"Gyaaa—!!!"
Enmu himself never expected to be slain so easily by a Demon Slayer, unable to use any last resort!
The moment his huge vertebra was severed, the train immediately let out the dying wail of a beast.
Those fleshy tissues that had been tightly fused with the steel, constantly pulsating ferociously, instantly lost all life!
Most of them began to wither and rot. The few that still tried to attack passengers were easily severed by the Demon Slayers' Nichirin Swords.
Crunch… Rumble!!
The piercing screech of twisting, snapping metal tore through the night sky. The carriage connections were the first to collapse and disintegrate!
The huge rivets and metal hinges, already tottering from Taka's slash, lost the adhesion and support of the fleshy tissue and immediately snapped with a roar!
The ground beneath everyone's feet suddenly vanished. The entire train seemed to be violently tossed by an invisible giant hand, then the next second slammed heavily back to the ground with an ear-splitting roar!
Dust surged into the sky like waves. The carriage screamed as it slid off the tracks. Countless glass shards and steel wreckage flew like a storm. The unconscious passengers inside were tossed about, flying up and down!
"We need to save people!"
Kyojuro let out a thunderous roar. His tall figure in the permeating dust was like a burning lighthouse.
The moment the carriage tipped, he keenly detected a structure about to snap, poised to crash down directly onto the passengers inside!
Without a moment's hesitation, he erupted with astonishing speed. His body shot like a cannonball towards the closing gap of death!
The muscles in his arms bulged, veins coiling like twisting dragons.
Kyojuro poured all the force of Flame Breathing into it, forcibly holding up the heavy, collapsing roof.
Such terrifying mechanical deformation could only be resisted by an extremely resolute will.
The others also erupted with their fastest possible speed, saving passenger after passenger amidst the chaos.
Boom—!!
The train body plowed across an open field and came to a miserable halt on the ground.
Dust mixed with undispersed steam surged into the sky.
Taka, carrying a father and son on his back, jumped out of the carriage using the side wall and gently placed them on the ground.
He looked at the chaotic scene before him, frowned guiltily, and quickly ran to the rear of the train to check on the injured.
Mercifully, the train hadn't been traveling fast, and the not-fully-disintegrated fleshy tissue acted as a cushion, so although the passengers suffered some bumps and bruises, they were not in life-threatening danger.
Bam! A loud sound rang.
Kyojuro tore open the steel roof he had been desperately supporting!
"Rengoku-san!" Tanjiro quickly ran over to check on him. Fortunately, he only looked somewhat tired, not injured.
Taka severed a deformed seat, dragged out the middle-aged man trapped inside, and also walked over to Kyojuro:
"Sorry, I lost control."
"Don't blame yourself, Taka boy!" Kyojuro's voice was still loud. He rubbed his slightly sore arm. "Slaying the demon, you have done beautifully! The opponent had merged with the train, so this was unavoidable!"
However, at the end, this usually cheerful Flame Hashira paused:
"But! Your emotions were indeed somewhat chaotic just now! In battle, you cannot be ruled by emotions! Otherwise, it will severely affect your judgment! Understood!"
"....I understand."
"Umu! Now hurry and save people!"
The several Demon Slayer Corps' members immediately became busy, including Zenitsu, who had awakened from the violent shaking: "Eh? How did the train flip? Did a battle happen?"
Next, Tanjiro began to pull unconscious passengers from under twisted metal sheets with his bare hands. Zenitsu flashed by carrying women and children. Inosuke let out a terrifying roar, using all his Boar Rush strength to lift the carriage so Nezuko could pull out trapped passengers.
Taka and Kyojuro, while saving people, discussed the situation.
"Rengoku-san, after this mission is over, I want to learn Flame Breathing." Taka and Kyojuro lifted an elderly woman together, his voice resolute.
Kyojuro was not surprised. He had already promised to lend Taka the Flame Breathing training manual, but he specially asked: "Do you mean more than just referencing it? You want to study it systematically?"
"Yes."
"....Taka boy! I want to know what kind of dream you had. Why do I feel your aura has changed?" Kyojuro carefully set down the elderly woman, his eyes blazing as he looked into Taka's pupils. "And that slash of yours just now, that wasn't Wind Breathing, was it?"
"....Nothing. Just a bit of a temper waking up." Taka said calmly.
He spread his fingers, gazing deeply at his palm: "Wind Breathing... is not enough... I need to become stronger!"
"No matter how tiring, how difficult, what price I have to pay to train in different Breathing Styles simultaneously, I will do it!"
Taka clenched his fist, his voice firm.
Perhaps even if he learned all the Breathing Styles in the world and elevated mortal swordsmanship to its peak, he could not defeat the man in his dream. But he had no choice!
Even for one more fraction of a possibility, he would do it.
"Haha! If Shinazugawa heard that, he'd be furious, wouldn't he!"
Kyojuro, though seemingly straightforward to the point of recklessness, was actually quite sensitive inside.
He could see the resolve and desire burning in Taka's eyes, a very pure yet complex flame, dangerous and dazzling.
"Understood! Your determination, I have received it for sure! After the mission, I will take you back to the Rengoku family dojo! Father will surely be pleased to learn someone is so enthusiastic about Flame Breathing!"
"Thank you."
Just as Taka was irritated by his powerlessness in the dream, inspired by Kyojuro's promise, and the scorching feeling of craving power within him grew ever more intense—
An indescribable coldness suddenly enveloped his heart!
His Reiatsu Perception had not been withdrawn.
Now, a gaze, far more powerful and suffocating than Lower Rank One, was emanating from the dense forest behind him!
Tonan at his side trembled. His body instinctively broke out in goosebumps.
He froze on the spot, warily looking behind him.
"Taka boy?" Kyojuro immediately noticed Taka's strangeness and looked at him strangely.
"Prepare for battle!"
Taka immediately drew the Asauchi, his fingers already hooked on the blade, ready to release the Zanpakuto in front of Kyojuro at any moment.
Although he knew this power did not belong to this world and revealing it casually might bring unnecessary trouble, he couldn't care about that now.
The aura emanating from the opposite side was very strong. He could not be careless.
"Noticed me? Good reaction."
At the edge of the ruins where the dust had not yet cleared, deep within the shadows of the collapsed, twisted steel.
A figure slowly emerged from the bottomless abyss.
His figure was tall and well-proportioned, his muscle lines practically perfect, as if carved from hard marble.
Pink short hair like cold flames. His upper body was covered in deep blue, intricate tattoos, like some kind of ancient battle markings.
A pair of golden eyes emanated the fighting spirit of a beast.
At this moment, across the chaotic ruins, they were fixedly locked onto Kyojuro and Taka.
That gaze held none of Enmu's madness, none of Rokuro's sinister cunning, not even the ordinary demon's greed for flesh and blood.
Only a pure, ultimate desire... to constantly seek out powerful opponents and destroy them!
An aloofness that wanted to stand atop the pinnacle of martial arts, regarding all living beings as insignificant!
Not only that, within those eyes, Taka saw clearly—
[Upper - Three]