After searching for so long, Soma had finally obtained the address of the Kamado family. Naturally, Soma was extremely excited. This meant he was one step closer to finding the legendary Blue Spider Lily.
As long as he could consume the Blue Spider Lily, he could make up for the defects of being a demon, break free from the curse of Muzan Kibutsuji, no longer fear sunlight, and never again suffer the constant craving for flesh and blood.
"Thank you for telling me."
Soma suppressed his excitement as he bid farewell to the elderly woman. Then he took Kanao Tsuyuri's hand and turned to leave.
"Won't you stay here and rest for a while? It's so dark outside," the old woman kindly advised.
"No, thank you." Soma turned back with a gentle smile. "I'll be careful on the road."
After saying that, he carried Kanao on his back, confirmed the direction, and stepped into the darkness where the lamplight could not reach.
"What a bold man, daring to travel at night like this."
Watching Soma leave with the child, the old woman couldn't help but shake her head.
She remembered how, years ago, Saburo—who lived near the Kamados—had traveled at night with his family. Saburo was the only one who made it back alive. No one knew what they had encountered. The official story was an attack by bandits, but Saburo had insisted it was a demon. No one believed him.
However, not long after that, several people wearing very unusual clothing came to find Saburo. After speaking with them, Saburo changed his statement and said it had been bandits rather than demons.
The old woman didn't believe demons truly existed; it was probably just violent criminals. But whether demons or bandits, traveling at night was never safe.
...
"Once we reach the area near the Kamado family, will Uncle be able to find the flower you're looking for?" Kanao rested her small head on Soma's shoulder. Sensing his excitement, her own mood became light and cheerful.
"We should be able to find it."
A flicker of hope appeared in Soma's eyes. Although the original story never clearly stated that the Blue Spider Lily grew there, there were indeed many hints.
Later on, both Nezuko Kamado and even Tanjiro Kamado—who eventually became a demon after receiving a massive amount of blood from Muzan—were able to stand in sunlight.
If all of that were merely coincidence, it would be hard to explain.
And claiming that Tanjiro and Nezuko simply had extraordinary talent was also difficult to believe.
Over the past thousand years, countless humans had been turned into demons by Muzan, yet not a single one had ever been an exception.
"We'll definitely find it." Kanao clenched her small fists. "Kanao will definitely help Uncle find the flower he needs."
Soma turned his head and glanced at her, his crimson eyes softening with a rare warmth.
"I believe in you, Kanao."
...
Carrying Kanao, Soma moved with incredible speed, fueled by his inner drive. However, upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he slowed his pace and looked up.
In the sky, a Kasugai Crow flapped its wings and landed in front of a house where a lamp was lit. An old man pushed open a window and removed a letter from the crow's leg.
Soma stood in the darkness with Kanao, silently watching the scene.
He recognized the old man.
This was the same person who had taken Tanjiro in on the night before his entire family was slaughtered. Because of the old man's kindness, Tanjiro avoided the same fate as his family and was not killed by Muzan. It was also this old man who told Tanjiro that demons existed in this world.
Soma inhaled slightly, and a nauseating scent hit him almost instantly—the smell of Wisteria, which all demons loathed. Clearly, the man had lit Wisteria incense to ward off demons during the night.
Hidden in the darkness, Soma silently watched the old man finish writing a letter and release the Kasugai crow back into the sky.
His crimson eyes flickered in the darkness. Soma stared at the old man for quite a while before confirming that the man showed no signs of any physical training.
That meant the old man was clearly not a swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps responsible for hunting demons.
If Soma's guess was correct, the man was likely one of the "Kakushi"—people who provided logistical support to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Kanao remained perched on his back, obedient and silent. Just like him, she watched the flickering light from the distant house. Her beautiful pink-purple eyes were filled with curiosity.
Soma watched for a while longer. Only after the old man closed the window and extinguished the candle did he continue on his journey with Kanao on his back.
They headed deeper into the mountains, and the farther they went, the more difficult the path became.
However, a clear path had been opened through the forest, wide enough for people to walk through. In some places, it was clear the road had been carved by humans.
At one point beside the road, Soma stopped.
In front of him stood a massive blue stone, as large as a house. Yet the enormous rock had been split perfectly in two. Between the halves ran a road wide enough for an ox cart to pass.
Looking at the giant rock and the flawless surface of the cut, Soma felt that the stone had been split in a single strike.
A rock the size of a house being cut into two was something ordinary people could almost never accomplish. Even swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps—perhaps even the Hashira—would find it difficult.
Soma walked up to the rock and struck it hard with his fist.
With the strength of his demon body, the powerful blow only caused dirt on the stone to fall away with a rustling sound. The rock itself showed not the slightest sign of cracking.
Considering how powerful his demon body was, most stones would shatter from a single punch. This showed just how hard the blue stone was.
And yet such a massive rock seemed to have been cut apart by someone's blade.
He then looked down at the ground.
It seemed that the only reason this enormous rock had been split was simply to build a road.
"Who could have done this?"
Soma raised his head and looked into the darkness. Farther away, halfway up the mountain, a small light flickered.
And the road appeared to lead straight toward that light.
"Could it be Kamado Tanjuro?"
Soma murmured the name.
In the series, this character was barely mentioned—almost like a background figure. Yet in Tanjiro's memories during battles with demons, this man appeared several times.
Moreover, some scenes in the anime showed that this man had distinct markings on his forehead.
Combined with the fact that he died young due to illness, Soma suspected that he had awakened the Demon Slayer Mark.
The Mark first appeared during the era of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. At that time, many swordsmen who used Sun Breathing were able to awaken the mark.
But as the inheritance of Sun Breathing was lost and the Demon Slayer Corps went through many hardships, no one in the current era of the Corps had been able to awaken it.
The conditions for awakening the mark were extreme: a person's pulse had to exceed 200 beats per minute, and their body temperature would rise above 39°C.
Ordinary people would fall into a life-threatening state under such conditions.
If Soma remembered correctly, aside from Yoriichi Tsugikuni, all swordsmen who awakened the mark died before the age of twenty-five.
In the story, Kamado Tanjuro also died at a young age.
Furthermore, the Hinokami Kagura—the "Dance of the Fire God" that Tanjuro performed every New Year while praying for peace—actually contained the training method of Sun Breathing.
Soma looked at the cut in the boulder. He strongly suspected that this massive blue stone had been split by Tanjuro Kamado—with nothing more than a simple wood-chopping axe.
...
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