Episode 274: The Legendary Demon Slayer's Journey Through an Incomparably Tragic Lifetime
『 Yoriichi Tsugikuni's expression changed visibly, a wave of sorrow washing over his face. After a long silence, he continued: "But by the time I fought my way back, it was already late at night."
"When I returned home, I found that my wife, Uta, and our unborn child had both met with tragedy."
"Even things that were more important to me than my own life could be so easily destroyed by others."
"Holding my wife's body… I sat there in a daze at the entrance of my home for ten days. It wasn't until a samurai tracking the demon urged me to bury her that I regained some of my senses."
"I had always dreamed of living a peaceful life with my family in a small cottage—where I could see the people I love most just by looking up, and touch them just by reaching out. But because these terrifying creatures exist in this world, even such a simple wish was impossible to realize."
Yoriichi reached out and gripped his Nichirin Sword tightly.
"And so… I became a demon slayer. However, the swordsmen who had fought demons for many years did not seem to have mastered Breathing Styles, so I shared everything I knew with them…"
"The demon slayers known as the Hashira were already incredibly powerful. After combining my Breathing Style with the five great sword techniques they already possessed—Flame, Wind, Water, Thunder, and Stone—their combat capabilities were elevated to a whole new level."
"Gradually, in our struggle against the demons, we began to gain the upper hand. Even my brother joined our ranks after his subordinate was murdered."
"Perhaps it was fate. Not long after, I found the progenitor of all demons. The moment we met, I had a powerful premonition—that the purpose of my coming into this world was to defeat the man standing before me."
"That man radiated a savage vitality from every pore, as if he wanted to devour everything. He immediately launched an attack; he was not only agile but possessed immense destructive power."
"I had just dodged when I heard the sound of trees snapping in the bamboo grove. In that instant, I realized that if I were hit once, I might die instantly. This creature actually had five brains and seven hearts. While observing him, I unleashed my own unique sword technique."
Thirteenth Form: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance…
Tanjiro snapped back to attention upon hearing this. He realized that the technique being described was the legendary Thirteenth Form of the Sun Breathing.
Before Tanjiro could speak, Yoriichi continued: "Seeing that his body could not regenerate, that man panicked. He struggled to prop up his severed head with his one remaining arm, proving that even the progenitor of demons was susceptible to the Bright Red Nichirin Sword."
"There was a question I had been holding onto for a long time that I wanted to hear him answer personally, so I demanded: 'What do you consider life to be?!'"
"But he didn't answer me. He only glared at me with a hideous expression, clearly not taking my words seriously. I then shifted my gaze to the woman accompanying him."
"Unexpectedly, she had no intention of rescuing her companion. Instead, her eyes were wide, staring at the man I had just beheaded. I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes, so I spared her for the moment, intending to deliver the final blow to the man in front of me."
"But just as I was about to end him, his body suddenly exploded. Facing those scattering fragments, I fought desperately and managed to slash about fifteen hundred pieces, but some fragments still managed to escape."
"The woman then fell to her knees and wept, repeating over and over: 'It was so close, why won't this wicked bastard just die?' She said this while clutching and pulling at her hair."
"Once she calmed down, I learned that I had accidentally called out that man's name but failed to kill him. Then, she began to tell me endless stories about Muzan."
"She said that the man named Muzan might not show his face again until after I had passed away."
"Hearing this, I was stunned for a moment, then requested her help in eliminating Muzan."
"After some hesitation, she eventually agreed and introduced herself—"
"Tamayo."…
"Afterward, some members of the Demon Slayer Corps who rushed to the scene informed me that my brother had become a demon."
"Because I failed to kill Muzan, coupled with the 'crimes' of arbitrarily releasing Tamayo and allowing my brother to turn into a demon, I was expelled from the organization."
"At the time, some even suggested that I commit suicide to atone for my sins."
"Fortunately, the leader at the time stepped in to help me, allowing me to leave alive." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kocho Shinobu (Demon Slayer): "Regarding this… our ancestors in the Demon Slayer Corps were indeed in the wrong. Yoriichi-sama suffered far too much condemnation." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "The past is the past; it is enough to let it be." ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "Exactly. Who could have known that the Demon King was such a coward? To think so many scraps of meat could actually escape." ]
[ .....]
『 Tanjiro couldn't help but shift, looking at Mr. Yoriichi with eyes full of sympathy: "But none of that was your fault."
