She had no parents, no siblings, so there was no one she could rely on.
The first time I met her, she was beaten so badly that her original appearance was unrecognizable, which shows how ruthless her husband and mother-in-law were.
Douma said to Inosuke while spinning the wild boar headgear in his hand. Inosuke stopped in his tracks upon hearing him. He felt as if some memory fragments from deep within his mind were surfacing, and a faint figure vaguely appeared in his mind.
At that time, one of her eyes was already blind from the beating, but her appearance had returned to normal after healing. That beautiful face left a deep impression on me.
And that face was exactly like yours, just more delicate, and her expression was softer.
Hmm, there's no mistake. This person should be your mother.
Douma nodded in self-affirmation, looking at Inosuke in front of him. The image of Kotoha appeared in his mind; that face was identical to Inosuke's.
Although a faint figure surfaced in his mind, it was too blurry for Inosuke to distinguish. His earliest and most vivid memory was still of the wild boar that raised him.
I don't have a mother! The wild boar raised me! So it has nothing to do with me!
Inosuke shouted loudly at Douma. He currently had no impression of his birth mother, or more accurately, he hadn't recalled it yet.
The fierce battle on Mount Natagumo that day, which almost cost him his life, brought back a fleeting memory from his infancy, but as he regained consciousness, that memory gradually blurred.
Hearing Inosuke's words, Douma felt a bit speechless at the child's foolishness. He opened his iron fan and asked Inosuke, "Did the wild boar give birth to you? Since you're human, you must have come from a mother's womb, right?
Also, it's not good to launch a sneak attack while someone else is speaking.
With that, Douma looked to his side. The tip of Giyuu's Nichirin Sword showed a dragon head formed by flowing water. The dragon head seemed to let out a loud roar, and the winding streams of water left in the air resembled the body of a giant dragon.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
The Constant Flux, having spun more than ten times consecutively, already possessed formidable power. The Water Dragon, carrying immense force, charged towards Douma.
Blood Demon Art: Wintry Icicles, Lotus Bodhisattva.
The move previously used to block Musashi's attack was unleashed again. Although its power seemed slightly diminished, it was still a colossal entity for Giyuu and the others.
It seems you not only like to slander others but also lack martial virtue.
Douma looked at Giyuu, showing an annoyed expression, and said to him.
The Water Dragon crashed into the giant Bodhisattva ice figure, almost severing its waist. However, at this moment, the Bodhisattva ice figure's massive hand had already swung down, and its ice-crystal-laden hand-blade was about to strike his body.
Giyuu instantly vanished, then rolled backward to dodge the giant ice figure's hand-blade. This series of actions made Giyuu seem somewhat fatigued, especially with the fine ice crystals permeating the air constantly invading his body.
Give me my stuff... back!
At this moment, Inosuke rushed forward with his twin blades, attempting to snatch back his headgear.
Upon seeing this situation, Giyuu disregarded his stamina and charged towards Douma once more.
At least wait for someone to finish speaking. You Demon Slayers are really impolite.
Dodging Inosuke's attack by turning sideways, Douma's iron fan nearly grazed Inosuke's stomach, but his attack was blocked by Giyuu.
However, at this moment, the giant Ice Bodhisattva had not been completely destroyed, or rather, it was only slightly damaged. After a part of its body was cut off by Giyuu's attack, the Ice Bodhisattva lost its balance and tilted to one side. At the same time, it spewed ice crystals from its mouth, attacking Giyuu and Inosuke.
Giyuu, who had just blocked Douma's attack, found it difficult to dodge at this moment. His shoulder was affected by the ice crystals and became covered in a layer of solid ice.
Inosuke had also reacted by now, pulling Giyuu back quickly, thus avoiding being affected by the subsequent attacks.
Half-and-Half Haori! Are you alright?
Inosuke asked Giyuu with concern. Giyuu shook his head in response, stood up, and slightly moved his frozen shoulder, but the pain made him let out a muffled groan.
He switched his Nichirin Sword to his other hand. Although this would reduce the power of his sword techniques, his other arm could not be used freely for a short time. And Giyuu had already saved two people within this short period.
Actually, at that time, I never had the thought of eating your mother.
After all, having someone with a kind heart by your side is quite refreshing.
It's just a pity, your mother was a bit foolish. But she was truly beautiful, and she sang very well.
She often held you and sang, but she never sang lullabies. Instead, she repeatedly hummed that phrase, "Pinky promise, a hundred years, no changing."
After forcing Giyuu and Inosuke back, Douma once again happily spoke to Inosuke about his mother, Kotoha.
Inosuke, who originally had no impression, now heard a gentle and melodious voice in his mind.
...
Pinky promise, a hundred years, no changing.
Mommy promised you that until you grow up, even if she's alone, she will protect you well.
I'm sorry, Inosuke...
Mommy knows this will make you feel lonely. Mommy will protect you for daddy's sake too.
Even if it costs her life... Mommy will definitely... protect Inosuke...
...
Sweat beads continuously emerged from Inosuke's body. Along with this gentle voice, a blurred face appeared in his mind.
As the voice became clearer and clearer, that face also became more distinct, finally revealing itself completely.
It was an extremely beautiful woman, her face almost identical to Inosuke's, with long black hair and gentle eyes full of love. She gazed with those loving eyes, and Inosuke knew that her gaze was focused on him...
Mom...
For some reason, Inosuke, who had always been incredibly strong and only shed tears when Kyojuro sacrificed his life to protect them and he himself was severely injured and near death, now felt as if tears were about to flow from his eyes.
And the pinky promise song she sang, the lyrics were different every time.
She even once sang it and it turned into a raccoon dog song. You can't imagine how cute it was.
Douma still smiled as he talked to Inosuke about Kotoha.
I originally planned to keep her by my side until she died of old age...
But even though your mother, Kotoha, wasn't very bright, her senses were incredibly sharp...
She soon discovered that I was eating my followers...
No matter how I explained, she couldn't understand my good deeds.
She cursed at me, saying I had been deceiving everyone, and then she ran out of the temple I founded, holding you...