Episode 273: Within a Dream, Transcending Spacetime to Meet the Legendary Demon Slayer - Tsugikuni Yoriichi
『 Everyone was stunned once again, wondering how much longer Tanjiro could hold on, or rather, if he would die soon.
On the other side, Nezuko, who was resting at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, suddenly jumped up from her bed, her face filled with confusion.
Just as Urokodaki was about to ask what was happening, she had already sprinted out at an incredible speed.
The loud slam of the door startled Tengen and Rengoku's father. In their sight, they saw Urokodaki struggling to chase after the fleeing Nezuko.
"Nezuko?"
"What is going on?"
No one knew exactly what had happened to Nezuko, but Rengoku's father quickly reported the matter to the leader.
Upon hearing the news, Kagaya was also quite shaken.
How could this be?
Was Nezuko being controlled by Muzan?
Probably not for that reason.
Then was it because the medicine had turned her back into a normal human?
Also unlikely… otherwise, with Urokodaki's abilities, he should have been able to easily catch an ordinary human.
If this continues, it will be dangerous. Someone must be sent to catch up with her as soon as possible…
At that moment, a pair of large, warm palms gently rested on Kagaya's shoulders.
As if hearing a phantom sound, a gentle voice whispered in his ear.
"Don't be afraid. Just follow Nezuko."
Kagaya seemed to return from another world; he stood there dazed for a long while, unresponsive.
"Brother! We must hurry and chase after Nezuko."
His sister urgently reminded Kagaya of the gravity of the situation.
Kagaya just sat there blankly, and after a while, he slowly spoke:
"No… there's no need to chase her…"
"But if Nezuko is captured, it will be a huge problem," his sister tried to convince her brother.
"I know your concerns… but…"
As he spoke, Kagaya turned his head. His eyes were already brimming with tears, yet his gaze was exceptionally resolute.
"But this is what Father personally told me…"
Nezuko's figure grew more distant, her speed so great that Urokodaki was left in the dust.
At this moment, the only thing in Nezuko's eyes was the image of her father, who continued to lead her forward.
She knew in her heart that something had happened to her brother.
Thus, Nezuko leaped and jumped straight down a deep cliff.
This move meant that even someone as powerful as Urokodaki could no longer follow.
The fact that she could make such a bold move indicated that Nezuko had not yet returned to human form.
During the journey to her destination, she could constantly see the guiding figure of her father. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "Nezuko… she actually did such a thing." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "She could have stayed safely by the Master's side." ]
[ .....]
『 Meanwhile, Tanjiro was on the brink of life and death, appearing as though he could not hold on much longer.
Everyone was still fighting Muzan with all their might. As the situation grew more tense, Giyu suddenly realized that his Nichirin Sword, broken into several pieces, could no longer help him in battle. He needed to find an intact Water-attribute blade as quickly as possible.
At the same time, Obanai began to feel the strain; the speed and frequency of Muzan's attacks were simply too fast.
BANG—!
Muzan suddenly spun around, his tentacles sweeping through like a whirlwind, leaving the three Hashira battered and bruised.
All three were injured at this moment; it was impossible to avoid Muzan's omnidirectional attacks.
A smile of victory appeared on Muzan's face.
"Still able to move? It seems this isn't enough to kill the Marked Swordsmen immediately."
Mitsuri was currently near Muzan. After taking a hit, her breathing became disordered, and she completely lost her composure.
So many swordsmen had sacrificed themselves to protect her, yet she had still been hit.
Panic combined with sudden, sharp pain slowed Mitsuri's movements.
Obanai was anxious in his heart, but he was too far away to save Mitsuri in time and had to deal with Muzan's attacks on himself.
Muzan's tentacles lunged straight for Mitsuri's head. Knowing she couldn't dodge, Mitsuri screamed:
"Don't worry about me! You all must take care of yourselves, please!"
BOOM—!
Muzan's tentacles were smashed to pieces in an instant, and a massive iron flail stood firmly in front of Mitsuri.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
Gyomei had finally arrived on the battlefield. Muzan recognized him immediately.
This was the demon slayer who had killed his strongest subordinate, Kokushibo.
Just then, a blade sliced across Muzan's cheek.
Sanemi appeared like a descending hero. Although there was no light in his eyes, his movements remained swift and agile.
Before Muzan could react, Sanemi had already thrown several bottles.
Muzan's reaction was not slow; he immediately broke the bottles, but the liquid inside splashed out and covered his body.