Yoriichi fell into a deep silence, subsequently consumed by self-reproach: "I feel… that I was born into this world in such an extraordinary way specifically to eliminate Muzan, but in the end, I still failed."…
As he spoke, Yoriichi lowered his head, a look of regret crossing his face: "In the future, many more people will perish at the hands of demons because of my failure… I am truly sorry to them."
Hearing this, Tanjiro's eyes grew moist, and for a moment, he couldn't find the right words to respond.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni's life was both a legend and a tragedy; too many things had happened to him. No matter how powerful he was, at his core, he was only human.
Tanjiro hoped his ancestor could comfort this wounded soul, but in the end, everyone fell into silence. Even though they desperately wanted to help him, they couldn't find the words.
At that moment, a child reached out and tugged at Yoriichi's sleeve, begging for a hug.
Sumiyoshi, the ancestor, suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly suggested: "You… you should hold the child. Lift them up high; the children will be happier!"
"Besides, you're quite a bit taller than me… hahaha!"
Yoriichi looked at the child, hesitated for a moment, but then picked them up and lifted them into the air.
The little child immediately beamed with joy.
It was a simple, mundane action, but Yoriichi's expression suddenly froze.
Before long, tears began to well up and stream down his face.
Watching this scene, Sumiyoshi's wife, Suyako, who had just returned home, looked on in confusion until she recognized the figure kneeling on the ground holding the child.
It was Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni…
Though she didn't understand why he was crying, Suyako walked over and gently patted his head.
"Don't worry… everything will be alright."
"Now, I'll go prepare some food to fill your stomach. Cheer up."
Suyako gave a warm smile, which deeply touched Tanjiro as he watched from the sidelines.
Unconsciously, he began to cry as well.
Perhaps this kind of ordinary life was what Yoriichi had truly longed for.
I hope that Teacher Yoriichi, who passed away long ago, can find some peace in the afterlife, Tanjiro thought silently.
The mission to fight demons and the duty to slay Muzan would be left to the descendants.
But even thinking this, leaving this place was not an easy thing for Tanjiro.
Ultimately, before the images played on loop in this dreamscape, Tanjiro witnessed the silhouette of this man over and over, shedding silent tears each time.』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Even seeing it again, I can still feel it… He's so miserable." ]
[ Welt Yang (Honkai: Star Rail): "A natural-born savior… is that really how tragic it is?" ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "That is how I was before." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "However, my responsibility now is to end all of these tragedies." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "Muzan, I will find you and put an end to this!" ]
[ Kibutsuji Muzan (Demon Slayer): "…." ]
(A certain Demon King is about to start planning his relocation.)
[ .....]
『 In the vision…
Muzan's onslaught swept across the battlefield once more, making it difficult for the Hashira to move.
Giyu and Sanemi relied on their Nichirin Swords to block Muzan's attacks with extreme speed.
Gyomei struggled to cope while simultaneously trying to devise a strategy to counter Muzan.
However, Gyomei soon realized that Muzan's movements were simply too fast. Just imagining how to fight him was exhausting, let alone dodging attacks while attempting to counterattack; it was nearly an impossible task.
Obanai was also fighting hard on the side, but due to his injuries, he felt he might not be able to hold on for much longer.
Worse still, the window of time to provide an opening for the other Hashira was rapidly closing.
"Ah!"
While everyone was doing their utmost to fend off Muzan, Mitsuri was hit once again.
At this point, she could barely see the opponent's movements, relying solely on combat experience, intuition, and a bit of luck to barely resist.
This situation was clearly unsustainable.
Mitsuri knew this herself; if things continued like this, she wouldn't just be unable to help, she would exhaust all her strength and die. A single moment of distraction would lead to a fatal threat.
Knowing this, Mitsuri decided to risk a direct clash with Muzan. Just as she was about to launch a desperate strike, Muzan, having anticipated her intent, struck first.
Feeling powerless, Mitsuri was forced to retreat, again pondering a strategy: Perhaps close-quarters combat could better restrain Muzan?
She had to try this method.
Just as this thought occurred to her, she suddenly felt as if something had tripped her feet, rendering her unable to move.
Slash!
Before she knew it, her arm had been severely wounded by Muzan, leaving it bloodied. Before long, she lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Obanai immediately turned to rescue Mitsuri.
"That hit just now… what happened?"
Giyu, Sanemi, and Gyomei immediately began to think about the cause; they remembered that Mitsuri should have dodged it.
However, seeing the enemy closing in on Obanai, they had no time to dwell and immediately stepped in to block the attack.
