"It's real—it really appeared! Tanjiro! We're going to die this time!" Zenitsu wailed in horror, his entire body trembling.
Tanjiro's expression hardened. He forcefully pulled Zenitsu off him and shouted, "Zenitsu, pull yourself together! This isn't the time to panic! Get behind me—now!"
The other boys who had accompanied them gritted their teeth, but their faces were pale. Coming face to face with one demon had nearly killed them—now, five demons had surrounded them at once.
They were outnumbered. Outclassed. And terrified.
"There's one behind you too, Tanjiro!!" Zenitsu shrieked at the top of his lungs.
It was the first time Zenitsu had ever faced so many demons. The fear overwhelmed him. With a final, high-pitched scream, his eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.
Tanjiro turned sharply. Sure enough, more demons had emerged from behind, closing the circle around them.
"We're dead... we're really going to die here!" one of the boys murmured, his voice breaking.
Tanjiro clenched his teeth. He hadn't expected Zenitsu to faint from fear, but there was no time to focus on that now. With a grunt, he gave Zenitsu a light kick, shouting, "Zenitsu! Get up! This isn't the time to sleep!"
But Zenitsu didn't budge.
With no other option, Tanjiro turned back to face the demons.
"Hehehe... the fox mask," one of the demons sneered. "Looks like we found him."
"Don't kill him yet," another demon hissed. "Hold them here. Lord Hand Demon wants that one."
Meanwhile, Shin Arashi was trekking deeper into Mt. Fujikasane. Yet, despite covering a lot of ground, his system's mini-map still showed no demon markers. That struck him as... odd.
Could I have scared them off last night?
Are they hiding because of me?
Shin frowned. With no signs of activity, he had no choice but to head deeper and investigate whether the demons had retreated to the mountain's inner core.
He had no idea that while he searched, Tanjiro and the others had stumbled into extreme danger because of him. Nor did Tanjiro know that the key to surviving this encounter—the one who could shift the tide—was the very boy cowering in unconscious terror behind him: Agatsuma Zenitsu.
Tanjiro's body was tense. Surrounded by demons, he could feel the weight of invisible pressure bearing down on him. Cold sweat trickled down his temples.
But something was off.
The demons weren't attacking.
They stood there, watching, their eyes gleaming with hunger and caution. It was as if they were... waiting.
Tanjiro's instincts screamed at him.
If I don't act soon, things will only get worse.
He forced himself to steady his breathing. Slowly, deliberately, he drew his Sword from its sheath.
The demons flinched.
Tanjiro noticed it immediately. His eyes narrowed. They're afraid?
But not of him.
No... their eyes weren't on him alone.
They were wary of something else—someone else.
Then it clicked.
They're afraid of Shin Arashi.
The memory of Shin's rampage last night still lingered like a phantom—etched into the demons' minds. His presence alone had shaken them. And now, seeing the fox mask on Tanjiro, they mistook him for that same terrifying swordsman.