Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 321 A Chance Encounter with an Old Friend

It's so quiet, so quiet. Everything around me is so quiet. I can't hear anything except my own heartbeat.

The silence was almost eerie.

why.

There should be a fierce battle taking place not far away, a battle where people could die at any moment. It wouldn't be surprising if there were any loud noises, but why didn't I hear it?

Why is there only a heartbeat sound?

When you look up, you can clearly see the devastation in the distance. Those once tall buildings have collapsed and been destroyed because of the fighting. You can tell at a glance what kind of heavy damage they have suffered. That is probably the center of the battlefield, within sight, somewhat blurry, but you can still see it.

So why didn't we hear any sound?

Rinko opened her mouth, as if to say something, but no words came out. Only air went in and out of her open mouth, and once it opened, it could not be closed again. She could only breathe, very heavily, very rapidly, and the sound of her heartbeat became more obvious and louder, like muffled thunder striking her eardrums.

Ah, it's not that it's too quiet, it's that he can't hear.

The body is still moving, but every step is swaying. Every time you lift your leg, it takes a lot of energy. Lifting it up, the body leans forward, and before losing balance and falling, you put your foot down to stabilize yourself in the swaying, and then continue walking forward.

One step after another, it was tiring and slow.

Rinko lowered his eyes, his vision blurring for a moment, just like when he had looked into the distance and couldn't see clearly. Why?

When my gaze fell down and I saw my body, I suddenly realized that my body had not recovered and the wounds caused by the explosion had not healed. There were dense barbed wires embedded in my writhing flesh. Because the damage from the explosion was too great, I had not noticed it at all. Because I was in pain, I had not paid any attention to it.

Tian Yuan.

You rascal.

They're always using these little tricks.

Anger came later, because the suffocating feeling of lack of oxygen caught up first. The lungs were blown to pieces. After all, it was so close. It was a good thing that the limbs were preserved. The person who used the bomb had half of his body blown away.

The pain of losing your balance and your knees slamming hard on the ground is almost imperceptible in this situation.

Rinko's trembling hand reached into the flesh, all she could do was grab, pull, and yank out those things. The iron fragments were almost slippery when they were mixed with blood and flesh, reminding Rinko of the time she pulled the fragments of a sword out of Doma's body. Was that feeling the same as now? No, that would have been better.

After all, these things look more painful no matter how you look at them.

He groped, grabbed, and pulled; the fragments fell to the ground, and the clanging sound was finally barely audible to his ears.

The edges of the barbed wire were even slightly polished, making them rough and harder to pull out when they got stuck in the flesh. There weren't many of them, but they were just enough to cause him a lot of trouble.

No, but even if these things are there, why is the healing so slow?

Rinko pulled one out of the wound, and as she looked closely, her gradually focusing eyes finally caught the tiny holes.

poison.

It's poison again.

Zhu Shi.

Should I admire them or be angry? I guess I should be angry.

In a fit of emotion, she instinctively clenched her fist, causing the caltrops to pierce her flesh. The pain was ignored, and a clear consciousness emerged. Tamayo was already dead, eaten by Muzan. She had no source of venting her anger, and besides, she wasn't important anymore.

Rinko let out a deep sigh. The thing that was hindering the healing of the wound had been removed, and flesh and blood were finally covering the skeleton of his chest cavity again. His internal organs were recovering, his breathing became smooth, and he was finally able to stand up and hear sounds again.

The sound of weapons clashing against thorns indicated that the battle was still going on, and only when his vision returned did he see the corpses scattered all over the ground—the bodies of Demon Slayer Corps members, piled up on the floor more obstructive than the ruins themselves.

You can't avoid it even if you want to, and it wobbles unsteadily when your feet step on it.

This is really troublesome.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Not yet, you can rest..."

A voice, a faint voice, was heard by Rinko, but she didn't pay much attention to it. Too many people had died on this battlefield, and many were still alive. It didn't matter; they would all die soon anyway.

"Tan...Jiro...Rin...Ring Guang..."

This is what made Rinko stop in her tracks: his name.

He only recognized the voice at this moment.

I barely recognized him when I turned around.

"Muichiro."

Weak and fragile, surrounded by several surviving members of the Demon Slayer Corps. These people didn't even have any injuries, and their clothing was different from that of ordinary team members. Rinko vaguely remembered seeing people dressed like this often with Shinobu; they didn't seem to be combat personnel.

