Chương 64: Chapter 64
Entering the compound, I was greeted by the other Hashira and a fully healed, standing Kagaya, who waved me over and pointed to a spot around the table.
"Glad you could make it, Ryou-san." he said.
I hummed in response as I walked next to Sanemi, who didn't look thrilled to see me. "Sorry if I'm late, had to say goodnight to Eri." Kagaya gave a light chuckle, then quickly shifted to a more serious tone.
"I believe it won't be long now, maybe a night or two before Muzan finds this place and comes after me and the rest of the Corps." He placed his hands on the table. "I've already set up the first part of the plan, but I can't reveal the details just yet. It needs to be a complete surprise. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good." He nodded back, then turned to me. "Ryou-san, initially, I was going to have Gyomei start the fight with Muzan, followed by the other Hashira, but I've decided against it. I want them to focus on the other Upper Moons first."
I crossed my arms and tilted my head as he continued. "Do you think you could beat Muzan? Keep in mind, even if you cut off his head, he won't die."
I frowned briefly. "I most likely won't be able to. Even though I'm no longer half dead, I'm still not at full strength." It was, unfortunately, the truth. I was at about thirty, maybe forty percent of my full power if I pushed myself. That wasn't even considering the fact that, if I fought for too long, the wounds from Zeus and Heracles would start acting up, causing my strength to rapidly decline.
Kagaya nodded, then asked. "Do you think you can hold him off until the other Hashira arrive?"
I glanced around at the others in the room before settling my gaze back on Kagaya. I nodded. "Yeah, that shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Kagaya nodded again and turned to the rest. "Good, we have more of the plan in place. Time to finish it."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. When it opened, a woman entered, bowing before speaking. "Good evening, everyone. Apologies if I'm late."
She walked in, and I raised an eyebrow. 'She's a demon.' I was the only one who seemed confused. I turned to Kagaya with a questioning look, which he noticed and addressed.
"This is Lady Tamayo. She's here to help us with Muzan's regeneration abilities."
I gave a nod and stepped forward to greet her, extending my hand. Before I could, it was slapped away by someone else who had entered. Tamayo immediately started berating the other demon.
"Yushiro-kun! That wasn't necessary."
Yushiro stood at around 5'2 with pale skin, lavender eyes similar to Kagaya's, and short, light green hair. He huffed but nodded. Tamayo turned back to me and held out her hand. As I shook it, I took in her features, long dark brown hair braided and tied into a low bun, with striking deep lavender eyes that I noticed had no pupils. She stood at 4'11 compared to my 6'0". 'She looks kind, but intimidating... reminds me a little of Venelana.'
I greeted her. "I'm Sasaki Ryou, but please call me Ryou, Lady Tamayo."
She gave a polite nod and responded, "I've heard many things about you from both Ubuyashiki-san and Shinobu-san."
I chuckled lightly as I walked back to stand next to Sanemi. "I hope good things?"
She nodded again. Kagaya spoke once more. "Is everything ready on your end, Lady Tamayo?"
She gave a serious nod, and he responded with a grateful sigh. "Good. I believe it's time for everyone to get some rest."
With that, he walked away into another room, and I followed soon after, eager to see Eri as soon as possible.
I arrived back at the room Eri and I were sharing and saw that she was still asleep. I quietly moved around her, getting ready for bed while my thoughts drifted. 'Not long now.' I knew this upcoming battle would be different from any I'd faced before. 'If I use Muramasa, it should be able to stop Muzan's healing... shouldn't it?' I had fought against gods and beings with high regeneration, but something about this felt uncertain. I frowned, glancing at the night sky. 'If it doesn't work, could it be because it's not magical in nature?'
Demons didn't give off a magical aura. I had never examined one under a microscope nor would I have understood it if I had, but being around Nezuko made it clear that demons didn't possess the same essence as magic. 'But that shouldn't matter to Muramasa, right?' Mura had told me it had been used to slay thousands, which should include beings with powerful regenerative abilities that weren't related to magic.
I sighed and slicked my hair back, noticing that it had grown even longer, now reaching just below my shoulders. Another sigh escaped me. 'Something else to deal with.'
Climbing into bed, Eri instinctively cuddled up to me, starting to drool. I smiled and gently brushed some hair out of her face. 'We'll be home soon, Eri.' I thought before drifting off to sleep.
The next day came, and nothing of note really happened. I had Eri promise to carry her Wakizashi at all times, just in case. I changed into the gear Kagaya had prepared for me, black hakama pants and a deep red haori over a black kimono. Lately, I'd taken to not wearing the kimono much to his wife's anoyance, I had tied the haori around my waist which had only annoyed her even more when I did it. 'This is definitely going to get grabbed and used against me.' I thought while walking around, holding Eri's hand. We were currently exploring the different compounds in the area.
It was the afternoon, and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Eri before the final battle, when she would have to be hidden away. "Papa, look at that bird!" Eri pointed to a small white bird fluttering nearby.
"It looks like a snowflake, doesn't it, Papa?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
I smiled down at her. "Hmm~ now there are two snowflakes."
She blushed, embarrassed. "Papa, I'm not a snowflake! I'm a butterfly warrior!" She pouted and gave a little huff.
I laughed, ruffling her hair again. "Oh? Is that so, snowflake?"
She groaned in protest, but I could see her smile. I picked her up and hoisted her onto my shoulders. "Papa, you can't call me snowflake!" she scolded.
I started running, leaping from tree to tree with her clinging tightly. "Is that so?" I teased.
After a few taps on my head, her signal that we'd arrived, I stopped. We were at our little getaway spot, a place Eri had discovered during one of her walks. She had told me it was perfect for a picnic, and I had promised to have one with her. As I landed and set the food and blankets down, Eri jumped off my shoulders, spinning around and collapsing onto the grass in a fit of giggles.
"What's got you so giggly, Eri?" I asked, amused.
Still laughing, she replied. "Papa's all better now! And you're so strong!"
I froze for a moment, but she didn't notice. Smiling, I laughed with her. "I am pretty strong, aren't I?"
"Yeah! Papa's awesome!" she exclaimed, sitting up so we could dig into the food.
We spent the rest of the day and evening at the spot, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, we even fell asleep there. My last thought before drifting off was. 'Seems like it won't be tonight, Kagaya.'
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