The flaming dragon rose from below, burning a path through the air.
Above it, two enormous blades of wind ca crashing down.
Fire and gale collided in midair.
The dragon roared as one wind blade tore through its body, scattering sparks like a burst of fireflies. But its head surged onward with Tanjiro's sword, biting straight through the second blade of wind.
Then steel t steel.
Asuramaru struck Sanemi Shinazugawa's Nichirin sword head-on.
For one breath, the two of them hung in the air, locked in the aftermath of their strongest strikes.
Then—
Crack.
Sanemi watched with his own eyes as the Nichirin sword in his hands was sliced cleanly in two.
The severed half spun away, flashing once in the evening light before stabbing into the ground.
The two passed each other and landed several paces apart.
Sanemi stood still, staring down at the broken sword in his grip. For once, his fierce expression faltered. A rare trace of stunned disbelief crossed his face.
He had known Asuramaru was sharp.
But this?
This was beyond sharpness. It was unreasonable.
Behind him, Tanjiro landed heavily, the markings of Demonization already fading from his face. The purple in his eyes receded, his aura softened, and his breathing turned ragged.
Even so, he turned around at once and bowed deeply.
"I'm truly sorry for breaking your Nichirin sword, Sanemi-san!"
Before he could continue apologizing, Sanemi turned first.
His face had returned to its usual ferocity.
"Enough," he said, cutting him off. "No need to apologize."
Tanjiro looked up.
Sanemi's eyes remained sharp, but there was no anger in them now. Only appraisal.
"Your strength has earned my recognition," Sanemi said. "Training ends here for today."
With that, he turned away as though the matter was settled.
Tanjiro hurried after him.
"Please wait! Let heal the wound on your arm first. If I leave it alone, it'll keep getting worse!"
He did not give Sanemi a chance to refuse. He stepped closer, placed a hand on Sanemi's shoulder, and called inwardly.
"Please, Asuramaru."
Inside the sword, Asuramaru clicked his tongue, but black Demon Power flowed out all the sa. It slipped through Tanjiro's arm and entered Sanemi's body, nding the shallow sword cuts and replenishing the blood he had lost.
Sanemi felt it clearly.
The strange warmth.
The unnatural repair.
The wounds that should have continued bleeding closed one after another, leaving no pain behind.
Once again, he was forced to acknowledge Asuramaru's value.
This sword was absurd.
No wonder the Master had placed so much importance on Tanjiro Kamado.
Sanemi said nothing.
No thanks. No praise. Not even a grunt.
He simply walked over, picked up the broken piece of his sword from the ground, and left with the remnant blade in hand.
His back looked solitary as he walked down the country road, heading toward the Master's estate without another word.
Tanjiro watched him go, guilt still sitting heavily in his chest.
Even though Sanemi had said there was no need to apologize, breaking a Demon Slayer's Nichirin sword was no small matter. A swordsman's blade was his life. Tanjiro understood that better than most.
But he only had a mont to dwell on it.
A dramatic groan rose from nearby.
"Ughhh… my stomach… my stomach is going to explode…"
Zenitsu had regained consciousness.
He was rolling across the ground like a dying caterpillar, clutching his abdon as tears stread from his eyes.
"That guy is abusing his power because he's a Hashira! This is tyranny! Brutality! I'm definitely going to die! I can see Grandma on the other side already!"
Tanjiro snapped back to reality and jogged over.
"Zenitsu, are you alright?"
Zenitsu imdiately lifted his head. His face twisted into an even more pitiful expression the instant he saw Tanjiro.
"How could I be alright?! My ribs are broken! My organs are all in the wrong places! I'm a tragic young man whose future has been stolen!"
He trembled and stretched out a hand.
"Quick, Tanjiro. Have Asuramaru heal . I'm seriously injured this ti. Really. No lies. Probably."
Tanjiro's nose twitched.
This ti, Zenitsu's fear was exaggerated, but the pain was real.
Sanemi had not held back much with that punch.
Tanjiro sighed, crouched beside him, and placed a hand on Zenitsu's shoulder.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Asuramaru. Please heal Zenitsu too."
"Fine," Asuramaru replied, sounding deeply unwilling. "I'll listen to you."
Thin strands of black mist flowed from Tanjiro's hand and sank into Zenitsu's body.
