Boom~!
Just then, that drumbeat like a funeral bell rang out once again... Both the Shogun and Ei's expressions turned grave as soon as they heard it. Without a word, they moved in perfect unison, pulling the three people in the room to the sides!
The Shogun immediately commanded the puppet's arms from the void to grab Tanjiro and the boy beside him, even scooping up the unconscious boar-headed man, pulling all of them close to her at once.
Crackle!
Ei, in less than a second, flashed forward to seize the little girl in her arms before vanishing toward the right-hand exit!
The next moment, the center of the room began to twist—space itself splitting apart like a cube being disassembled. The tatami mats at the center were sliced cleanly in two. If the two hadn't moved when they did, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Miss Raiden… you—"
Tanjiro had just begun to ask about what had happened earlier—
"We'll talk after this. It's not safe here—get them out first."
The Shogun tossed the boar-headed man onto Tanjiro, pointing toward the entryway as she issued her command.
"Ah—yes, ma'am!!"
Knowing how dire the situation was, Tanjiro didn't waste another word. He hoisted the shirtless boar-headed boy over his shoulder, grabbed the other child, and rushed to open the door. Finally, they escaped that eerie barrier of a house. The bright sunlight outside felt like salvation, so warm it nearly brought tears to their eyes.
"..."
After confirming Tanjiro had left, the Shogun hurried to the corner where Ei had disappeared. Fortunately, the space hadn't shifted again—otherwise, finding her might've been impossible.
"Ei… are you alright?" she asked, worry lacing her voice.
"I'm fine."
Ei shook her head.
"Oh, right—this belongs to you."
With that, she pulled the violet handkerchief from her pocket and handed it back.
"Mm… thank you."
Ei paused, momentarily taken aback, then smiled gently and accepted it, tucking it into her pocket. It still held her counterpart's warmth and faint fragrance.
"...Onee-sans…?"
The young girl beside them stared blankly at their exchange—it was like looking into a mirror. The only difference was their hairstyles; their faces were almost identical.
"?" ×2
Both Ei and the Shogun turned toward her in sync.
"Shh~"
The Shogun crouched down, placing a finger to her lips with a soft gesture—so gentle it truly felt like the "big sister" the girl had called her.
"Mm…"
The girl nodded obediently.
The Shogun exchanged a glance with Ei; they nodded at each other in silent understanding. Then, she looked back at the little girl.
"Can you close your eyes?" she asked softly, her tone tender.
"Eh?" The girl blinked, surprised.
"Be good… listen to onee-san."
"Mm…"
The girl obediently closed her eyes, though her body still faced the Shogun. Seeing that, the Shogun gently placed her palm over the girl's eyes, ensuring she wouldn't accidentally open them. Her body shifted slightly to block the child's line of sight.
Everything was ready.
"Alright…" she said quietly, glancing back at Ei.
Ei nodded, gripping the hilt of Musou Isshin tightly in both hands. Gathering the surrounding Electro energy, she raised the blade high overhead.
Crackle!
In that instant, the power radiating from Musou Isshin began to expand violently. Distortions flickered along the blade's edge like countless tiny stars.
Ding~ ding~ ding~!
The three tomoe engraved on the tsuba began to glow one after another with a violet brilliance, producing a clear, rising tone like musical notes.
Ei's long hair and kimono sleeves lifted, swaying in the crackling energy. Space itself rippled at her feet like water. The air distorted under the strain—the blade beginning to disassemble the very structure of the barrier around them, fragmenting it into countless shards of light.
The Shogun's eyes glowed faintly in resonance with Ei's power.
"For the debt of separation between us… I've yet to settle it with you!" Ei's voice rang coldly.
The space around them quivered in fear of her power, twisting and writhing as if trying to flee her presence. She could feel it—the barrier was close to breaking.
You like beating that drum, huh?
Fine…
Then keep beating!
The next instant, Ei brought down Musou Isshin with both hands in a vertical slash toward the entire area before her!
Humm~!
With that single strike, every visible inch of space before her was carved through as though the world itself were glass—leaving behind a deep, receding fracture.
Time froze.
Before them, the rift began to spread—
Crack!
Eventually, everything shattered like glass. The barrier before them was perfectly split in half, the boundary now resembling a vortex that sucked all surrounding fragments of space into an endless abyss.
Time resumed its flow once more.
Through the shattering glasslike fragments, a completely different space came into view—this was the real world. The warm yellow glow of lamplight, a spacious tatami room, and—standing before them—an utterly stunned demon.