In other words, is it to take care of Muichiro?

The group of people were stunned when they saw him standing there.

why?

He probably looks like a child. Seeing a child shouldn't be so surprising. If he were just a child, he wouldn't be nervous or scared.

He turned to the side, took a step, stepped on a knife, glanced down, and belatedly realized what had happened.

Oh, right, this is a battlefield, a place where even members of the Demon Slayer Corps might not survive. It would be strange to see a child covered in blood here. Humans are such troublesome creatures.

"Rin, Rin Guang..."

It was Muichiro's voice, as if he had realized that Muichiro was nearby.

Rinko belatedly shifted her gaze to Muichiro, whose body was covered in wounds—too many to be counted. Bandages couldn't stop the bleeding, and half of his injured body was practically severed. His arms and legs were gone, and blood was flowing from his face and body everywhere.

Although the injured area has been bandaged up, making it impossible to see the original wound, it is immediately obvious that the missing, smooth cut was made by a sharp knife.

There is only one being among the demons capable of creating such scars.

"you……"

"you."

The mouths, which opened simultaneously in silence, made the same sound under the gaze of humans.

"You're still alive..."

"You encountered Kokushibo, right?"

This is another kind of quiet.

You can hear everything: the sounds of fighting, breathing, heartbeats, and shattered buildings crashing to the ground.

But seemingly because of his words, Muichiro, who had been whispering, stopped saying a word.

"Or, to be more precise, you killed him, right?"

Rinko stood there, her relaxed hands opening and closing.

What appeared before him was not Muichiro, who was watching him, but that tall figure. The fear he felt at first sight seemed to linger in his spine, and he could still remember that terrifying aura. But he wasn't really afraid of him; he was just very tall. In fact, he was a very patient and qualified teacher who had taught him a lot.

They also gave him a lot of guidance.

It's like something that will never fall.

It's as tall as a mountain.

.

But he still died.

He was killed.

"It shouldn't just be you alone. As for Muichiro, there shouldn't be a way to kill him. Are there others?"

Rinko moved her hands, slightly changing her pace. The only things that could stop Muzan were these Pillars, so killing them would be a small favor.

"But it seems you can't tell me who they are."

Rinko slowly walked forward, one step after another. The first to rush towards him were those people carrying bandages and medicine, their faces covered, without even knives.

"No, I won't let you hurt Lord Mist Pillar!"

His legs were shaking, his hands were shaking, and even his voice lacked confidence. These words were probably all he could say. His charging forward was completely chaotic.

"Don't get in the way."

He caught the swinging fist with his raised hand, and the bone broke with the slightest force. Such a fragile body, weaker than the Demon Slayer Corps members he had encountered. He could throw the opponent away with just a little force in his arm.

"Didn't I tell you not to get in the way?"

And he did just that, grabbing the hand with its broken bones and casually tossing it, causing the other person to fall to the ground in agony. Every step he took forward resulted in people falling.

Once there were no more obstructions in his field of vision, and only Muichiro remained, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall, almost unconscious, how much longer could he live? Nobody knew.

But it shouldn't be too long. Not to mention tomorrow, Muichiro might also die because of the sunrise.

"Do you have any last words? Muichiro."

Rinko crouched down and looked at the boy who was almost unconscious. His eyes were completely unfocused, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

What Muichiro might want to say.

do not know.

Curious? Yes, I am.

But are you willing to wait for this?

No need.

Rinko stood up, his loose hands clenched into fists, and he raised his fist. This was the fastest way he knew to kill someone—efficient and thorough.

"Breath of the Wind, Eighth Form, First Fierce Wind Slash".

A sharp wind swept in from afar, and the moment he realized it, he raised his hand, the blade striking the bone. The bone cracked, but it didn't break.

"Kid! You still have time to say your last words! You were running around like crazy last time! Let's see where you run this time!"

The blade pressed down, bones snapped, and before it was truly severed, Rinko unexpectedly deflected the force, retreating even faster. Another wounded man, seemingly more seriously injured, appeared to be about to be cut open. His bandages were only half-wound and were still swaying in the air.

Did they discover the commotion while treating the injury?

What bad luck.

But in a way, it was also lucky, because it was two pillars again.

"If you have the ability, then try and see if you can kill me. Anyone can talk big."