"Hahaha! Tomioka Giyu!!"
BANG!!
The overwhelming force transmitted through his Nichirin Blade forced Tomioka Giyu back uncontrollably.
By the time he steadied himself, the familiar voice calling his name from within the dust made his eyes widen in shock.
For the first time, the usually calm and composed Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps wore an expression of astonishment and wariness.
Because the owner of that voice, brimming with excitement, was none other than the strongest demon Tomioka Giyu had ever faced—Upper Rank Three, the Fighting Demon, Akaza!!
Sure enough, as the dust settled, there he stood—his robust, ash-white muscles covered in swirling indigo patterns, a small pink haori fluttering in the wind, his white shorts revealing bare feet deeply embedded in the earth.
Beneath his short pink hair, Akaza's golden eyes burned with exhilaration.
Reunited with the swordsman he admired, Akaza trembled with excitement!
"Hahaha! We meet again, Tomioka Giyu! I can feel your fighting spirit has grown stronger—splendid! Truly splendid! As I've said before, Tomioka Giyu, I invite you once more—become a demon! That useless Gyokko is dead. You're far more suited to be an Upper Moon than it ever was!"
A familiar scent, a familiar invitation, yet Tomioka Giyu's response remained as straightforward as the snowy night when he first encountered Akaza.
"Water Breathing Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
"Hahaha! Still so direct—I admire that! Then come at me! Destruction Style: Annihilation!" Akaza grinned, and in the next moment—crack! crack!—an explosive surge of fighting spirit erupted violently from beneath his feet, shattering the ground as a demonic silhouette seemed to loom behind him.
"This isn't right. Tomioka's facing a troublesome opponent. As his comrade, how can I lag behind?" Amid the chaotic battlefield, Rengoku Kyoujurou muttered to himself—though to outsiders, his muttering sounded more like a loud proclamation.
Across from him, Lower Rank Five—Mukago—hadn't even processed what was happening before the owl-like man suddenly crouched low, raising his Nichirin Blade high behind her.
Surging flames erupted from the blade, illuminating the entire night.
"W-Wait! This can't be right! What kind of joke is this?! Even the strongest Hashiras of the Demon Slayer Corps have their limits, don't they?! Weren't we Twelve Kizuki supposed to have slaughtered countless Hashiras over the centuries?! Is this the kind of Hashira I'm seeing right now?!" Mukago's lips trembled, her eyes widening in sheer terror and despair as she stared at Rengoku Kyoujurou.
Instinct screamed at her—she couldn't dodge this.
"Flame Breathing Secret art: Ninth Form—Purgatory!!"
BOOM!
The moment his fighting spirit reached its peak, the endless flames transformed into a raging crimson dragon—a blazing inferno worthy of its name.
"Nise—!!" Mukago shrieked in hysterical denial before her voice was utterly obliterated.
*****
Meanwhile—
"Water Breathing First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Sssshhk!
Tanjiro cleanly severed the head of a demon before him.
But before he could even sigh in relief, the dissatisfied grumbling of his companion reached his ears.
"Stupid Kamaboko! Don't steal my prey, damn it!"
Tanjiro could only smile helplessly.
At this point, he'd long given up on correcting Inosuke's mispronunciations.
"Raaagh! Die, brat!!"
A demon lunged at Tanjiro from behind, claws bared—but a streak of lightning was faster.
"Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Swish!!
A dazzling bolt of lightning flashed past.
Before the demon could even comprehend what had happened, it saw its own headless corpse collapsing.
A figure clad in yellow landed nimbly beside Tanjiro, sheathing his white Nichirin Blade with practiced ease.
His cold, composed expression bore no trace of his usual cowardice—right now, Zenitsu seemed unbelievably reliable.
(Never mind the bubbles floating from his nose as he slept with his eyes closed.)
"Zenitsu, you really are..." Tanjiro started to say, but then—he froze.
His eyes widened in disbelief, his face flickering through shock, realization, and an uncontrollable surge of rage.
What had he just seen?
"That appearance! Upper Rank Three? It's him!!"
With a thunderous realization, the tragic scenes from that snowy night rapidly replayed in Tanjiro's mind.
Almost instantly, his eyes became bloodshot.
Without any hesitation, Tanjiro tightly gripped his Nichirin Blade and charged with unwavering determination towards the battlefield where Giyu and Akaza were engaged.
"Tanjiro!" Zenitsu, still in a dream-like state, exclaimed in shock.
But Inosuke was already a step ahead, brandishing his dual blades as he followed Tanjiro, shouting excitedly.
"Hahaha! Upper Rank? Good! Let this lord's blades test whether an Upper Rank's hide is tougher than a boar's! Hahaha!"
Inside the quiet train, as if sensing something, a wooden box suddenly began shaking violently.
Under the terrified gazes of several trembling train attendants, a girl with a bamboo muzzle kicked open the box and leaped out of the train carriage like a gust of wind.
******
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter—Chaos~"
Sssshhh! Sssshhh! Sssshhh!
With a series of swift and fierce thrusts, large black-purple patches rapidly spread across the massive, terrifying body of the demonic Spider Father.
BOOM!!
Under the intense effects of the poison, the Spider Father collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Shinobu's agile figure landed lightly on a tree branch, smiling as she observed the small figure below.
Lower Rank Four—Spider Demon—Rui stared at Shinobu in disbelief.
How could this seemingly delicate and petite girl move so fast?
How could she be so strong?
Indeed, when Lower Rank Two—Kaigaku had cried out in unwilling despair before its death, Rui hadn't been able to help.
At that moment, Rui was also being held back by a powerful Hashira—the most agile member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the one Shinichi considered the most beautiful: the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.
"Ara~ Little brother, family isn't something you obtain through fear. Family should be about mutual care and concern, where everyone holds each other in their hearts. What you gain through terror is nothing but an empty title~" Shinobu Kocho said gently.
But Rui's face twisted with humiliation and rage.
"Shut up!! I don't need you to lecture me!"
Swish!
Countless crimson threads surged toward Shinobu Kocho like a tidal wave.
"Eh~ What a pitiful little demon," Shinobu murmured, shaking her head regretfully.
....
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"ROAR!!"
Clang! Clang!
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Whoosh!!
Terrifying sound waves, overwhelming lightning, raging wind pressure, and eerie, chilling cross-shaped spears—the four clones of Upper Rank Four unleashed their full, horrifying power upon Shinichi.
-----------------------------
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