Chapter Summaries

The Sapphire Star fed Inosuke and taught him Demon Mode after demonstrating its power by shattering a boulder. Meanwhile, Kaigaku fled to a tavern and accepted an invitation to meet the leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult to avoid paying for his liquor.

• The Sapphire Star praised Inosuke for restraining himself against Kaigaku, then fed him roasted venison, which he shared with the Palico.
• Inosuke explained that he had planned to evade Kaigaku’s kick and knock him out with a rock, but the Sapphire Star told him she had already slain the demon he was hunting.
• The Sapphire Star’s twin blades turned red, and she demonstrated Demon Mode by shattering a boulder before agreeing to teach Inosuke.
• Kaigaku threatened his Kasugai Crow and reached a rundown town, where he entered a tavern and ordered liquor.
• The tavern owner offered Kaigaku free liquor if he would meet the leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult, and Kaigaku agreed while intending to treat it as a spectacle.

Kaigaku visited the Eternal Paradise cult and discovered that its leader was Doma, Upper Rank Two, who used Kaigaku’s painful past to tempt him with eternal happiness. As Doma closed in, the Kasugai Crow flew to summon the Sapphire Star and the boar-headed brat.

• The tavern owner led Kaigaku to the Eternal Paradise cult, where Kaigaku ate pastries and questioned the cult’s teachings.
• Doma greeted Kaigaku, served him coffee, and told him stories about a flower seller and a swordswoman he had met years earlier.
• Doma led Kaigaku into the main hall and recounted Kaigaku’s childhood, his betrayal on Mount Sagiri, and his resentment toward his teacher.
• Kaigaku recognized Doma as Upper Rank Two and froze as Doma offered him a life without pain or sorrow.
• The Kasugai Crow spotted Doma’s demonic presence and flew toward the valley to find the Sapphire Star and the boar-headed brat.

The Sapphire Star raced to the Eternal Paradise Cult after a Kasugai Crow warned that Doma was attacking Kaigaku. She rescued Kaigaku from being dragged through a portal, halted his transformation into a demon with a Nergigante spike, and left for headquarters while the Crow carried messages back to Inosuke and the Palico.

• Inosuke repeatedly collapsed while practicing Demon Mode, and a wounded Kasugai Crow arrived with news that an Upper Rank had appeared at the Eternal Paradise Cult and was taking Kaigaku.
• The Sapphire Star sprinted to the town, smashed through the cult's gates, and entered the main hall as Doma pulled Kaigaku toward a closing portal.
• The Sapphire Star severed the ice bodhisattva's arm and destroyed the statue, dropping Kaigaku onto the floor as Doma escaped through the portal.
• As Kaigaku began turning into a demon and attacked her, the Sapphire Star subdued him and drove a Nergigante spike into his chest, stopping the transformation and knocking him unconscious.
• The Sapphire Star wrapped Kaigaku in crimson drapes and told the Kasugai Crow to send Inosuke and the Palico back to headquarters after they rested.
• The Sapphire Star left for headquarters to find Oyakata-sama, leaving the Crow behind with Kaigaku.

The Sapphire Star brought the half-transformed Kaigaku to Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, where Kagaya ordered her to take him to Tamayo for help. She reached Tamayo’s residence in Kyoto and explained her mission after Yushiro mistook her for an attacker.

• The Sapphire Star delivered the sealed Kaigaku to headquarters and reported that Doma had appeared at the Eternal Paradise Cult.
• Kagaya ordered the Kakushi to investigate the Eternal Paradise Cult and asked everyone to keep speculation about Kaigaku’s transformation from Master Jigoro Kuwajima.
• Kagaya sent the Sapphire Star with Hikigusa to find Tamayo, and they traveled by carriage to a secluded residence in Kyoto.
• Yushiro confronted the Sapphire Star at Tamayo’s gate, and she drew her sword before Tamayo told him to stand down.
• The Sapphire Star sheathed her sword, explained that the Corps had sent her with Kaigaku, and asked Tamayo whether he could be saved.

