The wind carried the scent of ash.
Kazaen's remains scattered across the ruined factory yard, fading into the night. Only silence remained. Tanjiro sheathed his sword and looked toward the sky, letting the cold air brush against his face.
Giyu watched him for a moment. "Tanjiro. You did well."
Tanjiro nodded quietly. "Giyu San… defeating an Upper Moon used to be something that required the combined strength of many Hashira. Now they are appearing one after another."
Giyu lowered his eyes. "Muzan changed the world. He created new demons to rule the entire planet. We will face horrors that did not exist in our era."
Tanjiro remained silent, listening to the faint heartbeat of the land around them. The stench of fear hung in the distant air. Somewhere far away, humans were hiding. And demons were hunting.
Tanjiro took a deep breath. "Where is the next one?"
Giyu looked toward the ruined highway. "Upper Moon Five. His name is Kogarashi. A demon who took control of the coastal region. He rules over the abandoned ports and the ocean border."
Tanjiro frowned. "Ocean…"
He remembered the demon shark from earlier.
"That means he commands water demons?"
"Not commands," Giyu said softly. "He devours them. Every demon that enters his ocean becomes his nourishment."
Tanjiro's jaw tightened. "Then we cannot let him stay alive."
Giyu nodded once. "Your strength will be tested. Kogarashi's power is unnatural. Even the sea obeys him."
Tanjiro smiled lightly. "Then that is perfect. I will burn the ocean if I must."
Giyu almost smiled, but his face remained mostly serious. "Before that, we need to return to Sakura. She will be waiting."
Tanjiro turned in the direction of Narita. "Yes. I promised her."
The two began walking through the silent streets. The moonlight flickered through the broken skyscrapers, forming long shadows on the ground. Wind whistled through cracks in abandoned cars.
Giyu glanced sideways. "Tanjiro."
"Yes?"
Giyu hesitated. "Do you ever feel anger toward this world? For becoming what it is?"
Tanjiro slowed his steps.
In his mind, he saw it.
Nezuko reaching for him with tear-filled eyes.
Giyu kneeling beside his dying body.
The moment Muzan devoured everything.
Tanjiro spoke quietly. "I did. When I first returned, I was filled with it. But anger alone cannot save anyone."
Giyu studied him with a thoughtful gaze. "You have changed."
Tanjiro looked forward. "I lived in the Soul Society for two thousand years. My heart had to change, or I would have lost myself."
Giyu nodded. "I am glad you did not."
They reached the edge of a broken bridge. Tanjiro stopped, his nose twitching.
Giyu raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"The scent of fear." Tanjiro said.
His voice lowered.
"And blood."
They both rushed forward.
The scent led to a collapsed marketplace. Stalls were overturned. A car was flipped on its side. Glass shattered everywhere.
A demon had passed through here recently.
But something else was strange.
Tanjiro crouched, touching the ground. "Claw marks."
Giyu leaned close and examined the deep gashes that split the concrete. "This is fresh. Not more than one hour old."
Tanjiro inhaled slowly. "This demon is headed toward Narita."
Giyu's expression became sharp. "Then Sakura is in danger."
Tanjiro looked toward the distant airport lights. "We need to hurry."
They raced across the ruins, leaping over destruction, moving faster than any human could track. Tanjiro's heartbeat quickened.
He promised her he would return.
He promised her she would be safe.
He would not break that promise.
As they approached the airport perimeter, Tanjiro noticed something unusual.
The lights inside the facility flickered faintly.
Giyu stopped. "They are using electricity."
Tanjiro blinked in surprise. "How?"
Giyu pointed toward the gates. "Humans survive in ways you cannot imagine. They have rebuilt whatever they could. They found generators."
Tanjiro felt relief. "At least they have light."
"But light attracts demons," Giyu said.
The two slipped through the broken barriers and moved quietly along the perimeter wall. Tanjiro concentrated.
Something is wrong.
The air was too quiet. Too still.
He stepped closer to the main terminal wall.
Then he froze.
Giyu looked at him sharply. "Tanjiro?"
Tanjiro whispered. "Something is watching us."
A low, rumbling growl echoed from the shadowed rooftop.
Giyu raised his sword.
The shape crawled forward, illuminated by moonlight.
It had a humanoid form, but its back was covered in thick, armored plates. Black skin. Four long arms ending in metallic claws that gleamed like blades. Its eyes shone red like burning coals.
Giyu tightened his grip. "What is this creature?"
Tanjiro spoke coldly. "An evolved demon. Not a Lower Moon. Not an Upper Moon. Something else."
The demon stared at them with a fixed gaze.
Then it hissed.
"Humans. You cannot run."
Tanjiro stepped forward. "You will not touch anyone here."
Giyu nodded. "Tanjiro. Together."
Tanjiro inhaled deeply.
His blade gleamed with red light.
Giyu lowered his stance, ready to strike.
But before they could move, the demon lunged downward with shocking speed.
Tanjiro shouted. "Giyu, now."
Both blades swung at the same time.
The demon's claws clashed with their swords, sparks scattering everywhere.
Tanjiro pushed forward. "Giyu, left."
Giyu moved instantly, slicing one of the demon's arms off. Dark blood sprayed across the concrete.
The demon let out a roar and leaped backward.
Tanjiro sprinted.
"Sun Breathing. First Form. Dance."
His sword carved a circle of flame as he struck. The demon's body split cleanly in half.
The two halves fell to the ground, twitching for a moment, then turning to dust.
Silence returned.
Giyu exhaled. "These new demons are getting stronger."
Tanjiro looked toward the airport lights. "And more desperate."
They continued walking until the terminal entrance came into view.
Then they heard it.
A voice filled with relief.
"Big brother. Giyu. You are back."
It was Sakura. She stood near the gate, holding a lantern, her face glowing with hope.
Tanjiro's heart softened. "Sakura. I am glad you are safe."
She ran toward them but stopped right before reaching them, staring at the dust on their shoulders. "You fought again, right? I knew it."
Giyu placed a hand on Tanjiro's shoulder. "She was worried."
Tanjiro nodded. "I know."
Sakura's voice trembled a little. "There are more demons around the airport. Everyone is scared."
Tanjiro knelt down to her height. "Sakura. I promised I would protect you. This place will not fall."
She looked into his eyes. "Will you leave again?"
Tanjiro hesitated, then smiled gently. "I have to. More demons are coming. But every time I leave, I will return."
Sakura bit her lip but nodded. "Then I will wait."
Giyu stepped forward. "Tanjiro. We need to rest. Tomorrow we prepare for the coast."
Tanjiro stood up. "Right."
As they walked toward the shelter, he looked once more at the horizon.
Upper Moon Five waits beyond the ocean.
And Tanjiro would face him.
The path ahead was darker than ever, but Tanjiro's resolve burned brighter.
He would save this world.
No matter how much blood had been spilled.