Beneath the deep night, steady breaths echoed over the wilderness—now reduced to ruins.
With Yoriichi's unique Ripple Breathing supporting him, the several fatal wounds on Rengoku Kyojuro had already been completely stopped from bleeding.
And yet, from the moment the battle ended, the Flame Hashira—normally so hearty and talkative—had not spoken a single word.
Bracing himself on his Nichirin Blade, he stared into the shadowy forest ahead… more precisely, in the direction where Akaza had fled in disgrace.
In those bright, spirited eyes, there was an unusually heavy trace of contemplation.
"Hey, Kamado boy…"
After a long time, Rengoku finally spoke, his voice carrying a confusion he couldn't hide.
"By all logic, an Upper Rank demon should possess near-limitless regeneration… so why was it that, back then…"
He remembered it vividly.
The wounds Upper Rank Three suffered from Yoriichi's slash showed no sign of closing at all.
Not only that—at the severed edge of the arm, there was a strange charred blackness, as if it had been scorched directly by the fiercest midday sun, until even the cells were wailing as they died.
Why…?
Was it simply because that strike had been too fast?
"I think… it's because of this blade."
Yoriichi's calm voice sounded. He gestured quietly toward the Nichirin Sword at his waist.
"The blade…?"
Rengoku froze for a moment.
Under his gaze, Yoriichi slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
Clang—
With the crisp ring of steel, the change came abruptly.
Almost the instant the blade cleared the scabbard, the pitch-black steel flashed—and in the blink of an eye was dyed a magnificent crimson red.
There was no visible flame burning.
But the heat that erupted in that instant was so intense it made the cold air around them visibly warp and shimmer.
It was as if he held a sun in his hand.
Rengoku's eyes widened slowly as he stared, feeling the scorching wave roll over him.
"So this is… the color that can truly kill demons?"
After a short, stunned silence, he couldn't help glancing at Yoriichi again.
No—this wasn't only about the blade.
That presence he'd felt for a single instant just now… was that really not Breathing?
It felt somewhat similar to his Flame Breathing, and yet it was fundamentally different.
If Flame Breathing was a raging blaze—
Then the boy's swordsmanship was the sun itself, hanging high in the heavens and illuminating all things.
"It seems my training is still far from enough! The world is vast—there are many realms I've never even touched. I must work even harder!"
Just as the Flame Hashira, deeply shaken, was about to launch into a fiery declaration—
Yoriichi's body suddenly swayed. As if the support beneath him vanished, he pitched forward.
"Kamado boy?!"
Rengoku's heart lurched. He reached out at once to steady him, his expression tight with alarm. "Are you injured? Where does it hurt?!"
But before Yoriichi could answer—
Grrrrrr—!!!
A thunderous growl from his stomach exploded across the quiet wilderness, instantly shattering the solemn atmosphere.
"Uh…"
Rengoku blanked, his hand still frozen midair as he supported him, staring at the boy in disbelief.
The Yoriichi who had just forced an Upper Rank back like a war god now looked pale, one hand covering his abdomen as he spoke with embarrassed restraint:
"Sorry… maintaining that state drains an absurd amount of stamina. Do you have anything to eat?"
His soul may have carried a godlike realm—
But this body was still only that of a fifteen-year-old boy, still growing.
Seeing him so honest and weak in that moment, Rengoku stared for a beat—then burst into bright, hearty laughter.
"I see! You're hungry, huh? Well… that can't be helped! You're still growing, after all!"
…
Time flowed on.
When the first thread of dawn rose beyond the distant mountains, the darkness that had blanketed the wreckage of the Infinity Train all night finally began to retreat.
Golden sunlight pierced the clouds, spilling over the scarred earth—lighting up the figures racing in from afar.
It was the Demon Slayer Corps' support and cleanup unit—Kakushi.
"Hurry, it's up ahead!"
"The train derailed—confirm casualties as fast as possible!"
"The Flame Hashira is there too! Please, let us make it in time…"
The black-clad Kakushi arrived, panting, sweat pouring down their faces.
They had even braced themselves for the most horrific scene imaginable. After all, not even the Corps had expected such a catastrophe.
Yet when they rushed past the wreckage and finally saw the scene before them—
Everyone stopped dead, eyes wide, mouths hanging open.
Under the rising sun—
The legendary Flame Hashira sat on the ground, looking full of vigor. There was blood on him, but he showed no sign of being in mortal danger.
