Calm, unexpectedly calm. No wailing, no tears, just deep calmness.
Roa deliberately coughed a few times. The golden blood flowed on the ground as Roa pulled out the crimson sword that had pierced through Kokushibo's body.
Roa was indeed injured, but it wasn't severe. Kokushibo possessed the Transparent World, and to avoid being exposed, Roa didn't intend to appear in Kokushibo's line of sight.
Looking at Kokushibo's confused expression, it was clear that he had fallen into memories again.
The blood dripped onto the ground, flowing in front of Kokushibo. Even Kokushibo, a dying demon, couldn't help but feel his throat move at the sight of the blood, which seemed so delicious and tempting.
Even though he was just a head now.
Roa held the crimson sword and struck Kokushibo's forehead. The sword pierced through the head, and this time, Kokushibo's body began to turn to ashes, continuously burning.
Kokushibo was finally dead, killed by Roa.
Roa looked up at the moon in the sky, deeply exhaling a breath of turbid air. The burning sensation in his abdomen gradually faded.
Now, only Muzan Kibutsuji remained.
——
Muzan Kibutsuji felt extremely irritable. For the first time in a hundred years, three Upper Moons had been lost, and even Kokushibo, one of the Upper Moons, had been killed by this young man.
If that were all, Muzan wouldn't be so agitated, but the key point was that this young man used the same Breathing Technique as that man.
Just one glance, and he was reminded of that day, a day Muzan Kibutsuji could never forget.
The pain in his body still burned his torso, and the heat on his skin seemed to constantly remind him.
That man—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni?" Muzan Kibutsuji murmured softly. Nighttime was the time for demons, and for Muzan Kibutsuji as well, but as the Demon King, he didn't go out to hunt like ordinary demons.
He was still in his study, but unlike before, there were no books on the desk.
The desk was empty, and Muzan Kibutsuji sat silently in his chair. The light from the lamp on the desk illuminated the dim study, and Muzan's red eyes were filled with rage.
Upper Moon Five—Gyokko.
Upper Moon Three—Akaza.
Upper Moon One—Kokushibo.
Sun Breathing—Roa.
No, this young man must be nipped in the bud. He hasn't grown yet, he's so young, with vigorous vitality and untapped potential. If he grows further, he might become another Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
And now, he's injured, right?
Muzan Kibutsuji's mind stirred again, replaying the previous scene.
Yes, good. Kokushibo's "Kyokokukamusari" had pierced into his flesh. At such close range, even Yoriichi Tsugikuni couldn't have escaped unscathed.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Muzan's eyes lit up, staring intently at the golden blood dripping on the ground.
In that moment, he felt that this drop of blood was so tempting, a delicacy he had never tasted before. The blood dripped on the ground, emitting an alluring luster.
A strong intuition told Muzan Kibutsuji that if he could devour this person, he might be able to advance further, and perhaps even overcome the weakness of fearing sunlight.
The legendary Blue Spider Lily hasn't been found yet, so eating this person as a snack would be a good choice.
Moreover, the Demon Slayer Corps has been too arrogant lately. It's time to teach them a lesson.
——
Elsewhere.
After successfully killing Kokushibo, Roa walked down the mountain.
The process of killing Kokushibo wasn't particularly difficult, but it wasn't easy either.
However, Roa now looked utterly miserable, as if he had just come out of World War II. The once well-fitted Demon Slayer Corps uniform was full of holes, the light yellow haori was slashed with a huge tear, and blood continued to seep from his body.
When Roa arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps' base, the on-duty members were stunned, then quickly rushed forward to support Roa's arm. Roa waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a minor issue. I won't die."
In an instant, the Demon Slayer Corps member's eyes filled with tears. He choked up and said, "Hashira Roa, please don't die, please don't die."
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly shouted, "Medics! Call the medics!"
Roa was somewhat speechless. "Isn't it just you here now?"
The Demon Slayer Corps member fell silent, then awkwardly smiled and said, "Is that so?"
Roa patted the member's forehead and said, "Help me sit down. Have you learned first aid? Give me a quick bandage."
The Demon Slayer Corps member quickly helped Roa into the house. In fact, Roa didn't need support, but he felt that he should act the part. There might be Muzan's spies around, so he needed to be thorough. He planned to be carried up the mountain like this.
Roa then frowned, looking at his gradually healing wounds.
It was just minor bleeding from damaged capillaries, a small injury. Although Roa had long exited his dragon transformation state, his body's self-healing ability was already repairing the minor wounds.
Roa raised an eyebrow and quickly said to the Demon Slayer Corps member, "Quick, get the bandages!"
