Chapter 16 The train is full of dangers! The dragon bares its fangs!
On the Infinity Train, the night was as black as ink.
Amidst the monotonous sound of wheels grinding on the tracks, Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro successively handed their tickets to the conductor.
Arthur's gaze swept over the conductor, who exuded an aura of decadence and weariness, and a hint of suspicion crept into his brows.
'Strange, is it because night shifts are so debilitating?'
'Why do I feel like there's something off about this person?'
Despite his doubts, Arthur had no standing to stop the conductor from checking tickets.
After the conductor punched holes in Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro's tickets, Arthur also handed over his own ticket.
Click!
The soft sound of the ticket being punched was exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.
Then, the conductor, with heavy steps as if his feet were filled with lead, trudged towards the next carriage.
Tanjiro, with a hint of apprehension, sought Kyojuro Rengoku's guidance on the mysteries of Flame Breathing.
Arthur took the newly punched ticket, his eyes narrowing, and a knowing smile playing on his lips.
'So that's it, no wonder I felt something was off.'
'The problem isn't the conductor, but the ticket itself.'
The moment he took the ticket, he clearly sensed a sinister energy fluctuation emanating from it.
The enemy was trying to infiltrate his body and exert some subtle influence.
Unfortunately, this petty trick was nothing but a display of incompetence to him.
"A Blood Demon Art that uses the ticket as a medium to remotely control all passengers?"
"This demon's strength is decent, it seems this trip won't be in vain."
Arthur lightly pinched the ticket with his fingertips, and it instantly turned to ash.
He looked up and saw that Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro, who were across from him, had stopped talking and both fallen into a deep sleep.
"It's not direct mind control, but a hypnotic technique?"
Thanks to Kyojuro Rengoku's earlier clearing of the area, only the three of them remained in this carriage, allowing Arthur to act without restraint.
A complex and precise exorcism rune quickly formed at his fingertips, and he lightly tapped it on their foreheads, instantly breaking the hypnotic effect of the Blood Demon Art.
...
"Ugh!?"
Nezuko's startled gasp came from inside the wooden box; the exorcism technique brought with it an instinctive suppression and fear for her.
Hearing his sister's movement, Tanjiro groggily opened his eyes and saw Arthur scrutinizing every detail within the carriage.
"I just... fell asleep?"
Kyojuro Rengoku lightly rubbed his temples, rising a step faster than Tanjiro, his hand already on the hilt of the Nichirin Blade hidden beneath his haori.
"Stay alert, Goukou shounen! That must have been a demon's trick!"
"Kyojuro is right, the demon lurking on the Infinity Train can cast a wide-range hypnosis."
"The opponent must have used this ability to avoid being detected by others until now."
Arthur said, lightly tapping the inner wall of the carriage with his knuckles, his eyes taking on a playful look.
Kyojuro Rengoku's expression became serious: "To be able to cast such a wide-range Blood Demon Art, it seems that it truly is one of the Twelve Kizuki on the Infinity Train!"
At the same time, Tanjiro's nose twitched, his face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed.
"Mr. Arthur! Mr. Rengoku! The smell of the demon in the carriage is getting stronger! But I can't find its location!"
"No need to look."
Arthur suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it out, and the sturdy inner wall of the carriage burst open, revealing continuously wriggling, nauseating flesh and blood.
"The entire Infinity Train is merging with the demon!"
"Nani!?"
Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro both looked horrified, staring in disbelief at the living flesh.
When they looked at the floor beneath their feet again, they both felt a wave of physiological discomfort.
"Because it hadn't attacked proactively before, even the keen-nosed Tanjiro couldn't detect anything unusual?"
Arthur no longer paid attention to the wriggling and proliferating flesh, his sharp gaze fixed on the front of the train.
"Kyojuro, Tanjiro, you two are responsible for patrolling the other carriages to protect the passengers and prevent the demon from taking them hostage. I'll go ahead and confront it."
Kyojuro Rengoku asked in a deep voice: "Is this also part of the plan?"