It had long black hair, its torso and limbs studded with drums—even one on its chest. Though not particularly tall, it was broader and more muscular than the average demon. Just looking at the grotesque drums sprouting from its flesh like tumors, they immediately understood: this was the culprit.
"H-how is that possible?! How did you… break through my barrier?!"
The demon stammered, pale and stumbling backward.
"Before Musou Isshin, all beings are equal. Breaking a barrier like yours is hardly a challenge," Ei said coldly.
"Musou… Isshin? What are you talking about? That blade? It's not the scent of a Nichirin Blade… what is that?!"
The demon was completely confused. The woman's earlier move had defied comprehension—just a single slash had destroyed his Blood Demon Art? Impossible! He was… he was one of the Twelve Kizuki!
Even if he had been cast down, his power hadn't vanished! Once he devoured enough of those with "rare blood," Lord Muzan would restore him to the Lower Ranks. That goal was almost within reach—he refused to let these two women ruin everything!
Wait… these two women's blood… it smelled rare, too. Fragrant and sweet~!
"Enough… It doesn't matter how you broke my barrier. You won't get another chance! You'll die here!"
The demon's voice twisted into a feral snarl as his muscles expanded grotesquely, his face contorting with madness. His hungry eyes locked onto the mother and daughter before him.
"If I eat the two of you, I can serve Lord Muzan again! For the sake of my future… become my food!!"
He raised his hands to strike his drums—but he never got the chance.
Humm~!
Before he could move, Ei lifted Musou Isshin once more and slashed forward!
A radiant scar of violet light cut through the entire space ahead, spanning from wall to wall.
In that single motion, the entire mansion split cleanly in two—along with the demon before them.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion followed.
The slash didn't stop there—it carved through the surrounding forest, severing tree after tree in one continuous sweep. The entire building shifted out of alignment, the two halves sliding apart before collapsing outward like falling petals, revealing the bright, dazzling sunlight beyond.
Crash…
The entire house crumbled like a stack of blocks, sending up a storm of dust. When the air cleared, only half the foundation remained, along with a distant expanse of freshly cleaved tree stumps.
The demon hadn't even had time to scream before being bisected, its body instantly corroded by the energy and reduced to gray ash, vanishing into the void. Only a single tattered drumskin remained.
"Phew… what a noisy one."
Ei exhaled softly, flicking Musou Isshin to the side. The blade dispersed into radiant particles and returned to her body.
Inwardly, she thought: Let that be a lesson. This… is what happens to those who dare to separate mother and daughter.
Beside her, the Shogun—still crouched with her hand covering the little girl's eyes—gently reached out with her free hand to clasp Ei's, offering silent comfort. Ei smiled faintly and squeezed her hand back.
"Onee-san… is it over?" the girl asked softly, her voice small and kittenlike.
"..." ×2
The two women exchanged glances. At last, Ei's body shimmered with light and merged back into the Shogun's form, the two becoming one once more.
"Mm… it's over now."
The Shogun placed a hand over her chest, feeling Ei's presence within her, and finally breathed out a small sigh of relief. Then she lifted her palm away, allowing the little girl to open her hazy eyes again.
"?"
The girl blinked up at her beautiful sister—now just one again—and froze for a moment in confusion.
…Was that all just a dream? she wondered to herself.
"…Onee-san?"
"Mm?"
The Shogun responded gently.
"Where's the other onee-san?"
The girl tilted her head curiously.
"The other onee-san… went home," the Shogun replied after a short, slightly awkward pause.
"Home? Oh… I see…" The girl nodded vaguely, still dazed—whether from exhaustion or fear, it was hard to tell.
"Come on… let's go outside."
The Shogun extended a slender white hand toward her, wiggling her fingers invitingly.
"Mm…"
The girl nodded, her movements adorably sluggish, and took her hand. The Shogun led her out of the ruins.
As they walked, she suddenly remembered the girl's older brother—they hadn't found him yet. So, she guided the girl to search through the wreckage. With the mansion so thoroughly cleaved, it was easy to see the overall layout, making the search quick. Eventually, they found him in a small, unremarkable side room.
He was weak—too drained to even stand, his body limp and exhausted. So she simply hoisted him onto her shoulder and carried him out.
Soon, the small group reunited outside the ruins.
The demon of the drums—slain so easily by Ei—never even understood what had happened before its death. The only trace of its existence that remained… was that single, broken drumskin fluttering weakly in the wind.
