Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

"The Demon Slayer Corps is officially disbanded, effective today!"

As he spoke, he led his two sisters to kneel down, place their hands together in front of their foreheads, and kowtow deeply to everyone present.

"The sins of my Ubuyashiki clan for a thousand years, the evil spirits that have plagued the world for a thousand years, have finally been cleansed through your fierce battle..."

"Kiriyo, on behalf of the ancestors of the Ubuyashiki family and all the innocent people who have been harmed by evil spirits for the past thousand years... I extend my deepest congratulations to you all!"

"Thank you for choosing to wield your swords even in the darkest of times."

"Thank you for entrusting your lives to the Ubuyashiki family."

"Really... thank you so much!"

His forehead slammed heavily against the wooden floor with a dull thud.

At that moment, he was not the high and mighty lord, but more like a young son paying off his family's debts.

"My lord! Please get up!" Tanjiro was the first to stand up, his eyes welling up with tears. "This was our own choice..."

Having always respected Kagaya Ubuyashiki's brother, I was immediately about to help him up.

“No.” Kiriya didn’t look up, his voice choked with emotion. “Please let me stay in this position and finish what I have to say…”

"Lord Asuka."

The bird that was called out simply sat there calmly.

His slightly pale face, illuminated by the sunlight, always had a translucent quality, as if he might vanish with the wind at any moment.

"If you hadn't stepped forward at the most critical moment and killed Muzan Kibutsuji, who knows how many more children would have died because of Muzan's brutality..."

"You are the savior of this world... Lady Asuka, thank you!"

That's true, and all the Pillar-level swordsmen agree.

Although they had fainted, they were unable to witness the death of the Ghost King.

But that figure standing in mid-air... made them all afraid to think about what kind of being a bird really was.

Led by Kiriya, they all bowed deeply to Asuka to express their gratitude.

The bird lowered its eyes slightly.

"...No need to thank me, I just did what I was supposed to do." Asuka said in a hoarse voice, he was not used to being treated like a servant.

"If you want to thank someone, thank those brave souls who, though born of mortal flesh, risked their lives."

"For example, your father Yaozai, your mother Tianyin, your sisters, and all those other children."

"It was their courage that created the opportunity to fight Musan, exposing his cowardice to the light of day, ultimately leading to his demise."

Upon hearing his parents' names, Kiriya, who had been trying his best to maintain the dignity of the head of the family, shed silent tears.

This eight-year-old child ultimately reverted to being just an ordinary orphan in the face of those two words.

The spring breeze blows through the wisteria blossoms, filling the garden with fragrance.

Chapter 116 The Place Where the Gale Returns (Part 1)

The era of demons has ended. Whether they are the Pillars or members of the Demon Slayer Corps, they have all become ordinary people like you and me.

To ensure everyone's lives were as stable as possible, the Ubuyashiki family provided generous resettlement allowances and arranged neighboring residences for the Pillars, intending for these warriors who had fought in the shadows their entire lives to support each other in their remaining years.

However, Asuka still refused this offer and insisted on returning to Hayama.

That's where he had his most embarrassing beginning, where there was Arashizaki Tesshin, that one-armed old man, Rika and Kenichi, and the wind that fills the mountains.

Surprisingly, yet logically, due to the severe damage to the Butterfly Mansion during the final battle, coupled with Shinobu Kocho's extremely poor physical condition, the former Insect Hashira chose to return to Hayama with Asuka to recuperate.

They said it was for rest and recuperation, but everyone knew the real reason behind it.

That was her final destination.

The spring sunshine lazily spilled onto the wooden corridor of the Hayama Breeding Center.

The restoration work here was already completed by the children who had received training and the retired Demon Slayer Corps members.

The originally desolate training ground in the back mountain has been transformed into a medicinal herb garden, which is specially managed by the few girls who have retired from the Butterfly House.

They were like sisters to Shinobu Kocho, and at least in these final moments, they would take good care of their older sister.

Asuka sat by the corridor, quietly closing her eyes to feel the sunlight, her mind focused on the young man who resembled her somewhat.

The other person was quietly squatting on the big tree in Rukongai, watching a dark vortex gate gradually take shape.

That is the entrance to another world, and the true home of birds.

“I need some time to stabilize the gate. If you have any unfulfilled wishes, please make arrangements as soon as possible.” The young man’s voice was still emotionless, but it was clear that he meant no harm. “This time, you have no choice. Even if your wish is to stay here, I must send you away.”

"This body is like a porcelain vase filled with lava, riddled with cracks, ready to shatter at any moment..."

"Furthermore, I have sensed that many souls have been affected by your presence. Before things get too bad, I must stop your actions that are disrupting the spiritual energy cycle."

The giant white wolf didn't speak at this moment, but simply lay quietly under the ancient tree, occasionally swallowing some of the energy that was escaping from the vortex.

Should we go back now...? Yes, we should go back.

He still has grudges to settle, and people he wants to kill...

"Asuka, are you spacing out again?"

A gentle voice came from behind, pulling the bird back to reality.

Shinobu Kocho, draped in her signature butterfly-wing patterned feather kimono, slowly walked out, feeling her way along the door frame.

Her steps were light, lacking her usual agility. Although her eyes were open, her purple pupils had lost focus and appeared somewhat empty.

