Teiichi lay quietly in the coffin, with some simple food and water beside him.
"Rustle... rustle..."
Faint scraping sounds came from above. As the coffin lid slowly slid back into place, the light inside gradually disappeared.
The lid finally closed snugly, leaving only a small air hole that Teiichi had deliberately left open to the outside.
He had no idea when the demon would come, and the air in the coffin would not sustain a person for long, so Teiichi could only prepare a ventilation pipe.
Before being buried, Teiichi had instructed them to place the pipe toward the original headstone. He could only gamble that the demon would approach from that direction and start digging there.
Once the coffin lid was closed, a clattering came from above-the sound of dirt and stones falling onto the coffin.
Before long, the noise gradually subsided, replaced by faint footsteps that faded into the distance. Silence settled over the coffin once more, leaving only Teiichi and the endless darkness.
After Nakamura Koji and the others left, Teiichi carefully checked the ventilation pipe. He confirmed that air could pass through it to the outside, which allowed him to relax a little.
Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on circulating the Wind Breathing Style. He worked to suppress the illness wracking his body, trying to let the Breathing Style take effect and help him recover his strength.
Time passed slowly in the darkness, and the light from the ventilation pipe disappeared completely. The coffin sank into pitch-black darkness; he could not see his hand before his face. Teiichi judged that night must have fallen, but he could not be certain of the time.
With no idea when the demon would arrive, he kept his Breathing Style running at full power, suppressing his body's instinctive urge to cough.
The coffin was utterly silent, without a sound or movement, and he could see nothing.
An unknown amount of time later, a hazy figure quietly appeared not far from Teiichi's grave in the still night.
Tonight, a thick bank of clouds obscured the moon, making the figure seem even more mysterious in the darkness.
Because Teiichi was underground and the figure had not approached the grave, he noticed nothing unusual.
"How did this member of the Demon Slayer Corps die so quickly? I don't remember hitting him that hard."
The figure muttered to himself, a trace of confusion in his voice.
He looked around, and after confirming there was no other movement nearby, continued, "Never mind. I'm not hungry today anyway. How about this? I'll attack him twice more with the power of corrosion, then come back in two days to enjoy this feast."
With that, the figure raised his right hand and gave it a light wave. An invisible energy emanated from his hand, pierced the barrier of space, and shot straight toward Teiichi underground.
Without Teiichi noticing a thing, the energy quietly invaded his body, rapidly worsening his illness.
By then, Teiichi's mind had begun to grow muddled. His eyelids felt heavier and heavier, as though they weighed a thousand pounds, and he struggled to open his eyes wider.
Finally, after one more effort to open them, Teiichi's eyes could no longer hold out and slowly closed. This time, they did not open again, and he sank into a deep coma.
"Drip."
"Drip."
Inside the coffin, the clear sound of dripping water rang out continuously.
The sound pierced the darkness and reached Teiichi's ears. As though it held some kind of magic, it slowly began to rouse his consciousness.
Teiichi's eyes began to move slightly, and a trace of life gradually returned to his vacant gaze. His fingers trembled slightly as well, as if trying to grasp that faint glimmer of life.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
His body seemed to realize he was waking and began coughing first, accompanied by a sensation like raging flames scorching his throat.
Helped along by the coughing, Teiichi woke noticeably faster.
His eyes slowly opened, his pupils like two large gemstones, still clearly unfocused.
He lay there quietly, gasping for breath as though trying to replenish all the oxygen he had lost. Every breath carried a slight tremor, revealing his body's weakness and exhaustion. His chest rose and fell unevenly, as if speaking of his present hardship.
His mind felt shrouded in thick fog, his thoughts vague and confused. But as time passed, the fog gradually dispersed, and his thoughts began to clear.
As confusion alternated with clarity, Teiichi felt as though he were cut off from the outside world, and time seemed to lose its meaning. He simply lay there silently, gasping for breath and letting his mind gradually recover from its blank state.
After an unknown amount of time, a pattering sound reached Teiichi's mind. His brain seemed to regain the ability to think, and his eyes gradually focused.
Was it... raining outside?
No, this wasn't the time to worry about that. Had I been hit?
He closed his eyes and checked his body's condition. Teiichi could only describe it as a complete mess.
Every muscle ached unbearably, as though millions of ants were gnawing on them. His strength seemed to have been drained dry as well, leaving him limp, and even moving his limbs had become exceptionally difficult.
Teiichi pressed his lips together lightly, feeling their dryness and cracks and his unbearably parched throat.
How long had it been?
After pondering fruitlessly for a while, Teiichi silently circulated Wind Breathing to recover his strength.
Once a little of his strength had returned, he began feeling around beside him. Soon, his left hand found a wooden water cup. He forced himself upright and brought the cup in front of him. He unscrewed its lid with his right hand, then gulped down the water.
"Whew."
After drinking more than half the cup, he let out a long breath. He felt much better physically. Though his condition was still serious, it was far better than when he had first woken.
Then his right hand felt around on the other side and soon found something made of oiled paper. It contained the meat pies Teiichi had bought earlier.
He brought the meat pies in front of him, fumbled in the darkness with both hands to unwrap them, then picked one up and brought it to his mouth.
One meat pie after another went into Teiichi's stomach.
With his Breathing Style circulating, Teiichi felt as though he could sense his stomach rapidly digesting the meat pies and converting them into energy for his body.
I'll leave once my body recovers a little more. In my current condition, I probably couldn't beat that demon even if he did come.
Teiichi thought as he ate the meat pies.
Suddenly.
Teiichi stopped chewing.
Faint footsteps mingled with the rain reached Teiichi's ears. They headed straight toward him and finally stopped not far above him.
Was my luck really that bad?!
Teiichi silently swallowed the meat pie, picked up the Nichirin Blade lying beside him, and quietly adjusted his breathing.
With the demon blocking the way above, there was no escaping. I could only fight.
Checking how much his body had recovered, Teiichi could not help giving a bitter smile.
Hopefully, the sneak attack would land!
The sound of digging had already begun above him.
Teiichi silently shifted position in the coffin, kneeling on one knee with his body slightly lowered.
Thump!
As a palm struck the coffin lid, Teiichi tightened his right hand around the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
"Scrape, scrape, scrape..."
Then the coffin lid began to open slowly, and moonlight spilled through the gap into the coffin.
Teiichi pressed his back firmly against the lid, braced his legs, and shoved upward, throwing it off along with the dirt that had not yet been cleared from it.
At the same moment, he drew his Nichirin Blade. An azure light flared in the darkness, illuminating everything around him. He swiftly launched his attack.
"Wind Breathing!"
"Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!"
The azure blade light swept out like a gale, bearing straight down on the demon above.
"Aaargh!!"
A scream rang out beyond the coffin, and blood sprayed from the demon's body.
But Teiichi's heart tightened, because he realized he had not struck the demon's neck. He immediately recognized this as a fatal mistake that he had to rectify swiftly.
Pushing off lightly with both feet, he leaped out of the pit and onto the ground, then rushed toward the demon. A few steps later, he was already before him, raising his Nichirin Blade high to deliver a killing blow.
However, the demon did not sit there waiting to die. He stared coldly at Teiichi, suddenly raised one foot, and kicked him hard in the abdomen. With a loud bang, Teiichi was sent flying.
He quickly rolled along the ground to shed the excess force, then looked up at the demon.
"Is that... Wakuraba?"