The Shogun handed the weak young man she had been carrying to the anxious siblings waiting before her. Seeing the worry in their eyes, she gently reassured them that their brother was fine—just a bit weakened and in need of rest. A few days of recovery, and he'd be back to normal.
"Okay… thank you… thank you so much, Onee-san."
"Thank you, Onee-san!"
The siblings bowed deeply in gratitude before reluctantly dragging their brother away, glancing back every few steps until they finally disappeared from sight—heading home.
The Shogun watched them go, then turned her gaze toward the courtyard, where two certain idiots were still clashing noisily with their swords.
Clang! ×N
The sound of blades striking echoed again and again, grating on her nerves. The situation was simple enough: the boar-headed man she had rescued earlier had woken up, immediately gotten into a shouting match with Tanjiro, and now they were locked in an intense duel. Both were unyielding, trading blows while yelling at each other nonstop—their argument centered entirely around the box containing Nezuko.
"Hand over the box!!"
The boar-headed man batted Tanjiro's sword aside, shouting furiously.
"No!!" Tanjiro refused without hesitation, charging back in.
Clang!
Their swords clashed again.
"That's a demon in there!" the boar-headed man yelled.
"That's my sister!!" Tanjiro shot back.
"Your sister's a demon!!"
"She's still my sister!!"
"You damn brat!!"
BANG!!
The two broke apart again, stepping back to reset their stances. The boar-headed man wielded dual blades—both serrated like saws, likely self-modified.
"Enough."
"!" ×2
The Shogun strode over, her cold voice cutting through the noise as she interrupted their brawl. Both fighters froze mid-motion, startled by her sudden presence.
"Put away your swords," she ordered Tanjiro first.
"Uh… y-yes, ma'am!" Tanjiro quickly obeyed, sheathing his blade. He seemed used to following her commands by now.
"You too… put it away."
Her violet eyes turned toward the boar-headed man as she gave the same order in a calm yet firm tone.
"No! Who even are you? Why should I listen to you?!"
The boar-headed man puffed out his chest, swinging his blades proudly in a showy pose as he barked back.
"...Haa."
The Shogun sighed softly, half-lidding her eyes as she raised her arm slightly.
"Alright then. Let me ask—who are you?" she said coldly.
"Hmph! I'm Inosuke Hashibira!" the man replied boldly, surprisingly direct. She'd half expected him to ignore her, but at least he answered.
"Your organization?" she asked next.
"I'm part of the Demon Slayer Corps!" he said proudly, thumbing his chest.
"The Demon Slayer Corps? Then the boy before you is your comrade. Why draw your blade against your own ally?" she questioned, her tone calm but authoritative. She gestured toward Tanjiro with a glance.
"Hmph! I didn't draw on him—he ran into my blades himself! Besides, I am killing a demon! The box on his back has one inside!" Inosuke argued stubbornly, as if perfectly justified.
"I already told you, that's my sister!" Tanjiro countered.
"Even if she's your sister, she's still a demon! The Corps slays demons! Don't you get that?!" Inosuke shouted, voice full of conviction.
"She still has reason," the Shogun interjected, speaking calmly on Tanjiro's behalf.
"I don't care if she does or not! A demon's a demon, and demons get slain!" Inosuke snapped, showing no intention of backing down.
"...Haa."
The Shogun exhaled again, clearly growing tired of this nonsense.
"Wait a second… I just remembered! You're that woman from before! The one who zapped me unconscious!" Inosuke suddenly shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her, eyes wide with recognition. The topic of Nezuko immediately forgotten.
"I—no, you must be mistaken—"
"Don't lie to me!! You think I wouldn't recognize your face?! You're the one! I saw you clearly!"
You literally have a boar's head on… she thought silently, sighing inwardly as a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
"And what exactly do you intend to do about it?" she asked, knowing full well he wasn't done talking.
"Hmph! Fight me! If you can beat me, I'll forget about the demon! But if you lose… you know what that means!" he said with a grin, proudly flexing his muscular abs and puffing out his chest.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Inosuke swung his dual blades like a tornado, kicking up clouds of dust all around as he settled into an offensive stance before her.
"One-on-one, then?"
Hearing that, the Shogun actually felt a little relieved. Good—this would be simple enough. Why argue when you can fight?
"Of course! If I lie, I'm a coward!" Inosuke replied immediately, full of confidence.
"Very well… I'll fight you barehanded," she said calmly, stepping forward a few paces. Her shapely legs shifted into position, her upper body poised in a martial stance. Her beautiful face turned sharp and cold, exuding an elegant intensity.
"..."
