The sun rose behind the misty mountains, soft orange light spreading across Gyomei's training grounds. Dew shimmered on the grass, and a gentle wind rustled through the nearby forest. Jinwoo stood quietly beneath a tree, arms folded, sensing everything around him.
Then—
Footsteps.
Multiple footsteps.
Zenitsu ran into the clearing first, nearly tripping over a rock.
"WE'RE BACK!! GYOMEI-SAN'S TRAINING IS GONNA KILL ME!! WHY DID WE HAVE TO COME BACK?! I COULD'VE STAYED ON MISSION FOREVER—!"
Behind him came Inosuke, leaping from a branch, landing with a thud.
"BEAST BREATHING!! RETURN OF THE KING!! I'M HERE TO CRUSH THE BOULDER!!!"
Murata jogged behind, panting miserably.
"Please… lower your energy… I haven't slept properly in days…"
Zenitsu spotted Tanjiro sitting beside the giant boulder, sweat dripping, eyes half closed.
Zenitsu screamed.
"TANJIROOOO!! YOU STILL HAVEN'T MOVED THAT THING?! YOU'VE BEEN AT IT FOR DAYS!! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE OUT HERE!!"
Tanjiro didn't respond immediately.
He stood up slowly… breathing steady… his hands shaking from exhaustion… but his spirit unwavering.
Jinwoo walked beside him, sensing the shift.
Today felt different.
Tanjiro inhaled deeply.
Sun Breathing… steady.
Then—
A flicker.
A spark.
A burning warmth spreading across his forehead.
Inosuke's mouth fell open.
"WHAT—WHAT'S THAT?! WHAT'S ON YOUR HEAD?!! WHY IS YOUR SCAR GLOWING?! IS TANJIRO TURNING INTO A DEMON BOAR?!"
Zenitsu grabbed Jinwoo's coat.
"WHY IS HE LIGHTING UP?? WHY IS HE SHINING LIKE A FINAL BOSS?? JINWOO, SAY SOMETHING!!"
Murata fainted in the background.
Jinwoo stared silently… eyes sharp.
"…A mark....maybe... a blessing."
this—
fire was pure.
Tanjiro took another breath.
"Set your heart ablaze…"
His eyes trembled.
"Set your… heart… ablaze…!"
His foot dug into the dirt.
He grabbed the rope again.
His muscles tensed, veins burning with determination.
Zenitsu screamed like a dying bird.
"TANJIRO NOOOO— YOU CAN'T LIFT SOMETHING THAT BIG EVEN WITH A SHINY FOREHEAD!!"
But Tanjiro didn't hear.
His heart pounded with Rengoku's voice.
"Never give up."
"Keep your heart burning."
"Protect the weak. Smile."
Tanjiro roared—
A roar filled with grief, love, hope, and fire.
And the boulder…
moved.
Just an inch at first.
But then—
It rolled again.
Zenitsu's jaw dropped to the floor.
Murata sat up from unconsciousness.
Inosuke screamed, "HE DID IT!!! HE MOVED A MOUNTAIN!!!"
Jinwoo took a small step back—
shocked, impressed, and deeply respectful.
"So this… is the strength of your heart."
"Set your heart ablaze!!!"
Tanjiro shouted again, pushing with everything he had.
The boulder rolled…
then rolled again…
and finally fell forward with a loud BOOM, leaving a trail carved in the dirt.
Tanjiro collapsed immediately.
Jinwoo lunged forward—
but Tanjiro hit the ground first, eyes closing, body limp.
Zenitsu screamed.
"TANJIROOOOOOO!!! HE'S DEAD— I MEAN HE'S FAINTED— BUT MAYBE HE'S DEAD— BUT MAYBE HE'S FAINTED BUT DEAD INSIDE—!!"
Inosuke picked Tanjiro up by the head.
"HEY! HEY! WAKE UP!! YOU HAVE MORE TRAINING LEFT!! DON'T DIE BEFORE I BEAT YOU!!"
Jinwoo calmly placed a hand on Tanjiro's chest.
"Relax. He's alive."
Zenitsu fell to his knees in relief.
"THANK THE GODS…!! MY SOUL ALMOST LEFT MY BODY TWELVE TIMES—!!"
Jinwoo carried Tanjiro inside the hut as Zenitsu flailed behind him.
---
THREE HOURS LATER
Tanjiro's eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling came into view first.
Then the familiar wooden beams.
Then Zenitsu and Inosuke arguing beside him.
Jinwoo sat by his side, arms crossed.
Zenitsu noticed immediately.
"TANJIROOOO!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!"
Inosuke headbutted Zenitsu.
"SHUT UP, YELLOW CRYING RAT!!"
Tanjiro sat up slowly.
Jinwoo sighed and shook his head.
"You really pushed yourself too far."
Tanjiro smiled tiredly.
"I'm… okay."
Jinwoo looked at him seriously.
"You moved that boulder because something inside you awakened. Someone gave you strength. Who was it?"
Tanjiro hesitated.
Then he spoke quietly.
"…Kyojuro Rengoku."
Jinwoo froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
His fate brings the name in his mind...
Zenitsu stopped screaming.
Inosuke stopped headbutting.
Even Murata looked up from the corner.
Tanjiro continued softly.
"He told me… to keep moving forward. To never give up. To set my heart ablaze. Those words… kept me going."
Jinwoo looked down at his hand.
Jinah once told him about Rengoku.
How he fought.
How he smiled even while dying.
How he protected others until his final breath.
Jinwoo whispered:
"Rengoku... A man who protected everyone… even while bleeding out."
Tanjiro nodded, tears filling his eyes.
"He was the reason I could move that boulder."
Jinwoo's expression softened.
He exhaled slowly, understanding completely.
"…Tell me about him."
Tanjiro blinked.
"About… Rengoku-san?"
Jinwoo nodded.
"Yes. Tell me everything you remember. His words… his strength… his smile. I want to hear it."
Tanjiro closed his eyes.
A warm flame flickered in his heart.
He began to speak.
And the chapter ends