Tanjiro watched the scene in disbelief. "How can the neck not be the vital spot?"
He forced himself to stay calm. What am I missing?
Images of the frantic battle flashed through his mind like a lightning-fast montage.
The fifth demon! I smelled a fifth demon!
There was another one!
He had to find it, and fast. The fifth demon's neck had to be the true kill-shot.
Tanjiro scanned the perimeter, his sensitive nose twitching as he sifted through every stray scent carried by the wind, desperate to catch that one hidden trail of demonic aura.
Suddenly, Genya Shinazugawa lunged forward and seized Tanjiro by the throat. "The one who's going to defeat the Upper Moon is me!" he snarled.
"Genya..." Tanjiro looked at him, startled and helpless.
"You weren't the one who took down Upper Moon Six, so you didn't become a Hashira!" Genya's voice was a ragged scream. "I'm going to become a Hashira before you ever do!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened in realization. Instead of fighting back, he looked at Genya with pure, earnest encouragement. "I see! Genya, Nezuko and I will support you with everything we've got! Let's work hard together!"
The words acted like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the feral violence swirling in Genya's chest.
His grip on Tanjiro's neck loosened abruptly. As his strength vanished, his fingers trembled uncontrollably. The crimson haze in his eyes receded, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment and shame. "Huh?"
Tanjiro didn't miss a beat. "There should be a fifth demon. I'll go find it—please, buy me some time!"
"I see what you're doing! You want me to let my guard down so you can—" Genya started, but his voice trailed off as he met Tanjiro's gentle, unwavering smile.
From the side, Aoi Kazama watched Sekido swing his khakkhara staff. "Tanjiro, Genya, look out!" she shouted.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
A powerful surge of water slammed into Sekido's staff, the force of the impact vibrating through the air and sending the demon stumbling back.
"This isn't about letting guards down," Giyu Tomioka's calm voice rang out. "Genya, Tanjiro will notify you once he finds the fifth demon. For now, focus on holding these clones back!"
The shock of the exchange snapped Genya back to reality. He caught a glimpse of Sekido's face, twisted in a mask of primal fury, then looked back at the resolve in Tanjiro's eyes. He swallowed a bitter retort and spat out a curse. "Tch! Fine! What a pain!"
He pivoted to face the four fully-regenerated clones.
"And Genya! Please don't hurt Nezuko! She's my sister!" Tanjiro called out as he began to move.
Genya paused for a fraction of a second, casting a sideways glance at Nezuko, who was already standing ready by his side.
"Tanjiro, I'm coming with you! Giyu, we're leaving this to you!" Aoi shouted over her shoulder.
Giyu nodded once, his blade rising again. His movements were like a rhythmic, overlapping tide, intercepting every strike from Urogi and Sekido with surgical precision.
With my perception and Tanjiro's nose, we'll find it in no time!
Aoi focused her mind, expanding her aura perception to blanket the surrounding forest. "There!"
Tanjiro caught the scent at the exact same moment. They exchanged a quick nod and sprinted toward the northeast.
Seeing them break away, a flash of panic crossed Sekido's eyes. "Urogi!"
Urogi screeched in understanding and lunged after them. High-frequency sonic waves, sharp as invisible blades, tore through the air toward their backs. Tanjiro didn't slow down; he spun around and unleashed a flaming arc.
"Hinokami Kagura: Fake Rainbow!"
He split the soundwaves in two with the scorching heat of the Dance of the Fire God. "Genya! Keep heading northeast!" Tanjiro roared while fending off Urogi.
Sekido, seeing that they hadn't been stopped, turned blood-red with rage. He brandished his staff to give chase, only to find his path blocked by a wall of water.
"Your opponent," Giyu said, his voice as cold as ice, "is me."
The Water Breathing forms flowed like an endless sea, pinning Sekido down and neutralizing every desperate offensive.
Aoi led the way through the thickets, her eyes darting through the shadows. Strange. I can feel him right here, so why can't I see him?
She closed her eyes, narrowing her focus to a single point. "Found you!"
She shoved aside a dense thicket of brambles. There, crouched in the dirt, was a demon no larger than the palm of a hand. He was covered in grey-brown mud, leaving only a pair of wide, frightened black eyes visible as he stared at the two humans.
"So scary... so scary..." the tiny thing whimpered.
Genya, who had caught up, stared in shock. "He's so small? No wonder he was so hard to find!"
He whipped out his shotgun and took aim. Bang! The muzzle flashed, and the bullet tore through the air toward the tiny demon.
To his horror, the demon remained completely unscathed.
"Let me try!" Aoi lunged, her Nichirin Sword whistling as it aimed for the tiny neck.
The blade slammed into the demon's throat, but instead of the sound of cutting flesh, there was only a harsh, screeching metallic friction. No matter how much strength she poured into the strike, the blade wouldn't bite.
"It won't cut!"
In the next heartbeat, a primal chill raced down Aoi's spine. Genya's panicked scream exploded in her ear. "Watch out!"
Aoi threw herself into a frantic roll, narrowly avoiding a massive impact from behind.
Before she could even regain her footing, several wooden dragons erupted from the earth, lunging directly for their heads.
Aoi stared at the new arrival with gritted teeth. This demon was different from the previous four—his aura was leagues more powerful.
"You lowlifes who bully the weak..." the new demon, Zohakuten, said with a look of utter disgust. "It makes me quite displeased."
Aoi tightened her grip, pushing her Wood Breathing to its absolute limit. She slammed her palm against the ground. "Wood Breathing, Fourth Form: Ivy's Embrace!"
Massive, verdant vines burst from the soil, coiling like emerald pythons around the wooden dragons. As the vines collided with the dragons, the air sizzled with the sound of burning energy, and thick plumes of black smoke billowed upward.
In the distance, Tanjiro and Giyu finally converged on their position.
"Aoi! Be careful!" Giyu shouted. "This demon was created when Sekido absorbed the other three. He has all their combined strength!"
Aoi nodded, her gaze narrowing into sharp needles of focus.
"How dare you point fingers at us!" Aoi's voice rose to a defiant shout, her eyes burning with righteous fury. "You're the filth who survives by devouring innocent people! What did they ever do wrong?!"
"They just wanted to live!" she continued, her voice trembling with rage. "And yet you treat them like cattle to be consumed! You have no right to judge us!"
Zohakuten tilted his head as he watched her outburst, looking genuinely perplexed. "Did I kill one of your relatives? Is that why you're so upset?"
"No! But they were human beings, just like my family was!"
Tanjiro's heart ached in solidarity. He thought of his slaughtered family, of Nezuko's struggle to remain human. He gripped his sword until his knuckles turned white.
"No one," Tanjiro declared, his voice ringing with conviction, "has the right to steal the lives of others!"
"You monster... I'm going to end you right here!"