Inosuke's eyes scanned her from feet to face.
Heh. Skinny little thing. Not an ounce of muscle on her arms, and all that extra meat in weird places. This woman knocked me out earlier? Impossible!
"Don't hold back… and don't underestimate us women," she said, mistaking his hesitation for courtesy. Her voice was calm but resolute, like she was offering him a fair fight.
"Hmph, underestimate? You're the one underestimating me! You want me to go barehanded? Fine by me!"
Clang!
With that, Inosuke stabbed both swords into the ground, then flexed his arms and took up a fighting stance similar to hers—though his was lower, feral, almost animal-like.
"Good… in that case, I won't stop you. Come at me."
The Shogun smiled faintly, gesturing for him to begin.
Whoosh, whoosh!!
Inosuke swung his arms to warm up, then sprang forward like a catapult—dropping low and using his hands to brace himself as he kicked backward like a wild boar's hooves!
Whip!
The Shogun merely took a small step back, catching his incoming legs between her hands. With a subtle twist—four ounces to move a thousand pounds—she threw him several meters away.
Thud!
"Urgh!!"
The first move, and Inosuke hit the ground hard. But he quickly rolled back up, shifting tactics. This time, he lowered his stance and charged like an actual boar. Just as he closed in, he flipped backward mid-run, spinning in a full Thomas flare and swinging both legs toward her ankles!
She simply stepped back lightly, raising her shin to block his strike with perfect precision, then parried his follow-up kick with her forearm.
Smack!
Her foot shot out, striking him squarely at the knee. The impact flipped his body over, slamming him back to where he started.
She had used the bare minimum of strength—any more would have shattered his leg completely.
"Tch!"
Inosuke steadied himself, throwing a few quick punches before lunging again. This time, he aimed straight for her face and neck with rapid, knifehand strikes!
She didn't even need to track his hands—just the movement of his elbows. Reading his rhythm, she brushed aside each strike effortlessly, redirecting the blows so they never came close.
"Damn it!!"
Frustrated, Inosuke tried a high kick—
Thud!
—but the Shogun was faster. She raised her foot preemptively, blocking the motion entirely and forcing his leg back down before it could rise.
"!!"
Inosuke froze, glaring at her in disbelief. The entire fight, she hadn't attacked once—only defended. Yet every defense was perfect, dismantling his technique before it even landed.
She's strong… no, insanely strong!!
Snarling, he swung another punch toward her face. But before his fist reached her, she deflected his forearm aside, shifted position, and struck the muscle just below his shoulder joint with the edge of her hand.
Smack!
"Gah!"
Pain shot through him as his arm went numb, forcing him back a step.
The Shogun followed in one smooth motion, catching his next punch mid-air. She twisted, redirected his weight, and kicked at his leg joint—not to break it, but to force him down.
Thud!
He dropped to one knee.
Even so, he tried to twist his upper body for another strike—but she stopped him effortlessly.
"Opening…" she murmured.
"!"
He froze—and then—
Smack!
She kicked his other leg out from under him, forcing him to kneel fully.
"Another opening."
With a swift motion, she locked his arm, pressing her palm against his side before striking his cheek lightly with the edge of her hand.
Smack!
"Urgh!"
"Your whole body's full of openings," she said softly, her tone calm but decisive.
Before he could respond, she secured his arm and pressed her hand lightly against his throat, her fingertips resting just beneath his jawline.
"Ugh…"
Inosuke froze completely, as if she had struck a vital point. His body stiffened, every muscle locking up.
"…You lose," the Shogun said coolly, tilting her head as she looked down at the boar mask before her, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"Uh…"
He could only nod dumbly.
"Phew…"
She released him, stepping back as he collapsed forward onto the ground, limp and breathless.
"Whoa!" ×3
Nearby, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and even Nezuko—peeking shyly from her box—stared wide-eyed at the scene before them.
"She's amazing…" Tanjiro breathed.
"Yeah…" Zenitsu agreed, his jaw slack.
"Wah! Y-you're awake?!" Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise, glancing at him.
"Uh… yeah, not sure when I fell asleep. My body still feels kinda tingly," Zenitsu mumbled, scratching his head in confusion.
"Well then… your duel's over. About that promise of yours…" the Shogun said, dusting her hands off as she addressed Inosuke, who was just pushing himself upright again.
"I know! It's frustrating, but a man's word is his bond! I won't go after that demon anymore!" he declared, though his tone was begrudging.
"Mm. That's good enough," she replied with a satisfied nod.
At least, she thought, he still has some honor left in him.