"No." Asuka propped herself up with one hand to help her, her voice as loud as ever: "I was looking at the bellflowers in the herb garden!"

“Lying.” Shinobu Kocho chuckled softly, taking his strong arm and sitting down beside him, her movements somewhat slow.

"It's only March now, the bellflowers won't bloom for a long time."

"That means they're looking at the bellflowers that haven't bloomed yet."

"It really hasn't changed at all, this clumsy way of chatting."

Shinobu Kocho gave a self-deprecating laugh, then stretched out her slender hand and waved it in the air.

Asuka naturally extended her left hand and supported her palm.

Her hands were very cold, a lingering effect of Doma's Blood Demon Technique.

Asuka's hands, however, were burning hot, a result of the morbidly high fever caused by the violent spiritual pressure within her constantly purifying her body.

The contrast between the cold and the hot achieved a strange balance in the breeze.

"What characters will we learn today?" Asuka asked proactively.

From Rukongai to the Taisho era, all he learned was how to fight.

Occasionally, I hear people around me spouting profound truths and famous quotes, but I only know how to say them; I can't understand them at all when they're written down.

Although he never felt embarrassed, Shinobu Kocho insisted on teaching him to read, including kana and kanji, ever since he returned to Hayama.

In her words, if Asuka goes to other places in the future and can't even understand the road signs, she will be laughed at.

“We taught the character ‘home’ yesterday.” Shinobu’s fingertips gently glided across Asuka’s large palm.

"Do you still remember how to write it?"

Asuka took a deep breath and tried hard to recall; this feeling was much harder than practicing swordsmanship.

He extended his index finger and traced strokes carefully in Shinobu Kocho's delicate palm.

The movements were slow, and the cocoons on her fingertips rubbed against Shinobu's soft palm, causing a slight itch.

"Here... the hook needs to be a little longer," Shinobu Kocho gently corrected.

She grasped Fei Niao's fingers in her hand, guiding him along the vigorous strokes of the brush: "The top of this character is a roof, and the bottom is a little pig..."

Asuka felt the touch from her fingertips and turned her head to look at the serious Shinobu Kocho.

He doesn't understand the aesthetics of calligraphy.

But he could feel that when Butterfly Shinobu held his hand, the restless spiritual pressure within him, which was almost tearing his body apart, would miraculously calm down for a moment.

The teaching proceeded quietly in the corridor, with Fei Niao writing one word after another in her palm.

He studied very diligently, wanting to etch these unfamiliar symbols into his soul.

This tranquil time was something he had never imagined before.

Such time is all the more precious before the inevitable, even more brutal battles that are destined to take place.

The sun slowly began to set in the west.

"What's the next word?" Asuka asked.

"Let's learn the character '歸' (guī)." Shinobu Kocho's voice was weary as she leaned on Asuka's shoulder.

“The one who returns home.”

...

In the gaps between learning characters....

Or, in terms of Shinobu's physical exertion, Asuka would usually spend most of the day in the dojo's work shed.

That was where Arashizaki Teshin used to store odds and ends.

Asuka is now trying to become a carpenter.

For someone with only one hand, whose fingers are often numb from spiritual pressure, carving is an extremely difficult task, but he did it with great dedication.

He stood on the wood, his left arm muscles bulging, gripping the carving knife tightly.

Duh——duh——

Fine wood chips flew everywhere.

He wanted to carve some small animals for Shinobu Kocho.

Because she is blind, he wanted her to be able to feel things with her hands, so that even when she was alone, she could touch something alive.

The first piece was a ball.

He originally wanted to carve a cat.

"What is this?"

When Shinobu Kocho woke up and took the round wooden block, she touched it in confusion.

“…Cat.” Asuka replied expressionlessly.

Shinobu Kocho chuckled softly, the weak and faint laughter sounding particularly clear in the quiet Japanese-style room.

"What cat looks like a rice ball? Mr. Asuka, is it true that all your talent is in swordsmanship?"

The bird did not refute, but silently returned to the wooden shed.

In the days that followed, the sound of wood whittling could always be heard in Yeshan's work shed.

"What's that sound? Are you expanding your dojo? There aren't many disciples here." Kuwashima Jigoro, who was playing shogi with Arashizaki Tesshin, looked outside in confusion.

Arashizaki Tesshin rolled her eyes at him: "Mind your own business."

Gradually, the wooden ball turned into a cube with sharp edges, and the cube grew ears and a tail.

He sculpted a burrowing rat, and a roaring wild boar—

Of course, Inosuke, who was staying in Hayama, once wanted to fight Asuka over this statue, insisting that Asuka had not captured the spirit of the Lord of the Great Mountain.

Finally, he carved a butterfly.

The butterfly was perched on a leaf; although not particularly exquisite, it was still a small object worth handling.

When Shinobu Kocho touched the wooden butterfly, her fingertips trembled slightly.

“Impressive, Asuka,” she said softly. “It…smells like you.”

Asuka paused for a moment; he hadn't used any spices.

But he quickly realized that it must be the aura of his spiritual pressure.

As he was carving, his overflowing spiritual energy unconsciously poured into it.

Even after leaving his hand, this butterfly will remain incorruptible for decades and can even frighten away ordinary wild beasts.