Even when he was still human, Enmu had always enjoyed watching the miserable expressions people showed when misfortune struck.
Seeing people crushed by bad luck, struggling in agony with no escape—it thrilled him. The sight was simply irresistible.
After becoming a demon, he came to admire Muzan. In his eyes, no one in the world was more elegant than Muzan-sama.
Muzan constantly brought misfortune upon others, and witnessing that suffering was what Enmu loved most—so much that he even longed to see it in his dreams.
His greatest pleasure was granting someone a beautiful dream… only to follow it with a nightmare. The twisted expressions, the cries of despair—those were the most exquisite sights in the world.
Because of that, he worked desperately to become one of the Twelve Kizuki. All he wanted was to stand a little closer to Muzan-sama and witness more of the misfortune he bestowed upon others.
So when Muzan summoned all the Lower Moons this time and began slaughtering them under the flimsiest of pretexts, their screams and wails filled Enmu with pure delight.
Those fools simply didn't understand gratitude. What could possibly be wrong with being killed by someone as elegant as Muzan-sama?
And Muzan-sama was truly gentle.
Not only did he leave Enmu until the very end, he even allowed him time to speak his final words. In the end, Muzan forgave his incompetence and even granted him more of his blood.
With such a considerate Muzan-sama, how could Enmu not devote himself wholeheartedly?
From Muzan-sama's perspective, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps might not amount to much—but they were certainly the most troublesome obstacle. If that was the case, then Enmu simply needed to kill a Hashira to please him.
That was why he planned to devour the passengers of an entire train in a single stroke, using it to complete his transformation and draw a Hashira's attention.
There had been one small mistake.
After receiving Muzan's blood, he had been so overjoyed that he killed a few extra people, attracting a Hashira earlier than planned.
Still, it didn't matter.
When it came to killing, he was always meticulous.
First, he mixed his blood into the ink used on the train tickets. As long as the tickets were inspected according to procedure and punched with a notch, he would be able to sense the disturbance in his blood.
From afar, he could then activate his technique and pull them into his Blood Demon Art.
Although this long-distance method was troublesome to use and couldn't be cast from too far away, it was also the hardest to detect.
As long as no one noticed, the dream would simply become reality.
Unfortunately, the technique only worked on humans. Yet these people had brought a demon with them—and that demon's Blood Demon Art could use its own blood to disrupt Enmu's remote technique.
But it didn't matter.
Human stamina had its limits. Even a Hashira was no exception.
As long as he dragged things out long enough, everyone still inside the train would eventually become food in his stomach.
Thinking of this, Enmu laughed again.
"What's wrong? You've been awfully quiet for a while now. Don't tell me you've already given up? That would be wonderful. I really don't enjoy fighting in such a crude manner."
"Crude fighting…"
Tanjiro paused for a moment—then suddenly laughed.
"Thanks for the reminder. I'm a bit slow, so I never fully understood what my teacher meant. But what you just said made me realize something—I still have other teachers. When you run into trouble, sometimes all you need is to look at it from a different angle."
Enmu was about to respond—
But in the next instant, his head was severed again.
He simply laughed.
"Useless. How many times must this happen before you understand? I am this train now. Those people are nothing more than food in my stomach."
"But you've been trying to stop me from moving forward this whole time, haven't you?"
Tanjiro turned and looked at Enmu's severed head lying on the ground.
"Mr. Hiru once said that when you can't find a way to deal with your enemy, you should simply do the thing they least want you to do."
"Then go ahead and try."
Enmu smiled as he placed his head back onto his body.
"That is… if you can find it."
Tanjiro remained calm.
"The scent is faint, but I can smell panic… and lies coming from you. So your real head is toward the front, isn't it?"
The smile on Enmu's lips finally faded. His expression darkened.
"…I really can't bring myself to like you."
"The smell of panic is getting stronger."
Tanjiro tightened his grip on his sword.
"If you have any tricks left, use them now. Because I will definitely cut off your neck."
At that instant, the flesh and blood inside Tanjiro's carriage suddenly surged upward, twisting violently as it lashed toward him with a tearing rush of air.
Facing the incoming mass of writhing flesh, Tanjiro slowly exhaled.
His blade shifted in his hands.
"Sun Breathing: Third Form — Raging Sun!"
The slash condensed into a blazing arc. A crimson blade-light, gleaming like a polished mirror, cut cleanly through the surrounding flesh tentacles.
The moment they shattered, Tanjiro's calves tensed.
He kicked off the carriage floor with explosive force, launching himself toward the front of the train like an arrow loosed from a bow.
As he moved, the flesh tentacles throughout the train cars grew even more frenzied.
