Black smoke burst across the snow, and four figures appeared at once—
The spear-wielding Aizetsu, the fan-user Karaku, the flying Urogi, and the lightning-veined Sekido.
Each clone stood at a corner, completely surrounding Tanjiro and Shinazugawa Sanemi. Snowflakes fell on their cloaks and instantly melted from the demon aura radiating off their bodies.
"Accept your death, trash!"
Sekido struck first. Lightning crackled, converging into a thick bolt that crashed toward Sanemi.
It exploded the moment it hit the ground, sending violent shockwaves across the snow, scorching it black and forcing Sanemi to back off repeatedly.
Aizetsu followed up immediately, spinning his spear and sweeping it at Tanjiro.
The strike carved a deep trench in the snow, and even nearby pine trees shed needles from the force.
Tanjiro twisted his body to dodge, slashing with his Nichirin Sword. The orange glow slashed at Aizetsu's wrist—
But it was blocked hard. With a loud clang, pain shot through Tanjiro's grip, and he staggered back three steps before steadying himself.
Urogi's claws lashed out like live snakes, aiming to wrap around Sanemi's ankle. The stingers shimmered with a faint purple glow.
Sanemi had just dodged Sekido's lightning, only to get ambushed by Urogi.
The instant the claws pierced his skin, a numbing sensation spread rapidly through his veins.
"Damn it!"
Sanemi growled, Wind Breathing surging as green blade light severed the chain. He turned and slashed again—
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
The swirling slash tore through the incoming lightning, sheer force disrupting Sekido's strike and slashing his shoulder, sending black blood spraying.
Karaku launched several wind blades, flying at Tanjiro like a storm.
The angles were sharp and relentless, sealing off all routes of escape.
Tanjiro had no choice but to block. The wind blades clanged against his sword, ding ding ding, vibrating up his arms.
'This isn't going to work!' Tanjiro thought, scanning the battlefield.
—The four clones were coordinated: Sekido suppressed them with lightning, Aizetsu attacked head-on, Urogi ambushed and entangled, and Karaku blasted from a distance. A relentless cycle.
From the corner of his eye, Tanjiro spotted Hantengu's real body—the tiny figure was hunched over, sneaking along the edge of the snowy field.
Clearly, it was trying to run!
"Trying to escape?"
Tanjiro's eyes sharpened. He stopped engaging the brute clone and concentrated all his Sun Breathing into the blade—
"Hinokami Kagura:—Circular Flash!"
The orange-red blade flashed like a meteor slicing through the night, so fast it left afterimages.
It slashed straight at Karaku.
Karaku didn't even react in time before his head was severed. The black smoke that started to rise was scattered instantly by the blade's wind.
Tanjiro had aimed precisely at this gap, exploiting Karaku's focus on ranged attacks to land a fast kill and buy time to chase the main body.
"You're not going anywhere!"
Just as Tanjiro lunged for the main body, Sekido's lightning struck the ground in front of him.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Aizetsu rushed in right after, spear stabbing at Tanjiro's back.
"You're not getting away," he said calmly.
Tanjiro was forced to stop, turning to parry. His Nichirin blade clashed with the spear, sending snow bursting around them.
He watched the tiny figure of the main body get farther away, frustration boiling in his chest—
If Hantengu escaped, all of this would be for nothing. He'd come back stronger, and the northern villagers would suffer again.
Meanwhile, the little main body was stumbling through the snow, his cloak flapping wildly in the wind.
He mumbled as he ran, "What did I do wrong... I've never told a lie in my life… I'm always polite… Why are you trying to kill me… I'm innocent!
It was Muzan-sama who sent me here—it's not my fault..."
He wiped at imaginary tears while playing the pitiful victim with impressive flair.
But as he ran, a faint pink aura appeared ahead of him. A figure blocked his path—it was Kocho Kanae.
"Running so fast—where are you headed?"
Kanae stood in the snow, surrounded by the soft swirl of Flower Breathing. Her Nichirin blade was raised calmly, her voice gentle but her gaze sharp as a knife.
The tiny main body froze in fear and stopped.
He tried to play pitiful again. "Miss… I'm just a regular demon. I haven't hurt anyone. Please let me go… I promise I'll never step foot in the North again..."
"A regular demon?"
Kanae tilted her head slightly.
"An Upper Moon counts as regular now?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her blade swept forward, pink petals fluttering like falling blossoms.
"Flower Breathing, Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum!"
The blade slashed straight at the main body's neck.
"Noooo!"
The main body screamed and instinctively raised his arm to block.
The blade struck his wrist—but only left a faint white mark. It didn't even break the skin!
