Nezuko was literally bathing in the direct sunlight!
Awaken, my masters...
Even though no heavy, dramatic JoJo background music actually started blasting out loud in reality, the iconic tune played automatically inside Li Ke's head anyway. The way Nezuko stood there right now looked far too similar to a certain ultimate lifeform!
"N-Nezuko!"
Tanjiro's jaw dropped so low it practically hit the dirt. Based on every single piece of memory and common sense he had, it was completely impossible for a demon to walk under the sun! When Li Ke first mentioned that Nezuko might conquer the daylight, Tanjiro had silently brushed it off as pure nonsense.
But right here, right now, seeing Nezuko completely soaked in the bright morning rays left him with no choice but to believe it. He was thoroughly dumbfounded.
This was like watching a generic pop idol suddenly show up with legendary, world-class musical talent! It was completely mind-blowing!
Li Ke, however, was only mildly shocked. He had already expected some weird side effects.
On the other hand, the newly revived Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood entirely frozen.
As he observed the young girl, he picked up a very distinct aura from her. It was the exact same feeling he carried himself—the heavy, unshakeable aura of a being born with a divine destiny!
"That girl... is also a..."
Yoriichi went silent. He realized with a heavy heart just how many endless tragedies had been set into motion simply because he had failed to finish off Muzan Kibutsuji all those years ago.
Letting out a soft, remorseful sigh, Yoriichi closed his eyes and said no more.
Nezuko glanced over at the group. Step by step, she calmly walked through the glaring sunshine toward Tanjiro. She reached out her hand, gently wiping away the tears streaming down her older brother's face, and spoke.
"Brother!"
"Nezuko!"
The two siblings threw their arms around each other, crying uncontrollably. Seeing this play out caused Li Ke to raise an eyebrow in surprise once again.
"Oh? She even got her human memories back?"
Li Ke focused intently, using his specialized sensory perception to inspect Nezuko's body from head to toe. This time, his senses didn't register a demon at all. It felt like he was scanning a perfectly healthy human being.
Then again, no ordinary human being should ever possess a life force this terrifyingly potent. It felt exactly like a miniature sun.
Yes, a sun-like vitality.
Li Ke could easily tell that if the Upper Moon demon Daki were to stand anywhere near Nezuko right now, she would instantly disintegrate! Daki wouldn't even survive the sheer proximity. This was because Nezuko was continuously drinking in the morning sunlight, actively amplifying it, and broadcasting that radiant solar energy in every single direction!
To put it in scientific terms, Nezuko had essentially transformed into a walking source of solar radiation. It was completely harmless to normal human beings, but to any creature vulnerable to sunlight, she was a walking, breathing bottle of lethal poison!
"How fascinating..."
Li Ke watched Nezuko closely, clicking his tongue as her life force grew stronger and more dense under the sun. At this stage, calling her a demon was inaccurate, and calling her human wasn't quite right either. Her overall biological tier had completely shifted, radiating a brand of raw, unadulterated power.
It was an entirely different flavor of strength compared to his own.
The moment Li Ke let a tiny thought of fighting her cross his mind, his battle instincts instantly flared up, giving him a blunt warning: You will lose.
"Oh?"
Li Ke wasn't the type to blindly accept that kind of warning without testing it. He took a deliberate step forward, projecting a faint ripple of battle intent toward Nezuko. But the very instant his foot hit the ground, he immediately understood why his instincts warned him he would lose.
Because the world itself would refuse to help him!
The moment he took that step, the patch of ground beneath his feet shifted due to random 'natural causes.' The sudden, minute terraforming happened at the exact angle needed to disrupt his leverage, ensuring he couldn't swing his arms with full physical force.
Furthermore, as he took a breath to stabilize his stance, he clearly noticed that the oxygen level in the immediate air dropped instantly, while the concentration of carbon monoxide spiked.
This wasn't because his nose could physically smell a difference in the air. Rather, as an absolute master of channeling blood vitality, his hyper-focused state allowed him to clearly feel that the inhaled oxygen had thinned out. The required effort for blood-oxygen exchange inside his body had spiked significantly.
"Hmph... Is she the world's favorite daughter or something?"
Li Ke narrowed his eyes. He thoroughly disliked this sensation. Experiencing this meant that if he faced main characters in other dimensions later on—like Rance from the Rance series, or the Mercenary Corps from the Kuroinu world—he might end up losing due to all sorts of bizarre, forced coincidences. Those individuals possessed absolute destiny decreed by their authors and worlds.
It was just like the rules of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. If one strictly followed the original narrative, absolutely no one except Jotaro Kujo could ever defeat DIO. DIO and Jotaro were fated rivals. No matter how hard anyone else tried, the narrative would never allow them to beat him.
The JoJo universe operated under a very specific mechanic.
Destiny!
Looking at the current situation, the world of Demon Slayer, which harbored literal gods and demons, clearly shared the exact same setting.
This universe possessed an unshakeable thread of fate.
It lined up perfectly with what he and Yoriichi had sensed earlier. This world actively birthed specific individuals to counter the exact actions of others.
"A setting like this is incredibly boring. Having the world itself force you to lose feels deeply unfair."
Li Ke's eyes grew colder. If he were to suffer a defeat in a completely normal, fair fight, he wouldn't hold a single shred of resentment. But if the world itself was actively cheating and tilting the scales against him...
He would be incredibly pissed off.
