‹Demon Slayer Nezuko› : A Kimetsu no Yaiba Story

Chapter 16: Sunrise

Before its mouth was about to completely disappear, it released a final line, in a voice so quiet that it was about to fade out.

"——Onii-chan....... hold......my hand............."

Nezuko didn't understand what the demon meant; it didn't make any sense in the current context.

Despite that —— a pang went through her chest.

She turned her head towards where the demon's massive body was, which was also slowly crumbling away.

One of the many countless arms protruding out of it.... a single arm was extended towards empty air, as if it was reaching out towards something... or someone.

Nezuko pursed her lips as she started to walk towards that extended hand.

She looked down at the hand, and narrowed her eyes.

"You....."

——You must have killed Sabito, Makomo, and many other children with these hands of yours.

"You have murdered countless innocent children in cold blood..... and for that sin, I'm sure you will fall to hell. And I believe from the bottom of my heart, that you deserve it."

She averted her gaze away from the hand, furrowing her brows.

"——I'm not kind, like my older brother."

Nezuko continued in a low tone.

"If he were in my place, he may have forgiven you. But I.... I will never forgive you for what you've done."

She turned back towards the demon's head, of which only the upper head and its eyeballs were remaining. She met the monster's teary eyes, which stared back at her emptily.

"I..... don't feel anything about your death."

Hearing that, the demon twisted its expression in despair. Its eyes were now completely about to disappear.... before Nezuko continued weakly.

"........but........ at the least........ I pity you."

A final drop of tear fell to the floor before the Hand Demon's head completely disappeared.

Nezuko turned back to where the monster's massive body used to be —— now, there was nothing but a burnt smell in the open space within the forest.

".............haaaah."

She exhaled a trembling breath, then tilted her head up at the sky, where the moon was emotionlessly shining down at the world.

She closed her eyes.

"Sabito. Makomo. Everyone."

"I.... did it."

* * *

With a sharp sound, Nezuko's extended hand was repelled by the black-haired boy as he violently swung back his arm at her.

The short boy who was about the same height as Nezuko, who had the two sides of his head shaved in a buzz cut, spat without turning back at her.

"———just leave me, damn it."

After the conclusion of their battle with the Hand Demon, Nezuko had approached the boy, who had been guarding over Nagisa's unconscious body ever since he had retreated. She had suggested that the boy stayed with them until daylight, since he appeared to have been injured earlier in the fight.