Chapter 77: The final volume of "demon slayer"
The final volume of "demon slayer" is about to be released. Since the average sales per volume have exceeded 100,000, it is already considered a mainstream work, so Fujikawa Bunko's level of attention will naturally be different.
If it were a work struggling on the brink of death, even if the final volume was released, it would probably only receive some small advertisements.
But at this level, Fujikawa Bunko even offered advertisements such as pulling out a banner in several major bookstores it operated, and also placing a most enticing illustration next to it to attract the attention of passersby.
To be fair, a beautiful picture can often preempt others, just like human appearance; the better it looks, the more attention it can attract.
Here, Machida Sonoko naturally entrusted this responsibility to "demon slayer"'s illustrator, Eromanga-sensei, instructing her to draw the most exquisite illustration possible.
Sagiri had received the news earlier and, during her brother's free time, spent a week meticulously perfecting this exquisite illustration.
As for the content of the painting, of course, it was our most adorable Love Hashira, Miss Mitsuri Kanroji.
When the bookstore opened, the fans and readers who had been waiting naturally noticed this difference from usual.
"Wow, the Old Thief really has some clout now! To receive such an all-out promotion."
"What can I say? He's an author with an average of 100,000 copies per volume, right? And it's normal for him to receive a little more attention, after all, the Old Thief isn't that old, is he?"
"There are banners recommended on the website today. I feel like this promotion is in place, but it's still a pity that many people haven't understood the Old Thief's charm."
"Exactly! And recently, there's always a group of people in the comment section spamming things like 'a clumsy imitation of Senju Muramasa-sensei,' 'the quality is too poor,' 'a low-grade version of Senju Muramasa.' These people are really annoying! Although the Old Thief's style is similar to Senju Muramasa-sensei's, the Old Thief debuted earlier, didn't he? If you really want to say that, then Senju Muramasa-sensei is the one who imitated!"
"The 'first come, first served' reason doesn't hold water, because everyone can see that Senju Muramasa-sensei's writing skills are indeed superb. This situation only arises because Muramasa-sensei writes so well, which naturally leads to some ignorant fans."
"Alright, let's not talk about other things, it will make us feel bad! Today is the final volume of 'demon slayer,' the grand finale. Aren't we all here with such excited feelings?"
"Yes, that's right! How the Old Thief writes the ending is the most important thing!"
After a brief discussion about the recent online trends, everyone's attention still fell on the final volume.
They hadn't forgotten the purpose of their visit today.
Similarly, Kani Nayuta also arrived at the scene, but upon seeing the crowded queue, she immediately felt discouraged.
"Why are there so many people! How long will I have to wait to buy it! Wait… No, no! Everyone is here to buy my senior's work, so the more the better, preferably so crowded that not even a drop of water can get through."
Kani Nayuta was about to complain when she suddenly realized this, so she quickly shook her head.
"No choice, I'll have to ask Sonoko-san…"
She had originally planned to experience the atmosphere of buying at a bookstore and didn't want to trouble her editor, but to see her beloved work sooner, she couldn't resist.
"Sonoko-san, can you help me buy my senior's final volume of 'demon slayer'? And it's best to do it quickly, because I want it now."
"Of course, I can. I couldn't agree to Nayuta-sensei's request last time, but this is very easy… Please tell me your address, Nayuta-sensei, and I'll send it over immediately."
"Okay, I'm currently at…"
"This location… Is Nayuta-sensei planning to buy it in person?"
"There are too many people…"
"In that case, I'll call the staff there. Nayuta-sensei just needs to pick it up from the back door."
…
"That's possible too?"
Kani Nayuta looked at the brand-new packaged books in her hands, still a little incredulous.
She never thought she'd get to enjoy such a privilege!
Subtly, the girl's confidence began to rebuild.
She deeply felt the difference between herself now and before.
Could she now reach the level of her predecessor?
Her heart was beating more vibrantly.
Imagining some exciting scenes, Kani Nayuta returned home, only then noticing that the final volume's cover art was a bit different. This time, a very large number of people were featured, basically all the important figures from the Demon Slayer Corps had appeared, even including those who had already died in battle.
This wasn't even the most crucial part. The most important thing was their noticeably different positioning, with some facing left and some facing right, as if separating the world into two halves, like yin and yang.
In the middle of the picture, however, there was a difference: Nezuko was looking back worriedly, and her brother Tanjiro was looking at her.
Could this be hinting that the brother and sister would be separated by life and death?
Intelligent readers could already tell that the characters on one side were all deceased, making the logic of this positioning easy to understand.
"Is the Senior going to send Tanjiro away too?"
Kani Nayuta felt a slight bead of sweat.
It was bad enough that this protagonist couldn't just power-level to invincibility and smash the boss to death; if he had to die in the end because of it, that would be too ironic!
Concerned for Tanjiro's safety, she quickly flipped to the first page.
The very first scene that met her eyes was the high-tension continuation from the previous volume—Stone Pillar Gyomei Himejima VS Upper Rank One Kokushibo.
As expected of the strongest current member of the Demon Slayer Corps!
The Stone Pillar immediately showcased his power, to a certain extent suppressing Kokushibo.
Kokushibo praised him repeatedly for this.
Because his current strength had increased significantly compared to when he was toying with Muichiro Tokito!
Even Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa gradually couldn't keep up with the pace.
But facing the opponent, he was constantly constrained, unable to retaliate.
Readers were indeed surprised by the Stone Pillar's performance, never expecting him to reach such a level. However, they also understood that Kokushibo, who was a top-tier swordsman even before becoming a demon, would not be so easily suppressed after centuries of refinement.
The subsequent plot did not surprise anyone. Even when the Stone Pillar used his trump card, the Demon Slayer Mark, the situation only reached another stalemate!