For Soma to admit so calmly that he was a demon was something Sakonji Urokodaki had never expected.
He had thought Soma would deny it—argue, explain himself.
After all, no demon could stand beneath the sunlight.
If Soma had tried to explain, perhaps Urokodaki might have once again doubted himself, just as he did the first time they met, thinking his sense of smell had failed him.
But Soma didn't deny anything.
He admitted it without hesitation.
That left Urokodaki silent for a long moment.
Hatred for demons—the desire to wipe them out from this world—was something nearly every swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps carried. As a Hashira, he bore even greater responsibility.
"…Put me down."
After a while, Urokodaki spoke, his voice calm.
Soma said nothing. He gently lowered Urokodaki from his back, then stood quietly, facing the old man.
The tengu mask hid Urokodaki's expression, but Soma could still sense it.
Urokodaki could not bring himself to attack him as he would any other demon. If he truly had no hesitation, he would have struck earlier.
And yet—
the killing intent was still there.
As a demon, this outcome had always been inevitable.
Even if they had gotten along well before… even if he had once been someone Urokodaki regarded as a promising junior…
the moment his identity as a demon was revealed—
everything changed.
Perhaps, deep down, Soma had once believed he was different.
But clearly…
a demon was still a demon.
At that moment, a trace of disappointment surfaced in Soma's heart.
Urokodaki, too, stood there, looking at him.
At this person in whom he had once placed so much hope.
He had imagined many things about Soma's future.
He had believed that new generations would flourish under his guidance.
He had thought that, perhaps in Soma's era, demons might finally be eradicated.
He had even imagined Soma walking a path alongside Makomo in the future—perhaps marrying, perhaps building a life together. Though he himself might not live to see it, the thought alone had filled him with quiet anticipation.
He had envisioned so many possibilities.
So many futures.
And now—
all of them…
all those hopeful visions—
had shattered the moment Soma's identity as a demon was revealed.
"…You could still deny it," Urokodaki said softly, his head slightly lowered. "Perhaps… I might believe you. I could pretend nothing ever happened."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Urokodaki-san."
Soma shook his head.
"Even if I denied it, you wouldn't truly be able to pretend nothing happened. A demon is a demon. The moment you believed I was one, that thought settled in your heart—you can't change it, and you can't deceive yourself."
Urokodaki let out a long sigh.
"You could have at least tried."
"There's no need," Soma replied quietly. "Your sense of smell doesn't lie to you. Any lie I tell… you would be able to sense it."
"If I didn't have this sharp sense of smell… perhaps things would be different."
Sakonji Urokodaki let out a quiet sigh. Then he raised his head and looked at the demon standing beneath the sunlight. Beneath the tengu mask, his gaze had turned completely cold.
"What… is your true identity?"
Soma was slightly puzzled.
"You are Muzan Kibutsuji… aren't you?"
A killing intent so intense it almost felt tangible burst from the old man.
Soma froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard. He hadn't expected Urokodaki to mistake him for Muzan, but thinking about it more carefully, it wasn't surprising.
If he weren't Muzan, how could he know so much about Upper Rank Three's past?
If he weren't Muzan, how could he stand beneath the sunlight?
After all, Muzan Kibutsuji was the first demon—the absolute ruler of all demons. If any demon could walk under the sun, it would most likely be him.
"…I'm not."
Soma spoke calmly.
"I'm just someone who was once turned into a demon by Muzan, like all the others. It's only because of certain circumstances that I managed to break free from his control… and even gained the ability to stand in sunlight."
Urokodaki listened in silence.
There was no scent of deceit.
Everything Soma said… was true.
"To break free from Muzan's control… that's unbelievable."
Urokodaki couldn't help but murmur. As far as he knew, no demon had ever escaped Muzan's control.
"It's difficult, but not impossible," Soma replied evenly. "At least, there was once a demon named Tamayo who managed it. Muzan has been hunting her ever since."
That was something Urokodaki had never heard before, and it surprised him slightly.
…
After a moment, Urokodaki spoke again.
"…Have you ever eaten a human?"
The sharp killing intent in his voice seemed to lessen slightly, replaced instead by a complicated, searching tone.
Soma shook his head and met his gaze.
"I'm not like those monsters who have lost themselves. Please don't place me in the same category."
"There has never been a demon who hasn't eaten a human."
Urokodaki's voice was firm as he looked at him.
"Back then, I spared the Hand Demon… it wept and begged, swearing it would never eat another human. But on Mount Fujikasane, that same demon—"
The consequences of that single moment of weakness still weighed heavily on him even now.
"I can smell it."
Urokodaki lifted his head again.
"I can smell your words. I know you're not lying. You truly haven't eaten a human… not even until now."
His voice grew quieter.
"But what about the future?"
"Will you still be able to say the same?"
"I want to ignore this… I truly do. But in the end, you are still a demon. I have already made one grave mistake because of this before. This time… I don't want to repeat it."
His hand tightened around the hilt of his Nichirin Sword. His gaze turned cold and resolute, the killing intent rising once more.
Soma fell silent.
Looking at the old man before him, he let out a soft sigh.
"I actually had some expectations of you, Urokodaki-san… but it seems I shouldn't have."
He paused, then continued quietly,
"A demon… is still a demon. In your eyes—and in everyone's eyes—we're beings that can never be accepted."
Urokodaki's grip on his sword tightened slightly.
Then, he closed his eyes.
Slowly, he drew the blade from his waist.
"…Make your move," he said calmly. "You know that I've already stepped into the Transparent World. The presence you give off feels weak to me. Once I strike… I won't give you any chance."
"So—"
"Draw your blade."