Chapter 78: I just want to become you…
A dazzling fierce battle was unfolding within the Infinity Castle.
Barely patching his wounds and awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa returned to the battlefield. With the Stone Pillar's cooperation, the tide of battle finally turned, and Kokushibo sustained successive injuries.
Under these circumstances, Kokushibo was finally forced to get serious, entering his second stage and fully unleashing his exquisite sword techniques, refined over centuries. Layers upon layers of crescent moon sword energy made it impossible to approach him.
The situation once again became desperate.
While readers were shocked by Kokushibo's renewed outburst, it was also expected. After all, Kokushibo's set up was indeed very strong; not only had he been a demon for a long time, but even before becoming a demon, he was a powerful Breathing Style swordsman, naturally making him very different from the other Upper Ranks.
Even against two of the Demon Slayer Corps' top Pillar-level swordsmen, he firmly held the upper hand. In fact, the Wind Pillar only barely managed to protect his life under the Stone Pillar's protection.
"How are they going to fight this? Tanjiro and Giyu, and Kanao, are still resting. The Serpent Pillar and the Love Pillar are still entangled with Nakime… Surely Chihiro isn't going to introduce another character like Yoriichi to defeat him, right? But it's too late to add a setting like that now! Though I do hope such a character appears…"
Eriri couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, her heart filled with anxiety.
Looking at this situation, was the outcome everyone had guessed about to arrive?
Just at this critical moment of life and death.
The reappearance of Muichiro Tokito and Genya Shinazugawa once again changed the tide of battle.
Even though the battle process was extremely difficult, everything was overcome in front of everyone who had made their resolve.
Muichiro Tokito awakened his Red Blade, Genya Shinazugawa used Hantengu's Blood Demon Art, and the Stone Pillar and Wind Pillar attacked with all their might. With everyone's combined efforts, they finally defeated this arrogant and terrifying enemy!
Similarly, Genya Shinazugawa and Muichiro Tokito both paid the heavy price of being utterly destroyed!
Just then, everyone's favorite flashback sequence arrived.
The past life of the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, was revealed.
Through this recollection, everyone gained a deeper impression of Kokushibo's character, and the image of that man, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, was also enriched.
[I just wanted to become you, Yoriichi.]
After watching the flashback, everyone could somewhat understand the emotions in his heart.
Facing such an outstanding sibling, it was truly difficult not to feel jealousy, and coupled with the guidance of their father, it was quite normal to go astray.
Readers did not forgive his evil deeds, but rather understood his envious thoughts. After seeing the final blank line, they sighed even more over the emotions between the two brothers.
"I just wanted to become you…?"
After reading this recollection, especially upon seeing this sentence, Eriri was inexplicably moved. It wasn't until tears fell onto the page that she snapped back to reality, wiping the corners of her eyes with a tissue.
"I actually cried?"
She murmured to herself.
The reason for crying this time was completely different from before. Previously, the Flame Pillar's heroic sacrifice had moved her deeply, causing her to shed tears.
But this time, her chest resonated with a powerful feeling.
She knew who and where these emotions came from.
It was precisely because she had experienced that feeling before that she was so moved by this sentence.
"Did Chihiro really describe the emotions here so realistically? Did he experience it too? Or was it just because he was there at the time?"
Eriri felt that the description here was incredibly good, even unusually good. Anyone with a similar experience would surely react specially, just like her.
This ability to evoke such resonance was not empty talk; it showed a genuine understanding and experience, allowing the 'envy, jealousy, and hatred' to be depicted so realistically that it made her grit her teeth, recalling her own feelings from back then.
She never expected that, from her childhood friend's pen, the character that resonated most deeply with her would be this one...
"This should count as a different kind of longing, right? Who would that senior long for? Or is this just a placeholder, with no specific person in mind?"
Kani Nayuta also felt quite moved when she read this sentence.
Because the emotional impact in this flashback was so real and outstanding, it created a significant difference from the previous flashback scenes.
However, these emotions were still somewhat difficult for her to fully immerse herself in, as she hadn't experienced 'envy, jealousy, and hatred' towards someone in that way.
Compared to the thought, 'I want to be you,' her thoughts were closer to, 'I want to follow you.'
To some extent, both of these thoughts carried a sense of longing.
The young girl living in the countryside of Chiba, however, frowned when she saw this passage.
"I just want to be you... What a weak thought."
Senju Muramasa shook her head.
She could see things more deeply, and so she understood that, although written with great immersion, this was not Izumi's most genuine thought.
Although this flashback didn't explicitly show it, through her exchanges in fan letters, she could still discern the thoughts of the person she admired between the lines.
Everyone is unique; just play your own part well.
This was his true thought.
And it suited her taste.
"Hmm? Am I really that invested? It seems this revolving lantern flashback has affected me... Izumi has performed exceptionally well this time too! I hope he can continue this going forward."
Senju Muramasa suddenly smiled.
The same sentence, yet different people saw different things in it and had different feelings.
After this poignant flashback, the depressed mood that had arisen from the deaths of Muichiro Tokito and Genya Shinazugawa now mingled together, becoming even more complex.
But after readers briefly composed themselves, they continued to turn the pages.
At this point, the demon side, apart from Kibutsuji Muzan, had completely lost its frontal combat capabilities; once the Biwa Demon was dealt with, Kibutsuji Muzan would be utterly isolated and helpless.
The final battle of life and death was about to begin!
Would this human-demon war, which had spanned hundreds of years, truly end here?
Even if Kibutsuji Muzan could be successfully killed, how many people would survive?
The Insect Hashira, Genya Shinazugawa, and Muichiro Tokito...
This should still be an incomplete number, right?
"The Old Thief has no mercy in him."
This sentence had become a consensus among many readers.
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Power stone please 🙏