Roa was afraid that if he didn't bandage the wounds soon, they would completely heal.
The Demon Slayer Corps member quickly walked to the table, reached down, and pulled out three rolls of bandages, handing them to Roa.
Roa quickly took the bandages and said to the member, "You can go out now. I can handle this myself."
The Demon Slayer Corps member looked at Roa with concern and said, "Sir, I can help."
Roa said expressionlessly, "Go out first. I can do it myself."
Seeing that Roa wouldn't budge, the Demon Slayer Corps member nodded and walked out of the room.
Roa took off his clothes, and sure enough, the cuts had already healed. Roa's mouth twitched, and he directly wrapped the bandages around himself, left and right, and finally tightly wrapped his right hand.
Three rolls of bandages weren't enough, so Roa got out of bed, walked to the desk, and reached into the spot where the Demon Slayer Corps member had pulled out the bandages, grabbing a few more rolls.
Then he wrapped his face and head, turning himself into a mummy before stopping.
When the Demon Slayer Corps member came back in, he was stunned, and his eyes filled with tears again. The member was a grown man, but he acted like a pure-hearted girl.
The Demon Slayer Corps member choked up and said, "Hashira Roa, you said you were fine? Look at how you're wrapped up."
Roa shook his head helplessly, patted the member's shoulder, and said, "I said I'm fine, so I'm fine. I know my body. Now, get two people to find a carriage and take me to headquarters."
The Demon Slayer Corps member nodded tearfully, and Roa was somewhat helpless, having no way to deal with these people.
To be honest, most members of the Demon Slayer Corps were easy to get along with. The Corps' only goal was to kill demons, unlike some civilian organizations with all their intrigues. The grassroots members were quite united, well, most of them.
After a while, at dawn, the substitute on-duty member appeared. When he saw Roa and the Demon Slayer Corps member, he was somewhat confused, but when he saw the haori Roa had placed beside him, he was shocked and quickly rushed forward to support Roa, ready to perform the Demon Slayer Corps member's act again.
Roa was speechless and directly kicked the member away, saying bluntly, "No need for the emotional display. I'm not dead yet, and I'm not seriously injured. Quickly find a carriage and take me to headquarters."
The member hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, Hashira Roa."
Then the Demon Slayer Corps member watched Roa inside the house, while the substitute member went out to fetch a carriage. The two members directly helped Roa into the carriage, making it seem like Roa was about to die at any moment.
When they arrived at headquarters, Roa was again supported by the two members, first arriving at his courtyard.
When Tanjiro Kamado came out and saw Roa completely wrapped in bandages, he was shocked. Tanjiro quickly ran to Roa and asked, "Brother Roa, what happened to you?"
Roa smiled and said, "This trip was quite fruitful. I met Upper Moon One, Kokushibo."
At this, the three people present fell into silence.
Tanjiro Kamado widened his eyes in disbelief and asked, "Kokushibo? Upper Moon One?"
The two Demon Slayer Corps members seemed to have just snapped out of their silence, their faces filled with shock.
Roa shook his head helplessly. Was it really that surprising?
Roa said to Tanjiro, "I want to rest now. I'm a bit tired."
The two Demon Slayer Corps members exchanged glances, finally understanding why Hashira Roa was injured. Indeed, if it was Upper Moon One, getting injured was understandable.
However, the two members now only wanted to confirm one thing.
"Sir, what about Upper Moon One?"
Roa waved his hand and smiled, saying, "It was a close call, but Kokushibo is dead."
Although it was hard to believe, since it was a Hashira, he wouldn't lie to two nameless members.
The two Demon Slayer Corps members exchanged glances, feeling that such good news shouldn't be kept to themselves. They nodded to each other, and one of them said to Roa, "Sir, I'll take my leave now."
Roa nodded indifferently.
The Demon Slayer Corps member pulled the substitute member and quickly headed towards the Master's location.
Roa lay in bed, resting and enjoying the rare peace.
Nezuko Kamado looked at Roa with concern, and Kie Kamado came to Roa's side, asking if he wanted to eat something.
Tanjiro Kamado asked Roa about his glorious deeds in battle.
Due to Tanjiro's incessant questioning, Roa was forced to boast about his achievements.
Roa realized that to boast about oneself, the key was to first exaggerate the opponent's strength, using as many adjectives as possible to make the opponent seem as powerful as possible, but not too much, maintaining a balance.
Then, he would make a grand entrance, engage in a fierce battle with the opponent, and finally defeat them.
Of course, psychological descriptions were essential. It was necessary to give the opponent a flashback, allowing the audience to deeply understand the opponent's tragic past.
