Demon Slayer: Dragon Hashira#42/43: Lower Rank One—Enmu, Tanjiro vs. Enmu, Awakening

Tanjiro and Nezuko reached the carriage door. A powerful stench hit them immediately.

"Ugh... such an overwhelming smell!" Tanjiro covered his nose, eyes watering. "The air is thick with demon essence..."

"The scent's coming from up ahead. Is the demon in the front carriages?"

He leaped onto the train's roof. Nezuko moved to follow, but Tanjiro stopped her.

"Nezuko, don't! It's too dangerous ahead—stay here and protect everyone! Wake them up!" He sprinted toward the locomotive.

After running for a bit, he spotted a figure standing on the roof ahead. When it turned, Tanjiro finally saw its true form: a man in Western clothing with black, medium-length hair. The kanji for Lower One was carved into his left eye.

Enmu's personality was vile—he thrived on others' suffering. When Muzan executed the other Lower Ranks, Enmu felt no fear. Only pleasure.

He always spoke in an effeminate, unsettling tone. Before Muzan, he displayed the twisted adoration of an obsessed fanatic.

"Oh? You're awake! Good morning!" Enmu waved cheerfully at Tanjiro.

'This guy is behind everything??' Tanjiro's jaw clenched.

"It's rare to give someone such pleasant dreams! Though I could've shown you your family slaughtering each other instead! Or perhaps next time, a dream where your father returns from the dead?" Enmu's smile was infuriating.

Rage boiled in Tanjiro's chest. His hand moved to his blade.

"Don't you dare intrude on people's hearts! I won't forgive you!"

Enmu's gaze shifted to Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings.

"My luck is extraordinary! I've already found one of the two Lord Muzan mentioned. It's like a dream come true! If I kill him, Lord Muzan will grant me more blood!"

His excitement grew manic. "Then I'll become stronger—strong enough to challenge the Upper Ranks for their positions! How beautiful!"

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"

Tanjiro spun and lunged forward, blade aimed at Enmu's neck.

"Blood Demon Art: Forced Unconscious Hypnosis—Whispers of Sleep."

Enmu extended his arm. A mouth opened on the back of his hand. The moment it whispered "Sleep," Tanjiro's eyes rolled back—consciousness fading.

But he snapped awake almost instantly.

"What?? He didn't stay asleep??" Enmu activated his technique again.

Same result. Tanjiro jerked awake immediately, blade flashing toward Enmu's neck.

"Sleep! Sleep! SLEEP!!"

Every time Tanjiro's attack came close, Enmu triggered his Blood Demon Art.

Multiple attempts—all broken within seconds.

'What's happening?? Why isn't it working??' Enmu's composure cracked. 'No, wait... he is falling asleep. But he immediately commits suicide inside the dream to wake himself up!'

'Killing yourself in a dream requires incredible resolve. This kid's insane!'

Understanding dawned. Tanjiro had figured out how to counter his technique.

"If that's how it is, then enjoy a nightmare instead!"

WHOOSH.

Tanjiro collapsed into another dream.

He stood before his family home. Blood covered everything—walls, floor, furniture. Crimson soaked every surface.

His siblings' voices echoed around him, twisted and accusing.

"Big brother, why didn't you save us??"

"What were you doing while we were being killed??"

"Why did you abandon us??"

"What's the point of your existence, Tanjiro??"

"You should just die!"

Fury exploded in Tanjiro's chest. His hand tightened on his blade.

"They would NEVER say that! Don't you dare insult my family!!"

He swung with everything he had.

SLASH!

Water Breathing's roaring dragon severed Enmu's neck cleanly.

"Wait... what?" Tanjiro blinked. "Why didn't that feel right? Is this demon even weaker than Rui?"

At that moment, fleshy tendrils erupted from the train roof, reconnecting Enmu's severed head.

"I finally understand why Lord Muzan was so angry. Your very existence—and that masked boy's—is incredibly annoying!"

"You didn't die??" Tanjiro's shock was obvious.

"I love that expression! You see, what you just killed wasn't my real body. While you all slept, I fused myself completely with this train." Enmu's grin widened.

"Over two hundred passengers are my hostages. My food. Can you protect them all by yourself?"

He melted back into the train.

'What do I do?? I can protect maybe two carriages at most. Any more than that is impossible!' Tanjiro ran along the roof, mind racing.

"Zenitsu! Inosuke! Rengoku! Kaidō-san! Please wake up! Nezuko, protect the sleeping passengers!"

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

"WAHAHA! Follow me, boys! Explosive Awakening: PIG ASSAULT!"

Inosuke burst through the roof, appearing in Tanjiro's line of sight.

"Inosuke! Thank god!" Relief flooded through Tanjiro. "Listen—this demon fused with the entire train! We have to protect the sleeping passengers! Are you listening, Inosuke?"

