KNY Fanfic: Priceless Smile

Chapter 84: Defending 200 People

Tanjiro's now face to face with Enmu. As he stood a bit away from the demon, he unsheathed his katana.

"Don't thoughtlessly trample your way into people's dreams! I won't forgive you!" Tanjiro exclaimed veins popping out on his forehead.

'Oh? He's wearing earrings. What luck that he would come right to me. It's like a dream. Now I can receive even more of Muzan-sama's blood. And just to think of it.... even that other one is here.'
Enmu thought happily as he gaze at Tanjiro.
'And if I can even get stronger, I can challenge the upper moon demons to a blood battle so I can switch places with them.'

"Water Breathing, tenth form: Dragon of Change!" Tanjiro said as he move his sword.

"Blood Demon Art: Compelling Hypnotic Whisper." Enmu said as he move up his hand with a mouth on it as it says 'go to sleep'.

The blood demon art worked for a second, but as Tanjiro's about to fall, he woke up and charged towards Enmu.

'He's not falling asleep....'
Enmu thought as the mouth on his hand kept chanting 'sleep'.
'I see. He's taking damage from my technique. But the moment he does, he recognizes it and kills himself to wake up. It may be in his own dreams, but to kill oneself, you need a good amount of grit to perform the act yourself. This and the other one is pretty straightforward.'

Instead of a good dream, Enmu was showing Tanjiro a nightmare. He was being chastised and hated by his own family in it.

Rokuta: Why didn't you save us?

Takeo: What were you doing while we were dying?

Hanako: You just survived on your own.

Tanjuro: Why are you even here? You're useless.

Kie:  You should've just died. How dare you live so cheerfully.

They all said that as they all look at Tanjiro with pure hatred and disgust towards him. Because of this, Tanjiro's anger went beyond his breaking point.

"MY FAMILY WOULD NEVER SAY THAT! NO MATTER WHAT! DON'T INSULT....." Tanjiro shouted as he moved closer and closer to Enmu his sword ready to cut him.
"..... MY FAMILY!!!"

With that, Enmu's head was cut off from his body and flew back behind Tanjiro. Lacking a reaction, this surprised the young slayer.

'There's practically no reaction. Could this be a dream too? Or is he just weaker than the lower five?'
Tanjiro thought as he watch Enmu's head fly.

"'That' person told me to kill you, 'Earring boy', along with the 'Pillars'. Now I truly understand what he felt." Enmu stated as his neck grew out of what seemed like a stem-veined body connected to the train.
"Somehow, I feel like your very existence makes me twitch in anger."

'He's not dying!'
Tanjiro mentally exclaimed looking horrified.

"Your expression is so lovely! Ufufufu." Enmu said as he saw Tanjiro's horrified expression.
"You want me to tell you why I won't even die even though you cut off my head? Fine. Since I'm feeling great right now. The one you cut, is not my actual body anymore. And the same goes with this form you're looking at right now.... you see, while everyone of you were sleeping so peacefully. I fused myself with the train! This whole train is now my blood, flesh, and bones. All of the two hundred passengers on this train are now food to further strengthen my body, as well as my captives. So, can you protect them all by yourself?" Enmu explained.

Tanjiro dashed at him in an attempt to slash him, but Enmu got sucked in leaving Tanjiro to slash nothing.

"RENGOKU-SAAAN! ZENITSU! INOSUKEEE! NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR SLEEPING! PLEASE WAKE UUUUP! NEZUKOOOO! PROTECT THE OTHERS WHO'RE ASLEEP!" Tanjiro shouted at the top of his lungs from above a train car.

"How long do we have to wait Master?" Taro asked looking forward at the front cars.

"Even if I wanted to stop this train, if I do that, they'll notice me for sure. We just have to wait and let them do their part. After all...." Kazumi answered.
".... we're just sent here for back-up." 

Inosuke's now on top of one of the train cars too after jumping out as he woke up.

"INOSUKE! THERE'S NO SAFE PLACE ON THIS TRAIN! PROTECT THE SLEEPING PEOPLE! THIS WHOLE TRAIN IS A DEMON!" Tanjiro informed him.

"I knew it. Then I was right! And I lack nothing as a boss!" Inosuke said.
"Beast Breathing, fifth fang: Crazy Cutting!" He added as he jumped down swinging his sword in all directions cutting the flesh trying to absorb the sleeping passengers, this is very effective when being surrounded by the enemy.
"I'll save them all! You'll all be bowing to me in thanks!"

Nezuko helped too as she used her own claws to cut and destroy the flesh trying to absorb the asleep passengers. Using her blood demon art drains her energy faster and makes her sleepy. As she kept on slashing, a flesh caught her left arm as she tried to save a boy from getting absorbed, next one were her other arm then her feet. As she struggle to get loose from them, the flesh were suddenly sliced as Zenitsu landed down in front of her.

"Thunder Breathing, first form: Thunderclap and Flash; Sixfold!" Zenitsu said with his eyes closed as he hopped in six different spots cutting down the flesh in an instant.
"I will protect you, Nezuko-chan."

Nezuko looked at him as his words slowly turned into mumbling.

'That sounds like lightning.... is it behind me?! Have Zenitsu and Rengoku-san woken up?! What about Nezuko?!'
Tanjiro thought as he kept himself busy cutting the flesh around the passengers.
'This is all I can do to protect the passengers right in front of me! This is bad. What should I do? We can't work together! Are the passengers in the rear cars safe? Urgh! It's to cramped to swing my katana!'

"Hmm? So this is what happened while I was dozing off?! I can't believe it! Some Pillar I am! If there were a hole, I'd hide in it!" Kyojuro said holding his sword as he has just woken up.

After that, a loud sound of crashing was heard and the train moved making Tanjiro lose his footing and stumble forward, his back hitting the train door.

'What was that? A demon attack?!'
He thought as he sat up.

"Kamado!" Kyojuro called suddenly appearing in front of him.

"Rengoku-san!"

"To come this far, I had to do some really precise bladework! So I think the demon will need some time to regenerate! But there's no spare time, so I'll make it quick!" Kyojuro said.
"This train has eight cars. I'll defend the back five!" He explained lifting up five of his fingers.
"That yellow boy and your sister will defend the remaining three! You and Inogashira will keep an eye on those three cars as you search for the demon's head!"

"But right now, this demon is—" Tanjiro was cut off by Kyojuro.

"Whatever shape it takes, as long as it's a demon, it's got a vital spot somewhere! I'll look for it while I fight. Now hop to it!"

Right after his words, he sprinted out of Tanjiro's sight leaving a trail of flames and making the cars move again. Tanjiro was shocked seeing this as he disappear in a blink of an eye. He soon stood up quickly as he move forward.

"Inosuke! Inosuke! Where are you?!" Tanjiro called.

"Shut up or I'll kill you!" Inosuke answered from the roof of the train.
"That guy with the wide, staring eyes gave me an order! But he's kinda.... sorta.... Amazing! And that pisses me off!" He added as he run to the front cars.

"Inosuke! Keep an eye on the first three cars as you—"

"I know! Graaah! And I've already found it! With a full-strength seventh form! This lord's.... vital spot!"

"Really?! So it's up front?!"

"Yeah! And there's something not right up there!"