Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 163 The Derailed Train

In the darkness, Nightmare's consciousness slowly returned, a sickly yet obsessive smile appearing on her pale face.

He couldn't remember how many years he had lived; he only remembered that the world had always been a dirty, noisy, and disgusting place to him.

The sunlight was blinding, the voices were deafening, and even breathing carried a suffocating, smoky atmosphere. Only by sinking into a dream could one find a moment of peace.

He had lived in a fantasy of his own making since childhood, unwilling to open his eyes, unwilling to confront reality, preferring to remain forever curled up in boundless slumber.

He loathed being awake, loathed struggling, loathed all real pain and bondage.

In his eyes, only dreams are eternal, beautiful, and unbreakable; they are the only place in this world worth indulging in.

But this joy, upon meeting that person, was completely transformed into a frenzied admiration.

It was a deep night when even the moonlight seemed to be swallowed up, and Muzan's figure descended upon him like the darkness itself.

Without a word, just a glance was enough to make Nightmare tremble and crawl on the ground, not even having the courage to raise her head.

That great one is the ruler of darkness, an existence beyond all, a monarch who can drag the entire world into eternal night.

"You like dreams?" Muzan's voice was indifferent yet carried an absolute sense of oppression.

"Yes... as long as I can sleep forever, live forever in my dreams, nothing else matters," Nightmare answered, trembling.

"Then follow me, and I will give you eternal night, so that you can turn the whole world into your dream."

With just one sentence, Nightmare was completely subdued.

He willingly drank the blood bestowed upon him by Muzan, transformed into a demon, gained the Blood Demon Art to control dreams, and from then on dedicated everything to that person.

He followed in Muzan's footsteps, turning each life into nourishment for his dreams.

Just to carry out the adults' instructions.

He just wanted that person to glance at him.

In his heart, Muzan was a god, a faith, and the only light.

All he did was to create a beautiful dream from which he would never wake up.

"What a wonderful dream..."

Nightmare murmured to herself, her pale fingers gently stroking the flesh and blood that had become one with the train, her eyes filled with obsession.

The entire Infinite Train is his dream, and the hundreds of passengers are his nourishment.

If he could just hold on a little longer, he could drag all the Demon Slayer Corps members into a deep sleep and present Muzan with a perfect achievement.

But this obsession was shattered in the next second.

"boom--!!"

A blazing, sun-like beam of fire suddenly descended from the sky, slashing fiercely through the train roof and tearing apart the thick sheet metal and sticky flesh together.

The crimson flames burned fiercely, illuminating the dark dreamscape that Nightmare had meticulously woven, and completely exposing his true form, hidden in the core of his flesh and blood, to the air.

Nightmare suddenly looked up, her infatuation instantly turning into terror.

Tanjiro stood steadily at the opening of the hole, holding his burning Nichirin Blade, the demonic markings faintly appearing on his cheeks.

Behind Tanjiro, a petite figure leaped high into the air, a seven-colored halo flowing along the Nichirin Blade—it was Nezuko.

"elder brother!"

With a soft shout, without the slightest hesitation, Mizuko poured all her strength into the blade, unleashing the power of Rainbow Breath to its fullest extent.

"Rainbow Breathing - First Form - Rainbow Dance Flash!"

The seven-colored sword light was like a rainbow at dawn, so fast that only a fleeting afterimage remained.

An extreme speed intertwined, like lightning tearing through the night, carrying unparalleled sharpness, slashing straight towards Nightmare's neck.

Nightmare didn't even have time to let out a final roar, to take one last look at the dream he was obsessed with, or to murmur the name of that person one last time.

"Pfft—"

A crisp slashing sound rang out, and the sharp blade severed his head without any resistance.

The pale head rolled to the ground, its eyes still filled with lingering obsession and terror. The flesh and blood connected to the train lost their core support and instantly collapsed and dissipated like a bursting bubble, leaving only black residue on the ground.

Freed from the constraints of Nightmare Flesh and Blood, the entire Infinite Train instantly lost its balance.

The train shook violently, and the wheels screeched as they rubbed against the rails.

The massive vehicle suddenly veered off the tracks and plunged violently into the nearby forest.

The immense impact swept everything away, and Tanjiro and Nezuko had no time to grab anything before being violently thrown away by the blast wave.

The two figures traced an arc in the air before crashing heavily into the grass in the distance, completely losing consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, Tanjiro slowly opened his eyes amidst a sharp pain.

The sky was still dark, and the night wind carried the scent of grass, trees, and dust.

He struggled to sit up, and what came into view was a train carriage overturned and badly damaged in the mountains and forests. The metal sheets were twisted and deformed, and all the glass was shattered. Fortunately, the passengers were protected by Kyojuro and his group, and there were no tragic cries.

Tanjiro pushed himself up and instinctively reached out to touch the side, only to find a patch of cold weeds.

"Beans?"

He called out softly, but received no response.

There was no one around me, no sign of my sister, no familiar scent, only the rustling of the wind through the grass.

A strong sense of unease welled up inside him, and Tanjiro abruptly turned his head to look around.

But in the pitch-black forest, there was only the shadow of the train wreckage; there was no trace of Mi Douzi.

He looked down at his body; his arms, cheeks, waist, and abdomen had been cut by rubble and metal scrapes during the fall.

The wound was a bloody mess, but with the power of the demonic transformation, the damaged flesh was visibly writhing and healing rapidly. The pain gradually subsided, and the strength was slowly returning.

"Nezuko... Where is Nezuko... Mr. Rengoku? Inosuke? Zenitsu?"

Tanjiro murmured to himself, suppressing the panic in his heart, gripping his Nichirin Blade tightly, preparing to get up and search for his comrades and sister.

He had to find everyone as soon as possible and make sure that Ni Douzi was safe and sound.

But the moment he took his first step, an extremely strong, cold, and overwhelmingly oppressive ghostly scent suddenly flooded his nostrils like a tidal wave.

This aura was a thousand times more terrifying than Nightmare or the three Lower Moons combined, like the abyss itself.

The oppressive feeling that made his soul tremble instantly enveloped his entire body, making him stiff and even making it difficult to breathe.

Tanjiro froze on the spot, his pupils contracted sharply, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

This is definitely not the aura of the Lower Moon... This is...

The next second, a deep, slightly mocking voice, filled with undisguised killing intent, slowly rang in his ears, clearly reaching them.

"Oh? So you're the demon who betrayed Lord Muzan!"

The moment the sound faded, the wind in the entire forest seemed to stand still.

(Third Brother makes his appearance!)