The last demon had died.
The era belonging to demons had come to an end.
The Demon Slayer Corps, which had existed to protect humanity and eradicate evil demons, had lost its reason for being. Under the arrangements of the Ubuyashiki family, the swordsmen left the work of demon slaying one by one.
...
Butterfly Mansion courtyard.
Wisteria flowers were in full bloom.
As one of the Demon Slayer Corps' medical facilities, this place had always been filled with patients who needed treatment. Countless swordsmen had come here to recover over the years. In the past, it was almost common for swordsmen to pass away here without ever recovering.
Saving lives, treating wounds, and death had once been the main melody of this place.
But now, the smell of disinfectant that used to fill the rooms had completely faded. The blood-stained bandages that once hung throughout the courtyard had dwindled to only a few.
The patients who once filled the rooms with their groans were gone.
As the person in charge of the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu Kocho used to return here every day with endless tasks and patients to treat.
But now, she suddenly found herself with nothing to do.
There were no more evil demons left in the world. No more demons to hunt. The long-held wish to eradicate all evil demons from the world had finally been fulfilled.
The overwhelming hatred she once held toward demons now had nowhere to be directed.
With no patients left to treat and no demons left to hunt, life had suddenly become peaceful.
Returning to the life of an ordinary person was something every Demon Slayer swordsman now had to face — including Shinobu Kocho.
For a time, she found it quite difficult to adapt.
Sitting alone by the window in a daze, she gazed at the wisteria flowers outside. She had once looked forward to this day arriving. But now that it had finally come, she realized that the version of herself who had only ever known how to treat the wounded and kill demons was finding it very hard to adjust to this quiet, ordinary life.
Of course, this was something many Demon Slayer swordsmen were struggling with right now.
Although it was uncomfortable and unfamiliar to live such a peaceful life, if given the choice, they would still choose this.
While Shinobu was lost in thought by the window, light footsteps approached from behind. They were very familiar.
Shinobu turned around. Her beautiful elder sister, Kanae Kocho, walked over with a gentle expression. Compared to before, the gentleness in her sister's face used to hide deep exhaustion. Now, that same gentleness carried a trace of relief.
"Bored again?" Kanae looked at her younger sister, her voice gentle, like warm sunlight in winter.
"There are no more patients to treat and no more demons to hunt. All I can do is sit here in a daze…" Shinobu spread her hands. "I really can't get used to this."
Hearing this, Kanae smiled and reached out to gently pat her sister's head. "You still have to get used to it. Get used to this life, get used to this pace… just like ordinary people."
In the past, what Kanae had wished for most was the day her sister could return to an ordinary life and live to old age like a normal person. Even so, she had known that day would probably never come. Shinobu's hatred toward demons would never have allowed her to leave the Demon Slayer Corps.
Now, that wish she had once thought impossible had come true.
Although her sister still couldn't adapt to ordinary life yet, she would slowly get used to it with time. Just thinking about that made Kanae feel deeply content.
Unconsciously, the figure of that demon surfaced in her mind. If not for him, she might never have seen this day. Perhaps she, or even her sister, would have died on the path of demon slaying one day. No one could have known for sure.
"Sister is thinking about Soma too, isn't she?" Shinobu looked up at her.
"Soma is no longer here." Kanae spoke softly.
"But you know he's still here, don't you, Sister?"
Shinobu replied in a low voice.
Kanae naturally understood what her sister meant. But he was destined to no longer exist in this world. The era belonging to demons had already ended. The world would never again wish for another demon to appear.
"Sister, let's go to Mount Sagiri."
Shinobu suddenly grabbed her sister's hand. Her beautiful eyes looked straight at Kanae.
"Let's live in seclusion there."
Kanae glanced at her sister. She roughly understood what she meant.
Right now, Soma was living in seclusion at Mount Sagiri.
The people of the world believed that demons had been completely wiped out. That perfect demon, even stronger than Muzan Kibutsuji, had also left this world.
But the real truth…
was known to only a very few people.
How could a perfect, undying demon simply disappear like that?
...
After leaving the life of demon slaying behind, Gyomei Himejima felt somewhat lost. The Ubuyashiki family had made many arrangements for him — buying him a large house in the city, providing enough money to live comfortably, and offering him work or other positions. However, Gyomei had rejected all of them.
He left the Demon Slayer Corps and walked alone on the road, unsure of where he was going.
In the past, Gyomei had believed that his life of demon slaying would continue until the day his heart could no longer beat.
Now, there were no more demons left to hunt.
He walked aimlessly for a long time before finally stopping.
Only then did he realize he had arrived in front of a temple.
The temple was somewhat old and worn, but it seemed to be regularly maintained and showed signs of human presence.
Gyomei was not unfamiliar with this temple. It was here that his once peaceful life had been shattered by a demon. The root of his aversion toward children also came from this place.
Back then, he had taken in several children at this temple. When an evil demon attacked, he had desperately protected the children and fought the demon for an entire day. But when the officials finally arrived, the only surviving child had pointed at him and accused him of being the murderer.
Even though he had no eyes and could not see the scene at the time, that moment was still unforgettable even now.
Ever since that day, Gyomei had never returned here.
He never expected to come back again.
At this moment, Gyomei's expression was complicated.
He stood at the entrance for a long time. In the end, he chose not to go inside. He shook his head and prepared to leave.
Thud…
A porcelain bowl fell and shattered on the ground, letting out a crisp sound.
Sayo stared blankly at the person who had appeared.
"Mr. Himejima…"
Seeing Gyomei about to leave, Sayo fell to her knees and called out to him with tears in her eyes.
The voice that reached his ears was one Gyomei could never forget. It was this very voice that had accused him of being a murderer back when the officials arrived. This was the child he had once protected.
The root of his aversion toward children… was probably this child named Sayo, wasn't it?
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
Sayo knelt on the ground, filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Mr. Himejima. I was terrified back then. I didn't understand what the officials were saying at all. I really didn't mean to frame you. I didn't even know that pointing at you meant I was accusing you of being the murderer…"
"All these years, I've been regretting it. I've regretted what happened back then every single day. I've been tormenting myself over it."
"I come here almost every day, hoping that you would return one day… hoping for the chance to apologize to you."
"I really… I'm truly sorry."
"All this time, you were the one protecting me, yet I hurt you so deeply. I really…"
Sayo was about to continue when a large hand gently rested on her shoulder.
She looked up at the tall figure standing before her.
"It's all right."
Gyomei spoke softly. Tears welled in his blind eyes. The resentment and grievance he had once felt from being wrongly accused of murder… at this moment, with Sayo's apology and the truth finally being spoken, everything was released.