Chapter 22: The Death of the Flame Pillar
Just a moment later, an uninvited guest intruded upon the harmonious scene.
Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, who was on a mission nearby, received an order from the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan to kill the Demon Slayer Corps members.
An invisible oppressive aura swept over.
Kyojuro Rengoku sensed the opponent immediately.
Then, a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.
However, the strength of Upper Rank Three was beyond imagination, and within a short period, he severely wounded Kyojuro Rengoku.
The death of Enmu, the Lower Rank One, at Tanjiro's hands had led readers to underestimate the strength of the Twelve Kizuki.
But now it seemed there was a world of difference between the Lower Ranks and Upper Ranks; no wonder the scumbag boss so easily discarded the Lower Ranks during the Infinity Castle's downsizing!
"Could it be that…"
"Really?!"
"No way?"
Upon reading this, most readers had a very ominous premonition.
Such severe injuries would, of course, be nothing to a demon, but on a human, they would be absolutely fatal.
Normally, such a main character shouldn't die here, but the tragic atmosphere the author was building clearly indicated he was going to do the opposite!
"Ahhh, what exactly is Chihiro writing?! He actually dares to kill such an important character! He was so well-developed, couldn't he have continued to gain fans?
Eriri clutched the book tightly in her hands, muttering incessantly, her heart hanging in suspense.
She nervously flipped to the next page.
Her ominous premonition came true!
Facing the invitation from Akaza, Upper Rank Three, Kyojuro Rengoku, with the pride of being human, adamantly refused. Even with his body at its limit, he had to fulfill his responsibility and slay the demon before him!
Kyojuro Rengoku knew that Akaza was difficult to kill, so he wanted to force him to reveal a weakness by causing widespread damage, thereby creating an opportunity to decapitate him.
This one strike would be unleashed without reservation, without fear for his own survival!
Ignite your heart, surpass your limits!
"Flame Breathing. Secret Art… Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
He unleashed his ultimate move, transforming into a flaming dragon, charging towards Akaza.
However, this all-out attack led to a cruel ending.
Kyojuro Rengoku was punched through the chest by Akaza.
This result shocked not only Tanjiro, who was watching, but also the readers.
"He really died?"
Eriri's expression was blank, her hands loosened, and the book lay open on her quilt.
She truly hadn't expected such a result in the end.
There had been deaths before, but they were mostly background characters or unimportant figures who weren't described in detail.
Compared to a character like the Flame Pillar, who was set as the highest rank in the Demon Slayer Corps and clearly an important character, the impact of his death was on a completely different level.
Although Kyojuro Rengoku saved everyone…
Although Tanjiro left Akaza with humiliation…
Although…
But he ultimately died.
Eriri finally understood why the cover only featured the Flame Pillar alone. It was a death cover all along!
She took a deep breath, poured herself a glass of plain water, and gradually let go of the emotion called sadness in her heart. Then, a flame called anger ignited within her.
The next morning.
At the Izumi home's entrance, Izumi Chihiro was caught red-handed by Eriri.
"You, Chihiro, you really dared to do it! How could a righteous character like Flame Pillar Ni-san just die? Your heart is too dark! It seems I misjudged you before, you despicable guy!"
Her twin tails swayed in the air as the golden-haired tsundere girl quickly closed the distance between them, then grabbed his collar, her tone unfriendly.
"Eriri, don't blame me. This is just plot arrangement, you don't have to be so angry, do you?"
Izumi Chihiro tried his best to remain calm.
"Bastard! You still dare to say it's plot arrangement? Can't you change it if you want to? So this is your problem!"
Eriri kicked his leg with her stocking-clad calf, expressing her displeasure.
Fierce, passionate, obsessive, and fanatical—this was Eriri's truest side.
Facing Eriri's unreasonable side, he could only sigh deeply in the end, spreading his hands and saying, "This is the consequence of an author who reveals his real name being tracked down by readers!"
"Don't give me that! Playing innocent won't work either! A guy like you will definitely get knives thrown at him. I'm telling you, Chihiro, it's still not too late to stop now, otherwise… Hmph hmph!"
Eriri's gaze was warning.
"It's already written, changing it now is useless… And Eriri, you should understand, as a creator, sometimes you can't compromise. You must have your own understanding."
Izumi Chihiro's eyes met hers.
"If you don't listen to my advice, you'll get what's coming to you sooner or later!"
Eriri's eyes darted away for a moment, then she pouted.
"Hmph, I'm leaving first!"
She stomped her foot guiltily and walked towards the fork in the road below.
At this moment, Sagiri also walked out, carrying her school bag.
"Why does no one understand me?"
He sighed.
"Ni-san is indeed correct."
Sagiri stopped, turned around, and said.
"Sure enough, Sagiri understands me…"
He instantly broke into a smile.
"But… Ni-san is an idiot!"
Sagiri immediately followed up, then quickened her pace and left.
"Pfft."
Izumi Chihiro almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
He didn't expect to fall to such a level of disowning even his family today!
Of course, the two of them were just venting their emotions a little, which was understandable. Once the storm passed, everyone would return to normal.
He thought so.
…
Compared to the two who knew 'Izumi Masamune's' identity, ordinary readers or even more dedicated fans only had online platforms or fan letters to express their opinions.
From yesterday to today, the pre-order page for Volume 2 of demon slayer suddenly saw a surge of comments, showing extreme enthusiasm. The number of comments even exceeded works with several times its sales.
["Wuwah, something is indeed wrong! I should have realized it from Volume 1! I didn't expect such a blow to come. Everyone, read with caution! I cried my heart out!"]
["I underestimated you! I didn't expect you to be so ruthless! It's been a long time since the light novel industry has seen something like this… It's one thing for people to die, that's not really twisting the Sword , but why did you describe it so tragically?!"]
["Honestly, it's worth reading… While the plot so far is cliché, I really like the author's writing style. I hope the author continues to do well."]
["It's okay everyone, only Flame Pillar, a heavyweight character, has died so far! Think, there are still many people who haven't died yet!"]
["The angle of the person upstairs is surprising…"
"You won't keep twisting the Sword later, will you?"]
["Warning Izumi, don't be ungrateful, pay attention to the intensity of your writing!"]
["Hearing you all talk like this, I'm getting another bad feeling…"]