In the night, quick footsteps echoed across the rooftops of the old street.
Hashibira Inosuke charged wildly over the tiles, the eyes beneath his boar mask wide and gleaming as his nose twitched, sniffing the air. Every few steps, he smacked the edge of a roof beam for balance—his movements reckless but swift. "Demon! Where are you? Come out! I'll slice you in half!"
"Inosuke! Slow down!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu followed behind, gasping for breath as he clung to the tiles, terrified he might fall. "The roof's so slippery! If you run any faster, you'll fall! And with all that noise, you've probably scared the demon away already!"
"Shut it, coward!"
Inosuke shouted back without slowing down. Instead, he leapt off the roof and landed hard on the street below, the stone pavement trembling slightly from the impact.
"I can smell it! There's blood nearby! The demon's close!"
He sprinted along the street, but after only a few steps, he spotted someone at the mouth of an alley—a bent old woman in a gray cloth robe, leaning on a cane, moving slowly as if taking a midnight stroll.
Inosuke froze for a second, then instinctively ran toward her, but halfway there, he stopped sharply, a thought flashing through his mind…
Maybe ask the old lady first?
"Hey! Old hag!"
He doubled back and grabbed the old woman's arm. The boar mask loomed inches from her face as he grinned fiercely, baring his teeth. "Have you seen a demon? You know, those ugly, stinking things that eat people?"
The old woman stiffened at his sudden grip, startled at first—but when she saw his mask and heard his question, she chuckled instead, wrinkles folding together.
"The demon you're talking about… looks like me, doesn't it?"
Before the last word faded, her gray hair suddenly shot out, thick strands whipping like venomous snakes straight for Inosuke's neck!
Inosuke's pupils shrank. Relying on pure instinct, he sprang backward just in time. The hair grazed his collar and struck the wall behind him, leaving deep holes in the stone.
"You damn hag! So you're the demon!"
Inosuke drew both Nichirin Swords from his back in one swift motion, their twin edges flashing coldly.
"Perfect! I've never cut down an old demon before!"
"Are you stupid, Inosuke?!"
Zenitsu finally caught up and nearly exploded when he saw the scene.
"An old lady wandering around at three in the morning—did you really think that was normal?! And you just walked right up to her!"
Even as he yelled, he gripped his Nichirin Sword and took a deep breath. Yellow-white lightning flared along the blade.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
He vanished in a flash of light, his blade slicing straight for the demon's neck.
But the old woman didn't flinch. Her hair burst outward again, strands weaving densely before her like a white steel shield.
With a sharp clang, Zenitsu's blade struck the barrier and bounced off. The strands were severed, but within moments, they regrew, smooth and unbroken.
"Oh? Thunder Breathing, is it?"
Her voice shifted—no longer frail and wavering but clear and sweet. The demon's body wrapped itself in white hair that twisted and writhed, then peeled away.
Standing there now wasn't an old woman but a beautiful young girl with long, snow-white hair flowing to her waist. A teasing smile curved her delicate face, and her loose white kimono slipped down one shoulder, revealing pale skin that gleamed in the moonlight.
"Wait—what? The old lady turned into a pretty girl?!"
Zenitsu's eyes went wide, his sword-hand loosening as only one thought filled his mind—she's beautiful.
The woman's lips curved in a mocking smile. In her crimson pupils, the kanji for "Lower Moon Two" gleamed clearly.
"Good thing Lord Muzan cleared out those useless Lower Moons before me—gave me a chance to rise to this rank. Good evening, handsome boy. I am the new Lower Moon Two—Yasha Onna."
She brushed a hand through her hair, white strands fluttering in the air as she cast Zenitsu a playful wink.
Yasha Onna's Blood Demon Art had two powers—Charm, which trapped weak-willed humans in illusions under her control, and Hair Blades, allowing her to harden and manipulate her hair like steel, freely adjusting its length and sharpness.
Zenitsu's gaze went blank. His Nichirin Sword slipped from his fingers with a metallic clang.
He murmured softly, "So beautiful… I'd do anything for you…"
He was clearly trapped in her Charm, lost in a dream.
"Useless coward."
Inosuke spat, gripping both swords tightly as he charged forward.
"I don't care if you're a hag or a pretty girl—take this, you ugly demon!"
"Beast Breathing, First Fang: Pierce!"
Both Nichirin Swords shot forward like twin fangs, stabbing straight for Yasha Onna's chest.
She only laughed softly. Her hair exploded outward, wrapping tightly around Inosuke's wrists, and with a sudden jerk, she flung him hard into a nearby wall.
