Taking advantage of the moment when Yuko was held back by his own "boss," Enmu arrived at the edge of Yuko's dream—the unconscious domain.
The dreams Enmu induced did not extend infinitely. Instead, they formed a ring centered around the dreamer. Beyond the outer edge of the dream lay what was known as the unconscious domain.
The spiritual core was hidden within this unconscious domain. Once the spiritual core was destroyed, the dreamer would be rendered a husk.
Upon reaching the edge of the bamboo forest, Enmu's face lit up with joy.
"Found it."
For Enmu, locating the dreamer's unconscious domain was absurdly easy, as if guided by a built-in navigation system.
He casually tore open the boundary of the unconscious domain at the dream's edge and stepped inside.
A sudden sensation of weightlessness struck him, followed immediately by bone-chilling icy water surging up, piercing straight through to the marrow.
Water?
Enmu sank into the freezing water and instinctively looked around.
All around him was pitch-black icy water. Beneath his feet lay an even deeper darkness, as if he were at the bottom of an endless ocean. There was not a single trace of light to be seen.
In the profound darkness, it felt as though something indescribable lurked, hidden and waiting.
After briefly sensing his surroundings, Enmu confirmed that the spiritual core was not at the bottom of this frozen sea. He kicked his legs and swam upward toward the surface.
Only a few breaths after entering the water, he reached the surface.
"Hah…"
Enmu broke the surface and looked around.
In stark contrast to the black depths below, a never-before-seen blizzard raged above the water. Violent winds howled mercilessly, and freezing snowflakes lashed against his face. Everything around him was a blinding white, with not a single discernible landmark.
The only similarity between above and below was the extreme cold.
Enmu climbed out of the icy water and, remarkably, found himself standing atop the water's surface.
What kind of bizarre place was this?
Even Enmu had never encountered such an extreme unconscious domain.
Normally, the unconscious domain reflected a person's inner world.
For example, someone warm and cheerful would usually possess a warm unconscious domain.
But what Enmu sensed here was—
Despair. Pain. Confusion. Uncertainty.
If those children were brought here, let alone finding the spiritual core, they would likely become completely lost within this woman's unconscious domain.
Following the direction of the spiritual core, Enmu chose a path and began walking across the water's surface.
…
Yuko arrived shortly afterward, stepping into her own unconscious domain.
She looked around, curiously taking in her surroundings.
So this is… my unconscious domain?
There wasn't a trace of warmth to be found anywhere.
She stepped forward, her foot landing on the water's surface and sending ripples outward.
She didn't know where she was headed, but something seemed to guide her onward.
…
Dreams did not extend infinitely, nor did the unconscious domain.
After walking for only a short while, an unusual sight emerged within the blizzard.
Enmu felt a surge of excitement.
"Found it."
He instinctively quickened his pace.
It was a scene completely separate from the frozen oceanic world.
A modest-sized courtyard stood there, clearly aged and not something from the Taishō era.
This was likely a subconscious refuge within the dreamer's mind.
At last, something normal had appeared within this woman's unconscious domain.
Without thinking too much, Enmu shoved open the gate and walked inside.
His senses told him that the spiritual core was in the room ahead.
Without pausing even a step, Enmu pushed open the inner door mere seconds later.
The dilapidated room felt eerily real, even the teacups on the table neatly arranged.
But Enmu had no time to observe, as his gaze fixed on the elderly man seated inside, filled with shock and uncertainty.
The old man bore a red mark on his forehead. Deep wrinkles covered his face, and his frail, aged body looked like a candle flickering in the wind, as though it could be extinguished at any moment.
The spiritual core Enmu sought floated slowly in the air behind the old man.
It was a jade-like gem, white and clear as a polished mirror.
Seeing Enmu, the old man slowly set down his teacup and murmured,
"So you've come here."
"An intruder, then."
Enmu paid little attention to the old man's words, his sense of unease growing heavier by the second.
What exactly was going on with this woman?
People with strong self-awareness could indeed appear in their unconscious domain—but why was there someone else here?
The old man slowly rose to his feet. The long blade at his waist scraped against its scabbard, producing a sound that made Enmu's heart tremble.
Enmu's pupils shook violently.
He was afraid of this decrepit old man.
What is going on?!
What is wrong with this woman?!
Enmu clenched his teeth. As a dream demon, this was the first time he had ever been bewildered by something within a dream.
"I've arrived."
As the old man spoke softly, an indescribable pressure burst forth, nearly crushing Enmu to the point that his legs trembled and he could barely stand.
A fragment of memory surged into his mind once more.
"What do you take life… for?"
The old man before him perfectly overlapped with the figure from that memory. Enmu's pupils trembled violently as terror engulfed his entire body.
His twisted psyche finally understood what death was.
What fear truly meant.
He finally understood.
This was Lord Muzan's memory—cellular memory!
This man—this woman—
This place was not some so-called beautiful dream!
It was something that had truly happened in the past—
The world spun violently. Enmu watched his own headless body, and amid terror, his consciousness was extinguished.
He never even saw what struck him.
…
"What kind of hellhole is this?"
Yuko pressed forward against the freezing wind and snow, unable to stop herself from complaining.
Everything was a vast white expanse—she couldn't see a thing.
Damn it!
Couldn't it at least clear up for her?!
Whooo—
The merciless wind howled, completely ignoring her wishes.
Yuko fumed. This was her dream, after all.
Then she realized—it was also possible this was a trap set by that demon to obstruct her.
What a devious bastard. No wonder he was such a pervert.
Finally, after walking for quite some time, a familiar floral scent drifted into her nose.
Wisteria.
Moving forward, a narrow path appeared atop the water's surface, flanked on both sides by dense wisteria blossoms.
To be honest, although Yuko always carried a wisteria-scented sachet, she didn't actually like the flower.
Because wisteria was especially effective against demons—and she was no exception.
She could ignore sunlight, but wisteria required time to decompose within her.
Something she disliked appearing in her dream.
As she stepped onto solid ground, the blizzard abruptly ceased, and warm sunlight poured down.
Yuko continued forward, and a familiar courtyard came into view.
"Isn't this the Butterfly Estate?"
No wonder there were so many wisteria flowers.
She walked inside.
She had spent a long time at the Butterfly Estate—no surprise it appeared in her dream.
After meeting the Demon Slayer Corps, aside from the two years she spent accompanying Tanjiro, this was the place she had stayed the longest.
Come to think of it… why had she stayed at the Butterfly Estate for so long?
A gentle, mature, and softly soothing voice sounded.
"Yuko, would you like to sunbathe together?"
---
Currently at chapter 519 for advance chapters
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