Inosuke's figure vanished into the smoke and dust, and his final cry of "Run!" struck everyone's hearts like a sledgehammer.
Kanao froze. Before her very eyes, the companion who was always making a racket, always shouting "Headlong Rush," disappeared to protect her. The immense shock left her mind blank, and she even forgot to dodge the Bone Whip hurtling toward her.
It's over.
The shadow of death descended with such stark clarity.
And Zenitsu Agatsuma, not far away, saw every bit of it.
Fear.
Boundless fear, like icy seawater, instantly engulfed every part of his body. His teeth chattered wildly, and he shook like a leaf in the autumn wind. Tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes, mixing with snot and smearing his face.
So scary. So scary. So scary.
Why is this happening? We've already defeated so many demons. Why is the final enemy this strong? Inosuke is dead... Is Kanao next? Then Tanjiro? Then me?
We're going to die. We're all going to die.
Run. Hurry, run. If you don't run now, it'll be too late.
Inside Zenitsu, his cowardly, timid self screamed frantically. His legs had already begun moving backward against his will, trying to get away from this hellish battlefield.
But he didn't move.
His feet seemed nailed to the ground.
Scene after scene flooded his mind.
"Zenitsu, you're my pride and joy." Grandfather's kind yet stern face.
"So what if you only know the First Form! Master it to its utmost, and it'll be better than anything else!"
"Trash deserves a trash's death!" His senior fellow disciple Kaigaku's hideous, twisted face after becoming a demon.
"Someone like you has no right to use Thunder Breathing!"
"Young Agatsuma! Your blade exists to slay demons and protect the people!" Kyojuro Rengoku's smile, as dazzling as the sun.
"Zenitsu,