Chachamaru's catlike eyes widened instantly, clearly understanding Hayashi's meaning.
When Hayashi saw this, he felt that the little creature was so anxious it was about to speak human language. He could almost imagine what Chachamaru wanted to say:
"I may not be human, but you're a real dog!"
Smiling, Hayashi reached out to pat Chachamaru's head, then lifted his blood-stained blade and pointed it at the feline.
"Chachamaru, you don't want to disappoint Lady Tamayo by failing to secure a blood sample, do you?"
At that, the cat let out two mournful meows before moving toward Enmu's headless corpse, sniffing carefully. After a short while, Chachamaru barked sharply at the shop floor and scratched at the wooden planks with its claws.
"You mean his true body is hidden underground?" Hayashi asked.
The cat gave a confirming meow, then rubbed against his leg, urging him to hand over the blood sample quickly. After sending Chachamaru away, Hayashi leapt aside, sword in hand, and slashed down.
[Breath of the Sun: Second Form – Clear Blue Sky!]
The strike split the floor with a resounding crack, a gaping hole opening in the shop. As the dust settled, something that looked like a human cervical vertebra protruded from the darkness.
According to the tales, Enmu's true form had fused with the surrounding structure. That piece of bone should serve as his "neck." Theoretically, cutting it would destroy him completely.
Hayashi raised his blade—but paused.
In this timeline, Enmu had not yet received more of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood. His abilities were weaker, which had allowed Hayashi to shatter the dream realm earlier. In the original events, Enmu had fused with the entire Infinity Train to turn it into his stomach, consuming more than 200 passengers.
But here, was there truly a need to hide his core inside a mere bento shop? Could this bone really be the true Enmu?
Hayashi's instincts screamed no. A monster bizarre enough to stuff his own eyeballs into a lunchbox would never leave his real body so exposed. The "neck" was bait—just like the humanoid form he had already cut down.
Suppressing his suspicion, Hayashi feigned hesitation, then raised his blade again as though about to strike the exposed vertebra.
Sure enough—in the vision of the Transparent World, a thin, twisted figure dropped silently from the ceiling. Far smaller than the previous body, its flesh sprouted a writhing tentacle that lunged to pierce Hayashi's back.
But at the instant of contact, Hayashi shifted his blade's path.
[Breath of the Sun: Eleventh Form – Sun Halo, Dragon Head Dance!]
The sword erupted in roaring flame, coiling like a blazing dragon. Its maw opened wide and devoured Enmu whole.
One heartbeat ago Enmu had tasted victory; the next, his limbs were shredded in searing agony.
"Why?! How did you—how did you find my real body? I was so careful! Why… why—"
Before he could finish, the flame-wrapped blade cleaved clean through. His head hit the floor.
Hayashi sheathed his sword with a hard glare.
"Why so many whys?"
With that, he opened his restoration system interface. The gauge ticked up to 55%.
At last—proof that this Enmu had been truly vanquished.
As the Enmu dissipated, Rengoku Kyojuro, who had been lying unconscious on the table, suddenly opened his eyes.
The old shopkeeper and her granddaughter also stirred awake, confusion flashing across their faces. When they noticed the gaping hole in the wooden floor, both were struck speechless in shock.
Rengoku immediately leapt to his feet, drawing his Nichirin Blade in a single motion.
"Yoriichi san! Have you encountered a demon?"
Before his fiery resolve could startle the frail shopkeeper and her granddaughter further, Hayashi calmly pressed down on his sword arm.
"It's more accurate to say this: it wasn't me who encountered the demon… but the demon who encountered me."
Hayashi glanced at the shaken pair of civilians. A dull headache pressed against his temples—explaining such things was never his strength, and he was even worse at cleaning up the aftermath. Thankfully, there were people better suited for that.
He summoned his Kasugai crow, instructing it to relay a message to Momoki Haruko and the nearest In squad. Before long, they escorted the elderly woman and her granddaughter to safety.
Once the shop was cleared, Hayashi explained to Rengoku what had transpired.
Upon hearing the account, Rengoku clenched his fist but laughed with unyielding brightness:
"I didn't expect such a thing to happen just now! I was actually caught by that demon's Blood Demon Art!"
"As a Pillar, I let you face the demon alone, Yoriichi san! I'm such a disgrace!"
"I feel like I should dig a hole and crawl straight in!"
The words were filled with self-reproach, but spoken with such vigor that they carried a heroic air. Hayashi knew, however, that Rengoku's feelings were genuine. He truly blamed himself—but that guilt would never chain him down. It would only become fuel to drive him forward.
That was who Rengoku Kyojuro was.
Always passionate. Always blazing with light.
He turned to Hayashi, his expression as bright as the flames he wielded:
"If we encounter a demon again, I hope you'll allow me to fight at your side! At the very least, let me shoulder the burden with you!"
"Even though I know you want to protect everyone, it would be far too shameful if you always fought alone while I simply stood by!"
Hayashi felt a wave of shame in return. He almost confessed the truth—that his instinct to fight first was less about protecting others and more about seizing the "kill" before anyone else could. But when he met Rengoku's unwavering, sincere eyes, words failed him. He could only nod silently.
With Enmu defeated, the immediate crisis of the train incident was resolved.
As for why the Lower Moon had abandoned the passengers and staff only to hide here… perhaps he had been passing through, only to be tempted when he saw Rengoku arrive to investigate.
The deeper motives could wait until after the Swordsmith Village mission.
Hayashi allowed himself a quiet breath of relief. The Upper Rank Three, Akaza, had not appeared as he had feared. Perhaps he had simply frightened himself into overreacting. But if given the choice, he would rather all of his worries proved to be nothing more than false alarms.
Step. Step. Step—
Suddenly, the sound of heavy, resolute footsteps echoed through the shop.
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