People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"To die in one's sleep, how blissful. Even the strongest demon slayer is powerless against it. Humanity's driving force is the heart, the spirit, yet it is as fragile and easily broken as a glass artifact. Sleep... sink into oblivion... immerse yourself in beautiful dreams..."

The Infinite Train continued its rapid journey, but the passengers in the entire carriage gradually drifted off to sleep amidst a soft whisper.

The ticket inspector who was checking tickets for Tanjiro and the others, as well as the four children, were not asleep in the carriage.

Seeing that Tanjiro and the others were asleep, the ticket inspector suddenly knelt down and pleaded, "I did as you instructed and have already checked their tickets. They're asleep now too. Please let me fall asleep quickly so I can go see my dead wife and daughter. Please..."

A severed hand, with a mouth and eyes growing from the back of its head, suddenly landed in front of the ticket inspector: "You did a good job. Go to sleep..."

The ticket inspector suddenly lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

"Excuse me, what should we do?" Behind the severed hand, four children asked Nightmare's severed hand with blank stares.

"Soon, your sleep will become very deep. Until then, wait here. Sensitive demon hunters may be awakened by the murderous aura and the presence of demons. Be careful not to touch the rope when you approach it."

Tanjiro and his three companions were fast asleep.

Kyojuro Rengoku dreamed of his father and younger brother.

Tanjiro dreamed of his deceased family members.

Zenitsu dreamt that he was playing with Nezuko.

Inosuke dreamed that he took Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Nezuko as his underlings and they were exploring a cave.

Seeing Tanjiro and his companions fast asleep, four children appeared.

However, just as the children were preparing to tie the ropes to Tanjiro and the others, a girl biting a bamboo stick suddenly appeared and looked at them.

The four children were startled: "Who...who are you?!"

The girl who suddenly appeared was Nezuko. Sensing the presence of a demon and a faint killing intent, she crawled out of the wooden box.

Although the four children in front of her were radiating murderous intent, Nezuko, who had been given a hint by Urokodaki Sakonji, could not harm humans, so she used her headbutt to try to wake Tanjiro, who was sleeping.

With a "bang," Nezuko and Tanjiro's foreheads collided.

The children were extremely surprised: "What...what is she doing? Does she want to enter the dream world like us?"

Chapter 71 Nightmare

Nezuko touched the spot on her forehead where she had hit it, her eyes glazed over. A bump had appeared, and a trickle of blood was flowing out.

Nezuko looked aggrieved, tears welling in her eyes, and with a sob in her voice, she once again rammed her head against Tanjiro's forehead.

"No, she's trying to wake them up! Stop her!" The four children realized what was happening and restrained Nezuko's hands and feet.

"Don't... disturb our sweet dreams! You bastard!" The four children used every ounce of strength they had.

However, how could the strength of four children compare to that of Nezuko, who was a demon? Nezuko, with four children hanging on her body, seemed to be unrestrained and charged at Tanjiro once again.

Because she was blocked, or perhaps because of the injury on her forehead, Nezuko, feeling wronged, subconsciously used the Blood Demon Art: Blood Burst.

Nezuko's body was engulfed in intense flames, but because the flames had the unique property of "only burning what they want to burn," the children were not burned.

However, the raging flames engulfing Nezuko caused the children to instinctively loosen their grip.

Nezuko and Tanjiro's foreheads collided once again, and the flames on Nezuko's body spread to Tanjiro.

In Tanjiro's dream.

The whole family was enjoying dinner. Looking at the happy family, Tanjiro realized that he was in a dream. But even in a dream, Tanjiro felt an impulse, an impulse to stay.

But the next second, Tanjiro calmed down his impulse, looking at the scars on his palms. These were his promise to Nezuko, his promise to defeat their enemy.

How can I indulge in a dream when the promise has not yet been fulfilled?

Just as Tanjiro was pondering how to escape the dream, flames suddenly erupted from his body while he was in the dream.

