After he finished speaking, the white light began to slowly fade, drawn back into Masaru's form.
As if unaware that his body was dissipating, Black Fang stood blankly, staring ahead.
"Nanako… I'm sorry. You must have been looking for me for a long time."
"I'm sorry… I forgot about you…"
Kawanishi was silent for a moment, facing the ghost who had once severed his head and fought him so ferociously.
He slowly exhaled a single word: "Alright."
The white light in his vision faded, and Kawanishi's consciousness returned to his body. He turned to look behind him.
There, beneath his blazing white wings, a second pair of wings had appeared—iron-rust colored. They were slightly shorter than the white ones but still long, with a wingspan of over two meters.
Kawanishi could sense that Black Fang's soul now resided in these wings.
He attempted to flap both pairs of wings, and though he was wobbly, he managed to lift into the air. This time, he reached the top of the cave.
But it didn't take long before he lost control again and nearly crashed back down. Still, Kawanishi felt that he was only a little bit away from truly mastering flight.
"Black Fang."
"I'll accept your power. And I promise—I will ask him your question myself."
"Kibutsuji Muzan, huh? You, Muzan, have no misery, yet you bring endless misery to others…"
"And also, Black Fang—can you tell me, what exactly are demons?"
Unfortunately, no one answered Kawanishi.
Right now, after Masaru had absorbed the black-red ashes that Black Fang had become, Kawanishi was filled to the brim with energy, his body bursting with vitality.
The gnawing hunger that had seemed like it would suck the marrow from his bones had completely vanished. The mangled corpse in the cave still exuded the scent of blood, but it no longer stirred any urges in Kawanishi.
After devouring Black Fang's body, Kawanishi felt like he wouldn't need to eat for a long time.
His physical state had finally reached its peak. Stamina, strength, agility… all had significantly improved.
But deep down, Kawanishi was unsettled.
Because he felt a deep sympathy for Black Fang—for this demon.
"What kind of creature is a demon, really?"
"Are they truly all twisted, evil, and beyond redemption?"
Previously, Kawanishi had believed that only he had mutated in such a way that he retained his human reason, that he alone could resist the urge to eat humans. He thought all other demons were irredeemably evil.
But now, that certainty was shaken. After seeing Black Fang's life, he couldn't help but feel sorrow for him.
"Does every demon have a sorrowful memory behind them?"
"Were they all like me, turned into demons only after suffering unbearable pain and losing those they loved most?"
"Is there a chance that demons can be pitied… or even saved?"
The blazing white wings and rust-colored wings dissolved into the air, leaving behind only two faint wing-shaped marks on the skin of Kawanishi's back.
Maintaining the Blood Demon Art really did take a toll on the mind.
With a heavy thud, Kawanishi collapsed onto the ground, ignoring the dust and rubble, lying flat on his back.
He silently stared at the uneven ceiling of the cave, unable to calm the chaotic thoughts in his heart.
...
The sun rise in the east and set in the west.
After this cycle repeated three times, a wild rat ventured into the pitch-black bear cave, lured by the scent of blood. It crept deeper and deeper, despite the oppressive aura that made it tremble.
It hadn't eaten in days. Even if this place terrified it, survival demanded risk. It had to find the source of the scent.
When it reached the depths of the cave, the rat squeaked with excitement—it had found a corpse that still retained much of its flesh. If it could just tear off a piece and escape quickly, it wouldn't have to starve.
But just as it rushed toward the body, it suddenly saw two glowing points ahead.
Then the world spun around as it was lifted by its tail.
Those two glowing points were Kawanishi's eyes, now full of life once more.
"Little one, eating people is not allowed."
"I'll let you go this time. Now scram."
Kawanishi had a habit of carrying food with him. He rummaged through his pocket and found a few sticky rice dumplings—only one of them hadn't been stained with blood.
He set the rat down and placed the clean dumpling in front of it, gesturing that it could take it.
The rat, surprisingly intelligent, trembled from Kawanishi's terrifying aura but still understood his kindness.
It bit down on the lotus leaf wrapping the dumpling, and quickly dragged the rice ball, nearly as big as itself, out of the cave.
But before disappearing into the forest, it paused at the cave's entrance, looked back, then darted into the trees and vanished into the night.
Kawanishi slowly stood up and stretched. The confusion on his face had disappeared.
After three days of contemplation, Kawanishi had come to an answer that, for now, satisfied him.
"Man-eating demons are never to be pitied, never to be forgiven."
"The one I pity… wasn't the demon called Black Fang, but the little boy who waited endlessly for his childhood friend to return."
"Once a demon eats a human, there's no going back. No matter the reason, all man-eating demons must be destroyed."
"Fate made me suffer and become a demon—but it also gave me these blazing white wings that can slay demons."
The goal of creating a demon-free world would never change.
In truth, Kawanishi felt a chill in his heart. He'd once thought about eating wicked people—eating the dead.
But now he understood: newborn demons might retain a shred of humanity, but once they consume human flesh, their demonic instincts will grow stronger and more uncontrollable.
Once they've eaten a person—regardless of whether that person was evil—there's no going back. Kawanishi would become a man-eating demon even he couldn't forgive.
"What was I thinking, wanting to eat people back then?"
It seemed that when he had just turned into a demon, although he still had a human heart, the demon instincts had already begun subtly corrupting his mind, trying to drag him into the abyss.
Thankfully, after using the Dance of the Fire God, the demonic instincts seemed to have been scorched away by the sun's fiery light, burned into nothingness.
Now, Kawanishi no longer needed to fear being twisted by his demonic nature into doing things against his true will.
Moreover, it felt as if some invisible chain inside his body had snapped and disappeared. Could it have been Muzan Kibutsuji's curse?
Better not test it recklessly.
Walking over to the broken corpse, Kawanishi knelt down and placed a hand over the small, terrified face. He gently smoothed it out, erasing the fear and pain, leaving behind a peaceful expression.
At that moment, the rust-colored wing marks on his back trembled slightly, as if in painful repentance and guilt.
Kawanishi whispered, "Don't feel guilty. None of this was your true intention. All the sorrow, all the misfortune… it all began with the first demon."
His voice echoed through the cave. No one replied.
Before long, Kawanishi gathered up the scattered limbs, then carried the more intact parts of the body out of the cave.
He buried the corpse in a flat clearing, then looked up at the clear, bright crescent moon and the star-filled sky.
Maybe, next year, beautiful and radiant flowers would bloom here.
Touching the ornament on his right ear, Kawanishi found himself deeply missing his family.
"They say that after people die, they turn into stars, watching their descendants from the night sky."
"Father… everyone… you're some of those stars too, aren't you? Watching me right now."
"I did it!"
"The Dance of the Fire God has cleansed my body and soul—it let me break free from the chains of being a demon."
"Now, I'm going to find Tanjiro. Please watch over me… please let him still be alive."
Now, Kawanishi was sure—he would never hurt Tanjiro.
And in this world overrun with demons, it was far too dangerous for an ordinary person like Tanjiro. Tanjiro needed his protection.
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:Thank you so much to everyone for reading and supporting the story! Special thanks to NEETboi, Indo_anime, and Lingtian47 for your another generous powerstones—your support truly keeps me going. I'm excited for what's coming next, and I hope you are too. Let's keep the journey alive together—cheer up and stay hyped for the next chapter! 😊🔥