Kanero's father had already passed away, leaving him as the sole remaining member of the main Kamado line.
He and Eri had only recently started their family.
The internal energy technique he practiced had been developed by his father, drawing upon the accumulated insights of all previous generations.
And so it was passed down to him.
The price, of course, had been paid by those who came before—their reckless attempts to advance the method had shortened their lives.
Now, however, starting with Kanero's generation, their lifespan was finally equal to that of ordinary humans.
The hidden dangers brought by Sun Breathing had been completely resolved.
Oboro had settled down at the foot of Mount Kumotori, and Kanero would occasionally make the trip down the mountain to sell firewood and wild herbs to earn a living, or purchase daily necessities from town.
Every time he visited, Kanero never failed to call upon Oboro. Even though he knew the man wanted for nothing, he would always leave behind a selection of special wild herbs he had gathered before taking his leave.
Among them was the Blue Spider Lily.
After generations of effort, Kanero had finally mastered the art of preserving the flower, extending the length of time it remained fresh.
It turned out that the story of how much Oboro had once loved soup made from these herbs had also been passed down, along with the recipe itself.
The Blue Spider Lily Kanero brought him was not exactly the same as the one Oboro had encountered on the mountain a hundred years ago in winter.
According to Kanero, they belonged to the same family but were different varieties, with similar medicinal properties.
Yet the summer‑grown flowers were inferior in both taste and potency to those that bloomed in winter.
Their growing conditions, however, were equally demanding.
Long ago, Kanero's great‑grandmother had first discovered the winter‑blooming Lily when she was desperately searching for medicine to treat her husband's grave illness, eventually finding a way to brew it into soup.
The winter variety was far more effective than its summer counterpart—but for some reason, in recent years, it had become nearly impossible to find.
Oboro understood perfectly. It was the Will of the world itself interfering, deliberately weakening the potency of the flower.
Aside from herbs, Kanero also often brought small wooden carvings he had made himself.
He had noticed the old wooden staff Oboro always kept at his side—one originally carved by an ancestor of the Kamado family.
Even with the greatest care, after hundreds of years it had begun to show signs of decay and weathering, its surface marked with countless cracks and chips.
Kanero had crafted an entirely new staff for him, a small but thoughtful gesture.
---
In the time that followed, the population of demons exploded in numbers.
The one turning humans into demons was no longer Muzan, but Doma and Kokushibo, working in secret.
For the moment, neither Upper Rank demon was strong enough to defeat Muzan outright, so they had to stay hidden from his pursuit. To distract and trouble him, they needed something that could hold him back.
And nothing slowed Muzan down quite like the Demon Slayer Corps.
Having already learned from Oboro what his destiny held, Muzan continued hunting the Inheritors relentlessly, desperate to deepen his mastery over soul power.
But after his ruthless actions of late, many Inheritors had grown wary of the danger, going into hiding or preparing countermeasures in advance.
As a result, Muzan's plans began to fall apart one after another.
None of this concerned Oboro in the slightest.
He simply remained within his home, quietly "observing" the course of the world.
As time went on, signs of great change began to appear everywhere.
First, Doma's Paradise Faith reemerged in an entirely new form. Muzan had destroyed its old headquarters long ago, so now Doma presented himself as a prophet chosen by the heavens, wandering the land as a savior preaching his teachings.
He held no fixed territory, yet his followers grew by the thousands. Even many demons formerly loyal to Muzan began to defect to his side for no apparent reason.
By exploiting their fear and reverence toward Muzan, Doma had found a way to free them from the curse of his blood, slowly dismantling the Demon King's power base.
This alone proved that Doma too had touched upon the power of the soul.
Not only had he benefited from Muzan's mental enhancements, but he had also absorbed traces of Oboro's own blood. With his natural gifts, it was hardly surprising he had reached this level.
Second, the ranks of the Twelve Kizuki were completely reshuffled. Many new faces appeared, but before the Demon Slayer Corps could even react, both Upper and Lower Rank demons were being killed off one after another—much to Muzan's humiliation.
The culprit, without doubt, was Kokushibo.
As Muzan's former strongest right‑hand, he knew the workings and movements of the Kizuki better than anyone.
Meanwhile, the Inheritors were turning humans into demons on a massive scale as well, recovering their strength while Muzan was distracted fighting both the Corps and Doma.
Across the human world, the number of demons multiplied exponentially.
The desire for power and eternal life was nearly instinctive to humanity.
Even knowing the true nature of demons, many people—especially those facing certain death—would not hesitate to throw away their humanity if given the choice.
This was exactly what Doma counted on.
He intentionally fed upon and amplified the darkness hidden in human hearts, plunging the world back into chaos.
Unlike Muzan, who feared betrayal and held back, Doma was generous—willing to bestow power freely.
Demons grew stronger by consuming one another. With enough numbers, it was inevitable that some truly monstrous talents would eventually emerge.
And because of his influence, among the new generation of demons there began to appear individuals naturally gifted with soul power.
Then there was the "wild dog" that gave Muzan more headaches than anyone else—Gyutaro.
Together with his sister Daki, Gyutaro killed anyone and everyone, without regard for side or allegiance.
He had slain Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, killed Inheritors, and cut down successive Upper Ranks. Even Doma and Kokushibo were constantly hunted by him.
He was nothing less than a force of chaos.
For Gyutaro, his mission—given long ago by Oboro—was simple: eliminate all Upper Rank demons.
He had already killed Gyokko, finished off Hantengu, and even devoured Akaza… though strictly speaking, Akaza had chosen his own end rather than being defeated.
Only Doma and Kokushibo remained standing between him and the completion of his task.
Muzan had tried to execute Gyutaro more than once, but by then Gyutaro had absorbed the powers of Akaza and Hantengu himself, growing strong beyond measure.
Whenever he chose to flee rather than fight, even Muzan could not catch him.
Time and again he escaped certain death, much to Muzan's burning frustration.
But Muzan's past actions were finally catching up to him.
The Inheritors he had hunted would surely strike back one day. Doma and Kokushibo were openly rebelling. And the Demon Slayer Corps was closing in.
Suddenly, it felt as though every force in the world had turned against him.
Now at last, Muzan could clearly see the opponents Oboro had arranged for him to face.
Aside from the Demon Slayer Corps, there was Doma, Kokushibo, Gyutaro, and all the surviving first‑generation Inheritors.
As the demon population rose, the Demon Slayer Corps adapted as well.
With support from the ruling government, their resources expanded dramatically, allowing their swordsmen to grow stronger and their numbers to swell.
The Ubuyashiki family had also begun teaching breathing techniques and the basic internal circulation art, while sending veteran instructors to train the nation's armies.
Doma was spreading the knowledge of soul power, stripping Muzan of his unique advantage.
Gyutaro, fighting indiscriminately against all factions, had drawn attention to the powerful combat techniques he used.
And driven by the growing danger, both humanity and the Demon Slayer Corps advanced rapidly in their mastery of internal energy.
All three systems of power Oboro had introduced were now spreading and taking root throughout the world.
One by one, familiar faces from the original story began to appear as well…
Including Sakonji Urokodaki and Jigoro Kuwajima.
____________________
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