Chapter Summaries

Kagaya sent Giyu and Obanai to investigate disappearances and a powerful demon at a western quarry, with Shinobu assigned to analyze unusual plants there. At the Butterfly Mansion, Kanae warmly saw Giyu off, leaving Obanai furious and jealous as the group prepared to depart.

• Kagaya told Giyu and Obanai that civilians and a group of Demon Slayers had vanished at a western quarry, where evidence suggested a Twelve Kizuki or possibly an Upper Rank demon.
• Kagaya ordered Giyu to stop at the Butterfly Mansion and bring Shinobu to examine unusual medicinal plants near the quarry, and Obanai reluctantly accepted the assignment.
• Giyu and Obanai arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, where Kanae greeted Giyu and told him she would wait for his safe return.
• Obanai angrily interrupted Kanae and Giyu's affectionate farewell, and Kanae calmly told him to keep a good frame of mind.

Shinobu joined Giyu for a dangerous mission, provoking Obanai by clinging to Giyu and accusing Obanai of jealousy. Giyu promised to protect Shinobu, and Obanai stormed off while Kanae watched them leave.

• Shinobu arrived with a packed medical kit and said she was ready to accompany Giyu to the quarry.
• Obanai insulted Shinobu and Giyu, but Shinobu taunted him about his height and accused him of being jealous.
• Shinobu clung to Giyu's arm and claimed he would protect her, while Giyu relaxed his arm to make her more comfortable.
• Giyu promised Obanai that he would bring Shinobu back safely, making Obanai furious enough to leave.
• Shinobu thanked Giyu and released his arm, and Kanae wished them a safe journey from the Butterfly Mansion.

Shinobu Kocho faked an injury to get closer to Giyu Tomioka, who carried her on his back despite seeing through her act. Her teasing comments enraged Obanai Iguro, whom Giyu left behind as he hurried onward.

• Shinobu pretended to twist her ankle and suffer from the heat so Giyu would help her.
• Obanai accused Shinobu of faking her injury and urged Giyu to leave her behind.
• Giyu decided to carry Shinobu, and she climbed onto his back.
• Shinobu flirted with Giyu and hinted that he had been intimate with Kanae, provoking Obanai.
• Giyu sped away with Shinobu while Obanai stayed behind, furious and striking a roadside tree.

Giyu, Shinobu, and Obanai arrived in Nara Prefecture and learned that a hidden demon had been terrorizing the city at night. Obanai’s attempt to question civilians backfired when they mistook him and his snake for a monster, so he stormed off to investigate alone.

• Giyu, Shinobu, and Obanai entered Nara Prefecture and found its streets deserted, with shops and homes shut against a demon that the civilians feared.
• Giyu noted that the demon’s aura was faint and concealed, while Shinobu sensed the lingering smell of blood.
• Civilians at a tea stall said the demon attacked nightly, killed Master Li’s guards, stripped Constable Wang’s skin, and that authorities had withdrawn to a quarry outside the city.
• Obanai approached the tea stall to demand information, but the civilians mistook him and his white snake for a monster and panicked.
• Shinobu laughed at Obanai’s failed attempt, and Giyu criticized his disguise before Obanai stormed off to investigate alone.

Giyu and Shinobu found a room at the Joyful Arrival Inn after Obanai returned from searching for clues. Shinobu shared Giyu’s room and teased him, while he chose to keep watch instead of bathing with her.

• Giyu and Shinobu found the Joyful Arrival Inn and asked the innkeeper for rooms.
• Obanai returned without useful clues and demanded three rooms, but Shinobu asked to share a room with Giyu.
• Giyu booked two rooms and said Shinobu would share one with him, angering Obanai.
• In their room, Shinobu undressed to her undergarment and invited Giyu to bathe with her.
• Giyu blushed, refused the invitation, and sat down to keep watch while Shinobu privately celebrated her effect on him.

Giyu, Obanai, and Shinobu investigated reports of demons in Nara Prefecture and uncovered clues pointing to separate threats at a quarry and in the city. Obanai headed alone to the quarry while Giyu and Shinobu prepared to hunt the demon in town.

