Soma slowly drew his Nichirin Sword, the tip angled slightly downward as he lifted his head and looked at the old man before him.
Beneath the tengu mask, Sakonji Urokodaki's eyes flickered with something complicated, though his tone grew calmer, almost indifferent.
"Make your move. If you don't take this seriously… you'll die."
But even after waiting for some time, no attack came.
Urokodaki let out a quiet sigh.
"If you keep this up, you won't have even the slightest chance."
As he spoke, his hand tightened around the hilt. In the next instant, he was already in front of Soma, his blade slashing forward.
The air shrieked as it split.
Almost instinctively, Soma raised his sword to block.
Clang!
The two blades collided, sparks bursting into the air.
Even without having entered the Transparent World, Soma would not have been a match for Urokodaki—let alone now.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in a life-and-death situation.
And yet, even so—
he did not counterattack.
He only defended with everything he had.
"If this continues, you truly won't stand a chance."
Urokodaki narrowed his eyes.
"In intense combat, my life will drain even faster. If you fought back properly, you might have a chance to exhaust what little time I have left."
Soma blocked another strike, then looked at him calmly. "But in truth… even now, you haven't shown real killing intent. If you truly wanted to kill me, my head would already be gone."
"Heh… boy, do you think I really wouldn't kill you?"
A cold laugh escaped the old man.
"I remember you once told someone not to place their life in another person's hands. And yet now… aren't you doing exactly that?"
Soma fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Entrusting your life to someone else does feel unsafe. But some people… even when they hold that power, still can't bring themselves to take a life so easily."
"Heh…"
Urokodaki let out another cold laugh, his hand brushing lightly along the blade.
"I may not take lives lightly… but do you really think I would hesitate over a demon like you?"
"Or do you think I've grown so weak that I can't even bring myself to sever a demon's head? I know exactly what you are—a demon who can walk beneath the sunlight. If you were to commit evil, the destruction you'd bring could surpass even Muzan Kibutsuji."
In the very next moment, his attack broke through Soma's defense.
The sharp edge of the Nichirin Sword came to rest against Soma's neck.
"With just a slight push forward, I could sever your head right now… cut down a demon whose potential for destruction could exceed even Muzan's."
"Then if you judge me based on what you think I might do in the future," Soma said quietly, sheathing his blade, "how are you any different from the demons you despise?"
He looked at the old man calmly.
"If you intend to decide my life or death based on a future you've imagined… then go ahead."
As he spoke, Soma closed his eyes.
"I won't hesitate again," Urokodaki said in a low voice. He would not repeat the mistake he made with the Hand Demon.
And yet—
the blade in his hand would not move.
Time passed.
But in the end, the old man did not strike.
After waiting for a long moment and feeling no pain, Soma slowly opened his eyes—
only to see that the blade was still resting against his neck.
"If you can't bring yourself to swing the blade, then you should put it away. Holding it against someone's neck is pretty frightening."
Soma shrugged casually. As he moved, the sharp edge pressed against his throat slid slightly, leaving a thin line of blood across his skin—
yet he didn't care in the slightest.
That reaction alone made Sakonji Urokodaki withdraw his blade immediately.
"You… really don't care about your own life at all?"
Urokodaki found it hard to accept.
"That's because I know your character," Soma replied calmly. "Back then, you even spared the Hand Demon—a demon that had eaten its own brother, a man-eating demon."
"And now, facing me—a demon who has never eaten a human—could you really raise your blade and end my life so easily?"
He spoke without any agitation.
In truth, that wasn't the only reason.
Even if his head were severed, he wouldn't die.
He might not be a match for Urokodaki, but killing him wasn't as simple as cutting off his head.
And perhaps, because he knew Urokodaki had once accepted Nezuko Kamado despite her being a demon, a part of him wanted to see—
whether Urokodaki would treat him the same way.
Of course, if Urokodaki had truly cut off his head just now, then Soma would have chosen a different path—
a path where he would no longer place expectations on anyone.
In truth, aside from Kanao Tsuyuri, he had never placed expectations on others.
But even so, he didn't want to walk such an extreme road.
Urokodaki looked at him for a moment—
then suddenly drew his blade again.
But this time, instead of attacking Soma, he cut open his own palm.
Blood flowed freely.
Behind the tengu mask, his eyes remained fixed on Soma.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of blood through the air. For a demon, the smell of human blood was nearly irresistible.
Yet Soma only tore a strip of cloth from his clothing and stepped forward, wrapping the old man's wound as he spoke lightly,
"You're already quite old, Urokodaki-san. Your blood isn't exactly tempting anymore—at least, not to me."
He even added, half-joking,
"Besides, compared to you, Kanao's blood would be a thousand times more appealing. There's no way I'd go for an old man who's practically one step into the grave…"
"It seems… you really have overcome the urge to devour human flesh."
Urokodaki let out a faint breath of relief.
"It seems I can believe that you won't become a man-eating demon in the future."
Soma shrugged casually.
"Eating humans? That's something I would never do. If I can't even hold onto the basic bottom line of being human, then I'm no longer myself."
"But you… are already a demon."
"Yes," Soma sighed softly. "I am a demon now. That's a fact that can't be changed."
"But demons were once human too. At the very least, I still remember who I was. Most demons lose those memories… but there are exceptions."
"And right now, I'm one of those exceptions."
"I hope… you'll continue to remember that in the future."
Urokodaki stared deeply into his eyes.
Soma smiled faintly.
"You can keep an eye on me, then."
"Heh… I don't have much time left to do that."
Urokodaki shook his head with a quiet sigh.
"I could turn you into a demon," Soma said with a slight smile. "If you're willing, you could gain a much longer life."
Urokodaki lifted his aged, clouded eyes and looked at him, then slowly shook his head.
"Even if it means death… becoming a demon is never a choice I would make."
His conviction was firm.
His voice, unwavering.
After a pause, the old man spoke again, more seriously than before:
"I don't want you to become… another Muzan Kibutsuji."
...
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