Inside the carriage, flesh roared.
Tanjiro's palms were already split open.
Each time he swung his Nichirin Blade, severing the slick, sticky, endlessly regenerating massive tentacles, the impact left his arms numb.
Foul black blood splattered across his young yet resolute face. His vision was filled with writhing crimson flesh walls that churned and heaved.
They burst out from the floorboards, the ceiling, the windows—every crack and crevice—bristling with barbs and suckers as they greedily lunged toward the unconscious passengers trapped in sleep.
"Boar Rush! Boar Rush!"
Inosuke's roar cracked hoarsely as his twin serrated blades whirled into a violent storm, shredding a tentacle thicker than his waist into chunks of meat.
More tentacles immediately filled the gap. The grotesque limbs gleamed with a nauseating sheen as they slammed heavily against his boar mask with a dull thud.
He staggered, coughing up a mouthful of blood, yet the battle spirit in his eyes did not waver.
Crackle—slash!
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Sixfold!"
Fine streaks of golden lightning burst through the chaos, slicing countless tentacles apart.
Though Zenitsu's eyes were tightly shut, he specialized in killing within dreams. His figure was as swift as true lightning itself.
Even so, the prolonged battle had left his steps unsteady, his landing slightly off balance.
The three of them had been fighting for a long time, but the tentacles were endless!
"Mm!"
With a low grunt, the demonized Nezuko shattered a bloodied limb that tried to devour a passenger.
She stood firmly in front of the sleeping passengers, smashing apart the writhing tendrils again and again as they coiled toward her.
"This won't work. Each of us can protect at most two carriages. If we keep this up, we won't have time to kill the demon!" Tanjiro panted heavily, unease rising in his chest.
What do we do? My lungs are burning. If this continues, I won't last…
"Ha—"
At the brink of despair, a long, steady breath sounded—calm, yet carrying a molten, volcanic heat.
"Honestly… to think things worsened to this extent while I was asleep…"
The flame-patterned haori fluttered without wind, snapping sharply.
Those golden-red eyes held no trace of confusion—only boiling battle intent.
"As a Hashira, this is disgraceful! If there were a hole in the ground, I should crawl into it!"
Boom!!!
A vortex of blazing flames erupted in a ring around the blade!
Rengoku's figure became a meteor of fire tearing through despair, charging fiercely down the corridor!
Scorching sword light spiraled outward. Wherever it passed, flesh and tentacles vanished like snow meeting boiling oil, reduced to ash amid the stench of burning rot.
The overwhelming force even lifted the entire carriage into the air!
Crash!
After a brief suspension, the train slammed back onto the tracks, nearly throwing Tanjiro and the others off their feet.
In the next instant, Rengoku Kyojuro stood before Tanjiro.
"Kamado boy!" His voice rang like a bell—reliable and steady. "No time to waste. I'll be brief!"
"There are eight carriages in total. I will protect the rear five! The remaining three will be guarded by Nezuko and the blond boy!"
"You and Inosuke push forward! Find the demon's true body and slay him!"
Rengoku's blazing gaze carried full trust and responsibility, giving the once-confused Tanjiro a clear direction at last.
"Yes, Rengoku-san!"
Inosuke's boar mask puffed out excited white breath. "Ha! Now that's a Hashira! Let's go, Gompachiro!"
Just as their fighting spirit flared anew, a voice colder than bone-chilling frost echoed out.
"Splitting up? How troublesome…"
What terrifying killing intent… who is it?
Rengoku turned sharply, alert, only to find that the speaker was Asuka, who had been unconscious and faint just moments ago.
Now, he stood upright in the middle of the aisle, expressionless.
"Asuka-san is awake! That's great! Now—"
"Stand down. I'll handle it."
For some reason, Tanjiro felt that Asuka's scent was distant.
He had always thought Asuka somewhat aloof, but not cold-hearted. There had been at least a hint of willingness to get along with everyone.
But now, Asuka was like a block of ice.
What kind of dream did he have… it's terrifying…
Ha…
Asuka exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around his Asauchi.
"...This ends here."
