Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 137 A Resilient Barrier

Meanwhile, in the illusionary carriage on the other side of the Infinite Train, a completely different confrontation is unfolding.

The snow fell silently, enveloping the cabin in the woods in a warm and peaceful atmosphere. Inside, the lights were bright, and the laughter of the younger siblings and the whispers of the family mingled together, creating the most reassuring daily routine.

Standing in the middle of the snow, Xia Xian Si looked at the scene before him, his scarlet eyes surging with undisguised contempt and disdain.

"A false dream, foolish and ridiculous. Only you fragile humans would indulge in this meaningless warmth, and desperately fantasize about and crave this kind of security that doesn't even exist."

Xia Xian Si chuckled softly, his tone full of mockery of human emotions.

It slowly raised its hand and grasped a specially crafted dagger, bestowed by Nightmare, capable of tearing through dreams.

The sharp blade lightly sliced ​​across the void before him, instantly creating a subtle yet clear spatial crack.

As it moved, it grinned, revealing a cruel and sinister smile, and whispered incessantly to the bean on the other side of the crack, every word filled with provocation and malice.

"You must be having a tough time in real life, right? Taking on the responsibility of supporting the whole family in place of your mother, taking care of a bunch of younger siblings, working tirelessly day after day without ever getting a break. And that useless older brother of yours, he can't do anything, he can't help the family at all... You must be exhausted, right?"

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. As long as I eat you, you'll never have to suffer again, never have to toil, never have to be sad. You'll only have eternal joy and peace, hahahahahaha!"

The maniacal laughter echoed across the snow. Lower Moon Four increased the force in his hands, trying to tear open the crack in front of him completely and directly invade Nezuko's spiritual core.

But then something strange happened.

No matter how hard it tried, the crack remained only an inch long, just big enough for an arm to fit through, and could not be widened even a fraction further.

"Um?"

Xia Xian Si frowned, staring at the stubborn, thin crack in front of him, and let out a low groan full of doubt.

It repeatedly swung its dagger, slashing at the void time and time again, but the dream barrier was harder than it could have imagined. No matter how it tried, it showed no sign of expanding.

"What's going on? Why can't I swipe anymore? That idiot Nightmare, what kind of junk did she give me? Is it even useful?!"

Anxiety and anger gradually welled up in his heart. Xia Xian Si gritted his teeth and poured all his strength into his arms, frantically slashing and tearing.

But the dream barrier before him remained unmoved; the tiny crack seemed to be firmly nailed shut, stubbornly persistent to the point of madness.

After several futile attempts, Lower Moon Four's already ferocious and terrifying face was completely distorted by rage.

It threw down the dagger in its hand and let out an angry growl.

"Hmph, I don't believe you can stay this hard forever!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lower Moon Four unleashed the demonic power within his body, his arms stretching wildly in a bizarre manner, his entire body turning a vivid blood red, and countless scarlet vines, like venomous snakes, surging from beneath his skin and fiercely plunging into the narrow crack.

"Blood Demon Art: Wild Growth!"

With a low roar, countless crimson vines surged and expanded wildly within the cracks, like countless enraged giant pythons, desperately assaulting the dream barrier, trying to break it completely.

The vines twisted and roared wildly, their power enough to easily crush steel.

But the crack in front of us remained as solid as a mountain, showing no signs of widening.

It was as if there was an invisible yet indestructible barrier, fiercely protecting the world beyond the crack.

The scene before him left Lower Moon Four completely dazed and in disbelief.

It withdrew its Blood Demon Technique, the crimson vines slowly retracting into its body. Looking up at the hazy sky in its dream, it finally couldn't suppress the rage in its heart and roared loudly.

"Nightmare! What's going on?! Show yourself!"

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the entire illusion, causing snowflakes to fall in droves.

But there was no response from afar. Nightmare seemed to have completely lost contact, and no matter how it called out, there was no reply.

Just as Lower Moon was consumed by rage and at a loss, a soft voice, tinged with doubt, suddenly rang out quietly from behind it.

"Who are you?"

The sudden sound made Lower Moon Four, who was in a rage, freeze instantly.

It suddenly turned around and looked warily behind it—

Unbeknownst to anyone, Mizuko, dressed in a pink kimono and resembling a girl next door, was standing quietly in the snow, her clear eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment as she stared blankly at it.

Mizuko was clearly frightened by the eerie and terrifying appearance of the Lower Moon Four.

The demon before them was entirely crimson, with a sharp black horn on its head. Its body was twisted and ferocious, resembling a female demon from hell, completely out of place in the warm and peaceful world of the illusion.

Midouzi instinctively dropped the small dagger she had just picked up, covered her mouth in terror, and her small body trembled slightly.

But just as her gaze fell upon the Lower Rank Four's markings etched in his eyes, she felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Memories buried in the illusion surged into her mind like a flood bursting its banks.

The tragic scene of family members dying in the snow.

Kibutsuji Muzan's cold and cruel face.

The pain of his older brother Tanjiro being turned into a demon.

The scene of joining the Demon Slayer Corps, taking up a Nichirin Blade, practicing breathing techniques, and fighting alongside comrades...

All the real memories awakened at this moment, ruthlessly shattering the false warmth.

When Xia Xian Si realized he had been discovered, his eyes turned cold, and he no longer cared about the dream barrier or the spiritual core.

An attack was launched immediately.

It grinned maliciously, manipulating countless blood-red vines that swept towards the Bean like venomous snakes.

"Hmph, so what if you've been discovered? Right now, you're nothing more than a weak human, lost in a dream, utterly powerless to resist!"

It smugly boasted, convinced that the girl in front of it was still the same ordinary girl from its dream, utterly vulnerable.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the vines whipped up a flurry of snowflakes, which crashed down onto empty ground.

The figure of Mi Douzi vanished without a trace in an instant.

Xia Xian Si's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly turned his head to look to his side.

The Bean that had been standing in the same spot had changed its appearance.

The warm pink kimono she wore burned away, peeled off, and dissipated from her body little by little, like ashes.

Instead, she wore that familiar pink cherry blossom haori and a crisp, smart Demon Slayer Corps uniform.

The Nichirin sword hung steadily at his waist.

At this moment, Ni Douzi was fully awake.

That Demon Slayer Corps member, whose strength is among the top, below the Pillar-level swordsmen.

At this moment, the resolute girl completely broke free from the shackles of the illusion.

The dream rift that Lower Moon Four had desperately torn apart was visibly healing the moment Nezuko regained consciousness, eventually disappearing completely as if it had never existed.

Only at this moment did Lower Moon Four finally realize and understand everything.

The reason it couldn't tear apart the dream barrier, and couldn't widen that tiny crack, wasn't because the Nightmare Dagger was malfunctioning, nor was it because there was something wrong with the illusion.

There is only one reason for this—

Midouzi possesses an incredibly resilient and indomitable spirit.

It cannot be easily breached by any external force.

Looking at Mizuko, whose eyes were cold and whose aura was sharp, Xiaxian Si felt a deep fear and apprehension for the first time.

As Mizuko regained consciousness, she slowly raised her head, her clear yet resolute eyes coldly locking onto the evil spirit before her. Each word, spoken calmly yet with an unyielding authority, she slowly began to speak:

"What do you want to do?"

The wind and snow suddenly stopped, and the illusion trembled.