Chapter Summaries

Kokushibo destroyed three Combat Puppets, including one modeled after Yoriichi, but their wreckage fused into a grotesque chimera and enraged him. He roared at Matsushita for desecrating his younger brother’s likeness as the hybrid attacked.

• Kokushibo easily cut apart the two puppets modeled after Jōtarō Rengoku and Hayama Inazuma.
• Kokushibo recognized the next puppet as Yoriichi Tsugikuni and hesitated before its imitation of Sun Breathing.
• Kokushibo overcame his memories and cut the Yoriichi puppet to pieces with Moon Breathing.
• The three puppets’ remains joined into a fast, malformed chimera that attacked Kokushibo with blades thrust from its body.
• Kokushibo was pushed back by the chimera and roared at Matsushita for humiliating Yoriichi’s likeness.

Xia Xi and Tengen Uzui escaped a battle with Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, and Xia Xi called an emergency Nine Hashira Meeting to share what they had learned. At the meeting, he warned the assembled Demon Slayers that Kokushibo could not be defeated by anyone alone.

• Xia Xi and Tengen Uzui rested after fleeing Kokushibo, then discussed their escape and the urgent retreat signals Xia Xi had fired.
• Sabito arrived, learned they had fought Upper Rank One, and agreed to help prepare an emergency Nine Hashira Meeting.
• Several days later, Kagaya Ubuyashiki gathered the serving and Provisional Hashira, reassured them about Xia Xi and Tengen, and asked Xia Xi to report the battle.
• Xia Xi told the meeting that Kokushibo was not an opponent anyone could defeat alone.

Xia Xi explained how Kokushibo’s abilities and strength compared with the Hashira and other Upper Ranks. The Hashira rallied around him after learning how formidable Kokushibo was, and the meeting returned to planning how to slay the Upper Ranks.

• Shinjuro asked whether Xia Xi could defeat Michikatsu Tsugikuni with more preparation, and Xia Xi admitted that Kokushibo was stronger than him.
• Xia Xi recounted his battle with Kokushibo alongside Tengen Uzui and described the demon’s Transparent World, Moon Breathing, Demon Slayer Mark, and Blood Demon Art.
• Xia Xi assigned approximate Slaying Levels to the Hashira, placing Sabito at 6, Kanae at 7, and himself at 27, then estimated the Upper Ranks’ Challenge Levels.
• Xia Xi estimated that Kokushibo’s first phase reached Challenge Level 25 and his second phase at least 35, with a possible third phase exceeding 40.
• Tengen Uzui encouraged Xia Xi and called him the Strongest of the Current Era, easing the Hashira’s tension and restoring Xia Xi’s confidence.
• Xia Xi resumed the meeting’s discussion of how to slay the Upper Ranks.

Xia Xi briefed the Nine Hashira on the Upper Ranks’ estimated strength and set a six-month deadline for them to master a Supreme Territory. After Kokushibo returned to Muzan Kibutsuji without the person Muzan wanted, the Demon King asked where they were.

• Xia Xi estimated the Upper Ranks’ challenge ratings and explained that most Hashira could not yet defeat one alone.
• Xia Xi assessed the growth potential of Sabito, Kanae, Kazetoriin, Tengen Uzui, Shinjuro Rengoku, and Gyomei Himejima, and identified Gyomei, Shinjuro, and Tanjuro Kamado as his hopes for a future fight against Kokushibo.
• Xia Xi withheld details of the Demon Slayer Mark because the Hashira still had room to grow and could learn the Bright Red Nichirin Blade and Transparent World.
• Xia Xi ordered the Nine Hashira to master at least one Supreme Territory within six months or undergo Hell Special Training, and promised to teach them.
• Kazetoriin asked Xia Xi how to train for the Transparent World, and Xia Xi said they needed to hone their combat skills and experience near-death fights.
• Kokushibo returned to Muzan Kibutsuji, who asked where the person he wanted was, leaving Kokushibo speechless.

Muzan learned from Kokushibo that Matsushita Shousha had escaped and relived the terror of seeing Yoriichi’s face in Kokushibo’s memories. He ordered Kokushibo to capture Matsushita alive, then told Nakime to summon the other Upper Ranks.

• Kokushibo returned to the Infinity Castle alone and admitted that Matsushita Shousha had escaped.
• Muzan scolded Kokushibo, then saw Yoriichi’s face in his memories and panicked before realizing it belonged to a mechanical puppet.
• Muzan watched Kokushibo destroy the puppet, then saw another grotesque Yoriichi-faced monster and reacted with anger and confusion.
• Kokushibo promised to kill Matsushita next time, but Muzan ordered him to bring the swordsman back alive, even if he had to cut off his limbs.
• Kokushibo left to search for Matsushita, while Muzan told Nakime to summon Doma and the other Upper Ranks.

