Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

The raised hand flashed past his eyes, and his vision was once again taken away. This time, Rinko was not just running away; he began to fight back. The biggest advantage of demons is that they are not afraid of getting hurt. Humans are the complete opposite. They cannot afford to get hurt. Getting hurt will affect the rhythm, speed, and power of their attacks. In fact, if they get hurt, they will lose their chance to win.

But ghosts are different. Even if they are injured, even if they are slashed, even if their bodies are broken in two, as long as there is a chance, even if it is just breaking an arm or tearing off a leg, they will still be the one with the advantage.

One side needs to be cautious, while the other is almost fearless. Such a battle is unfair and unequal. Rinko cannot gain an advantage quickly, but after changing his mindset, he will no longer be the one who feels troubled. Tanjiro is difficult to deal with, as he has a very sensitive nose and can always determine his location. But Giyu is different. When the opponent loses sight, he can only rely on sound and intuition to judge. Even with Tanjiro's reminder, his inability to accurately perceive is still a flaw.

Moreover, the knife in the other party's hand had already been broken, making him a more suitable prey to be targeted first.

Just as he thought, Giyu's skills were superb, but it was difficult to guarantee that every attack could be blocked in time when he couldn't see or touch it. When Rinko was tightly entangled with Giyu, Tanjiro would find it difficult to make a move even if he knew. Reminding Giyu meant that Rinko could hear him, but relying solely on tacit understanding without a reminder would still be risky even if the teamwork was perfect.

"Tanjiro, I have to admit, I used to really like you."

Rinko raised her hand and used one hand to block Giyu's swinging sword. Her flesh was cut open, but her bones were strong enough to firmly hold the downward-slashing sword in place.

"But unfortunately, since someone has to die here tonight..."

He spoke calmly, but his fist was cut off by Tanjiro's sword. So he simply turned to the side and kicked Giyu before he could change his stance. The blade grazed the bone with a tooth-grinding sound, and blood splattered on the ground when he pulled back his hand.

I would prefer it to be you.

The freed hand was then swung at Tanjiro with full force, the fist striking the blade with a loud clang like metal clashing.

Rinko ignored Tanjiro, who had been knocked away, as fighting him would be a waste of time. He immediately turned around and chased after Giyu, who had been kicked into the wall.

"Then you shall start, Giyuu."

He raised his leg, gathering his strength, and kicked a Nichirin Blade off the ground. But before the sound of the blade flying out and piercing something could be heard, there was a whooshing sound. A Nichirin Blade flew from afar, approaching with great force, through the narrow corridor, flying straight and precisely piercing his calf, changing the direction of his attack.

The knife that was kicked away didn't pierce Giyu's head; instead, it embedded itself in the wall next to him.

The Nichirin Blade on his leg had almost pierced through his entire calf. The objective was clear: not to kill him, but simply to stop him in the safest and most effective way.

"I won't let you do that!"

A loud shout followed immediately. It was not hard to tell who the loud, imposing, almost cheerful voice belonged to. Rinko didn't need to turn around to confirm who the temporary owner of the knife was.

Rinko bent down and pulled the Nichirin Blade from her calf. Blood flowed down her calf and ankle along the arc of the blade, falling to the ground and pooling into a small pool of crimson. The blade was carelessly tossed aside.

Before Rinko turned around, what she felt first was the overwhelming momentum and the soaring fighting spirit. The first thing she caught in the corner of her eye was the haori that was fluttering like a flame.

Memories were almost pulled back to that night many years ago, when the man also rushed out with such momentum, leaving only a final image of his fluttering haori. It was also to save others, to protect others, that he held his sword, proudly and bravely facing the demon.

But on that night many years ago, he was the one being protected behind him, not the one with a knife pointed at him.

"Tonight, everyone has to get out of here alive!"

Such a loud voice, such a confident tone, even though blood had soaked his uniform, his haori bore the marks of battle, his breathing was so rough, he was seriously injured, there was no doubt that his closed eye would probably never open again, and the blood on his face hadn't been completely wiped clean.

He probably rushed over immediately after waking up, without even having time to properly treat his own injuries.

The strong smell of blood was a scent that even Rinko couldn't ignore.

The Blood Demon Spell was interrupted, and the battlefield was briefly frozen due to the arrival of a third person.

On both sides.

The Blood Demon Art was interrupted, but Rinko didn't immediately continue. He looked at Kyojuro, who stood before him like a protector, battered but unyielding. His stabbed leg had healed completely after the blade was pulled out, and by the time the blood on the ground had formed a small pond, it was fully restored.

Rinko lowered his head, looking at his leg that had recovered. His feelings were complicated; he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Purgatory Anjuro.

Someone that Rinko doesn't really want to see.

If it were anyone else besides Tanjiro, Rinko would probably be mostly calm tonight. After all, humans die and that's it. But Tanjiro would be more angry. With old grudges and new ones piling up, they would have to have a good fight.

But, Kyojuro.

Purgatory Anjuro.

It's hard for Rinko to get angry once he's mentioned.

