Tanjiro's sword carved a crimson trajectory through the night sky.
The sword strike, imbued with the flames of the sun, cut through the ice and entangling vines shot by Mukago, clearing a path.
"Persistent. Wriggling like a bug won't help… You can't reach me."
As Mukago spread her pale palms, the moisture in the air condensed with a shriek.
A massive wave of frost surged like a tidal wave to engulf Tanjiro.
It was the chill of absolute zero, capable of freezing even flames and turning the air in his lungs to ice.
Just as Tanjiro's body reached its limit and began to stiffen.
Whoosh!
Crimson flames erupted from Nezuko's body, still bound by vines in midair.
Blood Demon Art: [Explosive Blood].
The vines touched by the blood flowing through Nezuko's veins burst into furious flames in an instant.
It wasn't just fire that burned objects. It was a purifying flame that selectively incinerated only the evil cells of demons.
Mukago's ice-flower vines, imbued with her magical energy, melted away with agonized screams.
"What… what is that flame?!"
A flicker of panic crossed Mukago's face for the first time, breaking her confident demeanor.
Her absolute ice was melting, burned by the fire of a mere low-ranking demon.
Freed, Nezuko fell to the ground and reached out toward Tanjiro.
Crimson blood splattered from her fingertips onto Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword.
Sizzle! Roar!
Nezuko's Explosive Blood infused Tanjiro's sword. The blade, once black as pitch, glowed red-hot, emitting a crimson light like steel fresh from the forge.
The birth of the Explosive Blood Blade. It was a fragment of the sun, tearing through the chill of the night.
Tanjiro didn't hesitate. He gripped the burning sword and unleashed a final strike at Mukago's neck.
Slice!
A red flash passed by. A strike combining the inextinguishable flames of Explosive Blood and the cutting power of the Hinokami Kagura, capable of severing anything.
Mukago's neck, said to be harder than diamond, was cut apart as effortlessly and softly as tofu.
"...?!"
Mukago's vision spun. She saw her torso moving away. And the desperate face of the boy wielding the red-hot sword was the last thing reflected in her eyes.
Thud.
Mukago's head and torso fell to the ground. Tanjiro collapsed there, gasping for breath.
The abrupt shift from Water Breathing to Hinokami Kagura, and the recoil from Hinokami Kagura. Every muscle and cell in his body was screaming.
'I did it… I cut her….'
But the relief was fleeting. Just as Mukago's fallen head seemed to turn to ash and vanish, crimson blood gushed like a fountain from the severed neck.
The blood instantly wove together bones, muscles, and skin to form a new head.
"It hurts… It hurts, you damn brat!!"
The regenerated Mukago roared like a beast.
Having received Akira's blood as a perfected being, her neck was no longer a weakness.
Instead, the pain and humiliation of being beheaded only maximized the cruelty latent within her.
"You think you can mess with me because I went easy on you?! I'll kill you! I'll tear you to shreds and turn you into an ice sculpture that never melts!"
Mukago's eyes were bloodshot.
Despite holding back to avoid killing him, she suffered the humiliation of having her neck sliced by Tanjiro, who wasn't even a Hashira.
Cold air erupted from her entire body, covering the entire forest in white.
Moisture in the air froze, creating hundreds of ice blades.
It was a storm of pure killing intent, with even the thought of capturing Nezuko gone.
Tanjiro couldn't move a finger. Death approached like a massive tidal wave before his eyes.
'I have to move… Move!'
Swish~
Then, a strangely quiet sound of flowing water echoed through the chaotic battlefield. In the blink of an eye, a swordsman in a haori of two colors stood before Tanjiro, blocking the way.
The Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: [Calm Water (凪)]"
As Giyu lowered his sword, the surrounding space fell silent as if by magic.
It was as if a stormy sea had instantly become as calm as a lake.
The hundreds of ice blades shot by Mukago shattered into pieces the moment they entered the range of Giyu's sword strike.
All attacks were reduced to nothing.
"...A Hashira?"
Mukago clicked her tongue and glared at Giyu.
Giyu also frowned as he looked at Mukago.
'This demon… isn't a Lower Rank. There's no Twelve Kizuki number in her eyes, but the aura she emits and her regeneration speed suggest an Upper Rank. Not dying even after being beheaded… She's no ordinary demon. Could she be one of those demons?'
