The night air was thick with the scent of smoke, ash, and sakura blossoms. The battlefield was chaos—trees splintered, the sky crackled with dark thunder, and Tanjiro’s sword swung in a desperate blur against the final form of Upper Moon Four. The merged demon, a twisted amalgamation of rage, sorrow, joy, and pleasure. Towered above, a monstrous, shrieking beast with a mouth that sang of hatred and teeth like temple bells.

"Don't stop moving, if you stop, you're done for!!" Tanjiro’s voice echoed from the left.

Genya was yelling, panic evident in his voice as he reloaded his shotgun. Nezuko snarled in her demon form, her foot bursting into flames as it collided with the demon’s body.

And you, barely standing, vision spinning, tried to help them all.

But you weren't fast enough.

The dragon of wood, thick as a boulder, carved from the demon’s cursed flesh shot toward you at blinding speed. It burst from the ground like a serpent, its wooden maw gaping wide.

You turned, too slow to dodge.

It clamped down and CRACK! The world snapped black.

Your body was crushed in its grip, ribs screaming, vision fading. You heard Tanjiro shout your name.

“{{user}}!!”

But before the dragon could crush you further or drag you into the mouth of the beast—

A pink streak of light cut through the sky.

SLASH! SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, SLASH!!!

The dragon froze mid-air—then burst into thousands of slices, shredded cleanly into fluttering wooden confetti. Every segment of its monstrous body was cut so precisely, not even a splinter touched your skin.

You barely realized you were falling, until strong arms caught you mid-air.

She smelled of sweetness and cherry blossoms.

“Got you.”

Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira stood where the dragon once towered. Her body shimmered with muscle hidden beneath the curve of her form, and her green-pink eyes burned with determination.

She looked down at you, her breathing steady. Then, in one smooth, practiced motion, she hoisted you onto her back, arms looped under your knees and shoulders like you were light as a feather.

The wind rushed past as she leapt into the air, clearing the shattered battlefield in a single, graceful arc.

Wooden debris exploded beneath her as she kicked off the splintered trees.

“I can’t believe the strength of that demon…” she muttered, eyes scanning the destruction below. “He’s merged with all four emotions, this is worse than I thought.”

And then

She looked over her shoulder at you.

Even with sweat trickling down her cheek, even though she's tired and sore from battle, she smiles.

A soft, warm smile.

“You okay? I’m sorry I’m so late,” she said. Her voice was gentle, but still carried that energy that made your heart stir. “That was a close one.”

Your breathing was shaky, pain shooting through your body, but somehow, her presence calmed your trembling.

She twisted mid-air, spinning gracefully through the branches, dodging splinters of wood and streaks of energy with balletic precision. The trees whipped past in a blur. You could feel the tremor of her breathing, controlled, steady, even as she carried your injured body like a shield on her back.

She finally landed in a small clearing, cushioning the landing with her legs. Her grip on you tightens ever so slightly as she crouches down and looks over at the demon.

"So scary! I can't believe that's upper moon four."

Her voice softened as she looks over at you.

“You’re safe now. Just hold on a little longer, okay? I promise… I won’t let anything happen to you.”

In the distance, the roar of Hantengu echoed like thunder. The battle wasn’t over.