"It's over… it's really over this time."
Hinata stared at the fish monsters encircling the mountain forest, her heart sinking into despair. Even though she knew the enemy wasn't killing them yet—only playing with them and using them as bait—she had still harbored a faint hope that they might somehow escape.
But now, with Gyokko's ability sealing off the mountain entirely, even that last shred of hope was extinguished.
Bang—
A lightning-fast figure brushed past her. The boy in the yellow haori slammed into a tree. Whether it was from the pain or because Enmu had voluntarily released his ability, Zenitsu finally woke up.
The moment he came to, he took in the blazing forest, the crowd of demons, and the monstrous fish—and immediately screamed.
"Waaah!!! We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die! What kind of nightmare is this?! Wasn't I just getting cozy with Nezuko-chan a second ago?!"
He looked down at the blood on his body. "It hurts so bad… why does it feel like every bone in my body is broken?"
Seeing Zenitsu like this, Hinata felt even colder inside.
"Zenitsu, this is a nightmare," she said desperately. "Quick, go back to sleep. If you sleep, it won't hurt anymore."
She was still trying to call the "Sleep Hashira" back online. The situation was already bad enough—sleeping Zenitsu was at least a decent combat asset, enough to stall an Explorer. But now that he was awake, what were they supposed to do?
"A nightmare?"
Zenitsu froze for a moment, then his expression twisted.
"But it hurts so much… dreams aren't supposed to hurt, are they?"
Hinata knew then that Zenitsu wasn't going back to sleep. She tightened her grip on her Nichirin blade, preparing to fight to the death.
Their swords weren't newly forged by a swordsmith, but temporary Nichirin blades obtained from their trainers—left behind by deceased swordsmen who had used the same Breathing styles. As long as the style matched, they could be used.
However, because they weren't personally awakened from the start, they couldn't unleash their full potential. Zenitsu and Tanjiro were in the same situation.
Of course, Hinata didn't believe that even with personalized blades, these young protagonists could reverse the situation.
"What a truly flamboyant dead end."
Uzui Tengen stood blood-soaked, gasping for breath. In his brief clash with Upper Rank Five earlier, he had already suffered serious injuries—his body bitten by schools of small fish monsters, blood pouring freely.
Even so, a sunny smile still hung on his face.
"Then let me pull off a flamboyant comeback!"
"Lord Uzui…"
Tanjiro's eyes filled with tears. Beneath Uzui's torn uniform, his flesh was mangled, his once-powerful arms riddled with pits and wounds.
That damage had been caused by Gyokko's Blood Demon Art: Ten Thousand Slithering Sticky Fish. Earlier, Gyokko had produced ten pots engraved with sticky-fish patterns, summoning ten thousand razor-toothed fish that swarmed Uzui, capable of gnawing an enemy down to bare bones.
Though Uzui had retreated in time, he had still been bitten by a large number of them, suffering extensive injuries—bones exposed in places. Worse still, the fish carried poison, which was now corroding his body.
Even in this state, Uzui didn't abandon hope. He threw two smoke bombs, detonating them in the forest, and shouted loudly:
"Tanjiro—run toward the rising sun!"
Tanjiro reacted instantly. Uzui was telling him to run east. Gentle as he was, Tanjiro wasn't indecisive. He immediately hoisted Inosuke, signaled Nezuko to carry the injured Zenitsu, and sprinted east.
Hinata was a beat slower, but she followed. After two steps, she clenched her teeth, turned back, hauled the half-dead Arashi Ren off the ground, and chased after Tanjiro with all her strength.
The sudden smokescreen blocked the demons' vision. The Explorer-demons all grew wary, guarding their surroundings in case Uzui suddenly lunged at them. As for the Twelve Kizuki—Gyokko, Enmu, and Rui—they remained relatively calm.
Within the smoke, Uzui relied on his hearing and memory of the terrain, charging straight east. In an instant, he cut down five or six fish monsters.
He broke through the eastern blockade—but his physical injuries and the poison took their toll. Blood spilled from his mouth as he exerted himself. After dealing with the fish, his body wavered. He could no longer run, and could only stab his dual blades into the ground to keep himself from collapsing.
Tears streaming down his face, Tanjiro rushed past Uzui without stopping. He knew that sentimental words now would only make Uzui's sacrifice meaningless.
Uzui watched as Tanjiro and the remaining Demon Slayer rookies rushed past him into the dark fog. In his eyes, they looked as though they were running toward dawn.
I'm sorry. I still wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect everyone.
But at the very least… I have to let you young flames escape.
"Blood Demon Art: Killing Eye Cage."
That deep, magnetic, gloomy voice shattered even that hope.
A web of blood-red spider silk spread out, blocking Tanjiro's path. Only Tanjiro's instinctive swing prevented him from being instantly severed.
After the brutal fighting, when everyone was already exhausted, Lower Rank Five's Blood Demon Art became an insurmountable chasm—one they could never cross.
