Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 17 Let's Become a Ghost

Snowflakes fell from the sky, and Lingguang raised his head.

This is not the time for snow.

Her gaze shifted from the sky to the ground. Not far away, there was the reason for the falling snow. The frightened girl fell to the ground in an instant after seeing the bloodstains all over the ground.

I don’t know where he came from, nor why he passed by here at this time. It’s really surprising that there are people with worse luck than him.

In a very brief moment, Douma's speed exceeded the girl's imagination. While the expression on his face was still one of surprise, his head had already separated from his body.

Lin Guang put his hands behind his back and looked at the head held in his palms, blinking slowly.

"very beautiful."

Lin Guang couldn't leave a last word for her either. He could only come up with a comment that would not be preserved for the tombstone that didn't really exist.

Many years later, no one will remember this girl anymore. But at least Douma, who ate her, will remember her, and will also remember this comment.

"She's truly lucky to receive such praise from Rinko."

Douma ripped the woman's legs off with the effortless ease of tearing a piece of paper, leaving a trail of red ink on the ground. Sharp teeth bit and tore flesh apart, more effortlessly than a human could eat. The sound of swallowing left only a stain of blood on the edge of his mouth.

To be honest, watching Douma eat is more appetizing than watching Akaza eat.

"Would you like to eat something? As for Rinko, you can choose whatever you want."

Although her eyes weren't looking at him, she could easily notice where his attention was. Although there was no emotion on his face, she could clearly tell whether he had any expectations.

Before any words could be uttered, the torn piece of meat was stuffed into the open mouth. The feeling was completely different from that of human food. As the food was swallowed, the bloody meat slid down the throat and fell into the stomach. It was truly a world of difference. The feeling of satisfaction, fullness, the heart beating and the blood rushing, was like being reborn. This was what ghosts should put in their mouths and swallow into their stomachs.

"It seems like there's more than one person who's unluckier than Rinko tonight."

Rinko followed Douma's gaze and saw a boy lying on the ground not far away with blood on his back. He seemed to be holding something in his arms. He sniffed with the tip of his nose. Apart from human blood, he could only smell the smell of burnt meat, which was overburned to the point that neither humans nor ghosts would be willing to put it in their mouths.

Lin Guang could barely make out that the thing covered by the boy had a vague human figure. It was still alive, burnt, but still tenaciously alive, living in great pain, even breathing was torture.

However, no matter which one of them, they probably won't survive the night.

"What's wrong? You look so pitiful..."

Douma walked over step by step, his tone gentle and mixed with a smile. The boy lying on the ground was still conscious. Rinko noticed his head that was barely moving and his eyes.

Such deep hatred.

He had rarely seen such intense anger and resentment on anyone's face. The faces of the dead were mostly filled with fear and terror, followed by regret, and sometimes crying, but rarely anger.

"I'm a kind-hearted person. I can't just ignore what I saw. That girl, is she going to die soon?"

What kind of scene is this?

Douma stood there, looking down from above, with blood still on his face and mouth, holding a woman's head and torn legs in his hands, like an evil spirit released from hell; but his tone was nonchalant, his smile did not seem fake, and his eyes seemed to contain infinite tenderness, as if a real god or Buddha had descended.

And on the edge of death, the boy, with hatred for death and desire for survival, wants to reach out and grab the hanging spider silk. What kind of scene does this seem to him?

"I'll give you both some blood. As long as that adult chooses you, you can become ghosts."

"Life is precious, so cherish it. Come on, after you become a demon, can you rise to the first quarter of the twelve demon moons like me?"

Is this the instigation of evil spirits or the mercy of gods and Buddhas?

Between the vicious demon and the compassionate Buddha, which one is Douma more like?

For the boy lying on the ground and the girl on the verge of death, perhaps it is closer to the latter.

Of course, this was just Lin Guang's guess. He didn't know what those two heads were thinking, nor did he have the ability to pry them open to see the answer, but it was just a guess, and it was interesting enough.

"What is Rinko thinking?"

Those eyes stayed on the two people who gradually evolved from humans into ghosts for too long. He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice when Douma picked him up from the ground.

"Do you still remember why you became a demon?"

Rinko turned to look at Douma, who nodded without hesitation.

"I remember it, I remember it very clearly."

Douma had said he could even remember the people he'd eaten, but for Rinkou, that was unbelievable. Rinkou's head couldn't hold much. It was like a small box; even if he poured out all his memories from the past century, the scattered fragments wouldn't form a picture.

Those fragments of words could not be connected to form a letter. He shook the box again, and it was gone. That was all.

He couldn't remember how he became a ghost, nor why he became a ghost. The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Muzan.

There wasn't much left. Kokushibo occupied one part, Akaza occupied another, Tamayo-san was in an obscure corner, and Douma now occupied a piece of the territory as well.

But Lin Guang himself is not too curious about the past. He is more curious about the future. If he forgets something, he will learn it again. If he dies, he will accept the reality.

Rinko has been asked many times why he could get Muzan's protection and tolerance, but Rinko has no answer. He just knows that Muzan is relatively tolerant, forgiving, and even indulgent towards him.

As for the reason.

There are so many things to think about in the world, and not everything has an answer.

He didn't know what was going on in the minds of the two children lying on the ground. He didn't know whether Douma was torture or salvation in their eyes, nor did he know why Muzan treated him better.

But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if I don't know. Isn't it good as it is now? Why do I need a reason?

Liking something is a very pure thing. Lin Guang doesn't like the sun, but likes the moon and cloudy days. He doesn't like eating, but likes trying human food. He doesn't need any reason, and there is no inevitable reason. He just likes it.

Is it true that once you become an adult you will no longer have that simple and pure feeling? That sounds too regrettable.

Adults are always looking for a cause and a result, but whether it rains or snows is determined by the clouds in the sky. No one, whether human or ghost, can demand that there will be only the sun or only the moon tomorrow.

There are things that cannot be changed, and things that are not as expected will happen, but there are always people who find it difficult to accept all this.

"Ah, that's amazing! You all survived! Congratulations!"

The slightly surprised voice brought Lin Guang back to his senses from his deep thoughts again. A boy with protruding bones and a beautiful girl crawled up from the ground, both pairs of eyes emitting light in the darkness.

"You're as thin as Rinkou. You must not be eating well. Don't do that again."

"Please don't use me as a mistake or an example of failure."

Lin Guang's tone was flat, showing no anger or momentum.

"Ah, are you angry, Rinko? It's my fault, it's my fault. I shouldn't have said that to you. Rinko is just a little picky and useless, but she's still very likable. She's not a mistake."

This doesn't sound like a happy comment either.

Not only Rinkou, but also the two children who had just turned into demons felt the same way.

--------

"Can I also turn people into ghosts?"

Rinko's reaction time was very slow even on trivial matters, so when he asked about it a few years later, Douma thought he had met someone of interest. Thinking so, he asked, but all he got was a raised eyebrow and a confused look from Rinko.

"What does this have to do with people?"

Faced with eyes filled with confusion, Douma blinked, somewhat unable to keep up with the rhythm.

"Because I remembered that you turned the brother and sister into ghosts, so I was curious if I could do the same."

"I see. Rinko can't do that. Only Upper Ranks can share their blood with others, and that requires Master Muzan's consent. As for Rinko, she won't be able to become an Upper Rank even after hundreds of years. After all, she's very weak."

Douma was telling the truth.

But Rinko felt that if another ghost sat here, at least one of his chin and head would disappear. For Rinko, this association came about because looking at Douma's head suddenly made him want to play with Akaza's short, furry hair.