Xia Xi presented the Hashira with an updated profile of Muzan Kibutsuji and discussed how to keep demons from combining their powers in a future battle. The meeting ended with Ubuyashiki revealing that Masachika Kume and Sanemi Shinazugawa had been missing for three days.

• Xia Xi shared new intelligence suggesting Muzan was a wealthy, pleasure-seeking and deeply insecure demon who distrusted his subordinates.
• Xia Xi distributed an updated Muzan analysis report that ranked Tokyo, Kyoto and Yokohama as the likeliest places for Muzan to live.
• Xia Xi warned the Nine Hashira that demons' combined Blood Demon Arts could be especially dangerous and urged them to separate the battlefields in a final fight.
• An Intelligence Agent reported privately to Ubuyashiki, who interrupted the discussion and told Xia Xi that Masachika Kume and Sanemi Shinazugawa had been missing for three days.

After Kuang Jin and Sanemi went missing during a mission, Xia Xi learned they were still alive and set off for Yokohama to find them. Sanemi stayed beside the badly injured Kuang Jin, who was being treated by Tamayo and Yushiro after they escaped a powerful demon.

• An Intelligence Agent reported that Kuang Jin and Sanemi had disappeared while investigating missing children in Hayama-machi, and Xia Xi used his system to confirm they were alive.
• Xia Xi ended the Hashira meeting early and announced that he would travel to Yokohama to search for his junior brothers.
• Sanemi recalled that he and Kuang Jin had confronted Lower Rank One, whose Blood Demon Art overwhelmed them, and that Kuang Jin took a fatal blow to protect him.
• Sanemi and Kuang Jin escaped with the help of a wisteria smoke bomb and met two people who brought them to safety, but Kuang Jin remained unconscious from his injuries.
• Yushiro ordered Sanemi out of the way so Kuang Jin's dressings could be changed, and Sanemi reluctantly let Tamayo treat him.

Sanemi encountered Tamayo and Yushiro while desperately seeking help for the gravely wounded Kuang Jin. After Tamayo and Yushiro resisted the temptation of Sanemi’s rare blood, he began to trust them, and they treated Kuang Jin.

• Sanemi tried to get help for the unconscious Kuang Jin and was stopped by the demons Tamayo and Yushiro.
• Tamayo offered to treat Kuang Jin, but Sanemi distrusted her and recalled Xia Xi’s claim that some demons might escape Muzan’s control.
• Sanemi cut his arm and used his rare blood to test Tamayo and Yushiro, who resisted their hunger for it.
• Tamayo used her Blood Demon Art to calm Sanemi, and she and Yushiro took both swordsmen to her home for treatment.
• Sanemi woke in a clean room and found Kuang Jin bandaged, with his breathing stabilized.

Sanemi Shinazugawa woke in Tamayo’s home after she and Yushiro rescued and treated him and Kumeno. Tamayo explained that she was a demon free of Muzan’s control, leaving Sanemi astonished and asking how old she was.

• Sanemi woke in Tamayo’s home, realized she and Yushiro had treated his and Kumeno’s injuries, and lowered his guard.
• Yushiro changed Sanemi’s dressings, argued with him, and Tamayo intervened before treating Sanemi herself.
• Sanemi thanked Tamayo and learned that she was Tamayo and her companion was Yushiro; he introduced himself and Kumeno.
• Sanemi asked why Tamayo could resist eating people, and she explained that she was a demon who had modified her body to escape Muzan’s control and no longer needed to eat humans.
• Tamayo said she survived on small amounts of purchased or donated blood and that her transformation was difficult to repeat.
• Sanemi asked whether Tamayo was very old, and Yushiro scolded him for asking a woman her age.

Sanemi learned how Tamayo became a demon, escaped Muzan’s control, and came to hate him, while she and Yushiro treated him and Kuang Jin. The two recovered without contacting the Demon Slayer Corps, fearing the Corps might kill Tamayo, and Kuang Jin urged Sanemi to trust their Senior Brother to recognize her goodness.

• Tamayo told Sanemi that Muzan turned her into a demon, causing her to devour her husband and newborn child, and that Yoriichi’s defeat of Muzan later gave her the chance to escape his control.
• Tamayo explained that she considered herself destined for hell but intended to drag Muzan there first, and Sanemi resolved to keep her existence from Xia Xi.
• During the next two days, Tamayo treated Sanemi and shared what she knew about Muzan and the swordsman who had once defeated him.
• Kuang Jin woke up and accepted that Tamayo and Yushiro were friendly demons who had saved them.
• Sanemi and Kuang Jin kept quiet about Tamayo and Yushiro instead of contacting the Corps, fearing the other Swordsmen might kill them.
• Sanemi worried that Xia Xi might attack Tamayo, while Kuang Jin told him to trust their Senior Brother to recognize good from evil and persuade the Corps.

