Tokyo Public Security Police.
This institution, originally used by the authorities to maintain order, had now turned into a ruin of broken walls and rubble.
Standing in the shadow of the ruins, Enmu avoided the sunlight while gripping his guns in both hands, his face twisted into a ferocious glare at the figure not far away.
"A Hashira! Looks like you're nearing your limit!"
"Limit? What foolish talk is that? This level is just a warm-up for me!"
Uzui Tengen gasped for breath, sweat pouring down like rain.
Even so, his eyes kept darting left and right, fixed intently on the two other figures standing in the surrounding shadows.
Bang—! Bang—!
At that moment, two consecutive gunshots rang out.
Enmu, standing directly in front, pulled the triggers of both guns simultaneously, firing two bullets.
However, the targets of these two bullets were not Uzui Tengen, but the unconscious security officers lying on the ground behind him.
Faced with this scene he had experienced countless times already, Uzui Tengen didn't hesitate. His figure blurred as he charged to intercept the bullets with his blade.
As a wielder of Sound Breathing, Uzui Tengen's explosive power ranked among the top three in the Demon Slayer Corps.
At full strength, slicing bullets was not difficult for him.
But...
The instant he swung his blade to cut the bullets, an intense drowsiness surged from the depths of his mind.
The next second, the surrounding scenery changed. Uzui Tengen found himself in a village.
"A dream!"
Uzui Tengen roared, raising his blade to stab his own heart.
The dream shattered. Uzui Tengen returned to reality, continuing his previous motion to slash the bullets down.
But before he could initiate his next move, the surrounding scenery transformed once more.
Just like before, he appeared in the village from his childhood, surrounded by the brothers and sisters he had personally killed with his own hands.
"Tengen, you've come back..."
"Illusion!"
Uzui Tengen vanished from his spot, turning into an afterimage darting through the village.
In just a few breaths, he discovered an incense burner in a corner.
A cold light flashed. The sharp nichirin blade sliced the incense burner in two in the next instant.
The surrounding scenery changed. Uzui Tengen successfully returned to the ruined Public Security Police.
Bang—! Bang—!
Two more gunshots rang out.
Bullets streaked through the air, heading towards two other security officers lying on the ground on the other side.
"Damn it! It's endless!"
Uzui Tengen chased after the bullets and slashed them down, his breathing growing increasingly ragged.
He was nearing his limit.
Under the influence of the Blood Demon Art of that Lower Rank Three, everyone in the Public Security Police had fallen into dreams, becoming hostages for the three demons before him.
To protect the hostages, he had been dashing back and forth within the Public Security Police since last night.
There were three enemies in total. Two of the demons controlled illusions and dreams, respectively.
When the Illusion Demon activated its technique, it would drag him into a special space. He could return to reality by destroying the incense burner.
The Dream Demon's ability was slightly weaker. After dragging him into a dream, it couldn't withstand external attacks, as a strong sense of crisis would stimulate him to break free from the dream.
If fighting one-on-one, Uzui Tengen was confident he could kill these two demons within three minutes.
But unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Relying on the manipulation of dreams, the Dream Demon and the Illusion Demon coordinated, forcing him to determine whether each attack was a dream or an illusion.
In a dream, he could kill himself. In an illusion, he could not.
He had tested it. Injuries sustained in the illusion would carry over to reality.
If he made the wrong judgment, he might very well kill himself.
"No! This can't go on!"
Breaking free from the dream once again, Uzui Tengen slashed the bullets while facing a dilemma.
After a night of fierce fighting, he had not only dragged the time into the next day but had also conveniently destroyed the roof of the Public Security Police.
Under the blazing sunlight, the three Lower Rank Demons had very limited space to stand. Even if they wanted to move, they had to hold up large pieces of walls to block the sun.
With his strength, if he were willing to launch an offensive, he could easily destroy the three demons' footholds, exposing them to sunlight.
