Black vines thrashed wildly in the snow as Zōhakuten's roar shook loose piles of snow.
The wooden dragon surrounding him suddenly opened its jaws wide, and a surge of pale purple soundwaves burst out.
It was Urogi's soundwave Blood Demon Art! The air trembled wherever the sound passed.
The Hashira's eardrums were hit with sharp pain, and even their grips on their blades began to numb.
"Shinobu!"
Kanae's voice trembled but stayed composed.
She immediately gathered her Flower Breathing. Pale pink blade light turned into layers of petals, trying to block the soundwaves.
"Break through it, now!"
Butterfly Shinobu's fingertips pulsed with violet insect shadows. Insect Breathing spread a dense net of aura around her. "Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting – True Flutter!"
Her nimble figure surged forward in a quick thrust. The stab was sharp enough to slice the air itself.
It was powerful enough to pierce a skull.
Within moments of Shinobu's attack landing, the stabbing pain in everyone's ears vanished.
But before they could catch their breath, three spinning wind gusts suddenly shot out from the wooden dragon's side.
Karaku's wind sphere Blood Demon Art!
The gusts were bitter cold, swirling with gravel and snow as they charged toward Tō and Tengen.
"I've got this!"
Tō gripped his sword with one hand, the light blue aura of Storm Breathing spiraling into a vortex around his blade.
Knowing the nature of wind, he twisted his wrist. The blade cut a reverse current into the air. "Storm Breathing: Modified—Wind-Breaking Slash!"
The wind spheres were sucked into the vortex and instantly reversed direction, flying straight back at the wooden dragon.
Boom—they struck the vines, bursting into a cloud of snow and debris.
Tengen used the opening Tō had created. His feet danced along special rhythm points of Sound Breathing, moving with incredible speed.
He had already predicted Zōhakuten's next move. Just as expected, the dragon's tail whipped out suddenly.
Several chains wrapped around it glowed with electric current—Sekido's lightning Blood Demon Art!
Blue electricity sparked violently along the chains. Getting caught would be disastrous.
"Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!"
Tengen's wooden blades crossed to block. Golden light vibrated along the edges, striking precisely at the chain joints.
The electric current dispersed instantly, and the chains shattered into segments, still sparking as they fell into the snow.
But Zōhakuten didn't stop. Vines from the wooden dragon's neck morphed into spear-like shapes—
Aizetsu's martial arts technique!
The spear-vines thrust from all directions, nearly sealing off every escape route.
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi struck first. Pale green blade light, swirling with rotational force, cut through all the spear-vines ahead of him.
Kanae focused her Flower Breathing, the pale pink light forming a protective barrier behind her.
"Flower Breathing, Third Form: Honorable Shadow Plum!"
The spears slammed into the wall of petals and were instantly shredded to pieces.
Tanjiro seized the chance to flank the dragon. The orange-red glow of Hinokami Kagura surged around him.
He focused on the loosest vine joints—he'd seen this weak point before.
He took a deep breath. "Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun!"
The fiery slash shot out like a dragon, stabbing straight into the vine gaps.
The orange-red flames instantly scorched the vines. The wooden dragon shrieked as its neck spasmed and slowed.
"Now!"
Tengen shouted. Golden sound waves flared to their peak as he swung his twin blades rapidly.
"Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance!"
Dozens of golden slashes sliced across the wooden dragon's body like strings of a musical instrument. Each one hit a vine connection point, severing most of them.
Tō followed up immediately, his blade cutting with the bite of the wind. "Storm Breathing, Third Form: Flooding Smoke Tempest!"
His strike sliced through the vines covering the dragon's belly.
Sanemi leapt high. Wind Breathing surged into his blade. "Wind Breathing, Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!"
Pale green blade light crashed down from above, shearing off the wooden dragon's horns and carving a deep, bone-baring gash in Zōhakuten's shoulder.
Black blood sprayed. Zōhakuten's roar turned even more rabid, but it couldn't hide the pain.
Kanae and Shinobu flanked him. Kanae's Flower Breathing disrupted the dragon's movements. Shinobu's Insect Breathing pierced his wound with needle-thin strikes, injecting poison to amplify his agony.
Tanjiro saw the fleeting opening. He swung his Nichirin Blade again.