Such a sneak attack on a comrade would never go unnoticed by these three.
The three then fell back into a fierce confrontation with Muzan, the sound of clashing weapons deafening.
During this process, Obanai seized an opportunity to hand the injured and unconscious Mitsuri over to the support staff, instructing them to find Yushiro, who was skilled in charms, for assistance.
Just as Obanai was preparing to return to the battlefield, Mitsuri's voice stopped him.
"Wait… I can still fight…"
"This time… I definitely won't be a burden to everyone…"
Hearing Mitsuri's weak words, Obanai's voice was filled with concern:
"Don't think like that. You've already done your best."
However, at this moment, Mitsuri was like a stubborn child, insisting on returning to the battlefield to help.
"No… I still want to do something for everyone… to just step back now… I really can't accept that…"
The Mitsuri before him looked extremely frail, her speech intermittent.
Obanai decided not to argue further, simply leaving one sentence:
"I'm leaving her to you…"
With that, Obanai immediately rushed back to the battlefield.
Watching the receding figure, the frail Mitsuri lying on the ground began to call out: "…Mr. Iguro… please, you must come back alive…"
"I really don't want to experience… the feeling of losing someone ever again…"
On his way to the battlefield, many thoughts flashed through Obanai's mind:
If demons didn't exist in this world… how many people could have lived happy and peaceful lives…
If we could meet in a place without any fear… what a wonderful scene that would be…
No! I can't think about this now… I have to hurry…
Obanai ran faster and faster, the wind slapping against his face, unconsciously blowing away the bandages on his face.
I… must let myself disappear once… before I can rid myself of the unclean blood flowing through my veins…
Otherwise… I have no right to continue standing by her side and protecting her.
As the last strip of cloth left his skin, the face exposed to the air left those around him in great shock.
The area around his lips was in a split state… looking as terrifying as if someone had carved a deep, horrific wound into him with a knife.
Obanai looked back at Mitsuri, who was still struggling to recover her strength, his face filled with complex emotions.
Mitsuri… in truth, I am one of the members of a family that relied on robbing others for private gain…
They used illegally obtained wealth to build luxury residences and lived in silk and satin, all without a shred of guilt.
Thinking this, scenes from Obanai's past began to surface. 』
『 .....』
〜Oregairu World〜
Service Club—
"Wow… this girl is really strong. She looks even younger than me."
Yui's words didn't surprise the other two. After all, the act of being willing to sacrifice oneself in the face of life and death was already admirable.
Hachiman's hand remained lazily on the table, propping up his chin, while the other hand scrolled through videos on his phone.
Speaking in a way that seemed half-perfunctory and half-consoling, Hachiman said,
"Don't think too much about it. We might not encounter the act of sacrificing ourselves in our entire lives. Besides, the worlds are different; comparing them is fundamentally meaningless."
"Hey, hey…"
Although it sounded like consolation, Yui felt something was off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what.
"This time, I support Hachiman-kun's view."
Hearing this, Yui placed both hands on her knees and unconsciously shouted at the two of them:
"Even you, Yukino, are saying that…"
As she spoke, a slight blush appeared on her face.
The Service Club was truly an enviable place, ordinary and warm.
—
『 In the vision…
The scene shifted, and Obanai's memories gradually became clearer.
Legend had it… this was a family that almost exclusively produced girls. The status of men in this house was practically negligible; aside from procreation, all that remained for them was death.
At that time, the family had not seen a boy for three hundred and seventy consecutive years.
From the moment he was born, Obanai only remembered a tiny room, tightly enclosed on all sides, from which he could not take a single step.
He had never left that small room.
His mother, aunts, and sisters would bring him various delicacies every day with extremely soft voices and expressions.
Although every meal was lavish enough to make one's mouth water, Obanai had no appetite at all.
The scent of incense in the room made him gag repeatedly. Even at a young age, Obanai understood what he truly craved.
When night fell, he would hear loud noises moving slowly across the floor; sometimes he even felt something slimy watching him, staring at him in the darkness.
This feeling filled Obanai with terror, his hands trembling uncontrollably. Although he wanted to crawl under the covers and hide, he worried he might suddenly die in his sleep.
Therefore, whenever night fell, Obanai dared not close his eyes to rest until those sounds disappeared.
In this manner, Obanai lived day after day.
Until the year he turned twelve, when he thought he had reached a turning point in his life, only to find that… 』
『 .....』