Chapter 168 — Akaza
"The road ahead is filled with danger. You must use the previous train driver's movements to reconstruct his method of operation!"
"Regression State activated!"
"You have rewound the train driver's operating state!"
"You observed the driver's movements and achieved enlightenment. You have learned how to drive!"
Two seconds later, Ren sat down in the driver's seat.
He immediately displayed the skills of an experienced driver.
The train that had been swaying dangerously suddenly seemed to come alive under Ren's control, returning to the tracks and continuing forward!
Rumble!
The violent shaking of the train also awakened the passengers inside the carriages.
Tanjiro, who had been meditating, was the first to wake up.
He was thrown to the floor with a bang.
Fortunately, he landed headfirst and suffered only minor injuries.
"What happened?"
Tanjiro scratched his head and looked around, but he couldn't find anything unusual.
Nezuko hummed a couple of times before running toward the front of the train.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro called out, then instinctively looked in Ren's direction.
Ren was gone!
After Ren activated the Transparent World, the mental burden on his clone became unbearable because of the limited energy available to it.
As a result, the clone disappeared.
"Kamado boy, what's wrong?"
At that moment, Kyojuro also woke up.
He looked at Tanjiro before surveying their surroundings.
He immediately understood what had happened.
"My goodness. I never expected something like this to happen. I, a Hashira, actually fell asleep."
Kyojuro spoke with some embarrassment.
"I wish I could find a hole to crawl into!"
"Lord Ren is gone!"
Tanjiro said anxiously.
"Oh."
Kyojuro glanced around.
Indeed, he hadn't seen Ren.
"Where did Ren go?"
"I don't know. Lord Ren said earlier that an enemy might come. Could it be that the enemy has already arrived, and Lord Ren went alone because he didn't want us to worry?"
"That's possible."
Kyojuro spoke firmly.
"After all, that's the kind of person he is. That fellow always charges into battle alone."
Indeed.
If Ren weren't that kind of person, he wouldn't have been captured by an Upper Rank demon.
"How can we let Lord Ren fight alone? We should go help him!"
Kyojuro was resolute.
Tanjiro nodded.
"Nezuko went toward the front of the train just now. Lord Ren is probably over there too. Let's hurry!"
Tanjiro knew that Nezuko seemed capable of sensing Ren's location.
That was why he was certain that her unusual behavior earlier meant she had sensed Ren's presence.
Kyojuro nodded.
"Kamado boy, wake your companions now. Be prepared for whatever happens next."
"All right!"
Boom!
Suddenly—
Just as Tanjiro was about to move, a powerful sonic boom erupted in the distance.
Flames suddenly appeared along the edge of the train!
But Kyojuro's reaction was extremely fast.
In the blink of an eye, his Nichirin sword was already out of its sheath.
The black blade was gripped tightly in the Flame Hashira's hand, releasing tremendous energy.
"Flame Breathing, First Form — Unknowing Fire!"
A crimson wheel rose vertically.
In an instant, it dispersed the incoming shockwave.
"Oh? You're pretty capable."
A contemptuous voice rang out.
Then, at the edge of the train—
The earlier collision had torn a massive hole through the side of the carriage, sending dust billowing into the air.
When the dust finally settled, a tattoo-covered demon suddenly emerged.
A demon!
He possessed an extremely powerful physique, every movement overflowing with strength.
The definition of his muscles was exceptionally clear. He wasn't the bulky, cumbersome type.
Instead, every muscle was perfectly proportioned, with just the right density, as though his entire body had been optimized for maximum physical performance.
He was clearly a master of martial arts.
But none of that was important.
What mattered was the writing engraved in his eyes!
Tanjiro obviously knew what it meant when a demon had characters engraved in its eyes.
The last demon he had encountered with such markings had been Lower Rank Five—Rui!
One of the Twelve Kizuki!
As the dust settled completely, Tanjiro finally saw the markings in his opponent's eyes clearly.
Upper Rank.
Three!
Upper Rank Three!
"How did you get in here?!"
Tanjiro cried out in shock.
"Oh?"
Tanjiro had been fine when he was silent.
But the moment he spoke, Akaza noticed him.
Especially when Akaza saw the fiery hanafuda earrings hanging from Tanjiro's ears, his expression immediately became amused.
"Someone is wearing flame-patterned earrings?"
After recognizing his opponent's identity, Akaza said nothing.
He simply launched his attack.
In an instant—
His fist moved like the wind.
Tanjiro hadn't even managed to see Akaza raise his arm before a blinding gale suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Destructive Death: Air Type."
It was one of Akaza's simplest attacks.
A single point struck with incredible speed.
As Tanjiro watched the fist rushing toward him, a terrifying sense of death instantly enveloped his entire body!
"Flame Breathing, First Form — Unknowing Fire!"
Whoosh!
The train roared past as flames rose into the wind.
A fierce, searing blaze instantly manifested, using its terrifying heat to intercept Akaza's Air Type.
Even after the attack was cut apart, the lingering power of Akaza's Blood Demon Art remained destructive.
But beneath the terrifying heat of Unknowing Fire, those residual shockwaves were directly swallowed by the waves of heat!
"Oh? There's another expert?"
Akaza narrowed his eyes before looking toward Kyojuro beside him.
It was this man who had suddenly appeared and stopped his attack.
After living for so long, this was the first time Akaza had encountered a Demon Slayer who could effortlessly block one of his attacks.
This was an expert.
Especially that technique just now.
The terrifying heat had actually made even Akaza feel a trace of fear.
On the other side, Tanjiro collapsed onto the ground in fright.
This was a battle between a Hashira and an Upper Rank!
He hadn't even been able to react to that attack just now!
If the Flame Hashira hadn't been here, that attack would have killed him without a doubt!
At first, Tanjiro had only heard that Ren had killed three Upper Rank demons, so he hadn't been affected very deeply by the information.
When he had seen Ren reprimanding Zenitsu, Ren had displayed some of his strength, but Tanjiro still hadn't truly felt the difference.
But now—
After personally experiencing the terror of an Upper Rank's power, Tanjiro finally understood the enormous gulf between himself and Ren.
The scale of their battles simply couldn't be compared.
How did Lord Ren accomplish something like that?
Before Tanjiro could think any further—
Kyojuro directly engaged Akaza!
Worried that the passengers on the train would be harmed, Kyojuro made a risky decision.
He actually forced Akaza directly through the enormous hole in the side of the train!
"Teacher Rensai!!"