Inside the Mugen Train, Tanjirō and his companions had already joined up with Kyōjurō Rengoku.
For Inosuke, riding a train for the first time was unbearable—he couldn't sit still. He kept banging on the window glass, shouting:
"Amazing! The inside of this iron beast is incredible!"
Zenitsu, exasperated, yanked on Inosuke's boar-head mask. "You're going to break the glass! Sit still, would you?!"
Just then, the conductor entered their carriage to check tickets. After punching small notches into the tickets belonging to Tanjirō and the others, he returned them.
Once the check was finished, Rengoku turned toward Tanjirō.
"Why are you all here? A mission?"
"Our Kasugai crow brought an order," Tanjirō replied. "It said the number of victims on the Mugen Train has increased. We were told to rendezvous with you, since you had already arrived."
"I see! So that's the case. I understand!" Rengoku boomed with enthusiasm, his voice brimming with energy.
Yet while he spoke, his eyes remained fixed straight ahead. Curious, Tanjirō asked, "Rengoku-san… what exactly are you looking at?"
"It's nothing! More importantly—become my Tsuguko! I'll take care of you!"
The sudden offer left Tanjirō flustered. "W-wait—why are you suddenly asking me to be your Tsuguko?!"
Instead of answering, Rengoku abruptly asked, "Boy, Kamado! What color is your blade?"
"Eh? It's black."
"A black blade, is it? That's troubling! I've never heard of a swordsman with a black blade becoming a Hashira. I've also heard no one knows which field a black blade swordsman should specialize in. Still, I like you! Train under me—you can rest easy with that!"
His hearty laughter rang throughout the entire carriage.
"N-no, that's not the point! And Rengoku-san, seriously, what are you looking at?!" Tanjirō was sweating profusely, feeling as if their conversation was on entirely different wavelengths.
When Tanjirō glanced back, he found that Rengoku had already fallen fast asleep.
With a sigh, Tanjirō murmured, "He's a little eccentric… but he's a kind man. From his scent, I can feel an overwhelming sense of justice."
The Mugen Train pressed onward. Suddenly, Rengoku's eyes snapped open. "They're here!"
"Demons?" Tanjirō was shocked. He hadn't caught even a trace of their scent.
At that moment, the lights in the carriage flickered violently. When they returned to normal, a grotesque demon appeared—a hulking figure with two faces on its head, and multiple horns sprouting from its arms and forehead.
"To conceal such a massive body… it must be a Blood Demon Art. No wonder your presence went unnoticed. But know this: if you dare to harm innocent lives, my Flame Blade will reduce you to ash!"
Rengoku drew his Nichirin blade, pointing it at the demon.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
In the eyes of Tanjirō and the others, a blaze ignited—Rengoku lunged with an explosive surge of fire. In a flash of red flame, the demon's head was severed cleanly.
Tanjirō gasped, stunned. "Incredible… he cut off its head with a single strike."
Without sheathing his sword, Rengoku glanced toward the next carriage. "Another one! This way!"
The group followed him quickly. Inside the next car, a long-limbed demon was attacking the passengers.
Inosuke rushed in eagerly, engaging the demon in combat. Yet when his Nichirin blades struck its body, they clanged against it as if striking iron.
"Let's finish this quickly! Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
With a fiery upward slash, Rengoku once again cleaved the demon's head apart in an instant.
Tanjirō was completely in awe. "So strong! Big brother, your swordsmanship is amazing! Please, take me as your disciple!"
Rengoku crossed his arms, laughing warmly. "Excellent! I'll make a fine swordsman out of you!"
"Me too!" Zenitsu cried.
"I'm in as well!" Inosuke shouted.
"No problem! I'll take care of all of you!"
"Rengoku-aniki!"
Hand in hand, Tanjirō, Zenitsu, and Inosuke gathered around Rengoku, filling the carriage with boisterous laughter.
But atop the Mugen Train, two demons had already appeared—Upper Rank Three, Tsukumogami, and Lower Rank One, Enmu.
"The boy with the hanafuda earrings. We've found our target," Tsukumogami said coldly, watching the celebration inside. "What's the situation, Enmu?"
"They've already fallen under my Blood Demon Art," Enmu answered, voice dripping with twisted delight. "Although… one of them seems to be a Hashira."
Tsukumogami gave him a sideways glance. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"
"No," Enmu replied, almost trembling in ecstasy. "I simply love watching people suffer. Love it so much I even dream about it. I want to make them writhe in agony within their dreams… and let them die there. Tsukumogami-sama, may I?"
"Hmph. Very well. But it's only one Hashira. If you lose even then, you might as well die yourself."
"Thank you, tsukumogami-sama. I won't disappoint you."
"Don't make me wait too long. I detest waiting." With that, Fusōki's form vanished into the night.
"To die within a dream… what bliss. No matter how strong a Demon Slayer may be, it won't matter. A human's true driving force is their heart—their spirit. Yet it's fragile, like glass. Breakable. So now, sleep… sink into slumber… be drowned in sweet dreams."
The Mugen Train raced forward into the darkness. But gradually, one by one, every passenger fell into a deep sleep, lulled by a whisper only they could hear.
The conductor who had checked Tanjirō's ticket—and four children—remained awake.
As soon as he saw the group of Demon Slayers fall asleep, the conductor dropped to his knees, pleading desperately:
"I've done as you asked! I clipped their tickets, and now they've fallen asleep! Please, let me sleep too! Let me see my dead wife and daughter again… I beg you…"
Suddenly, a severed hand—its back bearing an eye and a mouth—landed before him.
"You've done well. Sleep."
The conductor collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Behind the hand, the four children, their eyes vacant, asked in unison:
"What should we do next?"
"Soon, their sleep will deepen. Until then, wait here. Be cautious as you approach the spiritual cords—do not let your bodies touch theirs. Sensitive Demon Slayers might awaken if startled by killing intent or demonic presence."
Meanwhile, Tanjirō and his companions slumbered soundly, each lost in their dreams.
Rengoku dreamed of his father and younger brother.
Tanjirō dreamed of his deceased family.
Zenitsu dreamed of playing happily with Nezuko.
Inosuke dreamed of leading Tanjirō, Zenitsu, and Nezuko as his underlings, adventuring in a cavern.
When the four children arrived, preparing to tie the cords of sleep to them, they suddenly noticed a girl with a bamboo muzzle glaring at them.
Startled, they cried out, "Wh-who are you?!"
It was Nezuko. Having sensed the faint aura of demons and the traces of malice, she had crawled out of her box.
Though the children exuded killing intent, Nezuko, under Urokodaki's conditioning, could not harm humans. Instead, she tried to wake her brother with the only method she could think of—
With a loud thunk, she smashed her forehead against Tanjirō's.
The children, bewildered, exclaimed:
"What is she doing? Could it be… she's trying to enter their dreams, just like us?"
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