The Sapphire Star brought the half-demon Kaigaku to Tamayo, who diagnosed that he had willingly accepted Doma’s blood and prepared to treat him with inhibitors and special medicines. At headquarters, Kagaya Ubuyashiki ordered everyone to conceal Kaigaku’s betrayal from his former trainer, Jigoro Kuwajima, and sent an urgent message to Hikigusa.

• The Sapphire Star delivered Kaigaku to Tamayo, who examined the sealing spike and requested another Nergigante spike for her research.
• The Sapphire Star discovered that she had also kept Upper Rank Four sealed in her pouch and gave the demon to Tamayo as a research specimen.
• Tamayo explained that Kaigaku’s demonification showed he had willingly accepted Doma’s blood, then prepared inhibitors and accepted the Sapphire Star’s medicines for his treatment.
• Tamayo had Yushiro and the Sapphire Star bind Kaigaku to the treatment bed before sending the Sapphire Star away.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki ordered those who knew of Kaigaku’s case to hide the truth from Jigoro Kuwajima and sent a confidential letter to Hikigusa before dawn.

The Sapphire Star traveled to Mount Sagiri to tell Zenitsu Agatsuma and Jigoro Kuwajima that Kaigaku had been gravely injured after encountering Upper Rank Two. After hearing Kaigaku was alive but might suffer a lasting impairment, Kuwajima sent Zenitsu to train with the Sapphire Star.

• The Sapphire Star told Hikigusa to change course for Mount Sagiri and sent a Kasugai Crow to inform headquarters she would be delayed.
• The Sapphire Star arrived at Mount Sagiri, sampled Zenitsu's gritty, undercooked porridge, and teased him about his cooking.
• The Sapphire Star told Zenitsu and Jigoro Kuwajima that Kaigaku had been badly injured in an encounter with Upper Rank Two but was alive and receiving treatment.
• Kuwajima broke down in relief and then sent Zenitsu to train with the Sapphire Star while he made noodles.
• Zenitsu attacked with Thunder Breathing, first form: Thunderclap and Flash, but the Sapphire Star easily dodged him and called him too slow.

Nameless Hunter rejected Akaza’s invitation to return to Muzan and set out to resist the future he had foreseen. Near sunrise, he fought Inosuke and a Palico, then escaped into the forest when sunlight threatened him.

• Nameless Hunter trained with a great Long Sword while Akaza mocked his swordsmanship and confronted him about failing to return to Muzan.
• Nameless Hunter explained that his Hundred Faces ability was gone, refused to return to the Infinity Castle, and left after learning that his bones came from Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
• Nameless Hunter traveled through the night, hoping to change Muzan’s doomed future, but changed course to avoid a human scent as dawn approached.
• Inosuke attacked Nameless Hunter with Beast Breathing while a Palico supported him with its gadgets and healing.
• Inosuke collapsed unconscious before completing his attack, and Nameless Hunter escaped into the forest as sunlight reached the battlefield.

The Sapphire Star encouraged Zenitsu by comparing Thunderclap and Flash to the Long Sword’s focused, decisive strikes. She led him to the clearing to teach him Iai, leaving him newly inspired to develop his technique.

• The Sapphire Star enjoyed soba at old man Kuwajima’s house while Zenitsu barely touched his own bowl.
• The Sapphire Star explained that she chose the Long Sword because she thought it was cool and loved its techniques.
• She said Tanjiro and Inosuke already had paths suited to them, then focused on helping Zenitsu.
• The Sapphire Star told Zenitsu that Thunderclap and Flash made him a natural Long Sword wielder and encouraged him to perfect it.
• The Sapphire Star took Zenitsu to the clearing to teach him Iai, and he followed with his Nichirin Blade.

The Sapphire Star trained Zenitsu to evade attacks by reading momentum, then questioned him about Thunder Breathing and identified the strain caused by his technique. She demonstrated a smooth, powerful Thunderclap and Flash, leaving Zenitsu wondering if he could master it too.

