Chapter Twenty-Seven: After the Tragedy…
『 RYON 』
Enjoy~~
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[Tokyo – Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High School]
The sun was annoyingly bright above the traditional school buildings, a complete contrast to the "darkness" Ren had left behind in his previous life.
Zenin Ren stood in the middle of the training field, wearing his modified school uniform. He brushed dust off his shoulder indifferently, while several meters in front of him stood Gojo Satoru with his usual provocative smile, the black blindfold covering the "Six Eyes."
"Ooooh! Excellent reaction!" Gojo clapped exaggeratedly, tilting his head.
"You dodged my 'Blue' at the very last moment. Not bad for a boy who lived isolated in the Zenin basement."
Ren sighed, feeling a slight headache. "You call launching a cursed technique that drags space itself and crushes bones an 'entrance exam,' Sensei? If I hadn't moved, my arm would be history by now."
Gojo laughed as he approached with light, dancing steps. "Don't be so dramatic, Ren-chan! I knew you'd dodge it. My outstanding student who shattered Geto's spine wouldn't fall to a mere little push."
"A little push…?"
Gojo's tone suddenly shifted from playful to serious. His voice dropped to a whisper only the two of them could hear, despite Maki watching from afar with boredom.
"But… that movement just now… it wasn't based on cursed energy alone, was it?" Gojo leaned closer, as if examining Ren's soul. "Your breathing pattern before moving… the oxygen flow in your muscles… it was like you were deliberately burning your lungs to boost your body's efficiency. Is that a secret technique?"
Ren froze for a moment. The Six Eyes… they really were cheating. Did he notice my breathing method?
Ren smiled confidently, brushing off the hint. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just naturally gifted. Isn't that what you always say about yourself?"
"Hahahaha! Nice comeback!" Gojo slapped Ren on the back hard enough to almost knock him over. "I like that! Alright, Maki will show you to your dorm. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to your classmates… get ready, life here isn't easy."
As Gojo walked away, Ren looked up at the clear blue sky.
For some reason, a sudden tightness formed in his throat. A hazy image of Urokodaki, the boy with the earrings, and the Hashira he had fought alongside flashed through his mind.
"I wonder…" Ren whispered quietly as Maki angrily called him to move. "What does the sky look like over there now? Do they curse me? Or is sorrow their only companion?"
He shook his head, drew a sarcastic smile on his face, and followed Maki.
"I'm coming, you arrogant gorilla."
"Who are you calling a gorilla, you brat?!"
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[Demon Slayer World – Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters]
In stark contrast to Tokyo's clear sky, the sky above the Ubuyashiki estate was silently crying.
It wasn't a violent storm, but a heavy, continuous drizzle that painted the world in a bleak gray. The sound of raindrops hitting the white gravel courtyard was the only sound, like the ticking of an hourglass counting down the remaining minutes of hope.
The seven present Hashira knelt in a perfectly straight line. Their clothes were soaked, their hair clung to their faces, yet none of them moved an inch.
The atmosphere was charged with immense pressure—a mix of rage, helplessness, and deep sorrow.
The paper door to the veranda slid open, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki appeared, weakly supported by his wife, Amane.
The illness had spread further across his face, as if the news of the past week had drained years from his life.
"Good evening… my dear children," Kagaya said softly, his voice carrying a sorrow he couldn't fully hide. "It seems the sky shares our feelings today… thank you for coming despite the circumstances."
"My lord…" Shinazugawa Sanemi spoke, his voice rough and restrained, as if swallowing glass. He didn't raise his head. "We pray for your continued health… we… apologize for this disgraceful outcome."
Kagaya smiled bitterly. "Disgraceful? No, Sanemi. It is a sight to be proud of. But… let us hear the final report first. Amane, please."
Amane opened a long scroll, her hands trembling ever so slightly—noticeable only to those paying close attention.
"Battle Report: Mount Komotori Incident." Her voice was calm, but the words lashed everyone like whips.
"Objective: Eliminate the demon congregation at Mount Komotori. Result: Complete success. All demons were exterminated, including the six Lower Moons assigned at the time, and the Upper Rank Two demon, Doma, was killed."
She paused and took a breath.
"Losses: The Tenth Hashira, Yukihara Ren. Status: Complete fourth-degree coma. Medical report from Kocho Shinobu states the following: complete collapse of the rib cage, punctured left and right lungs, permanent damage to the heart muscle at 60%, total muscular tissue rupture throughout the body due to exceeding human limits, loss of 70% of blood… and numerous other severe injuries."
