Afterward, at Kagaya's request, Riezel helped all the Hashira remove the Demon Slayer Mark from their bodies.
It was understandable, as it was a deadly ability, after all.
If Riezel hadn't helped them remove the Demon Slayer Mark, they wouldn't have lived past twenty-five years old. Moreover, Gyoumei, who was already twenty-seven years old, would have died immediately without any luck.
Since the birth of the Demon Slayer Mark, only one person managed to survive with it, and that was Yoriichi.
Riezel didn't know how Yoriichi managed it, as the original work didn't ever mention it.
Perhaps Yoriichi survived because his Demon Slayer Mark was naturally born with him, so it didn't exhaust his lifespan, allowing him to live. Or perhaps he had found a way to neutralize its side effect before turning twenty-five.
In the end, no matter what reason, Yoriichi was Yoriichi—his existence was special and a genuine cheat that the Hashira could not compare at all.
For this reason, continuing to keep the Demon Slayer Mark would only lead to their demise.
In this way, Riezel used the Decomposition Magic to decompose the Demon Slayer Mark on the Hashira.
As a result, the Hashira could all live past twenty-five years old without a problem, but similarly, without the Demon Slayer Mark, their strength was greatly reduced, almost returning to their original state.
Without the Demon Slayer Mark, the Hashira couldn't even use the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and only the Transparent World remained usable among the three abilities.
However, since Tengen, Shinobu, and Mitsuri didn't even have the Transparent World, they were the ones who truly reverted to their original state.
Nevertheless, with demons now nonexistent, they no longer needed such abilities.
And so, with the Demon Slayer Corps officially disbanded, all Demon Slayers would put down their swords and return to normal society, living normal lives.
Kyoujurou would inherit the Rengoku family's business, attempting to transform his long-standing family of Demon Slayers.
He apparently intended to open a dojo where future apprentices would come to learn his family's swordsmanship, making the dojo the main focus of the Rengoku family.
Shinobu would continue to manage the Butterfly Mansion, but it would no longer serve just the Demon Slayer Corps. It would now cater to the general public, treating people's illnesses.
Obanai seemed determined to confess his feelings to Mitsuri, so if they were to marry soon, it seemed likely.
On the other hand, since Tengen was already married with three wives, the four of them planned to settle down somewhere and live a secluded life.
Gyoumei, Sanemi, and Muichirou expressed their intention to remain with the Ubuyashiki family, continuing to serve it.
As for Giyuu, he seemed to want to return to his master, so what he would do in the future, only he knew.
As the Hashira each made their own plans, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke also planned to return to the Kamado family with Nezuko to go back to their old lives.
Of course, after the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Ubuyashiki family wouldn't ignore them—whether it was the Hashira, Tanjirou and the others, or even the ordinary members and the Kakushi.
From the start, the Ubuyashiki family had planned to help them integrate into normal society and live normal lives, at least financially, ensuring they wouldn't have to worry for the rest of their lives.
Under these circumstances, even the Swordsmith Village was preparing to open up to the outside world. They would no longer hide but would rely on their forging occupation as their main economic source, serving the whole country.
With the assistance of the Ubuyashiki family, everything would proceed orderly in the future.
It could be said that those who survived would have a bright future ahead, living their lives worry-free.
Kagaya, Kyoujurou, Tanjirou, and the others had asked Riezel about his plans for the future, but he simply replied with one sentence.
"I'll return to the place where I belong."
Riezel said only that and thereafter said nothing more.
However, one thing was certain—his mysterious answer left Kagaya, Kyoujurou, Tanjirou, and the others with a feeling that once he departed, they would never meet him again.
Nevertheless, they did not dwell on this feeling excessively.
===
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Swordsmith Village, everyone gathered together to bid farewell.
"Us Ubuyashikis will always remember you, Your Excellency."
Kagaya declared firmly, yet his face remained gentle.
"You are welcome to visit my dojo anytime."
Kyoujurou added, with an unusually gentle expression, embracing Riezel.
"Thank you for everything, Big Brother."
Tanjirou spoke sadly, shedding tears, but after wiping them away, he smiled broadly at Riezel.
Seeing them like this, Riezel revealed something to them at this final moment.
"Actually, my name isn't Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
Riezel suddenly smiled at everyone.
"My name is Riezel."
At this point, Riezel finally revealed his true name to them.
""Riezel...""
Kagaya, Kyoujurou, Tanjirou, and the others murmured the name in a daze.
