Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

Tanjiro's expression changed, but he didn't say anything. He just gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade tightly and carefully held onto the wooden box behind him.

His most precious younger sister, the demon girl Nezuko, was sleeping there.

Finally, after passing through several carriages, they arrived at the more spacious and bright first-class area.

The seats here are more comfortable, and there are fewer passengers.

However, almost the instant they stepped into the carriage, a shout as hot and powerful as a burning flame instantly attracted everyone's attention!

“Delicious!!”

A very conspicuous man sat upright next to the seat near the front of the car.

He had long, brilliant, flame-like golden hair, with bright reddish-gold ends, some of which stood up like burning flames.

Beneath two thick, sword-like eyebrows were piercing, golden-red eyes that seemed to hold an inextinguishable fighting spirit.

"Mmm! Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"

At this moment, he was devouring the food inside a huge bento box with astonishing speed, holding it in both hands.

Upon closer inspection, there was a densely packed stack of empty lunch boxes around me.

A loud and energetic voice echoed in the carriage, reaching Asuka and the others' ears clearly even from a distance.

This person is none other than the Flame Pillar, one of the Nine Pillars—Rengoku Kyojuro!

Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were all stunned into silence by the exaggerated eating habits and the overwhelming aura emanating from the food.

"Is this the Flame Pillar...? He's just an ordinary glutton..." Zenitsu looked at Asuka with some uncertainty.

Asuka didn't answer, but simply led the three of them closer to Rengoku Kyojuro and calmly greeted him:

"Mr. Purgatory, it's been a long time."

"Oh! It's Asuka Boy! Delicious!"

His voice was loud and clear, filled with unreserved enthusiasm, as he ate his bento box with gusto.

"How come we run into you here? Are you on a business trip? Hmm! You look very energetic!"

"Hmm." Asuka waved her hand, gesturing for Tanjiro and the others to find seats, while she herself sat opposite the Flame Hashira: "I'm here to support the Mugen Train mission, and they are my team members."

"I see! That's a great arrangement!"

Asuka glanced at the other passengers in the carriage, and after confirming that no one was eavesdropping, she spoke seriously:

"Mr. Purgatory, have you noticed? There's a ghost on this train."

"Hmm! Yes! A very powerful demon! I wonder when it will appear!"

"Hmm, the entire train is filled with ghostly energy. Could it be the Upper Moon?"

Kyojuro Rengoku crossed his arms, his expression turning serious, but the Flame Pillar's hearty smile remained:

"A crescent moon? I don't know! I arrived a day earlier than you, and I haven't discovered the ghost on this train yet!"

"Upper Moon? Finally, a decent one has arrived!" Inosuke roared excitedly upon hearing Asuka's words, his fingers rubbing the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.

Zenitsu was on the verge of fainting: "Aaaaaah! Upper Moon?! The whole train is filled with ghostly energy?! Is it too late for me to jump off?! Help—!"

The bird raised its hand to stop their noise and continued:

"It's still uncertain. All we can say is that the ghost on this train is definitely not simple. We should proceed with caution."

"Hmm! Such a calm judgment! As expected of Asuka! She already has the magnanimity of a Pillar!"

"Also, Tanjiro has something to ask you." Asuka gestured for Tanjiro to sit beside her and continued, "The Kamado family seems to have passed down a kind of blessing dance called Hinokami Rhapsody through generations..."

When the topic suddenly shifted to him, Tanjiro was taken aback for a moment, then immediately straightened his back:

"Yes...yes! I want to ask Mr. Purgatory about my father..."

Chapter 53 The Appearance of the Evil Spirit

Kyojuro Rengoku crossed his arms and looked at Tanjiro with great enthusiasm:

"Your father? What's wrong? Tell me!"

"He was a very frail person..."

"Weak? That's really not good!"

"Even so, he could still dance the Kagura dance in the biting cold snow..."

"Hmm! That's really great!"

...For the first time, Tanjiro realized that if someone responded to every word with too much enthusiasm, it could put a lot of pressure on the other person.

He quickly refined his words and spoke at an extremely fast pace:

"Mr. Purgatory! What I wanted to say is that my family's Hinokami Kagura Dance can unleash power similar to the Flame Breathing Technique! Have you heard of it?"

Kyojuro Rengoku sat with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed intently ahead, and after a long period of contemplation:

"Hmm! Never heard of it!"

"Huh?"

"However, young man from the Kamado, it's a good thing that your father's Kagura dance can utilize the power of breathing techniques! It might be some kind of derivative breathing technique!"

"Derivative respiration?"

"Hmm! The Flame Breathing I use originates from one of the five basic branches of the Initial Breathing Technique! Its core lies in the fiery sword aura that is as scorching as the sun and purifies all things!"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, his five fingers spread wide, as if invisible flames of fighting spirit were rising from his palm: "Because the original breathing technique is very difficult to learn, in order to adapt to the different physical characteristics of each person, the five major breathing techniques were developed, and your father's Hinokamikaku is very likely a derivative of it!"

"So, I see!" Tanjiro clenched his fist excitedly, and was about to ask another question when Kyojuro Rengoku interrupted him:

"But that's all I know! Haha! Why don't you become my adopted son? I'll take care of you!"

