Seeing that the dangerous member of the Twelve Kizuki had already been decapitated, Asuka intended to go check on the red-haired boy.
But suddenly, the demon's body moved on its own.
"You thought you'd beaten me?"
The demon staggered to his feet and tugged on a thread of spider silk, pulling his severed head back into his hand.
"Unfortunately, at the last moment, I cut off my own neck with my threads!"
"It's been a long time since I've been this angry... I'll torture you and your sister to death!"
"Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage!"
Rui pressed his head back onto his neck. Scarlet threads gathered in his hands once more, weaving into a dense net that sealed off Tanjiro, who lay on the ground, unable to move.
In the blink of an eye, he would be sliced into bloody chunks.
Whoosh—!
A streak of emerald blade-light flashed.
Slash, slash!!
In an instant, Rui's Blood Demon Art was completely shattered, crumbling into ash.
Under the Lower Five's stunned gaze, Asuka arrived like a gust of wind, placing himself between him and Tanjiro.
Strong... Asuka judged inwardly.
Not only stronger than the female demon just now—even compared to the Twelve Kizuki from that night, this one carried a far more dangerous aura.
"You're Lower Five? You feel stronger than the one earlier."
His casual tone clearly enraged the Lower Rank demon, whose body trembled with fury.
"One after another, you dare interfere with me! Blood Demon Art · Carved Silk Wheel!"
An even more terrifying demonic aura condensed, forming sharper, more grotesque threads. A suffocating web of killing intent slashed toward Tanjiro and Asuka!
Asuka could feel the power behind this technique. Without unleashing Nugata's spiritual pressure slash, he likely wouldn't be able to block it.
Hoo...
Spiritual pressure began to gather. Nugata trembled faintly.
Just as he prepared to go all out, a figure descended from the sky.
The man wore a strangely colored haori—one half pure red, the other patterned with interlocking hexagons in yellow, orange, and green.
His low ponytail swayed in the wind. Sea-blue eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.
"You did well holding on until I arrived. Leave the rest to me."
Clang—!!
A blue Nichirin Blade was drawn in a flash, its presence so overwhelming that even Asuka felt shaken.
"Water Breathing · Eleventh Form..."
"Dead Calm."
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The blade-light spread like a tranquil, moonlit water surface, instantly forming a domain of sword energy.
To ordinary eyes, the man simply stood there quietly, radiating danger.
But to Asuka...
In front of him, spiritual pressure churned violently! It was a field created by countless rapid slashes!
"Eleventh Form or not, I'll—"
Slash!
Rui's Blood Demon Art and his roar were effortlessly destroyed.
Slash!!
Before he could even react, he himself was cut apart.
This time, he had no chance to sever his own neck with silk. His head was cleanly sliced off by the Nichirin Blade.
As effortlessly as breathing.
Asuka was surprised.
He didn't believe he was incapable of fighting this Lower Five, but it certainly wouldn't have been so easy. Even without injury, it would have taken several exchanges to decide the victor.
A Hashira? Is this what a Hashira-level swordsman is like?
He clenched his fists.
Not enough! I must become stronger!
He then turned his gaze toward Tanjiro, who lay on the ground in shock, already calculating in his mind.
As the Lower Five's head quickly turned to dust, the brutal battle finally came to an end.
The man sheathed his blade and turned to give Asuka a slight nod.
"A fine fight, Lower Four."
"You saw it?"
"No. I only sensed the demonic aura from afar."
"...You're very strong. Can you teach me?"
"...You and I are not the same."
Two equally aloof men exchanged a few cold sentences, creating an oddly stiff atmosphere.
Then the man lowered his head, staring at Tanjiro for a long moment, as if recalling something.
Finally, when he noticed the girl in Tanjiro's arms, surprise flickered in his eyes.
"You're the one from that time..."
Just then, a refined fragrance of wisteria, almost ethereal, quietly drifted through the air, diluting the scent of blood.
A butterfly-patterned haori fluttered gently in the night breeze as a flash of blade-light shot like lightning toward the girl biting a bamboo muzzle.
Clang—!!
The man immediately swung his blade to block the sudden thrust.
"Eh?"
The voice of the attacker sounded strangely familiar to Asuka.
Looking closely at the figure who slowly landed... it was none other than the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho!
"Why are you stopping me, Tomioka-san?" Shinobu smiled as she turned, also noticing Asuka nearby. "And isn't this Asuka-san? It's been a while. Are you well?"
But she had no intention of chatting. Her violet eyes remained fixed on the demon girl beneath Tanjiro.
It was Asuka's first time seeing her Nichirin Blade drawn—long and slender, with the blade portion missing entirely, leaving only a sharp, gleaming tip that shimmered dangerously in the moonlight.
Can a sword like that even kill demons?
"Tomioka-san, please step aside." Her smile remained unchanged as she pointed her blade toward Tanjiro. "The girl beneath that child is a demon, isn't she? The duty of the Demon Slayer Corps is to slay demons."
With that, her figure flickered again. In the next instant, she appeared above Tanjiro, the tip of her blade aimed directly at Nezuko!
Clang—!!
Another clash of steel rang out, though this time it was Tomioka who looked surprised.
Asuka had drawn Nugata, blocking Shinobu's thrust.
"Oh my, what's this, Asuka-san? Is it my imagination, or are you starting to resemble Tomioka-san a bit?"
"Sorry, Shinobu-senpai. I still have questions for this boy. For now, I can't let you harm him or his family."
Asuka had already learned of their relationship from Rui. His reasoning was simple.
If the girl in Tanjiro's arms were killed, he likely wouldn't have the heart to speak about sword techniques anytime soon.
Even if she's a demon, please wait until I finish asking before carrying out the execution.
Shinobu retreated lightly. Though her voice remained sweet, a hint of irritation crept in.
"You can't do that, you know. You'll end up disliked by everyone, just like Tomioka-san."
The Tomioka she spoke of was the man standing before Asuka—one of the current Nine Hashira, the Water Hashira · Giyu Tomioka.
Giyu Tomioka remained silent, meeting her gaze.
Expecting him to explain his actions, Shinobu restrained her killing intent toward the demon and listened—only to hear him say:
"I am not disliked."
...The Kasugai Crow perched in the tree fell silent.
"...My apologies, Tomioka-san. It seems you're unaware of being disliked. I spoke out of turn."
...Even the socially awkward Asuka fell silent.
It seemed this Tomioka-san and Shinobu-senpai weren't particularly close.
"Can you still move?"
Giyu Tomioka didn't seem to mind. He suddenly spoke to Tanjiro behind him. Though still confused about what was happening, Tanjiro immediately replied:
"Yes!"
"Take your sister and run!"
Giyu's aura turned stern as he watched the poised Shinobu ahead. Tilting his head slightly, he said to Asuka:
"Can I leave it to you?"
"Alright. I have something to ask him as well."
Driven by survival instinct and overwhelming worry for his sister, the severely injured Tanjiro squeezed out the last of his strength, clutching Nezuko tightly and charging desperately into the dense forest down the mountain.
Asuka followed closely behind, intending to question him about the sword form of fire once they were far from this area.
"Oh?" Shinobu's attention shifted instantly. Her figure moved as her haori fluttered. "That's against the Corps' rules, isn't it?"
Clang!!
Sparks flew as Giyu once again blocked her blade with his Nichirin Blade.
This time, even Shinobu, who had maintained her smile all along, let her lips fall, her expression turning calm as she looked at him.
"It seems you're serious, Tomioka-san."
"I didn't expect a Hashira to shield a demon..."