• Zenitsu repeatedly charged the Sapphire Star with Thunderclap and Flash, but she dodged his attacks and tapped openings in his defenses with a stick.
• The Sapphire Star explained how to follow an opponent's momentum, and Zenitsu struggled through training until she ended the session.
• While drinking barley tea, Zenitsu admitted that he felt limited to speed and could not match Kaigaku, while Jigoro Kuwajima listened silently.
• The Sapphire Star asked Zenitsu about the strain Thunder Breathing caused, and he described pain, numbness, and blurred vision from using his technique.
• The Sapphire Star demonstrated her smooth Thunderclap and Flash, cutting through two bamboo stalks without showing the strain Zenitsu experienced.

The Sapphire Star investigated the demon who abducted Kaigaku and Upper Rank Four from Tamayo’s base, tracking him to a hut in Black Rock Gorge. Nameless Hunter escaped after revealing Long Sword skills and Thunder Breathing, and the Sapphire Star discovered he had devoured the captured demons.

• Hikigusa told the Sapphire Star that a demon resembling Yoriichi Tsugikuni had breached Tamayo’s barriers and abducted Kaigaku and Upper Rank Four.
• The Sapphire Star and Hikigusa traced the demon’s trail to Black Rock Gorge, where the Sapphire Star found signs he was building a shelter and stayed behind to search alone.
• Using her Scoutflies and Clutch Claw, the Sapphire Star found Nameless Hunter in a ruined hut, where he was chewing on something and had made a crude Long Sword.
• Nameless Hunter attacked the Sapphire Star with Long Sword techniques, but she broke his weapon and wounded him before he escaped with Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder.
• The Sapphire Star found Kaigaku’s and Upper Rank Four’s remains in the hut and realized Nameless Hunter had devoured them.

The Sapphire Star chased Nameless Hunter through the gorge, but his traps, strange abilities, and detailed knowledge of her tactics let him escape. She returned toward Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, realizing she would need a new strategy before facing him again.

• The Sapphire Star pursued Nameless Hunter into a fissure, where he used metal traps, a Shock Trap, and tranq bombs to ambush her, but she broke free and fought back.
• Nameless Hunter triggered a rockslide and concealed a Flash Bomb in the falling stones, blinding the Sapphire Star long enough to flee.
• The Sapphire Star slashed Nameless in half, but his body split into shadows and fused back together, letting him escape at increased speed.
• Nameless Hunter threw stink bombs that confused the Scoutflies and induced a hallucination, then vanished through the stone field while the Sapphire Star pursued a false trail.
• The Sapphire Star discovered a pitfall trap near the gorge and recognized that Nameless had studied her hunting methods and weaknesses.
• After recovering the Scoutflies, the Sapphire Star abandoned the pursuit and headed to Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters to reconsider her strategy.

Sapphire Star reported Nameless Hunter’s abilities to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who revealed the Corps’ history involving Yoriichi, Kokushibo, and Tamayo before appointing her chief instructor for a Corps-wide special training program. She headed for the training grounds, where Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and her palico were gathering, while Tamayo and Shinobu began analyzing Nameless Hunter’s remains.

• Sapphire Star and Hikigusa reported Nameless Hunter’s powers and traps to Ubuyashiki, who arranged to keep Kaigaku’s fate from Elder Kuwajima and explained that Tamayo and Yushiro were safely housed at the Butterfly Mansion.
• Ubuyashiki revealed that Michikatsu Tsugikuni became Kokushibo, that Muichiro Tokito descended from his human bloodline, and that Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura might be the lost Sun Breathing.
• Ubuyashiki told Sapphire Star that Muzan had likely desecrated Yoriichi’s remains to create Nameless Hunter, and explained how Yoriichi’s attack had freed Tamayo from Muzan’s control.
• Ubuyashiki appointed Sapphire Star chief instructor for the Corps’ Special Training Plan, and Hikigusa escorted her toward the training grounds as Kakushi brought Zenitsu from Mount Sagiri.
• Sapphire Star learned that Inosuke and her palico had already gone to camp together, and she vowed to give them a special training exercise after hearing the palico call Inosuke “Lord of the Mountain.”
• Shinobu Kocho and Tamayo began analyzing a medicine sample and the sealed remains from Nameless Hunter’s cabin while Yushiro guarded the research room and Kanao prepared instruments.

