The train shook violently, half of the carriage destroyed, and the surviving passengers screamed or tried to crawl away. Akaza stood in front of them with a strange calmness, as if he hadn’t just killed dozens of people a moment ago. The boy was breathing heavily, his hand trembling on his sword, his eyes still fixed on the pce where the passengers had fallen moments before.

  Rengoku stepped forward, his voice strong as always, and said firmly: “Get ready, don’t scatter,” then charged directly at Akaza, shouting: Fme Breathing – Form One: Raging Comet.

  His strike rushed straight, sharp, full of force, and collided with Akaza’s fist. The carriage shook again, sparks exploded between them, and the floor beneath their feet cracked, yet Akaza barely moved back half a step, then calmly replied:

  “You’re strong, Kyojuro, but not even half my power.” “Demonic Blood Technique: Annihition – Compass Strike.” A symbolic circle appeared beneath his feet, its lines glowing with a pale blue light.

  Zenitsu, despite his trembling hands, closed his eyes suddenly, inhaled deeply, and lowered his body slightly. In a fsh of yellow light, he shouted:

  “Thunder Breathing – Form One: Thundercp and Fsh!”

  A streak of split lightning appeared in the air, striking directly behind Akaza, his sword gleaming sharply, but Akaza twisted his torso without even looking, raising his palm and striking the air in a short blow. The strike hit Zenitsu in the chest before his sword could reach, and he fell violently, smashing the wooden seats behind him.

  Inosuke didn’t wait. He roared wildly, his eyes bzing with passion and challenge, swinging his dual curved swords as he charged like a raging beast:

  “You bastard! I’ll kill you! Move out of my way!” Beast Breathing – Form Four: Twin Fang Serration!

  Their bdes crossed in a deadly scissor formation, and one managed to cut Akaza’s shoulder. Blue blood scattered for a moment, but the wound healed before their eyes as if it never existed. In a split second, Inosuke took a direct elbow strike to the stomach, piercing his body through the wooden barrier, and fell outside the carriage, motionless.

  The boy watched all of this, every passing second weighing heavily on his heart, knowing full well the vast difference in strength. Yet, he rushed forward. He inhaled deeply, feeling water flow through his veins, then raised his sword with a trembling but determined voice:

  “Water Breathing – Form Three: Flowing Dance!”

  His movement became fluid, the sword rising to its highest point in the air, trying to create space, then he clenched his grip and unleashed his strongest strike:

  “Form Nine: Dark Ripple Tidal Wave!”

  A massive wave of water wrapped around Akaza, hitting him from multiple angles. For a single moment, the demon stepped back, smiling faintly:

  “For someone from the Lower Moon, you’re strong, even stronger than you should be at your level. But you made a mistake attacking me, boy.”

  Akaza suddenly appeared with lightning speed. A single strike to the boy’s chest made him feel death touch him. The boy was lifted slightly off the ground before being violently thrown across the shattered seats. His sword slipped from his hand, blood slowly dripping from his mouth.

  Nezuko rushed to him, trying to move him to see if he was still alive. The boy didn’t move, his breaths slowing. Her eyes filled with tears, and her voice came out choked: “Umm… umm…” She pced her hand on his face and lifted his head, trying to drag him away from the fight, but his body was too heavy to move easily. She gred at Akaza with burning anger, then looked back at her brother while crying.

  The boy heard her voice as if it came from far away. He tried to open his eyes, saw her face above him, her tears, her trembling hands. He tried to speak, but blood came out instead of words.

  Akaza looked at them with interest and said:

  “This is what happens when the weak exceed their limits, but I’m not done with you yet. To die while looking into your crying sister’s eyes will be much better.”

  Akaza charged directly at the boy, his fist aimed at his head. One strike could end everything. Nezuko screamed and tried to reach out, but she was too slow compared to Akaza’s speed. Just as the fist was about to crush the boy’s head, fmes erupted, and Rengoku appeared before them in a red fsh. There was no hesitation from him. He raised his sword, and his voice shook the train:

  Fme Breathing – Form Nine: Absolute Fme

  The strike rushed from above, using all of Rengoku’s remaining energy. Fmes wrapped around his sword and collided directly with Akaza’s outstretched arms. A deafening silence fell, and then everything stopped. Akaza’s arms were severed in a single clean blow, blue blood scattering in the air, the fmes consuming the severed limbs before he withdrew. Akaza stepped back two paces, staring at Rengoku with wide eyes in admiration for his strength, then smiled despite the pain:

  “This is the power of a Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku. Why not become a demon? You’re incredibly strong. Muzan would be impressed by this power; you could become one of the Upper Moons.”

