Their footsteps on the cobblestone road were steady. Inosuke walked in front, excited, swinging his arms as if heading into a great battle. Zenitsu grumbled as usual, compining about the idea of facing a new demon. Nezuko sat quietly inside her box, everything calm, disturbingly calm. Jack walked behind them with slower steps, the path leading them to the station—or rather, to the train to the moment when Rengoku had died. This time, they arrived half an hour before the train’s departure. Jack gripped his sword tightly.

  “Not again.”

  He lifted his head and saw smoke rising in the distance. The train’s whistle pierced the air and then suddenly stopped. Inosuke turned to him and said:

  “What’s wrong, coward? Don’t tell me you’re scared of the train!”

  Zenitsu looked at him with concern:

  “Tanjiro… your face is pale.”

  Jack didn’t answer. He stared at the railroad tracks as if they were a long snake leading them toward certain death. Then, an inner voice whispered:

  If I get on… he’ll die. If I don’t… maybe everything will change.

  He took a deep breath and suddenly said:

  “We’re not getting on.”

  Everyone froze, and Zenitsu shouted loudly, “What?”

  Jack slowly raised his gaze:

  “I have a feeling there’s a very powerful demon waiting for us, stronger than you can imagine. And if things go as they did before… someone will die.”

  Zenitsu shivered.

  “W… who will die?!”

  Jack didn’t mention the name, but he could see that burning smile in his memory. He saw every detail of the fight and tried to think of a way to save Rengoku this time. He knew this chance might never come again, and if he failed, there might be no second chance. He needed a solution that would end Rengoku’s death.

  At that moment, a deep, familiar voice came from behind:

  “Oh? Looks like you’re discussing something serious!”

  They all turned. There, under the morning sunlight, stood smiling widely, his eyes shining with life. Yes, it was Rengoku Kyojuro, the Fme Hashira.

  Jack’s heart skipped a beat. He whispered to himself:

  He’s alive. He’s standing right in front of me. I can’t watch him die again. I have to save him this time, even if it costs me my life.

  Rengoku stepped forward with steady footsteps:

  “I heard you say ‘we’re not getting on’… is there a reason, boy?”

  Jack felt suffocated. How could he tell him he would die? How could he expin that the train was his st path? He csped his hands together and said:

  “Hashira Kyojuro, what if there’s a demon from the Upper Moon?”

  Rengoku’s smile didn’t change:

  “Then that’s another reason to get on, boy. Our duty is to protect people. If we don’t go, then who will?”

  Simple words, yet they broke Jack’s defenses. He couldn’t tell Rengoku what was going to happen. Even if it meant risking his pain and the headache that would come, Rengoku would not back down. The train’s whistle blew again, smoke rising higher. Jack looked at the tracks once more, trying to escape from the path, but it was heading straight for him. At that moment, he whispered internally:

  “If I can’t stop it, I’ll change what comes after. Alright… we’ll get on.”

  But his eyes were no longer Tanjiro’s. This time, they held cold determination—the design of a boy named Jack, who came to change this world and rewrite fate.

  They boarded the train. Each took their seat, except Jack, who stood by the door, thinking fast, trying to find a way to save Rengoku this time and avoid the same inevitable fate. At that moment, he whispered to himself:

  “I’ve trained and grown stronger. I’m not who I was before. This time, I’ll accelerate the pace and get ahead of Akaza by one step. Enmu… it’s your turn.”

  Jack shot forward across the train like an arrow, running toward the front where Enmu stood. The wind smmed against his face, but he didn’t hesitate for a moment. Finally, he found him standing, his hair moving with the wind, eyes shining with power. Jack gripped his sword and thought:

  “This time… I won’t leave anything to fate. I won’t die, and Hashira Kyojuro won’t die either.”

  He leapt forward and shouted:

  “Hinokami Kagura – First Form!”

  Fmes burst along his sword as the strike unched toward Enmu. Enmu smiled lightly and moved immediately, using his technique:

  “Blood Burst – Upper Moon Strike!”

  They cshed with a surge of sparks. Enmu looked at him curiously and said calmly:

  “How did you find me, annoying boy? There’s something strange about you.”