The pressure on everyone inside intensified.
Takeo's breathing was no longer as steady as it had been at the start. Nezuko's rhythm had completely broken. Even Inosuke, usually the loudest among them, had fallen silent, focusing entirely on hacking through the relentless tide of writhing flesh with his twin blades.
Only Zenitsu—
Even amid the chaos, he managed to defend his own carriage while rushing over to support Nezuko whenever she faltered.
He even had enough energy left to complain loudly in his usual shrill voice about how disgusting this suddenly rampaging demon was.
"Why did it suddenly go crazy—?!"
Zenitsu's face was full of terror, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes. Yet the Nichirin Blade in his hands remained wrapped in lightning-fast Forms as he continuously cut down the attacking tentacles.
"Did Tanjiro do something?! Is he about to kill that demon?! Is this its desperate last struggle?! It must be a desperate last struggle!
If this keeps up I seriously won't be able to hold on—!! I'm really going to cry! Protecting Nezuko-chan makes me happy, but this is way too exhausting! I'm seriously reaching my limit—!!"
[If you really can't hold on, then shut up.]
Taking advantage of the brief moment while the tentacles regenerated, Takeo glanced toward Zenitsu. His own breathing had grown uneven.
[He's obviously reliable… so why is he so irritating?]
Because the sword techniques of Moon Breathing hadn't yet been fully broken down, Takeo had been using the breathing method of Moon Breathing while employing the sword forms of Wind Breathing to conserve stamina.
It was a small trick he had figured out while recovering from his last set of injuries.
However, since the breathing method and sword forms didn't fully align, he had to maintain extremely precise control. A single mistake in his breathing rhythm could easily damage his lungs.
Sustaining that level of focus demanded complete command over his concentration.
Unfortunately, no one could keep their mind in that state forever.
Takeo could already feel his condition starting to slip. The fact that his thoughts were beginning to wander was proof enough.
[Stop thinking about random things. Focus.]
[If your lungs get injured now, your body won't be able to move.]
[Damn it…]
[I need to find a chance to switch breathing techniques.]
Just as Takeo forced himself to refocus and continued fighting while searching for an opening, a sharp, piercing wail suddenly rose from the front of the train.
The moment the shriek sounded, the entire train began to twist violently.
The flesh tentacles stopped attacking the passengers and instead lashed wildly in every direction.
"Hold on! This is the demon's final resistance!"
Rengoku's voice carried clearly from afar.
"Kamado boy has already succeeded in killing the demon! We must not disappoint him now! Do not relax!"
"Yes!" ×4
But maintaining balance on the violently twisting train was already incredibly difficult. Trying to cut down the rampaging tentacles at the same time made things even harder.
Fortunately, the attacks were indiscriminate. Very few strikes were actually aimed at the passengers, so the group was still barely able to keep the situation under control.
However, the train's violent twisting and rolling only grew worse.
With a deafening screech as metal tore from the rails, the carriages twisted together, and the entire train overturned as it derailed.
Nezuko barely had time to shield the still-unconscious child in front of her before the rolling train completely threw her off balance.
Fortunately, the entire train had already been assimilated by the demon.
The flesh that had previously been such a nuisance now cushioned the impact of the crash.
Tanjiro leapt down while holding the unconscious conductor. Grabbing a roadside branch to slow his fall, he landed safely and gently set the man down.
Then he immediately rushed toward the overturned carriages.
With Enmu's death, the flesh clinging to the train began to dissipate, and the grotesque mass gradually reverted to its original form as a steel locomotive.
Tanjiro focused on the scents in the air.
"Nezuko! Takeo! Is everyone alright?! Can anyone hear me?!"
"Don't worry! Everyone's fine!"
Tanjiro looked up.
"Rengoku-san!"
"There are many injured, but thankfully no one has died!"
Rengoku sheathed his sword and stepped out through a gap he had just cut open. His white haori remained spotless, not even a trace of dust clinging to it.
Smiling, he walked over and gave Tanjiro a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Umu! Truly dependable, Kamado boy!"
"Yes. The Blood Demon Art didn't affect me, but finding the weak point took a little time."
Tanjiro let out a relieved breath and smiled.
"As long as everyone is safe, that's what matters most."
"Umu! It seems you are injured!"
Following Rengoku's gaze, Tanjiro looked down at the bloodstain on his waist.
Flames flickered to life in his hand, burning away the blood.
"The conductor stabbed me with an awl. He rushed in just as I was about to cut off the demon's neck…"
Tanjiro's voice softened slightly.
"He must have been facing something very painful in reality to want to escape into a dream like that."
