Blue Stone Town: Dawn and Echoes!

On the horizon, the clouds gradually turned gold and crimson, and the last trace of night's darkness was completely swept away.

A round, golden sun leaped above the distant mountains, spilling its brilliant light across the ravaged earth.

Blue Stone Town, the ruins of Tetsusai's martial arts hall.

The first warm ray of sunlight passed through the broken eaves and fell upon Giyu Tomioka.

He was still standing with his sword in hand, though only half of his Nichirin Blade remained.

His red haori was riddled with holes and barely hung from his shoulders.

Sunlight illuminated his face, revealing skin as pale as paper and crisscrossing streaks of dried blood.

His ice-blue eyes were lowered, reflecting the shattered bluestone beneath him and the scattered remnants of crimson cherry blossoms.

That beam of light seemed to flip a switch.

"Ugh..."

An involuntary groan escaped his throat.

The breath he had forcibly held together all this time suddenly gave out as the battle ended and the sunlight brought an illusory warmth.

"Pfft—!"

A great mouthful of black, congealed blood burst from his mouth, splattering the ground before him, which had grown slightly warm in the sun. It was a shocking sight.

The instant he left the mysterious state of the Transparent World, all the pain that had been temporarily blocked and suppressed came roaring back like a breached flood, a hundred times fiercer than before!

His vision abruptly went dark, most of it vanishing until only swaying spots of light remained.

He could no longer hold himself up. His knees buckled, and he fell heavily forward onto them. The remaining half of his broken blade slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a clang.

He barely managed to brace himself with his palm, keeping himself from collapsing completely, but his body was already trembling like a candle in the wind. Every breath brought a tearing pain throughout his body, along with bloody foam.

"Caw—!!!"

Kanzaburo, who had been circling anxiously in the air nearby, saw Giyu spit blood and fall to his knees. Like a bolt of black lightning, the crow swooped down and landed heavily beside him.

Kanzaburo hopped around Giyu, trying in vain to support him with black wings, nervously pecking at his bloodstained arms and shoulders. The crow's voice was filled with unprecedented panic and sounded close to tears o(╥﹏╥)o:

"Giyu! Giyu! Don't die!"

"Open your eyes! Don't die!!"

"Cough, cough..."

Giyu's vision blurred.

He turned his head very slowly, his unfocused gaze barely settling on the Kasugai Crow's small, anxious figure.

His lips moved, forcing out a few words in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible:

"Cough... I... I won't die..."

Just then, a series of hurried, heavy footsteps approached from afar, shattering the deathly silence of dawn over the ruined training grounds.

A tall, powerfully built figure wearing a flame-patterned haori landed with a crash at the shattered entrance to the martial arts hall, like a burning meteor.

The newcomer stood straight, his long gold-and-crimson hair whipping wildly in the morning breeze, his thick brows drawn tight.

His gold-and-crimson eyes, usually full of vitality, were fixed on the scene before him, disbelief and shock erupting deep within them.

The Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, had arrived.

Before he had even caught his breath from his frantic dash, his blazing gaze swept rapidly across the entire scene.

Collapsed walls, shattered beams and pillars, deep craters everywhere, and a bluestone floor torn apart by an immense, invisible force.

The lingering traces of violent demon aura in the air, still not fully dispersed and enough to make one's heart tremble.

And the overpowering stench of blood...

These were definitely not the marks of an ordinary battle.

Just how strong had the demon that caused all this been...?

Shinjuro's gaze finally locked onto Giyu, whose breathing was faint.

An utterly absurd yet unmistakably clear conclusion exploded in his mind like a thunderclap:

Lower Rank One... was really slain by this kid... alone?!

How long has it even been?

How much time passed between Kanzaburo's call for help and my arrival at full speed?

This Mizunoto Rank boy, in whom Oyakata-sama placed such high hopes and who showed such astonishing potential on Defiled Wood Mountain, has already grown strong enough to kill Lower Rank One single-handedly?!

After all, even he, a Hashira, would never dare let his guard down in the slightest against a Lower Rank of the Twelve Kizuki, especially one of the higher-ranked ones. He would have to prepare for a grueling battle, even for death!

For a moment, the world before him seemed unreal.

Shinjuro drew a deep breath of cool air tinged with blood and earth, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions.

He strode across the ruins, came to Giyu, and crouched down.

Up close, the severity of the boy's injuries was even more frightening:

Multiple lacerations deep enough to expose bone, a left arm bent at an unnatural angle, a face pale and bloodless, and breathing so faint it seemed it might stop at any moment.

"Hey! Kid!"

Shinjuro's booming voice rang out with its characteristic carrying power, though it was also touched by an unusual gravity.

His gold-and-crimson eyes stayed fixed on Giyu's unfocused pupils.

"How are you? Do you still have the strength to swing a sword?!"

"In your condition, can you still kill demons?!"

His voice beat like a drum against the edge of Giyu's fading consciousness.

Giyu's eyelashes trembled. His unfocused ice-blue eyes lifted very slowly, finally meeting Shinjuro's blazing gaze.

There was little emotion in those eyes, only a stillness that bordered on deathly silence.

His lips moved slightly. His voice was as faint as a mosquito's, yet unusually clear, and carried a matter-of-fact calm:

"Of course..."

He paused, as though exhausting the last bit of strength keeping him conscious.

"...But first, I need to pass out for a while."

With those words, the last trace of life he had forced into his eyes went out completely.

