Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 319 Extinguished

Perhaps this is how everything should have been.

Rinko caught the blade. There was no need to dodge; there was no need. Kyojuro was already at his last gasp. Every swing of the sword was just shortening the man's own lifespan.

Kyojuro's blood dripped onto the ground, from his head, his scraped forehead, his blind eye. The wound that had just begun to congeal was torn open again by the violent movement, and the blood slid down the curve of his cheek like tears, colored tears, sweet tears.

Blood was dripping, and Rinko's own blood was also dripping, from his hand that was cut by the blade he caught. The sharp knife could always cut through the skin so easily. He really hadn't made any progress. Other demons could have increased their physical strength long ago, making it impossible for the knife to cut through their skin so easily, but he was still as weak as before. Blood dripped from his palm, down his arm, and onto the ground.

The blood was dripping, seemingly indistinguishable from the ghost's. On the ground, it looked even less different; a few drops wouldn't leave a noticeable trace. Human blood and ghost blood were both red, and smelled the same.

But it's different in the end; his injury will heal quickly.

Perhaps this is the final chapter this story should have.

The constantly swung knife will be caught, and then the broken bones of the body will be hit again. Even after the force is absorbed and the body resists, new fractures are inevitable.

Perhaps some things should never have happened in the first place, nor should they have continued.

Ultimately, how can ghosts be friends with humans and food?

If a cat, a pet of a human, scratches someone, the person will get angry and scold the cat. If a dog, a pet of a human, bites someone, the person will get angry and discipline the dog.

So even if he gets angry, it's perfectly normal, it's reasonable, or rather, it's only right that he gets angry.

Because he suffered so much harm, the number of times his hands and feet were severed by the blade is countless, and the pain he endured is inexhaustible.

Humans are food, yet he did not eat them. Humans could be easily wiped out, but he did not kill them. Human bodies are fragile and can be easily broken or injured, yet he carefully avoided all of this.

Even so, I received no reward, no trust, and no friends.

Tanjiro's sword tip slit his throat, Giyu's sword pierced his body, and Kyojuro's sword severed his hands and feet.

Even in this very second, the knife was still cutting his skin, creating new wounds and causing blood to drip onto the ground.

Like tears, but not tears that flow from the eyes, because Rinko doesn't cry, she never did before and she doesn't now. Doma cries, he says tears are a biological reaction when feeling emotions, but Rinko feels that Doma's tears have no real meaning, but he doesn't cry, so she doesn't judge the other's position.

The book says that sinners need to atone for their sins and will go to hell after death to suffer countless torments, paying for their past mistakes with pain day and night.

So how much is enough? How much blood is enough? How much pain is enough? How many times of suffering are needed to end it?

Tanjiro said that demons are unforgivable. Kyojuro said he hoped he could be reborn as a human in his next life.

It's as if ghosts are wrong, as if being a ghost is wrong in itself.

Just like...

He is wrong.

But why?

What was the reason? What was the cause? Where did he go wrong? What did he do wrong?

Isn't he the only one suffering? Isn't he the one being hurt by the people he trusted? One by one, the ghosts he knew died at the hands of the human friends he thought they were, and he himself was suffering the same pain.

He was the one who was slashed by the knife, he was the one whose hands and feet were cut off, he was the one whose body was pierced, and he was the one who almost had his neck severed.

Before the demon Rinko could inflict any unforgivable harm on humanity, humanity had already begun to harm him.

Why? Is this the right thing to do?

Time and again, he faced the cold blade, and the blood that flowed from his body and dripped to the ground was more than all the tears he had ever seen combined.

How many more times will he have to endure this?

What did humans do right? They weren't eaten as food, they were carefully cared for as friends, they weren't harmed, they weren't faced with danger, and they accepted all of this.

But then why turn around and say he's wrong, deserves to die, is burdened with sin, and is unforgivable?

Shouldn't humans be the ones going to hell?

Kyojuro's body, like a paper airplane thrown into the air, soared high along that arc, reached a certain peak, and then, having lost the support of the wind, began to fall.

Rinko stopped watching and turned to walk towards another battlefield. Muzan was some distance away from him, not too far, and he would be able to get there soon, he thought.

