Zenitsu might have been the unrivaled hero of his own dream, but the self-proclaimed King of the Mountains was not nearly as fortunate.
Inosuke's DreamInosuke slowly opened his eyes.
Before him stood an elegant Japanese-style residence far grander than anything he had ever seen.
He blinked in confusion.
Then he looked down.
He was wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes.
He was… a baby?
The Mountain King instantly panicked.
He flailed his tiny arms and legs with all his might, but his undeveloped body barely obeyed him. After several clumsy struggles, he rolled toward the edge of the bed.
Still unable to stop himself, he continued squirming forward.
Another roll…
Another…
He was about to fall.
Just before he tumbled onto the floor, a pair of hands caught him effortlessly.
"My, my."
A gentle, cheerful voice laughed.
"Why is our little Inosuke so energetic today?"
Inosuke looked up.
A handsome young man with long white hair and rainbow-colored eyes smiled warmly at him.
It was none other than Doma.
"Inosuke, Inosuke, little Inosuke who loves running around!"
Laughing happily, Doma lifted the infant into the air before rubbing his own face against the baby's cheeks.
The atmosphere should have been incredibly heartwarming.
Unfortunately…
The Mountain King only wanted to push this strange man away.
The problem was…
He was a baby.
How much strength could an infant possibly possess?
After struggling fruitlessly for several moments, Inosuke became so frustrated that he burst into tears.
"Waaah!"
Surely this would make the annoying man leave him alone.
Unfortunately…
He had severely underestimated Doma.
Doma blinked in surprise.
Then his face lit up.
"Oh!"
Immediately afterward
"WAAAAAH!"
He began crying even louder than Inosuke.
He perfectly imitated every sob.
The classic strategy:
Fight magic with magic.
Inosuke froze.
Even his crying stopped.
He stared blankly at the white-haired man with utter despair written across his tiny face.
"…"
What kind of monster was this?
"Lord Doma."
A gentle feminine voice suddenly sounded from outside the room.
The paper door slid open.
A beautiful young woman entered while carrying folded clothes.
She smiled helplessly.
"Lord Doma, you're teasing Inosuke again."
Looking at the two of them, she sighed.
"You always imitate his crying. Look, you've frightened him so much that he doesn't even know how to cry anymore."
Doma immediately stopped pretending.
With a bright smile, he wrapped one arm around the young woman.
"Kotoha."
"I'm competing with Inosuke."
Then he looked toward the baby.
"Inosuke!"
"Let's keep crying!"
"Come on! Let's see who can cry louder!"
The infant ignored him completely.
Instead, he stared silently at the young woman.
Kotoha…
Why…
Why did that name sound so familiar?
For some reason, his heart felt strangely warm.
A sense of familiarity he could not explain slowly spread through him.
Kotoha gently took Inosuke from Doma's arms and hugged him lovingly.
Standing beside her, Doma wrapped his arms around both mother and son with his usual carefree smile.
"Inosuke."
"You have to grow up healthy."
"Eat well."
"Listen to your mother and father."
"Don't be naughty."
"Be respectful to your elders."
"And don't bully other children."
One blessing followed another.
Meanwhile…
The Mountain King wriggled desperately in Kotoha's embrace like an earthworm trying to escape.
He wanted out.
Immediately.
Outside the dream…
Otome frowned while observing the sleeping Inosuke.
The boar's head mask made him look unbelievably strange.
What an odd fellow.
She secretly guessed he must be hiding an incredibly frightening face beneath that mask.
Using Enmu's Blood Demon Art, Otome entered Inosuke's dream.
She searched everywhere.
The courtyard.
The corridors.
The gardens.
The bedrooms.
Yet she could not find the boar-headed swordsman anywhere.
"Eh?"
She scratched her head.
"Where did that pig-head disappear to?"
Naturally, unless someone had already read the script, no one could possibly imagine that the adorable baby cradled in Kotoha's arms was actually Inosuke.
Unable to locate him, Otome decided to complete her mission anyway.
Taking out an awl, she pierced the wall leading toward the dream's spiritual core.
As long as she destroyed it…
Lord Enmu's mission would be complete.
She carefully stepped forward.
Then
An indescribable chill suddenly crawled up her spine.
Her instincts screamed at her to stop.
Compared to Zenitsu and Inosuke, the eldest brother's dream was remarkably ordinary.
Kyojuro's DreamKyojuro Rengoku happily finished another bowl of rice.
"Delicious!"
The instant he emptied the bowl
Someone filled it again.
Looking around the table, he smiled.
