Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey-Chapter 162: Resolution

[Seiji's POV]

I have achieved the pinnacle of swordsmanship. To the point where a blade was part of my soul rather than an extension of my body or a weapon.

I have mastered every Breathing Style, a feat that would take others multiple lifetimes to achieve. The source of all styles, Sun Breathing, the five major styles of Water, Earth, Fire, Wind and Thunder, including all their variations like Mist Breathing, Serpent Breathing, Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing. I know them all.

I have perfected the art of violence. Attack was a pattern I knew like the back of my hand and defense was the blink of an eye.

Blessed with the greatest pair of eyes in the world, fighting was a conversation, battle a debate. The weight of techniques was the same as a word to me, others honed for years and I spoke in seconds.

There was no doubt, I was strong.

Stronger the many, stronger than most. I was called the strongest.

...

But I was not enough.

I was a mountain that never reached the sky. When it mattered most, I fell short.

All my hard work, all my talents and genius, it was never enough. For I was fighting something beyond humanity. I hated something so much bigger than myself.

My fight against Kokushibo replayed in my mind again and again like a broken videotape. My eyes captured every detail and my perfect memory remembered everything. So it was like I was witnessing the fight in real-time.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times. I watched how the Upper Moon One outclassed me in every aspect of combat.

How, if I was so perfect and mastered so many techniques, could someone beat me?

The answer was simple. Perfection was outclassed by a bigger perfection.

Indeed the swing of my human hand was perfect, but that yielded against the perfect swing of a demonic hand.

My spatial awareness with two eyes was perfect, but I was short-sighted compared to the perfect spatial awareness of six eyes and two ears.

It was just a matter of what we were. I was a human while he was a demon. And demons were superior to humans when it came to combat. A perfect human did not stand a chance against a perfect demon and that was that.

I was a man who stood on a mountain with despair. Not because I was so low but because I was already at the top and yet my goal was still out of reach. I despaired not because I fell but because there was no way to climb higher.

If I were to be born with another unique talent beyond just my eyes, perhaps if I had Mitsuri's muscles, Gyomei's physique, Zenitsu's nerves, Insokue's instincts, etc along with my eyes, maybe I could be stronger than demons.

But this was the limit. I knew. I could sharpen my skills more and became more fluid in using my own weapons and talents but I would no longer be better.

The best version of me would only be as strong as Yuriichi since I was following in his footsteps. But that was not enough.

I did not give up though, because I had a solution.

If this was the top of the mountain, then I would just have to climb a taller mountain altogether. Perhaps then I would reach my goal.

No longer following the footsteps of a legend that died centuries ago. I would pave my own path and walk it. I would have to attain power unlike what this world had seen.

I would do all that just to slaughter every single one of their kind.

..

"Seiji," the movement of her supple lips brought me back to reality, "Focus on me, will you?"

I leaned down to kiss those lips, they were like flower petals. I pulled back and I took in the sight of her face, Kanae.

"What are you thinking Seiji? You haven't been the same ever since you came back that night, would you tell me what happened?" she begged, her face looked needed.

"Tell me anything,"

I loved sharing my victory but I preferred bearing my defeat alone. It was what I've done for many years now. But for her, I tell everything.

"I lost Kanae, to a demon," I said, "Again,"

She stayed silent, her eyes were as beautiful as the first time I saw her but they no longer had light as she stared at empty space. She stayed silent for a while.

"Was it an Upper Moon?"

"Kokushibo," I answered.

She shook. She knew exactly who that traitor was, I had informed them about all the Upper Moons a long time ago.

After she heard my answer, she no longer said anything. At least not in front of my eyes.

We were sitting in the living room. The sun was in the middle of the sky, my eyes widely caught the activities of the mansion. I also saw Shinobu and Lady Tamayo inside their research room, working tirelessly together. Combining their genius against a common enemy.

Mitsuri was a little further from us, a bowl of food in her hand. She would take a peek at us occasionally, but otherwise, she gave us time. Kanae was right, I have been acting weird since I returned.

Mitsuri did not know what to do so she left it to the older woman to fix me again. She was just sitting there, witnessing what was happening and hoping Kanae would somehow fix me like a broken clock.

I smiled.

It's been almost a week now. My wounds were not severe, a humiliating fact was that Kokushibo never really took the fight seriously so my vitals remained safe.

"I've come to a decision," I said, catching both the attention of Kanae and Mitsuri as they perked up in my direction.

"I'm sorry Kanae," I said and bowed to her, "I'm sorry Mitsuri," I did the same to her too.

"I will be gone for a while,"

"You are going to another mission already?" Kanae asked with a small frown.

"No, this one is different. I will be leaving to do something more personal," I said.

"Well, when will you return?" Misturi asked timidly from the side.

"That's the thing, I don't know. Maybe years,"

"YEARS!!!" This time they both gasped loudly.

"Clam down please-"

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"No! How can we be calm? What do you need to do that requires you to be gone for a year?" they asked.

"That's the thing, I am not sure what I will be doing either. I only know that I will be trying, there will be a lot of trying and when I come back home...."

"I will never lose again,"

..

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Auhtor : Training arc coming up!!