Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 157 Needle Pricks and Cruelty

As her consciousness sank and rose again, Mizuko found herself standing on a mountain path in the Misty Mountains, with a gentle breeze blowing through the forest, carrying the familiar scent of grass and trees.

She stood still, gripping her Nichirin Blade. Before she could think further, a figure wearing a fox mask slowly approached from in front of her.

"Nie Douzi, you did a great job, come back now."

Mr. Urokodaki's voice was as gentle as ever. He reached out his hand to her, his palm steady.

"There are no evil spirits here, no fighting. You and your brother can stay here in peace."

As Mi Douzi gazed at that hand, her fingertips gently tightened around the knife hilt, and a slight pang of sadness gripped her heart.

Mr. Urokodaki...

She subconsciously murmured a name in her heart, but the next second she forced herself to look away and took a steady half-step back.

No, this isn't real!

Midouzi silently recited a sentence in his heart.

Then Mr. Urokodaki's figure paused slightly, and then slowly faded away like mist.

Mi Douzi didn't look again, turned around and walked into the depths of the mountain path, each step steady and without the slightest hesitation.

Not far ahead, the fog dissipated, and Giyu Tomioka stood silently in the middle of the road, still with his taciturn demeanor.

"Lower Moon One's Blood Demon Art cannot restrain him."

He spoke calmly, his tone exactly the same as in real life.

Midouzi stopped and stared at him for a long time before gently shaking her head.

Mr. Yiyong wouldn't be in a place like this...

She said it to herself, and walked straight past him without pausing.

Yi Yong's figure slowly disappeared behind her, without even a gust of wind being stirred.

As she walked further, the scene suddenly changed. She stood under the corridor of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, with her master sitting in front of her, his face gentle and his eyes filled with a reassuring aura.

"Nie Douzi, you've done very well. You don't need to push yourself anymore."

The lord spoke softly, his voice so gentle it could soothe any weariness.

"Stop it, no one will blame you."

Mi Douzi's hands, which were hanging at her sides, tightened slightly.

My lord...

But she knew it was all just an illusion woven from a dream. She raised her head, looked at that gentle figure, and gently shook her head.

The figure under the corridor gradually blurred, and the scene changed again. She was back in the carriage of the Mugen Train. Zenitsu Agatsuma was huddled next to his seat. As soon as he saw her, he immediately rushed over crying.

"Needouzi Jiang! Waaaaah—you're finally here! Those ghosts were so scary, please protect me!"

Zenitsu grabbed her sleeve, his voice trembling with sobs, just like always.

Looking at his tear-reddened face, Mi Douzi's heart softened slightly, but she still slowly pulled out her sleeve.

[Although Zenitsu is timid, he wouldn't ask me to protect him in a situation like this. Instead, he cried and said he would protect me...]

"You're not really Zenitsu," she said softly, "are you?"

The moment he finished speaking, Zenitsu's figure shattered instantly, and the next second...

Inosuke charged from the other end of the carriage, brandishing his twin swords, his boar head mask askew, his tone arrogant and reckless.

"Flower Bean! Where did you run off to? Come with me now, let's chop those ugly bastards to pieces!"

Looking at his familiar face and hearing his unique "Hua Douzi," Mi Douzi paused almost imperceptibly.

She looked at Inosuke calmly, without wavering in the slightest.

Inosuke's figure flickered and then vanished like a bubble.

The dream seemed relentless, bringing one of the most important people in her life to her eyes one after another.

The old lady next door, the younger siblings of the Kamado family, the friends of the Butterfly Mansion, the swordsmen I trained with...

Everyone called to her in the gentlest and most familiar way, trying to make her stop.

"Nie Douzi, come and rest for a bit."

"Sister, play with us for a while."

"Child, don't suffer anymore."

Gentle calls rang in my ears, and every face looked incredibly real.

As Mi Douzi walked, she listened and watched those figures approach, but she never stopped, never responded, and never looked back.

It's all fake...

It's all fake...

She repeated it to herself over and over again, trying to be cruel to herself.

She so desperately wanted these things to be true, but... but they were all fake.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the figures in front of me finally disappeared, and the scene froze in front of the wooden house of the Kamado family.

The sun was shining brightly, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimney. Her mother stood in the doorway, waving gently at her.

"Nie Douzi, come home for dinner, we're waiting for you."

Behind her, her younger siblings ran out noisily, each grabbing her clothes and smiling broadly.

"Sister! You're finally back!"

We miss you so much!

Midouzi stood there, looking at her familiar home and the warm smiles of her family, her hand holding the knife trembling slightly.

This was the warmth she had lost once, everything she had tried her best to protect. The dream recreated everything perfectly, even the temperature of the sunlight was exactly the same.

"Nie Douzi, why don't you come in?" Her mother smiled and walked towards her, reaching out to pat her head.

Midouzi closed her eyes, tears welling up in them, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She gently grasped her mother's hand, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet exceptionally clear.

"...Mother, if only you were really here."

"Sister, what are you saying?!"

The younger siblings asked in confusion.

Midouzi didn't look again, but slowly walked through the family members and stepped out of the house.

The wooden house, sunlight, and laughter behind her shattered and vanished the moment she walked past.

The surroundings instantly fell into a deathly silence of gray and white; there were no roads, no scenery, and no sound.

There was only an endless expanse of blank space.

No matter which direction she ran in, no matter how fast she ran, all she saw was the same gray and white, like a perpetually closed cage.

Midouzi kept running and running until her breathing became rapid and her legs trembled slightly.

They can't escape.

No matter how hard I run, I can't get out.

She stopped, slowly straightened up, and looked around at the empty space.

There were no illusions, no warmth, no exit, not even a trace of awakening.

Nightmare's dreamscape was like an iron cage, locking her firmly inside, with no sign of her ever escaping.

Mizuko took a deep breath and slowly raised the Nichirin Blade in her hand.

The sharp blade rested quietly against the side of my neck, and I could clearly feel its icy touch.

[Unable to escape, unable to break through...]

That leaves only this one option.

She didn't hesitate, struggle, or show any fear; she simply held the knife quietly, slowly increasing the pressure with her fingertips.

She closed her eyes, preparing to use her last bit of strength to completely break free from this illusion from which she could never wake up.

Just as Nezuko was about to resort to the most desperate method, Tanjiro's voice rang out from behind her.

"Niedouzi, what are you going to do?"