Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
Everyone surrounded the ten victorious Hashiras and the other five swordsmen, walking into the Headquarters with laughter and joy, when suddenly, a Kakushi rushed over, her panic and sorrow visible even in her exposed eyes.
"It's bad! Master Ubuyashiki… He's almost… gone…
He said to let all the Hashiras… attend the last Hashira Meeting…"
The Kakushi called out to everyone with a slight choke in her voice, and her words made everyone stop.
The noisy sounds instantly disappeared, and the Hashiras' faces were filled with disbelief.
How could this be… It's already come to this point…
Musashi immediately pushed through the crowd and ran towards the Ubuyashiki Estate, his heart filled with sorrow.
The other Hashiras were also shocked by the news and likewise broke free from the crowd, running towards the Ubuyashiki Estate…
Inside the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kagaya lay quietly on the couch, with a good deal of bloodstains still on the carpet beside him.
His children and Amane knelt by his side.
Even though they had long anticipated this day, their eyes were still filled with tears, and the entire room was overflowing with sadness.
The door to the room was open, and Musashi was the first to arrive.
"Master Ubuyashiki…"
Looking at Kagaya, whose chest barely rose and fell on the couch, the joy brought by defeating Muzan was completely replaced by sorrow.
He slowly walked forward and knelt on one knee before Kagaya.
…
"Every Demon Slayer Corps member carries a lot of pain in their heart.
Those who join the Demon Slayer Corps are all good children, kind and gentle.
But precisely because of this, the pain of others makes them empathize, and some unavoidable things make them feel immensely guilty.
Kind people are always more easily hurt.
You, like Kyojuro, are someone who always thinks of others.
I already know the details of your mission from your Kasugai Crow, so you must be feeling bad, aren't you?"
…
The scene of Master Ubuyashiki comforting him in the past was still clear in his mind.
At that time, Master Ubuyashiki's physical condition was still good, and his words were strong.
In the blink of an eye, Muzan had been defeated, but Master Ubuyashiki had become like this…
"Don't show such sadness… Musashi…
Last night, we eliminated Muzan… Today should be a day of celebration… I have no regrets dying now that I've witnessed this day's arrival…"
Kagaya spoke weakly to Musashi.
Even though he couldn't see, he could feel Musashi's sorrowful emotions.
"I was able to witness all of this thanks to you… If you hadn't given me such hope back then, I might not have been able to hold on until this day arrived… After all, the doctor told me a long time ago that I wouldn't live much longer…
Thank you… Musashi…"
Kagaya continued to speak to Musashi, his tone still gentle, without any fear of death, expressing his gratitude to Musashi.
"Master Ubuyashiki's illness… Is there no other way?"
Musashi looked at Amane beside Master Ubuyashiki with a last glimmer of hope, and Amane shook her head at him.
At this moment, the other nine Hashiras also arrived, and seeing the situation, their joy from defeating Muzan vanished.
Kagaya also sensed their arrival at this moment.
He felt a slight regret because of the Hashiras' current emotions, thinking that Kiriya should have presided over the last meeting, and he shouldn't have informed the others about his condition yet, letting everyone enjoy these few days happily first.
However, he also truly wanted to see everyone one last time and express his gratitude to them in person.
"Thank you for coming all this way… My children… This is the last Hashira Meeting…"
Although there was a slight contradiction in his heart, the Hashiras had already arrived, so he had no choice but to proceed.
"Musashi, Gyoumei, Sanemi, Muichiro, Kyojuro, Giyuu, Tengen, Obanai, Mitsuri, Shinobu… Just last night… we successfully annihilated the demons and eliminated Muzan… The purpose for which the Demon Slayer Corps was established has been achieved…
I announce that the Demon Slayer Corps is officially disbanded today."
Kagaya announced to everyone, his voice rising slightly at this moment.
"Yes, Master Ubuyashiki…"
Although the Hashiras were sad, they still responded in unison to Master Ubuyashiki.
They had foreseen this; with the demons vanquished, it was only natural for the Demon Slayer Corps to disband, as this organization was formed specifically to eliminate demons.
"Muichiro, I had someone draw a map of the route to your home.
You can go back and see if you can recover some of your memories.
If you want to know some of the things we know, Amane will tell you later."
After announcing the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya first spoke to Muichiro.
He felt that his time was running out and wanted to do one last thing for these Hashiras who had made great sacrifices to eliminate demons, as a final gift.
At the same time, he had already instructed Kiriya to distribute the assets of the Ubuyashiki family to them.
Originally, Hashiras could take as much salary as they wanted, but they almost never took much; the money they received each month was even less than the fixed salary of ordinary swordsmen.