Let alone getting angry, it would be difficult to even stay calm.

To him, Kyojuro was a very unique person, so unique that Rinko wasn't sure how to summarize him with a simple word or describe him with a concrete expression. Not only Kyojuro, but also Makijuro, and all the boys from the Rengoku family were very good people to him.

If we say that for Rinko, Muzan is the moon that illuminates the entire dark night, the light that guides him, envelops him, protects him, and leads him.

So, the surname is Purgatory.

Like the sun that Rinko has never seen, it is the word closest to the sun.

It is the afterglow of the setting sun on the horizon, the first rays of dawn before sunrise, the warmth that lingers on the ground when darkness falls, and the lingering warmth you can feel when sitting on a stone.

It was the first time he had truly felt the heat of that hand, so warm yet so scalding, almost burning him, but never actually burning his skin.

He still remembered Makijuro, a man who was always resolute and brave in his memory, full of vigor and vitality, incredibly enthusiastic, willing to take him to taste human food, willing to play with him, would tell him so many stories he didn't know, would tell him things he didn't know, would share everything with him, would protect him, and would worry about him when he ate human food, so anxiously taking him to see a doctor.

During that time, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was Makijuro's efforts alone that made Rinko feel fond of and curious about humans. Kyojuro was almost a carbon copy of Makijuro, not only in appearance, personality, and behavior, but even in tone of voice. It was almost natural that Rinko also developed feelings for this boy, and they quickly became friends. Even after Rinko later admitted that she was a demon, Kyojuro's attitude towards her never changed.

Rinko doesn't dislike Kyojuro; on the contrary, he likes Kyojuro very much.

If you truly like someone, you'll never think of them as food. They're friends, and they'll always be friends.

So this wouldn't be a good time to meet.

"It's been a long time, Kyojuro."

Rinko's tone was subtle, slightly heavy, somewhere between helplessness, distress, and calm.

"Yes! Rinko! Long time no see! You look great!"

Are you energetic...?

This feeling of me talking and you talking... is still the most familiar.

“Mr. Purgatory…”

Tanjiro's voice was soft, filled with concern, yet he dared not be too obvious, as if afraid of being noticed by Rinko. But in reality, even without Tanjiro, Rinko herself could tell that Kyojuro was injured.

"I'm fine!"

But the man remained unperturbed, his long sword gripped tightly and slung over his shoulder, ready to fight at any moment. The most seriously injured man stood at the forefront, acting as protector, even if he wasn't the strongest, he was still selfless.

Rinko never really understood this. Why choose to fight instead of run away when you know you can't beat an opponent? Isn't survival the most important thing? Live, grow, and even if you can't beat them now, you can always find a way to do better as you grow stronger.

Why can't those people who keep rushing forward, those Demon Slayer Corps members who keep appearing, even understand such a simple question? Just like now, why is Kyojuro standing so firmly at the front? Does the man think he can handle me alone? Is it because he has always been good to Kyojuro that the other party thinks he will let Kyojuro cut off his neck?

Rinko didn't really want to ask, because humans never gave him answers, and even when they did, they couldn't resolve his confusion.

But perhaps because it was Kyojuro in front of him, Rinko couldn't help but ask.

"Why doesn't Kyojuro run away? Why doesn't he leave? He's so badly injured, his bones are broken, he's blind, his strength is depleted, and his wounds won't heal. Why is he still here instead of leaving? Why does he choose to raise his blade when he faces an opponent he can't defeat? Why is he standing at the front when he's not the strongest? Is it because he thinks I'm weak because I've never raised my fist against him?"

Rinko straightened up and gently swung his leg, which had just been slashed. The severed nerves and muscles recovered almost immediately, allowing him to move freely. The blood on the ground had not yet congealed, but his leg had recovered as if it had never been injured at all.

Such a stark contrast only amplified Rinko's confusion when the heavily injured Kyojuro stood before him.

"Of course I can't run away! There are important people behind me! People who need to be protected! No matter how strong I am! As long as I have a heart that wants to protect others! I will raise my knife and stand at the forefront! Even if I am injured! Even if I die! At least walk over my dead body first!"

Such passionate words are probably only spoken by Kyojuro, and almost no one would doubt their authenticity. Humans wouldn't doubt them, and neither would demons, at least not Rinko.

“Death is meaningless, Kyojuro. If you live and continue to train, you might become stronger and more powerful, and be able to protect more people. But right now, you will only die here.”

"Then I'll die here! My sacrifice won't be in vain! Tonight, many others may sacrifice themselves, may die here, but no death is meaningless, no death is worthless. We're all fighting for the same goal! To protect more people, to safeguard those we want to protect! So, even if I die here tonight, I won't back down an inch! Even if I don't see tomorrow's sun, I'll at least fight proudly to the very last second!"

what.

What a wonderful thing to say.

Kyojuro will protect others, he will protect the people he cares about, and he will protect the people he wants to protect, just like Makijuro protected him in the past.

It's a real shame, though, that he's no longer the side that Kyojuro wanted to protect.