Tomioka Giyu stood at the entrance of the cave, a suffocating stench of blood and rot hitting him so hard it almost made him gag.
The dim light barely reached inside, but it was enough to reveal the scene within—thick, unknown fluids dripping down the cave walls, the ground littered with half-eaten corpses, pale bones mixed with dark red flesh, scattered like discarded trash.
At the center of the cave squatted a massive, bloated demon.
Its body was like an overgrown tumor, covered in folds and oozing blisters. From both sides of its body extended more than a dozen thick arms—some gripping broken bones, others twitching unconsciously.
At that moment, it was gnawing on a human leg, taking heavy bites. The crunch of bone echoed in the silent cave, sharp enough to make one's scalp tingle.
At the demon's feet lay two Nichirin Swords.
One blade was covered in fine cracks, its handle wrapped with rough hemp cord—it was Tanaka Hei's Stone Breathing sword.
The other was long and narrow, a small chip marring its blade—it was Sato Shin's Wind Breathing sword.
Giyu's pupils contracted sharply. A freezing rage erupted from his core, surging up to his head and burning away his restraint.
He gripped the hilt of his own Nichirin Sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The water-patterned scabbard seemed to twist under the weight of his fury.
"Oh? A new toy already?"
The demon finally noticed him and slowly raised its head.
Its face had no clear features—just a gaping mouth stretched wide, lined with jagged teeth, blood and flesh still smeared across its lips.
"Those two in black just now didn't taste that good. Too tough."
It wiped its mouth with one arm as the others began to wave wildly, filling the air with a rancid wind. "But you… you look tender. And that shiny sword at your waist—it looks delicious."
Giyu said nothing. He simply stepped forward, one step at a time, the crunch of gravel beneath his feet echoing in rhythm with the pounding of his pulse.
"You…"
His voice came from deep in his throat, low and raw with restrained rage.
"What do you think life is worth?"
"Life?"
The demon barked out a laugh, its mouth splitting even wider.
"Isn't it just food? Like rabbits in the mountains, or rats in the fields—what's the difference?"
It suddenly lunged, its massive frame moving with unnatural speed.
A dozen arms shot toward Giyu, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle. "Since you came here yourself, don't even think about leaving!"
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Giyu's blade flashed from its sheath, a pale blue arc cutting cleanly through the air like the surface of a still pond split apart.
"Shhkk!"
The sound of steel through flesh was sharp and wet. Three arms fell away, spraying black blood that hissed when it hit the ground.
But the demon didn't even flinch. The remaining arms thrashed even more violently as the blisters on its body swelled, split open, and burst.
"Blood Demon Art: Corrupted Arm Prison!"
The black liquid splattered across the ground, instantly hardening into tough, thread-like strands that wrapped tightly around Giyu's ankles like a spider web.
At the same time, the severed arms began to regenerate at terrifying speed. From the cut flesh, new muscle and skin grew, reforming completely in seconds.
Giyu's heart tightened.
This regeneration speed—it was far beyond that of any ordinary demon.
He adjusted his breathing at once, spinning his blade in a tight circle. "Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
His movements flowed like water across the surface of a stream, gracefully slipping past the regenerating arms and the splattering black liquid.
His sword moved in seamless arcs, slashing again and again into the demon's body like endless currents.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Each strike landed with the sound of metal striking metal.
The demon's skin was unbelievably tough—under its defensive posture, even Water Breathing's precision could only leave shallow cuts.
"Useless! Completely useless!"
The demon roared madly, intertwining its many arms into an impenetrable shield that covered its neck.
"My body's harder than stone! Your sword can't even scratch me!"
Giyu's slashes were pushed back again and again.
He could tell this demon's strength far surpassed that of any Lower Moon he'd fought before.
Its raw power was immense, its speed frightening, its regeneration astounding. Its Blood Demon Art might have been simple, but it was relentlessly troublesome.
By strength alone, it could rival the top two of the Lower Moons.
Worse still, its neck—its weak point—was buried under layers of thick arms and flesh.
Water Breathing excelled in flow and precision, but its explosive power was limited. Against this kind of defense, a clean decapitation would be near impossible.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
Giyu leapt upward, blade carving several crossing arcs through the air, striking multiple points at once in an attempt to break its focus.
But the demon didn't fall for it. It kept its arms locked around its neck while the rest whipped wildly around, forcing Giyu to defend himself.
"Thud!"
One arm slipped through his guard and smashed into his shoulder.
The force sent him stumbling back, slamming into the cave wall.
A burst of pain shot through his arm—he could barely lift it.
"Hahahaha! That's all you've got?"
The demon's laughter echoed through the cave.
"Give up! Becoming my food is an honor!"
Giyu braced himself against the wall, slowly straightening.
The pain in his shoulder brought his mind back into sharp focus. His anger still burned, but now there was clarity within it.
This wasn't working.
Water Breathing couldn't break through that defense. He needed something else.
