Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 124 Mission

The chaotic commotion gradually subsided.

With his head drooping, Inosuke reluctantly followed Tanjiro and Nezuko, escorting them all the way to the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion.

Tanjiro and Nezuko continued to bow and apologize, repeatedly promising that they would cherish the new sword and would never let the blade be damaged again.

Only after watching the blacksmiths' figures disappear at the end of the mountain path did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The sunlight still shone warmly on the courtyard of the Butterfly House. The chaos and laughter from just now seemed to still linger in the air. Everything was peaceful and tranquil, like an everyday routine that would never be broken.

Unbeknownst to anyone, beneath this brief period of peace, carnage was spreading with unstoppable force across distant towns.

Night fell completely, and the southeastern border town, far from the Butterfly Mansion, had long since become a living hell.

The streets were deathly silent, devoid of lights and human voices, save for the pungent, nauseating stench of blood that permeated the cold night air.

The walls, the floor, and the doors of the wooden house were covered with splattered dark red blood, tattered clothes, and scattered household items.

The children's toys, dropped and abandoned haphazardly in the alleyways, silently tell the story of the tragedy that had occurred not long ago.

"Lord Flame Pillar... there are almost no survivors here."

An ordinary member of the Demon Slayer Corps, dressed in a uniform, knelt on one knee, his voice trembling, his report filled with uncontrollable grief and fear.

His fingertips trembled slightly. All he could see were cold corpses and dried blood, without a single cry for help or a trace of struggle.

Standing in the middle of the block, Kyojuro Rengoku exuded a frighteningly heavy aura.

In the past, his angular face was always adorned with a bright, cheerful smile as radiant as the blazing sun, and his voice was loud and powerful, full of fighting spirit and hope, as if it could dispel all gloom.

But at this moment, those golden eyes, which were burning with the fire of justice, were filled with heavy solemnity and anger. His brows were tightly furrowed, and the aura of fire breathing around him was suppressed to the extreme, so much so that even the air seemed to be scorched and slightly distorted.

He slowly surveyed the massacred neighborhood, his nostrils filled with the pungent smell of rust and the stench of ghosts. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an icy hand, a dull ache gripping his chest.

Countless innocent lives were cruelly swallowed up in the darkness; the elderly, women, and children were all spared.

The entire neighborhood became a ghost town, and not even a complete cry of despair could be heard.

"I never imagined... so many people would die."

Kyojuro Rengoku spoke in a deep voice, no longer loud, but filled with heavy self-reproach.

"Judging from the aura and the traces at the scene, what is lurking here is not just an ordinary ghost, but multiple ghosts, or even... I was too late. If I had been one step faster, I might have been able to save more innocent people."

The team members accompanying him all lowered their heads, their expressions heavy, and their eyes reddened.

As swordsmen, they took it upon themselves to slay demons and protect the people, yet they faced such a horrific massacre.

But all they could do was clean up the mess afterward; that sense of powerlessness pierced everyone's heart like a needle.

Just then, a deep and long train whistle sounded from the direction of the railway in the distance—

"Waaah—waaah—"

A heavy sound pierced the night, carrying an eerie and cold mechanical roar that echoed across the empty plains, like a summons from hell.

Kyojuro Rengoku suddenly looked up, staring straight in the direction from which the horn sounded.

"That's where the Infinite Train stops, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

The team members immediately responded loudly.

"very good."

Rengoku Kyojuro gripped the Nichirin Blade at his waist.

"It seems the culprit is on that train, not far from here. I'll go investigate first; you all immediately gather information about the situation here and report back to our lord as quickly as possible!"

"Lord Flame Pillar, it's too dangerous for you to be alone..."

The team members' expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly tried to dissuade them.

But before he could finish speaking, Rengoku Kyojuro had already moved.

Like a raging fire suddenly igniting in the darkness, it moved so fast that only a crimson afterimage remained.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared at the end of the dimly lit street.

The team members stared blankly at the empty alleyway entrance, their worries almost overflowing.

"Quickly! Contact headquarters immediately! The situation here is far more dangerous than we imagined; we cannot let Lord Flame Pillar face this alone!"

"yes!"

At a command, a jet-black raven took flight, piercing the night sky, and sped toward the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters at top speed.

With a whooshing sound as its wings cut through the wind, carrying heavy, ominous news, it traversed the mountains and the night, landing before Kagaya Ubuyashiki's window.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat quietly in the main seat, his face still showing signs of his long-standing weakness, yet he exuded dignity and composure.

Lady Tianyin held the letter delivered by the raven and read it aloud word by word in a soft voice, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

When they heard that "the entire neighborhood was slaughtered," "the Mugen Train had an eerie atmosphere," and "Kyojuro Rengoku went to investigate alone," they were shocked.

Lady Tianyin's fingers tightened slightly as she held the letter.

"Can Kyojuro really manage on his own?"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face was full of heaviness.

"I believe my child can complete the mission, but I also cannot let my child face danger alone."

Lady Tianyin frowned slightly and analyzed in a soft voice.

"But right now, the other pillars have all rushed to their respective mission locations and there is no way they can get to Kyojuro's side in time."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki suddenly raised the corners of his mouth slightly, a gentle and expectant smile appearing on his weak face.

"There's no need to use the pillars."

He said softly, "I've heard that the Kamado siblings of the Butterfly Mansion have made amazing progress during this time."

Lady Tianyin was slightly taken aback and looked at him with some surprise.

"You mean that brother and sister? Are they really capable?"

"I believe in them."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke softly yet with unwavering determination.

As the words fell, the night breeze outside the window gently stirred the curtains, as if a predetermined fate was quietly turning in the darkness.

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight had just shone into the courtyard of the Butterfly House.

The four people, who were cultivating in their own way, heard a clear and solemn cry coming from the sky at almost the same time.

Tanjiro stopped swinging his wooden sword and looked up.

Mi Douzi suppressed his aura and looked up at the sky.

Zenitsu was instantly jolted awake from his lazy, dozing state and hurriedly stood up straight.

Inosuke stopped struggling with the stone, his wild gaze fixed on the sky.

Four jet-black ravens landed neatly on the bamboo branches in the courtyard, their feathers in perfect order. Their voices were loud and solemn, carrying out the Lord's urgent orders clearly, word by word, throughout the entire Butterfly House:

"Emergency mission order! Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, assemble immediately! Head to the Mugen Train on the southeastern border, and together with the Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku, slay the demon that has taken over the train!"