The night of battle had essentially reduced the shrine of the Eternal Paradise Faith to complete ruin
The foolish monks who had aided the demons were taken into custody by the Ubuyashiki family, and the Master himself would decide whether they should be executed or handed over to the judicial authorities.
As for Asuka and the others, they had received a new order—"Emergency Assembly! All Hashira-level swordsmen must immediately proceed to the Ubuyashiki residence!"
"By order of the Master! All Hashira assemble immediately! No delays! Caw!"
Asuka tilted his head slightly. Even on the eternally expressionless face of Giyu beside him, a rare trace of gravity had appeared.
Two Upper Rank demons had been slain in a single night. A once-in-a-century opportunity had arrived.
Perhaps the time for the final battle had finally come.
Looking up at the messenger crow circling overhead, Asuka asked curiously, "How did the news travel so quickly? It hasn't even been an hour since the message from here was sent out."
A Kakushi member dragging monk corpses through the ruins quickly replied, "Lord Storm Hashira may not know this! The crows only need to deliver the message to the nearest relay station. From there, someone sends it to the Master through telegraph."
"Telegraph? What's that?"
The Kakushi member looked momentarily lost, unsure how to explain such a thing. Kanae interrupted the question instead.
"Rather than that, Mr. Asuka, you should go down the mountain and see Master first."
"Is she badly injured?"
Asuka only remembered that she had been covered in blood at the time. There had been no chance to check her injuries.
"Fortunately, the medical team dissected the monk corpses we provided and developed a special medicine to counter the frost-based Blood Demon Art. The damage to her lungs hasn't worsened."
"But she suffered severe tearing wounds and lost a great deal of blood. She'll probably need to stay in bed to recover for quite some time."
"As long as she isn't dead, that's the best news." Asuka nodded, finally letting out a breath of relief.
He could provide cover for Tomioka Giyu's desperate killing strike, and he could fight alongside Rengoku Kyojuro, risking everything to try to kill Akaza.
For victory, for the sake of killing the demons before them, sacrifices were inevitable. He understood that.
But to be honest, when Shinobu Kocho had been gravely injured, there had been a moment when he felt truly afraid.
He had feared that the attack might really take her life. The thought of someone hurting her like that had also filled him with a fierce rage.
Was it because of their promise? Because he had said he would protect her?
Asuka couldn't say for certain. But as long as she was alive, that was enough.
"So you're heading back to your headquarters?" Hakuji stood with his arms crossed, his muffled voice coming from beneath the boar mask.
Asuka nodded, answering with only a quiet "Mm."
"Then I'll return to Hayama and wait for your news."
Hakuji shrugged. As a former member of the Twelve Kizuki, he knew the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't allow him to stroll freely into their core territory.
"When the time is right, have your Master send a word. I'll join you when you surround Kibutsuji!"
"…So you came from Hayama?"
At the mention of that familiar name, the air around Asuka cooled. His gaze turned sharp as he looked at Hakuji.
"…Sorry. Back then I was still lost and haven't found my true self. I injured several people. I apologize."
Hakuji spoke sincerely and bowed deeply.
"I will repay every blood debt I owe with my life."
Asuka looked at him for several seconds before turning away.
"Do as you like."
"Let's go," Giyu said, stepping forward without commenting on Hakuji's decision.
A demon that didn't eat humans… he had encountered such things before during the past two years.
The two figures crossed paths and dashed down the mountain.
At the foot of Mount Myoko, the Wisteria House was filled with the heavy fragrance of wisteria flowers.
To prevent interference from other demons during demon-hunting operations, every temporary infirmary used this method as protection.
When Asuka pushed open the side room's door, he saw a Kakushi member kneeling beside the tatami, carefully replacing the cold towel on Shinobu's forehead.
The room was quiet.
So quiet that Shinobu's faint, rapid breathing could be heard clearly.
"Lord Storm Hashira…"
"How is she?"
