Boom!
Dirt exploded in every direction as five or six huge, misshapen chunks of earth shot through the air.
Naturally, Mo Wu wasn't going to be hit by something like that. With a few quick hops and several sharp slashes, he dodged and shattered every chunk flying toward him.
Feeling the trembling of the ground beneath him, Mo Wu fixed his eyes on the mountain of flesh charging straight at him. Like a maddened bull, the Hand Demon was using the flying earth as cover for one final suicidal rush.
A pointless struggle.
Mo Wu let out a soft snort, a feverish smile curling at the corners of his lips.
Though he was still in midair, he had been prepared for this from the beginning.
His body rolled lightly in the air. Pulling in his stomach and lifting his legs, he stepped down on one of the giant arms still swinging wildly beneath him. With a light kick, he launched himself even higher.
"This next strike will end everything, Hand Demon!"
"Tenth Form: Setting Sun Transformation!"
Mo Wu's body inverted in midair, his head pointing downward as he fell freely. The Nichirin Blade in his right hand burned at that moment, flames as dazzling as the sun itself wrapping around its edge.
This technique was devastatingly powerful.
Its flaw, however, was that it left far too many openings.
So Mo Wu wasn't worried that the Hand Demon would run.
Confident in the toughness of the arms protecting its neck, the Hand Demon would definitely think of using the moment Mo Wu's blade slowly hacked through them to strike back and kill him—just as it had done in the original story against Sabito and Tanjiro Kamado.
As long as this horizontal slash landed, the Hand Demon's head would be severed instantly.
But as the earth shook violently—
Mo Wu's pupils contracted.
The Hand Demon had actually torn off the last few arms it could still move, forcing them into the ground to twist its entire body aside at the last possible moment, narrowly dodging Mo Wu's killing blow.
Fearing that the Hand Demon might attack him while he was still airborne, Mo Wu immediately swung his right hand again, spinning the flaming blade in a rapid arc.
But—
It sliced through nothing but empty air.
Could it be—?!
Looking at the Hand Demon charging forward and Zenitsu Agatsuma standing frozen in place ahead, Mo Wu's brows locked together.
Cursing his own carelessness, Mo Wu twisted his body in the air and landed on the ground. Before he had even steadied himself, he kicked off again and sprinted after the charging mountain of flesh.
Faster.
Faster!
His lungs felt as though they were being sliced apart by blades, and his throat burned as if he had swallowed burning charcoal.
At that moment, fire almost seemed ready to burst from Mo Wu's eyes.
"Hehehehe! Even if I die, I'm dragging Urokodaki's brat and your friend down with me!"
"Regret it for the rest of your life, brat!"
Looking at the blond boy frozen in place, and the disciple of Urokodaki who had just jumped down from behind him, pulling a sword from the blond's waist in an attempt to slash him, the Hand Demon let out wild laughter.
It could already see the two of them being crushed into bloody paste beneath its body.
"H-hey! Snap out of it! He's coming!"
Seeing that the blond who had saved him was still standing there in a daze, Tanjiro Kamado's face filled with urgency. He shoved at Zenitsu's body, only to find that he got no reaction at all.
The earth beneath their feet was still trembling.
Looking at the Hand Demon barreling toward them, Tanjiro's face hardened with resolve. He stepped in front of Zenitsu, slowly raised the Nichirin Blade, and began drawing in cold air again and again, forcing his lungs to work.
"It's too late, brats. Die beneath my feet together, hahaha!"
"I wonder how heartbroken that bastard Urokodaki would be to see you as his disciple!"
"Bastard!"
Grinding his teeth, Tanjiro wished he could cut the mountain of flesh in front of him in half with a single strike.
"Mas…ter?"
Standing there motionless, Zenitsu suddenly thought of his grandpa.
And of big bro, who had just sacrificed himself to protect him.
The words Mo Wu had spoken when they first met echoed in his mind.
"Zenitsu, work hard and make yourself stronger."
"Otherwise one day, you won't even be able to protect the people close to you."
I've survived this whole time by clinging desperately to life, relying on Grandpa.
And now I'm relying on big bro just to keep surviving here.