Before his words even settled, an indescribable wave exploded outward from him!
The surge pierced through the steel body of the train, through layers of writhing flesh barriers.
In an instant, Asuka's perception covered the entire train—from the engine to the last carriage—every inch of flesh-wrapped steel, every passenger's breath, every faint twitch of every tentacle—everything laid bare before him.
This was the power of his spiritual pressure.
That unpleasant nightmare had greatly stimulated his mental strength.
He felt part of his suppressed spiritual pressure release once more. Even without releasing Nugata, relying solely on Wind Breathing and his Asauchi, he could easily chop off Rokuro's head.
His sharp Reishi perception brutally tore apart Enmu's carefully constructed flesh labyrinth and the lingering fog of dreams.
Found him!
Asuka's icy eyes locked onto the direction instantly—not on the roof, not beneath the train.
The demon's true body was at the connection of the engine carriage.
His lips moved soundlessly, whether pronouncing a death sentence or venting rage, no one could tell. Only the near-tangible violence in his eyes spoke for him.
Clang!
The red-black Nichirin Blade flashed from its sheath!
Even battle-hardened Rengoku Kyojuro was startled, his gaze turning complicated.
It was his first time seeing Asuka's Nichirin Blade. He had not expected such a color.
They said a Nichirin Blade reflected its wielder's heart. But why would a swordsman of Wind Breathing possess such a blazing soul?
Before Rengoku could think further, Asuka's figure blurred from where he stood.
In the next moment, he had already appeared before Rengoku.
So fast!
Everyone was shocked. Inosuke's boar eyes bulged wide—he had never imagined Asuka could move at such speed!
Asuka gripped the hilt tightly, lowering his body slightly, drawing his right arm back in the most basic Wind Breathing stance.
"Sin-Cleansing Wind....."
His voice was low—like the whisper of a god of death.
Boom!!!!
It was impossible to tell whether it was wind howling or space itself wailing.
A red-black pillar of wind, condensed to the extreme, erupted from his blade like a destructive gale from the depths of hell!
Rengoku's golden-red pupils contracted sharply.
He had trained with Sanemi Shinazugawa before. This was not any Wind Breathing form!
This was… battle aura twisted by extreme rage!
The air was not merely cut—it was violently torn apart by an invisible force, shrieking so sharply it pierced the eardrums!
Everything before him—
The thick flesh barrier fused with Enmu's demon power, the sturdy steel partitions of the carriage, even the bloody mist in the air—
All were annihilated the instant they touched the red-black wind pillar!
Fortunately, he retained his reason. Under precise control, the terrifying sword wind carved only through the corridor, sparing the unconscious passengers in their seats.
With that single strike, the hidden space at the engine connection was laid bare.
A grotesquely thick cervical spine was wedged tightly within.
That was the neck of the Lower Rank Twelve Kizuki, Enmu.
Asuka stepped forward, boots crushing flesh ash and steel debris beneath him, killing intent unabated.
Enmu had already realized Asuka's target and screamed in terror.
"Impossible! How could you find me so quickly?!"
"Who are you?! Ah—you're that… that black-haired swordsman who eats demons!"
From Muzan's blood memory, he recognized Asuka's identity and began gathering flesh tentacles frantically to attack him.
At the same time, grotesque eyeballs sprouted from the tentacles, casting hypnotic illusions from every direction in an attempt to restrain Asuka.
"Sleep!"
"Sleep!"
"Fall asleep!"
Had Asuka been affected? No one knew.
But each time he opened and closed his eyes, the killing intent around him only grew heavier—as though he had dreamed something deeply unpleasant.
His Nichirin Blade rose and fell. The tentacles, as if facing their natural enemy, were easily severed and crushed.
In mere moments, Asuka stood before the massive spine. The relentless attacks had failed to slow him in the slightest.
Enmu panicked. The entire Mugen Train trembled with him, yet he could not escape. It was as though both body and mind were pinned down by a more oppressive force, unable to move.
"...Blame your dream for being so unpleasant."
Slash!
Nugata drank blood. The Demon Moon was ended.