The aftermath of the battle was devastating: Sekido's lightning, Urogi's talons, Aizetsu's spear shadows, Karaku's gusts...
Together with the scattered resistance Hantengu's main body mustered at the very end, they were like several small bombs detonating one after another inside the cramped guest room and corridor.
Boom! Crack! Crash!
Huge holes were blasted through the wooden walls, the corridor railings were smashed to pieces, and roof tiles rained down amid billowing dust.
The earth-shaking noise and terrifying surge of demonic energy instantly alarmed the entire inn.
"Demons!! Such powerful demonic energy! It's coming from Mr. Kirishima's room!" Tanjiro was the first to spring out of bed. He grabbed his Nichirin Blade and rushed outside.
"Ha! Finally, a fight! Here I come!" Inosuke excitedly slammed the door open.
"Eek! Such powerful demonic energy! An Upper Rank?! No!" Although Zenitsu screamed, he instinctively drew his blade and followed. "Hey, you two! Why are you acting like cats spotting a mouse? That's an Upper Rank! Wait for me!"
"..."
Muichiro said nothing. After rubbing his eyes, he appeared silently at the edge of the ruined corridor like a gentle breeze.
When they rushed through the dust and saw the scene before them, even their wealth of experience could not keep them from being utterly dumbfounded.
Nearly half the corridor had been destroyed, and a huge hole gaped in the guest room wall.
Four demons, each different in appearance but all in an utterly wretched state and radiating powerful demonic energy, surrounded a nearly shapeless puddle of purplish-black minced flesh, frantically venting the anger left over from their attacks.
They were still muttering things like "traitor" and "damn you."
And right in the center of this wreckage, near an inner wall that had not yet completely collapsed, Kirishima Bupai lounged leisurely in his white