Fortunately, he didn't feel too bothered this time around. At its core, he had realized long ago that this universe operated on these exact mechanics. Those floating golden light particles he gathered were, without a shadow of a doubt, direct assistance provided by the world.
"Then again, I am merely an outside mercenary, so an arrangement like this is only natural. Besides, Nezuko's ultimate form is likely tailored specifically to wipe out those invading otherworldly monsters anyway. Muzan Kibutsuji is just getting caught in the crossfire."
People naturally favored their own children, and the world itself was clearly no exception.
Furthermore, after pouring a massive amount of his own life force into Nezuko, Li Ke was starting to feel a wave of drowsiness wash over him.
"Alright, you two. Quit staring, it's time for us to head back. By the way, Nezuko, once I wake up from my nap, we are going to go hunt down and eliminate the very last monster. You should be able to feel it, right? That is your ultimate purpose. So, if you aren't tired, use this time to get fully accustomed to your new powers."
Li Ke stretched his arms wide. He planned to head back and get a bit more sleep, turning around to walk away without a second thought.
However...
"Li Ke-san!"
A crisp, clear female voice rang out. The very next instant, a figure materialized directly in front of Li Ke. The sheer speed caused intense alarm bells to instantly blare inside his head!
He could barely react to her movement!
The figure was none other than Nezuko. She had bridged the gap instantly, reaching out to grasp Li Ke's hand.
"Thank you so much! If it weren't for your help, I have no idea when I would have ever been able to change back to normal!"
Nezuko gazed up at Li Ke, a faint, uncontrollable blush spreading across her cheeks.
While she was in her demonic state, she had possessed a tiny shred of self-awareness. However, it was incredibly faint. She had been completely unable to control her own body, forced to rely entirely on basic instincts.
To put it simply, she had felt like she was trapped inside a never-ending dream.
But whenever she was near Li Ke—even if she was just standing close to him—she could feel her mind steadily clearing up. Once Li Ke directly injected his own vitality and spiritual energy into her, it felt as though a dark, locked room had suddenly been flooded with brilliant morning sunlight. Her hazy consciousness snapped wide awake in an instant.
That was the exact reason why her first instinct upon returning to normal was to look for Li Ke.
Even just standing right beside him made her feel incredibly comfortable. She could feel her physical body steadily rejuvenating. The heavy, lingering shadows that had plagued her system were completely dissolved by Li Ke's very presence!
Even now, without standing right next to him, she could intimately feel the lingering resonance of Li Ke's energy humming deep within her body. Her soul felt an intense, deep craving for more of his presence.
This sensation left her feeling profoundly flustered and shy. As her human memories flooded back into her brain, she vividly remembered everything from the previous night. She recalled exactly how Li Ke had utilized Mai Shiranui's ample chest, and exactly how he had casually taken advantage of her while they were riding on horseback together.
Logically speaking, a young girl experiencing such scandalous events should be furious. Yet, looking at Li Ke right now, she found herself completely unable to muster an ounce of anger. Instead, a wave of bashful happiness welled up inside her heart.
It felt as though being taken advantage of by a man like Li Ke was actually a wonderful, blessed thing!
The overwhelming sensation left her mind completely spinning. If Li Ke knew what she was thinking, he would absolutely complain that the world's consciousness was pulling strings behind the scenes. But to an innocent, young girl experiencing the very first spark of romance...
"Um, well... I, um..."
Nezuko just stared at Li Ke, completely paralyzed by his scent. Because he hadn't bothered to tie his kimono properly, his broad chest muscles were fully exposed. Her mind went entirely blank.
She couldn't even decide whether she was supposed to be staring at his chest or his face!
"I, I..."
Seeing Nezuko stuttering for ages without finishing a sentence, Li Ke grew curious. He reached out and gently placed his hand right on top of her head.
He had never interacted with a conscious, normal Nezuko before, so he had no idea what her actual personality was like.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Did you not evolve all the way?"
The very instant Li Ke's hand touched her head, Nezuko felt the warmth of his palm. Her mind instantly flashed back to how those very hands had played with Mai Shiranui's chest, how he had taken advantage of her, and how much he genuinely cared right now.
Her teenage brain simply could not process a combination that complex. It decided to shut down entirely.
A loud hiss of steam erupted from the top of Nezuko's head. The newly minted Ultimate Lifeform crumpled to the ground!
"Nezuko!!"
Tanjiro bolted forward, catching his sister before she hit the dirt. Nezuko hadn't completely blacked out. The moment her brother caught her, she realized she needed to wake up.
However, realizing she had just fainted out of pure, unadulterated embarrassment from a head pat, Nezuko covered her face with both hands. Still, she carefully peeked through a tiny gap between her fingers just to keep looking at Li Ke's face.
Tanjiro's keen senses picked up on this little detail instantly. He looked down at the blushing Nezuko in his arms, then looked up at Li Ke's completely bewildered face. A horrible realization struck him. His sister was finally back, but she was going to abandon him very, very soon!
Noooo!!! Tanjiro screamed in absolute agony inside his mind.
"Well, since everything seems fine, I'll take my leave. Tanjiro, help guide Yoriichi back to the Corps. I'm heading out."
Seeing that his presence wasn't needed anymore, Li Ke turned and walked straight back toward his quarters.
Even though Nezuko clearly seemed to have a crush on him, he wasn't crazy enough to do anything inappropriate right in front of her fiercely protective older brother.