Sanemi and Yushiro argued about fighting the nearby Lower Rank One until Xia Xi found their hidden courtyard and cut through Yushiro’s concealment. Tamayo and Yushiro recognized Xia Xi’s fearsome reputation, and Sanemi tried to help them escape by holding his senior brother back.

• Sanemi trained despite his wounds, and Yushiro mocked his determination to challenge Lower Rank One and questioned his strength.
• Sanemi accused Yushiro of being too weak to fight and said his Blood Demon Art was underdeveloped, while Yushiro insisted his concealment was nearly perfect.
• Xia Xi called out from beyond the wall, and Sanemi told Yushiro to take Tamayo and escape while he explained the situation.
• Xia Xi cut through Yushiro’s Divine Concealment, revealing Tamayo, Yushiro, and Sanemi in the courtyard.
• Yushiro recognized Xia Xi and shouted for Tamayo to run, while Sanemi grabbed Xia Xi and declared that he would hold his senior brother off.

Xia Xi followed the System’s route to find Kuang Jin and Sanemi, then discovered they had been sheltered by the demons Tamayo Maya and Yamashita Yushiro. After learning the demons had saved the boys, Xia Xi agreed to talk with Tamayo and showed particular interest in her knowledge and plans against Muzan.

• Xia Xi met Persimmon and Yan Zi near Hayama-machi, confirmed Kuang Jin and Sanemi were alive, and let them accompany him to find the boys.
• Following the System’s navigation, the three reached a house near Kamakura, and Xia Xi cut through its wall when he could find no entrance.
• Sanemi clung to Xia Xi and urged the others to flee, while Kuang Jin called out that Tamayo and Yushiro had saved them and were allies.
• Xia Xi noticed Tamayo and Yushiro’s demon identities but lowered his guard after Kuang Jin explained, then asked Tamayo whether she wanted to take down Muzan.
• Xia Xi invited everyone inside and told Sanemi and Persimmon to take Yushiro away so he could speak privately with Tamayo, prompting Yushiro to get angry and Sanemi to restrain him.

Xia Xi welcomed Tamayo and Yushiro into the home, promised not to expose them, and gave Tamayo the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence on Muzan. Tamayo learned that Xia Xi had faced Kokushibo and briefly hoped he might match Yoriichi, but his antics with Chachamaru dispelled the thought.

• Xia Xi settled into Tamayo's home, ordered tea, and had Sanemi bring Yushiro inside.
• Xia Xi thanked Tamayo and Yushiro for protecting his junior brothers, promised to keep their existence secret, and gave Tamayo his report on Muzan.
• Tamayo praised Xia Xi's judgment and strength, and Xia Xi said he had fought Kokushibo, though he had lost by a little.
• Tamayo was shaken by the possibility that Xia Xi could one day rival Yoriichi, while Sanemi and Kuang Jin marveled at his strength.
• Xia Xi teased Chachamaru with his Beast Taming skill, and Tamayo concluded that he was nothing like Yoriichi.

Xia Xi and Tamayo exchanged information about Muzan Kibutsuji, and Tamayo described the Demon King's poison, transformations, immense strength, long-range attacks, and multiple vital organs. The chapter ended with Xia Xi demonstrating a Bright Red Nichirin Blade, which convinced Tamayo that he could use Sun Breathing.

• Xia Xi and Tamayo shared what they knew about Muzan, demons, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and Xia Xi said he had met Yoriichi through memory dreams.
• Tamayo explained that Muzan used lethal poison, could transform his body into multiple weapons, and had overwhelmed the Hashira and human Kokushibo.
• Tamayo said Muzan had blasted an entire town from a great distance with an energy beam and survived ordinary decapitation because he had five brains and seven hearts.
• Xia Xi asked whether a Bright Red Nichirin Blade could hinder Muzan's regeneration, then turned his Uchigatana crimson to demonstrate one.
• Tamayo recognized the red blade and began to believe Xia Xi could use Sun Breathing.

Xia Xi learned from Tamayo how Yoriichi nearly killed Muzan, but Muzan escaped by splitting into nearly two thousand pieces. When Xia Xi asked Tamayo how to stop Muzan from fleeing in a future battle, she said she would use poison.

• Tamayo explained that a Bright Red Nichirin Blade could injure Muzan, but killing him would require striking all twelve moving weak points at once.
• Tamayo told Xia Xi that Yoriichi wounded Muzan, prompting him to flee by splitting into around eighteen hundred fragments; Yoriichi cut down nearly fifteen hundred of them.
• Tamayo said Yoriichi searched for Muzan until he died, while Muzan remained in hiding.
• Xia Xi asked Tamayo for a plan to defeat Muzan, and she suggested preventing his escape or weakening him.
• Tamayo said she would probably use poison, and Xia Xi asked how they could obtain it.