Now that the Demon Slayer Corps was disbanded, Kagaya felt that at least their rightful salaries should be given to them.
After Kagaya finished speaking, Amane took out a map and handed it to Muichiro.
"Thank you, Master Ubuyashiki…"
Muichiro took the map.
Lacking emotion due to amnesia, he felt sadness at this moment.
At this moment, a scene appeared in his mind: in a small wooden house, a child covered in blood lay on the floor.
The child looked almost identical to him, crying as if saying something to him, but he couldn't hear it, only feeling that his emotions at that time were similar to now.
The scene flashed by, and when Muichiro tried to recall it again, he couldn't.
"Kyojuro, I also know about Shinjuro.
Now that the demons have been eliminated and Muzan has been slain, perhaps telling him this news can help him recover.
I wish you both harmony and happiness."
Kagaya then said to Kyojuro.
"Obanai, the sins committed by your clan should not be placed solely on your shoulders.
That wasn't your doing; you were even a victim, so don't always think you carry a sinful bloodline…
…"
Kagaya gave advice or blessings to each Hashira in turn.
When he finished speaking, the more emotional Mitsuri was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Although the other Hashiras didn't cry out loud, most were moved to tears.
By this time, Kagaya had little strength left.
He spoke one last sentence to all the Hashiras.
"Our Ubuyashiki family… expresses its most sincere gratitude to all of you… for dedicating your lives… to fighting demons for humanity… with utmost devotion… throughout these long years…"
After saying these words, Kagaya, lying on the couch, fell silent.
His chest, which had been weakly rising and falling, was now still.
Under the Transparent World, Musashi even saw that his heart had stopped beating, but a smile was still on his face.
"Master Ubuyashiki…"
Musashi's voice choked up.
The other Hashiras also realized what had happened.
They knelt before Kagaya and bowed deeply to him, as the sound of tears continuously dripping onto the floor, accompanied by sobs, filled the room.
Just as Musashi had just looked up, he suddenly noticed that the Demon marks on Master Ubuyashiki's body were beginning to fade, and a glimmer of hope immediately ignited in Musashi's heart.
"The Demon marks on Master Ubuyashiki's body are starting to disappear! Quickly, call a doctor!"
Musashi shouted.
Just as his words fell, less than half of the Demon marks on Master Ubuyashiki's body had already faded, and the others in the room also noticed this situation.
Kochou Shinobu, though willing to help, did not understand Master Ubuyashiki's condition and feared an accident if she treated him rashly at this moment.
Upon discovering this situation, a glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's hearts, and someone immediately ran out to call the doctor.
In this short interim, the Demon marks on Kagaya's body had almost completely faded, and Musashi also noticed that Master Ubuyashiki's heart was beating again, faintly, but continuously, though he still hadn't woken up.
"Master Ubuyashiki's heartbeat has returned!"
Musashi immediately announced the situation to everyone after discovering it.
At this moment, his own heartbeat also gradually accelerated with Kagaya's heartbeats; the thumping sound could be clearly heard.
The doctor who arrived at this moment was shocked when he saw Kagaya's condition.
He had concluded half a year ago that Kagaya had only a few days to live.
However, not only had he lived until now, but his condition also seemed to have improved.
Seeing this, he immediately knelt beside Kagaya and began to examine him.
The more he examined, the more astonished he became: Kagaya's body was rapidly improving.
"A miracle! A miracle!
To witness such a thing in my lifetime, I haven't lived in vain!"
The old doctor exclaimed in shock.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would hardly believe what was happening before him.
The Demon marks on Kagaya's body had now completely disappeared.
Perhaps because he had felt he wouldn't make it through today, he had removed the bandages from his body.
Now, with the marks gone, his handsome, elegant, and gentle face was revealed to everyone.
"Doctor, how is Master Ubuyashiki now?"
Musashi couldn't help but ask the doctor.
Although it seemed to him that Master Ubuyashiki's body was getting better and better, since he wasn't a doctor, he dared not make a definitive judgment.
The others in the room also waited nervously and expectantly for the old doctor's reply.
"What… what happened to me…"
Before the old doctor could answer, Kagaya spoke.
He opened his eyes and saw clear images he hadn't seen in a long time.
At this moment, he was still a bit dazed.
The lightness of his body now made him somewhat disbelieving; the pain that had accompanied him had all disappeared.
Having been lying on the couch for half a year, he felt he could easily stand up now.
Upon hearing Master Ubuyashiki's voice again, everyone could no longer hold back; they all wept tears of joy.
The Demon… had been lifted!