Asuka cut off the greeting, his eyes fixed nervously on the woman lying on the bed.
The Kakushi member respectfully reported, "Her vital signs are stable… but several internal organs have ruptured. She needs complete rest, otherwise there may be lasting complications."
As he spoke, the member's gaze flickered uneasily.
There was something else he wasn't sure whether he should report to this Hashira.
"There's more?"
"…There is an unimaginable amount of wisteria poison in Lady Insect Hashira's body. In theory the toxin is harmless to humans, but at such a high dosage… we cannot be certain…"
Asuka recalled the day he had spoken with Shinobu about wisteria poison. She had acted evasive then.
So that strange emotion she showed at the time… was because of this?
What a foolish woman.
Asuka walked straight to the bedside and sat down beside her.
Her face was pale as paper.
Thick bandages wrapped around her body, faint bloodstains seeping through as her chest rose and fell with each breath.
The strong woman who always pretended to be cheerful, burying her anger and pain deep inside her heart, now looked like a flower crushed by a violent storm—so fragile that a single touch might shatter her.
Perhaps sensing the familiar presence, Shinobu's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
At first, her purple pupils were unfocused. But when they fixed on Asuka's face, a faint light slowly returned.
"Asuka…"
Her voice was as thin as a thread, drifting from somewhere far away.
"You succeeded…"
"Doma is dead."
Asuka stared directly into her eyes and answered word by word.
"I cut off his head myself. I injected your poison into his body and watched him fall completely into hell."
Shinobu's breath suddenly caught.
Tears overflowed once again, sliding silently from the corners of her eyes.
She had cried once already before this.
But when Asuka told her firmly how the demon who murdered her sister had been slain…
The cold, suffocating anger that had haunted her soul for so many years finally dissolved.
For this day, she had turned herself into a machine of revenge, extinguishing her own nature.
She wore her sister's haori and learned to imitate her sister's smile.
She had even replaced the blood in her body with poison, all for the chance to perish together with that enemy.
But now the enemy was dead.
And she was still alive.
Was there anything more satisfying than that?
She didn't cry out loud. She simply let the tears fall silently.
It was the release of pain and relief that had been suppressed for far too long.
Asuka watched her quietly for a long moment.
Then he suddenly reached out his calloused, scarred hand and clumsily wiped away the tears on her cheek.
"It's over, Shinobu. I don't want to see you cry. Your sister wouldn't want that either."
Shinobu looked at him and suddenly gave a weak smile.
"Asuka… you really haven't improved at all. At a time like this… a normal person… would say something gentler."
"I don't know how," Asuka replied bluntly.
"…I know you don't."
With great effort, Shinobu raised a hand and grasped the corner of his clothes.
Her strength was weak.
But her grip was tight.
"…Thank you, Asuka… thank you…"
Feeling the faint weight tugging at his clothes, Asuka felt a ripple stir in his chest.
He couldn't describe the feeling. He only knew that helping her fulfill this promise warmed something deep inside him.
In any case, it didn't feel bad.
Asuka looked at Shinobu calmly and said, "From now on, don't force yourself anymore. Laugh when you want to laugh. Be angry when you want to be angry."
"When everything is over, if you have nowhere to go, you can come to Hayama."
"Master's dojo still needs a doctor to brew medicine."
Shinobu blinked in surprise. She stared at him for a long moment before weakly asking, "Are you… inviting me?"
"I suppose so. Just take care of your health. No more taking poison."
"My… how unreasonable…"
Asuka stood up, his movements clean and decisive.
He knew that Tomioka Giyu had been waiting outside the door for quite some time.
And the situation at the Ubuyashiki residence was likely a thousand times more urgent than this.
Without hesitation, he turned and walked away.
Only when the door closed did Shinobu seem to lose all her remaining strength and sink deeply into the pillow.
Turning her head, she gazed at the morning sunlight spilling through the window.
Then she murmured softly.
"He really is… a clumsy yet adorable man, sister…"