Sapphire Star gathered the Hashira at camp to organize special training, retrieve Giyu Tomioka from his private lessons with Tanjiro, and overhaul the training schedule and meals. The chapter ended with Giyu reluctantly appointed as the recruits’ logistics and survival skills instructor.

• Sapphire Star discovered that Giyu had taken Tanjiro away for private Water Breathing training, so she ordered Tengen Uzui to bring him back.
• Tengen returned with Giyu tied up, and Sapphire Star revised the Hashira’s training plan into daily blocks that alternated intense exercise with flexibility, swordsmanship, strength, and willpower sessions.
• Sapphire Star criticized Tengen’s meal plan and increased the recruits’ meat and vegetable portions to support recovery during training.
• Sapphire Star assigned Giyu to lead rotating kitchen duties and teach recruits wilderness survival, food preparation, and safety.

The Sapphire Star drove the Demon Slayer Corps through a month of punishing, carefully structured training that improved their stamina and resilience. During an evening demonstration, she turned a member’s Nichirin Blade bright red merely by touching it, leaving the watching Hashira stunned.

• The Sapphire Star began training with a five-kilometer weighted sprint, repeatedly pushing the corps members through six rounds while using Lifepowder to treat their injuries and cramps.
• The swordsmen improved during the month of intensive training, supported by Giyu Tomioka’s supervised meals and midday rest breaks.
• A corps member asked to try the Sapphire Star’s Fatalis Demolisher, but he and Inosuke struggled to lift and control its immense weight.
• The Sapphire Star demonstrated her skill with the Long Sword, then examined the member’s Nichirin Blade at his request.
• The blade began vibrating and glowed scarlet in the Sapphire Star’s hand, shocking her and the secretly watching Hashira.

Gyokko watched the Demon Slayer training camp and, after Muzan ordered him to cause chaos, searched for a way to attack. At the camp, the Sapphire Star revealed that her grip could turn weapons crimson, then exposed and defeated a disguised intruder posing as a fisherman.

• Gyokko failed to find a way through the camp’s defenses, and Muzan demanded that he kill Hashira or otherwise disrupt the training.
• The Sapphire Star turned Nichirin Blades and Gyomei Himejima’s weapons crimson by holding them, while Muichiro Tokito concluded that extreme grip strength could activate a Crimson Blade.
• The Sapphire Star added grip training to the Corps members’ routine after crushing a stone with her hand.
• Giyu Tomioka confronted an old fisherman who had entered the camp to sell fish, and the Sapphire Star used Scoutflies to investigate him.
• The Sapphire Star gave the fisherman strange coins, kicked him, burned his fish basket, and revealed that the intruder had collapsed into a sheet of human skin.

Sapphire Star ordered the Demon Slayer Corps to search the mountain for Gyokko, promising time off training to anyone who helped find and kill him. After his human-skin puppet was exposed, Gyokko fled from the Corps and was cornered by the Hashira and swordsmen, leaving him surrounded with no clear escape.

• Sapphire Star divided the Hashira and swordsmen into search parties and offered training breaks as rewards for finding, wounding, or killing the demon.
• Gyokko recalled how Muzan had urged him to send a human-skin puppet carrying fish to infiltrate the camp, then begged Muzan to open a door to the Infinity Castle after the plan failed.
• Gyokko tried to hide underground, but Tanjiro noticed disturbed soil, and Inosuke's strike collapsed the tunnel and exposed him.
• Gyokko attacked Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke with fish, spikes, and a Blood Prison Bowl, then fled as they pursued him.
• Giyu, Obanai, Sanemi, Tengen, Kyojuro, and Mitsuri joined the pursuit and surrounded Gyokko alongside the three boys.