With a loud bang, Inosuke slammed into the stone, grimacing in pain, but he quickly scrambled back to his feet and charged again. "Beast Breathing, Second Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
After several wild slashes, he spun and hurled his Nichirin Sword like a throwing knife, aiming directly at Yasha Onna's hair. The blade cut through several strands, but more hair surged forward, wrapping around the sword and ripping it from his grip before flinging it deep into a nearby alley.
"Without your blade, what can you do now?"
Yasha Onna's lips curled into a smirk. Her hair coiled around Inosuke's limbs like white vines, lifting him high into the air.
"Your brute strength isn't bad... but still far too weak."
At that moment, an orange-red flame streaked through the alley like a shooting star, slicing cleanly through the strands that held Inosuke.
"Hinokami Kagura: Beneficent Radiance!"
Tanjiro rushed in, his Nichirin Sword still burning as he caught the falling Inosuke.
"Inosuke! Are you all right?" he shouted, voice urgent.
"Red hair! You came just in time!"
Inosuke rubbed his arm, grabbed his fallen sword from the ground, and growled, "That woman's hair is super hard—it keeps growing back too!"
Yasha Onna's smile froze. She glanced down at her severed strands—those touched by the flames didn't regrow. Instead, they smoked and curled, releasing a burnt, acrid scent.
Her gaze snapped to Tanjiro, lingering on his hanafuda earrings and fiery hair. The memory of his blazing sword strike throbbed in her skull like a migraine.
"Kill him… kill him!"
Muzan's voice echoed suddenly in her mind, deep and commanding.
"Kill him. I'll grant you more of my blood!"
Yasha Onna's eyes flared crimson, and a crazed grin spread across her face.
"Ha-ha-ha! What luck! If I kill you, Lord Muzan will reward me! Maybe I'll even rise to the Upper Moons!"
Her hair swelled again, thicker and longer than before, surging toward Tanjiro like a white tidal wave.
"Blood Demon Art: Hair Blades—Thousand Thread Slash!"
Countless strands shot forward like blades, sealing every path of escape.
"Hinokami Kagura: Fire Wheel!"
Tanjiro's blade blazed with fierce heat, its arc roaring through the air like a racing train. The burning edge cut through the hair and ignited it; fire ran up each strand, devouring it completely.
Inosuke leapt back into the fight, swinging both blades in rapid succession.
"Beast Breathing, Second Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
But Yasha Onna's hair reacted instantly, ensnaring his swords again while a thicker strand lunged straight for his thigh.
"Ah!"
Inosuke cried out as the hair pierced his leg, blood staining his pants red in an instant. He gritted his teeth, hacked the strand apart, and stumbled back, blood still streaming from the wound—it had nearly hit bone.
"Inosuke!"
Tanjiro turned, shouting his name. The brief distraction was enough—Yasha Onna's hair wrapped around his wrist, yanking hard to tear his sword away.
Tanjiro clenched his grip and forced his breath steady. Flames burst along his blade again, burning through the strands binding him. With one swing, he struck straight at her neck.
"Hinokami Kagura: Clear Blue Sky!"
Yasha Onna bent backward, barely dodging, her hair flaring into a shield that absorbed the next strike.
She stared at Tanjiro, astonished. The boy before her wasn't even a Hashira, yet he had forced her onto the defensive. His fiery blade didn't just cut—it burned her hair and stopped its regeneration entirely. The pressure he gave off rivaled that of a Pillar.
Just then, a blade of pale blue and green light shot in from the side, slicing toward her waist.
"Storm Breathing, First Form: Dust Wind Severing Slash!"
Tō had arrived. Seeing the fight from the alley's entrance, he drew his Nichirin Sword without hesitation and attacked.
But Yasha Onna's reflexes were sharp. Her hair hardened and interlocked before her midsection, catching the blade with a ringing clang.
Tō frowned. He could tell immediately—this Lower Moon's defense was far stronger than expected. With only himself, Tanjiro, and a wounded Inosuke, finishing her quickly would be difficult.
Yasha Onna's lips curved into a sneer. Her hair flared again, surging outward. Her gaze shifted toward Zenitsu, still standing blank-eyed under her spell.
"Handsome boy, what are you waiting for? Kill them!"
Zenitsu's hollow eyes flickered. He bent down, picked up his dropped Nichirin Sword, and began walking toward Tō's unguarded back.
Tanjiro's pupils contracted. "Zenitsu! Snap out of it! You're under her control!"
But Zenitsu didn't respond. The blade in his hands rose slowly, glinting coldly as it swung downward.
The air in the alley turned tense—Tanjiro was trapped between Yasha Onna's relentless hair strikes and Zenitsu's approaching blade.
The battle had only just begun to reach its deadlock.