Enmu's shriek ripped through every corner of the train like the sound of tearing silk.
Aoi's eyes instantly lit up. "Tanjiro and the others are about to succeed!"
Up on the roof of the engine car, a sea of writhing tentacles lashed out frantically, trying to crush Tanjiro and Inosuke.
Inosuke let out a wild roar, his dual blades whipping up a fierce wind as he hacked through the oncoming limbs. "Out of my way, you pests! Get lost!"
"Inosuke, right there!" Tanjiro could feel it—deep within the train's frame, a thick, vein-pulsing neck was coiled. This was the core of Enmu's fusion with the locomotive. "Concentrate everything! Cut it down!"
Suddenly, the conductor lunged out of the shadows, brandishing a sharpened awl. He aimed a desperate thrust at Inosuke's back, screaming, "It's all your fault! You ruined my beautiful dream! Die!"
In a split-second decision, Tanjiro threw himself forward, taking the blow to protect Inosuke.
"Are you okay?!" Inosuke barked.
"I'm fine," Tanjiro gritted out. With his sword in one hand, he used the other to drag the now-unconscious conductor to a safe spot.
Inosuke huffed impatiently. "Why'd you save him? Everyone's at their limit! We need to cut the demon's neck now!"
"I know!" Tanjiro nodded, his expression hardening.
"Beast Breathing, Fourth Fang: Slash and Dice!"
Inosuke's roar made the metal roof vibrate. He captured every opening between the tentacles with animalistic precision, his body moving with the agility of a mountain beast as he surged toward the exposed core.
Tanjiro was right behind him. The moonlight caught his blade as he poured every ounce of his strength into the strike. Father, please... give me the strength to sever the bone in a single blow!
"Hinokami Kagura: Clear Blue Sky!"
The veins in Tanjiro's arms bulged as a brilliant, fiery arc of red light sliced through the night like a falling star, striking the gap in the neck's vertebrae with perfect accuracy.
The violent tremors of the train stopped instantly. The writhing tentacles and masses of flesh began to shrivel and blacken as if their very life force had been drained. Within seconds, they crumbled into ash, scattering into the wind.
The massive impact of the train's derailment sent both boys tumbling to the ground.
"You still alive, Santaro?!" Inosuke scrambled over to Tanjiro, immediately trying to check his back. "Hold on! How's the place where you got poked?"
Tanjiro winced in pain but swiped Inosuke's hand away, offering a weak, lopsided grin. "I'm alright. How about you?"
"The Great Inosuke is overflowing with energy! I don't even have a sniffle!" Inosuke boasted, flexing his arms proudly.
As Tanjiro lay on the grass, gasping for air, Aoi's face suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and stray locks of hair were plastered to her cheeks. Her eyes were wide with frantic worry. "Tanjiro! Are you okay? How bad is it?"
Nezuko trotted over too, nuzzling her small head against Tanjiro's cheek.
Tanjiro reached up to pat Nezuko's head before looking back at Aoi. Seeing the raw anxiety in her eyes, his throat tightened. He tried to offer a reassuring smile, but the movement tugged at his wound, causing him to hiss through his teeth.
He raised a trembling hand, his fingertips lightly brushing Aoi's cheek. His voice was raspy and low. "Don't cry... I'm okay."
At that moment, Kyojuro Rengoku strode over. He looked down at Tanjiro with a proud expression. "I see you've mastered Total Concentration: Constant! Truly impressive!"
"Rengoku-san..."
"Mastering Constant is the first step to becoming a Hashira. However, there are still ten thousand steps to go after that."
"I'll work hard!" Tanjiro vowed.
Rengoku continued, his tone turning instructional. "The bleeding in your abdomen is significant. Focus your mind. Send your breath to every corner of your body. Do not forget the blood vessels—you must repair the damage from within."
Aoi watched the interaction, her heart beginning to settle. She finally allowed herself to breathe, though a lingering sense of dread remained.
It should be over now, right?
But the feeling in her gut wouldn't go away.
The moment that thought crossed Aoi's mind, a deafening explosion rocked the nearby clearing.
A man stepped out from the settling dust and smoke. His body was covered in intricate blue etchings, wearing only a short red vest. His pink hair stood up in jagged spikes, and his eyes—most terrifying of all—bore the kanji for Upper Rank Three.
Rengoku's expression darkened instantly. He spun around, his hand clamping onto the hilt of his Nichirin Sword. A grave intensity filled his eyes. "An Upper Rank..."
Aoi's pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Akaza... Why is he here now?!
Akaza didn't say a word. His eyes narrowed as they landed on the wounded Tanjiro. In the next heartbeat, he launched himself forward like an arrow.
His speed was monstrous, leaving only a blurred residual shadow in his wake. His target was unmistakable: the helpless Tanjiro, who was still struggling to even sit up.
"Tanjiro!" Aoi threw herself in front of him, her eyes burning with desperate resolve.
She knew the gulf between her power and Akaza's was like heaven and earth. But behind her was an injured Tanjiro—someone she wanted to protect. She wouldn't move an inch.
Just as the blow was about to land, a searing blaze erupted in front of her!
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
A vertical pillar of roaring fire surged upward, slicing clean through Akaza's outstretched arm.
"What a fine blade!" Akaza leaped back, licking the blood from his severed limb. Within a literal second, the wound had completely vanished.
Aoi stared in horror at Akaza's arm. The mangled flesh had knitted itself back together, scabbed over, and returned to smooth skin before she could even take a second breath. Not even a scar remained.
Is this the power of an Upper Rank?
It wasn't just the overwhelming speed and strength—it was that unnatural, terrifying regenerative ability.
"I cannot understand why you would target a wounded person first," Rengoku said, standing like an immovable wall between Akaza and the others. His aura was filled with a righteous, piercing heat.
"I simply thought he would get in the way of our conversation," Akaza replied nonchalantly.
"I have nothing to say to you," Rengoku stated flatly. "Though this is our first meeting, I already find you repulsive."
"Is that so? Well, I hate weak humans myself. Just looking at those useless wretches makes me sick." Akaza looked at Rengoku, his eyes gleaming with a strange sort of admiration. "How about it? Why don't you become a demon and join us?"
Aoi, listening to the back-and-forth, felt a brief moment of surrealism. Even though the situation was dire, she couldn't help but roll her eyes internally.
Wait—is this demon seriously trying to headhunt a Hashira right now?
"I refuse!" Rengoku replied without a moment's hesitation.
"I figured as much. You have a magnificent power... you're a Hashira, aren't you? Your Battle Spirit has been polished through years of training. You're approaching the Supreme Territory."
"What is your name?"