Beneath the tengu mask, Sakonji Urokodaki gripped his Nichirin Sword tightly. As he watched Akaza with caution, he gathered his thoughts, preparing what he wanted to say.
But Akaza had no interest at all in anything Urokodaki might say.
Just as he had once invited many powerful Demon Slayers to become demons—and they had all refused—he now felt the same indifference.
Everyone walks their own path.
No one follows another's road.
He once had his own path as well—
To grow stronger, so he could protect what he wished to protect.
But now…
He had nothing left to protect.
For hundreds of years, he had drifted through a hollow existence. He had betrayed his father's final wish—his father, who had taken his own life so as not to burden him, hoping he would abandon a life of crime.
He had also betrayed his teacher's teachings.
And he had failed to protect Koyuki.
"He… accomplished nothing. He did everything poorly… No matter how hard he trained, no matter how much effort he put in, everything he wanted to protect slipped through his fingers."
His heart suddenly ached.
It hurt—
Deeply.
After an unknown amount of time, Akaza lifted his head and looked at the old man before him.
With his sharp sensitivity to fighting spirit, he could tell that the old man's life was steadily fading.
And because of that fading life, the old man's fighting spirit had grown even stronger—stronger than any opponent Akaza had ever faced.
In the past, sensing such powerful fighting spirit would have filled him with excitement.
He would have eagerly rushed into battle.
But now—
He felt nothing.
His golden eyes merely swept over Urokodaki once before he turned and began walking toward the cave's exit.
Urokodaki held the hilt of his Nichirin Sword, watching the demon's completely unguarded back.
At this moment, it would have been easy—so easy—to strike and cut off his head.
But he did not move.
He simply watched as Akaza walked out of the cave—
Then silently followed behind him.
.....
Outside—
The world was cloaked in darkness, with only faint starlight scattered across the night sky.
A Kasugai crow flapped its wings overhead.
In the distance, shadowy figures rushed desperately toward them.
...
The Demon Slayer Corps never hunted demons alone.
The moment Urokodaki discovered Upper Rank Three's location, he had already sent word through his crow.
By now—
Not only swordsmen, but even the Hashira nearby were rushing to this place.
One swordsman arrived first. Upon seeing the Upper Rank demon, fear filled him—but so did excitement. He charged forward and slashed at Akaza's neck.
Clang!
A dull, heavy sound rang out.
The strike landed as if it had hit solid stone. It failed to sever Akaza's neck as the swordsman had hoped.
Akaza merely paused for a moment.
Then casually threw a punch.
The swordsman was sent flying, crashing dozens of meters away.
Nearby, the other Demon Slayers tightened their grips on their swords. Feeling Akaza's overwhelming strength, fear rose in their eyes—
Yet not a single one stepped back.
Akaza's golden gaze swept over these frail humans.
Their fighting spirit was weak.
Their fear was obvious.
And yet, none of them retreated.
Before regaining his memories, he would have thought them foolish—
Weaklings, always doing meaningless things.
Always repeating actions without purpose.
Did these people not understand?
With strength like theirs, they could protect nothing.
But now—
Having regained his memories, he finally understood why they acted this way.
Just like how he once tried to protect Koyuki—
This… was the reason they refused to step back, even in fear.
For the sake of what they wanted to protect, they would not retreat, no matter how powerful the enemy before them was.
In a way, they were more fortunate than he was.
At least they could fight stronger opponents for the sake of protecting something.
But what about him?
When he returned to the Soryu Dojo back then, the ones he wanted to protect for the rest of his life—Koyuki and Keizo—had already been poisoned to death.
He never even had the chance to fight to protect them before losing them.
Even though he killed all those responsible…
Even though he tore their bodies apart…
What was lost could never return. And there was nothing left for him to protect.
One Demon Slayer after another arrived…
Akaza paid them no attention, continuing forward at an unhurried pace.
Sakonji Urokodaki followed closely behind, signaling the swordsmen ahead to step aside.
Akaza walked calmly until he reached a patch of thick grass. Then, under the watchful eyes of the Demon Slayers, he sat down.
Some of the swordsmen wanted to attack, but at Urokodaki's silent shake of the head, they suppressed their killing intent.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind passed.
A man with white hair appeared, a red marking spreading around his left eye, golden ornaments hanging from both ears, and a well-built frame. The moment he saw Akaza, his expression sharpened.
It was the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
Soon after his arrival, the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, and the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, also arrived.
Together with the already present Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, four Hashira now stood gathered.
At this moment, nearly all of the Demon Slayer Corps' highest combat power was assembled here.
"Let's do it."
Sanemi Shinazugawa could barely suppress the killing intent surging within him, his hand gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
"Wait…"
Urokodaki shook his head.
As a respected senior of the Corps, his words carried weight. Combined with their caution toward Upper Rank Three, the others reluctantly held back their urge to attack.
In truth, every swordsman present felt confused.
They could not understand what this demon—responsible for so much slaughter—was trying to do.
His behavior was… strange.
Urokodaki stood at the front, looking at Akaza, who sat calmly despite being surrounded.
From the faint scent in the air, he could sense Akaza's emotions.
And vaguely—
He understood what the demon intended to do.
Time passed, little by little.
Everyone endured in silence.
At some point, Akaza lay down on the grass, his hands resting behind his head as he quietly gazed at the dark sky.
It was as if he could see that night of blooming fireworks again—
And in that night, Koyuki's gentle voice echoed in his ears:
"Hakuji-san, would you be willing to take me as your wife?"
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
His heart pounded wildly.
No matter how much time had passed, recalling that moment still made his entire body tremble with happiness.
But…
Everything had been lost.
There was nothing left to protect.
The meaning behind his endless pursuit of strength was gone.
"What is this demon doing?"
One of the swordsmen stared at Akaza, utterly confused.
"Who knows? But if we keep waiting like this, it'll be dawn soon."
"Good. Let the sunlight burn these monsters to ash."
A swordsman hissed through gritted teeth.
...
Akaza heard the low, hate-filled whispers of the swordsmen, but paid them no mind.
He simply lay there, hands behind his head, quietly staring at the stars.
No matter how long the night lasted, it would eventually end.
Dawn would come.
As he sensed the sun about to rise, his body reacted instinctively—
Fear of sunlight surged within him.
His body trembled, panicked, urging him to flee into the shadows.
In the past, he would have done so without hesitation.
Even Muzan Kibutsuji would never dare expose himself to the sun.
But Akaza simply watched the sky in silence, looking toward the first sliver of dawn as his thoughts began to drift away.