Chapter 145: Chapter 145 —— It's Been a Long Time Ago, Hasn't It.....
Plop.
A droplet of water falls into the icy pond.
"Kotoha?"
Inosuke's legs are dipped in the cold, rippling water. He lowers his head, pulls out a familiar boar's head mask from somewhere, and puts it on his head.
And then he raises his thumb, pointing at himself with a decisive and casual air, his tone high:
"Who the hell is Kotoha, listen well! I'm is the gorgeous king of the mountain!"
The word 'gorgeous' is something he learned from Uzui Tengen.
He crosses his arms with a faint sense of pride.
The two reflective boar's eyes look down at Doma, who is drifting in the water.
The two of them lock eyes once again.
Seemingly surprised for a moment, Inosuke steps back in realization.
He points at Doma's head and shouts:
"The fallen head is talking!!"
"Male, boar..." Doma drifts back and forth in the water waves, watching Inosuke, murmuring to himself:
"Did I get it wrong?"
Perhaps it's because he's about to die.
His voice becomes slow, and his thinking seems a bit tired.
His vision begins to blur, Doma tries hard to blink, feeling his eyelids gradually becoming heavy.
Memories from his life flash before his eyes like a carousel.
Everything except himself seems to emit a white light.
Swish, swish, swish——
Pieces of memory flash quickly in his mind, until they finally settle on one image:
Plop.
Like turning a page.
Doma opens his eyes.
That was thirteen years ago.
The main hall of the Paradise Faith.
"Church Leader."
A woman with green eyes and black hair cascading like a waterfall, who looks exactly like Inosuke, is gently smiling back:
"Look!"
She lifts up the somewhat dazed baby in her hands, showing off something to the dazed Doma:
"This child's name is this, you know!"
Doma is somewhat dazed, he is propping his chin, idly looking up at the sky.
Hearing the woman's words, he slowly turns his head.
He takes a puzzled look at the baby.
His gaze gradually moves down.
His eyes rest on the dazed baby's diaper, where a name is written:
"Hashibira Inosuke."
"Hehe." The woman tilts her head, peeks out from behind the lifted baby, and smiles gently:
"It's a good name, isn't it?"
Doma is taken aback.
The surrounding scene retreats rapidly, the image of the woman smiling and holding the baby pulls away, pulling out infinitely long rays of light.
...
...
In the pond.
"Wait..." Doma's pupils shrink slightly, as if he remembers something, a look of sudden realization appears on his face:
"You, are your Inosuke..."
As soon as the words fall, ashes drift from the broken part of Doma's skull, and the burn marks just spread to his chin.
"Huh?" Inosuke, who is in a state of alert, is taken aback for a moment, his expression hidden under the headgear is slightly stunned.
When he looks at Doma for the second time.
Whoosh——
A breeze blows.
On the rippling water surface reflecting the moon, only a piece of floating ash remains.
And...
"That appearance, there's no mistake..."
"Kotoha, is your mother's name."
Doma's plain words echo in the ear.
Inosuke stares at the ashes on the water surface, and for a moment he falls into a speechless stupor.
At this point...
The last of the Upper Ranks, Doma.
Annihilated.
The next moment.
Boooom——!!
The ground shakes violently, and the water in the pond begins to sway.
Boom!!
A huge roar comes from the ear, Inosuke instinctively turns his head to look.
Due to Doma's death, the five Lily Bodhisattvas around collapse with a bang.
The shattered Lily Bodhisattva's head falls heavily from mid-air, and the huge ice block touches the water surface.
Whoosh! A white wave is immediately stirred up.
In Inosuke's stunned gaze, it rushes straight towards him.
He stands in place without reacting, and the stirred up wave quickly engulfs him.
...
Soon.....
A chill air permeates the surface of the water.
"…Is it over?"
Uzui Tengen stood on the eaves, he raised his head and looked at the damp ruins around him.
His neatly braided white hair had come undone, soaked by water, and his clothes were all wet.
In his field of vision, not far away on the broken ice, were his companions waving at him.
And gathered around Tanjuro, Tsugikuni Michikatsu and Hakuji, two demons, were carefully observing Tanjuro's sword.
"That's great."
Uzui Tengen withdrew his gaze, he sighed slightly, the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a smile, and his eyebrows were somewhat drooping.
In this battle, he seemed to have not been able to help much.
Last time too.
Whoosh——
The waves were still rippling on the water surface, hitting the eaves where Uzui Tengen stood.
Clang.
A crisp sound rang out, Uzui Tengen instinctively looked down.
Coming with the waves.
It was once meticulously maintained, like a mirror, clearly reflecting Uzui's astonished expression——
——Ninja forehead protector.
Uzui Tengen stared blankly and bent down, picking up the Ninja forehead protector that had landed on the damp stone slab.
Pitter-patter.
His face was hidden in the shadow.
Water droplets dripped down his long white hair and fell on the eaves.
...
...
At the same time.
In the Infinite Castle.
"Damn it."
Muzan paced back and forth, his face full of tension:
"Blue Spider Lily grows in that kind of place."
If I ask other demons pick the Blue Spider Lily for him—that's impossible.
He has always been cautious and never trusts anyone.
Naturally, he is always vigilant against his subordinates.
Upper Rank demons are never allowed to appear together, also to prevent them from having thoughts of rebelling against him.
Even if ordinary demons dare to say his name, they will be instantly killed by the instinct hidden in their blood vessels.
And now, the growing location of the Blue Spider Lily.
It is near the house where he first met "Tsugikuni Yoriichi".
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
"Could it be that this guy…" Muzan clenched his back teeth tightly, and the unique fangs of the demon were slightly exposed:
"For the past few hundred years that he couldn't hide, has he been guarding the Blue Spider Lily, waiting for me to take the bait?"
Suddenly.
Just as Muzan was constantly pondering methods in his mind.
In his mind, the blood thread connected to Doma was disconnected.
——Doma is dead.
Muzan suddenly raised his head, a light of hope lit up in his scarlet pupils.
That's right!
——That guy is now in Doma's territory!
Thinking of this.
Muzan suddenly turned his head, the corners of his mouth showed an excited and fierce smile, and the fog in his heart completely dissipated at this moment:
"Nakime!!"
He opened his arms arrogantly and shouted:
"Teleport me out of the Infinite Castle!!"
The scarlet pupils reflected the dim light of the Infinite Castle.
At this moment, there was only one thought in Muzan's mind.
The moment he was teleported out, he would uproot that bud.
Then directly return to the Infinite Castle!
In this way, even that guy would not notice at all!
"…Yes, Muzan-sama."
Nakime bowed her head slightly.
Clang!
Her hand brushed over the Biwa in her arms.
The next moment.
Whoosh!
Muzan's figure disappeared in the Infinite Castle.
Nakime raised her head, looking somewhat dazed at the position where Muzan disappeared.
——It's been a long time since Muzan-sama last left the Infinite Castle…
She lowered her head, propped her chin with her hand, and enjoyed the rare time in the Infinite Castle where she was the only one.
——It's been a long time ago, hasn't it?
(End of the chapter)
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