Urokodaki Sakonji let out a quiet "hmm" and led Kawanishi into the house.
Inside the partitioned room, Kawanishi followed Urokodaki's gaze and saw that familiar figure.
Nezuko lay peacefully on a bamboo bed, her small body sound asleep. A small, green bamboo muzzle was fastened over her mouth.
Her hair had grown much longer, cascading down to her knees. Its upper half remained jet black, but the lower ends flared like crimson flames.
Though there were subtle changes to her appearance from her transformation into a demon, Nezuko was still as adorable as ever.
Kawanishi walked up to the bamboo bed, crouched down, and gently whispered into Nezuko's ear:
"Nezuko… Nezuko… Big brother is back…"
If she woke and saw him, she'd surely be delighted.
But Nezuko showed no reaction. Her eyes remained shut as she slept serenely.
Kawanishi called out to her several more times, even lightly patting her forehead, but she remained unresponsive.
This isn't how a demon should react…
His brows furrowed, but he soon calmed himself and turned to ask Urokodaki:
"What's going on with Nezuko? Why won't she wake up?"
Urokodaki answered calmly:
"That, I do not fully understand. Her body seems to have undergone some changes."
"Since Tanjiro brought her here, she has remained in this slumber."
What Urokodaki didn't know was that Nezuko was using this sleep to break free from Muzan's curse and slowly reshape her body — transforming into a being that replenished her energy through sleep rather than feeding on humans.
Since that was the case, Kawanishi chose not to disturb her further. Whatever needed to be said could wait until she awoke.
Leaving Nezuko's room, Kawanishi sat down with Urokodaki. There were many questions he wanted to ask.
Meanwhile, sleeping Nezuko's face grew even more peaceful, as if she were having a pleasant dream.
"Does Nezuko still have her human memories?"
Most demons lose their memories upon turning — often left with only fragments, which worried Kawanishi.
Urokodaki placed his sheathed Nichirin Blade onto a rack and replied:
"She likely retains some."
"But only a small portion remains — probably just enough to remember her family. Her intelligence has regressed to that of a small child. She cannot speak and can only process simple thoughts."
"She's easily overwhelmed by emotion — if enraged, she may lose control."
"I've been using certain methods to plant suggestions into her subconscious — teaching her to see humans as family to protect, and demons as enemies to repel."
Unlike Kawanishi — whose mind remained intact despite becoming a demon — Nezuko's change had affected both her body and mind. Her instincts as a demon were only suppressed due to Tanjiro's presence and could easily spiral out of control.
Thus, Urokodaki had resorted to a form of hypnotic suggestion to anchor her to her humanity.
Kawanishi nodded in understanding and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for taking care of them… I was too weak to protect my family."
Even now, guilt gnawed at him.
He had promised his father to protect their family, yet only Tanjiro and Nezuko remained—and Nezuko had even become a demon…
Urokodaki said calmly:
"Before Muzan Kibutsuji, not even your current self would have been able to stop him, let alone the powerless you of back then."
"There's no point in dwelling on guilt. What you should do is strengthen yourself as much as possible. Surely, you do not wish to watch your loved ones die again while you remain helpless."
Kawanishi nodded, then suddenly asked:
"Then… where would you say my current strength ranks?"
He had encountered too few strong opponents to accurately gauge himself.
Urokodaki thought back to their earlier exchange. Kawanishi's physical strength and reflexes were certainly impressive, and he likely still had trump cards unused.
After a moment's pause, Urokodaki answered:
"Judging purely by physique, you may surpass some of the Lower Moons."
"Your Blood Demon Art is harder to assess, but I'd estimate you're at least at the Lower Moon level."
Urokodaki's judgment was sharp, honed by a lifetime of battling demons.
The Twelve Kizuki... The strongest twelve demons… Kawanishi couldn't help but feel slightly proud.
Grinning, he said:
"The Lower Moons, huh…? I guess I count as pretty strong now."
Urokodaki: "..."
Behind the tengu mask, he glanced at Kawanishi with a look of pity, wondering whether to crush his naïve confidence.
Kawanishi, fully embracing his newfound confidence, continued:
"And now that I know a bit about the original demon, since I'm already this strong, I should be able to stir up some trouble for him, right?"
Kawanishi couldn't be entirely blamed for his misconception. From what he'd learned from the Kagemi's memories, the Twelve Kizuki served directly under Muzan, and being comparable to them seemed impressive enough.
But what he didn't know was how vast the gap within the Twelve Kizuki truly was.
Urokodaki shook his head helplessly — if he didn't shatter this boy's illusions, he might actually go charging at Muzan and get himself killed.
He seemed dependable before… why has he suddenly become so foolish?
"Kawanishi… Let me make it clear: the Lower Moons have been replaced countless times — they're nothing special."
"They're merely a bit stronger than average demons. Any Hashira could slaughter a Lower Moon with ease."
"Even an old man like me can kill a Lower Moon."
Kawanishi's swelling pride immediately deflated.
So in reality, he wasn't strong at all.
Urokodaki added:
"I'm quite familiar with demon strength rankings, so let me explain it to you."
"The Demon Slayer Corps ranks its swordsmen from Mizunoto up through ten ranks, ending at Kinoe. Above Kinoe are the Hashira."
"A Kinoe-ranked swordsman would be roughly evenly matched against a Lower Moon."
"The Hashira, however, can easily dispatch a Lower Moon — but even they struggle against the Upper Moons, unless they're particularly skilled in combat."
"Over the past century, countless Hashira have fallen to the Upper Moons — yet none of the Upper Moons have ever been replaced."
"Even the weakest of the Upper Moons has killed over twenty Hashira in the past hundred years."
After a thousand years of fighting demons, the Demon Slayer Corps had come to fully understand their enemy's terrifying hierarchy.
Only those capable of matching the Upper Moons could be called truly strong.
As for the Lower Moons... they weren't even worth mentioning.
Kawanishi sighed:
"So the gap within the Twelve Kizuki is that wide… I still have a long way to go."
Urokodaki said calmly:
"You need not belittle yourself. To have reached Lower Moon strength in such a short time is already impressive."
"And you still hold great untapped potential. I very much look forward to seeing a demon strong enough to rival the Upper Moons stand with us one day."
(End of chapter)