When they came to their senses, Riezel was already gone, vanished like a ghost.
On this day, Riezel officially left the Swordsmith Village, left the Demon Slayer Corps.
Whether it was the Demon Slayer Corps or the people of the Swordsmith Village, no one ever saw him again after that.
Even so, Riezel's name remained forever.
Many years later, people would discover some peculiar things.
For instance, in a dojo called the 'Rengoku Hall', on a wall of honor, the name 'Riezel' was engraved in the front row.
On the other hand, the ancestors of the Ubuyashiki family often mentioned to later generations a great swordsman and hero named 'Riezel'.
Meanwhile, in a charcoal-selling family deep in the mountains, there was a group photo of all members of the Demon Slayer Corps, with an empty space in the center where a mechanical doll stood holding a tag inscribed with the name 'Riezel'.
Even in a private medical enterprise called 'Butterfly', it was said that there was a female pharmacist who made significant contributions to the medical field, never married, and dedicated her life to researching a medicine capable of curing various illnesses—a medicine named 'Riezel'.
However, these events took place a very long time later.
===
At this moment, as Riezel left the Swordsmith Village, he paused his footsteps as he entered a deep mountain area.
Ahead of him were two figures.
It was none other than Tamayo and Yushirou.
"Are you leaving?"
Tamayo asked, her serene face no longer bore the sorrow and resentment of the past, replaced by a sense of relief.
"Yeah..." Riezel nodded calmly. "Are you here to see me off for the last time?"
"...I guess so." Tamayo smiled gently. "Though I really want to thank you, you've probably heard enough of that, so I'll just keep it in my heart."
"Hmm, is that so?" Riezel smiled knowingly. "What are your plans now?"
At his question, Tamayo lowered her gaze.
"I've successfully developed a cure for demon transformation." Tamayo explained softly. "I've analyzed all the blood left by Muzan from the previous battle in the Infinity Castle, and finally developed the cure."
"Oh?" Riezel was taken aback for a moment, then understood. "So you're planning to take this cure and become human again?"
"...Whether it's me or Yushirou, if there's a chance to become human again, we won't hesitate." Tamayo nodded gently. "Creatures like demons shouldn't exist in this world any longer."
Muzan's death had eradicated all demons, except for Tamayo and Yushirou.
Using her medical knowledge, Tamayo had seized the opportunity centuries ago to transform her body and free herself from Muzan's influence when he was severely injured by Yoriichi and too weak to control her.
As for Yushirou, he was the only demon in this world who wasn't transformed by Muzan's blood. He was transformed into a demon by Tamayo when he was dying, thanks to her centuries of research on demons.
Because of this, Muzan's death didn't affect these two.
Now, only Tamayo and Yushirou remained as demons in this world, while all others had vanished.
Apart from Riezel, few knew about this fact, except for the Ubuyashiki family.
However, Kagaya seemed unwilling to interfere with Tamayo and Yushirou.
From this, it was clear that Kagaya chose to trust Tamayo, believing that even as a demon, she would not fall into depravity.
Needless to say, Tamayo and Yushirou could live on as demons forever, never aging or dying.
Tamayo also knew of the existence of the Blue Spider Lily, so with her medical abilities, developing a drug to overcome sunlight wouldn't be difficult.
In time, Muzan's dream of eternal life and perfect existence could be realized through Tamayo and Yushirou.
Yet, Tamayo seemed reluctant to do so.
It was clear that she didn't want to be a demon but wanted to return to her origins as a human.
Even if it meant a limited lifespan, it didn't matter to her.
Having avenged her deep-seated grudge and lived in this world for centuries, she had had enough.
Now, she only wished to pass away peacefully as a human.
With Tamayo making this choice, it was natural that Yushirou couldn't continue to live as a demon by himself.
With this in mind, once the effects of the demon transformation cure were fully confirmed and no problems arose, both of them would likely take the cure directly and return to being human.
In that way, the last two demons in the world would disappear.
"Please take this."
Tamayo suddenly handed a small bottle to Riezel.
"What's this?"
Riezel took the bottle and asked confusedly.
"This is a medicine I developed by thoroughly diluting Muzan's blood. It can temporarily give humans a regenerative ability comparable to a demon's—the only one of its kind in the world."
Tamayo explained slowly.
"If you take it, even the most severe wounds will heal instantly, and it can even revive people who haven't been dead for too long."
