Chapter Summaries

Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae Kocho struggled to sleep without each other after she spent the night with Shinobu Kocho. Tetsu no Sosuke woke still unsettled by the empty space beside him and got up to make use of the morning.

• Tetsu no Sosuke changed his plans and decided to visit the Rengoku Family after receiving a letter, then replied to all three letters.
• Tetsu no Sosuke tossed and turned, realizing he had become unused to sleeping alone.
• Shinobu Kocho and Kanae Kocho decided to sleep together, and Kanae nearly moved toward Shinobu out of habit before stopping herself.
• Kanae Kocho blushed as she thought about Tetsu no Sosuke and wondered whether he had fallen asleep.
• Tetsu no Sosuke woke to the empty space beside him, reflected on how strange it felt to sleep alone, and got up.

Tetsu no Sosuke planned to speed up construction of the training doll and travel to the Rengoku Family to repair his Nichirin Blade. After Shinobu Kocho left, he learned that Kanae had tried to reassure her about their relationship, and he and Kanae shared an affectionate moment.

• Tetsu no Sosuke reviewed the training doll’s slow progress and began drawing plans for parts that could be made separately.
• Over breakfast, Tetsu no Sosuke noticed Kanae seemed tired while Shinobu Kocho appeared cheerful.
• Tetsu no Sosuke told Kanae he planned to visit the Rengoku Family, while Shinobu Kocho struggled with wanting to accompany them before going for a walk alone.
• Kanae told Tetsu no Sosuke that she had praised him to Shinobu Kocho and said they lived together, but had claimed he slept on the floor.
• Tetsu no Sosuke joked with Kanae about Shinobu Kocho, then held Kanae as they spent another half hour together.

Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae traveled toward the Rengoku Family and stopped in a town for ramen, where they learned that people had been disappearing at night. They decided to investigate the supposed haunting before continuing their journey.

• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae set out for the Rengoku Family after a heavy snowfall and traveled for three days.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae entered a small town near nightfall and stopped at a ramen stall.
• The stall owner warned Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae that people had been disappearing after dark and urged them to leave at daybreak.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae exchanged a glance and decided to investigate the disappearances.

Tetsu no Sosuke joined Kanae on a nighttime patrol so he could gain experience fighting Demons under her protection. They searched the town without finding any Demons and watched a man carrying a lantern get home safely.

• Tetsu no Sosuke persuaded Kanae to let him try fighting an ordinary Demon while she watched over him.
• Kanae agreed on the condition that Tetsu no Sosuke follow her instructions and stay beside her.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae crossed the rooftops, searching the town for Demons.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae secretly followed a man carrying a lantern until he reached home safely.

Tetsu no Sosuke followed Kanae toward a demon, sensing its presence before they found it attacking a girl. He struck with his Hammer Sword but missed, then faced the charging demon at close range.

• Kanae detected something and led Tetsu no Sosuke toward it as his unease grew stronger.
• Tetsu no Sosuke heard a scream and saw Kanae rescue a blood-covered girl while a Vengeful Demon held a severed hand in its teeth.
• The demon lunged at Kanae, and Tetsu no Sosuke attacked it with Breath of the Sun—Form One: Gale Sun.
• The demon dodged the hammer blows and charged straight at Tetsu no Sosuke.
• Tetsu no Sosuke sprang back and whipped the Hammer Sword upward as the demon closed in.

Tetsu no Sosuke battered the demon with his Iron Hammer and used Breath of the Sun to break his arm and hurl him into a wall. The demon escaped the impact and fled, leaving Tetsu no Sosuke in pursuit after Kanae warned him.

• Tetsu no Sosuke chained Form One hammer strikes, pounding the demon as he struggled to rise.
• Tetsu no Sosuke used Breath of the Sun—Form Two: Direct Forging of Qiankun, snapping the demon’s arm and driving it into his head.
• The demon crashed through the air into a nearby wall, then darted away with his broken arm dragging behind him.
• Kanae warned that the demon was escaping, and Tetsu no Sosuke gave chase.

Tetsu no Sosuke pursued the red-haired Demon out of town and struck it with his Iron Hammer before it could reach the forest. As the Demon charged him, he noticed its movements felt strangely familiar and disjointed.

• Kanae bandaged the unconscious girl's wound, left her propped against a wall, and chased after Tetsu no Sosuke and the Demon.
• Tetsu no Sosuke pursued the Demon toward a snowy forest, fearing it would be difficult to track in the woods.
• Tetsu no Sosuke launched the hammerhead from his Iron Hammer and hit the back of the Demon's head.
• The enraged Demon turned and lunged at Tetsu no Sosuke, who faced it with only his Nichirin Blade.
• Tetsu no Sosuke noticed the Demon's movements were awkward and strangely familiar.