His gaze flicked toward the demon's endlessly regenerating arms—then he remembered Kamado Tanjuro's teachings of the Hinokami Kagura.
The Hinokami Kagura—origin of all Breathing Styles—carried the power of the sun itself, the natural enemy of demons.
When he had practiced it before, it always felt stiff and incomprehensible. But in that instant when he was struck, an image flashed through his mind—Kamado Tanjuro dancing beneath the firelight.
Those movements, simple to the extreme. That rhythm, perfectly united with each breath. That power, capable of tearing through the darkness itself.
Perhaps the key to the Hinokami Kagura was not imitation, but grasping that pure feeling.
Pure destruction. Pure cutting. Pure… sunlight.
Giyu drew in a deep breath. He stopped forcing himself to follow the rhythm of Water Breathing and instead summoned a completely different energy within his body.
It was a hotter, more direct power—like a hidden flame buried deep beneath the ice, waiting to ignite.
His eyes sharpened. The blade lifted slightly—not with the flowing grace of Water Breathing, but with a firm, primal resolve.
"What's that stance?"
The demon tilted its head, sensing something off.
"Giving up already?"
Giyu didn't answer.
His breathing grew long and steady. Each inhale felt like drawing strength from the world itself, each exhale carrying heat like a blazing wind.
Then—he moved.
It wasn't the fluid movement of Water Breathing, but a straight, unstoppable slash that cut forward like a beam of light.
The blade no longer shone blue. A faint golden hue glimmered along its edge—like the first ray of sunrise breaking through night.
"Hinokami Kagura, First Form: Dance!"
This time, there was no stiffness. No hesitation.
His body moved naturally, as if he'd practiced it a thousand times before.
The golden blade traced a flawless arc through the air, striking cleanly against one of the demon's arms.
Shhhk!
The cut was crisp—far sharper than before.
And then he saw it. The regeneration had slowed.
The flesh at the severed stump twitched but didn't heal. Instead, it began to shrivel and blacken, drying rapidly into ash.
It worked.
The sun's power—the essence of the Hinokami Kagura—was suppressing the demon's regeneration!
"AAAAH! My arm!"
The demon screamed, the pain twisting its voice into a hideous shriek. It could feel its arm dying, turning lifeless—a terror even greater than the pain itself.
"What is this technique?!"
Giyu gave it no chance to recover.
If it worked, he would finish it.
He spun, carrying the momentum of his last movement into another slash.
This time, he combined the flowing rhythm of Water Breathing with the blazing heat of the Hinokami Kagura.
Golden light and blue water intertwined, swirling into a powerful spiral of energy.
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
"Hinokami Kagura, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
Two completely different breathing styles—yet in his hands, they fused perfectly into one.
The twin-colored blade, like a rotating sun and moon, sliced through the air with unstoppable force.
The strike slipped past the demon's crisscrossed arms, aiming straight for its thick, grotesque neck.
"No—!"
The demon howled, raising its remaining arms in a desperate defense. But its limbs, already weakened by the sunlight's burn, couldn't block the combined power of both techniques.
Slash!
A single, clean sound.
No thunder, no explosion—just the crisp note of a perfect cut.
The demon's swollen head flew from its body, landing with a dull thud.
Black blood gushed forth, but the moment it touched the lingering golden light, it hissed and burned, filling the air with the acrid scent of ash.
The head's mouth still opened and closed weakly, eyes wide with disbelief and terror, until its body stiffened and began to crumble.
The massive form fell backward, twitched once, then shriveled rapidly—collapsing into dust.
The cave fell silent at last.
Only Tomioka Giyu's ragged breathing remained, and the faint hum of his blade as the last of its golden glow faded away.
He leaned on his sword, gasping for air. That strike had drained everything he had left.
Pain throbbed in his shoulder again—but his heart was pounding with something else.
Pride. Relief. Awe.
He'd done it.
He had used the Hinokami Kagura—and even fused it with Water Breathing.
That meant he now held another weapon, another hope, against the darkness ahead.
Giyu lifted his gaze toward the bones clinging to the cave walls, then down at the two Nichirin Swords lying on the ground.
Tanaka Hei. Sato Shin.
He hadn't been able to save them.
A wave of anger and sorrow pressed against his chest—but this time, he didn't let it consume him.
He sheathed his sword, walked over, and knelt to pick up their blades.
The handles were still faintly warm—as if their owners had only just let go.
Giyu held both swords tightly, turned, and walked out of the cave.
Outside, the sunlight was bright and soft, falling across his blood-stained haori. For the first time, it felt warm.
He would bring these two swords back to the outpost—to their families.
And then he would keep getting stronger.
Strong enough to cut through all evil.
Strong enough to protect everyone who deserved protection.
Strong enough… to ensure such tragedy would never repeat again.
Tomioka Giyu's figure vanished into the forest, leaving behind a cave heavy with the scent of blood—and a silence that mourned the lives lost within.