"Yeah? Makes sense. Just like I thought."

"Beast Breathing, Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting."

While charging forward, Inosuke's dual blades became a whirlwind of slashes, shredding every fleshy tendril in all directions.

"WAHAHA! Behold the great Lord Inosuke here to save you all! Worship me! WAHAHA!"

The Mugen Train began transforming. Fleshy walls erupted throughout the carriages, inside and out, encasing the entire structure.

Nezuko tore apart tendrils attacking passengers with her claws.

But there were too many. Soon, tendrils bound her arms and legs completely.

Thunder cracked.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Sixfold!"

SLASH SLASH SLASH!

The bindings shredded instantly.

"I'll protect Nezuko!" Zenitsu declared in his sleep, eyes closed, sporting two massive black eyes and a swollen lump on his head.

'That thunder—Zenitsu's awake?? But what about Rengoku and Kaidō-san?' Tanjiro wondered.

"Tch... damn it. Not enough room to fight properly!" He kept slicing regenerating tendrils. "Protecting these people is taking everything I have. I can't coordinate with the others. What do I do??"

....

After bringing Kome out of the dream, Kaidō returned to reality.

"Thank you, Kaidō-niisan. You helped me understand so much." Kome stood and bowed deeply.

Behind his mask, Kaidō's voice was gentle. "Find somewhere safe to hide. I have a battle to fight."

"Thank you! Please be careful!" Kome hurried to another carriage.

Watching her leave, Kaidō activated Demonic Eye, preparing to wake everyone quickly. Then he glimpsed Zenitsu's dream.

A vein popped on his forehead.

In Zenitsu's fantasy, Kaidō had been transformed into a busty girl. Both "she" and Nezuko orbited around Zenitsu adoringly. Dream-Zenitsu kept squeezing Kaidō's face.

"Hehehe~ Kaidō-chan, don't run away! Big brother Zenitsu will take you and Nezuko-chan to see the cherry blossoms!" Drool leaked from Zenitsu's sleeping mouth.

WHAM! WHAM!

Two punches later, Zenitsu sported matching black eyes. The impacts jolted him awake.

"Huh? Kaidō-chan, why did your chest shrink? It's okay though, I don't mind—"

"Kaidō Chop!!"

THWACK!

A massive lump swelled on Zenitsu's head. He passed out cold.

"Stay asleep. Otherwise I might actually kill you." Kaidō's eye twitched. "You fantasized about ME?? Are you so desperate you've stopped caring about gender??"

While Kaidō fumed, the carriage transformed. Fleshy walls and tendrils erupted everywhere. The sight was revolting.

Inosuke burst awake at that moment, launching himself through the ceiling.

Unconscious Zenitsu—still sporting his black eyes and head lump—activated Thunder Breathing and shot toward another carriage.

<><><><><><><><>

Kaidō surveyed the carnage. His greatsword materialized from thin air.

"That's not happening. I came to this world for a reason. No matter what, I'm keeping Rengoku alive! Prepare to face my wrath!"

"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Dragon's Breath!"

WHOOSH!

SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH!

CLANG!

Like a serpentine dragon, Kaidō blurred through multiple carriages in seconds. Only afterimages remained. Hundreds of strikes connected—every fleshy tendril severed, the walls suffering unprecedented damage.

CRASH!

The Mugen Train shook violently, nearly derailing.

The impact sent Tanjiro tumbling to a carriage door, which he smashed through headfirst.

'What was that?? Did the demon attack??' Tanjiro's head spun.

"AHHHHH!! WHAT'S HAPPENING??" Fused with the train, Enmu screamed in agony. "My regeneration... it's being suppressed!"

At that moment, Kyojuro's eyes snapped open. He assessed the situation instantly.

"Mm~ While I was napping, things escalated considerably! How unexpected!"

"I've failed as a Hashira. If there were a hole here, I'd crawl into it!"

He drew his blade and launched forward.

WHOOSH!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

CRASH!

The train shook again—even more violently than before. It teetered on the edge of derailing.

"WHAT?? NOT AGAIN!!" Enmu's scream was agonized. "Cursed Demon Slayers! That's the second time!"

His regeneration was suppressed once more.

"Ow..." Poor Tanjiro had just extracted his head from the first door when the second impact sent him tumbling into another one. His forehead punched an even bigger hole through it.

When he pulled himself free, Kyojuro materialized before him.

"Young Kamado!"

"Rengoku!"

"Before coming here, young Kaidō and I carved through considerable portions of the demon. It'll take him a long time to recover. I'll keep this brief."

Kyojuro's voice was commanding. "Eight carriages total. Kaidō and I will protect the rear seven. The blonde boy and your sister will handle one more."

