Chapter 472: 2 – Main – Pinokangni (143)

"For the sake of our great undertaking, Xingqiri, please both of you take a short rest," the Dream Master said lightly.

Zhigengniao's pupils trembled, and she stared at her brother in disbelief: "What…?"

Xingqiri inhaled deeply, then slowly looked at his sister; as his gaze hardened, a light from Harmony instantly enveloped Walte and Zhigengniao. The former remained unmoved by wind and rain, the latter painfully clutched her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Zhigengniao. Only you… I don't want you to know any of this. Unfortunately, things didn't go as I wished."

"So this is the real reason I cannot sing? The shadow covering Pinokangni is actually…"

Xingqiri nodded: "We have never been children of Harmony; the paradise you and I envision should not be created by Xipe. The happiness of the masses can only be promised by the One who stands above them."

"Within law, humanity builds society… Within Harmony, we obtain Order."

——

Spirit cage.

"Obediently, family members turn against each other… This little Sanyueqi's prophecy is too accurate, isn't it? Her mouth must have been blessed somewhere, right?"

Shanda rubbed the stubble on his chin, even suspecting that Sanyueqi might have some connection with Ailiuo; how did she manage to mention something casually and have everything that followed come true?

"Ha, without any skill, can one receive special treatment of Memory?" Suixing said lightly while silently polishing his composite bow.

"…Indeed, that little girl herself is quite bizarre."

"Hey, that's not the point, is it?" Xia Dao clenched his fist, his pale face flushed with anger, "The point is Xingqiri! He wouldn't even spare his own sister! That's just too cruel, isn't it?!"

She had thought Xingqiri was a good brother, but didn't expect him to use the same method he used against Shajin on his sister; doesn't that hurt him?

"Since they are the remnants of Order, their current position should be like a spinal parasite, attached to the massive Family, with the Dream Master controlling their actions. But the problem is… what next? What must they do to accomplish the 'great undertaking'?"

Bai Yuekui stared coldly at them. Previously Order had only briefly appeared during the locust plague, but since the Star God has been devoured, there is no longer the metaphysical intention spoken of by Boteio to command them and grant them power.

Even if they claim to obtain Order on the surface, the only forces they can wield are Harmony and the power of a Star Core. What do they plan to do? Do they intend to use the Star Core to elevate the Dream Master into a sovereign?

——

"What have you done to Uncle Yang and Miss Zhigengniao!?" Sanyueqi crossed her arms and demanded.

"Rest assured, we merely gave them some time to contemplate their fate alone," Xingqiri replied politely.

"You should understand that doing this means opposing the Starry Vault Train."

"Even if we must oppose the nameless guests, it would only be me and the Oak lineage. But we haven't reached that step yet, have we? You all champion Pinokangni's justice everywhere, and everyone sees that."

"Stop the riddles and get to the point," Xingleng stared coldly at him.

"Patience is a virtue, but I won't blame you; on the contrary, I'm about to state my purpose."

"If Order compels you to imprison Walte and Zhigengniao and use that to force us to comply, then I think there's no need for us to sit down and negotiate at all."

"You've misunderstood, Miss Jizi. They are safe, as the Family has always promised; no one will be harmed in the dream, let alone in Order's beautiful new world."

Xingqiri looked up at the sky, his tone sincere: "Pinokangni and this universe have witnessed far too much innocent blood. The strong swing swords at the weak; the victor pushes the loser's life to its end… Natural selection— the world follows this law, building humanity's welfare upon the remains of the weak. Only we, the fate‑walkers of Order, or rather I, have the power to end this absurd farce."

"You plan to resurrect a dead Star God? No one has ever accomplished that."

——

Demon Slayer.

"Order? That doesn't sound like something that elder would like."

In a hidden room of the church, candlelight flickered. Tomura lightly waved the golden fan in his hand; the woman kneeling before him was pallid, staring at the countless severed limbs and wreckage behind him. She clutched her head, trembling all over, repeatedly murmuring, "Don't eat me"...

"How pitiful… don't be afraid," Tomura said with a smile, "Soon you'll merge with Harmony. I'll eat your flesh and blood completely, leaving no trace; once you're in my body, we can achieve eternal life together."

Just as he was about to slice the woman's throat with the fan, he suddenly sensed something; his eyebrows lifted, and his smile deepened.

"Oh, a guest?"

Before the words finished, he raised his hand and waved; two crystal‑clear ice lilies instantly blossomed, forming an ice wall before him.

"Boom—!"

The main gate was shattered by a piercing cold blast; as wood splinters flew, a short figure flickered in like a phantom, tip of foot barely touching the ground, and instantly a torrent of sword shadows swirled in, their techniques not only lightning‑fast but also shaking countless tiny ice crystals in the air.

Tomura's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter: "Oh my! Has the Demon Slayer Corps finally developed 'Ice Breathing'? How delightful!"

Toki Tsu Muichiro stood expressionless within the icy mist, his Sun Blade angled toward the ground, its blade shimmering with a cold, moon‑like glint.

"You talk a lot," he said lightly, "the noisy kind."

"Eh? You don't like speaking? I love chatting during battle! By the way, who taught you that sword technique? Impressive! Is it your own creation, or do you have a master?" Tomura grinned and tilted his head.

Tomura jabbered on at length, but he received no response from the boy he imagined.

Because the boy before him had already vanished.

He jerked his head upward and saw Muichiro spiraling upward, then suddenly diving down, his sword stance inverted like the Milky Way of the nine heavens pouring down as a silver cascade. It wasn't Tomura's first time witnessing such an inverted galaxy sword stance; the last time was with a woman named Jingliu, whose sword seemed to hang a silvery waterfall in the air… It was the first time since his birth that he felt fear.

"Precisely, it wasn't his fear but the fear of that elder. The cells in his body belonging to that elder were screaming and howling, and at this moment, Tomura finally heard that screaming fear from within again."

His gaze plummeted rapidly—

At some point his head had already rolled onto the ground, his body sliced by moon‑like sword aura into pieces, and before he could resist, it was over.

His head was lifted, meeting Muichiro's indifferent expression.

"Do you remember this move?"

—Tomura certainly remembered, or rather, he would never forget.

"The woman who wielded this sword is my master."

——

"Seeing Miss Jizi's interest, Xingqiri is willing to tell them the true aspirations of the Order walkers, so they can make better judgments. Yet his words are pale and feeble, unable to depict that ideal visage."

"So follow me, everyone. Let's retrace the path we came, and see where this road will lead."