Tetsu no Sosuke fought a demon, discovered how to use its strength against it, and decapitated it. The chapter ended with the demon’s crimson-haired head flying into the air.

• Tetsu no Sosuke briefly felt the same restraining sensation he had experienced while practicing swordsmanship on Mt. Sagiri and severed one of the demon’s arms.
• Tetsu no Sosuke checked his wounds and realized the demon’s claws were not poisoned.
• Tetsu no Sosuke deliberately let the demon’s strength knock him backward, landing unharmed as the demon spun off balance.
• Tetsu no Sosuke seized the opening and cut off the demon’s head as it tried to thrust at him.

Kanae rushed to Tetsu no Sosuke as he beheaded the demon and feared its final strike had pierced him. She discovered he had stopped the demon’s hand from going deeper, and he pulled it from his abdomen after Kanae severed its arm.

• Kanae raced toward Tetsu no Sosuke, anxious about his safety and imagining how he might fare against the demon.
• Tetsu no Sosuke severed the demon’s head just as Kanae arrived and saw the demon’s final knife-hand strike.
• Kanae feared the demon’s arm had pierced Tetsu no Sosuke, but he told her the hand had only gone in a little.
• Kanae severed the demon’s arm, and its body began to crumble away.
• Tetsu no Sosuke landed and pulled the demon’s hand from his abdomen, revealing a painful but nonfatal wound.

After Tetsu no Sosuke defeated the Demon, Kanae tended his wounds and confronted him about chasing it alone. They apologized, reassured each other, and made a promise before Kanae soon broke it.

• Tetsu no Sosuke controlled his bleeding while Kanae bandaged his wounds after the Demon crumbled to ash.
• Kanae reproached Tetsu no Sosuke for pursuing the Demon alone instead of protecting the injured child and letting her chase it.
• Tetsu no Sosuke admitted he had acted without thinking and promised not to make Kanae fear for him again.
• Kanae and Tetsu no Sosuke made a pinky promise, which Kanae soon went back on.

After defeating the demon, Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae promised to overcome future dangers and return victorious. Back at the Inn, they reviewed his battle, and Kanae pointed out that the demon had fought by sensing changes in scent because it had no eyes.

• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae changed their promise to vow that they would defeat their enemies and return victorious.
• They returned to Town, tended to Tetsu no Sosuke's wound, helped the rescued girl, and planned to report the demon's death to the Demon Slayer Corps.
• At the Inn, Tetsu no Sosuke wrote notes about the fight and asked Kanae to help him review his mistakes.
• Kanae explained that Tetsu no Sosuke had used his powerful hammer technique too hastily at the start, though a later blow had caught the demon off guard.
• Kanae noted that the eyeless demon had relied on its nose to sense disturbances in scent and anticipate attacks.

Tetsu no Sosuke reviewed his fight with Kanae and reflected on sensations that might help him grow stronger. After Kanae examined his wound the next morning, she decided he could continue traveling slowly.

• Kanae pointed out that Tetsu no Sosuke could have targeted the demon's nose, and he wrote down his failure to notice the demon's weakness.
• Kanae identified problems in Tetsu no Sosuke's fight while he recorded and considered her advice.
• Tetsu no Sosuke persuaded Kanae to stay with him overnight, then lay awake thinking about his dread and the strike that severed the demon's arm.
• Tetsu no Sosuke fell asleep before figuring out how to draw on more of his strength.
• Kanae examined Tetsu no Sosuke's wound the next morning and decided they could resume their journey at a slow pace.

Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae traveled to the Rengoku Family estate so he could repair Kyojuro Rengoku’s damaged Nichirin Blade. Kyojuro welcomed them and praised Tetsu no Sosuke for killing a Demon, leaving Tetsu no Sosuke unsure how to respond to being called young.

• Kanae sent a Kasugai Crow message asking the Hidden to prepare the Sword Forging Shed at the Rengoku Family estate and deliver the tools there.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae left at once, keeping their identities and their role in the previous night’s events secret.
• Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae traveled slowly for three days as his abdominal wound began to close, then increased their pace.
• After two more days, Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae reached the Rengoku Family estate.
• Kyojuro Rengoku greeted Tetsu no Sosuke, praised his victory over a Demon, and apologized for not meeting him sooner.

Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae arrived at the Rengoku Mansion, where Kyojuro welcomed them and Senjuro showed them their prepared room. Sosuke happily accepted the arrangement, while Senjuro quietly doubted he could ever join the Demon Slayer Corps.

• Kyojuro apologized for not meeting Tetsu no Sosuke sooner, then confirmed the Hidden and Sword Forging Shed were ready.
• Kyojuro led Tetsu no Sosuke and Kanae through the Mansion to their prepared room.
• Senjuro greeted the visitors and said he had prepared a room for them to share.
• Tetsu no Sosuke accepted the arrangement and promised to forge Senjuro's Nichirin Blade if he joined the Demon Slayer Corps.

