Burning Fury

Inside the carriage, flesh and blood roared.

Tanjiro's tiger's mouth had already cracked open.

Each time he swung his Nichirin Blade to sever the slippery, sticky, and ever-regenerating giant tentacles, his arms went numb from the shock.

His young yet resolute face was splattered with foul-smelling black blood, and his vision was filled with writhing, churning crimson flesh.

They emerged from every crevice of the carriage floor, ceiling, and windows, barbs and suction cups, greedily pouncing on the unconscious, slumbering passengers.

"Charge forward like a pig! Charge forward like a pig!"

Inosuke's roar was distorted, and his two serrated blades danced like a violent whirlwind, forcefully shredding a tentacle thicker than his waist into several pieces of minced meat.

More tentacles immediately filled the gap, their grotesque flesh gleaming with a nauseating sheen, lashing heavily against his boar hood with a dull thud.

He staggered, coughing up a mouthful of blood, but the fighting spirit in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Sizzle—whoosh!

"Thunderbolt Flash - Six-Hit Combo!"

Several fine golden bolts of lightning suddenly lit up amidst the chaos, shattering countless tentacles.

Although Zenitsu kept his eyes closed, he had a penchant for killing in his dreams, and his movements were as fast as lightning.

However, the long battle had made his steps a little unsteady, and he landed somewhat unsteadily.

The three of them had been fighting fiercely for a long time, but these tentacles just kept coming!

"Hmm!"

A muffled shout came from the demonized Nenezumi, who smashed the flesh and blood limbs that were trying to devour the passengers with a single punch.

She used her body to shield the sleeping passengers, repeatedly pounding against the fleshy tendrils that were wrapping around her.

"This won't do. Each of us can only protect two carriages at most, which means we won't have time to slay the demons!" Tanjiro gasped for breath, realizing the situation was dire.

What should I do? My lungs are burning with pain; I can't hold on any longer...

"call--"

Just when everyone was in despair, a long, steady breath, which seemed to contain the scorching power of molten lava, came.

"Really... I never imagined things would get this bad while I was asleep..."

The feathers with flame patterns moved automatically and rustled even without wind.

Those golden-red eyes held no trace of confusion, only a burning fighting spirit.

"This is outrageous for a pillar! If there were a hole in the ground, I should crawl into it!"

boom--!!!

A fiery tornado erupted in a ring around the blade!

Purgatory's figure transformed into a fiery meteor that tore through despair, charging fiercely along the carriage aisle!

The scorching blade light spread in a spiral, and wherever it passed, flesh and blood were reduced to ashes like snow meeting boiling oil, amidst a pungent, acrid smell.

The immense impact even sent the entire carriage flying into the air!

Boom!

After a brief moment of airborne movement, the train stumbled and crashed back onto the tracks, nearly knocking Tanjiro and the others over.

The next second, Kyojuro Rengoku appeared in front of Tanjiro:

"Kamado boy!" His voice was loud and clear, reliable and firm: "No time to waste, I'll get straight to the point!"

"This train has eight carriages in total. I'll protect the last five! The remaining three will be guarded by Nezuko and the blond boy!"

"You and Inosuke, charge forward! Find the demon's true form and slay it!"

Purgatory's gaze was intense, filled with trust and entrustment, finally giving Tanjiro, who was initially somewhat lost, a sense of purpose.

"Yes, Mr. Purgatory!"

Inosuke's boar head mask puffed out excited white steam: "Ha! That's a Pillar for you! Let's go, Gonhachiro!"

However, just as everyone's fighting spirit was ignited, a chilling voice rang out:

"Splitting up? That's too much trouble..."

Such terrifying murderous intent... Who is it?!

Kyojuro Rengoku turned around warily and discovered that the owner of the voice was none other than Asuka, who had been unconscious and barely breathing!

At this moment, he had stood up and stood expressionless in the middle of the aisle.

"Mr. Asuka is awake! That's great! Now..."

"Everyone step back, I'll handle this."

For some reason, Tanjiro felt that Mr. Asuka's scent was very distant at this moment.

Although he had previously felt that Asuka was rather aloof, she wasn't indifferent; he still had a desire to try to get along with everyone.

But now, the bird is like a block of ice.

What dream did he have...? It was terrifying...

Heh...

The bird breathed a sigh of relief and clenched its five fingers tightly, striking lightly.