Xia Xi won Tamayo’s tentative trust and learned how her poison could stop Muzan from splitting apart. He promised to turn her small operation into a well-funded research institute, leaving Tamayo to wonder whether the strongest Hashira had already seized power from the Ubuyashiki family.

• Tamayo asked whether she could trust Xia Xi, and he promised he would never become a demon or betray her to Muzan.
• Yushiro challenged Xia Xi’s assurances, but Tamayo agreed that cooperation with the Demon Slayer Corps was necessary to kill Muzan.
• Tamayo explained that her experimental poison targeted the link protein that let Muzan’s cells separate and regenerate, though stronger poisons and better demon blood samples were still needed.
• Tamayo said samples from the Twelve Kizuki, especially the Upper Ranks, could greatly accelerate her research, and Xia Xi proposed having Demon Slayer swordsmen collect blood from every demon they killed.
• Xia Xi offered funding, imported equipment, and expert staff to support Tamayo’s research, prompting her to suspect that he had already taken power from the Ubuyashiki family.

Xia Xi partnered with Tamayo and learned more about Muzan, then drew a likeness of the Demon King for the Demon Slayer Corps to distribute. After testing his strength in front of Tamayo, he was told he had about thirty percent of Muzan's power.

• Tamayo agreed to work with Xia Xi in exchange for access to demons' blood samples, especially Upper Rank blood.
• Xia Xi asked Persimmon to notify Ubuyashiki that Kuang Jin and the others were safe and that he would be occupied with Tamayo.
• Xia Xi had Tamayo describe Muzan and used her corrections to draw a likeness for the Demon Slayer Corps to circulate.
• Xia Xi asked Tamayo to compare his strength with Yoriichi's and Muzan's, then displayed his Breathing Style, Bright Red Nichirin Blade, Transparent World, and True Total Concentration.
• Tamayo estimated that Xia Xi had about thirty percent of Muzan's strength.

Xia Xi trained relentlessly while staying with Tamayo and Yushiro, and his cooking gave the two demons a rare taste of human-style meals. After checking on the recovering Kuang Jin, Xia Xi asked about the Lower Rank who had injured him, and Kuang Jin began to explain.

• Xia Xi resumed intense swordsmanship and physical training while living with Tamayo and Yushiro.
• Yushiro, Tamayo, and the Wind Breathing juniors recognized Xia Xi's discipline and marveled at his many talents.
• Xia Xi served Tamayo and Yushiro blood stew, raw dressed wagyu, and beef sashimi, which they were able to eat despite being demons.
• Xia Xi told Hajimi to bring food to Kuang Jin, who was recovering from severe injuries and eating with the others.
• Xia Xi asked Kuang Jin to describe the Lower Rank who had injured him, and Kuang Jin stopped Sanemi from answering so he could explain himself.

Xia Xi learned how Kuang Jin and Sanemi fought Lower Rank One, whose illusion-based Blood Demon Art made their attacks miss and nearly killed Kuang Jin. After deducing that her sweet scent likely served as the art’s medium, Xia Xi invited Tamayo to join him in hunting the nearby demon as a first step in their cooperation.

• Kuang Jin recounted how Lower Rank One trapped him and Sanemi in an illusion that distorted their senses and made their attacks miss.
• Kuang Jin and Sanemi used wide-area slashes to locate the demon, but her illusion quickly nullified their advantage as she targeted the weaker Sanemi.
• Sanemi’s rare blood intoxicated Lower Rank One and destabilized her illusory realm, allowing Kuang Jin and Sanemi to attempt an escape.
• Lower Rank One wounded Sanemi, and Kuang Jin blocked her lethal attack before Sanemi helped carry him out of the Old House.
• Tamayo and Yushiro rescued Kuang Jin, and Xia Xi later concluded that the demon’s sweet scent likely enabled her Blood Demon Art.
• Xia Xi invited Tamayo on a walk after dinner, proposing they hunt the nearby Lower Rank as a token of their cooperation.

Lower Rank One Ubagabi hunted for the white-haired child whose rare blood could help her rise to the Upper Ranks, then lured the Demon Slayer Corps into her mansion with her Blood Demon Art. The others entered her illusion, and Xia Xi found himself alone in an eerie room as Ubagabi approached.

• Ubagabi fantasized about eating the white-haired child and becoming an Upper Rank, dismissing the other Lower Ranks as rivals.
• After days of searching, Ubagabi found the white-haired child among a group of Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen near her mansion.
• Ubagabi spread her Blood Demon Art’s scent to draw the visitors into an illusory barrier and noticed two masked demons outside the mansion.
• The swordsmen entered with wet towels over their mouths, but Ubagabi believed the illusion would affect them even if they did not breathe.
• Xia Xi became separated from the others and entered a candlelit room with an old dressing table, while Ubagabi began walking toward him.