This time, though he was not using the blood of cursed spirits, demon blood was clearly just as impure. It was more than sufficient to meet the requirements of the bath.
Within this sea of blood, Sukuna seemed to see Tanjiro's soul appear before him.
Tanjiro remained curled up with his arms around his head, slowly sinking into the dark abyss.
He had had enough. Time and again, he experienced Sukuna's killing sprees from a first-person perspective. The weight of that guilt had utterly shattered his young heart.
"You... are... a demon," Tanjiro accused Sukuna in a faint, trembling voice.
Sukuna did not care at all. He responded mockingly. "How ridiculous. After everything you have done, what right do you have to keep living?"
"..."
"You lost your body to me. You killed your own surviving sister with your own hands."
"..."
"Men, women, children, the elderly. How does it feel to kill with your own hands?"
"..."
"How does it feel to kill over a hundred people in one go? Or do you lack any real sense of it because you couldn't hear their screams?"
"..."
"Give up. You have no reason to live with your head held high anymore. Just hand everything over to me and perish. As for the one who killed your family, I'll take care of that for you. Now die..."
As Sukuna whispered on and on, under the effects of the bath, the soul named Tanjiro sank deeper and deeper into the abyss.
...
Akaza stopped walking and looked around. The thick stench of blood had not yet dissipated, proof that the battle had happened not long ago.
As a demon, he could tell that this was not human blood. It was demon blood.
And what surprised him was that if demons were truly killed, their bodies would disintegrate. Yet the scattered chunks of flesh, severed limbs, and blood around him showed no signs of vanishing.
He picked up a piece of flesh from the ground and examined it carefully. He was certain this was a severed demon body part.
"What happened here...?"
He knew there was a Lower Rank active in this area. He had also learned from Muzan that the mysterious powerful figure who had caused the massive slaughter in Asakusa might appear nearby.
But even combining these two pieces of information, Akaza could not understand what had happened here.
Judging from the outcome, it seemed the demons had been defeated. The scattered flesh and blood came from several sources. Even accounting for demons' unusual body structures, this was far more than a single demon could have produced.
Akaza quickly noticed several blood trails on the ground that converged. Following them would lead him to the truth. The truth about this massacre.
With Akaza's speed, he reached the end of the blood trails in just a few breaths.
A black pond reeking of blood and gore. Floating on the surface were several mutilated demons, some wailing, some shrieking. Most had been stripped of their limbs and large portions of their bodies. Their regeneration was painfully slow.
Even Akaza was shaken by the sight.
It was normal for demons to be cruel to humans. Such twisted forms of amusement were not unheard of. But this was the first time he had seen demons tortured in this way.
Not killing them. Just abandoning them in that pond. What did it mean?
Akaza had sharp eyes. Among the demons, he spotted Lower Rank Five, Rui. He vaguely recognized him.
Lower Ranks could not compare to Upper Ranks, let alone Upper Rank Three like himself. But being brutalized to this extent spoke far more to the gap in power than simply being killed.
Then he saw Shinobu, her body covered in blood from carrying the maimed, limbless Spider Demons.
A woman...?
Akaza got a clear look at Shinobu. He was confused that she did not have the distinctive four eyes. He had not expected her to be a female Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, not the powerful figure Muzan was looking for.
Akaza leaped directly to Shinobu's side. Shinobu, who had been observing the water, immediately reacted. She drew her Nichirin blade.
When she saw the peach-haired demon covered in demon marks, Upper Rank Three, she froze.
An Upper Rank. And Upper Rank Three at that.
Why was he here?
Because of Lower Rank Five?
Shinobu quickly dismissed her own guess.
No. It had to be because of Sukuna.
As a Hashira, Shinobu knew very well what Upper Rank Three meant.
But perhaps because of her recent time with Sukuna, his presence did not shake her as much as it should have. No matter how strong, he was just a member of the Twelve Kizuki. Sukuna was the one who had driven off Muzan himself.
Though she was currently using a standard-issue Nichirin blade, Shinobu had still coated its edge with poison. She could still fight the way she was accustomed to.
She was prepared to handle this Upper Rank on her own if he attacked. She had no idea how long Sukuna's so-called bath would take.
Shinobu knew very well that the safest approach was to let Sukuna deal with Upper Rank Three. But she did not dare disturb Sukuna. This bath of his was clearly not the kind of bath anyone else would recognize.
"Woman. Did you do all of this?"
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