"Wait!"
Tō's shout pierced through the northern wind and snow. Before the words even finished, he was already sprinting forward, gripping his blade in one hand as light blue currents of Storm Breathing surged around him.
His left foot barely touched the ground before his body lifted like a willow leaf riding the wind, chasing in the direction Giyu had disappeared.
Snowflakes, swept up by the air currents, pelted against his empty left sleeve, making a soft rustling sound, but it didn't slow him down at all.
'Why… Even though I know I might not catch up, why do I still want to run faster?'
Tō's heart pounded hard in his chest. Fragmented memories swirled through his mind.
Giyu stood behind him, both hands over his, helping him adjust the rhythm of Water Breathing.
Giyu silently handed him warm medicinal salve when he scraped his knee.
Giyu said, "Tō, your blade is steady. One day, you'll be able to protect many people."
'My left arm still hurts where it's gone. But more than the pain, I'm scared. Scared he'll disappear again.'
'If I don't catch up now, will he become that cold Mushiki again next time I see him?'
He heard the others—Tanjiro and the rest—calling from behind, but Tō didn't look back.
He could feel it. Giyu's presence ahead hadn't fully disappeared.
It was as if he were deliberately slowing down, leaving behind faint traces to guide him.
Wind roared past his ears. His breathing grew ragged.
The pale blue aura of Storm Breathing gathered under his feet, pushing his speed even faster.
After about half a stick of incense's time, Tō suddenly saw a familiar figure standing in the snowy distance.
It was Giyu.
He stopped immediately, bending over with hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Snowflakes landed on his lashes, melting into droplets that blurred his vision.
He rubbed his eyes and was just about to speak when the figure vanished before him.
"You caught up. What do you want?"
A cool voice came from the side. Tō turned quickly and saw Giyu standing beneath a pine tree.
His deep blue-black uniform was dusted with a thin layer of snow. His right hand rested on the hilt of his Nichirin Sword.
Those dark navy eyes no longer held the coldness from before—instead, they carried a trace of complex emotion.
Tō looked at Giyu's face, then instinctively glanced down at his own empty left sleeve.
His throat bobbed as he spoke, voice a little hoarse. "Giyu-san… did you remember?"
Giyu didn't answer immediately. He walked slowly over, eyes landing on Tō's severed arm.
The wound was wrapped tightly in bandages, but Giyu could still imagine the severity of the injury.
His fingers trembled faintly. It felt like something invisible gripped his heart, so tightly it hurt to breathe.
'It was me… I was the one who severed his arm.'
'That night in the Entertainment District, I saw the hope in his eyes… and still swung the blade.'
"Yeah. Most of it."
Giyu's voice was softer than before. He looked away, gazing at the snowy mountains in the distance.
"How've you been… lately?"
"I'm doing great."
Tō immediately straightened his back and patted the Nichirin Sword at his waist.
"Uzui-san taught me how to read musical scores, so now I can predict enemy attacks. I even improved Storm Breathing."
"Even with one arm, I can use 'Cutting Wind' now..."
"Last time in Aoyagi Village, I took down a Lower Rank demon with Tanjiro…"
He spoke quickly, like he wanted to tell Giyu every bit of progress he'd made—to prove he hadn't given up after losing his arm.
Giyu listened quietly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
It was a subtle curve, but enough to instantly calm Tō's heart.
It was the first time Giyu had shown this kind of expression since becoming Mushiki. He looked just like the quiet but gentle Water Hashira he once was.
"That's good."
Giyu nodded, his tone carrying a faint, almost imperceptible trace of pride.
"You're stronger than I thought."
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from behind.
Tanjiro, Sanemi, Kanae, Shinobu, and Tengen finally caught up.
They stopped in surprise at the sight of Tō and Giyu standing together—not a hint of tension between them.
Shinobu stood at the front of the group, panting lightly. Her eyes locked on Giyu.
The faint purple aura of Insect Breathing fluttered softly around her. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but her eyes reddened first.
Giyu looked at her and gently shook his head, voice tinged with helplessness. "Kocho… you shouldn't be on the front lines. Your body—"
"Why not?!"
Shinobu's voice suddenly rose, and tears finally spilled over.
"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"
"Do you know Tō lost his arm, Kyojuro nearly died, and everyone else is barely hanging on?"
"Why did you only remember now? Why…?"
Her voice cracked with emotion, until she could no longer speak. She ran forward and threw her arms around Giyu's shoulders.
She had always been a little shy around him—always kept some distance, even in conversation.
But now, every bit of worry, frustration, and longing poured into this one tight embrace.
Giyu froze for a second, then slowly raised his hand and gently patted her back.
The motion was soft, like calming a frightened animal. "Sorry. I made you all worry."
He paused and looked at Shinobu's trembling shoulders.
"You've grown strong, Kocho."
"You can stand on the front lines now. You're protecting everyone."
Shinobu, still buried against his shoulder, cried harder—but she also started to calm down.
Kanae stood nearby, watching, eyes slightly red.
She knew. The Giyu they all remembered… had finally returned.
"Giyu-san, you really got your memories back?"
Tanjiro stepped forward, voice filled with hope.
"Yeah."
Giyu let go of Shinobu and turned to face everyone. His expression returned to calm.
"I don't know if this'll sound far-fetched to you all…"
"But it was thanks to the future me—from another timeline. Tomioka Giyu."
"He gave me the full version of the memory suppression serum. It not only blocked Muzan's sensing, but slowly dissolved the memory seal."
