Chapter Text
The Hashira training was underway. Some of the corps members, who were usually accustomed to being lazy, complained endlessly under the rigorous training.
However, after hearing that these Hashira-level swordsmen engaged in practical combat confrontations among themselves at night after training them during the day, the grumbling seemed to quiet down quite a bit.
The Hashira were indeed the Hashira, standing tall between heaven and earth, supporting everyone.
But some people were also whispering in discussion, asking what exactly the reason was that out of the nine Hashira, only Shinobu did not participate.
Giyuu stood behind them and said in a chilling tone, "If you feel the intensity here isn't enough and want to add another Hashira training session, I can also satisfy you."
"Tomioka-sama!!! We... we didn't mean it like that..." They then fled in panic.
But this made Giyuu feel very concerned. What exactly Shinobu was doing, even he did not know.
Thus, he began to worry that Shinobu would do something even more dangerous and extreme than injecting wisteria flower poison into her own body.
Kanao's turn had now come to his training station, and he called out to her after training.
"Kochou... what is she doing now...?" Giyuu asked very hesitantly.
"Tomioka-sama, I don't know what Master has been doing lately either," Kanao said without much expression. "It's just that she goes out every night, and she looks... very tired..."
Very tired...
The ocean waves were surging toward all of them, and no one could be spared. His worry and concern for Shinobu couldn't call a halt to that terrifying sound of the tide either. He and Shinobu hadn't seen each other for many days.
Just as Kanao said, Shinobu had to go out at night, while Giyuu had to conduct training during the day. Neither of them had time.
It wasn't until the Hashira training was all over that he planned to go and talk with Shinobu. However, he saw Shinobu standing at his door, with the last feeble ray of the setting sun behind her, as if foreshadowing something to Giyuu, which only served to intensify his unease.
Without a word, he took Shinobu into his arms, holding her until that final sunset completely faded away.
"Tomioka-san, I feel very anxious... I always feel like something is about to happen."
"Is what you've been doing finished?" he simply inquired.
Shinobu nodded. "It's finished."
"Then let's go get something to eat."
They strolled through the bustling night market like an ordinary couple, buying some udon noodles and dango. Shinobu would complain that the udon broth was too bland, not as delicious as what Aoi made, looking just like a picky and spoiled wife.
Marrying such a woman and bringing her home would probably make things very difficult in the future, but it caused a satisfied smile to curl at the corner of Giyuu's mouth.
Lately, there hadn't been the slightest sign of demons, and the market possessed a rare aura of true tranquility. It was as if demons didn't exist in this world at all, and they were just ordinary people.
Yet both of them had a strong premonition that the calmer it was now, the more dangerous the impending storm would be.
"Kochou, come back to my place," Giyuu suggested.
He was very concerned about the anxiety Shinobu spoke of, and also wanted her to temporarily detach herself from her work at the Butterfly Mansion to get a peaceful night's sleep.
"Then I shall trouble you, Tomioka-san."
Giyuu's home was just like his dull personality, devoid of extra furniture and completely empty, locking up his long-standing loneliness.
Shinobu didn't mind, merely playing with the goldfish ornament she had bought from the market. That innocent appearance was unfamiliar to Giyuu, yet it felt like a luxurious desire within him.
"Kochou, is what you're doing something that can't be told to others?" he opened his mouth to ask.
Shinobu nodded. "It's a matter of absolute secrecy."
"Then..." Giyuu hesitated for a moment, "...can you guarantee that this matter won't worsen your dangerous situation?"
Shinobu smiled at him and threw herself into his arms. "I promise, Tomioka-san."
Subsequently, she proactively kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she eagerly extended her tongue.
Giyuu pinned her beneath him, and their burning bodies quickly formed a tacit understanding, wanting to continue what had been interrupted last time.
Both of them were acting with great urgency, as if fleeing the pursuit of fate, attempting to possess each other as much as possible amidst their bottomless panic.
This was actually quite awkward and bitter, much like that period of their lives wrapped up in hatred and responsibility.
