Puchi!
The blade of Engulfing Lightning sliced through the airborne demon as easily as cutting through melon. From the cross-section, crimson blood sprayed out, mixed with faint violet sparks of Electro energy.
"Roarrr!!"
The demon let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream before collapsing limply to the ground in two halves. A few seconds later, its body disintegrated into dust.
Tap, tap!
Another, even larger demon lunged at her from behind just as the previous one vanished. Before it could even raise its claws—
Puchi!
The blade of Musou Isshin pierced straight through its mouth from behind. The demon froze, its face twisting in agony as it tried to grab the glowing purple blade with both hands—however—
Zzzt~!
The moment its hands touched the blade, they were instantly corroded by the raging lightning, leaving only smoking stumps.
Ei gripped Musou Isshin with one hand and twisted it outward—
Puchi!
With a sickening sound of tearing flesh, the demon's head split cleanly in two along the line of its nose. The exposed cross-section revealed its brain before it began to crumble.
Any demon slain by Musou Isshin would never regenerate, regardless of its strength—especially not after a fatal wound like this. It vanished without resistance.
The Shogun turned to glance at Ei, who flicked the blood from her blade. The moment her gaze swept past Ei's shoulder, she immediately hurled Engulfing Lightning!
Whoosh!
Just as Ei shook the blood from her blade, the Shogun's Engulfing Lightning flew past her ear, piercing the chest of a demon that had tried to ambush from behind.
Boom!
"ROARR!!"
The force of the throw impaled the demon onto the train car's wall.
"Shogun, catch."
Without even glancing, Ei threw Musou Isshin toward her. The violet-glowing blade traced an elegant arc through the air before being caught effortlessly by another slender hand.
"!"
The Shogun gripped Musou Isshin tightly and spun around, slashing horizontally at the cluster of demons ahead!
Hum~
Boom!
With one strike, the 'wall of flesh' formed by the demons was cleaved apart entirely—there was no resistance, as though she were cutting through air. The ethereal blade mark even split the very space before her, opening a rift that swallowed the bisected demons whole.
Ei, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her, was no less efficient—
Bang!
She dodged a demon's bite, kicking its knee to make it kneel before placing her palm on its face.
Electricity flared violently beneath her skin.
Zzzt!
Boom!!
The demon was instantly enveloped in thunder and turned to ash.
She flicked her hand dismissively, then extended it toward the Engulfing Lightning still embedded in the wall.
Puchi!
As if alive, the spear dislodged itself from the demon's corpse and flew straight back into her grasp. She twirled it once and held it behind her.
"This really never ends."
The Shogun muttered in mild annoyance.
"Mm… these demons seem to be spawned by the barrier itself."
Ei leaned slightly against her, their backs touching.
"Then we'll destroy the barrier."
Who cared whether the demons were born from a barrier or were the barrier itself? Destroying it would solve everything.
When in doubt—Musou Isshin!
Without hesitation, she raised Musou Isshin above her head. The purple blade shimmered as ripples of distorted space began to form around it. In the next second, the surrounding world started to unravel, disintegrating outward from their position. The seamless void cracked apart like glass, shattering into countless fragments.
"Ei, return to my body."
She instructed calmly.
"Understood…"
Hum~
Ei's form dissolved into particles of light, merging into the Shogun's chest.
"Nothingness."
The Shogun's eyes glowed with brilliant violet light. Raising Musou Isshin high, she brought it down in a single, vertical slash!
Crack!
Time itself seemed to stop. The space before her fractured like a mirror struck by a hammer—splitting apart completely.
Yes... the dream had ended.
Normally, one would need to die to awaken from such a dream, but Musou Isshin was a divine weapon—capable of severing the fabric of the dream itself. It cut through the Blood Demon Art's connection, a shortcut only the two of them could take.
"!!"
Standing atop the train's engine, Enmu's eyes widened as he felt his Blood Demon Art forcibly severed. His body trembled ever so slightly.
"What?!"
Enmu turned sharply toward the direction of their carriage.
"They actually broke free from the dream?! By force?!"
It shattered everything he thought he knew. It was already strange enough that he hadn't been able to control which dream they entered—but to forcibly sever the dream connection? And consciously, at that?
"How is that possible? Even a Hashira shouldn't be capable of such a thing!"
After all, the Flame Hashira was still asleep—so why was she…?
"…Hehe, how fascinating~ What kind of treasure is that blade?"
He chuckled, delight flickering in his eyes. That weapon—it wasn't just powerful. It far surpassed Nichirin Blades. No, it was beyond comparison—ten, a hundred times stronger! A weapon of an entirely different order!
"When did the Demon Slayer Corps get such a ridiculous newcomer?"
"Hehehe… how troublesome~ Lord Muzan might actually be in danger~!"