Can I ever repay them?
Will Senior Brother ever acknowledge me as his junior?
Will Miss Kazuko and Miss Miko… ever marry me?
I still want to eat eel rice and ice cream…
"I want to live!"
And avenge big bro!
Zenitsu slowly closed his eyes and lowered his body into a crouch. His left hand straightened the scabbard at his waist, while his right gripped the cold hilt.
"I still have to protect everything I love!"
Crackle! Crackle!
In a single instant, Zenitsu flashed into the air. His blade slowly slid from its sheath, arcs of wild lightning dancing above it like silver serpents.
At that moment, there was no fear left in his mind.
No terror.
Every emotion seemed to have fallen asleep.
"Focus on one thing, reach the pinnacle!"
His grandpa's words—he had always remembered them.
As long as he thought of nothing else, as long as he focused on a single point—
Then he was invincible.
"Why are you still struggling, little brats? Just die already! I'll be joining you soon enough anyway!"
Perhaps having already accepted that his own end would not be much better, the Hand Demon became even more frenzied. Even facing the leaping Zenitsu, it showed not a trace of fear.
The red mist pouring off its body grew denser, and its muscles swelled even further.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Facing the two rapid sword strikes, the Hand Demon threw its massive arms across its front, blocking the Nichirin Blades from cutting in, while its red-mist-covered body continued charging forward.
"Useless! Useless! Useless!"
Roaring madly, the Hand Demon's strength grew even greater, and the blood mist around its body continued to swell.
But—
It wasn't only facing the two people in front of it.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
A scorching blade-light swept in from behind in an instant, carrying the force to crush everything in its path, and cut cleanly into the Hand Demon's neck.
Three blades crossed.
The Hand Demon's head was severed with absurd ease. It spun through the air in a perfect arc before landing in a pile of dead leaves nearby.
"D-damn it!"
Looking at its body gradually turning into black ash, and at Mo Wu and Zenitsu standing back to back in the distance as they sheathed their swords, while Tanjiro silently approached, the Hand Demon's eyes filled with boundless hatred.
So unwilling…
Why… why was the last thing it saw still the face of demon slayers?
Wha… what?
Are you looking down on me?
Seeing the look of pity on Tanjiro's face, the Hand Demon roared inwardly in fury. Its head, already dissolving into ash, even seemed to stop for the briefest moment.
"Rest in peace."
After saying that, Tanjiro shook his head and said nothing more. He turned and walked toward Mo Wu and Zenitsu.
But the moment he got closer, what he saw left him at a loss.
The blond swordsman, who had been standing there motionless in a sheathing pose, was suddenly struck on the forehead by a chop from the calm, bare-chested man beside him.
The blond swordsman shuddered all over, as if he had just been forcibly rebooted. His eyes snapped open, clear and focused.
Then—
He turned and dropped to his knees, clutching the other swordsman's leg as he burst into loud sobs.
The corner of Tanjiro's eye twitched.
Just a moment ago, he had thought that this lightning-wielding swordsman must be a cold, aloof type like Senior Tomioka.
The contrast was a little too much.
Walking up to them, Tanjiro took a deep breath, then suddenly bowed and shouted,
"Thank you both, seniors! My name is Tanjiro Kamado. That demon had a deep grudge against my school, and not only did you save me, you also helped free it from its suffering."
At that moment, Mo Wu was wearing a look of disgust as he tried to push the tearfully sobbing Zenitsu off his leg. Hearing Tanjiro, he turned and gave him a brief look, then simply nodded without saying much.
The blond boy, however, instantly perked up. He sprang from the ground and looked proudly at Tanjiro, who was thanking him.
"So it's Porkjiro," Zenitsu said, completely unaware that he had already gotten Tanjiro's name wrong. He even reached out and repeatedly slapped Tanjiro on the shoulder, putting on the swagger of a seasoned veteran.
"I'm Zenitsu Agatsuma. Just call me Zenitsu!"
"And the one beside me is my big bro. His name is…"
As if suddenly realizing something, Zenitsu's expression turned awkward. He looked toward Mo Wu with a flattering smile and asked carefully,
"Big bro… what was your name again?"