Demon Slayer: Seraph of Radiance

A week later, under the cover of a dark, windy night.

Though the wind gently rustled the leaves, overall the forest remained quiet. The lights of nearby villages had long gone out, yet three figures stood deep within Mount Sagiri.

One figure remained still, silently observing, while the other two clashed in fierce battle, neither able to overpower the other after a long bout.

Suddenly, the black night lit up. A faint orange glow tinged with crimson flames slowly flared into existence.

At the same time, a crisp voice echoed through the mountain, startling the sleeping creatures.

"Water Breathing · Flame Dance Fusion · Fire Flow Waltz!"

Illusory sparks of flame burst from the blade, then gathered back along its edge, casting a reddish hue on Tanjiro's sword.

His movement resembled his previous Flowing Dance, gliding like a stream while leaving flame-colored afterimages trailing behind him.

Simultaneously, thorny vines from Kawanishi's Blood Demon Art surged toward Tanjiro, yet his agile footwork allowed him to dodge or slice through them with ease.

Amid the swirling flames, Tanjiro closed the distance to within a foot of Kawanishi.

With blades embedded in his head and limbs, Kawanishi's movements were slow and his reactions dulled. He couldn't evade in time.

Slice!

Clang!

Tanjiro's blade struck Kawanishi's iron-like neck, producing only sparks as it met the unyielding flesh without breaking through.

But Fire Flow Waltz was merely a setup — a fusion of Water Breathing's Flowing Dance and Flame Breathing — designed to close distance for a more devastating attack.

"Flame Breathing · Circular Dance!"

Suddenly, the previously weak flames flared violently like an ignited blaze. The sword drew a brilliant burning arc through the air, scattering embers that danced around it, obscuring Kawanishi's vision and making it hard to track the blade's exact trajectory.

Pulling back slightly, Tanjiro struck again with even greater force, aiming for Kawanishi's neck.

This time, Kawanishi didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out to grab Tanjiro's throat. At this point, he could no longer evade attacks fueled by true Flame Breathing and chose to endure it.

After all, his steel-like body had withstood Tanjiro's strikes up till now.

However—when the blade landed, Kawanishi's body froze.

His iron defenses had been breached.

Splurt!

Crack!

The blade carved into muscle and sliced into bone simultaneously.

Tanjiro's newly-developed Flame Breathing form struck deep into Kawanishi's neck with ferocious explosiveness.

Yet, though the blade penetrated, it failed to sever his neck entirely, wedging into the dense bone.

While Tanjiro's strike was fierce, it still lacked enough power to finish the job.

Kawanishi's iron grip remained firm, closing around Tanjiro's throat as planned.

Having bet everything on offense, Tanjiro had neglected defense and couldn't escape the grasp now tightening around his neck.

I… can't breathe…

Kawanishi didn't hold back. With a squeeze, he lifted Tanjiro off the ground, the crushing force cutting off his airway.

Without breath, Tanjiro's Breathing Technique collapsed.

His face flushed red from lack of oxygen, eyes filled with pain, but he didn't give up. Summoning his last strength, he yanked the blade free and slashed at Kawanishi's arm to break free.

The blade merely clanged against the skin — not even leaving a scratch.

Without his breathing to fuel the flame-imbued blade, Tanjiro's strike was too weak.

Seeing that Tanjiro was unable to resist any longer, Kawanishi finally released him.

Once back on solid ground, Tanjiro collapsed to his knees, gasping desperately for air. Purple-red fingerprints remained on his neck but quickly faded as his breathing resumed and his blood flow flushed the bruising away.

Kawanishi laughed heartily, "Still lost to me, huh?"

The gaping wound in his neck instantly healed as he spoke.

He then pulled out the five embedded blades, each one sliding free with a spray of blood, but the wounds sealed themselves in an instant.

Extending a hand, he helped Tanjiro up, then spoke seriously: "Tanjiro, you're still lacking a bit."

Though Kawanishi said so, inwardly he was both amazed and a little terrified at Tanjiro's rapid progress.

One week — not a year, not even a month — just one week!

In that time, Tanjiro had fully stabilized his Total Concentration Breathing, and was starting to maintain Constant Breathing under Urokodaki's guidance.

His breathing duration was increasing, and he was nearing mastery of the breathing technique.

He was only a few steps away from qualifying as a Hashira.

A week ago, Kawanishi had tried fighting for the first time with blades impaling his brain and limbs. His movements had been sluggish, his Blood Demon Art nearly unusable, and his reactions heavily impaired.

Yet, simply by relying on his steel-like body — even offering his neck freely — he still defeated Tanjiro.

Three days ago, Tanjiro, still unfamiliar with Flame Breathing, had a flash of inspiration, merging Water Breathing's swordplay into the creation of Fire Flow Waltz.

Meanwhile, Kawanishi had also grown, moving more fluidly even while injured.

But even then, Tanjiro's Fire Flow Waltz remained purely evasive — it couldn't harm Kawanishi's iron defenses.

Tonight, however, Tanjiro had developed a true Flame Breathing form. Its ferocity and explosive power still left Kawanishi uneasy.

His once-invulnerable iron body had been halfway severed.

Under Tanjiro's Flame Breathing, even a neck tougher than that of a Lower Moon demon had been pierced.

Had Tanjiro possessed just a bit more strength, Kawanishi's head would have been severed entirely.

Even though Kawanishi was only operating at one-third his full strength due to the blades restricting his brain and limbs, Tanjiro's growth was still terrifying.

Including his earlier training, Tanjiro had only been at this for just over a month. Once he learned Flame Breathing, his progress skyrocketed.

Even the demons Kawanishi had faced before, like the Demon Hand and Snake Demon, probably wouldn't stand a chance against Tanjiro now.

Sigh… it feels like my little brother will catch up to me soon — no, surpass me very soon...

Kawanishi felt a bittersweet pride, experiencing the strange feeling of "my little brother is growing up."

(End of Chapter)