Kanae paused, startled—she hadn't expected the tiny, cowardly-looking main body to have such tough skin.
Seeing this, fear flashed in his eyes. He turned and bolted. "Don't kill me!"
"You're not getting away!"
Kanae chased after him at once, Flower Breathing flaring.
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
Her blade rained down like a storm, slashing toward the main body's back.
He didn't dare block this time and dove into the snow to dodge.
Snow and dirt clung to his cloak, completely ruining his pitiful appearance.
Back on the battlefield, Sanemi had already taken down two clones.
First, he used Wind Breathing, Ninth Form, to snap Aizetsu's spear clean in two. Then, he slashed straight across his neck, dispersing him into black smoke.
Next, he split Sekido's lightning strike apart using Wind Breathing, Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree, then took the chance to decapitate him.
Only Urogi was still clashing with Tanjiro, but he was clearly at his limit—his wings had been chopped off in several places, and his body was covered in wounds still trying to regenerate.
"Tanjiro! I've got you!"
Finishing off the two, Sanemi dashed toward Tanjiro, Wind Breathing surging as his blade slashed toward Urogi's back.
Urogi turned to block, but Sanemi's sword hacked off his arm cleanly.
Tanjiro charged in at that moment, Nichirin Sword slashing out again. "Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun!"
The orange-red blade struck Urogi's neck. With a swirl of black smoke, the last clone was finally gone.
"Where's the main body?"
Sanemi panted, the numbness in his wrist still lingering. He scanned the area but didn't see the tiny demon anywhere.
"Did that bastard run?"
"Kanae-san's chasing him!"
Tanjiro pointed to the snowy field in the distance. He could faintly smell her soft pink scent.
"Let's go help!"
They had just taken a few steps when the ground started shaking violently.
A sharp scream rang out from ahead, followed by a huge surge of thick, black demon aura shooting into the sky—
It was stronger than all four clones combined.
"This is bad!"
Tanjiro's heart dropped. He picked up speed, sprinting toward the source of the aura.
When they arrived, what they saw left them both stunned—
The tiny main body stood in the center of the snowfield, shrouded in swirling black smoke.
The demon aura of the four dispersed clones was gathering from all directions, merging into him.
His body was expanding fast. The hunched form grew tall and broad, his cloak splitting apart as his muscles swelled.
His bare skin bulged. Drums appeared on his back, and two curved horns sprouted from his head.
Even more terrifying, a massive wooden dragon suddenly burst from the snow behind him.
Its body was made of black vines and hardened wood, with brown scales and burning demonfire in its eyes.
Its long tail swept through the snowfield, snapping pine trees in half with ease.
The wooden dragon wrapped tightly around Hantengu's body like an armored shell, shielding him completely.
"Playtime's over, brats."
Zōhakuten's voice was deep and savage.
"Blood Demon Art: Devouring Wooden Dragon!"
With his roar, the wooden dragon lunged, jaws wide, straight at Kanae.
Kanae's expression changed. She quickly raised her blade. "Flower Breathing, Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
A huge, flower-shaped barrier of pale pink blade light bloomed in front of her, shielding her from the strike.
Boom!
The dragon's head slammed into the flower barrier with massive force, driving Kanae backward, her boots carving deep grooves into the snow.
The pink aura of the barrier flickered, growing thinner.
"Kanae-san!"
Tanjiro and Sanemi rushed in. Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword swung at the wooden dragon's neck while Sanemi's blade slashed at its claw.
"It's useless!"
Zōhakuten laughed maniacally. Black vines sprouted from the dragon's neck, coiling around Tanjiro's blade. The tail swept sideways, forcing Sanemi back.
"This dragon is forged from all my clones' demon aura. Unless you can kill me, it'll never break!"
The wooden dragon lashed out again, sweeping across the snow toward all three.
Kanae quickly pulled Tanjiro and Sanemi back to dodge. "We need to wait for Uzui-san and Tō's support!"
From the distance came hurried footsteps and the surge of Breathing techniques.
Tō, Kocho Shinobu, and Uzui Tengen had arrived.
Tō's Storm Breathing came slicing in with wind blades. Shinobu's Insect Breathing formed soft purple insect shadows. Uzui's Sound Breathing flared in bright gold. The three of them launched their attacks together.
"Backup's here!"
Tanjiro's spirit lifted. He drew his blade once more.
"Everyone—together! Break through the dragon first! Then we cut down the real one!"
Hantengu looked at the Hashira rushing toward him, and his twisted grin only grew wider. "Perfect timing. Let me show you the real power… of Upper Moon Four! Wooden Dragon, kill them!"
The dragon roared again, massive body coiling through the snow, as black vines shot out at all five of them.