Chapter 64: Courage |
Meanwhile, at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
"Oh, what's going to happen! What's going to happen!" Mitsuri exclaimed tensely at the sight unfolding on the screen. She calmed herself slightly, though she couldn't help but lament, "Isn't it a bit too early for Tanjiro to be fighting one of the Twelve Kizuki? Not to mention Inosuke and Zenitsu..."
The trio had indeed grown significantly stronger than in the original timeline after their training with Makomo, but they were now facing three Lower Moons simultaneously.
"It is indeed a bit early for Zenitsu and Inosuke, but Tanjiro will finish off his opponent soon," Yeruashi remarked calmly, taking a sip of his tea.
"Oh... soon?" Mitsuri blinked in surprise.
Meanwhile, the situation on the screen began to shift.
Inosuke and Zenitsu immediately found themselves in a predicament. Despite growing by leaps and bounds, they still fell short of the power required to face a Lower Moon in a deadly one-on-one duel.
Tanjiro, however, took advantage of the element of surprise. He unleashed the Hinokami Kagura immediately following the first form of Water Breathing. While he hadn't yet unlocked the full potential of the primary Breathing Technique during his battle with Rui, he now wielded Sun Breathing with confident mastery.
The moment Sun Breathing was brought into play, Tanjiro's strength underwent a sudden, violent surge. His blazing Nichirin Sword easily crushed the incoming Blood Demon Art, and then, in a bright flash, it swept past the shocked demon...
The neck of Lower Moon Four, who stood only one step above Rui in the hierarchy, could not possibly withstand an attack from Sun Breathing. The demon had been far too arrogant.
Lower Moon Four had allowed himself to relax and toy with his opponent, as Tanjiro's initial use of Water Breathing made him look no stronger than Zenitsu or Inosuke, both of whom were struggling desperately. The demon never imagined that a moment later, the boy would switch to another Breathing Technique and manifest power beyond belief.
The demon's body trembled at the sight of the flaming Nichirin Sword; the ancestral terror of Sun Breathing was etched into the very core of his being.
A perfect confluence of factors ensured that Lower Moon Four failed to mount any real resistance, falling instantly to Tanjiro's surprise strike!
"Damn it, damn it... DAMN IT! I didn't even get to use my strongest Blood Demon Art! How could this happen?" the Lower Moon's head wailed, refusing to accept defeat even as it began to crumble, but it was already too late.
At that same moment, all eyes turned toward Tanjiro. The turn of events had caught everyone on the battlefield off guard. Even the Flame Hashira had not anticipated such a feat.
"Way to go!" Kyojuro shouted, giving a thumbs-up.
The Flame Hashira had only brought the trio along on this mission because he lacked other options and knew them to be capable fighters. Now, Kamado's display of skill filled the difficult situation with a sudden burst of optimism!
"Heh, it seems the humans are holding their own quite well," Kyojuro smirked.
"...What useless trash!" Akaza spat in response. He averted his gaze from Tanjiro, though even he felt a sudden chill run down his spine at the boy's sight.
No matter how talented the lad was, he was nowhere near the level of Upper Moon Two, so what was the source of this sudden dread?
It wasn't his own fear, but the fear within Muzan's blood flowing through his veins.
But why?
Akaza remained in a state of confused agitation.
Thanks to this distraction, things became slightly easier for the Flame Hashira.
"Kyojuro-san!" Tanjiro called out, not pausing to dwell on his victory over Lower Moon Four.
"Help the others first!" the Flame Hashira barked back.
"Yes, sir!" the boy shouted, immediately rushing to aid Zenitsu and Inosuke.
However, things did not go as smoothly this time. Lower Moon One and Lower Moon Two were significantly stronger than the Fourth, and more importantly, they no longer dared to underestimate Tanjiro after seeing what he could do.
Still, Zenitsu and Inosuke were finally able to catch their breath thanks to the support of their stronger comrade. Overall, the tide of battle began to turn in their favor, though the path ahead remained fraught with danger.
"Their training didn't go to waste," Kanae said softly, watching Tanjiro's movements with a gentle smile. She then turned to Kanao, who was standing nearby. "Confess now, you secretly taught the boy Sun Breathing, didn't you? His mastery of it is suspiciously smooth..."
"Well, maybe just a little bit. Just a tiny amount," Kanao whispered in reply, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Yeruashi sitting beside them.
Since Mitsuri was constantly running off to support Tanjiro, Kanao also watched his training sessions from time to time, occasionally offering pointers regarding Sun Breathing.
It went without saying that with her near-omniscience, she understood Sun Breathing—and every other Breathing Technique—to a perfect degree.
Therefore, it was no surprise that every tip from Kanao saved Tanjiro a vast amount of time and effort. It was the sole reason he encountered no difficulties in utilizing Sun Breathing at this critical moment.
Meanwhile, in Yeruashi's eyes, which were also fixed on the water screen, several other scenes flashed briefly. He took one last sip of tea and placed the cup back on the small table.
"Fate has not changed..." Yeruashi whispered softly.
His words caused the girls to exchange worried glances.
"Fate... what do you mean by that?" Mitsuri asked, unable to contain herself.
"No more spoilers," Yeruashi replied, shaking his head.
Not only had Kyojuro grown stronger, but so had Akaza. The Flame Hashira's refined swordsmanship was easily countered by the additional blood Muzan had bestowed upon his subordinate, along with the fact that Upper Moon Two had overcome his weakness to decapitation.
As of today, only the Stone Hashira, whose physical capabilities had reached their absolute peak, and the Sword and Insect Hashira, whose abilities had been augmented by Yeruashi, were capable of fighting Akaza one-on-one. Without them, it would take at least two Hashira working in perfect unison to hope to overcome such a foe.
The Flame Hashira could not do it alone.
Yeruashi had just peered into the future. Tanjiro's trio eventually defeated the remaining Lower Moons, but they sustained heavy injuries in the process, while Kyojuro's situation steadily worsened.
The Flame Hashira suffered one wound after another. The injured Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke simply could not offer any significant support in the clash against Akaza.
The vision ended with Upper Moon Two fleeing at the first sign of sunrise, leaving the mortally wounded Flame Hashira behind to die.
"Waaaaah... Kyojuro-o-o!" Mitsuri wailed as she watched the Flame Hashira protect Tanjiro and the others with his very life. "Oh, how I wish I could be there to help him!"
"Do not grieve so. His effort and courage in this life will be rewarded in full in the next. Besides, he is prepared to meet death face to face; our intervention would be an insult to his will..." Yeruashi said calmly, shaking his head while Mitsuri sobbed uncontrollably.
As he spoke, a mysterious radiance flickered from his finger and vanished instantly. Yeruashi had acknowledged Kyojuro's iron will and granted him a blessing that would follow him into his next reincarnation.
"But I'm still so sad... and I want to kill that damn creature Akaza!" Mitsuri cried, her tears refusing to stop.
Yeruashi chose to remain silent. He reached out and simply patted the pink-haired girl's head as she wept.
If he wished, he could resurrect any person with a simple thought or even erase the very concept of death. However, he wanted to preserve the raw emotions and experiences that mortality inspired in people.