Looking at the demon before him, Tanjiro Kamado tightened his grip on his Nichirin Blade.
They had spent the entire day searching for the target demon, yet no one had expected it to remain hidden until nightfall, only to emerge once darkness fully settled.
Now Tanjiro, Inosuke Hashibira, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Nezuko Kamado had surrounded the demon, creating a strange standoff where it was difficult to determine who the prey truly was.
Inosuke's boar mask gleamed faintly in the night, his stance wild and unstable yet instinctively lethal, like a beast ready to strike at any moment.
Zenitsu, initially relieved that the mission seemed simple, looked at the demon with growing confidence, a faint pride forming in his expression as he tightened his grip on his sword.
"Nezuko, watch this!" Zenitsu muttered, preparing to end the fight in a single instant with Thunder Breathing.
However, the demon still classified as a lower-level mutated Monjushiro-type felt the overwhelming pressure of being surrounded and immediately shifted into panic.
This is impossible… I can't win this…!
If it cannot win, then retreat is the only option.
Before Zenitsu could release his attack, the demon abruptly shed its outer shell and fled at high speed into the darkness.
"Inosuke!" Tanjiro called immediately.
Without hesitation, Inosuke surged forward with feral instinct, blades drawn, pursuing the escaping target through the narrow streets.
However, the demon's evasive movements were erratic and unpredictable, slipping through gaps in buildings and using its altered body structure to avoid direct strikes.
No matter how aggressively Inosuke attacked, his blades cut only air.
"Why won't it hit?! Come back here!" Inosuke roared in frustration.
Using the cover of darkness and tight alleyways, the demon successfully escaped into a deeper section of the town.
"Don't let it get away!" Tanjiro shouted. "If it escapes injured, it will feed on humans to recover!"
Without hesitation, the three Demon Slayers pursued it deeper into the district.
When they finally reached the end of the pursuit, they abruptly encountered another battlefield unfolding ahead.
Tanjiro and his group froze.
Yahaba and Susamaru also froze.
The fleeing demon froze as well.
For a brief moment, all sides entered a silent three-way standoff beneath the moonlight.
Unlike the previous incident at Mount Natagumo, there were no Hashira present this time only newly promoted Demon Slayers and lower-class demons.
Yet the tension remained high.
Yahaba subtly tightened his grip on his Blood Demon Art as he observed the newcomers.
Susamaru rolled her temari balls between her fingers, eyes gleaming with aggression.
Tanjiro instinctively analyzed the situation, sensing hostility and uncertainty from both sides.
"…Don't move yet," Tanjiro whispered. "Let them reveal their intentions first."
The demon attempting to flee slowly backed away, realizing it had stumbled into something far worse than expected.
For a brief second, everything remained still.
Then
Zenitsu shifted his foot slightly.
A small stone scraped against the ground.
That single sound shattered the silence.
Instantly, multiple attacks erupted at once.
Water Breathing Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
Beast Breathing Devouring Strike!
Blood Demon Art Exploding Arrow Manipulation!
Blood Demon Art Temari Barrage!
The entire street exploded into motion as slashes, projectiles, and defensive maneuvers collided in chaotic succession.
Explosions of force shook the surrounding buildings, scattering dust and debris across the night air.
Despite the intensity, the clash produced surprisingly limited damage to any one side, as both groups continuously adjusted mid-fight to avoid fatal blows.
During the chaos, the fleeing demon seized the opportunity and escaped completely into the night.
"Wait!" Tanjiro realized too late. "It got away!"
But the battle was already fully engaged.
Susamaru's temari balls spun violently, slamming into buildings and forcing Tanjiro and the others to split apart.
Yahaba's arrows manipulated trajectories mid-air, creating unpredictable angles of attack that disrupted movement patterns.
Tanjiro and Inosuke responded with precise counterattacks, narrowly avoiding fatal strikes through instinct and coordination.
Water Breathing Second Form: Water Wheel!
Beast Breathing Third Fang: Devour!
Their combined assault sliced through incoming attacks, but neither Yahaba nor Susamaru were immediately decapitated.
However, both demons suffered severe injuries as their arms were severed in the exchange.
Yet, in an instant, their regeneration began rapidly restoring the damaged limbs.
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
Their regeneration speed… increased?
He immediately recognized the inconsistency this was not normal Lower Moon-level regeneration behavior.
Susamaru grinned as her limbs reformed.
"More fun! More fun!" she shouted, launching another barrage of temari balls.
Yahaba followed up by reinforcing the trajectory control of each projectile, increasing their speed and unpredictability.
The attacks intensified, forcing Tanjiro's group into defensive movement.
Even so, repeated training under the Demon Slayer Corps had significantly improved their reaction speed and coordination.
But Nezuko, still inexperienced in combat against coordinated Blood Demon Arts without Tamayo's guidance, was caught off guard.
A sudden impact struck her, sending her briefly off balance.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro shouted in alarm.
The moment Tanjiro's killing intent surged, the atmosphere shifted.
Yahaba and Susamaru instinctively felt an oppressive fear they had never experienced before.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke simultaneously entered full combat focus.
At the same time, Yubi previously knocked back re-entered the battlefield abruptly, roaring in rage.
"I'll kill you all!"
However, his lack of awareness in the chaotic battlefield caused him to blindly charge into the wrong position, disrupting Yahaba and Susamaru's coordination.
Seizing the opening, Tanjiro and his companions pressed forward with synchronized attacks.
Water Breathing and Beast Breathing combined in tight coordination, forcing both demons into continuous evasion.
Yet Yahaba and Susamaru, realizing they were at a disadvantage in sustained combat, began preparing retreat tactics instead of direct confrontation.
The battlefield devolved into chaos once more.
Even with superior coordination, Tanjiro's group now faced a critical issue:
They were not yet strong enough to fully suppress multiple demon abilities simultaneously especially under overlapping Blood Demon Arts.
And in the center of it all, the fight was far from over.