Zenitsu froze.
Then his entire face flushed red.
"Hehe…"
Tanjiro's expression stiffened.
Zenitsu's eyes had gone dreamy.
"Asuramaru is healing … Asuramaru's power is inside …"
The corner of Tanjiro's mouth twitched.
For the first ti in a while, he seriously considered telling Zenitsu the truth.
Asuramaru was male.
A man.
A very, very male sword spirit.
But when he imagined Zenitsu's reaction, Tanjiro hesitated.
Would Zenitsu collapse?
Would his soul leave his body?
Would he scream so loudly that Shinobu-san ca running from the Butterfly Mansion?
Tanjiro was genuinely worried.
So in the end, he said nothing.
Once Zenitsu's injuries were healed, Tanjiro withdrew his hand and hurried over to Inosuke.
Compared to Zenitsu, Inosuke looked as if he had taken a much worse beating. His boar mask was tilted, his limbs were sprawled out, and there were dirt stains all over his uniform.
But after checking him carefully, Tanjiro realized that most of the damage was superficial.
Sanemi had looked fierce, but he had held back.
Tanjiro could not help smiling faintly.
"Sanemi-san really is a kind person."
Zenitsu sat up at once, voice shooting into a shriek.
"Hah?! That guy is kind?! He broke my ribs!"
Inosuke, still lying on the ground, turned his boar head toward Zenitsu with obvious disdain.
"You're noisy. Shut up."
"Who are you calling noisy?!"
"You!"
"What kind of answer is that?!"
Tanjiro quickly stepped between them.
"Stop fighting. Let's continue training together."
Zenitsu froze.
"Continue… training?"
Tanjiro nodded, completely serious.
"I still want to learn your Thunder Breathing, Zenitsu."
"Hmph!" Inosuke shot upright despite his bruises. "Learn my Beast Breathing first! Thunder is nothing! Beasts are stronger!"
"Don't just randomly decide that!" Zenitsu shouted.
The three of them remained on the plain and resud Total Concentration Breathing.
Tanjiro continued practicing the forms of Hinokami Kagura, trying to rember the feeling from his clash with Sanemi. Zenitsu grumbled the entire ti but still demonstrated his breathing rhythm when pressed. Inosuke loudly insisted that his way was the strongest, then proceeded to make everything harder to understand.
Their training, noisy as it was, continued under the deepening evening sky.
…
anwhile, Sanemi Shinazugawa arrived at the Master's estate.
He entered the room and knelt on one knee before Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
"Master."
Kagaya looked at him with a gentle smile.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sanemi."
Sanemi lowered his head.
"After Tanjiro Kamado activates Demonization, his strength becos comparable to mine. His combat technique is still immature, and his experience is lacking, but his raw power is enough to cover many of those weaknesses."
He paused for a mont, then continued with a rare seriousness.
"If he fully releases Asuramaru's power and uses every ability available to him… I may not be able to defeat him."
He reported everything without embellishnt.
Kagaya listened quietly.
When Sanemi finished, the Master's lips curved into a faint smile.
"I see."
His eyes, now restored, carried a calm warmth.
"If Tanjiro already possesses enough strength to contend with you, then I can feel more at ease allowing him to leave headquarters and take on missions."
After learning Asuramaru's abilities, Kagaya understood one thing very clearly.
If Tanjiro wanted to grow quickly, staying protected at headquarters would not be enough.
He needed combat.
He needed demons.
Every demon slain would beco nourishnt for Asuramaru's recovery and Tanjiro's growth.
And recently, more demons had begun appearing.
To ordinary Demon Slayers, that was a grave threat.
To Tanjiro and Asuramaru, it was opportunity.
Kagaya's gaze turned distant.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
You have chosen your own road to death.
…
At the sa ti, within the impossible depths of the Infinity Castle, countless rooms and corridors folded over one another in defiance of common sense.
Wooden platforms floated in the empty air.
Doors opened into walls.
Stairways led nowhere.
At the center of that shifting maze, a delicate young man knelt on one of the platforms.
His black hair fell to his neck. A sickly flush colored his pale face, and the numbers engraved in his dark blue eyes revealed his identity.
Lower Moon One.
Enmu.
Across from him, on another platform, Muzan Kibutsuji looked down with cold, pinkish-red eyes.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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