When the flames disappeared, Tanjiro's clothes transformed into the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, with a Nichirin Blade hanging at his waist.

Tanjiro realized that the flames were Nezuko's flames, and that Nezuko was calling out to him.

Looking at the familiar face before him, Tanjiro lowered his head, his expression filled with self-reproach and guilt.

"I have to go back right away, I'm sorry..."

Amidst the repeated calls of "Brother," Tanjiro steeled his heart, left home, and searched for the exit from his dream in the forest.

"Brother, where are you going?" Nezuko's voice came from behind Tanjiro. "I picked a lot of wild vegetables today."

Tanjiro's running steps seemed to be bound by a thousand-pound force, and he stopped. His family members caught up with him from behind.

Tanjiro's mother, Kamado Aoi, asked in confusion, "Tanjiro, are you alright? What happened to you?"

Tanjiro stood with his back to everyone, silent, tears welling in his eyes.

"I wish I could stay here forever... I wish I could turn back and go back to them. I could have lived here forever... Everyone would be doing well now, Nezuko would be basking in the sunlight, standing under the blue sky... I should be here today, burning charcoal, never having the chance to encounter swords... I should... I should..."

Tanjiro longed for the future that should have happened, his heart filled with endless regret and resentment.

"But I have lost everything, and there is no way to start over!" Tanjiro took one step after another with a determined look in his eyes until he started running again.

On the snow, there are traces of Tanjiro's family and Tanjiro's lonely footprints.

"Brother! Don't leave me!" The youngest of the three, Rokuta, cried out to Tanjiro.

Tanjiro, who had been holding back his tears, finally broke free, and tears streamed down his face. He was filled with remorse: "I'm sorry... Rokuta, I can't be by your side, but I will always miss you! I will miss everyone! I have endless gratitude and endless regret for you all. I will never forget you! My heart will always be with you!"

So...please forgive me!

Tanjiro searched for an exit in the vast white forest, but had no clue whatsoever.

Suddenly, a very familiar voice rang in Tanjiro's ears: "Tanjiro, pick up your sword! What you are meant to cut is right here!"

"The one who deserves to be killed... is right here..." Tanjiro pondered the meaning of those words.

Tanjiro's hand unconsciously rested on his Nichirin Blade, and he drew it. The blade of the Nichirin Blade gleamed coldly in the light.

"Those things that should be cut down... In order to awaken... I should understand now."

Tanjiro guessed in his heart that since it was a dream, the one who shouldn't be there was himself. If he could just kill himself and get rid of the part of himself that shouldn't be there, then he would wake up.

Tanjiro held his Nichirin Blade horizontally across his neck and nervously swallowed.

"Don't be confused! Cut! Cut it off! Death in a dream will affect reality, which means you have to cut your own throat!"

Amidst Tanjiro's furious roar, the Nichirin Blade grazed Tanjiro's neck, splattering blood and adding a touch of red to the pristine snow.

With Tanjiro's death, the dream begins to collapse, and Tanjiro is suddenly awakened from his seat on the Mugen Train.

Tanjiro clutched his neck, panting heavily, still shaken: "I'm alright... I'm still alive..."

Tanjiro sensed movement behind him and turned around to see four children tugging at Nezuko. When they saw that Tanjiro had woken up, they shrank back into a corner in fear.

Tanjiro asked in confusion, "Who...are you?"

A girl, wielding a hoe, lunged at Tanjiro with a mixture of fear and rage.

Tanjiro dodged, and the girl's attack missed. She glared at Tanjiro with resentment, saying, "Don't get in our way! Because of you, we can't even dream!"

Seeing this scene, and recalling the intoxicating dream he had just experienced, Tanjiro already guessed what had happened.

Tanjiro clenched his fists, his heart filled with rage: "What an unforgivable demon! He's exploited the weakness of the human heart!"

