[Group Leader Ren Asakura requests entry into Yoriichi Tsugikuni's world.]
Demon Slayer World
Inside a quiet dojo, a man sat calmly.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
His expression was neither joyful nor sorrowful. A long sword rested at his waist.
Yoriichi was someone who appeared cold on the outside but had warmth deep within. He wasn't good at expressing emotions.
But in front of the socially adept Ren Asakura, his cold demeanor didn't stand a chance.
The moment the portal opened, Ren Asakura stepped out.
"Long time no see, Yoriichi-san."
Yoriichi gave a small nod.
"It has been a while, Group Leader. Have you been well?"
Ren Asakura grinned and casually threw an arm around Yoriichi's shoulders. "Of course! I had a great time in the Naruto world."
Yoriichi continued, his voice steady. "About what we discussed in the chat..."
Ren Asakura patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, you know who I am! Something this simple? Consider it done!"
There was a rare trace of emotion in Yoriichi's eyes—deep sorrow mixed with anticipation. He was about to see his wife and child again.
He still vividly remembered her face.
"Uta..."
That was his wife's name.
"Alright, let's go!"
With a snap of Ren Asakura's fingers, the two instantly arrived in the underworld.
—
This was the land of departed souls.
Here, those who longed for each other after death would reunite.
This was where heaven and hell split apart.
The moment Yoriichi stepped in, he saw the person he had been longing for.
"Uta!"
A woman stood there, holding a child in her arms. She was dressed simply, and her eyes—shining like black onyx—glistened as she blinked.
"Yoriichi?"
Seeing his wife and child again, Yoriichi felt a bitter ache in his heart.
"How have you been?"
Years of separation, unspoken words, and endless longing filled their gazes.
Ren Asakura decided to take the hint and give them some privacy.
They deserved their moment together.
As for him? He wandered off to explore the underworld.
—
He wondered if that bastard Muzan was still here.
He wondered if any of the demons still lingered.
Back then, he had brought over three suns from another galaxy, effectively wiping out all demons.
But here, in the land of the dead, many spirits still roamed.
Some were waiting for their loved ones before moving on.
Some, clinging to unfinished business, lingered until their regrets faded.
After that, they would either ascend to heaven or fall into hell.
And Muzan, along with most of his demons, was undoubtedly destined for the latter.
Maybe it was fate.
Ren Asakura actually found Muzan—and his lackeys.
There was no fighting in this realm.
But the demons' fear of their master was ingrained in their very being.
At that moment, a large group of demons knelt before Muzan Kibutsuji.
"You useless failures… all of you!" Muzan bellowed, his voice filled with rage. "I gave you my blood, I fed you for so many years, and all I asked for was a single Blue Spider Lily! And yet, century after century, you still couldn't find it! Even if you were pigs, you should've scoured the entire country by now!"
The demons trembled under his fury.
The Twelve Kizuki knelt at the front.
"If you had just found the Blue Spider Lily, I could have conquered the sun. We could have conquered the sun! We could have survived that damned triple sunrise! But no—you all failed me. A bunch of pathetic, useless creatures!"
The rest of the demons quivered in silence.
They were moments away from descending into hell.
And yet, even now, Muzan was still manipulating them, still berating them.
He didn't even know the cruelest truth—
The Blue Spider Lily only bloomed during the day.
And it was incredibly rare.
In the future, it even went extinct.
Ren Asakura enjoyed watching the drama unfold—especially when Muzan kept squeezing every last bit out of his subordinates.
"Lord Muzan, we've really searched everywhere we possibly could, but we've never seen a Blue Spider Lily. Are you sure it even exists?"
One of the Upper Moons cautiously spoke up.
The moment Muzan heard his subordinate questioning him, he exploded in rage.
"Shut up! Are you doubting me?! The truth is, you're all useless! Pathetic! We had eternal life, yet those weaklings from the Demon Slayer Corps managed to kill me? Other than Yoriichi, who else could have done it?! And you, Upper Moons, always boasting about how powerful you are—yet in that battle, not a single Demon Slayer was taken down! Useless! All of you!"
All the demons knelt on the ground—except for one.
Kokushibo, formerly Michikatsu Tsugikuni.
Dressed in his samurai attire, his six eyes stared into the distant darkness.
He, too, would likely fall into hell.
But before that happened, there was one thing he wished to do.
To apologize.
To his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
His regrets would keep him waiting here, unable to move on.
After that final battle, Kokushibo finally understood how much of a failure his life had been.
His jealousy in youth.
His betrayal of his lord and comrades.
His descent into becoming a demon—an ugly existence.
And 60 years later, when he reunited with his brother…
Even after everything, Yoriichi still called him brother.
Now, looking back, he finally realized—
It had always been his fault.
So before he descended into hell, he hoped to see Yoriichi one last time.
And say, "I'm sorry."
Even if it was too late.
Even if forgiveness was out of reach.
Ren Asakura suddenly appeared beside Kokushibo, holding a bucket of popcorn.
"Hey, man. What are you looking at?"
Kokushibo didn't recognize Ren Asakura and assumed he was just another wandering spirit.
Souls without lingering attachments would quickly reincarnate.
When Kokushibo remained silent, Ren Asakura smirked mischievously.
"Missing your little brother, huh?"
Kokushibo's pupils shrank. He turned, staring at Ren Asakura.
"Who are you? Have you seen my brother? Where is he?"
Before his death, Kokushibo had seen Yoriichi—his once-powerful younger brother, now an old man with snow-white hair.
Even if he had been strong, he couldn't have lived much longer.
So Yoriichi was likely dead by now.
Ren Asakura's eyes gleamed playfully. "Yoriichi Tsugikuni, right?"
Kokushibo's composed demeanor finally cracked, though his expression darkened.
"So… he really is dead, then? A human's lifespan limited his potential… If only he had become a demon—" He suddenly stopped himself. "No… what am I thinking?"
He took a deep breath.
"Please… tell me where my brother is."
Kokushibo bowed slightly.
Once, he had been proud and arrogant.
But in death, he realized—
All life was equal.
Ren Asakura lifted his hand and pointed into the distance, toward the endless darkness.
"Your longing will lead you to the one you seek. But right now, Yoriichi is still with his wife and child. Even though you're his brother, I hope you'll wait a little—"
But Kokushibo didn't hear the rest.
He was already walking forward.
A gut feeling told him that Yoriichi was just ahead.
And if he missed this chance, he would miss it forever.
Ren Asakura sighed and followed along.
Sure, he could break the boundary between life and death, bringing the dead back to the living.
But doing that too often would disrupt the balance of the world.
One person revived—one world destroyed.
Now that would be truly ridiculous.
°°°
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