He rushed over, killed the demon slayer, and realized this was the ground, not the Infinity Castle. There was a faint light in the distance; dawn was approaching. He didn't know how much longer it would take, but it didn't seem too long. He needed to find Muzan and leave with him first. He could figure out the rest later. In short, he needed to stay alive.

That's what he was thinking. He lowered his body, gathered his strength, and prepared to charge forward, but what interrupted him was the sound of an explosion behind him.

He initially intended to ignore it, but if the explosion hadn't followed closely behind, he would have seen several reflective, round spheres that looked somewhat familiar.

Before Rin could even recall what it was, the explosion happened before her eyes, a blinding flash followed by pain. The damage from an explosion is different from that from a blade; the latter is sudden, brief, and sometimes even imperceptible, but the former is different—it has a larger range and less power.

But as far as Rinko is concerned, he dislikes the first one more. And he also dislikes the person who uses the first one, the only one.

"Hey! Where are you trying to run off to, kid?!"

The sound Rinko disliked, the aftershock of the explosion blasted him away, his backward body out of control, his charging posture disrupted.

But it's okay.

Before landing, Rinko adjusted her posture, leaned back with the momentum, spun around in the air, landed with her feet scraping the ground a short distance, supported herself with her hands, blood dripped onto the floor, her wounds were healing, and when she looked up she saw Tengen holding Kyojuro in one hand and carrying a sword in the other.

"I really wish I could disappear into a hole in the ground if I still need your help."

Kyojuro's voice was much lower than usual, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. Several of his ribs were broken, and his leg bones, if not broken, were not far off. The bleeding wouldn't stop. When he was placed on the ground, only his hands could still grip the Nichirin Blade.

However, Tengen's injuries were no better than Kyojuro's. He was covered in wounds, his hand holding the sword was trembling violently, the wound on his arm was deep, the leg on the ground was shaking, and the cut on his thigh was so deep that it might have almost broken his bone.

"Although I thought you had a bad personality before, you wouldn't be so crazy as to think that the two of you could stop me, would you?"

Rinko took a half step forward, shifting his center of gravity so that his hand could be pulled back from the ground. He slowly raised his upper body, like a wild animal preparing to hunt.

"You brat! I can stop you all by myself!!"

Tengen's voice was surprisingly loud, comparable to Kyojuro's, but Rinko didn't want to hear such an energetic voice at this moment.

He simply loosened his grip, his joints slowly moving, his palm opening and closing again, as if preparing.

"Then I'll send you to hell myself."

"Uzui! Watch out!"

too late.

Rinko cursed inwardly. Even with warnings, it was useless; slow reaction was slow reaction, and insufficient strength was insufficient strength. Before, all she knew were endless petty tricks; now, injured, she posed even less of a threat.

In less than a breath, the hand that lunged forward was about to smash into that person's face.

The blade rose at the last second, catching the fist with a clang like two pieces of iron colliding. Rinko narrowed his eyes slightly; this sword was thicker and heavier than usual, but its subtle angle was just enough to absorb the force, preventing the sword from breaking under the impact of the punch.

"I told you, I can handle you by myself! This kind of simple fighting style can be completely cracked after seeing it once!"

It was a different experience from facing Kyojuro. He became the one on the offensive, and Tengen's every block was difficult and strenuous. Meanwhile, the opponent refused to shut up and kept talking arrogantly.

"What a troublesome fellow, and..."

Rinko took a deep breath, loosened and clenched her fingers, slightly parted her legs, and lowered her center of gravity.

"It's so noisy."

Tengen had an advantage: a taller stature, a stronger physique, a more targeted fighting style, and faster speed. Rinko treated him like a flying insect, unable to inflict effective damage, but still annoying enough.

When Rinko launched his attack again, he used all his strength. Catching this blow was anything but easy. Rinko could see that his hands were trembling. After his body fell, he did not stand up. Instead, he supported himself on the floor with his palms and swept his outstretched leg across. There was a dull thud when the bones collided.

The body reacted quickly to the loss of balance. Tengen immediately used one hand to support himself on the floor and dodged backward. Rinko was waiting for this moment. His legs were already in place, and his hands, which were supporting him on the floor, chased after him the instant his body was airborne.

An eagle that cannot fly will only get kicked.

Now it looks more like an eagle, like an eagle that has flown halfway but had its wings broken, and can only fly diagonally in the direction it was kicked.