  Rengoku replied with anger:

  “I’d rather die defending innocent people than become one of you vilins. You kill mercilessly and without reason. For thousands of years, we’ve resisted you, and we won’t stop until we kill you or die trying.”

  The boy slowly regained awareness. He saw the scene before him, the scattered blood, Akaza’s severed arms disappearing, and Rengoku standing in front of him protecting him. He tried to rise and said weakly:

  “Sir… don’t fight alone.”

  Rengoku didn’t turn toward him because he knew the decisive moment was near. At that instant, Akaza’s hands reformed, and he leaned down and said:

  “It’s a pity you’re human. If you were a demon, you’d be much stronger. I tried to give you advice, but you didn’t take it, so you don’t deserve to live.”

  Akaza smiled maliciously and unleashed his deadly technique:

  Demonic Blood Technique: Shadow Pierce – Killer Bde. A symbolic circle appeared on the ground, blue lines twisting like serpents. In a single instant, his fist shot toward Rengoku’s leg with unbelievable speed, as if it came from everywhere at once. A sharp ringing echoed through the carriage, and the surviving passengers froze in terror. Rengoku couldn’t move, though he tried to counterattack. The fist struck his leg, a scream of pain tearing through the air. His right leg was broken, and he colpsed to the side, blood flowing profusely.

  The boy watched all of this with his eyes wide. In that moment, he realized the vast difference and felt powerless, yet rage consumed him. He stood up quickly, raised his sword despite his weakness, ready to unleash his strongest strike:

  “Water Breathing – Form Nine: Dark Ripple Tidal Wave!”

  But Akaza was faster. He vanished in a fsh of speed, his fist aimed directly at the boy’s heart. One strike would end everything.

  At the decisive moment, Rengoku, on one leg only, leaped between them. His body shook from the pain, blood flowing from his broken leg, yet he stood on his left leg with incredible bance, focusing all his weight there. His eyes gleamed with his usual madness, and his fming hair flew with every movement. He raised his sword high and shouted:

  “You will not touch him, you fiend!”

  His bzing sword struck downward with precision, piercing Akaza’s flesh with tremendous force, sparks flying around them, fmes roaring in the carriage. The passengers froze in terror and awe.

  The boy, after Akaza’s previous strike, tried to rise, raised his sword, and supported Rengoku, plunging his own sword into the same spot, trying to double the damage. He shouted:

  “This is your end, you vile demon! There will be no future for you alive today!”

  But Akaza possessed unbelievable speed, bent slightly, and dodged both swords in a swift motion. Then he aimed a strike at Rengoku’s right eye, removing it from its socket. Rengoku flew backward in pain and screamed. Akaza quickly turned toward the boy and said angrily:

  “You made me angry, fools. You are now counted among the dead.”

  He charged at the boy to deliver his final lethal strike directly to his heart. Nezuko tried to dash alongside him, but she was far too slow compared to Akaza’s terrifying speed. The boy’s final moment seemed inevitable.

  Suddenly, Rengoku appeared from nowhere in front of Akaza, then looked at the boy, his eyes filled with determination and love, whispering hoarsely:

  “You are not at fault… you were trying to protect them. I know you know something about the future, but don’t worry… this is not your fault.”

  Then, with Akaza’s final strike hitting his heart directly, Rengoku fell to the ground. His one remaining leg could no longer support him. Blood covered his body, his breaths were broken, but he had completed his heroic mission: the boy was still alive, Nezuko by his side, yet the psychological torment began immediately.

  The boy sank to his knees beside Nezuko, his hands shaking, tears flooding his face. He now knew he was directly responsible for Rengoku’s death, and that all the power he possessed couldn’t prevent witnessing the same fate, only this time far worse. He looked at Rengoku as if wishing he could redo everything, wishing he had never entered this demon world, drowning in guilt and self-hatred.

  The inner voice suddenly throbbed within him, the voice that had never left since entering the demon world, whispering quietly yet sharply like a knife:

  “Didn’t you say you would save them? You made it worse.”

  The boy looked at Rengoku again, his eyes filled with tears and self-loathing, his voice trembling as he whispered in low, furious tones:

  “I… I… I killed Rengoku… I am the one who killed Rengoku… I am the reason…”

  Hey everyone!

  I know this chapter took a bit longer than expected, and I really appreciate your patience. Your support means the world to me! Every comment, like, and share helps keep this story alive and motivates me to write even more.

  Remember: the more you interact and share your thoughts, the more chapters we’ll have. So don’t hold back—tell me what you think, your favorite moments, or even what you hope to see next! Together, we can make this journey even more epic.

  Thank you for reading, and I can’t wait to bring you the next chapter!