"...To wield the sun itself," Gyomei whispered. "Manjiro-dono... can we learn this?"
The Hashira's were all staring at him with what could only be described as puppy-dog eyes. Even Obanai's white snake, Kaburamaru, flicked its tongue out, seemingly hopeful.
Manjiro sighed, scratching the back of his messy blonde hair. "I wish. But I don't think so. It took me months of specialized training, and I have a... unique constitution."
Mitsuri stepped forward, her hands clasped under her chin, eyes sparkling like jewels. "Please, Manjiro-kun! If we can do this, we can protect everyone! Just give us a try?"
Manjiro sighed. He looked at Shinobu's intense stare and Tengen's pout. He caved. "Fine. One hour. That's all the time we have before... If you don't get the 'spark' by then, we drop it. Time isn't on our side."
"Sit. Eyes closed,"
The nine Hashira dropped into a circle.
"Breathe at a 1:3 ratio," Manjiro instructed, walking the perimeter of the circle. "Deep in the diaphragm. But listen closely, do not use Total Concentration Breathing. This isn't about increasing your lung capacity to boost your muscles."
He held up his hand as golden light pulsed from his fingertips. "The Ripple is produced by the blood,"
"It's about the vibration of your blood. You have to make your blood vibrate at the same frequency as the sun."
He stopped behind Sanemi, tapping the Wind Hashira on the shoulder. "You're trying to force it physically. Try to 'feel' the heat in your veins, not your muscles."
"I'm trying!" Sanemi grunted, his face turning a shade of purple. Veins popped on his forehead. "I don't feel heat! I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest!"
"Keep pushing, Shinazugawa!" Rengoku shouted from across the circle, sweat dripping down his nose. "Set your heart ablaze! Visualize the sun!"
"Quiet, Rengoku-san," Obanai said. "You're breaking my focus."
"Manjiro-kun!" Mitsuri squealed, her body shaking. "I think I feel a tickle! Is it starting?"
Manjiro leaned over, observing her for a second before sighing. "That's just muscle spasm, Mitsuri-chan. Relax. You're too tense."
The minutes ticked by.
Suddenly, a sound.
Zzzzt.
On the tip of Giyu Tomioka's index finger, a tiny, golden spark flickered on the tip of his finger.
"There!" Tengen pointed. "Tomioka did it! That's flamboyant as hell!"
But the spark died instantly. Giyu slumped forward, coughing blood onto the grass.
"Giyu!"
Shinobu was at his side in a second, her fingers pressing into his wrist. Her expression went dark.
She looked up at Manjiro. "Manjiro-san, this is too dangerous. His body is rejecting the energy."
"It's over." Manjiro said, his voice cold as he stepped in, placing a hand on Giyu. "Hamon Healing."
The golden light flowed into Giyu, the coughing stopped. Giyu took a deep, ragged breath, wiping the blood from his chin.
"We still have ten minutes!" Sanemi said, wiping sweat from his eyes, unwilling to accept defeat. "I can do it! Just let me—"
"No," Manjiro looked at them, his gaze empty. "Your bodies are rejecting it. If you try to force it, it'll just burn you from the inside out. I won't watch my friends go through that."
The Hashira looked defeated, but the moment of vulnerability didn't last.
Twitch.
Manjiro froze.
He had sensed the disturbance the moment he arrived at the estate, he had chosen to ignore it, waiting for it to reveal itself.
But now... the demon was becoming bold.
Sanemi and Obanai felt it a split second later after Manjiro pause.
"KIBUTSUJI!"
High above, nestled in the woodwork, a single, grotesque eyeball rotated. It had the kanji for Upper Moon Four etched into the iris.
Nakime. The Biwa Player.
It was the eye that had been mapping the Demon Slayer Corps for weeks, finding the hidden homes of the Hashira one by one.
The eye realized it had been spotted. It began to liquefy, attempting to sink back into the wood to escape.
Sanemi didn't hesitate. He launched himself toward the roof, his hand reaching for his blade, his face twisted in fury. "YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING!"
He was fast. But the eye was halfway gone.
BLINK.
Manjiro was there
SQUELCH.
Manjiro's hand punched into the wood. He caught the wet, retreating orb in his fist just as Sanemi and Iguro landed on the roof beside him. The other Hashira leaped up a second later, weapons drawn.
"Don't crush it yet," Iguro warned, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and shock. "That thing could lead us to Muzan Hideout."
Manjiro didn't look up. He held the twitching eye up. The iris spun, transmitting the image of the Hashira directly to the Infinity Castle.
"I know you can hear me, Muzan," Manjiro said.
The eye trembled.
"Your days are numbered," Manjiro whispered to the lens. "The biggest mistake of your pathetic life... was letting us exist long enough to find you."
POP.
The eye exploded in a spray of black ichor, coating his hand.
"The time has come," Gyomei Himejima rumbled, turning his blind face toward the sky. "The Master must be informed immediately. The demons have found us. The location of the Estate is compromised."
Sanemi spat on the ground, his eyes darting toward the horizon. "Let them come. I've been waiting to rip that man's head off since the day I joined this damn corps."
---
Far away, in the Infinity Castle...
In the heart of the Infinity Castle, a woman playing a biwa gasped as her vision went dark. And beside her, a man in a black fedora felt a sudden, inexplicable chill.