• Giyu meditated and pushed his spiritual power beyond its limits as he resolved to grow strong enough to face Muzan.
• Obanai interrogated a thief in the city but learned nothing about the demon and returned to the inn frustrated.
• Shinobu questioned a crowd at a bun shop and learned about gruesome killings in the city, a demon seen near a ruined temple, and a heavily guarded quarry.
• Shinobu told Giyu and Obanai that more than a hundred workers had died at the quarry and that civilians were being killed in the city; Giyu concluded that two demons were involved.
• Obanai claimed the quarry demon for himself and left, while Giyu and Shinobu prepared to hunt the city demon.

Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho tracked fifteen demons hiding in Nara Prefecture Town and split up to hunt them. Shinobu confronted the Lower Rank-level demon on the lord's residence spire and provoked its wounded pride, leaving the fight about to begin.

• Giyu used Transparent World to locate fifteen demons, including a powerful presence at the lord's residence.
• Shinobu volunteered to face the Lower Rank-level demon while Giyu agreed to clear out the other demons and protect the townspeople.
• Shinobu raced to the lord's residence as Giyu set off to hunt the smaller demons.
• Shinobu found the shadow demon on the spire and mocked its past as an assassin samurai and its cowardly nature.
• The shadow demon flew into a rage after Shinobu's insults struck at its deepest insecurity.

Shinobu Kocho fought the Dark Demon across the city lord’s mansion roof, dodging his shadow attacks while searching for a chance to inject her poison. After killing fourteen low-level demons, Giyu Tomioka analyzed Shinobu’s battle and raced toward the mansion.

• The Dark Demon trapped Shinobu in a cage of shadow walls and attacked her with chains, but she dodged them using Insect Breathing.
• Shinobu launched a poisoned thrust at the Dark Demon, but his shadow shield blocked her blade and revealed that she lacked the strength to cut through his defenses.
• The Dark Demon unleashed a storm of shadow blades and claws, while Shinobu circled him and looked for an opening to poison him.
• Giyu Tomioka killed fourteen low-level demons while tracking Shinobu’s progress and assessing the risks of her drawn-out fight.
• Giyu Tomioka raced toward the city lord’s mansion to join the battle.

Giyu Tomioka rescued Shinobu Kocho by killing the Dark Demon, then rushed with her toward the quarry after sensing a force nearly as powerful as an Upper Rank. They feared Obanai Iguro, who had gone there alone, was in danger.

• The Dark Demon trapped Shinobu Kocho in a black mist cage and attacked her with thousands of shadow claws.
• Giyu Tomioka broke through the cage with Water Breathing, beheaded the Dark Demon, and made it turn to ash.
• Shinobu Kocho teased Giyu for stealing her kill, but his insistence that he could not let her get hurt left her flustered.
• A tremendous roar came from the quarry outside town, and Giyu sensed an energy fluctuation close to an Upper Rank.
• Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka realized Obanai Iguro had gone to the quarry alone, so Giyu grabbed her wrist and rushed there with her.

Obanai Iguro confronted the Rock Demon in a quarry, but government soldiers interrupted their standoff with gunfire that could not pierce the demon’s armor. After Obanai cut down three ricocheting bullets and the soldiers stopped firing, he prepared to fight the Rock Demon directly.

• Obanai Iguro entered the bloodstained quarry and assessed the Rock Demon as a powerful opponent capable of challenging an Upper Rank.
• The Rock Demon recognized Obanai as a Hashira-level Demon Slayer, and the two faced off across the quarry.
• Government soldiers opened fire on the Rock Demon, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off his rocky armor and obstructed Obanai’s attack routes.
• Obanai used Serpent Breathing, First Form—Winding Serpent Slash to cut three ricocheting bullets out of the air.
• The soldiers stopped firing in amazement, and Obanai lowered his stance while Kaburamaru helped him track the Rock Demon.

Obanai fought the Rock Demon through a brutal battle of evasion and repeated attacks, gradually cracking the demon’s armor while exhausting himself. With the Rock Demon’s neck exposed, Obanai launched a final, all-or-nothing strike, and the chapter ended as he pierced the demon’s defenses at incredible speed.