"But the wound is fine now—it's completely healed. After all, I'm a demon, so my recovery is very good."
He scratched his cheek with a small laugh.
"Still, thanks for pointing it out, Rengoku-san. If Takeo and Nezuko saw it, they'd definitely worry about me again."
Rengoku stared at the crimson flames rising from Tanjiro's hand.
"Umu! I understand! As the elder brother, it is only natural that you would not wish to worry your younger siblings! After all, you are the eldest son!"
"That's true."
Tanjiro chuckled softly as he listened to the distant sounds of metal being cut.
"If my younger siblings worried about me, I'd feel guilty too."
"I'll go check on everyone first."
"Umu! We must search for the injured as quickly as possible!"
"Yes!"
...
Looking at the mangled carriage that had completely overturned, Takeo spat out the blood-tinged foam in his mouth and slowly stood up.
He ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries.
"Phew… good. No broken bones."
[Though I hate to admit it, that demon flesh really helped cushion the impact…]
"Ah! Right—Sis!"
Takeo hurried past the unconscious passengers toward the carriage where Nezuko had been.
Along the way, he casually freed a passenger who had been twisted awkwardly beneath a seat and left hanging upside down, setting them safely aside.
Only then did he draw his blade and slice open the warped carriage door.
"Sis! Where are you?!"
"I'm fine!"
Nezuko gently set the child she had been protecting aside and stood up.
Her ponytail had long since come undone. Black hair spilled freely down her back like a waterfall, making her look softer and less severe than before.
"Go check on Inosuke. I'll find Zenitsu."
"The carriage is deformed. We need to get everyone outside as quickly as possible."
"Got it!"
The two immediately split up.
They soon located Zenitsu and Inosuke.
Inosuke had already regained his usual energy and immediately insisted on competing with Takeo to see who could carry more people out of the train.
He didn't even give Takeo a chance to report anything before dragging him away to start moving passengers.
When Nezuko finally found Zenitsu, he was curled up in a corner.
One hand clutched his head while the other hugged his legs, his body folded into an awkward position as he quietly cried to himself.
The moment he saw Nezuko approaching, his soft sobbing instantly turned into loud wailing.
The sudden outburst startled her so much that she thought Zenitsu had suffered some serious injury.
But after checking carefully, she quickly realized the truth.
Zenitsu had simply hit his head when he failed to brace his fall properly, and his legs had cramped badly from overexertion.
That was why he had been crying.
Nezuko helped him to his feet with a helpless smile.
"I'll take Zenitsu outside first. After we finish rescuing everyone, I'll massage your legs."
"Nezuko, are you an angel—?!"
Zenitsu sniffled loudly.
"I'm serious—I really tried my best to fight! But I was still so scared! My legs were shaking like crazy!"
"But I really was fighting for you, Nezuko!"
"Yes, yes."
Nezuko drew her blade and widened the broken window opening. A gentle smile rested on her face.
"I know Zenitsu is very strong."
"You're always trying your hardest. Even when you're scared, you still fight alongside us."
Zenitsu froze.
Then his tears began flowing even harder.
"Nezuko, you're definitely an angel! An angel!"
"You were sent by the gods, right?! You must have been!"
"Nezuko! Thank goodness you're okay too!"
Tanjiro arrived just then.
Seeing Nezuko walk out of the carriage unharmed, he finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.
But when he noticed Zenitsu with tears and snot all over his face, he paused awkwardly.
"Uh… what happened to Zenitsu?"
"Brother!"
Nezuko helped Zenitsu sit against a nearby surface before walking over and grabbing Tanjiro's hands.
She carefully looked him over from head to toe before the tension in her expression finally eased.
"Zenitsu probably overused his Breathing Technique, so his muscles cramped. Once we massage them and help him relax, he'll be fine."
She smiled faintly.
"Zenitsu was amazing. Even though we joined at the same time, he protected all the passengers in his carriage and still managed to help me."
"He's a very reliable companion."
"Is that so?"
Tanjiro gently ruffled Nezuko's hair, then turned toward Zenitsu with a warm smile.
"Thank you for protecting Nezuko, Zenitsu."
"N-No, it's nothing…"
Zenitsu sniffed.
"Well… it's because she's Nezuko-chan."
"Since it's Nezuko-chan, I tried my best."
"Even someone like me sometimes has things they want to protect…"
"No matter what, I still have to thank you."
Tanjiro's smile softened even further.
He was about to say something else—
But the scent that suddenly reached his nose made his expression change instantly.
Tanjiro turned toward the forest beside them.
There, in the shadows between the trees—
A pair of emotionless golden eyes stared back at him.