Giyu tightened his grip on his sword. It was going to be a tough fight. Mukago also raised her fighting spirit, assuming a full combat stance.
Mukago, now filled with the intent to kill without holding back.
A situation on the verge of explosion.
That was when Mukago's gaze pierced through the darkness beyond the forest.
A girl with butterfly ornaments, Tsuyuri Kanao, was silently approaching.
She was on her way back after slaying the true ruler of Mount Natagumo, the Lower Moon demon.
'Ah… Lady Kanao.'
Mukago realized her mistake.
While she was playing around, Kanao, the spy, had ended up slaying the mountain's master instead of her.
With not only a Hashira dispatched but also Kanao arriving on the scene.
'Damn it… I'm really in for it now.'
Mukago bit her lip, relaxed her attack stance, and stepped back.
"Tch… I'm out of luck."
She gave Giyu and Tanjiro a cold look in turn.
"Count yourselves lucky, Demon Slayer Corps scum. I'll retreat today since we have a guest."
She fixed her gaze on the fallen Tanjiro and left a chilling warning.
"And you, brat. Remember this. I will definitely take your sister. Wash your neck clean and wait for me."
Poof!!!
Mukago detonated an ice smoke screen on the ground. Along with the dense fog, the Queen of Ice vanished like a mirage.
As Mukago disappeared, Kanao emerged from the mist. She looked at the fallen Tanjiro and Nezuko protecting him.
"A demon…."
No emotion showed in Kanao's eyes. She drew her sword without hesitation.
The blade slid out with a cool, sharp sound.
Her sword charged toward Nezuko's neck.
Clang!
But her sword was blocked and deflected by Giyu's Nichirin Sword.
"...?"
Kanao tilted her head and looked at Giyu.
"Why are you interfering? That's a demon."
"Kanao…?"
Tanjiro recognized her with dazed eyes. The mysterious supervisor from the Final Selection.
But now she was trying to kill Nezuko.
"Step aside, Tomioka-san. Exterminating demons is our duty."
Kanao said emotionlessly. There wasn't a hint of sympathy in her voice.
"No! That girl is my sister! She doesn't harm people! She fought to save me!"
Tanjiro screamed as if spitting blood.
"Demons eat people. That's the rule. What a pitiful little sister."
Kanao formed a cool smile at the corner of her mouth.
"Don't worry. I'll make it painless. I know Water Breathing, too? If I use the Fifth Form, it won't hurt."
Kanao stared at Nezoko with a murderous smile.
"Run, Tanjiro."
Giyu said without turning to look at Tanjiro, keeping his sword aimed.
"Take Nezoko and get down the mountain. I'll hold her off."
"But… Tomioka-san…!"
"Go! Can't you hear me?!"
At Giyu's shout, Tanjiro gritted his teeth.
He staggered to his feet, hoisted Nezoko onto his back, and started running.
"...Fighting between Corps members is prohibited. This is a clear violation of the rules, Tomioka-san. This is why you have no friends."
Kanao tried to pursue Tanjiro, but Giyu silently blocked her path.
She stared at Giyu for a moment, then slowly sheathed her sword.
"If you won't move… then I have no choice. Drawing my sword would get me disciplined, so let's settle this without it."
She spread her feet apart and lowered her stance. An incredible elasticity emanated from her small frame.
"I'll subdue you with my bare hands."
Pat!
Kanao's figure blurred. A super-fast movement applying the butterfly's dance. She slipped into Giyu's embrace in an instant without even making a sound on the ground.
Swish!
Her palm stabbed sharply into Giyu's neck like a spear. A full-powered strike meant to knock him out in one hit.
Thud!
Giyu had sheathed his sword and swung the scabbard to barely block her hand strike. But a heavy impact traveled through his wrist.
'Fast… and heavy. Where does this little girl get such strength…?'
Giyu's expression turned serious. Kanao spun gracefully and aimed a kick at his side.
It was a martial art as elegant as a butterfly but as deadly as an insect's sting.
In the deep night of Mount Natagumo.
Though the real enemy demon was gone, a fight between allies entangled in beliefs and misunderstandings continued.