Sanemi held his Nichirin Sword in his mouth and lit a match with his hand, then tossed it.
Muzan was instantly engulfed in flames.
"Playing these little tricks again!"
Muzan was furious, feeling insulted, his face twisting into a hideous expression.
Sanemi was fearless, his tone remaining arrogant:
"To deal with you… These are the methods we have to use!"
"Just wait obediently for your death, you piece of trash!"
With the addition of the Wind and Stone Hashira to the fight, the situation became even more intense.
And at that moment.
The scene suddenly shifted to an unfamiliar passerby, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Could it be that this person would have a key impact on the current battle?
Watching the man gaze at the distant Muzan, he gripped his sword, trembling incessantly.
Just then, Giyu shouted to him:
"Murata!"
"Quick! Get Tanjiro away for treatment! He is in critical condition!"
Giyu roared with almost every ounce of strength he had left. He had exhausted his physical energy and was relying entirely on sheer will to keep going.
Hearing the order, Murata did not hesitate and quickly hoisted the nearby Tanjiro onto his back.
"Don't worry, Tanjiro, I'll take you to a doctor right now."
At that moment, tears silently slid down his cheeks. His heart was a mess of emotions. So…
So Giyu still remembered who he was.
Memories flooded back like a tide; they had once participated in the same Final Selection, were both accepted into the Demon Slayer Corps, and had trained together.
Now, despite being from the same intake, their fates were worlds apart…
Murata couldn't help but cover his face and weep. If only he had worked harder back then, maybe he could have been of more help now.
But…
Life has no rehearsals. He knew where his responsibility lay.
He had to save Tanjiro, even if he could only contribute a tiny bit of effort.
Thinking this, Murata ran toward the medical room at top speed.
At this moment, Tanjiro leaned limply against his back, his face covered in horrific wounds.
Even so, a sliver of consciousness remained in Tanjiro's mind.
Sorry… everyone… I tried my best to hold on until the end… the rest… is up to you…
As soon as he finished those thoughts, Tanjiro fell completely unconscious.
Every member of the Demon Slayer Corps faced the demons with a mindset of being prepared for death.
To them, death was not terrifying. Although they felt fear and dread when facing it, thinking of the uniform they wore, the Nichirin Sword in their hands, and the unwavering conviction in their hearts immediately made them feel filled with power.
The moment they resolved to face the trial of life and death, they became the most admirable exorcists.
The sky… is dawn coming?
What's happening… why can't I smell anything…
At this time, Tanjiro was holding an axe, standing in front of a simple, old house that looked very dilapidated.
This scene felt both familiar and strange to Tanjiro.
"Where is… this place?"
"Is… is this my home?"
Something is wrong… although it looks similar, this isn't my home…
What am I doing, chopping wood?
Could this be the vision of one's life flashing before their eyes at the moment of death?
Before he could regain his senses, Tanjiro felt a pulling sensation.
A small child's hand was gripping him tightly, calling out "Papa."
Who is this? Whose child is this?
The child pointed toward the forest.
Looking in the direction the child pointed, Tanjiro suddenly recognized the figure.
Isn't this… isn't this the swordsman who mastered the original Breathing Style and frequently appeared in my dreams?
In other words, this person is… the one even Muzan feared, Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni.』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Is this person the same one from the scene we saw before?" ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "From hundreds of years ago." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "Which means, these people are all my ancestors, and the other person is still that Yoriichi-sama from back then." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "So it was… at that time." ]
[ .....]
『 In reality, Murata was still urgently treating Tanjiro, using CPR to try and bring him back.
As time ticked by, Tanjiro's condition became increasingly critical. Murata pressed his ear to Tanjiro's chest to listen.
He was shocked to find that Tanjiro's heartbeat and breathing had stopped.
"MURATA!!"
A fellow Demon Slayer suddenly shouted, startling Murata, who was focused on saving the patient.
"MURATA!! Come and help me dig Mr. Yushiro out from under the rubble!"
"But… but Tanjiro's condition is also terrible!"
This statement put the two in a dilemma, but in such a critical situation, they could not hesitate.
After a moment, the other member suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted to Murata:
"If we rescue Mr. Yushiro, can't he then save Tanjiro!"
"After all, neither of us is a doctor; we can't bring Tanjiro back on our own."
Murata thought about it; it made sense, but he still felt very uneasy…
However, as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he knew what he had to do next.
Murata made up his mind to rescue Mr. Yushiro first.