"Huh? Aren't you going to say a few more words? And what have you been looking at?"

The bird listened quietly to the sound, its mind churning with thoughts.

The last time I heard the term "derivative breathing" was from Muichiro Tokito.

He thought for a moment, then asked his question: "Mr. Purgatory, I'd like to ask you some questions about the Derivative Breathing Technique..."

Next, Asuka and Kyojuro discussed the similarities and differences between the Breath of Wind and the Breath of Flame, and proposed to supplement the sword form by referring to the Breath of Flame.

Kyojuro Rengoku was quite magnanimous in response, saying that it was no problem for him to study the Flame Breathing technique, but that would require him to borrow the "Guidebook of Flame Breathing" from his father after returning to the Rengoku family home from the mission.

"Has the method of training in Flame Breathing always been a family tradition of Mr. Purgatory?"

“That’s right. Our family has been practicing the Breath of Flame swordsmanship for generations. No matter the era or the conditions, we will always find a way to pass on this power!”

Just as the discussion about breathing techniques inside the carriage had lessened some of the worry about the ghost, the carriage door was gently pulled open.

A railway attendant in a black uniform walked in.

His face was haggard, and his steps were light and unsteady, like a puppet being pulled by threads.

The flight attendant walked straight past the other passengers who were already asleep and came to Asuka and the others:

"Good evening, passengers. Please show your tickets."

His voice was hollow and sounded extremely weak.

Is this the ticket? Asuka reached into his pocket and took out the yellow slip of paper that Zenitsu had handed him before he boarded the train.

The flight attendant, expressionless, gently took the bag and tapped it.

Click! Asuka's ticket was also stamped.

Sizzle sizzle.

The bright incandescent lights flickered incessantly.

Om-!

Asuka suddenly felt uneasy and immediately gripped the sword at her waist.

A ghost?!

"Flight attendant, this is dangerous, please step back."

Kyojuro Rengoku immediately stood up, revealing his Nichirin Blade with a flame-shaped hilt at his waist: "The situation is urgent, please do not pursue the matter of the Sword Abolishment Order."

puff!puff!

Almost as soon as Hell's words fell, a sudden change occurred!

As if appearing out of thin air, three evil spirits appeared in the carriage at the same time.

The first ghost suddenly jumped up from the back seat.

He was wearing work clothes covered in coal dust, but his neck twisted 180 degrees in a strange way, revealing a bloody mouth full of fangs on the back of his head, lunging straight at the nearest female passenger!

"Flame Breathing - First Form: Shiranui!!"

Without uttering a single wasted word, Hell transformed into a golden-red meteor, its Nichirin Blade, wreathed in explosive flames, sweeping straight towards the demon's throat!

*Snap!*

The flaming blade instantly severed the demon's head, burning it to ashes that scattered in the air!

The second ghost appeared from the shadows in the corridor, leaping out like a venomous snake to strike the bird in the back of the head!

Whoosh—!

Asuka severed the demon's head without even using the Wind Breathing sword technique; the speed of her strike caught even Rengoku Kyojuro's attention.

"Hmm! As expected of the Pillar who slew the Lower Moon Demon Moon! Not bad!"

As for the third ghost, it resembled a hunched old woman and struggled to fall from the shelf.

Her spine twisted, with sickle-shaped bones protruding, sweeping towards the passengers!

"First Form: Water Surface Slash!!"

"Second Fang - Cleave!!"

Tanjiro and Inosuke attacked simultaneously! Swords clashed, sparks flew!

The two worked together to immediately halt the demon's attack, preventing the passengers from being harmed.

The next second, Rengoku Kyoujuro struck again!

"Breath of Flames, Second Form: Ascending Flame!!"

Boom!

Golden-red streaks of light shot into the sky! Blazing flames exploded in mid-air!

With a piercing howl, the demon's neck, along with its attached shell, instantly turned to ashes in the flames!

In the blink of an eye, all three demons were dead.

There was a moment of silence in the carriage, followed by enthusiastic applause and shouts, as everyone paid tribute to the ghost hunters!

"Well done!" Hellfire sheathed his sword and laughed, the golden-red feathered robes trembling throughout the carriage with his laughter: "You vile devils and petty villains, how could you shake our resolve to protect you! Hahahaha!"

His loud and infectious laughter dispelled the last vestiges of gloom in the carriage.

Along with Tanjiro and the others, even Asuka's face showed a relieved smile.

"Wow, that's amazing! Big brother is incredible! Please take me as your apprentice!" Tanjiro exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs around Rengoku Kyojuro.

"Very good! I will take good care of you!"

Kyojuro Rengoku loudly agreed, his momentum surging.

Zenitsu and Inosuke also surrounded Kyojuro, shouting in unison, "Please take us as your apprentices too!"

"Haha! Good! I will train you all to become outstanding swordsmen!"

"Long live! Brother Hell!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

However...

The flight attendant watched the group coldly from afar, as if she hadn't seen their exciting demon-slaying act.

He put away the ticket pliers, took out a few hemp ropes from his pocket, and gently squatted down.

The world twisted and all these images vanished.