Instead of fear or despair, his face bloomed into a twisted, sensual smile. His whole body writhed in excitement, as if already seeing the future unfold before him.
"Hehe~ Hahaha~!! How thrilling~ My whole body is trembling with excitement!"
Covering his face, his body bent backward, the large mouth on his back baring its teeth as his form undulated with perverse ecstasy.
"Still, even so, I won't admit defeat, little girl~ because… time's up, hehe~!"
In reality—
The Shogun, who had been seated and asleep, suddenly opened her glowing violet eyes. After a brief moment of clarity, she rose swiftly from her seat, ready to move—but—
She hadn't noticed the thin string tied around her wrist.
When she pulled forward—
"Ah~!!"
Thud~!
The girl connected to the other end of the string was yanked from her seat and thrown into the aisle, hitting the floor with a heavy crash.
"…?"
The Shogun paused, staring in mild confusion at the girl sprawled before her. The young girl groaned in pain, trembling as she tried to lift her head. Sharp eyes caught sight of the string linking the two of them—and following its length, the Shogun saw that her own wrist bore the same loop.
"Ugh… cough."
The girl's voice was weak; the fall had clearly hurt her. She lifted her gaze, eyes wide with fear as she looked up at the woman before her, her body instinctively curling in on itself.
"…Haa."
The Shogun said nothing. She only exhaled softly and untied the string from her wrist, dropping it to the ground. Without another glance, she turned and began walking down the aisle.
[That child was likely under demonic influence.]
Ei's voice echoed within her mind.
'Yes… otherwise she wouldn't have done something so foolish.'
She could tell this was the real world now—passengers around her still slept soundly, even the Flame Hashira among them. She was the first to awaken, and forcibly at that.
Crack...
A faint sound came from above—the roof of the train.
She froze immediately, gaze narrowing as her eyes turned upward, as though piercing through the barrier between them.
"Ei, can you watch over the carriage?" she asked.
[Of course…]
Hum~
Ei's form materialized beside her once again.
"It's on the roof. I'll take care of it. Stay here and keep watch, just in case."
"Understood. Be careful."
Ei crossed her arms and sat casually on a nearby passenger seat, giving her a soft, reassuring smile.
The Shogun gave a slight nod before transforming into a flash of lightning, leaping through the window. In an instant, she streaked toward the top of the train car like thunder itself. The shattered glass sparkled under the light of her lightning, scattering through the air like a shower of radiant petals.
Hum~
Once she landed, she did not advance immediately but instead accessed her internal system, swiftly navigating through her settings menu. With a few quick adjustments, she disabled the sleep simulation feature that Ei had previously configured for her. Her violet eyes flickered once—confirmation that the change was active.
Naturally, this was a precaution. She reasoned that the demon's Blood Demon Art functioned through a hypnotic effect. The only reason she'd been affected earlier was because Ei had left her sleep simulation enabled—a system that emulated human brainwave activity. If the simulation was off, then she'd no longer be susceptible to hypnosis-based arts.
Tap, tap...
She walked along the roof, heading toward the front of the train. After passing several cars, she finally saw him—the figure standing atop the lead carriage, back turned toward her.
The demon in a black suit—Enmu, Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki.
Whoooosh!!
The roaring wind whipped at their clothes and hair.
"Hehe~ For you to have broken free of my Blood Demon Art by force—how marvelous! Tell me, girl, are you a Hashira?"
He turned slightly, his expression filled with obsessive delight as his gaze met hers.
"For you, the answer no longer matters. All you need to know… is that I'm here to cut you down."
Zzzt~
Lightning gathered in the palm of her hand, coalescing into a blade of violet light—Musou Isshin. She held it loosely at her side.
"Oh~ so scary... not! Hehe!"
He sneered mockingly, his eyes fixating on the glowing blade in her hand.
"Can you tell me what kind of sword that is~? It destroyed my Blood Demon Art so easily—it's clearly not a Nichirin Blade. What material is it made from, hmm?"
It didn't look like it was forged from tamahagane steel either. Tamahagane blades didn't glow like that—unless paired with a Breathing Technique. That made it even stranger. What kind of material could cut through intangible space itself?
"…You really want to know?"
Her cold smile deepened, her eyes gleaming with an icy sharpness.
"?"
He froze for an instant.
"Then feel it with your neck."
Her tone was glacial as she tilted her head slightly, voice laced with quiet menace.
Zzzt!
In the next instant, she vanished—appearing directly behind him, the air rippling outward from the shockwave of her movement.
"Wha—?!"
What was that?! No warning—no buildup! Was that teleportation? No… her speed was simply that fast?! Was this… even possible for a human?!
Before he could finish the thought, her blade flashed.
Puchi!