And opposite him—
A boy was gripping several rice balls and stuffing them into his mouth at a pace that was, frankly, shocking.
For a moment, the Kakushi exchanged looks in speechless confusion.
This… really looks like the aftermath of a brutal battle?
Why does it look more like a picnic…?
…
The Ubuyashiki Estate.
The quiet, elegant morning garden was shattered by an urgent report delivered by a Kasugai Crow.
News from the Infinity Train struck the Corps' central command like a magnitude-eight earthquake, sweeping through the entire headquarters.
"Drove back… Upper Rank Three?"
Even the normally steady Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa Sanemi, stared with bloodshot eyes at the Kakushi messenger, his voice thick with disbelief.
"Hey—are you joking? That's an Upper Rank that hasn't changed in over a hundred years! And you're telling me some newbie kid did that?!"
"Not only that."
From beneath the eaves nearby came the weak yet warmly gratified voice of Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
"According to Kyojuro's report, Tanjiro not only confronted Akaza head-on—he even forced him to sever his own arm to survive… This is the first time in a century that humans have made an Upper Rank feel the threat of 'death.'"
For an instant, the garden fell into a hush.
The gathered Hashira—Iguro Obanai, Uzui Tengen, and the others—sank into a long silence.
The achievement was too dazzling.
So dazzling it almost felt unreal.
After who knew how long, someone finally broke the silence.
"Then… where is Kamado Tanjiro now?"
Beside Kagaya, his wife Amane—usually composed and cool—wore a rare smile, helpless yet gentle.
Softly, she said, "He's at the Butterfly Mansion replenishing his energy. Lady Shinobu has been staying by his side."
Sanemi snorted through his nose.
Arms crossed over a body full of scars, he still looked as fierce as ever.
"That woman is playing nursemaid for a rookie? Now that's rare."
"It's probably more than 'nursemaid,' Shinazugawa."
The Snake Hashira, Iguro Obanai, who had been silent until now, spoke at last.
His voice was low and even.
"After all, that boy drove back Upper Rank Three in a direct clash. If the intelligence is accurate, he's hiding something that will overturn everything we think we know… Aren't you curious?"
Sanemi choked on the retort and fell silent.
He didn't want to admit it—but… he was interested. He wanted to know exactly what had happened.
A breeze passed through the garden.
Sanemi lifted his eyes to the vast blue sky, and unbidden, the image surfaced of that red-haired boy who had made him suffer a humiliating loss at the first Hashira meeting.
If it was that brat…
But why him, of all people?
As if recalling something irritating, Sanemi clicked his tongue and turned his face away, saying nothing more.
Yet everyone could feel it.
The wall inside the furious Wind Hashira—who hated demons the most and rejected Tanjiro the hardest—had cracked open, just slightly, under the weight of that shocking news.
Perhaps… the stalemate of the last hundred years was finally about to change.
…
The Butterfly Mansion.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the thick wisteria trellis in the courtyard, slipping through half-open paper windows to fall lazily across pristine tatami.
Tiny specks of dust drifted through the air.
The Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu, held a massive wooden rice tub. On her delicate, pretty face, the perfect polite smile she always wore was already starting to fail.
And in front of her—
The seemingly harmless boy was consuming bowl after bowl of high-quality food at an astonishing speed, all while maintaining an almost elegant composure.
"Um… I know you said you needed to replenish your strength…"
As she watched him reach out again, a cute little "anger vein" popped on Shinobu's forehead. Her voice stayed gentle, but the edge of gritted teeth seeped through.
"But this is your one-hundredth bowl, Tanjiro-kun."
"Are you planning to eat an entire month's worth of the Butterfly Mansion's stores?"
Even as she complained—half to relieve her nerves—her eyes never left him for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Miss Shinobu."
Yoriichi swallowed, those clear, dark-red eyes carrying an apologetic sincerity as he spoke evenly.
"Using that power drains this body to an extreme degree. If I don't take in enough nourishment, it will remain in a prolonged state of energy depletion."
This wasn't greed.
It was necessary resupply—like a precision machine after intense operation.
Seeing how earnestly he explained, Shinobu quietly swallowed the retort that had risen to her lips.
"Honestly…"
She sighed, but still picked up the rice ladle and filled his bowl again.
"Eat, eat. If our hero ends up fainting from hunger, the Master will surely blame me."
After serving him, she didn't leave.
