"Having eaten, your master will now send you on your way."
Ren's expression remained calm as he cleared the plate from Yoriichi's table. "Can we move elsewhere, Master? Here, I fear it might frighten Chitoshi."
"Have you nothing to say? Do you know Chitoshi would fear seeing you like this?"
Yoriichi's face was etched with sorrow. "Ren, let me ask you: what are those things outside?"
"Isn't it obvious, Master?" Ren said softly. "Those are the skulls of the Hashira and their families. I placed them there to keep Chitoshi company forever, so he wouldn't be lonely."
"You swore to me you'd never commit evil again, that after one final act, you'd return to my side.
But the truth lies before us now. You broke your vow, betraying the trust I placed in you!
Ren, do you know how many chances I've given you over these long years to redeem yourself? Each time, I hoped with all my heart you'd return to me as you promised, but each time, I was met only with endless disappointment and pain." Yoriichi's gaze locked onto Ren, filled not just with profound disillusionment but with unspoken grief and anger.
He slowly raised his hand, pointing to the mountain of bleached bones outside, his voice trembling with accusation. "Look at those skulls you've killed! With your strength now, you must have devoured countless people these past years!"
At Yoriichi's rebuke, a flicker of pain crossed Ren's face. He hastened to explain, "Master, I swear I never deceived you, nor forgot the words I spoke to you! All these years, I've never stopped longing for you, for the times we shared. Countless times, I wanted to return, to find you, to stand by your side once more."
At this, Ren's eyes reddened, as if recalling bygone days.
"Master, do you remember when I was a child? I followed you daily, training with my sword.
Even when exhaustion consumed me, your encouraging smile made all fatigue vanish.
That simple, pure joy became the most precious memory of my life.
How I yearned to return, even if I could never be that boy again. To follow you quietly as before, watching your figure in silence, would have been enough for me…"
Ren bowed his head, his face etched with bitterness. "But each time that thought arose, I saw Chitoshi standing before me, drenched in blood. He asked, 'Brother, won't you avenge me?' 'Brother, it's so cold, so painful down here.' Master, as his elder brother, do you know how those words tore my heart?"
Ren took a deep breath, suppressing the tears at his eyes' corners. "So I abandoned the thought of seeking you. I decided then that even if it meant dying by your hand, I'd make them pay… even if it meant my head would fall by the blade of the master I most revere."
Yoriichi listened, falling silent. After a long pause, he spoke slowly, "Then what of killing the Demon Slayer Corps' Lord?"
In his years of wandering, Yoriichi had encountered Corps swordsmen, and the catastrophic event from fifty years ago had reached his ears.
It was a tragedy far worse than his brother Michikatsu Yagatsu's ambush on the Corps.
A single demon struck the Ubuyashiki estate at midnight, slaughtering an entire village, severing the Corps Lord's head, and departing with ease.
In mere years, two Corps Lords fell, dealing a devastating blow to the Demon Slayer Corps!
And Yoriichi knew the culprit stood before him—his disciple, Ren!
"Master, after becoming a demon, I learned of a rumor."
Instead of answering, Ren posed a question. "Do you know why that rumor spread?"
Yoriichi frowned.
Ren continued, "It was fueled by the Ubuyashiki clan's hand. Their intent wasn't to harm you, but they made Chitoshi and me scapegoats to divert attention.
Chitoshi's death is directly tied to them. Killing him didn't break my vow to you."
"But that's not what you told me then!" Yoriichi's hands, resting on his knees, clenched into fists, tightening with force.
"I understand, Master." Ren crouched slowly, extending a hand to gently caress Yoriichi's withered cheek, speaking softly. "I've let you down, brought you shame.
Since those events, I've waited here silently for you all these years. I knew you'd come, so I stayed, awaiting your arrival.
As a demon, I have a lifespan beyond human imagination, but to me, it's no blessing—rather, a torturous curse.
Chitoshi is gone, and one day, you too will leave this world.
Without you both, this world holds no value for me. So let me accompany you. That way, even in the underworld, you won't be too lonely."
A tear slid from Ren's eye. "Master, I couldn't follow you in this life. In the next, I'll serve you well."
With that, he closed his eyes, like a condemned man awaiting execution.
Yoriichi gazed at Ren, his hand trembling as it rose. He did not reach for his blade; instead, his hand rested on Ren's head.
"Ren…"
Yoriichi murmured.
In that moment, he was utterly lucid.
His eyes held no trace of aged cloudiness, nor the sluggishness of an old man's mind.
He saw through Ren's words, meant to soften his heart.
But if he spared Ren today, the world would gain a formidable demon!
"Ren, one last question."
Yoriichi panted slightly, fixing his gaze on Ren, asking slowly, "Ren, let me ask you one final thing. If you were consumed by ravenous hunger, and before you stood an ordinary stranger, wholly unconnected to you, would you eat them?"
Faced with Yoriichi's direct question, Ren was silent for a long time. Finally, he lifted his head, meeting Yoriichi's eyes, and said softly, "…I'm sorry, Master. I can't lie to you."
"I see. I understand."
A flash of steel glinted under the moonlight. This blade, at last, was drawn.