundreds of years...

How tragic...how ridiculous...and how utterly pointless this is...

The memories of the past have been fully restored. The reasons for wanting to become stronger and for hating the weak are now known, and everything has become meaningless.

But now... even if I die, I can no longer go to where the three of them are...

The images of his father, Master Qingzang, and Renxue flashed through Akaza's mind; at this moment, Akaza felt only grief and despair.

"Then let's go to where you're going together."

Just as Akaza was thinking this, a familiar voice rang out. It looked up and saw its father's figure. He was no longer as thin as before and stood there smiling at it.

"Dad... are you alright? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Looking at the figure before him, Akaza asked a question. Seeing his father standing like a normal person, he felt excited and happy, but also a deep sense of guilt.

"Dad's alright now, thank you, thank you, Komaji..."

The other person spoke with a smile.

Upon hearing his father's voice and seeing his figure once more, Akaza knelt on the ground. His appearance changed at that moment, and his demonic features disappeared. In that instant, he transformed back into Komaji.

"I'm sorry, Dad... I'm sorry... In the end, I still couldn't turn over a new leaf. I'm sorry..."

Tears streamed down his face as Komaji lowered his head and spoke.

"So what?"

The voice in his ears changed, and he recognized it as the voice of Master Qingzang.

"No matter what you become, you are still your father's son and your master's disciple."

Even if it means death, we will never abandon you.

Keizo reached out and placed his hand on Komaji's head, smiling as he spoke to him.

Upon hearing Keizo's words, Komaji remained silent, his heart filled with emotion.

However, the next moment, a hand grabbed his hair.