A medicine that could revive people!
Seeing such a miraculous medicine in his hand, Riezel couldn't help but be amazed!
"Consider it a token of my gratitude to you."
Tamayo bowed to Riezel, bidding farewell.
"If fate allows, maybe we'll meet again."
With that, Tamayo disappeared with Yushirou.
Riezel watched them leave, and after a long while, he finally stored the medicine away.
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At this moment, there was about half a month left until Riezel's dimensional travel would come to an end.
Having bid farewell to all acquaintances from the Swordsmith Village and the Demon Slayer Corps, Riezel had done everything he could.
Since there were no more demons left for him to kill and his status had also reached the limit of Level 5, with all basic abilities at SSS, further growth was difficult.
As a result, Riezel planned to simply wander around this world and give himself some relaxation during this half month's time.
Since arriving in this world, he had endured three months of suffering for the evolution of Sun Breathing, followed by two months of training the Hashira without any real rest.
It was the same in the world of Danmachi—for a hundred consecutive days, he fought in the dungeon almost without rest.
Even in the Akasha Continent, he honed his swordsmanship and trained relentlessly, rarely stopping.
When this dimensional travel ended and he returned to the Akasha Continent, he felt that he might once again have to hustle for something. Given the situation, the remaining half month of dimensional travel was probably his rare opportunity to relax.
With such a rare chance, Riezel didn't insist on doing anything else, only wanting to stroll around and then bid farewell to this world completely after half a month.
However, as he made this decision, during a certain night, a voice sounded in his ear.
*Ding—ling—*
It was the familiar sound of wind chimes.
When the sound of the wind chime rang out, Riezel, who was already asleep, found himself in a place he had been to before.
It was the mountaintop that faced the sun, towering into the clouds, making the sun appear very close, as if within reach.
"Wait... this dream again?" Riezel muttered in a surprised tone.
"You know, this is the mountain closest to the sun that I've ever seen, and it's also my favorite place."
Accompanied by these words, a figure seemed to emerge from the sun itself and approached Riezel slowly from the front.
He had black hair edged in red, tied up high in a ponytail, maroon irises in his eyes, and wore a yellow kimono with a red haori draped over it. He also bore a flame-shaped mark on his forehead and had a sword at his waist.
Seeing the figure's appearance and demeanor, Riezel instantly knew who he was.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi..."
Yes, he was none other than Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
"Hello."
Yoriichi greeted Riezel with a typical samurai bow, his face displaying a composed expression.
"This is our first time speaking face-to-face, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Riezel smiled faintly.
"Can't help it..." Riezel shrugged casually. "Last time I was here, you only demonstrated Sun Breathing to me unilaterally and then left. When else would we have had the chance to talk?"
In the first place, the fact that the two of them could converse like this was, in a sense, quite bizarre.
After all, Yoriichi was someone from the Sengoku period, who had passed away centuries ago.
For him to appear in someone else's dreams, engage in conversation, and even pass on his Sun Breathing to others—Riezel knew that if he were to mention this to others, they would undoubtedly think he was losing his mind.
However, Riezel knew that the Yoriichi before him wasn't a figment of his imagination or an illusion, but truly the genuine Yoriichi himself.
Because in this world, hell truly existed, and there seemed to be heaven too. After people died, they could be reincarnated, and souls could linger in this world without simply disappearing.
In the original work, Tanjirou had been encouraged and awakened by his deceased family members several times during near-death crises. When many important characters died, they also saw their loved ones and friends who had passed away earlier, joining them on their journey to heaven or hell.
Knowing this, Riezel had never doubted that the Yoriichi he had seen in his dream before was mere imagination or an illusion.
Likewise, the Yoriichi before his eyes right now was also genuine—the soul of the remarkably talented swordsman from the Sengoku period who still lingered in this world after his death.
Five months ago, using Lower One Enmu's Blood Demon Art, Yoriichi took advantage of it to teach Riezel his Sun Breathing within the dream.
Now, five months later, Yoriichi had once again entered Riezel's dream to meet him.
"This time, I came to thank you."
Yoriichi spoke while looking at Riezel with earnestness.
"At first, teaching you Sun Breathing was just a casual attempt, but I never expected you to actually defeat Kibutsuji Muzan, which fulfilled my regret... I'm really grateful."
It was indeed something that surprised Yoriichi greatly.
Originally, he had never intended for Riezel to defeat Muzan.