There sat his father, Shinjuro Rengoku.
His mother, Ruka.
His younger brother, Senjuro.
And beside his father…
Kokushibo.
Kokushibo gently patted Kyojuro's head.
"You certainly have a healthy appetite."
Kyojuro tilted his head.
That seemed slightly strange.
Still…
His bowl wasn't empty anymore.
Naturally, he should continue eating.
Thus, the straightforward rice enthusiast resumed his meal without another thought.
Across the table, Shinjuro laughed while sharing drinks with Kokushibo.
The two talked cheerfully as though they had been close friends for years.
Nearby, Ruka smiled warmly while Senjuro happily joined the conversation.
Watching everyone together, Kyojuro could not help smiling.
What a wonderful place.
The straightforward rice enthusiast continued eating contentedly.
Outside the dream…
This time, the one assigned to destroy Kyojuro's spiritual core was another of Enmu's human accomplices.
He quietly approached the sleeping Flame Hashira.
Slowly…
Carefully…
He reached out with the enchanted rope.
Just as he was about to tie it around Kyojuro's wrist
Whoosh!
A blur flashed past.
Before he understood what had happened
His feet left the ground.
Kyojuro's hand had already seized him firmly by the throat.
His eyes flew open instinctively.
Even while asleep under Enmu's Blood Demon Art, years of training and battle-honed instincts had caused his body to react automatically to danger.
However, true to his principles as a Hashira, Kyojuro immediately realized that his attacker was only a human.
Therefore, instead of killing him, he merely restrained him.
As one of the physically strongest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro's grip was like an iron vise.
No matter how desperately the man struggled, he could not escape.
At best, he managed to pry Kyojuro's fingers apart by the slightest margin.
Only enough to keep himself from suffocating.
His rope slipped from his hand and landed on the floor.
There was no chance of completing his mission now.
He could only silently declare his operation a complete failure.
Finally…
Our attention turned toward Tanjiro.
Unlike the others, Tanjiro's dream was filled with everything he had lost.
And because of that…
It was also the most painful.
Tanjiro's DreamTanjiro stared at the familiar faces before him.
Takeo.
Hanako.
Shigeru.
Rokuta.
All of his younger siblings were alive.
Healthy.
Laughing.
His breathing stopped.
Without thinking, he rushed forward and embraced them tightly.
"Hmm?"
Hanako blinked in confusion.
"Onii-chan, what's wrong?"
Takeo immediately blushed.
"B-Brother!"
"Let go!"
"This is embarrassing!"
Even in dreams…
He was still a tsundere.
No one present could understand how overwhelming this reunion was for Tanjiro.
Then
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
Tanjiro slowly turned around.
There stood Nezuko.
Not as a demon.
But as an ordinary human girl.
She smiled gently.
"Onii-chan."
"Welcome home."
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
Unable to believe what he was seeing, he slowly reached out and gently touched her cheek.
"Nezuko…"
"You…"
His voice trembled.
Nezuko tilted her head in confusion before glancing at the others.
She could not understand why her brother was acting so strangely.
Still smiling, she softly said,
"Come on, Onii-chan."
"Let's go home."
"Mother and Father are waiting for us."
The moment he heard those words…
Tanjiro's resolve began to waver.
The Demon Slayer Corps.
His mission.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
Everything gradually faded into the background.
Without realizing it, he simply followed his siblings home.
Back at the Kamado residence, his mother was preparing dinner.
The aroma filled the house.
Seeing Tanjiro return, she smiled with gentle reproach.
"Tanjiro."
"Don't go selling charcoal all by yourself anymore."
"Come home earlier from now on."
Hearing her voice again made Tanjiro's eyes grow moist.
Unable to answer, he simply nodded.
Walking around the back of the house, he saw someone standing beneath the evening sky.
It was his father.
Tanjuro Kamado.
However…
This Tanjuro was completely different from the frail man Tanjiro remembered.
He stood tall and powerful.
A well-built physique lay hidden beneath his simple kimono.
His long hair was tied neatly behind him, swaying gently in the wind.
The Hanafuda earrings hung from his ears.
Most striking of all
The scar upon his forehead had become a vivid crimson Demon Slayer Mark, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Simply standing there, he seemed capable of overwhelming the entire world.
Forget facing Muzan Kibutsuji in battle.
With an aura like this, it almost felt as though merely speaking to Muzan would make the Demon King lose his composure.
Tanjiro stood frozen.
Then Tanjuro turned around.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Tanjiro…"
"You're back?"
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