[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong-":3,"chapter-this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--chapter-54":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","This Pillar in Demon Slayer Is Extremely Strong but Overly Cautious",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2335980,4566,"Chapter 54: Zero: This Must Be an Illusion!","this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>Ii Koyanai touched the gauze on his face—only he knew how the wound had come to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought of his family and those unbearable memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colluding with demons, harvesting human lives to secure family wealth and privilege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born into such a family, what difference was there between him and them? What right did he have to seek forgiveness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Zero wanted to heal his wounds, he turned to leave, but Zero gripped his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Koyanai, where are you going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t bother with me—I’m a sinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ii Koyanai shoved away Zero’s hand on his shoulder and walked off without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sinner?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero was puzzled—why did he call himself a sinner?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero knew nothing of Ii Koyanai’s past, so he didn’t understand what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gyomei, Jyujuro, do you know what happened to Koyanai before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muichiro thought for a moment, admitting he didn’t know much—Koyanai rarely spoke of himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amitabha, I’m not fully aware, but you might ask the former Flame Hashira. He was the one who saved Koyanai back then—perhaps he knows the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so? Alright, I understand. Let’s go in first and treat the two of them—other matters can wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three entered the room; Rengoku Kyojuro and Tomioka Giyuu were already lying inside the [Recovery Chamber].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero approached the [Recovery Chamber], sealed the lid, and began treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Status: Eardrums damaged】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Requires 100 Energy Crystals to initiate treatment】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Treatment duration: 1 hour】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Status: Muscle tissue damaged】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Requires 100 Energy Crystals to initiate treatment】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Treatment duration: 1 hour】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the data displayed on the [Recovery Chamber] screen, each of them inserted 100 [Energy Crystals] to start treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With nothing else to do, Zero returned to bed and finished drawing the portrait of the Upper Moon demon he had left incomplete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muichiro sat quietly beside him, murmuring sutras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Munenori sat silently on the other side, carefully polishing his Sun Blade with a cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, one hour slowly slipped away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The status panel on the [Recovery Chamber] displayed: Treatment Complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ding～Treatment Complete】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ding～Treatment Complete】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They opened the [Recovery Chamber] lid, turned their backs to Rengoku Kyojuro and Tomioka Giyuu, and let them change clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dressing, Rengoku Kyojuro said heartily: “Zero, thank you very much!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.” Though only two words, Tomioka Giyuu’s gratitude was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After brief pleasantries, Rengoku Kyojuro and Tomioka Giyuu left the room to resume training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two get in too—I’ll wait outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amitabha, I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks!” Munenori replied as always, stubbornly aloof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the [Recovery Chamber] was large enough—otherwise Muichiro’s bulk and 2.2-meter height would never have fit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two minutes later, Zero returned to the room and checked the status panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Status: Bilateral blindness】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Requires 100 Energy Crystals to initiate treatment】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Treatment duration: 1 hour】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Status: Skin tissue damaged】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Requires 100 Energy Crystals to initiate treatment】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Treatment duration: 1 hour】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They each inserted 100 [Energy Crystals] into the chamber to initiate treatment, then sealed the lid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero returned to bed and resumed drawing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he drew, thoughts of Ii Koyanai’s words returned to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he heard Zero wanted to heal him, he unconsciously touched the gauze on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That small gesture made Zero suspect the wound on his face might not be simple…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment, took out the [Analysis Glasses], placed them on his ears, activated projection mode, and checked Ii Koyanai’s information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Personal Information: Ii Koyanai】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Loading… Loading complete】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, let me see what really happened to Ii Koyanai.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Personal Information: Ii Koyanai was born on Hachijo Island. His family, the Ii Clan, viewed themselves as a shameless bloodline that profited by murdering others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They built homes, wore silk and jade, and squandered wealth with no trace of shame—a vile, repulsive clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a family that bore only daughters; for 370 years, no boy had been born—until Ii Koyanai, a rare male infant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after birth, Koyanai was locked in a cell. Though his mother, sisters, and other relatives brought him lavish meals daily,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their false smiles and cloying words filled him with revulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cell had no windows, always reeking of rancid oil, robbing Koyanai of appetite and triggering constant nausea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each night, the ceiling echoed with the sound of a giant creature crawling back and forth, terrifying the young boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At age twelve, Koyanai was finally taken from his cell and brought to a lavish chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terror, he saw the creature crouched atop the altar at the room’s center!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a half-woman, half-snake demon! Koyanai instantly realized—the voice he heard each night was this serpent demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, he learned his clan had survived for over three centuries by stealing wealth the demon gained from killing others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As payment, they sacrificed their own children alive to the serpent demon, who favored infants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a male child with unusual eye color, Koyanai naturally drew the demon’s interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the demon deemed him too young to eat, deciding to fatten him up first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Koyanai survived due to the demon’s perverse whim, he was forced to endure its cruel demand: to become “look like a snake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth was slit open, his face utterly ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he always wore bandages over his face…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thrown back into his cell, Koyanai developed a fierce will to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using a hairpin stolen from his relatives, he began chiseling at the wooden bars of his cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he witnessed that day shattered his trust in all people—except for a stray white snake that wandered into his cell, becoming his only trusted companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He named it “Kabamaru.