Thus, Tanjiro was completely mesmerized by Roa's storytelling.
It wasn't exactly a lie, as fiction is based on reality. This was just artistic embellishment.
Nezuko and Tanjiro listened to Roa's tales with wide eyes.
When Roa got tired, he reached out for the tea Nezuko was holding, took a sip, and continued his story.
However, to Roa's surprise, heavy footsteps soon came from outside. Roa looked up and saw a girl in a tight Demon Slayer Corps uniform, her chest heaving with every step, running towards Roa's location in a panic.
Roa was slightly stunned. Who else could it be but Mitsuri Kanroji?
When Mitsuri Kanroji saw Roa sitting on the bed, she was stunned, and tears immediately streamed from her eyes. She took a few steps forward, grabbed Roa's wrist, and said with a heartbroken expression, "Brother Roa, what happened to you? I heard you were seriously injured and came to see you. Oh, how could you be so badly hurt?"
Then she directly pounced on Roa.
Roa's mouth twitched. Facing Kanroji's pounce, he expressionlessly exerted strength and caught her.
The softness of her chest was indeed worth lingering over, but the question was whether he could withstand it.
Fortunately, Roa's physical condition was strong enough, even without activating his dragon blood state, to handle it.
Mitsuri Kanroji's strength was not small, but she seemed unaware of how strong she was.
After enduring a punch from her that was no less powerful than Akaza's, Roa thought that if a seriously injured person were to receive such a blow, they might die on the spot.
However, the situation was somewhat awkward now, with so many people watching, making it hard to act freely.
With such a cute girl in his arms, Roa gritted his teeth, reached out, and gently patted Kanroji's head, saying with a soft smile, "I'm fine, Mitsuri Kanroji."
The love-struck girl thought, how could he be fine when he's wrapped up like this? Then she began to grope Roa all over.
Roa was somewhat helpless, dodging Kanroji's advances, and angrily said to Tanjiro, "What are you looking at? Go train!"
Originally, Tanjiro Kamado, who had been secretly snickering on the side, suddenly shivered, his face turning bitter, and he reluctantly walked out.
With Tanjiro Kamado, the only boy, gone from the room, the remaining occupants were all girls.
Kie Kamado, with a faint smile, glanced at Roa and Mitsuri Kanroji, then pulled Nezuko Kamado towards them and said, "Well, I'll go prepare the morning meal."
After saying that, she forcibly dragged the curious Nezuko Kamado away.
Standing at the door, Kie Kamado waved to the children beside her with a serious expression, signaling them not to disturb.
For a moment, only Roa and Mitsuri Kanroji remained in the room.
After the initial nervousness and panic, Mitsuri Kanroji gradually calmed down upon confirming that Roa was indeed not in serious trouble.
However, when she looked up and saw Roa's half-smiling face, her face flushed red again.
She stammered, opening her mouth but unable to form a complete sentence.
Looking at her hand, which was currently holding Roa's, the warm sensation made her feel somewhat dazed, and her heart started racing again.
The "Steam Princess" played her usual role, with sweat appearing on her forehead, and Mitsuri Kanroji's eyes wandered, looking towards the window outside.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became extremely awkward.
Seeing that the other party wasn't speaking, Roa also remained silent, just watching her.
Mitsuri Kanroji sneakily glanced at Roa, but was caught by his gaze. This time, she couldn't hold on any longer, and the blush on her face deepened. Roa even thought she might run away at any moment.
Finally, Roa broke the awkward atmosphere, looking at Mitsuri Kanroji and saying, "Actually, my hometown is very far away."
Mitsuri Kanroji was slightly stunned, then nodded, continuing to listen to Roa.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Roa continued, "That place is very, very far, so far that once you go there, it's basically impossible to come back. After killing the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, I plan to return to my hometown."
Mitsuri Kanroji's large, light leaf-green eyes stared directly into Roa's eyes.
Unlike usual, Roa's face now showed less frivolity and more seriousness.
In that moment, Mitsuri Kanroji understood. She still smiled and said, "If you're willing to accept me, although leaving them would be a bit sad, my parents also hope that I can find happiness."
Roa didn't speak, his golden eyes meeting Mitsuri Kanroji's, their gazes intertwining.
Mitsuri Kanroji smiled and said, "I like you. From the first moment I saw you, you made my heart race. When I talk to you, I feel very happy. When I see you smile, I can't help but smile too. My intuition tells me that by your side, I will find the happiness I've always wanted."
Mitsuri Kanroji's straightforward confession left Roa at a loss for words.
The two fell into silence again, but unlike before, Mitsuri Kanroji wore a face full of expectant smiles, while Roa looked thoughtful.