"A life of evil… should come to an end."
The words fell like droplets onto water, sending ripples through the air—and into Enmu's ears.
The Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he activated his Blood Demon Art again.
"Blood Demon Art: Whispers of Forced Unconscious Hypnosis—Eyes."
In an instant, Enmu's body began to merge with the train. Flesh spread across its surface, writhing and growing, covering the entire carriage. From that shifting mass of flesh, countless eyes began to form.
Eyes everywhere.
They squirmed and moved across the carriage walls. Anyone who met even one of those eyes would be dragged into a dream created by Enmu.
"Shing—!"
At that moment, the Nichirin Sword at Urokodaki's waist was drawn.
He swung it calmly.
Like water flowing naturally downhill, the motion felt effortless, inevitable.
As the blade cut through, Enmu heard it—
The sound of dripping water.
Drip... drip... drip...
Each drop echoed like it was falling into a still surface, sending ripples outward.
And with those ripples, Enmu felt his body being torn apart.
The countless eyes were gently—almost softly—separated from the flesh by the flowing, water-like blade.
One by one, they fell.
When the final eye dropped to the ground, the Blood Demon Art collapsed.
Clutching at his face, Enmu writhed on the ground in pain.
A flash of blue blade-light sliced cleanly through his neck.
Instinctively, Enmu reached for his throat—but grasped nothing.
His head had already fallen, rolling across the floor.
"Why… are you this strong…?"
"I'm one of the Twelve Kizuki!"
His severed head lay on the ground, eyes filled with terror.
Normally, a Hashira stood on equal footing with the Twelve Kizuki.
Yes, many Hashira had defeated Lower Ranks—but there were also cases where Hashira had been killed by them.
He was Lower Rank One—the strongest among the Lower Ranks. He even had the potential to rise higher.
So why…
Why was he defeated so easily?
Since when had Hashira become this powerful?
Since when could a member of the Twelve Kizuki be killed so effortlessly—without even a chance to resist?
Urokodaki sheathed his blade.
He looked at the fallen head of Lower Rank One, Enmu, his expression calm.
Silently, he felt it—
The further draining of his life.
Ever since the mark had awakened, each battle took more from him.
His life slipped away faster and faster.
But in return…
His strength had undeniably grown.
Even without activating the mark, he had been confident in defeating Enmu.
But killing a member of the Twelve Kizuki so easily—
That would not have been possible before.
As Enmu died, the passengers trapped in sleep began to awaken.
Some saw the corpse and screamed. Panic spread quickly, and the entire carriage fell into chaos.
Amid the confusion, Urokodaki quietly returned to his original seat.
He closed his eyes.
In that moment, the already aged man seemed even more worn… as if time itself was catching up to him.
…
Asakusa.
A man in a formal suit stepped out of an office building.
His name was Tsukihiko.
At the entrance, a woman waited for him. She wore a light blue wide-brimmed hat decorated with small purple flowers. Her outfit was soft in color, matched with a scarf of the same tone, giving her a gentle and refined presence.
Beside her stood a young girl.
She had long black hair tied into braids, decorated with pink butterfly ribbons that gave her a playful charm. Her large, lively eyes shone brightly. She wore a red-and-white outfit with a neat bow at the collar.
She looked sweet, cheerful, and full of life.
The woman and the girl looked somewhat alike—they were clearly mother and daughter.
"Tsukihiko…!"
The woman waved happily, holding her daughter's hand as she greeted the well-dressed man.
The man named Tsukihiko smiled gently and walked toward them.
"Tsukihiko, you've been working so hard. You stay late every day—you should take care of your health too."
Her eyes were full of concern.
"Papa, I missed you so much!"
The girl ran forward and threw herself toward him.
A faint smile appeared on Tsukihiko's face as he moved to pick her up—
But just as he was about to step forward, he stopped.
He lowered his head slightly. Beneath the shadow of his black hat, a flash of violent crimson flickered in his plum-red eyes.
But more than rage—
There was disbelief.
"Enmu… is dead?"
Tsukihiko closed his eyes.
In his mind, the scene of the train appeared instantly. Through another demon's vision, he saw the old man wearing a tengu mask.
He could feel it clearly—
That powerful presence.
That familiar feeling.
"…The mark?"
He recognized it almost immediately.
"Why… has the mark awakened?"
At that moment, his crimson eyes darkened completely.
Hundreds of years ago, he had personally razed the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps. Though he failed to kill the leader of that generation, he had slaughtered all swordsmen who practiced Sun Breathing.
Not only that—
That battle had also severed the inheritance of the Mark… and the Bright Red Nichirin Swords.
Those things should have disappeared centuries ago.
"So why… have they appeared again?"
In an instant, violent fury consumed him.
"Papa…?"
The girl, who had been running toward him, stopped.
She stared at her father, who now seemed like a completely different person.
The woman beside her also looked worried—especially at the blood-red violence in his eyes.
It was frightening.
He had always been so gentle.
"Damn it all..."
Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
Sharp nails flashed through the air.
Before the mother and daughter could even react—
They were cut down.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they fell.
Nearby, people began to notice what had happened. Panic spread as cries of fear erupted.
After killing them, the violence in Tsukihiko's eyes faded slightly.
He looked at the lifeless bodies of the mother and daughter, who had died because of his rage.
Then he raised his head, staring into the dark night sky.
The Demon Slayer Corps had already lost the Transparent World… lost the Mark… lost the Bright Red Nichirin Swords.
They had grown weaker and weaker, no longer much of a threat.
So why—
Why did something like this happen again?
Why had things taken such a turn?
And that demon…
The one that had suddenly broken free from his control and vanished without a trace—
How had it done that?
Why did these unexpected things keep happening?
"You… you killed your own wife and… daughter?"
An office worker who had just stepped out of the building stared in horror at the scene.
"…Hmph."
A cold sound escaped Tsukihiko's lips.
The next moment, the man clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground, the light fading from his eyes.
The surroundings fell into complete chaos.
Tsukihiko glanced around once more, then slowly walked into the deeper shadows.
As he disappeared into the darkness—
His form began to change again, shifting into that of another person.
...
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