บท 61: Chapter 61
I wasn't entirely sure what would happen when I finished, but my theory was that the blessing would overpower the curse and burn it away. As the blessing started to touch Kagaya's face, I imagined my cursed magic wrapping around it, reducing the amount that was leaving my body. I faintly heard Kagaya groan in pain as I closed my eyes. I could feel a strange push and pull, the blessing was forcing its way into his body, while at the same time, his body seemed to be pulling it in.
I focused on shaping my cursed magic, using it to control the blessing's flow, pulling it back slowly. To any observer, it would have looked like a black and red clawed hand was wrapping around the blessing and pulling it back. But neither Kagaya nor I saw that. Instead, I found myself in my inner world, the place where my lifeforce resided. Flames rose around me, and I saw the cursed magic in the shape of a claw grasping some of those flames, carrying them to a dark blue sky and into a white hole.
'That must be the connection between me and Kagaya,' I thought idly.
Opening my eyes again, I saw the clawed hand tattoo wrapping around the blessing on my arm. I also noticed that part of it had transferred to Kagaya. 'Time to pull back.' I thought. I reduced the cursed magic's grip and cut off the blessing's flow, pulling it back into myself. As I stepped away, I watched Kagaya collapse to the ground, his wife and son rushing to his side. Smoke began to rise from his body.
They had to back away as heat radiated from him, becoming too intense to bear. They retreated behind me, but I stayed close. My mantra echoed in my mind. 'Don't explode.' I had no idea if the blessing had worked or if I had inadvertently created a new equilibrium where the curse and blessing were tied together, as Amaterasu had done with me. When I saw him starting to fall forward, I quickly knelt down to catch him.
His body had cooled down. I ripped off some of his bandages, much to the alarm of his wife and son. I heard Eri and the other children running toward us.
His wife gasped. Kagaya's skin was smooth, and his once damaged eyes were now a vibrant lavender.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
Instead of responding, his stomach growled, and he placed a hand over it. I turned to his stunned wife and son.
"Think you can get him some food?"
Still in shock, his wife nodded and hurried off to fetch something. Eri came to my side.
"Papa." she said softly.
I turned to her while helping Kagaya stand up and started walking inside. "Yes, Eri? Is everything okay?"
She nodded. "Yes, but what happened?"
I ruffled her hair, smiling. "Just helped Kagaya-san."
She returned the smile as she opened the door, his children wordlessly following her, glancing between their father and brother.
It took nearly an hour for things to settle down. Kagaya still seemed in disbelief, looking at his wife and children. Meanwhile, I could tell Eri was getting restless.
"While I don't want to interrupt." I said, "I need to get going to help your Corps."
That snapped Kagaya and his wife out of their reverie. He bowed his head, preparing to thank me, but I waved him off.
"No need for thanks. Honestly, I didn't know if it would work, it could've ended horribly for you."
He still bowed deeply but remained silent. After a pause, he asked. "You're planning to help the Demon Slayers? Why?"
I patted Eri's head. "I've had time to think. One thing I realized is that I don't want my daughter's friends to suffer or die."
He smiled at both of us. "I see. Then thank you, truly, for helping."
As Eri and I were about to leave, Kagaya called out. "Will you be there for the final fight?"
I turned to him, smiling. "Yes. I'll make sure Muzan regrets hurting my students."
With that I stepped out, placing Eri on my shoulder.
"Ready to help, Eri?"
She nodded eagerly.
We had barely arrived at the training grounds I was told about when we ran into Gyomei. He sensed our presence before we even spoke, turning toward us.
"It's been a while, Gyomei-san." I greeted him with a smile.
He remained silent at first, then a soft smile appeared on his usually stoic face. "Yes, it has. Eri-chan, how have you been?"
Eri, perched on my shoulders, smiled brightly. "Ryou is my otousan now!"
Gyomei paused, shifting his focus between the two of us before reaching into his kimono to pull out some sweets, handing them to Eri while gently ruffling her hair. "I see. I'm happy for you, Eri-chan."
She hummed in delight, quickly becoming engrossed in the sweet, while I continued the conversation.
"So, I hear you're all preparing for some intensive training over the next month. What's the plan?"
Gyomei began walking, and I followed alongside him. "Yes. There are no demons currently around, so we've gathered everyone, except two Hashira, to focus on strengthening our forces. Six of us will be training the other Demon Slayers, and we'll also train with each other to improve our teamwork."
We arrived at a waterfall, the sound of rushing water providing a soothing backdrop. I looked around thoughtfully. "I see. Well, how about I lend you all a hand with the training?"
Gyomei paused, tilting his head slightly. "You want to help with our training?"
"I can assist the Hashira in improving your teamwork and help out any Demon Slayers who might be falling behind. That would free up some of your time to focus on other things," I explained, sensing the other Hashira beginning to gather in the distance.
Gyomei remained quiet for a moment, then voiced his concern. "What of your injuries? Won't they worsen?"
Eri tensed on my shoulders at his words, her tiny hands gripping my kimono. I set her down gently, crouching to meet her worried eyes. "Don't worry, Eri. I'll be fine. Step back for a bit, okay?"
She hesitated but nodded, moving to sit under a nearby tree, her wide eyes still fixed on me.
"No need to worry about my injuries," I replied, standing and drawing my odachi from my back. "I doubt you lot can give me much trouble at this point."
Without warning, I launched a "Cursed Slash" at Gyomei. His reflexes were as sharp as ever, he blocked the attack, though the force sent him skidding back to join the rest of the gathered Hashira.
I rested the odachi on my shoulder, feeling the weight of the moment. Drawing my wakizashi with my other hand, I smirked. 'No better time to practice with new weapons than now.'
The Hashira stood in a defensive formation, their eyes locked on me, weapons drawn. I could feel the tension in the air.
"Well?" I taunted, my voice carrying across the training grounds. "Are you all just going to stand there?"
I flared my killing intent, something I had kept restrained for a while now, letting it wash over the group like a cold wave. I made sure to direct it only toward the Hashira, sparing Eri, who was still watching me with wide eyes from her safe spot under the tree.
"I've never felt better since coming here." I said, my voice rising as I let more of my killing intent seep out with each word. "So let's see what you've got!"
The intensity in the air thickened, and the first to respond was Sanemi. His eyes gleamed with that familiar ferocity as he lunged toward me. 'This is going to be fun.'
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