"Later, during the rank duel with Iguro, and just now when I saw Tō's severed arm—those became the triggers that brought everything back."
"Future you?"
Sanemi frowned, looking completely unconvinced.
"How's that possible? Time and space… that kind of thing—"
"I know it's beyond what anyone here can fully grasp."
Giyu explained calmly.
"In the future timeline, the Demon Slayer Corps was almost completely wiped out. I only regained my memories because of Shinobu's sacrifice. In the end, even though Muzan was defeated, I was the only one left."
Everyone fell silent.
None of them had ever imagined something so unbelievable.
Tengen rubbed his chin and muttered, "That sounds like divine intervention… to cross time itself…"
Giyu didn't deny it. Instead, he shifted the topic, his gaze sweeping across them. "There's something more urgent—our final battle."
"We can't afford to wait anymore. Muzan has already started to notice something strange about Iguro. If we drag this out, our exposure is only a matter of time. We have to start preparing for the final battle immediately."
At the same time, Giyu also noticed that Tanjiro and Tengen had already awakened their Marks.
He paused, then continued, looking at everyone's serious expressions.
"From here on out, I'll help you all awaken your Marks."
"You should know already: the Mark is a stress response of the body—at its core, it's a kind of 'illness.' Keeping it active for too long drastically shortens your life. Many of the Hashira in the past died early because of the side effects."
"But in the future memories I've synchronized with, there's already a complete formula for a medicine—and a treatment method."
"It can cancel out the side effects of the Mark, and even heal physical damage."
"Are you saying…"
Kanae's eyes lit up.
"You can help us awaken our Marks, and we don't have to worry about the life-shortening part anymore?"
"Yes."
Giyu nodded and slowly drew the Nichirin Sword from his waist. The soft blue aura of Water Breathing gathered on the blade.
"But awakening a Mark requires a trigger—usually a life-or-death breakthrough."
"For the final battle, I want to help all of you awaken your Marks. So from here on out…"
"Attack me. Come at me like you mean to kill me. Don't hold back."
Everyone froze, looking at each other in disbelief.
"Giyu-san, that's too dangerous!"
Tō spoke up immediately.
"What if we actually hurt you—?"
"I can handle it."
Giyu's tone was firm, his eyes steady without hesitation.
"Because of Muzan's blood, my body heals far faster than normal."
"And I know all the Hashira's breathing styles—I can predict your attacks."
"Only with pressure that close to death can the Mark awaken more easily—and be controlled more completely."
He looked at everyone's hesitant faces and added, "This isn't a request. It's for the final battle."
"We don't have time to slowly polish our strength. We all need to awaken our Marks now."
"Only with greater power can we have any hope of defeating Muzan and the remaining Upper Ranks."
Tanjiro looked into Giyu's unwavering eyes, then stepped forward and drew his Nichirin Sword.
The orange-red aura of Sun Breathing surged along the blade. "I understand! Giyu-san, I'll give it my all!"
"Count me in too!"
Tengen raised his blade, golden Sound Breathing flashing brilliantly.
Sanemi scoffed but also drew his sword. "Don't expect me to go easy! If you can't take it, don't come crying!"
Kanae, Shinobu, and Tō also unsheathed their blades. Their Breathing techniques flared through the snowy air—
—light pink from Flower, pale purple from Insect, pale blue-green from Storm, soft green from Wind, orange-red from Sun, gold from Sound,
—and surrounding Giyu, the faint blue of Water.
Seven distinct Breathing auras swirled together, forming a massive stream of energy that lifted the snow into the sky and carved the first light of dawn across the northern horizon.
Giyu looked at everyone before him. In his dark navy eyes, there was only resolve. "Let's begin. Remember—treat me as Muzan. Don't hesitate."
Even before he finished speaking, Tanjiro had already slashed first—orange-red blade light blazed like the sun as it struck toward Giyu.
Just as the blade reached him, Giyu twisted his wrist. A pale blue water arc deflected the Nichirin Sword with precision—
—but he didn't expect Sanemi's pale green wind slash to come sweeping in from behind.
Wind Breathing, Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!
The attack screamed through the air, aiming straight for Giyu's waist.
Giyu tapped his toes on the snow, sliding backward like flowing water, then reversed the back of his blade to knock aside the wind strike.
But Tengen's golden blades were already crashing down toward his face.
Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance!
The bladed rhythm buzzed like harp strings, sealing off every escape path.
"Now!"
Shinobu's pale purple insect aura suddenly darted upward from below.
Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance – Caprice!
A sharp sting-like energy shot toward Giyu's knee.
Tō took the opportunity to swing.
Storm Breathing: Cutting Wind!
The strike kicked up a blizzard, trapping Giyu's escape behind a wall of wind.
Seven Breathing styles intertwined—explosions of air ripped through the snowfield, even shaking pine needles from the trees.
Giyu's eyes narrowed. His Water aura surged violently as his Nichirin Sword swept in a circular arc—
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
A swirling curtain of water rose and blocked all six attacks at once—though a crack split through it where Sanemi's wind blade struck.
Seeing that, the others pushed their energy higher. Tanjiro's Sun aura glowed with blazing red heat.
Sanemi's wind cut even wilder. Shinobu's insect stinger condensed into a sharp point.
The moment they were about to break through—
—a faint red pattern began to emerge on Sanemi's forehead.
A sign that his Mark was about to awaken.
Giyu's lips curled ever so slightly—and the water curtain suddenly collapsed inward.