"To ask for help, one rat is enough, isn't it?" Rui stood on a tree, his hands weaving crimson threads like a cat's cradle, his burning gaze fixed on Nezuko. "Why run together?"
"If you're willing to give me your sister, I'll let you pass."
"What are you saying?!" Tanjiro roared, hacking at the spider threads. "How could I ever give Nezuko to you?!"
He couldn't accept it. Uzui had given his life to open a path for them—if they still couldn't escape, it would be too cruel.
"You dare damage my artistic creations like this…"
Standing on a tree above Uzui, Gyokko stared at the slain fish monsters, his expression dark.
"…I'm tired of playing. I'll just turn you into my new pot."
As long as someone delivered the message, more Hashira would come later anyway. He wasn't worried about running out of entertainment.
"As a musician," Uzui said weakly, his will still burning, "hearing the word 'art' from something as disgusting as you makes me sick."
At the corner of his left eye, the circular markings of his makeup seemed to deepen slightly, as though he were grasping at something profound.
Just as he seemed ready to gamble his life—to kill Gyokko and clear a path—
He heard a sound.
It was like a howling gale, mixed with the furious roar of thunder.
With their heightened senses, both Gyokko and Enmu heard it too. Their gazes snapped toward the eastern foothills.
A storm swept in. The forest shook. Leaves flew like rain. The fog parted like water.
Like thunder ripping through the sky—
lightning tore apart the darkness.
A black-clad figure wrapped in golden lightning pierced the night, shattering the dream woven of blood and silk.
When he came to a halt, the raging wind arrived a heartbeat later, roaring past behind him. His black haori fluttered violently, splitting the forest fires to either side.
Kurosaki Rei placed a hand on the shoulder of the half-kneeling Uzui Tengen.
"Save some strength," he said calmly. "You still need it to see your family…"
Firelight illuminated the man's profile. The gale lifted the loose strands of hair on his forehead. An invisible pressure spread outward like the passing storm, making every demon present freeze for an instant.
Kurosaki Rei's gaze swept over the blood-soaked Tanjiro and the others, lingering briefly on the battered Zenitsu. His expression darkened.
"…This battlefield is mine now."
Because of its slower speed, a Kasugai Crow arrived late, circling above and announcing:
"The Thunder Hashira has arrived at the battlefield! Injured swordsmen, retreat immediately!"
"Senior Brother Rei…"
Zenitsu stared at the man's backlit silhouette, first overjoyed, then hurriedly warning in a weak voice,
"Be careful, Senior Brother! That demon can put people to sleep!"
Kurosaki Rei activated Recovery, stabilizing Uzui's condition. Without turning around, he surveyed the demons gathering to the west.
"No wonder they dared to run an encirclement trap," he said coolly. "There are quite a few of you."
"Be careful," Uzui said, forcing the words out. "That thing in the pot is Upper Rank Five. His summoned fish are poisonous. His close-combat ability is unknown. And don't make eye contact with Lower Rank One."
Kurosaki Rei nodded while stopping the bleeding with Recovery.
"Understood."
Then he turned to Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro, take the Sound Hashira and the others down the mountain."
"Senior Brother, fighting alone is too much!"
Zenitsu forced himself upright, circulating Lightning Breathing, trying to stay and fight.
Kurosaki Rei kicked a Nichirin blade lying on the ground. The sword shot forward at high speed, piercing an Explorer who was trying to sneak attack, pinning him to a tree by the neck.
At the same time, Prison Demon flashed from its sheath. Lightning flared as Kurosaki Rei cleaved apart a lunging fish monster.
Amid the exploding spray of blood, Kurosaki Rei lightly shoved Uzui toward Zenitsu behind him.
"The battlefield is mine now," he said flatly. "You'll only get in the way."
"Ahhh, what a pity," Gyokko crooned as his body stretched out from the pot, eyes locked onto Kurosaki Rei, the small hands beside his face pointing toward Uzui and the others.
"That man has such a pretty face. I wanted to turn him into living art. I can't let him leave."
From a nearby pot engraved with aquatic-plant patterns, two golden fish emerged, rapidly firing volleys of poisoned needles from their mouths toward Uzui's group.
Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needle Fish Kill!
Tanjiro and the others felt their scalps go numb. They had no strength left—and even at full condition, there was no way they could withstand an Upper Rank's attack.
But the needles never reached them.
Because Kurosaki Rei moved.
Lightning surged upward like a waterfall in reverse, forming a blazing barrier that scattered the needles apart.
Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Thunder Cascade!
Zenitsu stared in utter shock. He had never seen this move before. The Thunder Breathing his grandfather taught only had six forms.
Had Senior Brother Rei… created a new one in just a few days?
After blocking the needles, Kurosaki Rei followed the lightning upward, leaping high and slashing toward Gyokko's neck.
As Kurosaki Rei closed in, Gyokko finally felt it—truly felt it.
Every cell in his body screamed in warning.
The threat of death had arrived.
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