area51novel Chapter 98 Resentment and Anger
Chapter 98 Resentment and Anger
Lei Jing shouted, and instantly the blood-red spider web behind him seemed to come alive, layer upon layer, blocking his head. The barrier woven from spider silk was stronger than steel.
That was a defense he had condensed with all his ghostly energy, and he thought he could easily block this sudden attack.
But the moment the golden and blue blades collided with the spider web, they emitted a piercing tearing sound.
On the broken half of the Nichirin Blade, azure waves supported golden-red flames.
The water's gentleness dissolved the spider silk's resilience, while the fire's intensity scorched it.
The two auras blended perfectly on the blade, unleashing a destructive power far exceeding that of a single breathing technique.
The blood-red net that blotted out the sky was actually cleaved open by this one strike, creating a huge gash, and black and red ash flew everywhere.
The tip of the broken blade was only inches away from Lei's head!
"How is that possible!"
His exhausted, bloodshot eyes narrowed sharply, filled with disbelief.
He hurriedly tried to spin around to block, but his body was a beat too slow.
Tanjiro, who was trapped in the spider silk cage, had already seized the opportunity during this brief moment to find Rui's weakness!
Seeing that Nezuko's attacks were forcing him to lose focus, Tanjiro's eyes flashed with cold light. Ignoring the paralysis caused by the poison in his arms and legs, he pushed Hinokami Kagura's breathing rhythm to the limit, and his body suddenly erupted with red and gold flames, burning the poison in his wounds.
"Hinokami Kagura: Phantom Rainbow!"
Tanjiro's figure vanished instantly in the flames, as if merging into the sky full of starlight.
I felt a blur before my eyes and then a piercingly hot breath came from behind me.
Tanjiro's figure had already appeared behind him!
The Nichirin Blade's crimson and gold flames reached their peak, its blade gleaming with dazzling light. Tanjiro's arm veins bulged, and the demon mark on his forehead was as vivid as blood. He stared intently at Rui's neck.
[Chop it down, chop it down! The beans are done very well, this time you must chop them down!]
Seeing that Tanjiro had already launched his attack, Nezuko, who was standing in front of him, had a sharp glint in her eyes.
She gritted her teeth and activated the newly fused water and fire energy within her body. The golden and blue blade light surged once more, and she moved forward with the light steps of the Water Breathing technique.
The broken sword dodged Rui's hastily raised twin spider silk swords and went straight for the other side of Rui's neck, forming a pincer attack with Tanjiro!
The brother and sister's swords flashed simultaneously from both sides, one red and gold, the other gold and blue, one fiery and the other agile, slashing at Lei's neck from the front and back. The two blades converged in the air, transforming into a dazzling arc of light that completely enveloped Lei's figure.
Tired of being caught in the middle, with nowhere to retreat or avoid it.
He could clearly feel the double burning sensation on both sides of his neck, and his pupils suddenly dilated.
Those scarlet eyes churned with panic, resentment, and a hint of barely perceptible confusion.
Countless fragmented memories suddenly exploded in my mind, flashing by like a revolving lantern.
In the dimly lit room, his mother gently tucked him in and whispered, "You're tired, get well soon."
His father carried him along the country lanes, his shoulders broad and warm.
When he was bedridden, his parents stayed by his bedside day and night, their eyes filled with heartache and worry.
And that night, after he became a ghost, his mother looked at him, her eyes filled with despair and reluctance, yet she still gently stroked his head and whispered...
"I'm sorry, you're tired. It's because Mom didn't take good care of you."
Even at the moment he killed his mother with his own hands, there was no hatred in her eyes, only tears, and she was still murmuring...
"I'm tired, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
There was also the trembling hand of the father when he raised the knife, the suppressed sobs, and the repeated "I'm sorry."
And then there were the spider demons he considered "family," the souls he imprisoned with his silk threads, and what he perceived as "family ties"...
At this moment, Lei finally understood.
He was never born an abandoned child; he lived in a loving family, and his parents' love never left him, even after he became a ghost and committed heinous crimes.
Their apologies were not to lessen their guilt, but to acknowledge their failure to protect him.
