Father and Son

When the topic of that night on the Mugen Train came up, Kyojuro Rengoku's gaze became incredibly solemn: "Speaking of which, I am truly grateful for your life-risking battle that night! If it weren't for you... this life-saving grace! I will remember it forever!"

He didn't launch into long, rambling speeches; his words were concise and solemn, filled with the responsibility and sincerity befitting the Flame Pillar.

Asuka's expression remained calm and composed; she nodded slightly in response to the other party's thanks.

He seemed completely indifferent to discussions about the life-saving grace or the speed of recovery from his injuries.

His gaze calmly met Kyojuro's burning gaze, and he spoke directly: "Don't worry about it. I'm here for the Breath of Flame."

Rengoku Kyojuro chuckled, clutching his aching chest. He knew this was typical of Asuka.

"Hmm! Very good! This pure heart in pursuit of power, worthy of a Pillar!" He admired Asuka's straightforwardness and was about to invite him into the house for a chat.

A sudden, unsteady sound of footsteps, along with a strong smell of alcohol, came from the front door.

The door to the inner courtyard was kicked open roughly, and a tall figure staggered in.

The person who came was wearing a faded gray-blue long gown, and his messy, golden-red hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time and was quite tangled.

His face was flushed with an unhealthy redness caused by long-term alcohol abuse, and he had a stubble beard, making him look very unkempt.

He carried a full sake jug and swept his bloodshot eyes across the crowd in the courtyard with hostility—

This person is the head of the Rengoku family, the former Flame Pillar, Rengoku Makijuro.

Makijuro gulped down a large mouthful of sake, let out a rude burp, and arrogantly and impolitely sized up Asuka, who was talking to Kyojuro. A glaring, mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Heh... Who do we have here? It's just another useless Demon Slayer from the Demon Slayer Corps..." Makijuro let out a series of ambiguous sneers, his voice hoarse and sarcastic: "What? Came to mock the Flame Pillar of the Rengoku family? A sick cat who can't even get up after being kicked by a mere Upper Moon demon?"

Kyojuro Rengoku paused for a moment, but immediately took a deep breath and introduced with a hearty laugh, "Father, this is..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Makijuro rudely interrupted his son, impatiently shaking the sake bottle. "He's just another worthless mediocre nobody! What's there to say? Get out of here!"

He staggered toward the inner courtyard.

As he passed Kyojuro, Makijuro glared at him fiercely: "Isn't this better! People with no talent should just stay home! Going out will only lead to their deaths!"

These words slightly stung Shinobu Kocho, who was standing to the side, and she unconsciously frowned.

The younger brother, Senjuro, who was sweeping the courtyard, was on the verge of tears, burying his head low, afraid of upsetting his father.

However, Kyojuro Rengoku was not angry. He simply bowed to his father and said, "Father, you should drink less. Your health is important..."

Makijuro seemed not to hear what he said and climbed up the corridor on his own, about to go inside.

"Mr. Rengoku Makijuro, right?"

Asuka suddenly spoke, causing everyone else in the room to pause slightly. Shinobu Kocho even tugged at his sleeve, telling him not to talk too much and cause trouble.

"I want to learn Flame Breathing. Could you teach me?"

"Huh?" Makijuro turned around, frowning as he looked at Asuka. "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?"

Asuka bowed respectfully with a serious expression: "I am Asuka, and I wish to learn the Flame Breathing technique passed down in the Rengoku family. Please guide me."

"Hehe...hahahaha!" Rengoku Makijuro burst into a piercing, maniacal laugh, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

The laughter stopped quickly.

Makijuro's eyes turned cold and desperate, filled with a self-destructive and venomous resentment: "Want to learn Flame Breathing? Kid, are you deliberately looking for trouble? What kind of bullshit is that? It's a joke!"

He slammed the wine jug in his hand down in front of the bird, the ear-piercing sound startling the birds perched in the nearby trees.

"Worthless! Absolutely worthless!" he roared hysterically, pointing at Kyojuro. "Look at him! What good is learning? What good is reaching the Pillar level? He's still getting beaten to a pulp like a dog!"

"Flame Breathing is the breathing of trash! People like us are just useless trash without any talent..."

"Is that so? But I'm not useless. I just want to learn more power."

Asuka interrupted Makijuro's self-destructive rant, speaking calmly amidst the latter's escalating anger: "If this request is too difficult for you, I apologize for bothering you."

This man is beyond saving, he thought to himself.

"What? You brat..." Makijuro's shoulders trembled. He never expected this kid to dare to talk back to him like this, and he was about to lash out.

"Father! Please calm down!"

"Get out of here!!"

Rengoku Kyojuro quickly stepped between the two, but was roughly pushed aside by Makijuro and fell to the ground.

He coughed violently, his face turning pale.

Senjuro quickly ran to his brother's side, gently patting Kyojuro's back, tears welling up in his eyes but biting his lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Kyojuro tried to calm the pain in his chest, looking at his father with a pained expression: "Please take care of yourself and don't get angry..."

Seeing his expression, Makijuro, who had just been looking for trouble with Asuka, suddenly froze, his raised fist rising and falling several times before finally letting out a vicious snort:

"...Take your cronies and get lost! Don't get in my way!"

After saying that, he turned around without looking back, mumbled a few incoherent drunken words, and stormed into the inner room.

The courtyard was left in a mess and a suffocating silence, the heavy smell of alcohol and the sorrow of self-abandonment lingering for a long time.

Once the other person's figure had completely disappeared behind the door, Shinobu Kocho quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Asuka with some dissatisfaction, thinking that he shouldn't have been so rash in talking back to his senior.

However, Asuka's gaze never went in Makijuro's direction. Instead, she squatted down and looked at Kyojuro with a firm gaze.

The sunlight shone on the two of them, casting a soft halo around them, as if trying to dispel the gloom that had just passed.

"I will learn the Breath of Flame, no matter what others say."

"Purgatory, you are you, your father is your father, his weakness does not represent you."

"Get up, recover your strength, and join me in killing Muzan to prove him wrong."

His words were not impassioned or grandiloquent; they were simply his inner thoughts.

He didn't take Makijuro's slang about being useless to heart at all.

The value of power is defined by the person who wields it, and by the enemy that is slain.

He didn't need to understand Makijuro's psychological trauma. Since the other party was unwilling to help him, he only needed to approach it from other angles.

The goal must be achieved.

Rengoku Kyojuro looked up at Asuka, and the golden-red flames rekindled in his resolute eyes.

Although the flames still bore traces of heartache, they were purer and more intense than before.

"Well said, Asuka!" He flashed a smile befitting the Flame Pillar and replied emphatically, "Then let's begin today!"

"Today?" Shinobu Kocho's brow twitched. Both of them liked to act recklessly.

"Great! There are three guidebooks on the Breath of Flame; it's best to start reading them early! Haha!"

Sunlight streamed into the historic courtyard, shimmering in the wine residue clinging to the broken pieces of wine jugs.

Amidst the clamor of the Purgatory family mansion, a new flame is quietly brewing.