The battle raged.
Sashes sliced. Blades clashed. Blood arced through the air like crimson ribbons.
And in the chaos, one figure stood still—silent, watching.
Tharion, arms crossed atop the rooftop, his eyes tracking every movement with sharp, detached focus. He had not moved since arriving. His blade remained sheathed. He let the others fight.
"They need this," he murmured. "They must claim their own strength."
Below, Tengen Uzui danced against Gyutaro, wounds already opening along his arms from narrowly avoided scythe swings. The poison laced in the demon's blood was taking hold, slowing him.
Zenitsu and Inosuke held the line against Daki, but it was clear—they were falling behind.
And then came the cry.
"Nezuko—!!"
Tanjiro, barely conscious, had called her name as Daki's sash whipped toward him.
A blur of pink, white, and flame smashed into the demon.
BOOM.
Daki was sent crashing through a wall, embedded in splinters and rubble.
Nezuko had arrived.
But… she looked different.
Her body was taller, more mature—veins glowing with red energy. Her horn had grown, her left eye had become slit-pupiled like a demon's, and her demonic markings burned with living flame.
"What…?" Daki gasped, stunned. "You're just a little girl—why do you feel like a monster?!"
Nezuko didn't speak.
Instead, she grinned—and charged.
The ground shattered beneath her feet as she rushed Daki with raw, unchecked fury. Her Blood Demon Art ignited, green-pink flames bursting across the floor, burning through Daki's regenerating body.
Daki screamed as her sashes were consumed in the fire—Nezuko's flames didn't hurt humans, only demons. They clung to her flesh like judgment incarnate.
"Stay… down!" Nezuko roared, stomping on Daki's face and launching her through another floor.
Even Tharion's eyes widened slightly.
"That's not just rage," he murmured. "That's a bloodline awakening… her body remembers the Sun."
But with her power came recklessness. Nezuko began losing herself, laughing through bloodied teeth as she battered Daki into pulp, flame and fury coiling off her every movement.
Tanjiro finally pulled himself up and leapt toward her.
"Nezuko! That's enough!"
She snarled at him, her claws twitching—but something in his voice reached her.
She stopped, panting, her flames dimming slightly. Her eyes began to flicker—fighting to hold on to her human heart.
But there was no time to recover.
From the far end of the alley, Gyutaro roared with frustration.
"You're all so annoying!!"
His blood blades surged outward in a spiral of death, slicing through buildings, earth, and air.
Tengen caught two with his blades—but a third pierced his shoulder.
Zenitsu and Inosuke barely dodged the next volley.
And Tanjiro—was wide open.
"Die—!"
Gyutaro's scythe was inches from Tanjiro's face.
And then it stopped.
A flash of black steel.
Tharion's hand had caught it mid-swing, holding the spinning weapon with his bare fingers. The blade hissed in protest, but Tharion's grip didn't waver.
"I said… this was your kill," he said calmly. "But if you're going to die before claiming it… then I'll intervene."
He released the scythe—and in a single, fluid motion, he drew his sword.
A wave of golden fire engulfed the alley.
"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form – Setting Sun Transformation."
He stepped once.
Gyutaro screamed.
A deep, blistering slash had already cut across his chest, the wound refusing to heal. The demon recoiled, face contorted in pain and fury.
"Y-You… again—you're not even a Slayer… what are you?!"
Tharion looked over his shoulder at the group.
"Finish this. Together."
Tengen stood again, teeth grit through the poison.
Zenitsu nodded, his eyes sharp with purpose.
Inosuke grinned behind his mask, already lunging.
Nezuko steadied herself beside Tanjiro.
And Tharion vanished back into the shadows, the glow of his blade fading.
"You've seen a glimpse of the past," he said quietly. "Now show me… the future."
And the fight continued.
But the tide had shifted.
For the first time in centuries—
Upper Moon Six was afraid.