Pillar Of The Night Sky

Chapter 116 Will of Fire

"No.....as always...you're here when i need you most, Yozora."

Rengoku looked at everyone in the area with a smile. As he looked at Tanjiro, he decided to tell him what he remembered while he still could.

"You should try visiting my home, the Rengoku house. There should be notes of which the flame pillars of old left behind. My father often reads those, but.......i never read them, so i don't know what's inside."

As he spoke, he saw both Tanjiro and Yozora looking at him with tears in their eyes. Tanjiro suggested that Rengoku stopped the bleeding with his breaths, but the flame pillar shook his head.

"Yozora, Tanjiro, I want you to tell my little brother Senjuro that he should proceed down the path that he thinks is right, as his heart tells him. Tell my father to take care of his body. And also...Kamado......"

Rengoku looked at Tanjiro as he smiled. Yozora was sensing Rengoku's ki the whole time. It was slowly, but surely fading away.

"I believe in your sister, Kamado. I accept her as a member of the demon hunters. Inside that train, i saw that girl protecting humans despite bleeding out. Those who risk their lives to fight demons and protect humans are demon hunters, no matter what anyone else says. Live with your chest held high."

"Rengoku-san............"

"Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel, set your heart ablaze. Grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief. Kamado, my boy. Boar head, my boy. Golden boy. You all have ways to grow. And next time, you all will become pillars who support the demon hunters. I believe in you. I truly do."

Tanjiro couldn't hold back his urge to cry anymore. Tears were running down his face. As this happened, Rappa puts Yozora down on the ground. As Rengoku looked at Yozora, he saw tears in the boys eyes. He remembered he had something important to tell Yozora. Though....he didn't exactly think it would be like this.

"Rengoku-san....i'm so sorry. I'm sorry i couldn't help you."

"Yozora............"

"I was so close to you all, but in the end i wasn't strong enough to defeat the demon and group up with you all. I'm sorry Rengoku, i wish i was strong enough to save you. I tried my best...but even that wasn't enough."

Rengoku looked at the boy for a moment. He could tell that Yozora was blaming himself. When he looked at the body, he saw his body was covered in wounds.

"Yozora...what were you thinking when you were fighting?"

".....all that was on my mind was keeping the Upper Moon i fought away from you and the others."

"Then you have nothing to be ashamed of! You fought with all you had and you accomplished the goal you set for yourself. The wounds i carry are not of your doing, but my own. So hold your head up high Yozora, you are not weak. You've never been weak!"

Yozora looked at the flame pillar with tears in his eyes. Rengoku smiled, he was so glad to see the boy he rescued growing up to be a strong man.

"Yozora.....i don't have much time, so i'll say it now. Don't blame yourself for things out of your control. You are not weak, you are not a cursed child. You are Yozora Tsugikuni, a proud pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps!"

"Rengoku-san.............am i a good demon slayer? Was i good enough to stand by your side as an equal?"

Yozora couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He cried as he looked at the pillar in front of him. Soon Rengoku hugged Yozora as he was also crying.

"Good isn't the correct word to describe yourself, Yozora. You were the best! I couldn't have asked for a better comrade."

Suddenly Rengoku removed his white-yellow haori with flame like ridges at the end. In one swift motion, Rengoku puts the haori over Yozora's shoulders. With a small smile, Rengoku said one thing.

"I'm proud of you, Yozora."

"Thank you.....thank you......thank you. I can't thank you enough for what you did for me, Rengoku-san."

As Rengoku pats the boys head, he looked behind him. He saw an image of a woman that he knew long ago.

"Mother. Did i do everything right? Was i able to fulfill everything i was supposed to carry out."

"You did a wonderful job."

As Rengoku heard this, he had a smile on his face. As he looked at Tanjiro, Zenistu, and Inosuke, he knew they were going to work hard from here on out. Soon his sight landed on Yozora as he had his final thoughts.

"Yozora, you're in the same generation as them and you've come so far. I have only one thing to ask of you. Grow strong, become a pillar that supports the new generation of demon slayers, you've already had that on your mind. All i ask........is that you grow old and have a smile on your face. All i ask....is that you set your heart ablaze."

Yozora could feel it. Rengoku's ki was gone. The man who saved him was gone. As he tightly held onto the haori that Rengoku gaved him, he looked to the sky as some of the Kakushi from the demon slayer corps arrives.

"Rengoku...........i promise.....i'll become the strongest...i'll protect everyone around me. I'll protect Senjuro, i'll protect everything you stood for. Watch over me from the heavens, Rengoku-san. I promise to make a future where everyone can smile like you did."

Yozora fell on the ground as he lost consciousness. Rappa had already left the area, since he saw the kakushi arriving. As he walked away he said one thing.

"You won, Yozora Tsugikuni."

~Meanwhile~
"...................."

Yozora's second personality was seen stabbing sword after sword into the ground. The area he was in was a wasteland, filled with numerous amounts of blades and the ground was painted white with snow. As he stood on this hill of swords, he looked up.

"We can't keep this up. Having two existences in one body is just going to be more of a burden than a blessing from here on out."

Yozora's second personality opened his eyes. They still held the coldness of a machine with them. As he looked behind him, he saw it. Yozora's spiritual core, his very mind. However, he noticed something. This spiritual core was already pierced with several swords. As the second personality sighs, he walks in the snow of the land filled with swords.

"In order for our full strength to be unleashed instead of being divided like it is now, there is only one option. Its time to only have one existence in this body."