In the next moment, Douma's head was about to be cut off. Having never experienced such a thing, he wasn't sure what emotions he should be feeling, but the blades of the Demon Slayer Corps members wouldn't stop. Inosuke and Tengen's twin swords simultaneously pierced through Douma's neck, and his head fell to the ground…
…Meanwhile, Akaza, who had been severely wounded by Musashi earlier, could no longer hold on under the encirclement of four Hashiras and Zenitsu.
Under the combined assault of the five, Kyojuro's crimson Nichirin Sword finally sliced through Akaza's neck.
"I… have I been defeated…?"
A feeling of unwillingness to fail surged from the bottom of Komaji's heart, but even though his head was separated from his body, his body did not begin to disintegrate.
"No! I haven't lost yet! I can still fight! I must become stronger! Stronger than anyone in the world…!"
"The injuries on my body are nothing. As long as I'm alive, I can continue to fight, continue to get stronger!"
A strong obsession surged into his heart. Even though the wounds on his body had not yet healed, and even though his head had been cut off, he still did not fall. Instead, he once again assumed a stance, and a snowflake-shaped technique unfolded from beneath his feet. Kyojuro and the others around him were all startled at that moment.
"Be careful! The battle isn't over yet!"
Kyojuro, who felt it first, loudly warned the others.
A fist shot towards Kyojuro's chest. Kyojuro, who had just used his sword to cut off Akaza's head, didn't have time to block. However, just as he thought he was about to take the full force of the punch, Akaza's fist suddenly paused.
…
"Please stop, Komaji-gege…"
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in Akaza's ear. At the same time, the figure of a beautiful woman appeared in a patch of darkness, pulling his arm. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she wore three snowflake-shaped hair ornaments, identical in shape to the technique unfolding beneath Akaza's feet.
At this moment, the outside world seemed to freeze.
Akaza didn't recognize the woman, but instinctively, he didn't want to hurt her or shake off her hand.
"Let go, let go quickly! Who are you?"
"Please stop, Komaji-gege… Let's go on our way together…"
"No, I must kill them with my own hands!"
"Why?"
"Because I must become stronger. Those who dare to stand in my way will be annihilated!"
"Why are you so obsessed with becoming stronger?"
"Because… if I don't find a way to become stronger, I won't be able to get the medicine for treating illnesses… to… Dad…"
Akaza felt very strange. He had clearly never thought about this question, but when asked, an answer immediately came to his mind.
If he didn't find a way to become stronger, he wouldn't be able to escape pursuit with the stolen wallet.
If he didn't find a way to become stronger, he wouldn't be able to fight back when being disciplined by others.
If he didn't find a way to become stronger, he would be caught by the government officials and taken to the yamen for severe torture.
Past memories gradually resurfaced: his bedridden father, the child who stole to buy medicine for his father, the severe punishment he endured after being caught, the origin of the three tattoos on his arm, and… his father's eventual suicide…
"You must live well. You still have time to turn back.
Dad doesn't want to prolong his life with money obtained from stolen goods.
It's all Dad's fault, Dad is sorry for you…"
If he could, he wouldn't want to steal, but the money earned from work in that era was simply not enough to buy those medicines…
Even if he received a hundred heavy blows that would knock out an adult, even if he was whipped, even if he was beaten to the point of broken bones, he didn't care. All he wanted was for his father to live…
After that, he was exiled from his hometown. Memories flowed, and after he furiously beat down seven adults bare-handed in the local area, he met a middle-aged man who approached him.
The middle-aged man easily defeated him, took him back to his dojo, and told him his name was Keizou.
Keizou asked him to take care of his severely ill daughter, Koyuki.
He saw Koyuki, lying in bed like his father, sweating profusely, constantly coughing…
A boring past…
I will definitely cure you, save you, protect you. My boring life was completely made up of a bunch of incoherent nonsense…
All promises turned into lies, empty words…
…
Why do people with serious illnesses always apologize?
Sorry, I've taken up a lot of your time…
Sorry, my coughing must be annoying…
Sorry, this body can't do even a little work…
They must also want to take care of themselves, to be like normal people.
The most painful ones are clearly themselves…
Having experience caring for his severely ill father, he took very good care of Koyuki. For various reasons, he was not averse to this work.
Koyuki, like his father, always said sorry, but she would also often cry while talking.
Although he knew being bedridden was very difficult, seeing such situations always made his heart heavy.
His life settled down there, caring for Koyuki and learning martial arts from Master Keizou.
This period of time calmed his heart and was a very precious part of his memory.
Until one day, Master Keizou called him over and said something to him.
"Komaji, are you willing to inherit this dojo and marry Koyuki? Koyuki has already told me she favors you."
At this time, Koyuki sat beside Keizou, blushing and looking extremely nervous with her head down, and he was much the same after hearing these words.
Bearing six criminal tattoos, he had never properly envisioned his future, let alone dared to dream that a girl would fall in love with someone like him…
He recalled his father's dying wish, telling him to start anew.
Could it be… could I really live a normal life as my father said?
Such thoughts grew in his heart, and a small expectation swelled wildly…
"I will protect this dojo and Koyuki with my life!"
He made a promise in front of Keizou, and a few days later, he carried Koyuki to see the fireworks she had always looked forward to.
Under the night sky filled with fireworks, feeling a bit unreal, he confirmed with Koyuki one more time, and finally received an affirmative answer. This time he was sure it wasn't a dream. That moment was the brightest time in his tragic life. His world, like countless fireworks rising and blooming, was completely illuminated.
"Komaji-gege, will you marry me?"
"Yes, I will become stronger than anyone and protect you by my side forever."
…
The brilliant fireworks eventually came to an end, and his world once again became pitch black.
His father, who was like a faint but long-lasting candle flame providing him solace, disappeared. Koyuki and Master Keizou, who were like brilliant and beautiful fireworks, allowing him to start anew, eventually met with misfortune…
Being in the darkness, he knew the preciousness of light. He desperately wanted to protect those who illuminated his entire world, but in the end, it was all in vain…
"Someone poisoned the well! They knew very well that directly confronting you and Mr. Keizou wouldn't work! So they resorted to dirty tricks! The scene was simply… unbearable… Even Koyuki… was poisoned to death…"