The air in the room grew heavy, thick with a silence so profound you could hear your own heartbeat pounding in your ears.
Zenitsu, Genya, and Inosuke could only watch as Tanjiro knelt on the floor, his head bowed low. An unspoken wave of sorrow washed over them, so powerful it felt as if they were experiencing his pain themselves. Tanjiro's life had been peaceful until a demon ripped it apart, slaughtering his mother and younger siblings. His only surviving family member, his sister Nezuko, was now a demon herself.
He thought things would finally change when he met Sakonji Urokodaki and joined the Demon Slayer Corps. He pushed through brutal training on Mount Sagiri and survived the Final Selection. But it was all for nothing. Muzan Kibutsuji, the monster hiding in the shadows, had finally made his move. Every event, from the simultaneous attacks on the mountains to the horrific incident on the train, was part of a single, cruel plan.
No one felt the weight of this plan more than Tanjiro. His sister, his teacher, and his senior brother had all been caught in Tsukihiko's web. Now, because of the train incident, the reputation of the Demon Slayer Corps was in tatters, and the names of Sakonji Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka were stained forever. They were no longer heroes; in the eyes of the public, they were monsters. Hateful, loathsome demons.
And the one responsible for all of it was Muzan Kibutsuji, the same demon who had destroyed Tanjiro's life from the very beginning. Why? The question burned in Tanjiro's mind. Why does a creature like Muzan Kibutsuji even exist? Something so evil shouldn't be allowed in this world!
Just then, the flutter of wings broke the silence. A Kasugai crow landed, but its message was not for Tanjiro. It was for Genya Shinazugawa. As he read the small note attached to its leg, his face went pale. The news was about his older brother, Sanemi Shinazugawa, one of the nine Hashira. He had been found. Or rather, his corpse had.
When the Demon Slayer Corps found Sanemi's body, it had been mostly devoured by other demons. His rare blood, a potent lure for any demon, had drawn them to him like a beacon.
A mask of pure agony descended upon Genya's face. The empathy he had felt for Tanjiro was instantly replaced by his own storm of grief. Suffering, anger, and a searing pain surged through him all at once. The demonic power simmering inside him, gained from devouring demons, flared violently. His hatred for Muzan Kibutsuji and all demons intensified, reaching a terrifying new peak.
As if fate had decided to heap every possible tragedy onto them at once, another crow arrived. This one carried a letter for the normally cheerful Zenitsu Agatsuma. He recognized the handwriting immediately. It was from his teacher, Jigoro Kuwajima. The letter was filled with words of encouragement, but it was also a final confession.
One of his master's other students, a boy Zenitsu had trained alongside, had betrayed the Corps and become a demon. To wash away this unbearable shame, Jigoro had chosen to commit seppuku. The letter explained that he had done so without a kaishakunin, the second who ends the suffering with a final sword stroke. It meant his master's final moments had been spent in absolute agony. The letter ended with a plea for Zenitsu, his last hope, to find his strength.
In that instant, something inside Zenitsu snapped. A flash of lightning seemed to cross his usually timid eyes. It is said that while life is long, a person can sometimes grow up in a single moment.
"You... you guys..."
Inosuke Hashibira, the only one left untouched by the fresh wave of grief, stood completely stunned. His boar mask couldn't hide his bewilderment. He knew demons were evil and had hurt countless people, but he never realized that the three slayers standing beside him carried such deep and unspeakable scars. Every single one of them was tied to the cruelty of demons.
"We're alright," a voice cut through the despair.
Tanjiro slowly rose to his feet. His movements were steady, and the sorrow in his eyes had been replaced by a hard, unwavering light.
He looked at his friends, his voice firm with newfound resolve. "Zenitsu. Genya. Inosuke. We can defeat Muzan Kibutsuji. We will defeat him. Right?"
The air fell silent once more, but this time, it was not a silence of grief. It was a silence filled with purpose.
"Definitely," Zenitsu said, his voice quiet but unbreakable.
"Definitely," Genya growled, his fists clenched.
"Definitely!" Inosuke roared.
"Definitely!" Tanjiro declared, his voice joining the others in a solemn vow.
Back at the Ubuyashiki ancestral home, a profound silence had fallen over the courtyard. Kagaya Ubuyashiki had just finished explaining the truth of the Demon Slayer Mark. The six remaining Hashira—from the oldest, Gyomei Himejima, to the youngest, Muichiro Tokito—processed the terrible revelation.
But from the day they joined the Demon Slayer Corps, they had all put their lives on the line. The fear of death was not what drove them. What they truly feared was dying before they could finally eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji and his demons.
For them, the secret of the Mark was not a curse. It was a blessing. After losing three of their strongest comrades, the Corps was dangerously weakened. The fight against Muzan had just become impossibly harder. But if the Mark could grant them a massive boost in power, even at the cost of their lives, then it was a price they were more than willing to pay.
"We understand," Gyomei Himejima's deep voice finally broke the silence. He looked at Kagaya, then at the other Hashira. "Then our focus must be on how to activate the Mark at will and how to maintain that state in battle."
His gaze hardened as he continued, "Muzan's plan with the train incident was never just about killing three Hashira. That was too simple. He wants to kill our spirit. He wants to turn the entire country against us, to make the Demon Slayer Corps a name that everyone in Japan fears and hates. He wants us to become hunted outcasts, just like him. That is Muzan Kibutsuji's true objective."
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