Even If You Reach Out Your Hand (
Summary[]
As Michikatsu begs Yoriichi to die and wishes he had never been born, believing his existence was in defiance of nature, he listens to the fate of his brother. His father had sent an envoy to the temple to retrieve him, though he was not there. Yoriichi disappeared seemingly without a trace; whether it was a landslide, a bear, or being kidnapped, his wish had come true. For the next ten years, he lived peacefully; Michikatsu eventually got married and had children, but he recalls it was as if time had slowed to a crawl.
Yoriichi saves Michikatsu from a demon.
One fateful day, his camp was attacked by a demon, leaving his fellow samurai dead and him as the sole survivor. As the passage of time began to accelerate once again, he had an unexpected encounter when Yoriichi appeared and instantly struck down the demon; he was different to the person he was as a child and had completely mastered the sword, easily defeating inhuman opponents. Seeing Yoriichi again destroyed the serenity of his life, and as his stomach boiled with jealous hatred, he watched his twin kneel before and apologize for his lateness, allowing his subordinates to be killed.
Seeing Yoriichi was now a seemingly faultless individual, Michikatsu decided to take his skills for his own, no matter the costs. He abandoned his family and took the path of a Demon Slayer. During this time, Yoriichi sought to teach his peers about swordsmanship and breathing techniques, but when none of them could match him, he altered the styles to suit them personally. This gave rise to the various Breathing Styles known to all Demon Slayers, and subsequently, as the Demon Slayers' power rose, so did the number of people who gained the mark like Yoriichi.
The Sengoku era Hashira discuss the deaths caused by the mark.
Eventually, Michikatsu attained a mark as well that was similar to his twin's, but in the end, he could not use Sun Breathing. Instead, he used a derivative that eventually came to be known as Moon Breathing. He had thought he could match Yoriichi's power by training, but as he languished in frustration, those who gained the mark began to die in droves. They soon discovered the mark merely exchanged a user's lifespan for the given power, and as such, what was dubbed the "Golden Era" of Demon Slayers would end; Michikatsu was subsequently left with no future or the necessary training to surpass Yoriichi.
It was then that he encountered Muzan Kibutsuji; the Demon King tempted him by explaining he could live forever, and by doing so, he could master his Breathing Style and Muzan would gain a demonic swordsman from it. Given the choice, Michikatsu realized the path he truly sought had been laid before him, and he could be free of all his fetters. Yet, when Yoriichi encountered Michikatsu again 60 years later, it was a reminder that not all his shackles were gone. His twin, who transcended the laws of nature, had appeared before him and died, thereby defeating him once more and robbing him of victory forever.
An angered Kokushibo slashes Yoriichi's body in half.
No one, not even Muzan, could defeat, and as he demands to know why he had to always make him feel miserable, Kokushibo slashes Yoriichi's body in half. To his shock, he sees the flute he gave him when they were children and recalls his words. "I think of this flute you gave me... as you." Kokushibo attempts to force his hatred on him as he tears up at the sight of it. "Just seeing your face makes me sick. Just hearing your voice makes me so angry my head hurts."
Kokushibo laments that even after centuries passing, the face he wanted to forget the most appeared vividly; he had forgotten the faces of his parents, his wife, and children, yet his visage continued to stay clear. Yoriichi was the sun, and around him, humanity would have no path but to yearn and reach out for it as they writhed in agony until they faded. As the last portions of Kokushibo's body begin to fade, Upper One laments that he could never hold onto anything at all. After abandoning his home, his family, and his humanity, and even after striking down his descendant and forgoing becoming a samurai, it was still never enough.
The death of Upper Rank One.
He recalls when Yoriichi had once stated that those who master their paths would all reach the same place, yet he did not, and he couldn't see the world he saw. Even after Yoriichi's death, when he and Muzan killed every Demon Slayer who knew Sun Breathing and its forms, the style continues to live. Finally, as Kokushibo fades into nothing, leaving behind the flute he once gave to Yoriichi and has now kept with him for 400 years, he questions the entirety of his existence.
"Why could I not leave anything behind? Why could I not become someone? Why are we so different? Why in the world was I ever born? Tell me... Yoriichi."
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Yoriichi Tsugikuni
- Kokushibo
- Muzan Kibutsuji
- Muichiro Tokito
- Gyomei Himejima
- Tanjiro Kamado (Vision)
Events[]
- More of Kokushibo's past is shown:
- After Yoriichi left his life and seemingly disappeared, Michikatsu lived for 10 peaceful years free of him.
- When Michikatsu was attacked by a demon, Yoriichi rescued him, now more powerful than ever before.
- Seeking to attain his power, Michikatsu abandoned his family to become a Demon Slayer.
- Yoriichi taught his Sun Breathing to other Demon Slayers. When they could not match him, he modified the style and gave rise to the Breathing Styles to be used in the future.
- Discovering that the mark steals the lifespan of bearers, Michikatsu accepted Muzan's offer to become a demon and escape death.
- During his last duel with Yoriichi, Kokushibo slashed his body and found that he kept the flute he once gave him.
- Kokushibo fades to ash regretful at never amounting to anything, leaving behind his brother's flute and marking his defeat.