"Santarō, what should we do?!"
Faced with Inosuke's urgent question, Tanjiro was equally troubled. Although they had learned about Inadama Kaigaku's weaknesses from Zenitsu, there was no way to intervene directly against such extreme speed.
At that moment, Zenitsu was locked in an impossibly difficult battle. Since he couldn't match Inadama Kaigaku's speed, all he could do was continuously use Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed to passively defend himself against the onslaught.
But that very speed also granted Inadama Kaigaku immense striking power. Zenitsu had already been suppressing the injury in his arm through his breathing technique, but after repeatedly blocking those power-charged blows, the pain began to flare up once more.
Zenitsu gritted his teeth and endured—because he believed in Tanjiro and Inosuke. He believed they would surely find a way to defeat Inadama Kaigaku.
Seeing Zenitsu struggle so desperately, Tanjiro felt utterly helpless.
Suddenly, Tanjiro remembered something Yosuke had once taught them:
"When facing any attack, you can't just react after it comes—you must anticipate it. You have to seize the initiative."
Tanjiro smacked his fist into his palm, realization dawning.
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner?"
Inosuke, puzzled, turned toward him.
"Santarō, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Tanjiro explained quickly, "At our speed, we can't step into Zenitsu and Inadama Kainoga's fight directly. But we can predict his movements! Didn't Zenitsu say that Inadama Kaigaku's attacks have the same weakness as Thunderclap and Flash—he can't change direction once he starts moving? If we can anticipate the direction of his charge the moment he attacks, we can strike there first!"
Inosuke's boar-mask eyes lit up.
"That makes sense! Then let's do it! Zentarō can't hold out much longer!"
They had a plan—but predicting Inadama Kaigaku's attack path wasn't simple. There would only be one chance. If they failed, Inadama Kaigaku would be on guard afterward, and the same trick would never work again.
Tanjiro and Inosuke held their breath, watching Inadama Kaigaku with unwavering focus.
The demon, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying toying with Zenitsu.
"Too slow, far too slow! What's wrong? Are you running out of strength? Your speed's dropping, isn't it?!"
Zenitsu was gasping for air. Godspeed consumed tremendous stamina and put enormous strain on his legs; normally, he could only use it twice. But to survive Inadama Kaigaku's barrage, Zenitsu had already used it no fewer than six times.
If he hadn't already reached the level of a Hashira, he would've collapsed after the third use.
Now, his reaction time was slowing, his balance faltering, his legs aching, and every breath felt like his lungs were about to burst.
Yet Zenitsu could not stop. Even the slightest pause would cause the side effects of his overexertion to erupt—at that point, even moving a finger would be an impossible luxury.
In a blink, Inadama Kaigaku's Thunder God's Flash: Final Lightning closed in once more. Zenitsu, gritting his teeth, countered with Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed, managing to block again—
—but blood suddenly gushed from his mouth. The repeated use of Godspeed had ruptured his internal organs.
Inadama Kaigaku looked down coldly at the bleeding Zenitsu.
"Have you reached your limit already? How pitiful… Then I'll end your life with a speed you'll never comprehend."
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Flaming Thunder God!"
The moment before Inadama Kaigaku transformed into a streak of black lightning—
Tanjiro shouted to Inosuke, "Now!"
"Beast Breathing: Explosive Throwing Slash!"
Inosuke hurled his two Nichirin swords into the path of Inadama Kaigaku's charge toward Zenitsu.
It was as if the demon impaled himself—the spinning blades, filled with tremendous rotational force, struck true, intercepting his attack.
Interrupted mid-charge, Inadama Kaigaku was sent flying.
Tanjiro seized the opening. He leveled his Nichirin blade at the airborne demon.
"Hinokami Kagura: Flame Dance... Flash!"
It was a technique Tanjiro had just created on the spot—modeled after Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash. He channeled all his strength into one leg and exploded forward in a single burst. With a thunderous crack that seemed to tear the air itself, Tanjiro closed the distance in an instant.
Facing Tanjiro's flame-wreathed slash, Inadama Kaigaku's eyes widened in terror. He raised his sword to block—
Their blades met, sparks and fire erupting. Tanjiro roared, pouring every last ounce of strength into his attack. The scar on his forehead burned and transformed into a Demon Slayer Mark.
With his mark awakened, Tanjiro saw it—
"The Thread of Opening!"
Inadama Kaigaku's eyes filled with disbelief as Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade sliced through his weapon—then cut straight toward him.
Desperate, the demon twisted his body, losing his left arm to avoid decapitation.
He crashed into the ruins below, struggling to stand. His severed arm—just like the one scarred by Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima—refused to regenerate.
Panic set in. His feet began to move backward on their own.
But Zenitsu, dragging his battered body, stepped in front of him.
"What's wrong? Trying to run?" he sneered.
Zenitsu's eyes were filled with disdain.
"Once fear takes hold of your heart, you can't overcome it. You may pretend to fight to the death, but deep down—you're already looking for an escape."
Inadama Kaigaku roared in denial, his voice trembling.
"Don't act so high and mighty! I'm not running away!"
"Then why," Zenitsu said coldly, "is the arm that was severed by Master Himejima's Sun Breathing still trembling? In the end, you're just a coward too afraid to face true strength head-on."
The demon looked down—and sure enough, his right arm was shaking uncontrollably.
Zenitsu murmured softly, "You and I are different. I have comrades who will watch my back. But you—selfish and alone—your only fate is a miserable, lonely death."
Enraged, Inadama Kaigaku screamed, "I am justice! You're all the evil ones!"
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
He flashed forward in a burst of lightning, blade swinging at Zenitsu.
Zenitsu whispered, "Once, I wanted to fight alongside you. That's why I created the Seventh Form. But I never wanted to use it—because it carried my feelings for you."
His eyes hardened.
"But now... I no longer need to hold back."