Higashikuze Akiho's very existence was thought to be taboo among demons and humans alike: she was a half-demon, the first of her kind. But being taken in and rasied by a former pillar with a strong sense of justice and a hatred for Kibutsuji Muzan...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
第四十话
The three slayers had been driven by pure instinct and the unyielding goal of stopping Upper Moon One. Now, with Kokushibou gone, the weight of their injuries bore down on them all at once. Sanemi's mind was blank, his body still swinging at empty air long after the enemy had turned to dust. Gyoumei stepped in, catching the winded Pillar by the shoulders.
"It's over," the Stone Pillar said, his voice steady but heavy. Sanemi collapsed into his arms, his strength finally giving out.
Akiho was on her knees, eyes dazed and golden irises dulled by blood loss. Her body was throbbing; her blood loss was too great to promote fast regeneration. Suzaku's crimson wings were torn and shuddered on her back; the last remnants of power was barely holding her upright.
She could hear Gyoumei's low voice as he gently laid Sanemi next to his brother. "We're alive... All of us, except Tokito," his voice cracked. "But his death wasn't in vain. He gave us the chance to defeat Kokushibou."
A tear slipped down Akiho's cheek at those words.
Wherever you are now, I hope you are smiling brightly...
Her heart beat slowed. Her body was too weak to keep going. Genya... she remembered, her mind lulling between states of consciousness.
Then a voice cut through the lull. It was raw and desperate.
"GENYA!"
Sanemi's eyes were wide with horror when he awoke and saw his brother. Genya lay still. Half his head was destroyed, his body torn, and more concerningly, he wasn't regenerating. The cells looked brittle and flaking, like the demon inside him had died too. With Kokushibou gone, so was the power sustaining him.
"D-Don't worry! I'll help you!" Sanemi pleaded, choking on his own sob. "Your big brother will handle it somehow...! Please...!"
Akiho's head pounded in alarm. That red string—the invisible thread of fate that tied her and Genya together—pulled at her pinky weakly.
"No..." she murmured, curling her trembling fist. "Move. Move."
Her wings, tattered and frayed, lifted once more. Every beat was agony, but she pushed herself forward. Crawling, staggering, towards the pillars and Genya.
With a trembling hand, Sanemi reached out. He didn't need to say anything with his eyes red-rimmed and desperate.
Please... Just a little further.
He gently placed his hand on her back and pushed her forward until her hand found Genya's. He bowed his head, fists clutching his kness like it was holding onto the faintest sliver of hope. He was unable to do anything more.
