Chapter 70: Final Fight Part 6

Inosuke and I arrived where Ryou-sensei lay, sprawled in a pool of his own blood. His katana rested beside him, and the sight of him. So broken, so beaten, hit me harder than I could've prepared for. "Ryou-sensei!" I cried out, kneeling beside him, my hands shaking as I reached out to check his pulse. He was still breathing, but it was faint, shallow. His eyes stared blankly upward, lifeless and exhausted.

"Ryou-sensei, you can't give up!" I pressed my hand firmly over his chest to try and reduce the bleeding while Inosuke ripped a strip of cloth to tie around the raw wound where his arm used to be. As I continued pressing, I realized my face was wet, I was crying, yelling desperately. "You can't die, Ryou-sensei!"

He gave no response. Slowly, his eyes started to close, as though the weight of everything he'd endured was finally pulling him under.

"What about Eri?!" I cried, hoping to spark something in him. I saw a flicker in his gaze, but instead of rekindling, it was as though the mention of her drained the last bit of light from his eyes. Beside me, Inosuke's voice cracked as he shouted through his mask, his bravado faltering. "Oi, you can't die sensei! If you do, you'll never get to kill Muzan!"

Inosuke reached behind him, grabbing the small wrapped figure of Eri and unwrapped the cloth, revealing her small lifeless body. He held her in front of Ryou-sensei, desperation clear in his every movement. "Look! Muzan killed Eri!"

"Inosuke, what are you doing?!" I gasped, but he ignored me, still pushing Eri's body closer, refusing to let Ryou-sensei slip away.

I looked down at Ryou-sensei, fear clenching my chest as he suddenly mumbled something, and the air around us grew thick with an overwhelming scent of... something dark and twisted.

-Ryou's POV-

I lay on the cold floor, staring up at the distant ceiling. The thought came, heavy and resigned: 'I'm going to die.' After everything I'd endured, after pushing past every limit… I was done. 'I've done enough, haven't I?' The sounds around me were muted, my own heartbeat slowing to a dull thud in my ears. 'I deserve rest now, don't I? I've lost my home twice, fought gods, traveled worlds…'

Blood bubbled in my throat, spilling from my lips as my vision grew darker. 'Why did I keep going? What was the point of all this?' I'd lost everything that mattered. My home, my friends… my daughter. 'Eri.' The image of her bright happy smile brought a hollow ache as my heartbeat wavered. 'I'm so sorry, Eri… if only you hadn't met me.'

Faint voices broke through my thoughts, Tanjiro and Inosuke's desperate faces blurred above me, but their words barely registered. I had nothing left to give them, nothing left to fight with. Then I heard Inosuke's frantic voice. "Muzan killed Eri."

My gaze fell to Muramasa beside me, and in that moment, I felt a single purpose settle within me. 'Muramasa.' I thought, feeling the cursed blade purr in response. 'I'll give you half of what I have left. All I ask in return is… power.'

The moment I made the pact, I felt my lifeforce drained from me, flooding into the blade. The pain that erupted in my body was beyond anything I'd ever known, a savage agony that tore through every fiber of my being. But with the pain came something else, a surge of raw unrestrained hatred and rage, all directed at Muzan.

-General POV-

Tanjiro and Inosuke were forced to step back as a dark aura flared around Ryou and his katana, eroding the very ground beneath him. Inosuke quickly wrapped Eri's body back up, securing it to his back as they watched in awe and horror. The blood surrounding Ryou started to flow as though alive, converging and seeping into the katana's blade, which pulsed with a menacing glow.

They watched, breathless, as his chest and right hand stitched itself together, leaving dark scars in its wake. The cloth around his shoulder stump ignited in black flames, scorching away until only a jagged, claw-like scar remained where his arm used to be, a mark that looked like it had been branded by a clawed hand.

Both of them held their breath, staring at the transformed Ryou, who slowly rose from the ground.

-Ryou's POV-

I could feel it coursing through my body, the curse of Muramasa, spreading like poison. As I stood, gripping Muramasa with my freshly healed hand, a bloodlust I'd fought to suppress began gnawing at my mind. My gaze drifted to Tanjiro and Inosuke, both watching me with wary eyes, and the urge to kill them surged violently.

'Deep breaths.' I forced myself to inhale slowly, fighting to anchor my mind. 'You won't kill your students.' I closed my eyes, but images of Eri's death clawed their way to the surface, replaying over and over like a relentless torment. Her lifeless form, the cold emptiness where her vibrant soul had once been, it all twisted within me, pushing me closer to the edge.

I exhaled, steadying myself, and opened my eyes. Looking at Tanjiro and Inosuke, I gave them a grateful nod. "Thank you, both of you."

Tanjiro's face lit up with a hopeful smile, and just as he was about to speak, the ground beneath us trembled violently. The walls began to crack, and debris rained down from above. Without hesitation, I dashed forward, throwing myself over the two of them and shielding them with my body. The ceiling caved in around us, dust and rubble surrounding us in a chaotic storm, but I held firm.

The weight of the corruption pulsed within me, but so did the resolve that they'd sparked. I wasn't done yet, my face would be the last thing Muzan saw.

The tremors ceased, and I heaved the rubble off myself, glancing down to check on Tanjiro and Inosuke. Both were safe, and the cloth wrapped around Eri's body remained unharmed. Relief mixed with a pang of bitterness as Muramasa's corruption pulsed within me, urging me toward violence. For a moment, I looked away, wrestling with the darkness clawing at my mind.

I glanced around to assess our surroundings. Somehow, we'd been transported out of wherever Muzan had sent us, now we stood amidst the desolate streets of a city. "Tanjiro, Inosuke." I ordered, my voice firm. "find any survivors and figure out how long until sunrise."

They nodded, understanding the urgency, and I shot off in the direction where I felt Muzan's ominous presence. As I approached, I heard his voice echoing beneath a pile of debris. Suddenly, the rubble exploded outward as he emerged, a sadistic grin stretched across his face, grotesque whips with razor-sharp points extending from his back.

"Do you intend to keep me here until sunrise?! Try it if you can!" he taunted, lashing out with his whips as the surrounding Hashira evaded, attempting to get close.

Using Shundō, I blurred into position just as the others struck, slicing through his regenerated flesh right after their attacks landed. Muzan snarled, and his whips lunged towards them, but I severed the tendrils before they could reach the Hashira.

"Miss me?" I said, my tone laced with cold defiance.

For a split second, Muzan's face twisted in shock before a wide grin spread across it. "Haha! It seems you still had tricks up your sleeve. Didn't want to join that filth?" His voice dripped with mockery.

{Author possibly ranting ->}