Guided by their Kasugai Crow, the four arrived at the station.
The Mugen Train had just resumed operation, and the platform was already crowded with passengers lining up to board.
Raiden raised an eyebrow as he studied the scene.
So many potential hostages, yet Enmu had never truly used them well.
If the Lower Rank had slaughtered a portion of the passengers first and strengthened himself with the blood Muzan granted him, dealing with Tanjiro would not have been so difficult. Instead, Enmu indulged in watching nightmares unfold, savoring fear like a child playing with food.
He died before ever revealing his full potential.
That suited Raiden just fine.
The less effort required for Enmu, the more strength he could reserve for Akaza. The true climax of the Mugen Train incident would begin only after Enmu fell.
When his turn came, Raiden accepted the small rectangular ticket from the station window and examined it thoughtfully.
So this is the medium.
A simple clip, and the victim would be dragged into a dream.
Subtle. Difficult to guard against.
If he did not know the events in advance, even he might have been caught.
"Raiden, what are you looking at?" Tanjiro asked.
"Inosuke, stop headbutting the train! That is embarrassing!" Zenitsu shouted from behind.
"Nothing," Raiden replied casually. "Just considering how to handle the mission. I heard it is serious."
He chose not to mention the ticket.
First, because Nezuko's presence alone ensured they could break free from the dream. Second, because he wanted to observe Enmu personally before interfering.
Befriending Enmu would not be simple.
Other demons could be beaten into submission or killed outright. Enmu, however, was unstable. A creature who took pleasure in suffering rarely responded predictably.
Still, Raiden was not desperate.
If Enmu offered nothing worthwhile, he would discard him without hesitation. A Lower Rank was expendable.
After some commotion, they boarded the train and made their way toward the car where the Flame Hashira awaited.
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
The booming voice carried through the aisle before they even reached the compartment.
Raiden slid open the door and stepped inside.
Kyojuro Rengoku sat upright, enthusiastically devouring bento boxes. Upon seeing Raiden, his eyes brightened instantly. Without hesitation, he extended another box toward him, gaze sparkling as if daring him to refuse.
Tanjiro greeted Rengoku respectfully and introduced Zenitsu and Inosuke, who reacted with curiosity and loud bravado respectively.
Raiden accepted the bento and took a bite.
It was genuinely good, far superior to the rice balls they usually ate.
"Why are you here?" Rengoku asked, looking in his direction. "Do you have a mission?"
Raiden paused mid chew. He stared at Rengoku for a second, then turned to Tanjiro.
"He is talking to you."
Tanjiro blinked. "Me?"
Rengoku had clearly been looking at Raiden.
Confused but trusting him, Tanjiro explained, "The Kasugai Crow delivered orders. The number of disappearances on the Mugen Train is increasing. We were told to assist you."
"Do not lean out the window, boar head!" Zenitsu yelled again.
"Very good!" Rengoku declared. "We shall work together."
Raiden calmly opened a second bento. It was not yet his moment to act. Eating properly before battle was common sense.
"There is something else," Tanjiro added carefully. "It is about my father."
Raiden's chopsticks slowed.
Sun Breathing.
In the original timeline, Tanjiro awakened Hinokami Kagura during the battle with Rui. But Rui had died by Raiden's hand.
So when had Tanjiro comprehended it?
Mount Natagumo, during the fight with the Spider Demon Father?
Raiden discreetly checked Tanjiro's status panel.
Rank: Kinoe.
Skill: Sun Breathing, Dance.
Interesting.
"My father was frail," Tanjiro continued, "but he could perform Kagura in the snow without tiring. I instinctively used that dance when I defeated the Spider Demon Father. Do you know anything about Sun Breathing?"
Rengoku's eyes shone brightly.
"I do not!"
He answered with full confidence.
Raiden's expression tightened slightly. He still had not adjusted to Rengoku's straightforward intensity.
"You should become my Tsuguko!" Rengoku declared suddenly. "I will train you well!"
Tanjiro froze, overwhelmed by the abrupt offer.
Raiden watched quietly.
Tanjiro's connection to Sun Breathing certainly made him suitable as Rengoku's successor. In another timeline, that path might have unfolded differently.
Rengoku leaned forward again.
"I am speaking to you, Raiden!"
Raiden blinked. To him?
"Become my Tsuguko! I can make you stronger!"
Those fiery eyes were unmistakably fixed on him this time.
Raiden was about to respond when the compartment door slid open.
A gaunt conductor stepped inside, moving stiffly as he began clipping tickets.
Raiden's nose twitched.
The scent was faint, almost drowned by the ambient trace of demon aura clinging to the train itself.
Possession.
The conductor's eyes were hollow, unfocused.
He clipped Tanjiro's ticket. A clean notch.
Then Zenitsu's. Inosuke's. Rengoku's.
Finally, he stood before Raiden.
Raiden extended his ticket calmly.
As the conductor reached out with the clippers, a sudden kaleidoscope of color flashed before his vacant gaze. For a fraction of a second, clarity returned to his eyes.
Then it vanished.
When the conductor blinked, he found himself already at the far end of the car.
Had he clipped that ticket?
It did not matter.
All he wanted was sleep. A pleasant dream.
Raiden's fingers tightened around the hilt of his Nichirin blade.
The stench of Enmu's presence seeped through the air.
Half a month without sensing it, and it remained just as nauseating.
The lights overhead flickered violently.
Darkness swallowed the compartment for a heartbeat.
When the lights flared back to life, a grotesque, horned demon with multiple eyes manifested directly in front of the train.
It had begun.