The sun rose, and the darkness finally faded away.
The demons that had rampaged wildly throughout the night vanished without a trace.
Standing atop the mountain, Kiriya Ubuyashiki looked toward the direction of the Ubuyashiki Estate. The massive explosion from the previous night had illuminated the entire surrounding area like daylight. Afterward, countless Demon Slayers had rushed toward the battlefield, and the fighting had continued through the entire night without pause.
Kasugai Crows constantly flew overhead, crying out reports of deaths one after another.
Not a single moment of peace had existed during the night.
In order to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, his father had used himself as bait to trigger that explosion.
The reserve Hashira candidates secretly cultivated by the Demon Slayer Corps—swordsmen who had never revealed themselves before—had charged forward one after another, using their lives only to hold Muzan back long enough to expose him to the sunlight.
Yet from last night until now, news of fallen swordsmen had never stopped arriving.
And after that…
No more information came from the battlefield at all.
Tears gathered in Kiriya Ubuyashiki's eyes, but he knew he could not cry now.
The responsibility of the entire Ubuyashiki family had fallen onto his shoulders. What he carried upon his back no longer allowed him the luxury of tears.
Hinaki Ubuyashiki slowly walked over from behind him. Her eyes were also red and blurred with tears. She looked at her younger brother, wanting to say something, yet unable to find the words.
Kiriya turned and glanced at his sister.
"Let's go."
After speaking, he began walking down the mountain.
Very soon, they reached the mountain entrance and saw a swordsman already waiting there.
Kyojuro Rengoku.
The man who always carried a bright smile and endless optimism now had grief written all over his face.
The injuries from his previous battle had not fully healed yet, and bandages still wrapped around his body.
When he saw Kiriya approach, Rengoku forced himself to smile.
"Oyakata-sama, I have been ordered to protect you and escort you to the new headquarters..."
"That demon… didn't die?" Kiriya asked quietly.
Although he already knew the answer was unlikely, a small trace of hope still remained in his heart.
Rengoku slowly shook his head. "He escaped. Right when the sun was about to break, he managed to flee."
Kiriya pressed his lips tightly together, his fists clenching unconsciously. "What about the casualties?"
Rengoku's voice trembled slightly as he answered.
"The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, has fallen. The Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, has fallen. Every reserve Hashira candidate trained over the years has been wiped out. The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, is severely injured…"
As the words entered his ears, Kiriya's face instantly turned pale.
His body swayed unsteadily.
Compounded by the prior deaths of the former Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, and the former Thunder Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima—who had died elsewhere while rendering aid—the high-level combat force of the Demon Slayer Corps had been nearly annihilated.
Following this demon ambush, the Demon Slayer Corps retained, at most, a mere tenth of its former strength.
Even Kyojuro Rengoku, who had always remained passionate and cheerful no matter how dire the situation became, could no longer maintain that optimism.
At this moment, he looked worriedly toward Kiriya.
The young master was still only a child.
Could he truly bear the responsibility that awaited him?
"I remember Mr. Rengoku once said something before," Kiriya suddenly spoke after a long silence.
He raised his head and looked directly at Rengoku.
"Even if the sun itself were to fall… new life would never stop being born."
Rengoku's brows lifted slightly.
He had indeed said those words before.
"No matter what happens," Kiriya continued while tightening his fists, "as long as demons still exist, the Demon Slayer Corps will continue to exist as well."
"Mr. Rengoku, take me to the next headquarters."
"I need to reorganize the current state of the Demon Slayer Corps and continue the fight against demons. We must continue working toward killing that demon."
"Only by killing him… will Father's death, and everyone else's sacrifices, truly have meaning."
"Yes, Oyakata-sama."
Rengoku answered solemnly.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki clenched his fists tightly.
After the devastating losses suffered that night, the Demon Slayer Corps he had inherited was now facing an unimaginably difficult situation. Combined with his young age, countless problems and burdens awaited him ahead.
But—
He had no choice.
...