In his lifetime, Yoriichi had actually been quite easygoing and had never thought about deliberately doing anything.
If it weren't for his elder brother's love for swordsmanship and desire to become a great swordsman, Yoriichi would never have touched a sword.
If it weren't for his wife being harmed by demons, he also wouldn't have joined the Demon Slayer Corps and embarked on the path of Demon Slayer.
Not only was his Demon Slayer Mark inborn, but he also understood and awakened the Transparent World and the Selfless State from childhood. Moreover, he grasped the principles of the breathing style so naturally that he had never deliberately created or pursued them.
In the end, due to various twists of fate, he became a swordsman feared even by Muzan and seen by others as powerful as a god.
Yoriichi also had never even considered passing down Sun Breathing.
He believed that whether it was him or anyone else, they were just small characters in the long history of humanity, not as great as people thought. Even if he didn't deliberately pass it on, someone would eventually reach the same level as him.
—Those who master their trade all arrive at the same place.
It was a phrase Yoriichi often spoke before his death, meaning that all those who reached the pinnacle would ultimately arrive at the same endpoint.
With this in mind, Yoriichi believed that regardless of how future eras might change or the myriad paths taken along the way, they would all still end up at the same destination.
For this reason, there was no need for excessive worry—one could simply go with the flow and await the day when life would come to a close.
All of this was Yoriichi's perspective on life.
With such a perspective, even if no one else could master his Sun Breathing, Yoriichi never worried about the potential loss of his breathing style. Even if it were lost, it wouldn't matter to him since he didn't consider his Sun Breathing particularly great in the first place.
In other words, with such an attitude, Yoriichi logically shouldn't have reappeared centuries later in Riezel's dream, suddenly imparting his Sun Breathing to him and interfering in the world of the living.
However, when Tanjirou encountered Riezel on the Mugen Train, and Riezel demonstrated frightening talent and potential, particularly after noticing Riezel had almost learned Kyoujurou's breathing style, Yoriichi eventually stepped in and entered Riezel's dream.
"I am a useless man."
Yoriichi lowered his gaze, his eyes seemed to be in a daze.
"In my life, I failed to protect everything I cherished and couldn't fulfill my duties as a human being. Even though I was born strong, possibly to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan, I messed up at the most crucial moment."
"If I had slain him back then, the tragedies of the next few centuries wouldn't have happened. My elder brother wouldn't have turned into a demon, Master wouldn't have died, and all those who knew Sun Breathing wouldn't have been killed because of my failure."
"Everyone said I'm powerful, even revering me like a god, but I couldn't even accomplish the one thing that absolutely had to be done..."
"Someone like me, who is useless in every way, doesn't deserve to be mourned by future generations."
Yoriichi's only and greatest regret during his lifetime was not being able to kill Muzan.
As a result, when he saw Riezel, he finally decided not to stand idly by, not to go with the flow, and not to just let things happen naturally anymore.
In short, he decided to take a bet.
Needless to say, the reason he appeared in Riezel's dream and demonstrated Sun Breathing to him was for this purpose.
In the end, his bet was right.
Yoriichi tilted his head slightly toward Riezel.
"You are someone more competent than I am. You've fulfilled the trust to carry out my decision, even when I had given up on myself."
"I'm glad I entrusted everything to you back then."
"So before I leave, I want to thank you, no matter what."
After hearing Yoriichi's words, Riezel nodded slowly.
"So... are you leaving now?"
"Yes." Yoriichi replied with a faint smile on his composed face. "Now that my regret and obsession, which kept me lingering in this world for centuries, have vanished, it's time for me to move on."
In this world, although souls could linger and spectate the living, speaking in dreams was all they could do. After all, the dead should not continue to linger but should instead enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Now that Yoriichi's regret and obsession had disappeared, he was ready for the next phase of his life.
If it weren't for wanting to thank and bid farewell to Riezel, Yoriichi might have left long ago.
"Is that so?"
Riezel pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked something surprising.
"Before you leave, could you help me with something?"
Such a sudden request took Yoriichi aback.
"My help?" Yoriichi replied, somewhat troubled. "While I'd like to agree outright, I've been dead for many years. What help could I possibly offer you?"
Upon hearing this, Riezel smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, it's a simple one, and we can do it right here."
With that, Riezel extended his hand, and soon enough, Hermit materialized in his palm.
"Could you spar with me, just this once?"
Gripping the hilt of Hermit, Riezel asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
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