Yet at the moment when the two of them shed their clothes and embraced nakedly, they found a minuscule trace of sweetness.
Out of instinct, he reached out to arouse her body, while she trembled with anticipation amidst the chaos.
"Tomioka-san, please..." Shinobu requested reservedly.
No longer hesitating, he entered her body. Nothing came to disturb them further, allowing greedy breaths and moans to intertwine, filling the briefly tranquil night.
"Shinobu, your body's very warm."
"Giyuu-san, please don't make such an objective evaluation. It would surely be better to say something erotic."
Giyuu smiled helplessly, kissing her forcefully on her lips, and then gazed at her.
"Shinobu, I want to see your lewd state."
Before his words could even land, he began to thrust violently and roughly. Shinobu tensed her body, gripping his arm tightly, her voice becoming pleasurable and lascivious.
"Giyuu-san, let's keep going like this..."
As the movements grew deeper and deeper, the air became thick with the scent of sex, scorching and alluring.
Only moans and low growls remained in the quiet room, as if they existed outside of the world.
He only had Shinobu, and he could only go and merge into one with her.
The place beneath them seemed to be collapsing, plunging into a deep pit of desire, with no way to struggle and no desire to struggle.
It was very good there. There were no evil demons or death, only love that could not be concealed and required no hesitation.
When things reached the end, at Shinobu's request, he ejaculated inside her body. They didn't need to worry that Shinobu's body, which was overtaken by toxins, could conceive a child.
That place was already a dried-up riverbed of life, incapable of nurturing a hope-filled 'risk'.
"Shinobu, I beg you, you must wait for me."
"All right."
Shinobu was an extremely perceptive swordsman. Two days after she inexplicably felt anxious, they indeed respectively received news that the Ubuyashiki estate had been attacked.
But Shinobu was also a faithless liar. She failed to achieve what she had promised Giyuu.
As they fell into the Infinity Castle, they scattered before they even had time to leave any final words.
Giyuu, along with Kyojurou and Tanjirou, encountered Upper Rank Three Akaza.
"We meet again, you demon." The usually bright and passionate Kyojurou gritted his teeth at this moment.
"You're not dead?"
Akaza seemed somewhat surprised. This man who was like fire had clearly had his body pierced through by his fist, yet he had actually survived and was standing before him once again.
"The one who deserves to die is you! You cowardly demon, Rengoku-san protected everyone, but you accomplished nothing before being beaten by him into fleeing with your tail between your legs!"
Tanjirou's resentful words enraged Akaza, causing this seemingly powerful and fierce Upper Rank Three to launch an attack on Tanjiro first. Tanjirou dodged to the side and severed his arm.
But Akaza's regeneration speed was equally beyond their expectations, being even faster than when they had encountered him on the Mugen Train.
A powerful shockwave surged toward them, but fortunately Kyojurou and Tanjirou had fought him before, allowing them to dodge precisely with anticipation.
As for Giyuu, it was instantly neutralized by his 'Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm.'
"The Water Hashira? I haven't met a Water Hashira in many years," Akaza said composedly.
"You won't meet one in the future either," Giyuu said expressionlessly, "Because you'll die here."
After saying that, he proactively executed a technique to counterattack, 'Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel,' which once again severed Akaza's arm as it prepared to make a move, and he watched with his own eyes as that arm rapidly regenerated.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type - Crown Splitter!"
Akaza seemed to only fixate his moves on Tanjirou. He really didn't seem to like Tanjirou.
A disposition completely devoid of fighting spirit like this was truly an eyesore and infuriating to Akaza, especially his compassion and bravery, which made the already-demonized Akaza all the more irritated.
"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!"
Kyojurou once again blocked his technique and swiftly launched a counterattack, aiming for the demon's neck, but it was still easily dodged. Instead, he was nearly struck by the technique Akaza unleashed.
Akaza looked down upon them with a disdainful gaze. "Not bad, all of you have made great progress. You are truly troublesome."
"Cut the nonsense!" Tanjirou raised his hand after gathering his strength. "Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun!"