Mount Sagiri
With the arrival of dawn, everyone finally returned from the hidden valley back to the mountainside.
The atmosphere, however, was heavy and depressing.
Although they themselves had not fought during the night, the cries of the Kasugai Crows reporting deaths had echoed nonstop until morning. Nearly every piece of news brought despair.
For swordsmen who had already prepared themselves to walk the path of demon hunting, sacrifice was something they understood long ago.
Even so, the deaths of so many Demon Slayers in a single night still dealt an enormous blow to everyone's hearts.
Naturally, Soma noticed all of this as well, but he did not say much. He simply told everyone to rest if they needed rest, and those who could still train should continue training.
Around noon, Makomo finally returned.
The petite girl still wore her fox mask with its closed-eye smile, but her body was covered in blood from head to toe. Even walking seemed difficult for her.
The moment she returned to Mount Sagiri and saw Soma, she collapsed unconscious.
Soma immediately caught her and carefully checked her injuries. Fortunately, while she was wounded, none of the injuries were fatal.
He instructed Kie Kamado to help remove her bloodstained clothes, change her into clean garments, and let her rest properly in bed.
Tanjiro returned much later, around the afternoon.
He had clearly been forcing himself to hold on.
Like Makomo, his entire body was drenched in blood, but his condition was even worse. Wounds covered him from head to toe, making it easy to imagine just how brutal the battles he experienced throughout the night had been.
After that, Giyu Tomioka also returned silently.
His injuries were severe as well.
Not only that, but because most of the Wisteria Crest families across the country had also been attacked by demons that night, many of the safe havens used to shelter and treat injured swordsmen had been destroyed completely.
As a result, Mount Sagiri became one of the few remaining places many wounded Demon Slayers could flee to.
...
That day, countless injured swordsmen arrived at Mount Sagiri.
When Shinobu Kocho had previously stayed there, Soma had learned some basic medical treatment from her. While he could not handle life-threatening injuries, he was still capable of treating simpler wounds.
And so, Soma became busy from morning until night.
Holding bandages in his hands, he carefully treated Tanjiro's injuries.
"I'm really sorry, sir," Tanjiro said awkwardly while scratching his head after his wounds had been wrapped. "I caused you trouble again."
"Focus on recovering," Soma replied as he patted Tanjiro's shoulder gently. "There are still other injured people waiting for treatment."
Lying on the bed, Tanjiro looked down at the fresh bandages covering his body before raising his eyes toward Soma's tall figure as it gradually disappeared through the doorway.
"Sir…"
Soma turned back in confusion.
Tanjiro lowered his head slightly, his voice carrying a trace of nervousness.
"Did I… do well?"
"You did amazingly."
Soma praised him sincerely.
Seeing the smile on Tanjiro's face afterward, Soma turned and continued toward the next injured swordsman.
By the time all the treatment was finished, night had already fallen before he finally returned to his room to rest.
Nezuko had also been busy the entire day helping everyone else, but the moment she saw Soma return, she immediately stepped forward to help remove his outer robe.
Noticing sweat on his face, she carefully took out a soft handkerchief carrying the faint fragrance unique to a young girl. Standing on tiptoe, she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Soma froze slightly, allowing the handkerchief scented with her warmth to softly brush across his skin.
After wiping his face clean, Nezuko lowered her head shyly and hurried back into the room.
Her long hair had been tied loosely behind her as she quietly began tidying his room, arranging the bedding, and washing the bloodstained bandages changed throughout the day in hot water.
When it was finally time for Soma to rest, she even brought over a bowl of steaming red bean porridge.
Soma accepted the bowl before lifting his eyes toward her.
Nezuko was sitting beside the nearby table, resting her chin lightly on one hand while quietly watching him with bright eyes.
The moment she noticed him looking back at her, she shyly lowered her head.
Soma smiled faintly.
Then he reached out and gently held her soft, delicate hand.
Nezuko did not pull away.
Instead, happiness quietly appeared within her beautiful eyes.
...
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