"Brother Lixing, he's up ahead!" Tanjiro sniffed the demon's scent and pointed towards the front of the train.
"It seems Enmu is truly foolish; the locomotive is the most obvious place to find him, isn't it? Good, the plot hasn't changed."
Lixing hurried towards the locomotive, "Tanjiro, keep up!"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, Inosuke leaped out of a carriage, brandishing his swords and shouting, "Hahaha, Brother Tosei! I'll definitely win against you this time!"
Lixing couldn't spare a thought for Inosuke. This was the perfect opportunity to cause chaos; Inosuke could do as he pleased.
"Let's go together!" Lixing called out.
Arriving at the train's head, they saw it had sprouted a mass of disgusting flesh, covered in eyes and mouths. Anyone with trypophobia would have their scalp tingling.
"Sleep! Sleep!" another voice echoed. Enmu unleashed his Blood Demon Art again. Tanjiro was instantly plunged into a dream, but he immediately slashed his own throat, waking himself up.
Enmu was surprised again. "How can another one be willing to commit suicide without hesitation? And why isn't that pig-headed one reacting?"
"Hahaha, your Blood Demon Art is useless against me! I can't see it!" Inosuke laughed, slashing at the nearby flesh.
Enmu refused to believe anyone could resist the allure of a beautiful dream and unleashed his Blood Demon Art once more.
"Sleep!"
Tanjiro woke up instantly again. The dream had been pleasant, but it was all false.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
"Impossible!" Enmu still couldn't believe it. His Blood Demon Art was completely ineffective against these people.
"Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!" Enmu repeatedly used his Blood Demon Art, but Tanjiro always woke up in an instant.
Finally, in his dream, Tanjiro's mother and siblings were all scolding him, asking why he didn't die. Tanjiro became enraged; his family would never say such things.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
Waking up again, Tanjiro had switched breathing styles. Even the gentlest of protagonists could get angry.
"My family would never say such things! How dare you insult them!"
Lixing was still contemplating how to defeat Enmu without derailing the train, completely oblivious to Tanjiro and Inosuke's fight.
Enmu felt a trace of fear emanating from the blood. Tanjiro's breathing style seemed to be a natural counter to demons.
"Sleep!" This time, Enmu feigned using his Blood Demon Art. Tanjiro thought he had fallen victim again and raised his sword to commit suicide, but Inosuke intervened.
"Tanjiro, calm down! This isn't a dream, it's reality!"
Indeed, constantly switching between dreams could make one lose their grip on reality. Tanjiro had almost killed himself.
Just then, the train conductor rushed forward with a dagger, intending to kill Tanjiro. "Don't disturb our beautiful dream!"
Lixing knocked the conductor out with one blow. The man was clearly confused.
"Mr. Lixing, is this person alright?" Tanjiro worried Lixing might have killed the conductor. Although the conductor had just tried to stab him, Tanjiro didn't resent him, believing the conductor had his reasons, having lost his family and longing to see them again.
Lixing waved his hand, "He's fine, just knocked out. Inosuke, take him to safety. You deserve the most credit for this."
Hearing this, Inosuke perked up. "Leave it to me!" He hoisted the conductor onto his shoulder and left the locomotive.
Lixing couldn't think of any way to stabilize the train, but he couldn't afford to hold back any longer. If they delayed further, an Upper Rank demon would arrive.
"Tanjiro, find a way to protect the passengers. I'll be killing the demon next, and the train will derail. Notify Brother Rengoku and tell him to do his best to protect the passengers!"
"Yes!" Tanjiro agreed and immediately jumped back into the carriage to inform Rengoku Kyojuro.
Lixing drew his Nichirin blade, unleashed his full aura, and used Transparent World to sense Enmu's neck. The blade seemed to emit a faint chill.
"Lower Rank One, Enmu, your lifespan has reached its final stop!"
"Snow Breathing, Second Form: Dancing Snow!"
Lixing swung his Nichirin blade towards the train below. His sharp slashes tore through the flesh, and he saw the bones hidden within, just like in the manga.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Beneficent Rays of the Sun!"
Before the flesh could regenerate, Lixing unleashed a Sun Breathing attack, slashing downwards again. Enmu's neck, along with the train, was instantly cut in half.
The moment Lixing decapitated Enmu, the train lost power, like a supercar braking instantly from a hundred kilometers per hour. The carriages jolted and derailed!
Lixing was flung out by the inertia, tumbling several times on the ground, his bones feeling like they would break.
"Ah! This hurts like being rear-ended!" Lixing looked at the derailed train and, without time to think, swung his blade again.
"Snow Breathing, Final Form: Absolute Zero!"
Lixing intended to use the absolute zero cold to freeze the air, slowing down the impact on the train. Although there were protectors, he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be any accidents.
In the end, the train was stabilized through everyone's combined efforts. Although many passengers were injured, there were no fatal wounds.
Outside the carriage, without the cushioning of the train's flesh, Lixing slammed directly into a tree, spitting up blood.
"Damn it, I get minor injuries every time I do a mission."
Just then, Tanjiro and Kyojuro ran over.
"Mr. Lixing, are you alright?"
"Lixing, well done. As a Hashira, I was actually caught by a Blood Demon Art. I really want to crawl into a hole!"
They both spoke at once. Tanjiro's concern and Kyojuro's praise, with their vastly different styles, added vibrant colors to this demon-slaying world.
"I'm fine. Let's see if the people on the train are okay!" Lixing stood up and stretched, indicating he was unharmed.
Kyojuro looked at him with admiration. "The passengers inside are all safe. You care more about others than yourself. I believe you will soon become a new Hashira!"
At that moment, a dark shadow flashed through the forest, lunging swiftly towards Tanjiro, intending to kill him. Kyojuro reacted quickly, raising his sword for a strike.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknown Fire!"
A demon with short pink hair, light pink eyebrows, deep blue fingers and toes, blood-red nails, wearing a pink short shirt, prayer beads around its ankles, and the kanji for Upper Rank Three in its eyes appeared before the three of them.
Tanjiro stared blankly. "Upper Rank... Three? Why is he here?"
Akaza charged at Tanjiro again. Kyojuro swung his sword to block, slicing Akaza's arm in two.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Ascending Blazing Sky!"
Akaza's arm rapidly regenerated, and he licked the blood on his forearm.
"A fine swordsmanship!"
"His regeneration speed is incredibly fast, and the immense pressure accompanied by surging demonic energy—is this an Upper Rank?" Kyojuro marveled at the demon's recovery speed.
"I can't understand why you would attack a boy twice."