The once-tranquil mountain woods, the graveyard, and the heroes' remains had all been destroyed in the battle between Amaterasu and Tetsuhiro.
Tanjiro surveyed it all, his expression dark. "Please tell me, Your Majesty."
Amaterasu's expression abruptly changed, panic and viciousness flashing through her eyes. This cannot go on. That man even knows exactly what happened a thousand years ago. He must have some kind of investigative ability. Forget the seed!
She had been willing to talk for so long partly to win Tanjiro over, and partly to secretly gather her strength!
"Solar True Form, arise!" Amaterasu suddenly roared. Dazzling golden light erupted around her, instantly breaking the restraints of Wood Release. The final Swords of Revealing Light formation shattered beneath its pressure, and the black barrier shuddered violently in the golden radiance.
"How despicable! A sneak attack!" Tanjiro reacted instantly, kicking off the ground and shooting toward Amaterasu like an arrow, golden flames igniting along his Nichirin Blade!
"Sun Breathing-Eleventh Form: Dragon Head Dance of the Solar Halo!" The flames formed a dragon and lunged at Amaterasu amid howling winds.
"Didn't you hear him? Your techniques came from me!" Amaterasu sneered, casually waving a hand at the flaming dragon. Golden light burst forth, scattering the flames in an instant. "Foolish mortal. Know your place!"
"So you admit it?"
Amaterasu's eyes gradually turned cold, and her voice lost its gentleness. "Mortal, all you had to do was obey me. Instead, you insist on forcing me to kill you!"
With that, she raised her hand to attack Tanjiro.
Just then, Kuriboh cried out, "Kuri! Kuri!!!"
Amaterasu suddenly felt a weight vanish from her chest and cried out in panic, "Give me back the Yasakani no Magatama!" Tetsuhiro had hidden Kuriboh beforehand. He, too, had been using their conversation to wait for an