In order to spare him too much pain, and in order to face the inevitable separation in the end.
However, he was blinded by Muzan's words and overwhelmed by his obsession with "family," leading him to kill his parents who loved him most with his own hands.
They also imprisoned countless innocent people with silk threads, treating imprisonment as a shackle and coercion as kinship. They spent their entire lives pursuing a false family, but destroyed true kinship with their own hands.
It turns out that he had everything he wanted from the very beginning.
But it was all too late.
Two blades struck Lei's neck simultaneously, and with a crisp "plop," dark red blood gushed out.
His head, exhausted, flew high into the air. In his bloodshot eyes, there remained a final sense of confusion and relief, as well as a trace of deep regret.
His body froze on the spot, the blood-red spider web on his back instantly lost its luster and turned into countless fragments of silk, and the spider silk armor around his body also shattered and turned into ashes.
Tanjiro and Nezuko sheathed their swords at the same time, standing side by side as they watched Lei's head arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
The water and fire energies within Mi Douzi's body had just merged and were not yet fully under control. At this moment, exhausted, everything went black before his eyes, and his body slumped to the ground.
Tanjiro reacted quickly, reaching out to pull her into his arms with gentle yet urgent movements. He looked down at Nezuko's pale face and reached out to check her breath.
Thank goodness!
He held Mi Douzi tightly in his arms, the red and gold flames slowly fading, his eyes filled with tenderness as he gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and whispered.
"Nie Douzi, you've worked hard, we won."
Lei's head, which had fallen to the ground, still stared intently at the embracing brother and sister with its scarlet eyes wide open.
Looking at the tenderness in Tanjiro's eyes, and seeing how peacefully Nezuko nestled in his arms.
Exhausted, my heart was filled with complex emotions: regret, self-blame, jealousy, and a hint of envy that I couldn't quite put my finger on. In the end, all of these emotions turned into extreme anger.
He hated himself, hated that he was blinded by his obsession and destroyed true family affection with his own hands.
I hate Muzan, I hate that he twisted my mind with lies.
I hate Tanjiro and Nezuko, I hate that they possess the kinship that I pursued my whole life but ultimately lost.
I hate that they used this warm bond to shatter my last remaining conviction.
Why?
Why was he born to suffer from illness?
Why did he lose all love after he became a ghost?
Why is it that others can have warmth, but he doesn't even have the chance to touch it?
Unwilling! Endless unwillingness!
Even if he were to be beheaded, even if he were to vanish into nothingness, he would drag them down with him!
Exhausted, his scarlet eyes churned with a frenzied killing intent, and black and red threads surged wildly from his head, causing the surrounding ground to tremble.
Countless dark red threads erupted from his head, spinning wildly in the air and transforming into a massive strangling vortex.
The tips of the threads glowed with a blackish-red, highly poisonous light, carrying even greater power as they swept fiercely towards Tanjiro and Nezuko.
"Blood Demon Art: Circular Lines!"
His exhausted roar was hoarse and frantic, filled with his last resentment. This was his final attack, unleashing all his ghostly energy, and the spinning threads were moving at an extreme speed.
Wherever it passed, the ground was plowed into deep trenches, trees were instantly shredded, and even the air was torn apart, forming an inescapable vortex of death.
Tanjiro, holding Nezuko, suddenly narrowed his eyes. He could clearly feel the terrifying power of the attack and wanted to dodge with Nezuko.
However, he was too close to Lei's head, the range of the engraved lines was too wide, and the speed of the silk threads was too fast, leaving him no room to dodge!
He instinctively held Nezuko tightly to his chest, and the red and gold flames of his Nichirin Blade flared up again, trying to block this final attack. However, the flames were as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, and could not stop it at all.
[Oh no, my stamina hasn't recovered yet. Have I reached my limit?]
The silk thread drew ever closer, and a sense of danger filled the air.
A resolute glint flashed in Tanjiro's eyes. He held Nezuko tightly, intending to shield her from all harm with his body.
Just at this critical moment, a cold and indifferent voice suddenly came from the forest.
"Water Breathing - Eleventh Form - Nagi".