His head lolled, and his body lost all support, falling limply forward.

"Giyu! Giyu!! Hey!!"

Kanzaburo hopped about in panic, the crow's cries growing even more shrill.

"Stop howling!"

Shinjuro barked, but his movements were as quick as lightning.

He reached out with his strong arms and caught Giyu as he fell unconscious.

Without a second thought, he hoisted the blood-soaked boy, who was much shorter than him, securely onto his broad shoulder.

Warm blood immediately soaked through the haori on Shinjuro's shoulder, spreading into a dark stain.

He glanced down at the unconscious, deathly pale Giyu on his shoulder, then looked up and swept his gaze over the ruins that had witnessed a miraculous battle to the death.

Shock still lingered in his gold-and-crimson eyes, and worry surfaced as well, but in the end, a stronger, burning conviction flared up.

With injuries this severe... anyone else probably wouldn't survive... let alone...

Thoughts raced through Shinjuro's mind, but he remembered the look in Giyu's eyes after he had exhausted himself on Defiled Wood Mountain, and Oyakata-sama's words: "He won't disappoint me."

You brat... maybe you can pull off a miracle.

He grinned, a touch of fighting spirit and anticipation in his smile.

"Kanzaburo! Lead the way back to headquarters! The medical department! As fast as you can!"

Shinjuro wasted no more time, issuing the order to the anxious Kasugai Crow in a loud, unquestionable voice.

"Yes! Yes! This way! Hurry, follow me!"

As though he had found someone to rely on, Kanzaburo immediately flapped into the air and pointed the way.

Shinjuro took one last look at the ruins, tightened his hold on the unconscious Giyu over his shoulder, and pushed off, racing toward the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters like a raging flame.

The morning light fully illuminated the earth, stretching the racing shadows of the man and crow, and the startling patch of blood on his shoulder, into long silhouettes.

Not long after Shinjuro Rengoku left Blue Stone Town carrying Giyu, several Kasugai Crows entrusted with urgent communications had already carried a storm of news to every corner within the Demon Slayer Corps' reach.

They beat their wings furiously, darting through the gradually brightening sky, their chests heaving with excitement and the speed of their flight.

Then they opened their distinctive, battered-gong throats and, in voices hoarse yet piercing, sent a triumphant announcement ringing through the skies over the land, forests, outposts, and villages below:

"Caw—!!! A great victory!!! A great victory!!!"

"Mizunoto Rank swordsman Giyu Tomioka! In Blue Stone Town! Successfully defeated Lower Rank One alone!!!"

"Repeat! Mizunoto Rank swordsman Giyu Tomioka! Successfully defeated Lower Rank One!! Caw—!!!"

The crows' loud, exhilarated cries rolled again and again like thunder through the tranquil morning sky, reaching the ears of countless Demon Slayer Corps members.

At a training ground in a mountain forest, several Mizunoto and Mizunoe Rank members practicing that morning all stopped swinging their swords and looked up in astonishment at the black silhouettes passing overhead.

"M-Mizunoto Rank? Giyu Tomioka? Is that the newcomer who supposedly saved a lot of people on Mount Fujikasane?"

"Lower Rank One?! He defeated him alone?! You've got to be kidding!"

"Kasugai Crows wouldn't make up news like this... Could it be true?!"

"Good heavens... We can barely handle an ordinary little demon..."

At a concealed temporary Kakushi relay station, the Kakushi members moving supplies all straightened up.

They listened closely, disbelief appearing on their faces before giving way to immense delight.

"Did you hear that? It's Lord Giyu!"

"I knew it! That young lord is different!"

"Lower Rank One... This is incredible news!"

"Quick, record the news and pass it on to the other squads as fast as possible! Morale! This is a huge boost to morale!"

On a remote mountain road, an A-Rank swordsman on a reconnaissance mission reined in his horse. Shock showed on the face beneath his helmet as he spoke quietly to his companions:

"Giyu Tomioka... Is that Senior Urokodaki's disciple?"

"He's already... grown to this level?"

"He killed Lower Rank One alone... Whew, the younger generation is formidable, truly formidable!"

Even at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, the solemn, peaceful atmosphere was broken by those cries.

Maids hurrying along the corridors, servants sweeping the courtyard, and members who had yet to leave on missions all stopped in their tracks, exchanging astonished and excited looks.

Like a spark setting a field ablaze, the news spread and grew throughout the Demon Slayer Corps at an astonishing speed.

Shock, doubt, elation, admiration, and disbelief... All manner of emotions intertwined.

A Mizunoto Rank member, who had joined only a short while ago, had accomplished the feat of defeating Lower Rank One alone!

It completely shattered their understanding of rank, strength, and the speed at which one could grow!

The name Giyu Tomioka no longer belonged merely to a promising rising star, but to a star of miracles that had suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, illuminating the entire Demon Slayer Corps' morning.

Countless people discussed the news in shock and grew excited as they talked.

Flagging morale was lifted, and the flame of hope for the future was quietly kindled.

The Demon Slayer Corps' morning was no longer ordinary, thanks to this sudden news of victory.

And deep within headquarters, in a quiet Japanese-style room,

Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat upright in the place of honor, a deeper, more complicated smile slowly appearing on his scar-covered face.

In that smile were relief, the calm of someone thinking "just as I expected," concern for the boy's injuries, and perhaps... a trace of anticipation and a premonition of the greater upheaval about to come.