Yes.
This was enough.
He had severed his own head with a Nichirin blade, and then destroyed that hideous body that still kept regenerating anyway with his own hands.
No more.
No more of these hands.
No, he no longer wanted to stain the [Soryu] his master had taught him.
He could not stain it.
Before him appeared the figure of his father.
“Father... are you okay now? Does it still hurt?”
“Thank you... I’m fine, Hakuji.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I’m sorry. I couldn’t live properly...”
Only now did he understand why his father had hanged himself.
He must have thought he was a burden, that as long as he lived, I would keep committing evil.
It wasn’t that he wanted to be free of illness and pain.
He had wanted to free me from myself through death.
“It doesn’t matter.”
And then, a warm, strong hand came to rest on his head—the hand of the strongest person he had ever known.
His master’s hand.
“No matter what you become, a son is still a son, and a disciple is still a disciple.
I won’t let you die.”
“...Though I can’t take you to heaven.”
Sorry, Master.
I turned your [Soryu] into a blood-soaked mess.
Crack!
Someone grabbed him by the hair.
A foul, filthy stench of blood unlike anything he had smelled until now.
“Wasn’t it strength you wanted? Is this where you end, Akaza?”
Muzan-sama...
...Yes, I, Akaza, will become stronger.
I want to be stronger. What does it matter if my head was cut off? A match? I don’t care. I’ll kill them all. I have to get stronger. I have to. The weak are disgusting. I have to get stronger. Because I was weak, everyone died. I have to kill them all.
What was Hakuji? Who cared.
I am Upper Rank Three, Aka—
Swish...
Then, a cold, gentle hand I thought I would never feel again lifted my cheek.
...No.
You.
There was no way I could ever see you again.
Those eyes, that snowflake-like gaze... I should never have been able to see them again...
“Thank you, Hakuji-san.”
Koyuki.
It was Koyuki.
The woman I loved most, the love I had failed to protect, was looking at me again.
“It’s enough now. It’s okay now.”
...There was only one thing I could say.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!! I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you! I’m sorry I wasn’t by your side when it mattered most! I couldn’t keep a single promise...!! Please forgive me. Forgive me. Please! Forgive me!!”
“...I’m glad you remembered us. I’m glad you came back to being the real Hakuji-san. Welcome home, dear...”
...Yes.
This was enough.
With this, I could burn forever in hell.
With this...
“This time, let’s stay together forever.”
Koyuki!?
“No, you don’t need to come here too!!”
Hellfire blazed up from beneath my feet and wrapped around Koyuki and me.
It was horribly hot and painful, but all of it was my sin.
It wasn’t Koyuki’s!
“God! Buddha! Anyone!! This is my sin! Mine!! Don’t take innocent Koyuki with me!!”
“No. I’m going with you too. We’re husband and wife, aren’t we?”
“No, Koyuki! I can’t accept that! This isn’t right! This isn’t right at all!
Koyuki did nothing wrong! She’s innocent!!”
“K-kweh!!”
“Kyah!?”
While I was desperately shouting into the void, something grabbed both Koyuki and me by the nape of the neck and hauled us out of the hellfire.
What?
Who are you!
No, this isn’t the time to care who it is!
First I need to get Koyuki out of here...!!
“Ah, it’s fine now.”
“...A-a...?”
What had been gripping the collars of Koyuki and me was a crocodile standing on two legs.
A monster crocodile walking upright like a human, with square glasses perched over its eyes.
“You, what are you!!”
I hurriedly tore Koyuki away from the monster’s hand and hid her behind my back.
My body instinctively took a stance. Before that thing could touch Koyuki, I would crush it—!
“Ah, God.”
“God!?”
That thing was God!?
That ridiculous-looking thing, the kind of face that looked like it would make 200 billion won and vanish, was God!?
“No, wait—Koyuki, how do you know that thing!?”
“Because he’s the one who brought me here.”
“...What?”
Koyuki, whom I had hidden behind me, bowed politely toward the crocodile as if nothing were strange at all.
What was going on?
Had I really gone mad from becoming a blood demon?
“Now, now. We don’t have much time, so from here on, ten seconds!”
Then the crocodile looked at something strapped to its wrist and shouted at Koyuki, and Koyuki immediately grabbed my shoulder tightly and said,
What, was Koyuki always this strong?
“Hakuji-san! Listen carefully!”
“Huh?”
[10]
“You have to become a hero! For now, you need to become a hero!!”
[9]
“W-what is that!”
That was the first time I had ever heard that word, and Koyuki was saying it in a panic.
[8]
“I know you hate studying! But you have to work hard! Come to U.A.! Don’t forget! U.A.!!”
“Wait, Koyuki, explain!!”
[7~ 6~]
“There’s no time to explain! I’ll do my best and get there too, so Hakuji-san, please do your best too! They said this is the only way we can meet again!”
[5~4~]
I was completely overwhelmed by Koyuki’s frantic words and that self-proclaimed god crocodile constantly counting down numbers, but for some reason every single word Koyuki said came through crystal clear.
“And this! I decided this would be our goodbye kiss!”
Koyuki’s face, bright red, drew closer and closer to mine.
What was she trying to do?
Wait, no way, here!?
“Ko, Koyu— mmmph!!”
[3~ 2~]
What I remembered last was...
A hurried kiss from Koyuki.
[1!!!!]
And a booming voice saying something I couldn’t understand.
[The parody crossover begins with movie power!!!!
The beginning of Hero Akaza!!!!!]
And then my consciousness sank into endless darkness.
‘What the hell happened? Koyuki...?’
In the blur of consciousness, the man who had once been the demon Akaza—Hakuji—tried desperately to move his eyes, but his eyelids were so stiff it was useless.
‘Koyuki! Where are you!’
His throat felt as if it were packed full of water, and he couldn’t even speak.
‘Damn it! My body won’t move! Move, damn you!!’
The body that had moved even with its head cut off, even with its limbs blown apart, would not move at all.
It felt as if every bone in his body had melted away and every muscle had turned into soft, squishy flesh.
‘Damn... it...!! Move! Move!! Move, damn you!!!’
Cough!
But that much could not shake Hakuji’s absurdly strong mental fortitude, and before long a sound burst from his mouth for the first time.
‘Huaaah!!!!’
“Waaah!!!!”
‘...Huh?’
The shout Hakuji had roared with all his might came out sounding like the weak cry of a tiny baby.
“Th-thank goodness... he cried! He cried!”
“Huff, huff... It’s a boy. The fact that he’s causing trouble the moment he’s born... definitely a boy.”
“Waaah!!! Waaah!!!!”
‘What is this! What the hell is going on!!! Why is that pathetic sound coming out of my mouth!!’
Still unaware that he had become a baby, Hakuji was on the verge of losing his mind.
Two months later, Hakuji finally saw his own adorable baby face reflected in a mirror.
‘What... is this!!!’
“Gyaaah!!!”
It was a cry he let out at the insane situation, but of course the sound still coming from his mouth was baby babble.
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