A terrifying silence followed the medical details.
"Kocho Shinobu and Rengoku Kyojuro are absent today because they have gone… to inform the family." Amane closed the report.
"Final diagnosis: Yukihara Ren will not awaken. His body remains alive only due to breathing techniques that preserved oxygen flow to the brain and his abnormal physical structure… but his consciousness is gone beyond recovery."
"That's nonsense!"
The shout came from Tengen Uzui. He slammed his fist into the ground, gravel scattering. There was no trace of "flashiness" left on his face. Tears mixed with rain on his cheeks.
"How did we let this happen?! How did we accept that damned plan?!" Tengen roared, his voice filled with rage and self-blame.
"I'm the Sound Hashira! A trained shinobi! I should have been the bait! How did I let a kid not even fifteen face a monster that lived for centuries alone?!"
"We had no choice…" came the deep, calm voice of Gyomei Himejima, rubbing his prayer beads so hard they nearly broke.
"Namu Amida Butsu… it was his decision, Uzui. Ren realized that if we faced the Lower Moons and Doma together, we would all have died."
"That doesn't justify anything!" Sanemi interrupted, lifting his head, his eyes bloodshot with madness.
"We are the Hashira! We are the strongest! Our duty is to protect the young! That little bastard… that arrogant narcissist… he sacrificed himself because he knew we were too slow! He insulted us with his sacrifice!"
Sanemi's rage was directed more at himself than anyone else. He remembered mocking Ren at their first meeting, and how Ren proved himself again and again.
"Ren-kun…" Mitsuri Kanroji covered her face with her hands and burst into bitter sobs.
"He promised me… said we'd eat mochi together someday… said that 'strong men always come back'… why did he lie?"
In the corner, Tomioka Giyu stood like a statue of ice. His eyes were empty.
Again… Giyu thought. Sabito died to protect everyone. And now Ren. Always the best, the most talented, the brightest… they die. And I… the useless one… remain alive.
"Stop the wailing."
The voice was cold as a blade, cutting through the wave of grief. Everyone turned to Iguro Obanai. The white snake around his neck hissed uneasily.
"Ren died—or ended—as a Hashira. That is reality," Obanai said flatly, though his grip crushing his sword betrayed his composure.
"He achieved what no one has managed in hundreds of years. He killed an Upper Moon. He broke the stalemate. If you keep crying like old women, his sacrifice becomes meaningless. Do you think he risked his life so we could hold a funeral?"
Obanai shot a sharp look at Sanemi and Tengen. "He gave us an opening. He reduced their numbers. Now they are afraid. We must move."
"Obanai is right," Tokito Muichiro added, staring at the clouds with less absentmindedness than usual.
"Ren… was loud and annoying… but he was strong. I won't forget his smile and his boundless confidence. But… we must kill them all before the world forgets his name."
Kagaya raised his hand, and everyone immediately fell silent.
"All of your words are correct," the leader said, coughing lightly into his handkerchief before continuing.
"Yukihara Ren was not merely a swordsman. He was a 'catalyst.' He proved that Upper Moons can be killed. This generation of Hashira… you… thanks to Ren, you are the generation that will bring an end to Kibutsuji Muzan."
He looked at them one by one.
"Do not let sorrow consume your hearts. Turn it into fuel for your blades. Rengoku and Shinobu will return soon. Then, we will begin intense training. No more Hashira will fall… this is my vow."
"Yes, sir!!" The Hashira's voices thundered, filled with a new kind of resolve—one mixed with blood.
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[Sagiri Mountain – Evening of the Same Day]
A thick mist surrounded Urokodaki Sakonji's hut. The sound of the nearby river blended with the rustling of trees.
Kamado Tanjiro swung his wooden sword, repeating strike number 1,256. His body was drenched in sweat, but his mind was unsettled.
Tanjiro suddenly stopped and inhaled deeply.
"A smell… of sorrow?"
He turned toward the hut. Three days ago, a strange Kasugai Crow had arrived. It didn't speak to him, but went straight to Urokodaki's window. Since then, his master's "scent" had completely changed.
Urokodaki smelled like cold ash. The scent of someone who had lost something irreplaceable.
"Tanjiro."
Urokodaki emerged from the hut. He wore his usual red mask, but his shoulders were unnaturally slumped.