Shinobu sat quietly beside him, hands folded on her lap.
Her signature haori—thin as cicada wings—draped over her petite frame, fluttering lightly in the breeze, outlining a figure both graceful and taut.
The air carried not only the scent of sunlight, but also a faint wisteria fragrance.
It was Shinobu's scent… or perhaps the lingering trace left by years of soaking herself in toxins for demon-slaying.
She studied the boy's profile in silence.
To call it wolfing down food… he ate with remarkable refinement.
But to call it refined…
Shinobu flicked her eyes toward the mountain of empty bowls and fell into a long, wordless contemplation.
How in the world does his stomach fit all of this?
After watching for who knew how long, a strange sense of unreality rose in her.
This boy, utterly focused on simply eating his fill, looked painfully ordinary—painfully young.
There wasn't even the faintest aura of a powerhouse around him, like any neighborhood kid you could find on the street.
And yet…
Was it really true?
At the thought, Shinobu's fingers tightened around the rice ladle. The perfect smile faded further, leaving a complicated expression behind.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help it. In a voice gentler than usual—yet threaded with a sliver of hope—she spoke.
"Um… Tanjiro-kun."
The boy paused mid-bite and looked up at her.
Shinobu locked onto his eyes and said:
"About what happened on the Infinity Train… Rengoku-san has already confirmed it, but I still can't believe it. Upper Rank Three… did you really drive him back?"
The Kasugai Crow had already reported it. Reason told her it was fact.
But she wanted to hear it from his own mouth—to confirm it wasn't some beautiful lie meant to soothe desperate hearts.
Yoriichi swallowed, gently set the empty bowl down, and looked at her.
He could sense it clearly: the intensity in her gaze… and something like expectation.
He gave a quiet "Mm."
"It's true. He got away, but he did leave an arm behind."
At that confirmation, Shinobu's pupils widened slightly. Her breathing seemed to halt for a heartbeat.
So it was real.
No exaggeration. No lucky break.
The Upper Rank her sister couldn't defeat… had been crushed head-on by a boy who was only fifteen.
A shiver she couldn't explain surged up her spine.
If even Upper Rank Three could be driven back—
Then what about… that one? If it was him, could he even…
"Miss Shinobu."
The boy's calm voice cut through her spiraling thoughts.
Shinobu snapped back—and found those dark-red eyes watching her quietly.
Under that gaze, it felt as if every secret she'd buried had nowhere left to hide.
"The moment you heard the words 'Upper Rank,' your heartbeat changed."
Yoriichi tilted his head slightly, voice soft.
"You're angry. And you're sad?"
Shinobu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. The perfect smile finally slipped away.
As if he hadn't noticed the storm in her, Yoriichi asked again—simply, directly:
"The demon you've been pursuing for revenge… even at the cost of hurting yourself. Who is it?"
The air in the room seemed to plunge to freezing.
…Exposed.
She wanted to brush it off, to dodge it—
But before those eyes, deception felt pointless.
With his gaze resting on her, the gentle, composed "older-sister" aura Shinobu carried vanished—replaced by years of pressure-cooked gloom and hatred, so dense it was suffocating.
She lowered her eyes. Her hands clenched the hem of her haori hard.
After a long time, she forced the name out through her teeth—one that had tormented her day and night.
"Upper Rank Two… Doma."
The demon who murdered the sister she revered most.
The demon who always wore a false smile and toyed with hearts.
The moment she said the name, a deep helplessness flooded her chest.
Doma… without question, he was more troublesome than Upper Rank Three—more despair-inducing.
Upper Rank Two.
A far more terrifying, far more hopeless existence than Akaza.
And what about her?
Small-bodied, unable even to cut a demon's neck—forced to fight through poison.
Could someone like her… really take revenge?
No.
She couldn't.
But if she asked the boy in front of her, perhaps—
Just as that dark, self-denying abyss was about to swallow her whole, a warm, rough hand settled gently on her shoulder.
Heat seeped through the thin fabric of her haori, instantly driving away the chill around her.
"Miss Shinobu…"
The boy's voice was peaceful—soothing.
Shinobu looked up without thinking.
In the instant their eyes met, he spoke softly—one sentence that made her heart accelerate for the first time in years.
"…Do you want to take revenge with your own hands?"
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (72 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (92 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (93 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (75 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (115 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (105 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (105 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (42 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (56 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (54Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (75 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (64 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (64 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it