Kapitel 48: Here comes the Upper Moon Three!

The entire train shook violently from Kyojuro's powerful attack. Tanjiro was caught off guard, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground, stunned by what had caused so much damage.

As he climbed to his feet, Kyojuro suddenly appeared in front of him and shouted, "Young Kamado..."

"Rengoku-san!" Tanjiro exclaimed, surprised to see the Flame Hashira.

Kyojuro's face was bright. "I was pretty thorough with my attack, so it should take a while for the demon to regenerate. The train has eight cars. I will protect the rear five. Ryou, Zenitsu, and your sister will take care of the remaining ones. You and the boar-headed boy are responsible for finding the demon's head."

Tanjiro hesitated for a moment. "But this demon is—"

Rengoku cut him off, his voice firm and motivating. "No matter what form the demon takes, there's always a head. I want you to show me how gutsy you are!"

Clearing his mind of distractions, Tanjiro sprinted toward the front of the train, calling out to his friend, "Inosuke! Where are you?"

"Shut up! I'm here, on top of the beast!" Inosuke shouted back from above.

Hearing his voice, Tanjiro let out a small sigh of relief and said, "Inosuke! Keep an eye on the first three cars!"

"You don't have to tell me!" Inosuke yelled as he charged forward, brandishing his dual blades. "And by the way, I've already found it! With my all-out Seventh Form, I've located this beast's weak spot!"

"You did? So, it's in the front after all?" Tanjiro asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, up front! And it's a hell of a lot creepier!" Inosuke confirmed, his voice filled with wild excitement.

The two of them pressed forward and finally found the demon's neck hidden beneath the floorboards of the train. Without wasting a second, they worked together, aiming to sever its neck and end the demon.

Meanwhile, with his extraordinary perception, Ryou noticed that the entire train was now enveloped by the Demon's flesh. It was an ugly sight but if the train were to derail, the demonic flesh would act as a form of cushion to protect the cars and passengers from the impact.

At that moment, the squirming tentacles slashed by Kyojuro once again began to rise from the floor, swarming toward the other passengers.

Without hesitation, Ryou unsheathed his Nichirin sword. At a blinking speed, he slashed through the tentacles, severing them cleanly. The destroyed tentacles struggled to regenerate, being cut by Ryou's Nature aura.

Tanjiro and Inosuke's battle with the Lower Moon One reached its climax.

Inosuke lunged forward, charging down with his twin blades. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Beast Breathing, Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"

He executed a rapid series of diagonal slashes, his swords tearing through the demon's tentacles with precision. The storm of cuts caused the demon to howl in pain, slashing through its layers of defenses.

Before Tanjiro's eyes, the demon's neck bone was finally exposed.

Wasting no time, Tanjiro surged forward and performed Hinokami Kagura while praying to his father to protect him. He yelled, "Clear Blue Sky!" as he spun his body in a circular motion. His sword arced around, flames spiraling from the blade as he completed a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree slash.

The fiery attack cut cleanly through the demon's neck, severing it completely. The sight was breathtaking, but the attack also broke off the train engine from the other cars.

The train jolted violently, causing it to jump off the tracks. Lower Moon One's scream echoed through the air, filled with pain and disbelief.

Terrified by his impending death, Enmu threatened to take as many lives as he could. His demon tentacles lashed out, grabbing at the passengers with the intent to kill.

Seeing this, Ryou and Kyojuro took action. 'Fifth Form: Lightning Storm!' Ryou's body crackled with blue arcs as he flashed from the last car to the front, slicing through the demon's tentacles with blinding speed.

Not a single passenger was harmed.

The train, now bleeding demon blood, derailed completely off the tracks. However, the demon's flesh covering the train acted as a buffer, cushioning the impact and preventing a catastrophic crash.

The passengers, though shaken and covered in minor cuts and bruises, were spared from any severe injuries.

Dust and dirt filled the air, and the harsh sound of metal against the ground reverberated. The derailed train slid for a distance with a noisy screech, before finally coming to a halt.

"You two did a good job," Ryou commented as he walked through the debris and air of dirt. He frowned as he stepped on the slowly disintegrating Lower Moon One, Enmu.

With a slight force to his legs, the demon's life aura disappeared filled with unwillingness and terrified at his impending death.

"Ryou-san," Tanjiro called out.

"Mmm. Kamado boy, you are impressive," Kyojuro said as he flashed to Tanjiro's side, offering his praise with a bright smile.

Just as in the original series, Kyojuro then assisted Tanjiro in stopping the bleeding from the torn blood vessels using one's breathing technique.

"Thank you, Rengoku-san," Tanjiro said, a smile of gratitude spreading across his face.

At that moment, Ryou's perception detected an incoming aura of malice, only slightly weaker than Kokushibo's. He glanced over with a grin, recognizing the presence. 'Here comes the Upper Moon Three!'

Out of nowhere, a blast erupted behind them, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. As the dust began to settle, an overwhelming presence flooded the air, pressing down on everyone present like an invisible weight.

Kyojuro, Inosuke, and Tanjiro quickly turned, their eyes widening in unison. From the dissipating dust cloud, a dark figure slowly emerged, radiating an oppressive force that sent a chill down their spines.

Silence descended upon the scene, and Kyojuro's hand instinctively moved to grip the hilt of his sword.

The Demon was a muscular young man, likely around eighteen with fair skin that had a strange greenish tint and bright pink hair fluffed out around his head.

A smile slipped onto Akaza's face as he stared at the group with yellow eyes and blue sclera with the kanji for Upper Rank Three etched into the irises.

'He's an Upper-Rank Demon!' Everyone, aside from Ryou, was horrified at the sight of this powerful foe.

The Demon scanned over them, his yellow eyes gleamed as they landed on Tanjiro. In an instant, his figure blurred, vanishing from sight. The ground trembled, a slight shockwave rippling out from where he had stood just moments before.

In a flash, Akaza reappeared directly in front of Tanjiro, his movement so fast. His fist was mere inches away from Tanjiro's face, the force behind it enough to smash his head into a pulp.

Time slowed down as Tanjiro's eyes widened at the demon's blow that seemed inevitable.

Just as Kyojuro was about to slash at the demon, a hand rested on his shoulder. It was Ryou!

At the same time, Ryou's leg hardened with Tekkai and with a powerful twist of his body, he threw a devastating kick at Akaza's chest.

'Bang!'

A thunderous bang echoed through the air as Ryou's kick connected, triggering a shockwave that rippled outward. The domineering impact sent the Upper Moon Three hurtling through the air.

Akaza's figure crashed into a distant tree, destroying several trees in his path before finally coming to a stop. Dust and debris filled the air as the demon pulled himself up from the wreckage, his face filled with surprise and excitement.

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