Chachamaru clearly understood Yuki's meaning, its cat eyes widening into perfect circles.
The sight made Yuki feel as if the cat was about to burst into human speech in its desperation.
He could almost imagine what Chachamaru wanted to say:
"I may not be human, but you're a real bastard!"
Smiling, he patted Chachamaru's head and waved the blood-stained dagger in his hand.
"Chachamaru, you wouldn't want to disappoint Miss Tamayo by failing to retrieve the blood sample, would you?"
Hearing this, Chachamaru let out two indignant meows and rushed to Enmu's headless corpse, sniffing intently.
After a moment, Chachamaru began meowing at the shop floor, its paw scraping at the ground.
Yuki immediately asked, "Are you saying this guy's true form is hidden underground?"
Chachamaru meowed in confirmation.
Then, it began rubbing against Yuki's pant leg, urging him to hand over the blood sample quickly.
After sending Chachamaru off, Yuki immediately drew his blade, leaped sideways, and unleashed a downward slash at the ground.
'Sun Breathing: Second Form - Clear Blue Sky'
A deafening roar shattered the air, and a gaping hole tore through the shop's floor.
As the dust settled, Yuki clearly saw a structure resembling a human neck bone emerging from the hole.
According to the original work, this should be Enmu's true form, his body having already fused with the entire shop.
That bone was Enmu's "neck."
Theoretically, severing this bone would completely destroy Enmu.
But the moment Yuki raised his blade, he paused.
He had previously considered that at this point in the timeline, Enmu had not yet received more of Muzan's blood.
Therefore, his abilities were relatively weaker, allowing Yuki to break free from his fabricated dream realm.
In the original story, Enmu's fusion with the entire Infinity Train had also taken time, with the goal of transforming the train into his "stomach" to devour the over two hundred passengers on board.
But why would Enmu need to conceal his true form underground and fuse himself with a mere bento shop?
So, was this thing before him truly Enmu's main body?
Yuki genuinely believed that someone with a mind so twisted as to put their own eyeballs in a bento box would definitely be capable of concealing themselves perfectly!
As for this neck buried underground, it was likely just another decoy, like the humanoid figure he had just decapitated.
A thought flickered through Yuki's mind.
He pretended to be startled by the cervical vertebrae beneath the ground, pausing for a moment before raising his blade again.
Sure enough, the instant Yuki swung his sword, a figure silently dropped from the ceiling within the Transparent World's vision.
This figure was significantly shorter than the Enmu he had encountered before, with an unnaturally gaunt frame.
Seeing Yuki's blade aimed at the underground vertebrae, the figure immediately lunged forward.
A fleshy tentacle erupted from its back, its sharp tip piercing directly toward Yuki's spine!
But in the next instant, Yuki's blade instantly reversed direction!
'Sun Breathing - Eleventh Form - Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance'
A surging Sun Flame erupted from the blade, like a colossal, gaping-mouthed beast of fire, instantly engulfing Enmu!
Just moments before, Enmu had been reveling in the thrill of his impending victory. Now, he was wracked with the searing pain of his limbs being severed.
"Why?!"
"How could you react to my true location?"
"I was being so careful!"
"Why..."
Before he could finish, a blade wreathed in Sun Flame flashed before his eyes, growing larger in an instant.
With a swift, blinding flash, Enmu's head tumbled to the ground.
Yuki sheathed his blade, his voice low and resolute:
"There aren't always answers to 'why'."
With that, Yuki immediately checked his Restoration System.
Seeing the Restoration Rate had climbed to 55%, he finally exhaled in relief, confirming that Enmu was truly defeated.
As Enmu's form dissipated, Kyojuro, who had been slumped over the table, immediately awoke.
The elderly shopkeeper and her granddaughter gradually regained consciousness as well.
Their eyes widened in shock as they stared at the gaping hole in the shop floor.
Kyojuro immediately drew his sword and shouted, "Mr. Yuki, did you encounter a demon?"
Yuki pressed down on Kyojuro's sword to prevent the grandmother and granddaughter from being frightened again. "Rather, it wasn't that I encountered a demon, but that a demon encountered me."
Yuki then turned to the grandmother and granddaughter, feeling a slight headache coming on. He was never good at explaining what had happened, let alone handling the aftermath.
Fortunately, professional personnel were already on standby nearby. He summoned his Kasugai Crow and instructed it to send a message to Haruko and the Kakushi in the area.
Only after they had escorted the old woman and her granddaughter away did Yuki explain the situation to Kyojuro.
After hearing Yuki's account, Kyojuro exclaimed cheerfully, "I never imagined such a thing had happened! I was actually struck by that demon's Blood Demon Art!"
"As a Pillar, I allowed Mr. Yuki to fight the demon alone!"
"I'm utterly disgraceful!"
"I just want to dig a hole and bury myself!"
Though these words were meant as self-reproach, Kyojuro's overly cheerful tone made them sound remarkably heroic.
However, Yuki knew perfectly well that these words truly reflected Kyojuro's genuine feelings. At that moment, he was genuinely filled with self-blame.
However, this self-reproach only fueled Kyojuro's determination to push forward, never becoming a shackle to hold him back.
This was Rengoku Kyojuro—eternally passionate, eternally radiant!
Kyojuro continued, "If we encounter another Demon, I hope you'll let me take the lead and rest!"
"Or at least let me fight alongside you!"
"I know you're trying to protect us!"
"But it's truly shameful to stand by while you personally slay Demons, while I can only watch!"
Hearing these words, Yuki genuinely felt ashamed.
He had been tempted to reveal the truth to Kyojuro: that he hadn't been trying to protect them at all. He had simply been eager to "steal the kills."
But faced with Kyojuro's overwhelmingly bright and sincere gaze, Yuki could only nod.
With Enmu, the mastermind, defeated, the train incident was temporarily resolved.
As for why Enmu had released the passengers and staff only to hide here—
Perhaps he was merely passing through when he spotted Kyojuro investigating and decided to attack.
A deeper reason, Yuki thought, could wait until he and the Pillars returned from Swordsmith Village to investigate further.
Seeing the ever-spirited Kyojuro beside him, Yuki quietly exhaled in relief.
The anticipated Upper Moon Three, Akaza, had failed to appear, making his earlier actions seem like an overreaction born from his own fears.
But if he had a choice, Yuki truly wished all his anxieties would ultimately prove to be false alarms.
Thud, thud—
Just then, a series of powerful footsteps suddenly echoed through the air...