The Upper Rank Three dodged once more with 'Destructive Death: Crush Type - Willow Flash,' and Tanjirou also successfully avoided his counterattack.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"
Giyuu and Kyojurou unleashed their techniques almost simultaneously, striking down at Akaza, who was focused on Tanjirou.
They looked to be on the verge of hitting him, yet he dodged at the very final hair's breadth.
"As expected of the Hashira, you are stronger than I imagined. Why don't you become demons?" Akaza still didn't forget to provoke them.
"What are you saying?! You bastard!" Kyojurou continued to slash downward with rage. "Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
This fierce battle was destined to be anything but easy. Two Hashira of top-tier combat power, plus a Tanjirou whose strength could no longer be compared to the past, fought locked in an indistinguishable stalemate with Akaza.
Akaza seemed to have finally realized that because Kyojurou and Tanjirou had fought him before, they were relatively familiar with his techniques. Even though they were also struck at times, they could dodge most of the time.
Therefore, he shifted his target to Giyuu, with whom he was clashing for the first time.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type - Ring of Thousand Flying Planets!"
But his intent was detected by Tanjirou, who stared intently at his neck. "Hinokami Kagura: Fire Wheel!"
Giyuu also reacted swiftly, executing a technique after dodging, 'Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow.'
Subsequently, he noticed a change occurring in his body, his speed becoming fluid, and quickly realized that he had awakened his Demon Slayer Mark.
"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!" Kyojurou also seized the opportunity to join the battle.
Akaza was thoroughly enraged by their successive attacks, yet even when facing Giyuu, whose speed had soared after awakening the mark, he quickly adapted to his pace.
Kyojurou and Tanjirou observed Akaza as he locked in combat with Giyuu, exchanged a glance with each other, and prepared to attack together from behind to sever Akaza's neck.
Giyuu perfectly understood their intention, holding Akaza back from the front and revealing a weakness at the opportune moment to concentrate Akaza's attention, buying the two of them a chance to cut off his neck.
"Final Form: Blue Chaotic Afterglow!"
Akaza's technique turned into continuous shockwaves assaulting Giyuu. He tried to neutralize them with 'Eleventh Form: Dead Calm', but could only deplete a fraction of the attacks and was ultimately struck.
Only, before Akaza even had time to grow smug, his neck was severed by Tanjirou and Kyojurou, who had opened the Transparent World.
"Bastards!"
Akaza was furious. He hadn't detected any fighting spirit behind him. No, it was because there was no fighting spirit on their bodies at all! That was what made him lower his guard and allowed these two humans to sever his neck.
Unwilling to accept this, Akaza prepared to pick up his own head to reattach it, but Giyuu threw his Nichirin Blade, knocking his head away, and it instantly dissolved.
Yet they saw that the wound on his neck was actually regenerating.
"Pull yourself together!" Kyojurou said. "Keep attacking him. This demon is more formidable than we imagined."
Taking advantage of the opportunity while Akaza's wound was regenerating, Giyuu dragged his injured body to retrieve his Nichirin Blade and stood back up.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Setting Sun Transformation!"
But their attacks didn't seem to inflict any damage on Akaza. However, a moment later, this headless demon abandoned his resistance, completely devoid of any fighting spirit.
They didn't know what kind of process had occurred within his heart, only watching him dissipate in dejection, yet they didn't catch even a hint of resentment in the air.
They had defeated Upper Rank Three.
"Let's go," Kyojurou proposed. "There's still the next one!"
Giyuu finally remembered something, his expression instantly growing tense. He had been entangled with Akaza for too long and had forgotten other matters.
"You guys go find Upper Rank One. I'll go over to Upper Rank Two's side..."
"Tomioka-san, we can go together!" Tanjirou proposed.
"Tanjiro, Upper Rank One is going to be even more difficult to deal with. You must go to ensure that our comrades can survive as much as possible," Giyuu said in a deep voice, and then departed on his own quickly.
Kyojurou held back Tanjirou, who was preparing to chase after Giyuu. "He has his reasons."