Demon Slayer: Breath of Desire

Put them together?

In the mental space, Shinobu’s mouth fell open and Kanae looked up. Both faces reflected exactly the same doubt.

"Why are you looking at me like that? If one alone isn’t enough to convince you, doesn’t it make sense for me to call Kanao to help me out?"

Marcus’s voice reflected his complete calm. "Or, if there’s no time, I’ll finish transforming Shinobu first and then run Kanao through with my blade."

"That way you at least get to say goodbye to her."

Kanae stared off into nothing, stunned.

"Marcus-kun, why... why are you doing all this?"

"It’s simple," Marcus replied smoothly. "Shinobu wants you to live, and so does Kanao. They’re both my women, so I’m going to grant them that wish."

His tone took on a calm, serious quality, something unusual for him.

"Before, I didn’t have the means, and I never promised anything like this.... But now that the circumstances have lined up and I’ve given them my word, I intend to keep it!"

Kanae lowered her gaze toward Shinobu.

At first she’d meant to advise her to let go, since the dead shouldn’t force themselves to stay.

But when she saw Shinobu’s reddened, yearning eyes, she swallowed her words.

In that instant, she understood.

Her way of thinking wasn’t Shinobu’s, nor Kanao’s.

All they wanted was for the family to be together again.

Even if it wasn’t under human terms, they wanted to stay together.

If Shinobu hadn’t begged or cried out to keep her, it wasn’t because she agreed with letting her go...

It was out of simple respect.

And while Kanae hesitated, Marcus’s voice rang out again.

"You should at least spend some time with them."

His tone softened.

"Even if it’s just to heal the wound they carry inside—it still wouldn’t be too late to leave afterward."

Kanae looked up.

"Are you saying...?"

"My Blade isn’t a prison with no way out. They miss you deeply. Shinobu was even willing to give up her own life for this chance."

He drew a breath before continuing.

"But if someday you truly decide you don’t want to go on like this, I’ll give you back your freedom. I don’t think they’ll stop you either."

"When that moment comes, if you still wish it, you can follow the order you believe in."

"Onee-chan..." Shinobu nodded, calling to her in a voice full of hope.

Kanae stayed silent.

She watched Shinobu’s pleading gaze and let out a sigh.

"It isn’t easy for me to leave you either. If I stay with you, how will I ever have the heart to leave later...?"

"If it’s hard to let go, then follow the choice of your heart," Marcus cut in. "Is some abstract order really more important than your sisters?"

Kanae was stunned.

And then she smiled.

It was a faint gesture, heavy with resignation, as if she were finally freeing herself from a burden.

"You really are something..."

With a faint sigh, Kanae’s figure dissolved into countless flecks of light that sank into the void.

"Onee-chan? Onee-chan!"

Shinobu panicked, but Marcus, checking the notifications in his mind, let out a relieved sigh.

[Name: Kanae Kocho (Sword Spirit)]

[Strength Evaluation: Hashira]

[Potential Evaluation: Extremely High (Sword spirits cannot activate Tier 4 rewards)]

[Current Analysis Level: 0.03%]

"Relax, your sister accepted."

"R-Really...?"

"Yes."

"It’ll only take a few days. As soon as she adapts to the Blade, you’ll be able to talk to her."

Shinobu froze for a second.

And then she broke into inconsolable sobbing.

Without trying to calm her, Marcus waited in silence for her to let out her grief for a few moments.

She had fought to the death just for the chance to see her sister.

Only for her sister to want to leave...

If it hadn’t been for Marcus, she would have watched her vanish before her very eyes.

Such a roller coaster of emotions was hard to swallow.

Letting it all out this way would do her good.

In the real world, Shinobu rarely had the chance to cry like this.

Even so...

"...Shinobu, calm down. We’ve got the main matter to deal with." Marcus waited a moment before speaking, his easygoing tone returning. "If you keep crying, I’ll have to rely on Kanao to see you again."

And before she could reply, the Marcus in the real world snapped his eyes open.

The pink mist enveloping them dissipated in an instant.

"Tamayo!"

Tamayo was already ready, pressing the tip of the needle to the side of Shinobu’s neck.

Marcus unsheathed his blade!

The instant blood welled up, the crimson liquid was injected into Shinobu’s blood vessels.

The very next second...

Shinobu, whose breathing had all but stopped, suddenly arched her body.

Like a person who’s been drowning and finally breaks the surface, she took a deep, desperate breath.

At once, blue veins spread across her face and neck.

Her pupils contracted, narrowing into cold, beastly slits.

"Aaaagh!!"

An animalistic roar tore from her throat.

Just as she was about to lose control, the "resignation letter" Ivy was holding stabbed into her arm.

The clear blue liquid was injected.

Muzan didn’t even have time to sense the birth of a new demon.

Shinobu’s body tensed violently and then went slack.

The marked veins faded, and her pupils turned back into her beautiful violet eyes.

The wound on her chest healed at breakneck speed; the tissue knit itself together until no trace was left.

Her breathing became deep and steady.

The ailments that had tormented her all her life were completely cured after the transformation.

She was alive and healthy.

And yet... she was no longer human.

Feeling the strength coursing through her, Shinobu came back to herself and looked at her hands.

Under her gaze, her palms grew larger and her fingers lengthened.

Her hands, once soft and delicate like a doll’s, now held a strength that felt foreign to her.

She froze for a moment, and her vision blurred.

Physical strength had never been her strong suit.

Even though her Hashira rank and her Total Concentration Breathing had improved her physique, it still wasn’t enough to behead demons.

What truly held her back was her small build.

Her hands had been small since childhood—so small that she couldn’t even get a firm grip on the hilt of a normal-sized Nichirin blade.

She could only use a rapier made especially for her; even the hilt was on the smaller side.

If she couldn’t manage something as basic as gripping firmly, how could she control the force of her strikes?

Her own body had decided it for her.

But now, watching her palms, fingers, and even arms gradually extend, how could she not be happy?

"Just as expected from a Hashira." Marcus’s voice came from the side. "You’d barely transformed, and you’ve already mastered Demonization at will."

"Demonization?"

Marcus chuckled and handed her a small silver tray to use as a mirror.

She took it, held it up to the light to look at herself, and froze.

In the mirror, her appearance hadn’t changed much.

Except that a pair of antennae resembling a butterfly’s had grown between her forehead and eyebrows.

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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎

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And if PS aren’t your thing but you still want more Chapters...

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