The old man bowed respectfully to the young man, and the young man accepted it as though it were only natural.
To any onlooker, it might have been a most incongruous sight, but for us brothers, it was perfectly ordinary.
Even though I had left the Demon Slayer Corps, I visited him about seven times a year. Having watched him grow older, he still looked to me like the younger brother he had been sixty years ago—even if he was now an old man.
"And Asahi?"
"Asahi has been very busy lately with his work as a Cultivator, brother."
Asahi inherited [Sun Breathing] from Yoriichi, became his [Tsuguko], and took over the position of Sun Pillar.
He hadn't manifested the [Spots] or the [Revealed World] like Yoriichi, but, much like his teacher, he had still displayed [Hyeokdo].
Now, nearing sixty, he had stepped away from the front lines. I heard he was dedicating himself to training students as a Cultivator.
"So you've finally found someone suited for Sun Breathing."
Yoriichi nodded in affirmation.
"He's been so busy lately he hardly shows his face to his old mother. If only he resembled Haruka even half as much."
Uta smiled faintly and muttered.
I chuckled softly before speaking.
"I'll give him a piece of my mind when I see him. But I hear Haruka is busy with her work as a Cultivator too."
Tsugikuni Haruka was born after I left the Corps as Yoriichi and Uta's second child and only daughter, and, unlike Asahi, she had an aptitude for [Mist Breathing].
She filled the vacant position of Water Hashira, and I heard she had also stepped away from the front lines to serve as a Cultivator.
Neither she nor Asahi had manifested the [Spots] or the [Revealed World], and unlike Asahi, Haruka had not manifested [Hyeokdo].
The grandchildren Haruka and Asahi had with their partners did not all join the Demon Slayer Corps; some found other callings, like pharmacists. The grandchildren who did join still rose to the ranks of Hashira.
I think it's remarkable that none of them were twisted by the constant comparisons to Yoriichi and me.
"You didn't have to step down from your Hashira post—you're still active, aren't you?"
"Ha-ha, such a harsh jest," he replied with a laugh.
But I wasn't joking.
Though he's avoided fierce battle for sixty years, Yoriichi is still fully human—and nearly eighty. Yet I can't sense a trace of his aura.
That means his domain still towers far above mine. If we fought now, I'd still be the one lying flat on the ground.
"By the way, you've decided in the end not to pass on the [Spots]?"
"Yes."
Unlike Breathing Styles, neither the [Revealed World] nor the [Spots] were ever passed to the next generation.
It wasn't just Asahi or Haruka—none of the Pillars from our generation or the current generation ever managed to manifest them.
[Spots] were the hallmark of the [Ajanomo] and a sign of their short lives.
As Yoriichi predicted, among Ajanomo who had manifested the [Spots], none had lived past twenty-five—except for the original himself.
Mist Hashira Anji, Water Hashira Sakata Gin, Wind Hashira Shimotsuki Shusui, Flame Hashira Rengoku Tenjuro—all of them, and even Hashira Minase Hiyori, who had the singularity of turning into a Demon upon eating one, failed to live past twenty-five.
Except for me, whose body stopped in time when I became a Demon, and for Amano Ruka, Yoriichi was the only Ajanomo still living.
'How is he still alive?'
'Because he's Yoriichi,' I admitted.
The reason the prerequisites for manifesting the [Spots] remained hidden was because the price was too high—the side effect of gaining a Demon-like body and dying at twenty-five.
As for the [Revealed World], well, I'm not entirely certain there either.
Perhaps it was a matter of timing. To use the [Revealed World], you needed not only a capable teacher but also the experience of crossing the line of death hundreds of times.
Thanks to Yoriichi, Muzan had gone into hiding and restricted his activities, making demon slaying far less perilous.
As a result, there were almost no near-death experiences left to trigger the [Revealed World].
Or maybe it was just a lack of innate talent—they say our generation's Pillars were prodigies at integrating Breathing Styles and the [Revealed World].
Regardless, the [Revealed World] also ended with our generation.
Still, knowing Muzan's absence would mean trouble when Yoriichi finally died, I recorded everything about the [Revealed World], [Hyeokdo], and the [Spots] for the elders, trusting they would put it to good use later.
@@@
As I continued chatting with Uta and Yoriichi,
"It's been a while."
"Uzui! Why are you so late?"
Uzui arrived, and Uta was overjoyed at her visit.
Uta then launched into girl talk with Uzui, and I continued my casual conversation with Yoriichi.
"Still, it's a shame I can't go into the Potter's Village. I won't be able to see my doll, after all."
"That's true. It was so splendid. And Lady Shutara and Niimiya Oetsu left behind a gift for you related to it…"
"They left it…?"
"They said you should visit in person."
"How on earth am I supposed to get there? And what exactly is it?" I asked.
"They asked to keep it a secret. That was their final request."
Those two, of all people?
At my pained expression, Yoriichi's lips curved into a faint smile.
It was a stark contrast to the impassive young Yoriichi of old.
As he grew older, his expressions had only grown richer.
Does age change a person, or does change cause age?
The mix of nostalgia and complexity swept over me.
While I as a Demon still felt stuck in those bygone days, he was…
"And… hmm."
Yoriichi paused, pondering, before asking,
"Brother, how did the Hashira and our Lord spend their final moments?"
Their final moments?
"Why do you ask?"
"Perhaps I'm growing old, but I've been thinking about death a lot. And you were there beside them at the end."
I wasn't sure why he was curious about that…
No…
Was that it?
When I glanced at him, I understood why he had asked.
"Let's see…"
I closed my eyes, sifting through long-buried memories.
"First, Banda Nagare…"
"Take care of Amano Ruka. If you harm her, I won't forgive you."
Banda Nagare left this world genuinely worried for her. I cannot judge death, but as her teacher and adoptive father, it was a fitting farewell.
Mist Hashira Anji shared tea with me and thanked me before passing. His dark circles remained until his last breath—I only hoped he found some peace in the next world.
Water Hashira Sakata Gin ended his life with concern for the remaining Hashira, saying, "I'm sorry my last moment is like this. Please look after those precious ones."
Wind Hashira Shimotsuki Shusui asked for a live-blade sparring match. When it ended, he simply stood there with his sword in hand and left this world.
He was second weakest only to Amano, but his final act was entirely in character for a battle maniac.
Pillar Minase Hiyori, who had once eaten my hair and turned into a Demon, formed frost around her with her Demon Art. She left me a cryptic message before departing the world with her trademark smile.
The last smile felt different—perhaps she had grasped the meaning of emotion at the end.
She didn't die of illness, nor did her body simply grow weak.
It was as though her thread was cut abruptly—no pain, no decline—just the sudden end of her prime.
That, unlike others, was the fate of an Ajanomo.
Mercifully, at least they felt no pain as they chose to embrace their final breaths.
Without pain and with affirmation of their final breaths, the Pillars of our generation laid down their swords, entrusting the future to those who remained.
Of all of them, the farewell of Rengoku and our Lord was the most striking.
"And Rengoku…"
I gave a faint smile and recounted to Yoriichi the final dirge of their last moments.