Kyojuro Rengoku's Story: Part 2

Kyojuro Rengoku's Story: Part 2 (煉 (れん) 獄 (ごく) 杏 (きょう) 寿 (じゅ) 郎 (ろう) : 外 (がい) 伝 (でん) , Rengoku Kyōjurō: Gaiden^?) is the second chapter of a two part side story about the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku

Summary[]

As Kyojuro faces Hairo, Lower Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki, the demon reveals his deep grudge against "Rengoku", revealing that the two have almost encountered in the past. Meanwhile, pressed in a desperate situation, Mitsuri Kanroji accepts she is different and uses her own style to fight.

Plot[]

As Kyojuro faces Lower Rank Two, the demon uses Blood Demon Art: Capture Cavity, Shadow Wolves, summoning armed shadow-like wolves to attack the Demon Slayer. Kyojuro responds with Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation to prevent getting shot, but the demon manifests numerous Molotov cocktails to surround him in flames. As he watches, he recalls when he was cornered by the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, in a previous encounter. Despite the demon's pleas for mercy, Shinjuro repeatedly slashed off his hands, all while remarking about the pointlessness of his role as Hashira.

Lower Two recalls he possessed the same hair and eyes as Kyojuro before him, believing the Hashira who tortured and spared him is the man he is now facing. Despite healing his wounds, his fear of Shinjuro remained strong, promising to kill him and stop his cycle of pain as he shoots his mouth to calm himself. As Kyojuro finds his chance to attack, he is shot numerous times by the demon, now wielding a manifested Gatling gun and promising to have his revenge on Kyojuro.

As he hunches down in pain, Kyojuro recalls when Senjuro asked him about their father shortly after their mother's death, who hopes he will enter Heaven and be with her. Kyojuro chastises him for his thinking and believes he will pick himself up before that time. As the eldest son, he must now take his family's place as Flame Hashira, and wills himself to continue getting stronger. Knowing humans are not immortal, he accepts the sadness he feels will strengthen him, and having promised his mother to protect the weak, Kyojuro makes it his goal to become Hashira, as he and Lower Two clash.

As the Demon Slayers see Kyojuro hold-off the demon, they attempt to disarm all the bombs in the city while fighting off the shadow wolves. Mitsuri, having never seen a bomb before, is confused on how to defuse it, but her Kasugai crow informs her to continue doing what she explained to her earlier. The wolves surround Mitsuri; she tries to behead one but it traps her blade in its shadowy figure. As they pin her down and begin biting at her, she panics as she cannot use Flame Breathing as well as her teacher and only can use her brute strength, calling to Kyojuro for help. Suddenly, she sees the woman and her child from earlier about to be killed by the wolves, the woman urging her son to flee as she is overwhelmed.

Instantly, the wolves around her are killed as Mitsuri speeds forward to save them, killing the wolves attacking them as well. As she marvels at her strength and ability to slash them, the wolves howl to summon each other and converge on the Mizunoto. She compliments the boy for holding fast and promises to protect them. She remembers Kyojuro's words about how she uses her muscles rashly, yet she can cut down demons with ease, adding that swords are not just meant to be used by the arms but the entire body. She flips forward and slashes the attacking wolves, now understanding her teacher's words of advise.

Previously, she had wanted to tell him she believed she wasn't meant to be a Demon Slayer, but Kyojuro tells her that it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak, words his mother told him, and that one day, she may even surpass his skills. He does not mean just her strength and flexibility but her hair can draw the attention of demons and brighten people's day, and most of all, she has a personality that naturally loves people. Kyojuro tells her he is lucky to be her cultivator. As Mitsuri evades and attacks the wolves, using her flexibility to her full advantage, she realizes that just as how she wanted a husband who accepted her, more importantly, she wanted a place for her where she can be accepted.

Remembering when Kyojuro told the demon that it did not matter what others said to be a Demon Slayer, she promises to use her love to protect people with her sword, rapidly slashing the shadow wolves and creating her own Breathing Style in the process. With the danger gone, she checks on the woman and the boy, asking if he is okay. Before leaving, she mentions her hair color is because she ate too much sakura mochi, and informs them that people called the Kakushi will arrive to help them. As she departs, the boy thanks her for saving their lives, before imploring his mother to do the same. Hearing their thanks, Mitsuri cries quietly to herself, happy to be accepted by them.

After shooting Kyojuro with another volley of bullets, Lower Two notices he has not heard any more explosions and his wolves are gone. Kyojuro suddenly attacks him and slashes through his rifle, as the demon becomes angered at his refusal to back down despite taking numerous bullets and explosions. As he questions how a mere human with a sword can stand up to him, Kyojuro slowly walks towards the demon, who begins to doubt the Flame Hashira who tortured him is who he is now facing. He realizes he is now out of ammunition, as Kyojuro questions if his attacks have finished.

Enraged, the demon attempts to shoot his head but fails, angrily throwing his gun down and declaring he is not done yet, still wishing to deny Kyojuro of something. His Blood Demon Art manifests a katana, causing the demon to remember a time when armed soldiers had insulted him for his swordsmanship's inferiority to their guns before shooting, and how his fellow swordsmen had encouraged him. As Kyojuro strikes him, an explosion rocks the area around him as Lower Two uses Blood Demon Art: Warwolf of Horror, manifesting himself as a shadowy wolfman. Kyojuro, stunned by the blast, realizes that even touching the shadows will result in him getting cut down.

The demon calls out Kyojuro's name and introduces himself as Hairo, asking that the Demon Slayer face him in a duel. Seeing the shadows around him are stronger than even his wolves, Kyojuro realizes his technique must surpass his' if he was to defeat him. The two clash blades, Hairo believing his attacks are futile when he is unable to attack him. To his shock, his shadows begin to burn away from Kyojuro's technique.

Flame Breathing has nine known forms and the last form is the basis of his family name. An attack that the user pours their soul and life into, and it is powerful enough to cut through anything. As he commands himself to "set your heart ablaze", Kyojuro uses Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku and beheads Lower Rank Two, who commends his swordsmanship as he burns to ash.

With the demon's death, Kyojuro realizes he is about to lose consciousness but remembers the bombs need to be defused. Mitsuri then embraces him and excitedly tells him he can now be the new Flame Hashira. Surrounding Demon Slayers attempt to pull her away from the fainting young man but are unable to move her.

Later, as Senjuro sweeps his house's floors, he sees an injured Kyojuro and Mitsuri walking back; he runs towards them and embraces his elder brother. During the latest Hashira meeting, Kagaya Ubuyashiki calls Kyojuro a remarkable child and asks if he would support the Corps as the Flame Hashira, to which Kyojuro answers yes. He tells his mother that the fire lit in him since her words to him, and till his death, he will proudly perform his duties as the Flame Hashira. In his last moments, impaled by the arm of Upper Rank Three and locked in a futile fight, Kyojuro recalls his mother's words of entrusting her hope in him; refusing to give up, Kyojuro roars in anger and determination.

While walking with Obanai Iguro, Mitsuri pauses for a moment, confusing the Serpent Hashira. She dismisses his concern and explains that the season has passed. With his friends Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, Tanjiro Kamado tells them he smells the scent of cherry blossom, which confuses them. He reveals he possesses Kyojuro's tsuba, but the two get his attention as they prepare to leave for their mission. In the Rengoku Estate, as the cherry blossoms begin to fall, the haori of the Flame Hashira sits quietly.

Characters in Order of Appearance[]

References[]

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