SWDnovel Chapter 154 Engaged in a Bitter Struggle
Chapter 154 Engaged in a Bitter Struggle
Meanwhile, on the roof of the Mugen Train, Tanjiro and Inosuke were completely engulfed by the opponent's layers upon layers of Blood Demon Art.
Dark tentacles surged and churned, each covered with eerie eyes engraved with the character "壹".
The hypnotic power surged like a tidal wave, but the situation only made the nightmare hidden at the core more and more bewildered.
He had clearly used his Blood Demon Art to forcibly drag Tanjiro Kamado into a deep dream.
But the boy wearing the wild boar head mask showed no signs of being hypnotized from beginning to end.
Even when staring directly at those tentacles covered in eyeballs, it continued to slash wildly with its sword, showing no sign of becoming dizzy.
Apart from those two oddballs in the carriage who rely solely on hearing and not sight.
This boar-headed boy is the one that Nightmare finds most incomprehensible.
"I can understand the other two... they closed their eyes and relied on their hearing to deal with my attacks, but what's wrong with this guy? He clearly saw my eyes, so why is he completely out of control?!"
Nightmare lay deep within the core of the train's flesh and blood, his pale face filled with blankness and confusion. He kept manipulating his tentacles to attack, but he could not drag Inosuke into the dream.
This reckless beast seemed to be naturally immune to mental blood demon magic. No matter how many eyes met, they could not shake him in the slightest. This strangeness made Nightmare feel uneasy for the first time.
On the roof of the vehicle, Inosuke swung his two swords incessantly, each strike carrying a savage, ferocious force, cleaving the attacking tentacles into a bloody mess.
As he fought, he turned around and shouted at Tanjiro, who stood motionless behind him, his tone full of impatience and disdain.
"Tanpachiro, wake up! How can you be so weak! You can't even handle this ugly thing!"
"Looks like I'm the strongest, hahaha! Don't worry, as the boss, I'll definitely protect you!"
As the roar subsided, Inosuke suddenly stepped forward, blocking Tanjiro's path, and unleashed a fierce attack with his twin swords crossed horizontally.
"Beast Breathing - Third Fang - Fang Tear!"
The blade tore through the air, severing several tentacles that were about to wrap around Tanjiro, splattering black and red fluid everywhere.
Inosuke single-handedly withstood all the attacks, his eyes, hidden behind the boar's head mask, fixed intently on the writhing flesh and blood around him.
Even when facing a large number of opponents, they did not back down in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro, frozen in place, had already been forcibly dragged into yet another dream woven by Nightmare.
The surroundings were no longer filled with the carnage and gore of the car roof; instead, there was a vast expanse of white snow. The cold wind whipped snowflakes across his cheeks, and the familiar mountains and wooden houses came into view—his warmest hometown, deep in his memory.
Tanjiro stood in the snow and instantly realized that he had been hit by the Blood Demon Art again.
He gripped the Nichirin Blade tightly in his hand, his mind racing as he recalled his last experience of breaking free from the dream—
It was extreme anger that ignited the demonic power within him.
The frenzied surge of Blood Demon Art: Blazing Inferno was enough to burn through the false illusion created by Nightmare, bringing him back to reality.
Having figured this out, Tanjiro no longer hesitated and immediately mobilized all his strength, attempting to unleash the Blazing Flame once more.
A burst of intense flames erupted from his body, the crimson-gold light instantly engulfing the surroundings, melting the snow beneath his feet into vapor, and even igniting the distant forest with crackling sounds.
Even though the dream was burned to a crisp, Tanjiro remained standing there, showing no sign of waking up, and the snow scene and wooden house in front of him were still clear.
"How could this be... how could this happen?!"
Tanjiro's pupils contracted sharply, and a strong sense of anxiety welled up in his heart.
The method that worked last time failed this time. Nightmare's Blood Demon Art is deeper and more solid than before, and flames alone are not enough to break free.
He looked around frantically, at the forest he had set on fire, and instinctively worried about his family in his dream. His feet moved uncontrollably toward his cabin.
Just as he was about to rush to the door, a violent blizzard suddenly swept in, like an invisible wall, blocking him from entering and making it impossible for him to move forward.
Immediately afterwards, a deep and familiar voice slowly rose from behind him, piercing through the wind and snow and landing clearly in his ears.
"Tanjiro, pick up your sword. What you're about to cut is right here..."
It was his father's voice.
Tanjiro shuddered and turned around with all his might in the wind and snow, but there was nothing behind him, not a single person in sight, only snowflakes falling continuously from the sky.
His hand holding the Nichirin Blade trembled slightly as he stared intently at the empty snowfield, desperately trying to grasp the meaning of those words.
What needs to be severed is right here... What needs to be severed?
He looked down at the Nichirin Blade in his hand, then at the indistinct wooden house in the wind and snow, his mind a jumble of confusion.
Nightmares constantly twisted his mind, and anxiety, confusion, and fear intertwined, making it almost impossible for him to think.
After an unknown amount of time, Tanjiro slowly raised his hand and gently placed the sharp blade of his Nichirin Blade against his neck.
"There's nothing here that I need to cut off... The only thing I can cut off... is myself."
He gasped for breath, his heart pounding wildly. This suicidal choice made him tremble with extreme terror.
He knew very well that his body had become demonized, and that even if he were cut countless times by an ordinary knife, he could recover through regeneration.
But the sword in his hand was a Nichirin Blade specifically designed to slay demons—
Once the knife is cut, he will truly die.
Will I die...? Do I really have to do this? Is there really no other way?
Tanjiro struggled internally, torn between reason and despair.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he didn't want to die foolishly like that, and he didn't want to be a burden to his teammates.
She didn't want Nezuko to face the demon alone, and she didn't want Rengoku-sensei and Inosuke to be in danger because of her.
He was not reconciled.
Just as this struggle grew stronger and stronger, almost overwhelming him, a series of images suddenly flashed through his mind—
Nezuko was torn to pieces by the demon, Inosuke lay in a pool of blood, Rengoku Kyojuro died protecting the passengers, and Zenitsu was agonizingly dismembered and left in a corner.
Everyone on the train was killed...
All the people he cherished most died before his eyes.
That was a future he absolutely could not accept.
"ah--!!"
A heart-wrenching roar erupted from Tanjiro's mouth, and all his struggles, fears, and hesitations turned into resolute determination at that moment.
He gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly and, with all his might, slashed down fiercely at his own neck.
"Pfft—"
The soft sound of a blade slicing into flesh echoed in this dream, and blood was splattered on the pristine snow...