"You want to stay in your happy dream, I understand. I want to stay in the dream too. If only this were the dream. I'm sorry, but I have to fight!" With a determined look in his eyes, Tanjiro weaved through the crowd and knocked out four children with a chop to the neck.

Kyojuro Rengoku, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were still in a dream when Tanjiro, holding Nezuko's hand, left the carriage and went off alone to search for the demon.

Leaving the carriage, the Infinite Train roared forward, filled with a strong aura of demons.

Tanjiro flipped himself onto the roof of the Mugen Train and discovered the mastermind behind all these events.

The Lower Moon One? Nightmare.

Chapter 72 The Battle of Awakening

"Oh, you're awake? You could have slept a little longer. Why? As a human that lord cares about, I specially made sure you had a sweet dream. If I wanted, I could also make you have a nightmare where your whole family is brutally murdered. Would you rather have that kind of dream?"

Nightmare chuckled and continued, "You definitely wouldn't want to, would you? It's very painful, after all~ How about next time, I let you dream of your father being resurrected?"

Enraged, Tanjiro's forehead veins bulged, and his hand was already on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"That's right, that's the expression. It's so beautiful! Actually, what I like most is to make people have a nightmare after a perfect dream. The twisted expressions of humans are incredibly delicious and irresistible. It's so satisfying to see people who are defeated by misfortune and struggling in pain." Nightmare laughed morbidly.

"You are not allowed to trample on people's hearts! I will not forgive you! Breath of Water? Form of Picking Up? Life Flows!"

Enraged, Tanjiro drew his Nichirin Blade, its dragon-like slashing blade hurtling towards Enmu.

"Blood Demon Art? Whispers of Forced Sleep and Hypnosis"

Nightmare stretched out her right hand, and from the mouth on the back of her right hand, she murmured a whisper: "Go to sleep!"

Tanjiro staggered and lost consciousness, but just as he was about to fall, he opened his eyes again and began to swing his Nichirin Blade at Enmu.

Enmu stared in disbelief at Tanjiro, who was still wielding his sword and continuously casting Blood Demon Art, but each time Tanjiro would instantly regain consciousness.

Enmu also realized what Tanjiro had done in the dream.

"So that's how it is. Every time he was hit, he realized he had been hit and then quickly woke up to the self-destructive consciousness. Even in a dream, such self-destructive behavior requires immense courage. This child... is not a normal person at all!"

In his dreams, Tanjiro repeatedly relives the scenes of his family's deaths: his brother's questioning, his mother's accusations, and his father's rebukes.

"How could my family say such a thing! My family! You will not tolerate such insults!"

Amid Tanjiro's furious roar, the Nichirin Blade struck Enmu's neck, and in an instant, Enmu's head was severed and fell onto the carriage of the Mugen Train.

However, Tanjiro did not relax, because the feeling of the slash just now was almost unreal.

Unlike other demons, the severed body of Nightmare did not turn to ashes, but instead merged into the Infinite Train.

"Now I understand why that person cares about you so much. After all, just your existence is...very unpleasant!"

Nightmare's head was connected by a mass of flesh and blood, and it was held high.

Enmu looked at Tanjiro's shocked expression with a look of enjoyment: "That's the expression! Your expression is really great. I wanted to see this kind of expression on your face. You must be wondering why I'm still alive after my head was cut off, right? Anyway, I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll tell you."

While you were all fast asleep, my body had already become one with this infinite train. The me in front of you now has the appearance of a head, but it is not a head. In other words, the more than 200 passengers on this train are both food to strengthen my body and hostages. Do you think you can protect everyone?

Before I became a Lower Moon demon, I heard that Yosuke Ubuyashiki slaughtered over a hundred innocent humans. So, can you do what Yosuke Ubuyashiki did and kill everyone on this train to weaken me?”

"I will not allow you to insult Mr. Yang Jie!"

Enraged, Tanjiro swung his sword at Enmu, but Enmu merged into the Mugen Train and vanished without a trace.