Tetsu no Sosuke examined Kyojuro Rengoku’s badly damaged Nichirin Blade and considered how to repair it. Kyojuro revealed that his brother had named the sword Enkiri, and Sosuke prepared to save it.

• After Senjuro thanked Tetsu no Sosuke, the group went inside.
• Tetsu no Sosuke asked to inspect Kyojuro Rengoku’s Nichirin Blade, and Kyojuro handed it over.
• Tetsu no Sosuke found the blade badly cracked and worn, but saw how he might repair it.
• Kyojuro asked whether Enkiri could be saved, and Senjuro explained that Kyojuro had named the sword and talked to it during maintenance.
• Kyojuro defended naming and speaking to his sword, while Tetsu no Sosuke reflected on how he had stopped naming the Nichirin Blades he forged.

Tetsu no Sosuke agreed to train with Kyojuro Rengoku after the Pillar offered to help him improve his swordsmanship and complete the Automaton Puppet. He left the conversation ready to face the difficult training ahead, with Kanae resolved to support him.

• Tetsu no Sosuke promised to restore Kyojuro Rengoku's damaged blade within three days.
• Kyojuro Rengoku apologized for putting the blade through too many battles, and Tetsu no Sosuke reassured him that damage was normal.
• Kyojuro Rengoku offered to train Tetsu no Sosuke through battle and demonstrate the Breath of Flames forms for the Automaton Puppet.
• Kanae decided that Tetsu no Sosuke's growth and survival mattered more than the pain he might endure during training.
• Tetsu no Sosuke accepted Kyojuro Rengoku's offer and said he was counting on him.

Tetsu no Sosuke began repairing Kyojuro Rengoku’s Nichirin Blade and training with him, while wondering about the apparent limit of the Sunblaze attribute. He spent the afternoon sparring with Giyu Tomioka, which mostly meant being beaten up.

• Tetsu no Sosuke decided not to intervene in Rengoku Shinjuro’s despair.
• Tetsu no Sosuke began repairing Kyojuro Rengoku’s Nichirin Blade using the Restoration Art.
• Tetsu no Sosuke noted that none of the Nichirin Blades he had made had reached a Sunblaze value of one hundred.
• Tetsu no Sosuke sparred with Giyu Tomioka and got beaten up.

Tetsu no Sosuke endured a week of intense training with Kyojuro Rengoku, improving his agility, defense, and counterattacks while developing a new Hammer technique. After repairing Enkiri and receiving an Artisan's Toolkit, he began forging the Automaton Puppet's core, though mastering Pillar-level Swordsmanship remained out of reach.

• Kyojuro Rengoku increasingly fought Tetsu no Sosuke at full strength, and Kanae treated Tetsu no Sosuke's injuries each night.
• After seven days of training, Tetsu no Sosuke was hit less often, moved more agilely, and gained a deeper understanding of evasion and counterattacks.
• Tetsu no Sosuke developed a new Hammer technique, though he still struggled to make a breakthrough in Swordsmanship.
• On the third day of training, Tetsu no Sosuke repaired Enkiri, improving the blade's basic attributes, and received an Artisan's Toolkit as a reward.
• Tetsu no Sosuke began forging the Automaton Puppet's core after gaining new insights into the Breath of Flames from sparring with Kyojuro Rengoku.

After assembling the Automaton Puppet, Tetsu no Sosuke discovered that his Hammer Sword could split a large rock with a light tap. The chapter then shifted to an author’s note about the book’s upcoming premium release.

• Senjuro continued assembling the Automaton Puppet whenever he had free time, while Kyojuro Rengoku avoided trying it so he would not get hooked.
• After finishing the Automaton Puppet’s core components, Tetsu no Sosuke felt an unexplained sense of fullness and picked up his Hammer Sword.
• Tetsu no Sosuke lightly tapped a large rock with the Hammer Sword, and a perfectly straight crack split it.
• The three people watching Tetsu no Sosuke turned at the sound and stared in surprise as he examined the sword in bewilderment.
• The author noted that the book’s premium release was approaching and reflected on the arguments in the review section.

Tetsu no Sosuke split the enormous boulder with a Hammer Sword blow that left a sword-like mark, puzzling Kyojuro Rengoku. Asked what he had felt, Tetsu no Sosuke said everything had fallen into place, and Kanae asked what he felt now.

• Tetsu no Sosuke stood before the boulder with his Hammer Sword as Senjuro and Kyojuro Rengoku examined the sword-like mark on it.
• Kyojuro Rengoku concluded that Tetsu no Sosuke's special training had produced the result.
• Kanae asked Tetsu no Sosuke what the blow had felt like, and he described a sudden sense of reaching his peak and knowing the stone would split.
• Kanae asked Tetsu no Sosuke how he felt now.