However, doing so would mean no one would protect the security officers still trapped in dreams behind him.
Looking at the three Lower Rank Demons standing in a triangular formation from three directions, ready to attack at any moment, Uzui Tengen's breathing grew heavier.
He didn't want anyone to die.
But he understood clearly that his own survival was the most important.
If he exhausted his stamina and died here, the security officers would die too.
"I'm sorry, everyone. It seems I can't save all of you."
Glancing at Enmu and the Ubume standing to his left and right, Uzui Tengen fixed his gaze on Enmu.
In terms of abilities, the coordinating Enmu and Ubume were undoubtedly the most troublesome, even downright insidious.
But in terms of instantaneous lethality, this Lower Rank Two, who hid who-knows-how-many firearms in his shadow, was the strongest.
Having given up on protecting everyone, if he wanted to protect more people, he had to prioritize eliminating Enmu to prevent him from firing into the crowd.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!"
Noticing the change in Uzui Tengen's expression, Enmu's face turned serious.
The one with no way out wasn't just Uzui Tengen; he had no retreat either.
At noon, when the sunlight was strongest, the ruins of the Public Security Police were his only refuge.
"How about we both take a step back?"
As if threatened by death, Enmu's tone was no longer as forceful as before.
"We'll stop attacking. When night falls, you let us leave here. How about it?"
"Not how about it."
Uzui Tengen grinned, his figure blurring as he charged straight at Enmu.
Through this battle, he had clearly realized the terror of these three Lower Rank Demons.
Their Blood Demon Arts combined were far more effective than a simple 1+1+1=3.
If he let these three demons leave, only more people would die.
"Fuck! You lunatic!"
Seeing Uzui Tengen actually launch an attack, Enmu roared and immediately pushed his Blood Demon Art to the limit.
In the next instant, the shadow at his feet transformed into a curtain floating behind him, with hundreds of gun barrels of varying sizes emerging from its surface.
"Since you want to fight! Then let everyone be buried together!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!!
Dull thuds rang out in succession as a sky-covering barrage of bullets transformed into a lethal rain, shooting toward Uzui Tengen and the constables behind him.
But at that exact moment, the well-prepared Uzui Tengen raised both hands and flipped up a large piece of wall debris he was passing by.
The massive wall acted as a shield, blocking the entire hail of bullets. Seizing this instant, Uzui Tengen charged directly in front of Enmu.
Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!
His dual blades, radiating a cold light, sliced through the air, and in an instant, over a dozen strikes rained down.
The dual pistols in Enmu's hands were severed, and the shadows blocking his front were likewise shredded.
Under Uzui Tengen's unreserved and forceful offensive, Enmu's body was sent flying, crashing onto the ground not far away, where he was illuminated by the sunlight.
"The first one!"
The moment he finished dealing with Enmu, Uzui Tengen turned around without hesitation and charged toward the rear.
As demons who had abandoned their humanity, Enmu and Ubume did not attempt to flee at this moment.
Seeing Uzui Tengen launch an attack on the other Enmu, they simultaneously lifted wall debris above their heads and charged toward the army of hostages.
In a life-or-death struggle, both sides pushed their speed to the limit, and the demon side had the help of Blood Demon Arts.
If no accidents occurred, Enmu and Ubume would surely reach their positions before Uzui Tengen.
However, just then, a violent roar echoed behind Uzui Tengen.
Before he could even react to what was happening, he saw a golden beam of light streak past him.
Boom—!
Like a falling meteor, the golden beam instantly engulfed Enmu and Ubume, slamming both demons into the ground nearby.
Exposed to the sunlight and having lost their obstacles, the two Lower Rank Demons turned into ash and slowly dissipated.
"Good afternoon, Tengen."
Standing under the sunlight, a black-haired youth wearing a lightning-patterned haori turned around with a smile on his face.
"Today, you don't look quite as flamboyant as usual."
...