Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

Okay, it's all over now.

This time, she won again.

Finally relieved, Mitsuha collapsed to the ground again, completely exhausted.

[I can't take it anymore, I need to quickly eat two more people to replenish my energy...]

"Uh... I... I'll kill you... I must... kill you..."

But in the midst of this silence, one of the last twelve demon hunters who fell suddenly stood up.

Holding a Nichirin Blade, he staggered toward Mitsuha, his eyes filled with fear and hatred, blood seeping from the wound on his neck.

Lying on the ground, Mitsuha turned her head in disbelief to look at the person. In her only intact left eye, an incredulous look appeared.

[It's truly astonishing; even in this state, you can still stand up?]

Is it willpower? Or simply thick-skinned?

Mitsuha instinctively wanted to activate the Blood Demon Art, ordering him to commit suicide.

But she soon discovered that her body had also reached its limit at that moment.

The body's disintegration is accelerating, and the wisteria poison spreading within can no longer be suppressed.

An unprecedented sense of weakness and powerlessness washed over him, making it impossible for him to even lift a finger to kill the last remaining demon hunter.

Mitsuha could even feel that she no longer had the strength to stand up again.

Right now, any demon slayer who can still move could easily sever her neck, which is corroded beyond recognition by the poison of the wisteria flower.

Ugh... what a pathetic situation...

Slowly falling to the ground, listening to the approaching footsteps in the distance, Mitsuha laughed self-deprecatingly.

They were so close to winning, but their bodies just couldn't hold on at the last moment...

They had already taken down all the strongest among them, but in the end, these weaklings who could be killed at will were the ones who got the last bit of the kill...

He boasted arrogantly decades ago that he would never be killed, but just a few decades later, he's about to have his neck chopped off by some nobody...

Mitsuha Tsugikuni, you've really gone too far this time...

Relying on your powerful Blood Demon Arts, you act recklessly and without fear, yet you never seem to think about how you plotted to kill that Son of God.

Even a messenger as powerful as a god can be killed, let alone a demon like you with so many weaknesses.

Sigh... When I go down there later, I'm sure the gods in heaven will laugh at me mercilessly...

There was no resentment in his heart for being schemed against; all he felt was self-mockery.

With a deep sigh, listening to the approaching footsteps in the distance, Mitsuha used all her strength to try to get her crumbling body back up for this final battle.

Because she hated the feeling of just sitting and waiting to die.

Therefore, even when she is in dire straits, she will fight with all her might to the very end.

It's a bit of a shame, it seems I won't be able to see the day when Master Muzan fully evolves...

[And Mr. Keizo, I just promised to attend his daughter's wedding the day after tomorrow, but it looks like I'll have to break my promise...]

[And my elder brother, it's so rare to see him take a new step forward. I really hope that if I die, he won't immediately revert to his old ways...]

[And that old man too, we were all planning to leave that town after he passed away peacefully in his old age, but now it seems I'll be going to go before him...]

[And those little ones at the dojo, they'll definitely be sad if I just leave without saying goodbye...]

And...and butterflies...

In my mind, a slideshow has already begun.

His only remaining left eye was also completely corroded by the poison of the wisteria flower at this moment.

Having completely lost her sight, Mitsuha lay on the ground, struggling to extend her left arm, which had been dissolved by the poison and only three fingers remained functional, and groped for and grasped the Nichirin Blade at her feet, whose owner she did not know.

Yes, and butterflies too...

The footsteps were already very close.

From that voice, Mitsuha could no longer hear his fear.

Yes, of course he's no longer afraid.

Because she was about to die.

Even without using the Nichirin Blade to behead her, her body would soon completely disintegrate under the corrosive effects of the wisteria poison.

She was about to die; it was a result that anyone could see.

In her final moments facing death, Mitsuha's mind was once again filled with that distant figure.

He was the first friend in her life who truly cared about her, and the only friend she had as a human being.

If I were to die like this, would I be able to see her again?

"Mitsuba?!"

Suddenly, a hurried yet familiar voice rang out from behind.

Is it a little butterfly?

Mitsuha, who was unable to speak, recognized the voice instantly and instinctively wanted to turn her head to look.

[Am I hallucinating? Why is she here?]

Immediately afterwards, she felt as if someone rushed up and hugged her.

The familiar, faint scent of Chinese medicine in his arms confirmed Mitsuha's identity.

It wasn't her hallucination; it really was a little butterfly...

How strange, that little butterfly actually appeared beside her?

But...why?

"Little...butterfly..."

"Don't be afraid, Sanye, don't be afraid... Hang in there, it's just a little wisteria poison, I'll be able to cure you right away..."

