Tomioka Giyuu didn't try to expose Kocho Shinobu's thoughts. Just as he was about to ask her to have dinner again, Kanzaburo came flying over.
"Kahh——kawww——!"
"Go to Inunaki Village in the southeast! Go to Inunaki Village in the southeast!"
"A swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps went in and never came out again. It seems that there's a Twelve Kizuki! It seems that there's a Twelve Kizuki!"
Tomioka Giyuu frowned subconsciously. Why did this mission have to come now?
Could it be some sort of world line correction? Were they trying to stop him from saving Kyojuro?
As for entrusting this mission to another Hashira, that was basically impossible.
Putting aside whether anyone else would believe it, just facing Akaza—how many could survive?
And the Hashira who had the strength to confront an Upper Moon certainly weren't sitting idle.
"I'm leaving now, Shinobu. Thank you for telling me about Tanjiro and the others."
"Mm. Be careful—and try not to get hurt so badly again."
Kocho Shinobu nodded. She actually wanted to go with Giyuu Tomioka, but she also had a critical mission and had no choice but to go her own way.
Leaving the Butterfly Estate behind, Tomioka Giyuu released all his speed and rushed toward Inunaki Village.
"As long as I get there before Kyojuro is seriously injured, everything will be fine. Hang in there, Rengoku!"
As the sky darkened, Tomioka Giyuu finally arrived at Inunaki Village.
Standing at the village entrance, his expression was grim.
He'd been in such a rush that he hadn't had time to think clearly. But now, something felt off.
At this point in the timeline, weren't all the Lower Moons—except the one on the Infinity Train—already killed off by Kibutsuji Muzan?
"Then what's going on here…"
Following his gaze, the entire village lay in ruins. The ground was an unsettling dark brown—unnatural and foreboding.
As the sun set completely, the gloom deepened, and a heavy, ominous air hung over the village.
Tomioka hesitated. Something about this village was too strange.
It wasn't that he was afraid—but if he got bogged down here, Kyojuro might be in serious danger.
Just as Tomioka Giyuu was weighing the risks, a little girl ran out from the courtyard nearest to him.
"Help, help! Monster—there's a monster inside!"
Tomioka's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his Nichirin blade, eyes narrowing toward the house.
The little girl clung to his leg, sobbing.
"Save my big brother—there's a monster in there trying to eat him!"
The genuine fear in her voice made his heart soften.
"Stay here and hide. I'll go deal with that monster you mentioned."
With that, Giyuu entered the village, heading toward the house the girl had pointed to.
Yet a nagging sense of wrongness coiled in his gut—though he couldn't quite place it.
But the moment he stepped into the courtyard, the realization hit him like a wave.
"Something's wrong with that girl… Her clothes are spotless—like they're brand new."
"In a place like this? A ruined, deserted village? Impossible."
Tomioka dashed back outside and looked toward the entrance.
But the little girl was gone. Vanished. Not a trace of her remained.
"…Hah. Things are getting interesting."
"None of the Upper Moons would bother with tricks. They'd just attack outright."
"And the Lower Moons—aside from the one on the Mugen Train—they're all dead."
"So who… or what… is this?"
While he was muttering to himself, faint trails of smoke began rising from several chimneys. Someone—or something—was lighting fires.
Suddenly, a spike of danger stabbed through his instincts.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a black shadow hurtling toward him at high speed!
Without hesitation, Tomioka dodged back—
Thwack!
A Nichirin blade embedded itself into the ground exactly where he'd been standing.
"…A Sun Blade?!"
Tomioka's eyes widened—but before he could investigate further, a young man in a Demon Slayer Corps uniform lunged at him, Nichirin sword drawn.
Another Corps member followed from behind—but this one was unarmed.
So the sword must've been thrown by him.
"Stop! I'm the Water Hashira—Tomioka Giyuu! Stand down!"
But his voice had no effect.
The attackers moved in with blank expressions, lifeless eyes—and not even a blink between them.
Tomioka was forced to draw his sword and parry, carefully watching their movements.
Then he noticed it.
Their eyes were vacant—glazed over, like puppets. Like the controlled Demon Slayers on Mount Natagumo.
But…
"No strings. No talismans. No scent of a demon nearby…"
He scanned the surroundings, ruled out any signs of external control.
"Could it be… internal control?"
He narrowed his eyes and swept low, knocking both attackers to the ground with a single spin.
The two quickly stood up again—far too fluidly for puppets or externally controlled bodies.
"Just as I thought. This is no external control."
"Their movements—their expressions—this is internal. Some kind of possession."
With that conclusion, Tomioka moved decisively.
He struck them both cleanly in the neck, hard enough to render them unconscious but not fatal.
He crouched beside the first one and checked his pulse.
"…Alive?"
Then the other.
"…This one's alive too?"
For a moment, Tomioka Giyuu was at a loss.
He looked toward the chimney smoke in the distance and murmured:
"Forget it. At least they're alive. I'll head over and see what's going on there."
He picked the nearest intact courtyard and entered cautiously.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Inside the yard stood a modest, traditional bungalow. The entrance was strangely absent.
Within the room sat a middle-aged man and woman, silent and unmoving beside a large pot over a fire.
The pot was sealed with a heavy lid.
But through the gaps, Tomioka caught a glimpse of what was inside.
A small body—bloody and limp—was being boiled alive.
"…!"
Tomioka's stomach churned. He'd slain countless demons, but this—this was disgusting in a way that chilled his soul.
"Hey! Are you two insane?!"
He stormed forward and grabbed them both—
But the moment he touched them, he realized—
Their eyes were blank.
Emotionless.
Dead.
As if they'd already died long ago.