The orange-red flame streaked across the sky. "Hinokami Kagura: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!"
The blade cut clean across Zōhakuten's neck. Squelch—a crisp sound.
His head fell into the snow. Black blood splattered across the white field, melting a black smear into the ground.
Even without a head, his body thrashed, but the wooden dragon trembled violently. The vines began to wither at once.
Broken wood scattered into useless chunks, littering the snow.
"It's finally over..."
Sanemi panted, his wrist still numb.
He stared at Zōhakuten's severed head on the ground. His eyes were full of exhaustion, but also relief.
Just then, Tō suddenly shouted, "No! The real body's still alive!"
He pointed to the center of the dragon's remains—there, a tiny figure was curled up. It was Hantengu's true form.
The small figure radiated dense black demonic aura. Its skin was even tougher than before, like a piece of jet-black stone. It was trying to crawl away unnoticed.
Tanjiro immediately rushed forward, swinging his Nichirin Sword toward its neck.
Clang! The blade bounced off with a sharp sound, only leaving a faint white scratch on the skin.
"So tough!"
Tanjiro frowned and swung again. The blade sank only slightly deeper than before.
No matter how much force he used, the Nichirin Sword couldn't slice all the way through the neck. The impact made his grip tremble in pain.
"Why is this demon's neck so hard?!"
"This won't work!"
Shinobu shook her head, her expression tense.
"Upper Moons have all kinds of strange tricks. We have to decapitate it immediately!"
"Let me do it!"
Sanemi raised his Nichirin Sword high. A green cyclone coiled around the tip, tearing through the air with sharp sonic bursts.
"Aaaah! I really am a good person! I'm just mentally slow! Why are you bullying the weak…?"
Just before Sanemi's blade struck Hantengu, a pale blue water blade suddenly shot over from a distant hillside.
It came fast, with a sharp screech as it sliced the air, landing perfectly on the back of Tanjiro's sword.
Boom! The force of the water blade surged through the blade into Tanjiro's arms.
He felt a powerful yet not violent force push his blade downward.
Shkkt—
This time, the Nichirin Sword didn't stop. It sliced through Hantengu's neck like tofu.
Black blood sprayed. The tiny figure crumbled into ash on the snow, leaving no trace of life.
Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, decapitated.
The sudden water blade stunned everyone.
Their eyes instinctively followed the direction it had come from—to a distant slope stood a lone figure.
He wore a deep indigo-black warrior's uniform, its hem fluttering in the wind and snow.
His dark hair hung loosely, a few strands clinging to his cheek, revealing a clean forehead and deep navy-blue eyes.
His right hand rested on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword. The sheath shimmered faintly with a watery blue glow.
A subtle whirlpool of mist-like water aura swirled around him—it was the man they had searched for so long: Tomioka Giyu.
Now known as Mushiki.
He didn't approach. He just stood silently on the slope, those dark blue eyes devoid of emotion.
No killing intent, no familiar warmth.
He stood like a cold onlooker, quietly watching the others in the snow.
The wind blew snowflakes onto his shoulders, but he seemed unfazed, standing motionless in place.
"Giyu-san..."
Tanjiro instinctively called out, his voice trembling.
He looked at that familiar face, but it felt impossibly distant.
Sanemi gripped his Nichirin Sword tighter, his eyes wary. "What's he trying to do? He just helped us kill the real one, and now he's just standing there…"
Kanae gently shook her head, her expression complicated. "I don't know... but he hasn't attacked. Maybe..."
She didn't finish, but couldn't make any assumptions either.
No one knew whether Mushiki, in this moment, was friend or foe.
Giyu didn't stay long. His gaze lingered on Tanjiro for a brief moment, then he turned.
His shadowy figure vanished into the snowy forest, swallowed by the storm.
Only a pale blue water trail remained in the snow, soon covered by fresh flakes.
The group stood silently in the snow, glancing at one another.
They had defeated Hantengu.
But Giyu's sudden appearance left behind a heavy weight.
They didn't know what he was thinking now.
They didn't know whether next time they met, he would be an enemy—or once again, a comrade fighting at their side.
The snow kept falling. The northern wind remained sharp and bitter. But in every heart, a question had been planted—
When will Tomioka Giyu truly return?