Leaning weakly against Violet's chest, listening to her trembling sobs, in the darkness, Mitsuha vaguely sensed that Violet seemed to have stabbed something into her body.

Immediately afterwards, a cool sensation began to spread throughout her body.

Under this incredibly comfortable coolness, the burning pain in my body caused by the poison of wisteria flowers began to subside little by little.

"Who...who are you...?"

It's really making me...drowsy...

"Get away from me... that evil spirit... I must..."

Speaking of which, why did the little butterfly appear here?

"Mr. Yan Sheng!"

No… the demon hunters are still around. We can't let them know she's connected to her. We need to get Little Butterfly away quickly…

"No need to worry, leave the rest to me. Nakime, you take Mitsuha and Dr. Kocho back to the Infinity Castle first."

The Infinite City? Where is that?

In the last moment before her consciousness faded, Mitsuha heard her older brother's voice.

Why did even my older brother suddenly appear?

Yes, this illogical story development really was a hallucination she had before she died...

Chapter 98 You can't fool me!

Time goes back to earlier times.

In the small town, after parting ways with Mitsuha, Violet, who keenly realized that Mitsuha might encounter danger that night, immediately turned around and ran out of the clinic.

Violet instinctively tried to catch up with Mitsuba.

But when she ran all the way to the town entrance, she suddenly realized that she had no idea which town Mitsuha was referring to as the "next town"!

Although Violet had heard Mitsuha mention this "next-door town" more than once before.

But in order not to interfere too much in Mitsuha's affairs, she had never asked about it in detail before!

Damn it, where should she go to find Mitsuha now?

"Calm down, calm down first..."

Standing at the entrance of town, hands on her knees, panting heavily, Butterfly Violet forced herself to calm down quickly.

Don't panic now. My grandmother said that if you panic, you'll be easily influenced by the gods and thus be led to make wrong judgments.

Calm down, don't rush, and carefully analyze the current situation.

First of all, Mitsuha will definitely encounter danger tonight, that's for sure.

The butterfly violet, who has been resisting divine interference with her own will for many years, is extremely familiar with this feeling.

She was absolutely certain that she had indeed been subjected to mental interference from a divine source while she was in the clinic.

Since the gods want her to ignore Mitsuha's affairs tonight, it means that Mitsuha will definitely encounter danger tonight.

What should she do now?

Yes, without a doubt, she must help Mitsuha now; she absolutely cannot stand by and watch Mitsuha be in danger...

Upon realizing this, the butterfly violet seemed to have a sudden realization and burst out laughing.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

Unrestrained laughter echoed in the deserted night until, after a long while, the butterfly violet finally straightened up and looked up at the night sky above.

"So that's how it is... So you had a trap set up for me here?"

Looking up at the night sky above, Butterfly Violet's smile grew even brighter.

“Respected God, after your initial attempt to interfere with me failed, you quickly changed your approach and instead used my concern for Mitsuha to try to induce me to help her at all costs.”

You deliberately took advantage of my panic, making me unconsciously forget the crucial point that I am just an ordinary human being.

I unconsciously overlooked the detail that I alone could not possibly help Mitsuha.

Yes, how could I have forgotten such an important detail?

If even Mitsuha is in danger, what can I, an ordinary human, do to help her even if I manage to get there?

So what I should really be doing now is not going to search for Mitsuha alone.

Instead, she should hurry and notify the people who can truly help her... Don't you agree, Your Majesty?

The gods remained silent, and the quiet night sky remained as always.

Having finally eliminated all distractions and found the only correct method, the butterfly violet stared at the night sky above, her eyes filled with provocation and mockery.

"Don't try to fool me! I'll definitely save Mitsuha and show you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't hesitate this time, but turned around and ran straight in another direction of the town.

She knew where to find help.

It was Mitsuha's older brother, Mr. Kokushikatsu Tsugikuni, who had only recently arrived in the town!

She had heard her grandmother say that Mitsuha had two older brothers, one of whom was the legendary son of God, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who brought the Breathing Technique to the Demon Slayer Corps.

The other one is Kokushikatsu Tsugikuni, who, like Mitsuha, chose to become a demon and has survived from the Warring States period to the present day!

Yes, right now, the only person she can rely on is Mitsuha's older brother...

When Mitsuha woke up again, she found herself lying in a strange space, on an unfamiliar bed.

In this space, below her was a vast expanse of buildings that seemed to stretch to the horizon, and above her was an equally vast expanse of buildings, upside down.

Looking around, it seemed that all around her were buildings.

But strangely, there were no humans in these buildings at all; they were all empty, making it a ghost town.

Mitsuha had no recollection of such a strange place existing in the world.

"So, this is what the afterlife looks like?"