Chapter 65: Domination of Demons

[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!] 

---- 

Wait—

Someone else was still breathing!

Nanashi turned sharply, his gaze falling on an adult woman lying amidst the carnage.

Faint breaths escaped her lips.

But like Nezuko, she too was undergoing demonification.

Kie Kamado?

His eyes widened in recognition.

Wasn't this Nezuko's mother?

Why was she turning into a demon as well?

So reality really is different from the story…

Wait—

A thought surfaced in his mind.

Can I control their minds?

His golden irises shimmered as he raised a hand.

"Archon."

The Zanpakutō dissolved into radiant light, merging into his eyes, transforming into the Eye of Stars.

"Reason Rule!"

A pulse of invisible energy rippled outward.

Suddenly—

Both Nezuko and Kie's eyes snapped open.

Their once gentle gazes had turned crimson, glowing ominously.

Their lips parted, revealing sharp fangs, while their delicate fingers extended into deadly claws.

The transformation was nearly complete.

Their breathing grew ragged.

Nezuko and Kie staggered to their feet, their hungry eyes locking onto Nanashi.

Drool pooled at the corners of their mouths.

Just as they lunged forward—

"Hnngh!"

A sudden jolt of pain struck them both.

They clutched their heads, their expressions contorted with internal struggle.

Within their blood-red irises, reason and bloodlust clashed violently.

Nanashi watched calmly.

His voice was low but firm.

"What are your names?"

A pause.

The two demons trembled, their hands gripping their skulls as if trying to fight off an unbearable headache.

Nezuko beat her head with her fists, as if trying to shake something loose.

Kie clenched her jaw, her entire body quivering.

But there was no answer.

Nanashi repeated, his tone unwavering.

"What are your names?"

The self-inflicted thumping stopped.

Between labored breaths, a soft voice finally broke through the silence.

"Ne…Nezuko… My name is Nezuko Kamado."

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she fought to maintain her grip on reality.

Beside her, Kie exhaled shakily before whispering her own name.

"Kie… My name is Kie Aoi."

Nanashi's gaze flickered with satisfaction.

"Good."

The light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

The domination was complete.

"Master."

The word slipped from their lips with natural ease.

Not a forced submission—but the instinctual deference of those under the rule of a king.

Nanashi had successfully overridden their monstrous instincts.

They were demons, but retained their humanity.

They were his.

Nezuko blinked, her eyes gradually regaining their former gentleness.

Then, she looked around—

And realization dawned.

A horrific scene lay before her.

Her entire family…

Gone.

"Mom… Takeo, Shigeru, Rokuta, Hanako… and the others…"

Tears welled in her crimson eyes.

Her lips trembled as sorrow overtook her.

"Nezuko…"

Kie pulled her into a warm embrace, her own expression clouded with grief.

Their family—was dead.

"Who… did this?!"

A heart-wrenching cry pierced through the heavy silence.

At the entrance of the ruined home—

A boy stood frozen.

His breath hitched as he took in the unimaginable carnage before him.

Tanjiro Kamado.

His eyes darted wildly across the bloodstained room.

His family—

Dead.

All of them.

"No… Why…?!"

His hands clenched into trembling fists.

He had only gone to sell charcoal—

And came back to this?!

"Mom! Nezuko!"

His voice cracked with desperation as he searched for his mother and sister.

And then—

"Onii-chan!"

A voice called out to him.

Before he could react, Nezuko was already running toward him.

He barely had time to brace himself before she threw herself into his arms.

The moment her warmth enveloped him, the dam broke.

Tanjiro sobbed uncontrollably, clutching his sister as though she might disappear too.

Kie stepped forward, wrapping her arms around both of them.

Nanashi stood back.

He did not interfere.

They needed this moment.

Only after their cries had subsided did they begin the grim task of burying their family.

Nanashi also helped erect simple tombstones for each of the fallen.

When the burial was complete—

Kie knelt before the graves, her voice heavy with sorrow.

"Takeo, Shigeru, Rokuta, Hanako…although mom is not your real mother, I have always seen you as my own."

Her hands trembled.

"I will always be your mother. In heaven, please… be happy."

Nanashi frowned.

"What?"

The unexpected revelation startled him.

Nezuko, her head bowed, answered softly.

"Yes. We were all children that Mother adopted."

She exhaled shakily before continuing.

"Our real parents passed away not long after they got married… They both had terminal illnesses and remained bedridden their entire lives."

Nanashi's golden eyes narrowed.

"Then how…?"

Nezuko's lips quivered.

"To keep our family alive… Mother adopted us—

Unwanted children, abandoned by the world.

But to us, she was always our real mother."

Nanashi was speechless.

What kind of insane plot twist was this?!

The entire foundation of the Kamado family's history—

Was completely different from what he knew!

He rubbed his temples.

If someone told him now that Kie was still a virgin, he might actually believe it!

Nanashi sighed, shaking his head.

"Reality is always more unpredictable than the story." 

Indeed—

The plot he once knew could not be trusted anymore.

He glanced at Nezuko and Kie—both still holding onto their humanity, despite their monstrous forms.

This was proof.

Everything had already changed.

And so had their fates.

After the final prayers were offered, the three survivors approached Nanashi.

Tanjiro had noticed him long ago.

Even before speaking, the scent his keen nose picked up told him everything he needed to know—

Nanashi was not the one who did this.

He was not the murderer.

Still, his heart ached for answers.

"Excuse me… Who are you? Do you know what happened here?"

His voice was filled with desperation.

He needed to understand.

Nanashi studied the kind-hearted boy for a moment before speaking bluntly.

"You can call me Nanashi. The one responsible for this massacre is a man-eating demon named Muzan Kibutsuji. He is the King of Demons."

A tense silence followed.

Then—

"Master! Where can I find Muzan Kibutsuji?!"

"Master, please tell us…!"

Two voices—filled with rage and determination—spoke at once.

Nanashi's brows furrowed.

Nezuko and Kie.

Their voices shook with hatred.

But what truly caught him off guard—

Was how they addressed him even after they regained their senses.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro was just as stunned, but for a different reason.

Master?

His mother and sister were calling Nanashi their master?

Nanashi narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.

Something wasn't right.

Normally, newly turned demons would be bound by Muzan Kibutsuji's curse—

They shouldn't even be able to speak his name.

And yet—Nezuko and Kie had done so effortlessly.

Not just that—they were demanding vengeance.

Could it be…?

Had his domination ability severed their connection to the Demon King?

Had he unknowingly created something new—

Demons independent of Muzan Kibutsuji's control?

The realization sent a thrill through him.