Killing Rokuro

Tachibana drew all his senses inward, focusing them on himself.

There wasn't the slightest resistance. In an instant, his perception passed through the surface of his body and entered within.

Leaf Obscuring Vision.

At that moment, Tachibana seemed to pass through a layer of sandpaper and enter another world.

The mysteries of the human body's universe unfolded before his eyes.

This was an experience Tachibana had never had before.

His heart pounded like a powerful engine inside his body.

"Thump, thump... thump, thump... thump, thump..."

With every beat of his heart, blood surged through his veins. At that moment, Tachibana felt as if he were standing amid a raging sea.

Constrained by muscles and blood vessels, the waves of blood carried this violent energy throughout the body, to every limb and bone.

Tachibana controlled his senses, far sharper than an ordinary person's. Starting with the muscles and blood vessels that controlled his heart, he gradually followed the flow of blood as it spread throughout his body...

Hearing the Demon Slayer Corps member's boastful words, Rokuro reacted as though he'd just heard an utterly hilarious joke.

"Ha ha... ha ha..."

Rokuro couldn't stop himself. Clutching his stomach, he burst into wild laughter.

It took a while before Rokuro finally calmed down. He looked at the Demon Slayer Corps member who had stepped in front of Kujo Tachibana to block his way.

Rokuro said expressionlessly,

"You're nothing but an ant. What makes you think you can talk big in front of me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rokuro lunged straight at Fujiwara Naoto.

Facing the terrifying demon, Naoto had already accepted the possibility of death. He no longer cowered!

Naoto took a deep breath, activated Water Breathing, and gave it everything he had as he unleashed the sword technique he'd mastered best!

"Water Breathing: First Form, Water Surface Slash!"

Naoto shouted and swung the sky-blue Nichirin Sword in his hands.

With the bonds of his fallen comrades, his resolve to protect humanity, and his acceptance of death behind it,

he slashed at Rokuro's neck!

With a thunderous bang,

Rokuro casually struck the Demon Slayer Corps member before him and sent him flying.

Looking at the wound on the back of his hand—which hadn't even cut through the skin reinforced by his Blood Demon Art—Rokuro couldn't help sneering.

"If your sword technique is this useless, there's no need to announce its name."

"I could stand right here and let you slash me, and you still wouldn't be able to hurt—"

"Water Breathing: First Form, Water Surface Slash." Tachibana, who had somehow appeared behind Rokuro with his eyes closed, spoke softly to the empty air.

At the same time, there came a soft "Splurt..."

Rokuro stared blankly as the world before his eyes began to spin.

Then came a dull thud as he hit the ground...

Rokuro looked at Tachibana's back in confusion and asked,

"How did you do it?"

"You frail human boy!"

"How did you suddenly gain the power to cut off my head?"

Tachibana slowly opened his eyes and turned to face Rokuro. His clear black-and-white eyes seemed to hold limitless power.

"This is the power humans possess within themselves."

Hearing Tachibana's words, Rokuro instantly lost control of his emotions and roared furiously,

"So what!"

"Humanity will never be able to defeat demons!"

At the same time, the headless body beside him extended its claws and swiped viciously at Tachibana.

But Tachibana was no longer the same frail person he'd been moments ago.

"Hah..." Tachibana drew in a light breath.

He activated the Water Breathing technique he'd just learned by observing the Demon Slayer Corps member's internal body.

Breathing techniques could temporarily enhance a person's physical abilities.

Then he controlled every muscle and blood vessel in his body, channeling all his strength into the long sword in his hand.

Transparent World combined with Water Breathing—could Rokuro take that?

"Water Breathing: First Form, Water Surface Slash!"

Tachibana guided the flash of his blade in a downward slash. Even Rokuro's body, reinforced with a hardening "buff," was as fragile as paper.

Tachibana's blade cut the headless body from neck to crotch.

In two!

Ignoring the horror on Rokuro's face,

Tachibana bent down, grabbed the long hair on top of Rokuro's head, and lifted it off the ground.

Holding his sword in one hand and Rokuro's hair in the other, Tachibana walked over to Fujiwara Naoto, who stood frozen in shock.

Kujo Tachibana stuck his sword into the ground, smiled at the Demon Slayer Corps member, and asked,

"Could I borrow the sword in your hand?"

Before Fujiwara Naoto could answer, Kuwajima Jigoro, who had arrived from deep in the woods only moments ago, tossed his Nichirin Sword over.

"Boy, use mine!"

"It's an honor for it to have cut off the neck of one of the Twelve Kizuki."

Tachibana caught the Nichirin Sword and nodded.

Then, like a man preparing to cut up a fish, he bent down and pinned Rokuro—who was still struggling desperately, unwilling to give up his demonic life—to the ground. With one hand, he drew Kuwajima Jigoro's Nichirin Sword.

The blade rose and fell!

Rokuro's newly regrown neck was severed once again.

Only after Rokuro's head had slowly turned to ash before his eyes did Tachibana stand up. He sheathed the Nichirin Sword and returned it to Kuwajima Jigoro.

"Thank you for the sword."

"Boy, there's no need to thank me!"

Tachibana nodded, then turned to Fujiwara Naoto and asked, "How are your injuries? Should you go to the clinic in town?"

Naoto shook his head. "It's nothing serious, Swordfighter. I'll be fine after a few days' rest."

Just then, the Demon Slayer Corps' logistical support unit—the Kakushi—arrived at the scene right on time.

The person leading them turned to Kuwajima Jigoro and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Rumble Hashira!"

Kuwajima Jigoro shook his head and replied with a smile, "I was still too slow getting here."

"Thank you for your hard-fought battle, Swordfighter!"

All the Kakushi members bowed together to Kujo Tachibana and Naoto, then set to work on cleanup in an orderly fashion.

Clearing away traces of the battle, collecting the demons' remaining body parts, treating the injured...

"What's this?" Kujo Tachibana asked, pretending to be confused as he looked at Kuwajima Jigoro.

That night, the Kasugai Crows were especially busy in the sky.

At half past two in the morning, at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters,

the Corps' fourteen-year-old Master, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, still hadn't gone to bed.

He was still waiting for news from the front lines.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked at his wife, Amane, who was keeping him company, his heart filled with remorse.

He didn't tell her to go back and get some rest.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya knew that even if she returned to her room, she would still worry about him.

Just as he was always thinking of the swordsmen fighting demons on the front lines.

Fortunately, the exceptionally fast Kasugai Crow didn't keep their Master waiting any longer.

It had returned to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters with good news.

Outside, the Kakushi who had come to deliver the message looked as excited as if it were New Year's.

Seeing the member's expression, Ubuyashiki Kagaya finally let out a sigh of relief.

With a joyful smile, the Kakushi hurried over to their Master, knelt on one knee, and reported the good news from that night.