Tanjiro, who had been about to remind Raiden to finish off Kyogai, quietly swallowed his words.
Raiden's blade was as fast as ever.
After Kyogai was dealt with, Tanjiro escorted the siblings out of the mansion.
Inosuke followed behind them in silence, his gaze locked onto Raiden's back, restless and burning with intent.
He knew Raiden was dangerous, overwhelmingly so, yet the urge to challenge him refused to fade.
That stare did not waver until they stepped out of the mansion.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Inosuke's head snapped toward the wooden box on Tanjiro's back.
A demon was inside.
His grip tightened around his Nichirin blades as his body surged forward.
Zenitsu reacted instantly, spreading his arms in front of the box.
Tanjiro's heart jumped, but his injured body betrayed him, his reaction lagging just half a step behind.
Raiden had already anticipated this.
He lifted his hand and flicked it casually to the side.
Inosuke was struck mid-charge by a Red Clean Arrow and sent flying, his blades clattering as he crashed into a nearby tree.
"He's one of us," Raiden said flatly. "Don't act stupid."
Tanjiro let out a breath he had not realized he was holding and looked at Raiden with genuine gratitude.
Inosuke, sprawled against the tree, no longer spared the box a glance.
His pale blue eyes burned beneath the boar mask, white breath spilling from its mouth.
"I challenge you to a duel!"
"A duel?" Raiden replied, unimpressed. "How dull."
He turned his back on Inosuke and walked toward Zenitsu without another look.
At this point, Inosuke might have been slightly stronger than Tanjiro in raw technique, but against him, it meant nothing.
Even without drawing his sword, Raiden could shut him down effortlessly.
Raiden stopped beside Zenitsu and tapped him lightly on the head.
"Someone's charging at you with blades and you block with your body?"
"The Demon Slayer Corps forbids attacking fellow members," Zenitsu muttered, scratching his head.
Seeing Raiden's helpless expression, Zenitsu suddenly remembered something.
His chest swelled with excitement as he opened his mouth.
Then his pupils shrank.
"Behind you… watch out."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the charging figure was already flying backward, faster than he had rushed in.
Boom.
Inosuke slammed into the tree again, the impact making Zenitsu wince.
"What's wrong?" Raiden asked calmly, as if he had nothing to do with it.
Zenitsu stared at him in disbelief.
He did not even draw his blade.
Was there any point in mentioning that he had killed the Tongue Demon now?
"It's… nothing," Zenitsu said quietly, his excitement deflating.
"Big brother Zenitsu killed a long-tongued monster inside!"
The young boy spoke up proudly.
Zenitsu tugged at him in a mild panic, though his eyes still flicked toward Raiden.
"You killed it?" Raiden asked.
He was not questioning the result.
He wanted to know whether Zenitsu had done it while fully conscious.
Zenitsu nodded, a little embarrassed.
Raiden was genuinely surprised.
That meant Zenitsu had defeated the Tongue Demon without slipping into his unconscious state.
Considering its strength was comparable to the Gluttonous Demon, this was no small feat.
"Zenitsu," Raiden said, "that's impressive."
Zenitsu's sharp hearing caught the sincerity in those words.
His lips slowly curved upward.
Even Raiden thought it was impressive.
"Fight me properly!" Inosuke suddenly roared behind them.
While Raiden had been talking, Inosuke had charged him more than ten times.
Each attempt ended the same way, an invisible force slamming him aside before he could get close.
Now, his face beneath the mask was flushed with frustration.
"Properly?" Raiden turned around at last.
"Yes," Inosuke snapped. "Don't use that… thing."
He struggled to describe the invisible force but gave up.
"If you want a proper duel," Raiden said lazily, "then you need to become my friend first."
A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes as he looked Inosuke over.
"Friend?" Inosuke echoed, clearly unfamiliar with the concept.
He thought for a moment, failed to understand it, then nodded anyway.
"Fine. I am your… friend."
[Ding]
[Successfully added Inosuke Hashibira as a friend.]
[Intimacy level: Initial Acquaintance.]
[Reward obtained.]
[Skill acquired: Beast Breathing, Seventh Fang, Spatial Awareness, Mastery.]
[Fuse now?]
"No."
Raiden waved his hand, dispersing the Red Clean Arrow.
Not bad.
This was exactly the kind of reward worth taking.
Inosuke's eyes lit up the moment the pressure vanished.
He lunged forward with a roar, both serrated Nichirin blades flashing in the fading sunlight.
Raiden did not move.
His left hand rested on his sheath, his thumb flicking lightly.
Zing.
A crisp sound rang out.
A gentle breeze brushed past Inosuke's face.
His eyes widened.
Raiden was suddenly right in front of him.
Inosuke skidded to a halt, crossing his blades defensively, every nerve screaming danger.
He's fast.
Faster than anything I've ever hunted.
My eyes can't even follow him.
If he had reacted any slower, that blade would have ended him.
"You lose," Raiden said calmly, already turning away.
Inosuke froze.
"What? I didn't even get hit!"
Bang.
The sound behind him made his words die in his throat.
He turned.
A massive tree, thick enough that several people could not wrap their arms around it, lay split and fallen, dust rising around it.
Even Inosuke understood.
If that strike had been aimed at him, he would not be standing.
Speed, power, control.
Every one of them crushed him completely.
The young boy's eyes widened in awe.
He had thought Zenitsu defeating the Tongue Demon was incredible.
But this man's strength went far beyond anything he could imagine.
To fell such a tree with a single motion, that was no longer something he could comprehend.