A cold, gleaming longsword instantly appeared in Arthur's hand, and he said without looking back.
"Yes, this is also part of the plan."
Before he finished speaking, Arthur's toes touched the ground, and his figure vanished like a ghost at the carriage connection.
Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise: "So fast! My eyes can't keep up at all!"
"Now is not the time for exclamations, Goukou shounen!"
Kyojuro Rengoku's Nichirin Blade clanged as it was drawn, and his Breathing Technique instantly adjusted to its optimal state.
"I can protect the passengers in five carriages, can you handle the rest?"
Tanjiro's eyes were firm, and he nodded heavily.
"No problem! Nezuko and I can fight side by side!"
"Good! Then I'll leave it to you!"
With that, Kyojuro Rengoku crouched down, and like an arrow shot from a bow, he charged with his blade towards the five carriages he was responsible for.
...
Unlike Kyojuro Rengoku, who was speeding through the carriages, Arthur had already broken out of the window and was moving with the wind.
His figure left a trail in the night sky as he darted towards the front of the Infinity Train.
In an instant, Arthur locked onto a strange figure dressed in a tuxedo-like outfit.
"Here he comes, here he comes, I didn't expect such a spectacular entrance."
Enmu tilted his head, a doll-like rigid and eerie smile on his face, not at all surprised by Arthur's arrival.
"Not only can you be immune to my hypnosis, but you can also fly in the air... I say, are you really human?"
"At least not trash like you."
Arthur's gaze immediately fell on Enmu's eyes; his left eye was engraved with 'Lower Rank', and his right eye read 'One'.
"Lower Rank One? Very good, you should be qualified to transmit information directly to Muzan Kibutsuji, right?"
According to the information provided by Tamayo, the Demon King could control all demons under his command, with stronger control the closer they were.
Even thousands of miles away, the Demon King could obtain some key information, enabling information sharing.
As the head of the Lower Ranks among the Twelve Kizuki, Enmu could definitely share what he saw in real-time with Muzan Kibutsuji.
However, upon hearing Arthur's words, Enmu's grinning expression first stiffened, then turned into a morbid excitement, and he spread his hands.
"Who knows? After all, who dares to speculate on 'that adult's' true intentions?"
Arthur scoffed dismissively: "No one dares to speculate? Then we'll see."
Before Enmu could speak again, the surrounding air suddenly solidified, and an invisible pressure fiercely gripped his heart!
Dragon Breathing: Thunder Style: Light Fang!
In an instant, dazzling lightning tore through the deep darkness of the night.
Arthur, with immense power, charged towards Enmu with unparalleled impact!
The longsword, accompanied by thunder, was like the sharp fangs of a giant dragon biting its prey, precise and fierce, slashing across the demon's neck!
Crimson blood spurted high like a fountain, and Enmu's headless body fell limply.
Seeing this, Arthur's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.
"You really have a soft spot for these deceptive little tricks. You've already merged with the entire train, yet you still want to trick me with such a ploy?"
"Oh my, have you already seen through it? How boring, I was still hoping to see a hint of fear on your face."
A giant pillar of flesh suddenly proliferated from the outer wall of the carriage, coiling around Enmu's fallen head and reattaching it.
Enmu's doll-like face was full of playful mockery.
"But I truly didn't expect that a mere human could not only fly but also release lightning like a demon."
"But it's a pity! My body has completely merged with this train! You can absolutely never kill me!"
In an instant, more pillars of flesh furiously proliferated and surged from all directions, stacking layer upon layer, completely enveloping Arthur.
On each pillar of flesh, giant, bloodshot, eerie, and hideous eyes opened!
Blood Demon Art: Forced Deep Sleep - Eye!
This was Enmu's true killer move!
Its hypnotic effect was dozens of times stronger than the slow-acting technique on the tickets!
Even if this demon slayer's movement technique was incredibly fast, it would be absolutely impossible for him to evade this overwhelming visual lock!
Just as Enmu was secretly pleased, thinking victory was within his grasp—
Those hideous pillars of flesh, without any warning, burst into roaring flames!