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After years of relentless effort, Koyanai finally escaped—but was soon caught by the serpent demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the demon was about to kill him, the former Flame Hashira, Rengoku Jujuro’s father, Rengoku Makio, arrived in time and slew the demon with Flame Breathing. Koyanai’s life was saved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rengoku Makio then took Koyanai to find his only surviving relative—his cousin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon seeing Koyanai, his cousin shoved him away and screamed at him in tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From her words, Koyanai learned: after his escape, the demon, enraged, slaughtered nearly all his clan members—over fifty dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, his cousin blamed him entirely—had he not fled, none of them would have died!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a sacrifice, Koyanai should have simply let himself be eaten—it was his only proper fate…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though her accusations were baseless, they cut deep into Koyanai’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought—what would happen to his clan if he ran? But he ran anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a descendant of a vile bloodline, he too was vile…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Believing himself burdened with grave sin, Koyanai abandoned all hope of an ordinary life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed Rengoku Makio into the Demon Slayer Corps and later became the Serpent Hashira.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To vent his uncontainable hatred, he poured all his emotion into slaying demons, seeking only to ease his inner guilt…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero stared at the information on the [Analysis Glasses], falling silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… that’s why you see yourself as a sinner… because of such an unbearable past…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ii Koyanai’s past was nothing but cruel fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done nothing wrong. He bore no fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he had one, it was only that he was born into a wicked family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, his escape indirectly saved countless lives from the Ii Clan’s cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those in his family? Let them die—they deserved no pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Ii Koyanai himself…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero felt sympathy, but more than that—he felt concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he would not try to console him—only guide him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as with the previous Flame Hashira, Rengoku Shinjurō, I won’t try to reason with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never advise someone to be good unless you’ve suffered as they have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saint? Holy Mother?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heh… sorry, Zero isn’t that kind of person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hands, countless lives have been taken, including human ones…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of years of battle, countless duels, endless struggles at the edge of life and death, gradually shaped his detached attitude toward life and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since that final battle with the Void Worm Matriarch, and the words Luo Li said to herself…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since coming to this world, and Xiao Yue’s first expression of her thoughts, followed by the words spoken to him by Kanae and Mitsuha, Zero’s personality slowly changed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head, fragments of memories flashing wildly through his mind—faint and blurred…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One blurred fragment of memory felt both familiar and strange…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little girl, one of her arms mutated into a tentacle…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Brother…!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn… my head hurts so much…!!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What did I forget?! Who was that little girl?!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How much of my memory have I lost… damn it… this pain…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero clutched his head, struggling violently!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he struggled, the more agonizing it became—as if his brain would explode!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forced himself to calm down; after a long while, the searing pain in his skull finally subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Good thing Kanae, Mitsuha, and Xiao Yue aren’t here… I should avoid thinking about my past as much as possible…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, steadying his inner turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, I only need to wait until Himejima and Munakata finish their treatment, then plan what comes next!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sawayama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ping! Ping!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tanjiro was slashing at a massive boulder with his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the final test given to him by his mentor, Tengen Uzui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only if he passed this final trial would Tengen Uzui allow him to take the annual Fujiyama examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after nearly a year of effort, he still hadn’t completed Tengen Uzui’s task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, he refused to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two figures appeared on a nearby tree—a man and a woman—watching Tanjiro practice his swings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Aren’t we going to meet our little junior brother now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No, not yet! Besides, that Fujiyama bastard has been acting up more lately!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Because of that person, right?!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yes. After all, he can sense even our presence! If I get the chance, I’d love to see him again!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two figures exchanged a smile and turned their gaze back to Tanjiro slashing the boulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene shifted to Zero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After an hour of treatment, Himejima’s eyes had regained their sight, including the long scar on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Munakata’s scars had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thanking him, they left Zero’s residence one by one—but Himejima was called aside by Zero, who had something else to tell him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Amitabha, Zero, what else do you need?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero handed Himejima the drawn portrait of the [Twelve Kizuki Upper Moon Demons].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though previously Kanae had explained them, Zero still needed to describe their appearances in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Himejima, this is the portrait of the [Twelve Kizuki Upper Moon Demons]. Take it, study it, then deliver it to the Lord.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Himejima accepted the portrait and said: ‘Amitabha, thank you, Zero! Now I can better understand the Upper Moons and fight alongside my comrades!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Himejima depart, Zero felt today had been unexpectedly fulfilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Huh… after all that work, I’ll take a bath and relax properly~ And while I’m at it… think about how to properly punish Douma next time! Heh…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He prepared his clothes and hummed a tune as he walked to the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door—and once again saw the holy light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ugh… again…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zero saw Kanae and Mitsuha scrubbing each other’s backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mitsuha’s ample chest stood proudly erect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So did Kanae’s!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both women froze, their eyes locking with Zero’s at the bathroom door…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump! Their entire bodies flushed red and hot, steam rising from their skin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zero’s nose spurted a well-known red liquid…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Heh… illusion! This has to be an illusion…!!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight backward—his back meeting the floor in a hard, intimate contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanae\u002FMitsuha: ‘Zero!!!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>",1937,"2026-06-20T21:22:22.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","269639522140d78888fb7283358d7bc20e7177efd9b7157991c8680ab89e1234","this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--chapter-55","this-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--chapter-53",128,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-pillar-in-demon-slayer-is-extremely-strong--cover.jpg"]