[The scene continued.]
[No matter how hard Tanjiro tried, the broken Nichirin blade couldn't even break the skin on Rui's neck.]
["See? I told you—you're no match for me."]
[Rui stared straight into Tanjiro's eyes without a trace of emotion, then kicked him away.]
["BAM!"]
[Tanjiro's body was sent flying over ten meters, only stopping after crashing into a tree trunk. Dust billowed up, covering the screen.]
["My body is harder than any thread I control."]
["You can't even cut my threads. Cutting my neck is simply impossible."]
[Rui withdrew his leg and spoke coldly.]
[Above, Nezuko saw her brother being kicked away and began struggling desperately, ignoring the threads already embedded deep in her flesh.]
[But no matter how much she struggled, all that happened was the threads digging deeper into her body—and more blood flowing down along them.]
["Ugh… cough… s-so strong…"]
[As the dust settled, Tanjiro reappeared, coughing blood as he struggled to climb out of the crater.]
["Stronger than any demon I've ever faced…"]
["This is the Twelve Kizuki…"]
["Is this the power of a demon with such dense blood from Muzan Kibutsuji…?"]
["Mm!!! Mm!!!"]
[Just as Tanjiro was shaken to his core, Nezuko—still hanging above—suddenly began struggling violently again.]
["So noisy. Be quiet for a while."]
[Annoyed, Rui raised his hand and clenched it tightly.]
[The threads binding Nezuko suddenly tightened.]
[What had only been embedded in her skin now cut deep into her flesh—blood bursting out in sprays across her pale skin.]
["MM!!!"]
[Her scream echoed through the entire forest.]
["Stop it!!!"]
[Tanjiro shouted in desperation.]
[But Rui ignored him, calmly looking up at Nezuko.]
["Your brother is me now."]
["Stop calling out like that."]
Deep within the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji watched the scene above with an expressionless face.
For unknown reasons, the light screen had pierced through the earth itself and projected directly above the castle, startling both him and Nakime at first.
But after confirming it was only a projection, they treated it as entertainment.
That was—
Until Rui appeared.
The atmosphere inside the Infinity Castle dropped to freezing.
Just the day before, Muzan had sensed the death of Lower Five.
And now, the scene being shown… was Rui.
A demon he had once held high expectations for.
Yet one who had wasted time playing house on Mount Natagumo.
And that Demon Slayer boy…
The one he had encountered in the marketplace—
The one wearing hanafuda earrings…
Was it him… who killed Rui?
"Nakime."
Muzan spoke coldly.
"Bring the rest of the Twelve Kizuki to the Infinity Castle."
"Yes."
With a pluck of her biwa, Nakime vanished instantly.
Muzan continued watching the screen in silence.
[Back to the scene.]
[Tanjiro glared at Rui, his eyes bloodshot—but he didn't charge recklessly this time.]
[Instead, he grabbed his right wrist tightly with his left hand, using pain to force himself to stay calm.]
["Calm down… don't act on emotion!"]
["If I do… I'll be playing right into his hands!"]
[The scene shifted upward.]
[After Rui's latest torment, Nezuko struggled for only a short while before losing consciousness due to blood loss and the pain of the threads cutting into her flesh.]
["…Hmm?"]
["Did she faint? Or fall asleep?"]
[Seeing her go still, Rui slowly loosened his grip.]
["What a peculiar demon…"]
["She feels different from the rest of us… how interesting…"]
[Meanwhile—]
[Tanjiro steadied his breathing.]
[He calmed his mind.]
[Gripping the broken blade with both hands, he aimed it at Rui once more.]
["Inhale… exhale…"]
["Focus… regulate your breathing…"]
["Release the most precise form… the final one…"]
[Suddenly—]
[Tanjiro snapped his head up.]
[A terrifying light flashed in his eyes.]
["TOTAL… CONCENTRATION!"]
[He kicked off the ground and charged toward Rui once more—at incredible speed.]
[But this time—]
[A stream of azure water trailed behind him.]
"Was that just my imagination? It looked like there was water flowing along his blade…"
Kyoko Sasagawa rubbed her eyes.
"…It's