• The Rock Demon charged Obanai with a massive stone fist, but Obanai dodged and counterattacked with Serpent Breathing.
• Obanai’s blade barely penetrated the Rock Demon’s dense armor, forcing him to evade a sweeping blow and rethink his strategy.
• The Rock Demon used Thousand-Rock Bone Lock to summon tracking spikes that formed a stone cage around Obanai.
• Obanai and the Rock Demon fought for half an hour as Obanai dodged the attacks and repeatedly cut at the demon’s armor, especially around his neck.
• With his stamina nearly gone and the Rock Demon’s neck armor cracked away, Obanai unleashed Serpent Breathing, Fourth Form: Twin-Headed Reptile, and surged through the demon’s defenses.

Obanai nearly severed the Rock Demon’s neck, but the demon stopped his blade and transformed into a ten-meter stone giant by merging with the quarry’s rock. As the giant’s crushing force pinned the soldiers and weakened Obanai, Obanai stood his ground and vowed to kill him.

• Obanai’s Nichirin Blade cut through the Rock Demon’s armor and flesh, but the demon clamped his neck muscles and vertebrae around the blade, stopping the decapitation.
• The Rock Demon unleashed a blast of Demon Aura that sent Obanai flying, then plunged his arms into the quarry and dissolved his body into the rocks.
• The Rock Demon formed the Hell Prison Giant Puppet from stone and demon blood, rising as a ten-meter giant with a powerful gravitational field.
• The giant’s pressure knocked the government soldiers to their knees and bent their rifles, while Obanai struggled to remain upright beneath it.
• The Hell Prison Giant Puppet raised a house-sized fist toward Obanai, who gripped his Nichirin Blade and declared that he would kill the demon.

Giyu stopped Shinobu from interfering in Obanai’s battle, claiming Obanai needed the pressure to reach the Transparent World. Shinobu teased Giyu for treating her differently, then stood with him as Obanai remained trapped in a desperate fight against the giant puppet.

• Shinobu tried to leap from the cliff to rescue Obanai, but Giyu grabbed her and forbade her from interfering.
• Giyu said Obanai was close to reaching the Transparent World and needed to face the danger alone.
• Shinobu mocked Giyu for protecting her during her earlier fight, and Giyu claimed she needed protection because she was a medical specialist.
• Shinobu laughed at Giyu’s excuse and agreed to remain beside him as they watched the battle.
• The Desolate Prison Giant Puppet struck near Obanai, injuring Kaburamaru and sending Obanai tumbling through rubble.
• Obanai coughed up blood and wondered how a demon could possess such strength and defense.

Obanai Iguro was driven to the brink by the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet after losing the resolve to fight and relying on Giyu Tomioka to arrive. Reclaiming his pride and remembering Giyu’s advice, he entered a state of absolute calm and awakened the Transparent World, seeing the puppet’s hidden heart.

• The Desolate Prison Giant Puppet battered Obanai Iguro, leaving him badly wounded as he tried to hold out for Giyu Tomioka.
• Obanai’s reliance on Giyu weakened his attacks, and the puppet struck him into a quarry cliff and prepared to finish him off.
• Obanai rejected the idea of being rescued by Giyu and resolved to defeat the puppet himself.
• Obanai remembered Giyu’s advice to calm his emotions and clear his mind.
• Obanai awakened the Transparent World and saw the puppet’s heart through its stone body.

Obanai Iguro awakened the Transparent World and nearly decapitated the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet, but his blade snapped. Giyu Tomioka threw him his own Nichirin Blade, allowing Obanai to kill the Rock Demon and land amid the ruins.

• Obanai used the Transparent World to dodge the giant puppet’s attacks and strike at the Rock Demon’s neck.
• The Rock Demon hardened his body, and Obanai’s Nichirin Blade snapped just before it could sever his neck.
• As the giant puppet attacked the unarmed Obanai, Giyu Tomioka threw him his deep blue Nichirin Blade from the cliff.
• Obanai caught Giyu’s sword and used its momentum and sharpness to sever the Rock Demon’s neck.
• The headless Desolate Prison Giant Puppet collapsed, and Obanai landed beside the rubble, badly wounded but alive.

Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho treated Obanai Iguro after the battle, and Giyu stayed with Shinobu as she gathered rare medicinal herbs. Their journey left Shinobu increasingly moved by Giyu’s quiet attentiveness and wishing their time together would continue.

• Shinobu Kocho treated Obanai Iguro’s severe injuries while Giyu Tomioka guarded them, and Obanai’s breathing steadied.
• Giyu summoned Kanzaburo to request emergency transport for Obanai to the Butterfly Mansion.
• Giyu stayed with Shinobu as she searched the mountains and poisonous marshes for rare medicinal herbs.
• Giyu cleared thorny vines and helped Shinobu cross a swift stream by taking her hand.
• Giyu offered Shinobu water during a rest, and Shinobu privately wished their herb-gathering journey would never end.

Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho returned to the Butterfly Mansion, where Kanae welcomed her husband and later tried to learn whether he had romantic feelings for Shinobu. Giyu said he saw Shinobu only as a trusted colleague and Kanae's sister, leaving Shinobu determined to make him fall for her.

• Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho returned to the Butterfly Mansion with baskets of rare herbs, and Kanae Kocho greeted Giyu warmly.
• Kanae visited Giyu in his guest room that night, and the two made love while Shinobu overheard them outside the door.
• Kanae asked Giyu what he thought of Shinobu, and he said he regarded her as a trusted colleague and Kanae's sister, not a romantic interest.
• Shinobu felt hurt by Giyu's answer, then resolved to win his affection and left the corridor.
• Kanae decided Shinobu still had a long way to go and resumed making love with Giyu.

After resting at the Butterfly Mansion, Giyu proposed turning the Mount Fujikasane selection into a trial for Tanjiro by capturing a Twelve Kizuki demon. An urgent report about missing swordsmen on Mount Natagumo sent Giyu to support the mission instead.

• Giyu rested at the Butterfly Mansion while Kanae pampered him and Shinobu scolded him.
• Giyu visited Kagaya and proposed capturing a Twelve Kizuki demon for Tanjiro's Mount Fujikasane trial.
• Kagaya approved Giyu's plan and offered the Kakushi Division's support.
• A Kasugai Crow reported that more than a dozen swordsmen had disappeared on Mount Natagumo, where a Twelve Kizuki demon was suspected.
• Giyu accepted the mission to support Mount Natagumo and left immediately.

Nine months into Sakonji Urokodaki's training, Tanjiro prepared for Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane while worrying about the demons he would face. Demon Tanjiro mocked his fear, and Tanjiro regained his resolve to keep training.

• Tanjiro completed ten thousand wooden sword swings in the freezing snow on Mount Sagiri.
• Tanjiro worried that he was not strong enough for Final Selection, which was less than a week away.
• Demon Tanjiro ridiculed Tanjiro's fear and argued that he had grown stronger despite losing sparring matches to Sakonji Urokodaki.
• Tanjiro's anxiety faded, and he vowed to keep training after reminding himself he was no longer the weak boy who could only cry.

Tanjiro faced Sakonji Urokodaki in a lethal final test before the selection on Mount Fujikasane, revealing his mastery of Sun Breathing after being overwhelmed by Urokodaki's Water Breathing. After an hour of combat, both launched their final techniques at each other, and the chapter ended with their clash unresolved.

• Sakonji Urokodaki attacked Tanjiro with a real Nichirin Blade and declared that the fight was his final test before the selection.
• Urokodaki overwhelmed Tanjiro with Water Breathing techniques, leaving him with multiple wounds and forcing him into a desperate defense.
• Tanjiro ignited his blade with Sun Breathing and unleashed a powerful attack that shocked Urokodaki and vaporized the surrounding snow.
• Tanjiro and Urokodaki exchanged increasingly powerful Sun Breathing and Water Breathing techniques for an hour, devastating the mountaintop.
• Tanjiro and Urokodaki each launched a final technique, and their fire and water dragons collided.