This time, Rinko gave her opponent no chance to rest and wouldn't stop until her opponent breathed their last.

He immediately gave chase.

What stopped him was that gasp. It was very soft, but in that quiet moment, it was jarring enough.

"Breath of Flame, Form of Five, Flame Tiger."

Rinko's dodge was difficult, but sufficient. Her charged stance was prematurely canceled, and as she turned, she could see those resolute eyes.

Originally aimed at the neck, the blade was detected in advance and could only pierce half of the body. The force of the blade piercing the body was like a raging fire, and the blasted-open body felt as if it were being burned by the flames.

"What a pity, Kyojuro."

Rinko casually opened the knife with her hand. The mutilated body was bleeding, the blood flowing out in streams until the flesh began to slowly grow back along the bone.

The second cut, then the third, each cut less powerful than the last.

Rinko didn't need to catch them; he simply raised his hand to deflect the slashes, which were now almost powerless.

His body was slowly recovering, and the exquisite slash that had used almost all his strength was gradually healing.

"What a pity, Kyojuro."

Is this the end? Rinko wondered.

Kyojuro broke all his bones, lost an eye, and was exhausted. And then, was this the end?

He raised his hand and caught the slash aimed at his neck, grabbing it precisely. This time, it didn't even cut his hand; it was simply caught easily.

Kyojuro's strength was completely exhausted. By human standards, Kyojuro had done his utmost, and it was already incredible that he could stand up at all.

"It's over, Kyojuro."

Rinko flung the sword away, but the force was enough to make Kyojuro stagger backward a few steps.

With each cough, blood drips onto the floor—a scene that feels almost familiar.

Not long ago, he was the one in such a sorry state, but now, in the blink of an eye, Kyojuro is the one in an even worse state. His injuries have long since healed, but Kyojuro's has no idea when it will end.

"Why did you do this, Rinko?"

The sound was as soft as a leaf falling from a branch and drifting into a pond, but Rinko heard it.

What do you mean?

"Why kill people, and why not kill them? Why be friends with people?"

This is a difficult question to answer. Rinko couldn't give an answer. He had many times when he couldn't get an answer, but this was a rare occasion when he didn't know how to answer. If it were a long time ago, he would have answered it easily.

He kills because Muzan tells him to, or because those people want to kill him; he doesn't kill because he doesn't need to; he makes friends simply because he wants to.

But what's the reason? What's a suitable explanation? Does this even count? It doesn't sound like it; it sounds more like a child's nonsense.

He's not a child anymore, or at least he's no longer a child, so he can't answer like that.

There's always a reason.

Rinko thought to himself that he had no answer.

Because he's starting to get confused himself.

What's the point of being friends with humans? It seems he gained nothing in the end, except for pain, didn't he?

"Have you ever regretted it, Rinko?"

Regret? He didn't know. Rinko was finding it hard to think about such meaningless questions now. He didn't even understand why Kyojuro was asking these questions. Was it to buy time?

Unfortunately, he no longer has the time to give her.

"I don't know what you think, Rinko, but at least, I've never regretted knowing you!"

The head was raised, firm and calm, as always, with an imposing air, as if he had no injuries at all.

"Secret Technique, Form Nine, Purgatory."

The atmosphere has changed; it's visible to the naked eye.

Rinko didn't dodge; he didn't need to. Nor did he want to dodge anymore. He had spent his entire life dodging, and in the end, he left nothing behind.

He was too exhausted to hide, and he didn't want to hide anymore.

The knife charged toward him with incredible force, aimed at his neck. Rinko tried to block it with both hands, the blade scraping against his bone, almost sparking.

Unexpectedly, he couldn't stop it. When the blade cut into the bone, Rinko was slightly surprised. This would indeed surprise him. Given Kyojuro's current state, Rinko wouldn't be surprised if he died at any moment.

But the man still had the strength to deliver such a strike.

Unbelievable.

But this is the limit, this is the end.

Broken bones cannot stop a slash, but they are enough to change the direction of the blade.

Ultimately, he was forced to swing the knife at his body, almost splitting him in two, but no, the knife was intercepted and stuck inside his body.

Not surprising at all.

Kyojuro had long since exhausted his strength.

After the initial explosion, the flames quietly began to extinguish.