"...Let's stop playing house here."

Before he finished speaking, an indescribable wave of energy exploded outwards from him!

The shockwave instantly pierced through the steel vehicle body and through the layers of writhing flesh and blood.

In an instant, the bird's perception covered the front and back of the car, every inch of the steel covered by flesh and blood, the breath of every passenger, and the faint throbbing of every tentacle—taking it all in!

This is the power of his spiritual pressure right now.

An unpleasant nightmare greatly stimulated the bird's mental strength.

He felt a portion of his suppressed spiritual pressure being released, and now, even without unleashing his magic, he could easily sever Rokuro's dog head with just his Breath of Wind and Asahi.

With keen spiritual perception, it brutally and easily tore through the flesh-and-blood labyrinth and the misty barrier of the remnants of the dream, which Nightmare had meticulously constructed.

found it!

Feiniao's cold eyes instantly locked onto the direction—not on the roof, not under the car.

The true form of that evil spirit is at the junction of the front of the car!

Feiniao's lips moved silently, whether as a death sentence or an outpouring of anger, one could only see the violence in his eyes almost materializing.

Clang—!

The crimson and black Nichirin Blade was drawn instantly!

The battle-hardened Kyojuro Rengoku was somewhat surprised, and his gaze toward Asuka became complicated.

This was the first time he had seen Asuka's Nichirin Blade, and he hadn't expected it to be this color.

It's said that the Nichirin Blade reflects the user's true heart, so why do swordsmen who practice the Breath of the Wind possess such fiery souls...?

Before Purgatory could figure it out, the bird's figure had already blurred in place!

The next moment, he appeared in front of Purgatory.

So fast!

Everyone was shocked, and Inosuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never imagined that Asuka could be this fast!

Asuka gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, lowered her body slightly, and pulled her right arm back, assuming the most basic starting stance of the Breath of Wind.

"Science Household Style..."

The voice was extremely low, like the whisper of death.

boom--!!!!

It's impossible to describe whether it's the howling of the wind or the lament of space itself.

A condensed, crimson-black wind pillar, like a destructive gale sweeping from the depths of hell, roared and surged forth from his blade!

Kyojuro Rengoku's golden-red pupils instantly contracted!

He had also trained with Sanemi Shinazugawa several times, and this was definitely not the sword form of the Breath of the Wind!

This is... a fighting spirit twisted by extreme anger!

Instead of being sliced ​​by his blade, the air was torn apart by an invisible force, emitting a sharp whistling sound that could pierce eardrums!

Everything blocking the way—

The thick flesh and blood barrier infused with the power of nightmares, the sturdy steel carriage partitions, and even the bloody mist permeating the air—all annihilated the moment they came into contact with this red and black wind pillar!

Fortunately, he still retained his sanity. Under his precise control, the terrifying sword wind only plowed through the passageway without affecting the ordinary passengers who were unconscious in their seats.

With this slash, the interlayer at the front of the vehicle was exposed.

An extremely thick cervical vertebra is stuck right in there!

That was the neck of the waning crescent moon, Nightmare!

The bird took a step forward, stepping onto the path paved with blood, flesh, ashes, and steel slag, its killing intent undiminished.

Nightmare had already realized Asuka's purpose and let out a terrified scream:

"Impossible! How could they have found me so quickly!"

"Who are you! Huh? You're that...you're that black-haired swordsman who eats demons!"

He recognized Asuka's identity from Muzan's blood memories and began to gather flesh and blood tentacles in an attempt to attack her.

At the same time, huge, twisted eyeballs sprouted from those tentacles, constantly casting hypnotic illusions from all directions, trying to trap the bird's movements.

"Go to sleep!"

"Go to sleep!"

"Get to sleep!"

Did the birds get infected? It's unclear.

But every time he opened and closed his eyes, the murderous intent emanating from him grew even stronger, as if he were dreaming of something terrible.

The Nichirin Blade swung up and down, and the tentacles, as if encountering their natural enemy, were easily severed and pulverized.

In a short while, the bird had reached the huge spine, and the attacks had hardly hindered him in the slightest.

Nightmare panicked, causing the entire Infinite Train to tremble, but he was unable to escape. It was as if his body and mind were being held down by some more oppressive force, unable to move.

"...Blame it on your unpleasant dream."

Whoosh—!

The raccoon steals blood, and the Ghost Month ends.