"Tanjiro, you must hold on! We'll be right back to help you!"
Leaving those words behind, Murata followed the other member toward the rubble.
In the dream, Tanjiro and Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat in front of the house.
Yoriichi gazed into the distance, a confused expression on his face.
Suddenly, his voice reached Tanjiro's ears:
"Actually… I really wanted someone to talk to…"
"When I thought about it, only you and Suyako came to mind."
As he spoke, it was as if he were talking to himself.
Tanjiro listened beside him, completely bewildered.
Just as he intended to ask about the Breath of Fire or the Thirteenth Form, his mouth opened uncontrollably:
"It's been two years since we last met, hasn't it… Time flies."
"Seeing you in such good spirits is wonderful."
Tanjiro smiled slightly and continued teasing the child:
"Sumire, who was just an infant back then, is already this big now."
Suddenly, Tanjiro froze… his body was still out of his control.
At this moment, he realized.
The person sitting here was not him, but his ancestor.
All of this was a memory left by his ancestor, so he had no way to interfere.
Facing the gentle man before him, a smile played on Yoriichi Tsugikuni's lips:
"Seeing that you are living well makes me happy too."
"The happiness of others also brings me joy."
Yoriichi slowly looked up at the sky.
"There are many beautiful things in this world."
"I feel that simply living in this world is a blessing."
Instantly, countless memories flooded into Yoriichi's mind.
"My mother was a very pious and gentle person."
"Every day she prayed for world peace, hoping the Sun God could heal the problem with my ears that I was born with."
"She even specially made me earring-shaped charms."
"I was always quiet and made her worry; I still feel sorry toward my mother even now." Yoriichi paused, then continued:
"My elder brother was also an extremely gentle and kind person who always thought of me. Once, he was beaten by our father for protecting me, and the next day he gave me a wooden flute he had made by hand."
"Afterward… his face was still swollen, yet he smiled and told me that if I ever needed his help, I should blow the flute, and he would immediately appear by my side."
"Later, because I was a forbidden child, I chose to leave home after my mother passed away. But I didn't go to a temple; I just stood on that vast land looking at the starry sky. At that time, I thought, I really want to run freely under this starry sky."
"So… that night, I ran the whole night without stopping for a single minute."
"By the time I came to my senses, I was standing in a rice field, with only one lonely person standing nearby."
"She looked like a girl about my age. I walked up to her and asked what happened."
"She said her family had died of illness, and she felt very lonely, so she planned to catch some tadpoles in the rice field to take home and raise."
"...…"
"But when it got dark, she put the tadpoles back into the water."
"At that time, I was really curious and slowly asked why she wasn't taking them home. She gently shook her head and said that if she took them, they would be separated from their fathers and mothers, which would be too pitiful."
"Seeing this and hearing her words, I felt a deep resonance, so I just said, 'Then let's just go home together.'"
"She froze, and tears fell from those bright black eyes."
"That girl's name… was…"
"Uta." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "That's the one who, at the final moment, was… by some demon…" ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "Uta…." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "If not for all that happening, he probably wouldn't have joined the Demon Slayer Corps, and the later events wouldn't have happened, right?" ]
[ Kocho Shinobu (Demon Slayer): "Yes. If Yoriichi-sama hadn't joined the Corps and taught us the Breathing Styles, we wouldn't have been able to contend with the demons." ]
[ .....]
〜Demon Slayer World〜
The Demon King Muzan suddenly felt a massive surge of hatred toward the nameless demon who had killed Uta hundreds of years ago.
If not for that idiot, he thought furiously, I wouldn't have had to deal with that monstrous swordsman and those annoyingDemon Hunters!
—
『 In the vision:
Tanjiro listened, captivated, gradually forgetting everything around him.
Uta, huh…
Before Tanjiro could think more, Yoriichi continued: "Uta… she was a girl who talked nonstop from morning till night. In my heart, she always smiled brilliantly. It was because of her that I realized how different the world in my eyes was from others."
"At that time, I first understood what that inexplicable sense of alienation was—it felt like a kite that had flown out of its string… but under her guidance, I seemed to slowly find my direction."
"Later, we married as we wished. I remember that day, Uta was about to give birth, so I went out to find a midwife."
"She kept waving to me from the door; that smile is something I remember vividly even now."
"I had planned to return before the sun set, but on the way, I encountered an old man having a heart attack who was still insisting on going to the battlefield to save his son. So, I helped him reach his son's side and decided to find a midwife another day." 』
『 .....』