"You and Boar-Head will find and sever the demon's neck."

"But Rengoku, the demon fused with the entire train! Where's his neck—"

"No matter what form a demon takes, it still has a neck. Kaidō and I will search for the vital point while fighting. You pull yourself together!"

He vanished toward the rear carriages.

"So fast! He disappeared in an instant!" As Tanjiro prepared to move, Kaidō appeared before him.

"Tanjiro."

"Kaidō!"

"Take this. Wear it—it'll protect you once. Just once, understand? Don't lose it!" Like Kyojuro before him, Kaidō vanished instantly.

The item was a Life-Saving Talisman—capable of negating one fatal injury.

In the original timeline, Tanjiro had been stabbed in the stomach by the possessed conductor. This would prevent that.

'Incredible! So those earthquakes were from Rengoku and Kaidō-san's attacks!' Tanjiro stood stunned.

'No, no—this isn't the time for that, idiot! Focus!' He carefully folded the talisman and tucked it inside his uniform, then sprang into action.

"Inosuke! Where are you?? Inosuke!"

Tanjiro searched for his companion, planning to team up to find Enmu's neck.

"Shut up or I'll gut you! RAHHH!"

"Inosuke? On the roof?"

"Those jerks—that big-eye freak and white-hair pretty boy—ordering ME around! But... but they're both so strong! ARGH! It's pissing me off!"

"Inosuke! We need to find the demon's neck together!"

"Already found it! My Seventh Form led me right to it—straight ahead! WAHAHA!"

'The wind's scattering the scent, so I couldn't track it. But if Inosuke says it's ahead, it must be! I have to get there and cut the neck!' Tanjiro leaped onto the roof, joining Inosuke.

....

The Mugen Train barreled forward. Inosuke and Tanjiro reached the engine.

"Here! The demon's neck! HAH! YAHHH!" Inosuke swung both blades, tearing open the locomotive's roof.

"What are you doing?? Get... get out!" The terrified conductor stared at the boar-masked intruder.

"The vital point! YAHHHH!!"

As Inosuke prepared to strike, countless fleshy tendrils erupted—wrapping around his arms, legs, and head. They began squeezing, trying to crush him.

"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"

Tanjiro arrived just in time, severing every tendril.

"GYAAAHHH!!" Enmu's scream was ear-piercing.

Everyone in the train heard it—Kyojuro, Kaidō, Nezuko, Zenitsu.

....

Inside the Mugen Train

Kyojuro and Kaidō moved through the rear seven carriages like wildfire, blades flashing as they severed countless fleshy tendrils. But something was wrong with Kaidō.

'What's happening?? Why does my blood feel like it's boiling?? My heart's racing faster and faster—and the mark on my forehead is burning hot!' His thoughts raced even as he continued fighting through sheer willpower.

He gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

....

"Inosuke, watch out!"

"Don't interfere with my dreams!!" The possessed conductor lunged from behind, sharp awl aimed at Inosuke's back.

Tanjiro saw the danger instantly. He threw himself between them, taking the blow.

"Ahh!"

Golden light flashed—the Life-Saving Talisman activated, dispersing the attack harmlessly. Tanjiro immediately knocked the conductor unconscious and dragged him aside.

"You got stabbed??" Inosuke shouted.

"I'm fine!"

'Wait... he hit me directly. Why didn't it hurt?' Tanjiro reached into his uniform. The talisman crumbled to ash in his palm.

"Kaidō-san..." Understanding flooded through him. The gift had just saved his life.

"If we don't cut the neck now, everyone's going to collapse!" Inosuke's voice snapped him back to focus.

"I know!"

Enmu sensed their intent. Tendrils erupted violently, attacking both boys.

Inosuke and Tanjiro dodged and countered simultaneously, moving in perfect sync.

"Inosuke, let's coordinate our breathing! Continuous attacks—sever the neck!"

"Got it! And I'm the boss here!"

"I know."

"Beast Breathing, Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"

Inosuke descended from above, dual blades crossed. Multiple slashes shredded the protective tendrils surrounding the bone.

'Father, please guide my blade. Let this strike sever the demon's neck!'

"Hinokami Kagura: Clear Blue Sky!"

Flames erupted from both sides of Tanjiro's mouth. He swung upward—a circular slash wreathed in fire severed Enmu's neck cleanly.

"GYAAAHHH!!"

The demon's agonized scream pierced through every carriage. Tendrils erupted wildly, grabbing at passengers in a final desperate attempt.

SLASH SLASH SLASH!

In a single instant, Kyojuro and Kaidō moved through all seven carriages, destroying every tendril. Every passenger was safe.

The train began shaking violently. It lurched off the tracks.

"Inosuke, watch out! We're derailing! Ahh!" Tanjiro shouted—then was thrown from the train entirely.