The Demon Slayer Corps defeated Gyokko’s scattered duplicates and celebrated their victory, earning a week off training. One fragment survived until nightfall, but Wuming found and devoured it, adding Upper Rank Five to the numbers in his eye.

• Gyokko split himself into more than thirty weakened duplicates to escape, and the Demon Slayer Corps hunted them across the mountain.
• Genya Shinazugawa used his Immovable Iron Armor and shotgun to destroy one duplicate, while Giyu Tomioka later claimed he had cut thirty-seven pieces.
• Sapphire Star announced that all groups, including the logistics team, would receive a week off training after their contributions to the victory.
• After most of the Corps had gone to sleep, Gyokko’s hidden fragment emerged from the soil and discovered that Muzan had severed contact with him.
• Wuming caught Gyokko, revealed the numbers Four and Six in his eye, and devoured him, causing Five to appear beside them.

After Gyokko’s death left Muzan with few capable demons, he ordered Doma and Akaza to capture Nameless Hunter, then devised a plan to create more demons by injecting humans with his blood. Nakime distributed syringes and orders to minor demons across Japan, setting Muzan’s mass-recruitment scheme in motion.

• Muzan brooded over Gyokko’s death and the dwindling ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, while Doma’s constant visits drove him to ban Doma from the Infinity Castle.
• Muzan summoned Doma and Akaza and ordered them to bring back Nameless Hunter, assigning Akaza to protect Doma and ensure the mission succeeded.
• Nakime sent Doma and Akaza through a doorway to a mountain forest, where Akaza struck Doma before rushing ahead and Doma followed at his own pace.
• Frustrated by the Demon Slayer Corps’ strength and his shortage of fighters, Muzan ordered Nakime to obtain syringes and filled them with his own blood.
• Muzan commanded Nakime to distribute the blood and syringes to minor demons across Japan, ordering them to inject captured humans, recruit quickly, and avoid gathering together.

The Sapphire Star announced that the Corps had reconstructed Sun Breathing and devised a way to activate Crimson Blades, then overhauled the Training Camp’s curriculum. After days of grueling practice, the exhausted trainees found brief amusement in Murata’s reputation for surviving battles unscathed.

• The Sapphire Star revealed the Corps’ findings on the Demon Slayer Mark, Transparent World, Crimson Blade, and Sun Breathing, and demonstrated Crimson Blade activation with Sanemi Shinazugawa, Obanai Iguro, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Kyojuro Rengoku.
• The Sapphire Star explained that the Thirteenth Form combined all twelve Sun Breathing forms and assigned the trainees grip training, Sun Breathing fundamentals, and blade-resonance practice.
• After several days of training, the swordsmen struggled through rock squeezing, Sun Breathing drills, and repeated blade clashes, though their ranks and abilities improved.
• Inosuke exhausted himself by forcing his blade red, while Tanjiro cooled him with water and Zenitsu lay incapacitated nearby.
• A Kinoto Rank swordsman teased Murata for surviving major battles without a scratch, and the trainees laughed as Murata protested that he had only been lucky.

A patrol squad led by a Kinoe-ranked swordsman visited Mount Kumotori, where they left offerings at Tanjiro's family graves and honored the dead. After the squad departed, a burlap-wrapped figure emerged from hiding and stared at the pale-blue buds beside the graves.

• Purgatory sent the patrol squads out and promised to treat them to a meal when they returned.
• A Kinoe-ranked swordsman and two Kanoe-ranked swordsmen patrolled Mount Kumotori and found no signs of demons.
• The Kinoe-ranked swordsman explained that Tanjiro had asked them to bring offerings to his family's graves.
• The three swordsmen honored the graves, and one Kanoe-ranked swordsman cleaned the gravestones and stone steps.
• After the patrol squad and Kasugai Crows left, a burlap-wrapped figure crept out of the grass and stared at the pale-blue buds.