The train bound for the Mugen Train continued rumbling forward through the night.
In the rear carriage, Tanjiro and the others were still chatting with Rengoku Kyojuro, unaware that danger was quietly drawing closer.
When Zenitsu heard Rengoku mention that more than forty passengers had gone missing on this train—and that even Demon Slayers sent to investigate had vanished—he immediately lost his composure.
He spun around and bolted back to his seat.
"Aoyama-senpai! Let's get off at the next stop! Rengoku-san said there are demons on this train! Something's wrong with it!"
He trembled uncontrollably and instinctively clung to Aoyama's arm, seeking protection.
Aoyama peeled him off with visible disdain.
"Men and men shouldn't be sticking to each other. Stay away from me. And don't forget what we do for a living."
Though his tone was calm, his hand had already settled on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade. His eyes shifted toward the carriage door.
It slid open.
A uniformed conductor stepped in from the next carriage.
"Tickets, please. Time to check tickets."
His voice was low and hollow. His face was pale and lifeless, eyes vacant.
"Aoyama-senpai… I want to get off. This feels dangerous…"
Zenitsu still hadn't realized the real danger had already arrived.
Behind them, Rengoku's expression sharpened slightly. Tanjiro, too, caught a strange scent.
Thud—
A scream tore through the carriage.
Passengers erupted into chaos as a grotesque creature suddenly appeared before them—something no ordinary person had ever seen. It had two faces, horns sprouting from its head, and thick, exposed arms lined with sharp protrusions.
By the time panic spread—
Aoyama was already standing in the aisle.
"Ah! Aoyama!" Rengoku called out.
Aoyama glanced at him briefly.
Then his blade flashed.
Before the demon could even move—
Its head fell.
Blood sprayed across the seats and onto the terrified passengers huddled nearby.
"Ding! Host has slain an evil demon. Reward: Blade Sharpness +10."
Aoyama sheathed his blade and turned back with a faint smile.
"Rengoku-san."
Rengoku withdrew the sword he had half-drawn and grinned brightly.
"Well done, Aoyama! Come, sit!"
With the immediate threat gone, Zenitsu hurried over and plopped down beside them. Tanjiro stared at Aoyama in admiration—the composure, the decisiveness, the speed of that strike.
Rengoku felt it too.
This journey would not be dull.
"That demon must have used a Blood Demon Art to conceal its true form," Rengoku said, eyes burning with intensity. "To bare its fangs at innocent people… truly unforgivable!"
He looked at Aoyama with undisguised approval.
Though they had sparred before, Aoyama's perception and reaction speed still impressed him.
"This train is indeed problematic," Aoyama replied calmly. "Rengoku-san, we must remain vigilant."
The demon just now was merely an appetizer.
The real course had yet to be served.
Rengoku nodded confidently.
"That is also the mission's warning. We must not underestimate this foe. But rest assured—we will cut it down!"
For Rengoku, every demon had only one fate.
Execution.
Aoyama gave a slight nod and lifted his gaze toward the roof of the train.
With both Aoyama and the Flame Hashira present, Tanjiro and the others felt reassured.
Gradually—
They drifted off to sleep.
The carriage grew quiet.
Even the passengers who had screamed moments ago now slumped in their seats, peacefully asleep.
On the roof of the train stood a lone shadow.
A black suit fluttered wildly in the wind.
Enmu.
Lower One of the Twelve Kizuki.
Having received additional blood from Muzan Kibutsuji, his powers had greatly increased.
He tilted his head slightly, smiling in delight.
"How wonderful… To die within a dream is such happiness."
The train continued its steady journey.
Inside, every sleeping passenger was caught in a strange and beautiful dream.
Tanjiro dreamed he had returned home after selling charcoal.
His siblings were safe.
They stood at the doorway, smiling.
Nezuko was there too—just as she had always been.
Everything was normal.
Painfully normal.
He spoke of his recent hardships. His mother gently asked if he was tired. If he was tired, he should rest. Once he woke up, everything would be fine.
It was the dream Tanjiro had longed for.
A soft smile appeared on his sleeping face.
Zenitsu dreamed he was holding Nezuko's hand, running through a sunlit field. He gathered white clover to make her a flower crown.
"Hehehe… hahaha…"
Even in his sleep, he laughed foolishly.
Inosuke sprawled across his seat, dreaming of forming an adventure team with Tanjiro and the others.
He was the leader.
Even Aoyama—who always bullied him—was now his subordinate.
In the end, he had surpassed Aoyama and become the boss.
What a glorious feeling.
Even Rengoku, sensing no immediate danger, gradually relaxed.
His eyes closed.
He found himself back at home.
He was telling his father the good news—that he had become a Hashira.
But his father showed no pride.
The once-ambitious man had fallen into despair and decadence.
Across from him, Aoyama watched silently.
Everyone else had fallen asleep.
Only he remained awake.
"Sleep, sleep well… Forget breathing, just sleep…"
"Even when demons come… sleep…"
A soft, drifting voice echoed faintly near his ears.
Like a lullaby.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Sleep pressed down upon him.
As Aoyama slowly closed his eyes—
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
So…
The real attack begins.
On the roof of the train, confirming that everyone had fallen into the beautiful dreams he had woven—
Enmu's twisted grin widened in the darkness.
To Read 150 AHEAD advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146