"Yes, Master!" Tanjiro ran to him, worry filling his red eyes. "Are you alright? Did… did something happen to Nezuko?"
"Nezuko is fine." Urokodaki sat on a cut tree stump and gestured for Tanjiro to sit in front of him.
The old man was silent for a long time, rubbing his rough hands together. How could he tell this innocent boy? Tanjiro, who already carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Tanjiro… do you remember Yukihara Ren?"
Tanjiro's face lit up with a pure smile. "Of course! Ren-senpai! The strong young Hashira! He taught me so much in that short time, even though he kept calling me 'big-forehead' and was a bit narcissistic… but he's a really kind person! Did he send a message?"
Urokodaki felt his heart twist. Seeing that hope in Tanjiro's eyes hurt more than any sword wound.
"Ren…" Urokodaki began, his voice trembling slightly. "Ren fought a battle a week ago. Against the Upper Rank Two."
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "An Upper Rank?! That's amazing! Did… did he win?"
"Yes. He killed it."
"That's great!!" Tanjiro jumped up excitedly. "That means we're getting closer to Muzan! Ren-senpai is incredible! I need to train harder to catch up to him and—"
"Tanjiro, sit down." Urokodaki's tone was sharp and firm, making Tanjiro freeze and sit immediately, fear creeping in.
"Ren won… but he paid the price."
Urokodaki looked directly at Tanjiro from behind the mask.
"His body was destroyed. His life is like a candle in a storm… He is now at headquarters, in what they call 'brain death.' His soul is there, but he will never awaken. His journey as a Demon Slayer… and as a human… is over."
All sounds vanished around Tanjiro. The river, the wind, even his own breathing.
A cold emptiness settled in his stomach.
"Brain… death?" Tanjiro muttered, his mind refusing to process the words.
"But… he's strong… he's only fifteen… he… he promised we'd meet again when I became a Hashira…"
The scent reached him clearly now. The bitter scent of "truth" coming from Urokodaki. It wasn't a lie.
"Why…" Tears silently streamed from Tanjiro's eyes at first.
"Why do the kind and innocent… why must they suffer like this?"
He remembered Ren's face, his confident smile, his arrogant yet playful way of speaking. He remembered how Ren trained with him, how he always helped him.
"I'm sorry, Tanjiro…" Urokodaki whispered, bowing his head.
"I failed as a teacher. I sent another child to his death. If only I were stronger… if I hadn't retired…"
Tanjiro saw his master trembling. That man, solid as stone, collapsing under the weight of guilt. Sabito, Makomo, and now Ren.
"Don't apologize!"
Tanjiro suddenly shouted and stood up. Tears poured freely, but his expression changed. Sorrow turned into something else—something hard and sharp.
He stepped closer and firmly grabbed Urokodaki's trembling hands.
"Urokodaki-san, Ren didn't die because he was weak, and he didn't die because you failed!" Tanjiro said, his voice shaking with tears and anger.
"He chose to protect everyone! He killed an Upper Moon! He is a hero! We have no right to make him look like a victim of your training!"
Urokodaki stared at his student in shock.
Tanjiro turned toward the dark forest where demons roamed.
He wiped his tears roughly with his arm until his face turned red.
"Kibutsuji Muzan…" He spoke the name like poison.
"He took my family. Turned my sister into a demon… and now he took Ren-senpai."
Tanjiro drew his Nichirin sword. He wasn't swinging it nervously like before. His grip was steady as steel.
"Listen to me, Ren…!" Tanjiro shouted toward the rainy sky.
"I won't say goodbye! And I won't despair! I'll carry your flames with me! I'll kill them! I'll kill every demon on this earth until I reach Muzan!"
Tanjiro's eyes glowed with a terrifying light Urokodaki had never seen before. They were no longer just the eyes of a boy searching for a cure for his sister. They were the eyes of a true hunter.
"I swear on your soul, my friend… I will cut Muzan's head off and make him pay for every drop of blood that was shed!"
Tanjiro returned to training under the rain, his strikes faster, fiercer, and more precise.
Urokodaki watched the scene, a chill running down his spine. Ren's "death" hadn't broken Tanjiro… it had sharpened him. It awakened a beast within the gentle boy.
The world is changing… Urokodaki thought as he looked to the sky.
Your sacrifice, Ren… may be the spark that finally burns away the night.
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End of Chapter Twenty-Seven.