  Jack didn’t respond, fully focused on ending the fight, because everything depended on his battle with Enmu. In a sudden move, he jumped forward on the roof and executed a circur strike. Fmes wrapped around his sword. Enmu was fast, evading the attacks and countering from the side, each step calcuted. The roof beneath them trembled as the train surged forward. Suddenly, Jack felt something deep inside him, as if another sense had awakened. He remembered all his training, every step, every time he faced death. He took a deep breath and shouted:

  “Hinokami Kagura – Sun Halo!”

  Enmu, shocked by the speed and power, tried to retreat but couldn’t. The strike hit him directly. He fell onto the roof, astonished, his eyes wide in disbelief:

  “This can’t be… someone like you, not even a Hashira… I’ll kill you, you bastard! I’ll kill you here and now!”

  Jack seized the moment of Enmu’s weakness and lunged with great force, taking a deep breath.

  “Hinokami Kagura – Second Form!”

  Fmes engulfed his sword fully as he rushed toward Enmu. But just before the strike nded, Rengoku sensed something. He leapt onto the roof, smiling widely:

  “Let me show you how this ends.”

  Together, Jack and Rengoku moved as one. Rengoku struck:

  “United Fme – Final Strike!”

  One precise, swift blow hit Enmu directly, severing his head. There was no time to resist. Enmu colpsed on the roof, motionless. Jack panted heavily. Rengoku pced a hand on his shoulder, smiling:

  “How did you know he was here, boy? We’ll talk about that ter.”

  Enmu gasped his st breaths, unable to believe what happened. All his pns fell apart. His dream of having blood greater than Muzan’s was destroyed in an instant. He muttered:

  “Lord Muzan… I’m sorry… I was too weak… I don’t deserve your blood.”

  Jack remained atop the train, breathing hard but steady, eyes scanning everything around him, ready for any movement after Enmu’s death. He knew this was just the beginning, and the greater danger was yet to come. He turned toward Rengoku and said seriously:

  “Hashira Rengoku… we have to get off the train now. Trust me, we have to go. I can’t expin more.”

  Rengoku stood for a moment, eyes gleaming with curiosity and suspicion. He noticed something different in Jack’s tone and behavior. He stayed still, looking Jack in the eyes, then said:

  “What… what are you hiding, boy? And why do you want us to go now?”

  Jack answered, eyes scanning the surroundings:

  “Time is short… the danger is greater than you realize. If we stay here, no one will survive.”

  Rengoku responded with firmness and anger:

  “Boy, do you know who you’re talking to? I’m Hashira Fme Rengoku Kyojuro. If you want to flee danger, you don’t deserve to be in the corps. We defend innocent people, even if it costs our lives. That is our duty, and we must do it to the st breath. If you can’t do your duty… give me your sword and leave now. Go.”

  Jack’s eyes filled with tears. He knew Rengoku would never leave the battlefield. He shouted:

  “Why don’t you understand? I’m not afraid to die! I’m afraid someone will die here! That’s why I’m doing all this. Why won’t you understand?”

  Rengoku looked into Jack’s eyes:

  “Boy… you’re hiding something great. This is a betrayal to the corps. If you know what will happen in the future… it means you’re either a traitor or you have a strange power to sense what might come.”

  And as Rengoku’s suspicion grew, suddenly… a soft thud sounded on the roof of the rear carriage. It wasn’t an explosion, not a scary sound… just a presence. Jack felt a chill run through his body. The smell… the same smell. He slowly turned.

  There he stood, on top of the train, his body lit by the emerging moonlight. His pink hair moved gently. The blue tattoos on his body were clear. A cold smile stretched across his face. His voice was calm, yet carried terrifying power:

  “Boy… it seems you’ve been waiting for me.”

  Rengoku smiled widely, pnting his foot firmly on the roof:

  “So this is what you were talking about, boy. You wanted me to run? I’ll protect these people on this train. I’ll protect everyone, even if it costs me my life here.”

  The wind intensified suddenly. The train surged forward into the darkness. On top of it… three stood. One knew what was coming, one feared no death, and one came to forge it…