The silence after battle is often louder than the fight itself.
Ash still drifted in the air. The scent of charred wood and scorched blood clung to every surface, but the morning sun now shone gently across the ruined tracks. The demon was gone. The danger had passed.
But the scars remained.
The journey from the wreckage was slow and steady.Corps medical teams, summoned shortly after the emergency crow alert, arrived to stabilize the wounded and recover what they could. Rengoku, held upright by Tanjiro and supported by Tharion, was placed in a reinforced stretcher carved with protection charms.
He was alive. Weak, but smiling.
"I've had worse," he chuckled softly, though his bloodied haori told another story.
Zenitsu rode quietly, glancing often at Nezuko—who sat beside her brother, nuzzled into his side. Inosuke grunted occasionally but said little, seemingly deep in thought.
Tharion, however, sat apart.
He watched the sky.
By the time they arrived at the Butterfly Estate, Shinobu and her team had already prepared rooms. Rengoku was taken to the critical care wing, where his wounds were treated, and his body was infused with specialized medicines.
He remained unconscious for two days.
When he awoke, it was not with panic—but a calm recognition of life hard-won.
"Still here," he muttered with a small grin. "Still burning."
A special emergency report had already been delivered to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Word had spread swiftly:Upper Moon Three had been driven away. Rengoku survived. An unknown swordsman wielding Sun Breathing had intervened.
Many were skeptical. Some believed it exaggerated.
But when the letter came—hand-delivered by a Kakushi and signed by both Tanjiro and Shinobu—it carried weight.
"A warrior unlike any we've known. His breathing was not derived from the sun—it was the sun."
Tomioka Giyu, upon hearing the news, narrowed his eyes."If this is true, then he's not just another swordsman. He's a reckoning."
Sanemi scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it. Sun Breathing's a myth."
But Ubuyashiki simply smiled, pale eyes half-closed.
"No… It was never a myth."
Three nights later, under the moonlight of the central estate garden, Tharion was summoned.
He walked through the open gates alone, the sounds of cicadas brushing against the silence. Awaiting him was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, seated beneath the sacred cherry tree.
His attendants stood behind him, wary but respectful.
Tharion bowed his head. "You asked for me."
Ubuyashiki's voice was soft and warm. "You saved a Hashira. And drove away a creature that has slaughtered hundreds. I did not call you here to question you, but… to thank you."
Tharion stepped forward slightly, his eyes sharp but respectful. "You already knew. Didn't you? That I'd come."
Ubuyashiki gave a faint nod. "The wind carries whispers, and my crows have long reported of your quiet movements—silent interventions across regions, demon nests emptied before our teams arrive, villages spared without explanation."
Tharion remained silent.
Then, Ubuyashiki asked softly, "Are you… one of us?"
A long pause.
"No," Tharion answered. "Not fully. I'm only here because the gods allowed it. This world is not mine. But its people matter. And your war… is mine to see through."
Ubuyashiki's smile deepened. "Then you are one of us, even if you walk apart."
Another moment of silence passed.
Then the master leaned forward.
"Tharion… I saw the reports. You used all thirteen forms of Sun Breathing. That style… was thought to be lost with Yoriichi."
Tharion's gaze flickered.
"I didn't learn it from him. But I walk a path similar to his. I exist to protect the fire he lit."
Ubuyashiki exhaled slowly. "Then I will not question your origins. I only ask this—will you remain? Until this war ends?"
Tharion looked to the sky again.
The stars glimmered faintly above the gardens.
"I will stay," he said finally. "Until Muzan falls."
Ubuyashiki bowed his head in return."Then we will burn the darkness together."
After the meeting, Tharion sat atop the roof of the Butterfly Estate.
Tanjiro climbed up to sit beside him, carrying two cups of tea.
"I… still don't understand everything," Tanjiro began, "but I wanted to thank you. For saving Rengoku-san. For showing me what Sun Breathing really looks like."
Tharion took the tea but didn't drink.
"You have it inside you too. You just need to believe it."
Tanjiro looked down. "I thought it was just a dance… something my father did. I never imagined it was so powerful."
Tharion's voice was quiet, but steady.
"Power isn't in the flame. It's in the will behind it. Your flame will grow, Tanjiro. And one day… it may burn brighter than mine."
Tanjiro smiled gently, tears welling in his eyes."I'll train harder. I'll make sure it does."
They sat in silence for a while, staring up at the stars.
And somewhere deep inside the world—a shadow stirred, sensing that something had shifted. That the balance was no longer in its favor.
The sun had returned.