There was no visible motion—only the aftermath. Blood burst from his shoulder, and his severed right arm flew into the air.
"AAARGH!!"
Enmu's scream tore through the wind. He stared wide-eyed, the kanji "One" on his iris trembling as he realized his arm was gone. Instinctively, he leapt backward several meters, desperate to escape her range.
Tap, tap...
But the Shogun didn't hesitate—she closed the distance instantly, unleashing multiple arcs of violet light with Musou Isshin, each aimed at his neck.
"Tch!"
This girl… she's already at the level of an Upper Rank!!
As the radiant blade slashed toward him, he barely managed to dodge, feeling the searing heat of the Electro energy scorch his face.
Hiss~
His once-proud visage was marred in an instant, half his face burned black by the heat of her lightning.
Even so… he still had a trump card.
Even if she could resist his Blood Demon Art once, all he needed was a single moment—to drag her back into a dream—and the battle would turn!
"Sleep Technique: Eye of Slumber!!"
Sleep, little one~ Sleep! Die within your dreams!
Crack!
Ignoring the agony in his missing arm, Enmu twisted his body, aiming the mouth on the back of his hand toward her. From it burst an invisible shockwave of hypnotic energy.
The wave struck the Shogun squarely, pausing briefly on her body.
"Hehe~ Yes, that's it—huh?"
Just as Enmu began to cackle triumphantly, a strange feeling crawled up his spine. The smile on his face froze—then twisted into terror.
Impossible!
The woman before him remained perfectly awake, unaffected, her expression calm and mocking—as if silently asking, "That's all you've got?"
"What?! Why?!"
Why hadn't she fallen asleep?! She'd succumbed before—so why now—
Puchi!
Musou Isshin pierced clean through the center of his outstretched hand, continuing up his arm and bursting out through his left shoulder. Crackling Electro energy corroded his flesh as he screamed in agony.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Puchi!
Without pause, she twisted the blade outward—his other arm was severed instantly. She then turned, swinging a brutal kick toward his face.
Bang!
The impact thundered across the train roof, the shockwave scattering debris into the night. His teeth shattered, blood spraying into the wind.
Whoosh!
His body was sent flying—but before it could even fall, she was already there.
Time seemed to slow. Her figure appeared beside him midair, her movements graceful, fluid—her body spun once in the air as Musou Isshin rotated like a propeller, slicing precisely across his neck.
A clear blade tone rang out as she landed gracefully in a low stance, heels skidding along the metal roof and sparking trails of gold.
Behind her, his body split apart. His head, expression frozen in shock, bounced several times across the blood-slick roof before rolling to a stop.
"…Haa."
She exhaled softly, flicking the blood from her blade, then gave a light shake of her head—her long, silky hair fluttering elegantly behind her.
However—
Just as she turned to leave, something impossible occurred.
"Hehe… Impressive~ Truly impressive. You're powerful indeed—perhaps even strong enough to threaten Lord Muzan himself."
The demon's voice sounded again—steady, unshaken.
"?"
She turned slightly, eyes narrowing at the remains behind her. By all logic, he should have been dead—yet he was still speaking.
"Ah… such power! You're far beyond any Demon Slayer I've faced! You'd make a perfect candidate for an Upper Rank."
Before her eyes, the roof of the train began to pulse and swell. Disgusting, tumor-like growths sprouted, connecting to the severed head by fleshy tendrils. It was the head that spoke, attached to a writhing mass of meat—grotesque and surreal.
"…."
She stared coldly, saying nothing.
"So? What do you say? Why not join us, hmm? Serve Lord Muzan! The rewards are generous—you could gain eternal life! Wouldn't you like your beauty to last forever? To preserve that flawless body for all eternity—"
He spoke with a nauseating grin, his tone dripping with lust.
"Why are you not dead?"
Her voice cut him off coldly, uninterested in his temptations.
"…Not dead~? Hahaha! Isn't it obvious? That body you destroyed wasn't my true form! Even this head isn't real. Hehe… While you were all sleeping, I fused my true body with the train itself! This entire train is now my flesh—my bones! My new body!!"
As he spoke, the roof beneath her rippled, sprouting more pulsating tumors that crept toward her feet, eager to engulf her. She stepped back calmly, just out of reach.
"Hehe~ Don't be scared, little beauty. I'll swallow you whole—love you tenderly—and reshape you into something I adore~! Just thinking about it makes my body burn with desire!!"
His face flushed crimson as his words devolved into manic obsession. He writhed, his expression distorted with ecstasy. A true pervert—no, a monster.
She frowned in disgust.
"So, what you're saying is… if I destroy this train, I destroy you completely, correct?"
Her voice was low, her gaze sharp and cold as she stared at him—like one would at a filthy dog.
—
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