Demon Slayer; Kyameron Kamado

Chapter 42.

The dark, cloudy sky parted, revealing a bright blue sky. Only for a moment, however, as Tanjiro's attack ended. The now severed neckbone of Enmu fell victim to the attack, creating an enormous shockwave that derailed the Mugen train entirely. As it flew through the air, an explosion of the fleshy substance that made up Enmu burst from nearly every faucet, exploding and gushing blood everywhere. The ear-piercing scream of Enmu filled the air, causing the train to fling even higher and off-course. At the head of the locomotive, or what remained of it, stood the Kamado brothers, clinging to a piece of metal. 

"Hey!" Kyameron shouted, "Great plan!"

"What?!" Tanjiro yelled back, "I'm pretty sure I killed him!"

"Well yeah, but you're gonna get us killed, too!"

"You're the one who made this plan in the first place!"

"You went through with it!"

"I didn't have a choice!"

"Alright, whatever! If we survive, I'll let you off the hook!" Kyameron said, "Now, how are we either A. Halting this thing, or B. Getting OFF this thing?!"

The time for sibling bickering was nearing its end as the train began its mighty descent back towards the ground. Knowing they were running out of time, Kyameron spoke, "Alright! We've gotta jump!"

"Jump?!" Tanjiro replied, "Are you nuts?!"

"Tanjiro! We can soften our falls! Trust me! We'll be safer off this train when it lands than on it!"

Tanjiro hesitated for a split second, "A-alright! I trust you!"

"Ready? Three, two, one, jump!" Kyameron shouted, pushing off the flimsy metal scrap. Tanjiro followed, flying through the air. After a few seconds airborne, Tanjiro and Kyameron both softened their landings. The mighty Mugen train collided with the earth, tearing up the ground as it continued to explode with Enmu's matter. Several cars broke off the cables, some flying into the air. The engine car flipped through the air before making a spectacular landing, embedding itself within the dirt. A massive cloud of dust created a veil over the train, shrouding it in even more darkness. Once it receded, it revealed an enormous combination of purple demon matter, metal, and bits of fire.

Out of what remained of the first car came Inosuke, bursting through the shattered window, "What the hell happened?! Did Sanatro and Kyarojo kill the demon?!" he shouted.

From the nearby forest, Kyameron and Tanjiro appeared. Both bloodied from the battle, Kyameron with a nasty cut along his cheek. Upon seeing them, Inosuke ran over, "Hey! Did you get him?! Did you kill him?!" he questioned.

Kyameron smiled at Tanjiro, "Yup. We got him, alright."

Tanjiro returned the smile as Inosuke jumped for joy, laughing at the demon and spouting insults toward it.

"What about all the passengers?" Tanjiro asked, "We have to go check on them!"

Before he could continue, a sharp pain hit his chest. Feeling like he was convulsing from within, he dropped to a knee, "Tanjiro? Are you alright?" Kyameron asked, catching him before he fell over.

Tanjiro fumbled with his words, "The... hinokami kagura... too much... strain..." he muttered, clutching his chest and sucking wind.

As Kyameron tended to Tanjiro, a sliver of the purple matter slithered out of the wreckage. With two eyes sporting the Lower One symbol, it was what remained of Enmu. Seeing the two brothers, he began to think, "I'm not regenerating. I can't. Did- did I lose? Am I going to die? It's impossible. Impossible! I've not gotten the chance to give my all yet! I couldn't devour a single passenger! Not one!  All my preparation, all my efforts, gone in an instant! Now I can't even form a body!" he thought, "It's their fault. It's all their fault! Those fiery insects! All three of them! Even with 200 hostages, I couldn't gain any leverage! The power of a hashira is so infuriating! That yellow one, he was too fast to hit! And I couldn't put that boar-headed freak to sleep because I couldn't tell where he was looking! And that girl, too! A demon?! Travelling with a hashira?! What kind of betrayal is that?!"

As Tanjiro's exhaustion worsened, so did Enmu's frustration, "It all started when those two brats slipped out of my grip. How did they end up in the same dream, anyways?! That's never happened before, never! Why now?!"

The remaining pieces of his body began to fade faster, "Oh, what a nightmare! What a terrible, horrendous night of terror! The upper ranks have remained stagnant for several centuries! Only the bottom feeder demons get slain. Even after Master Muzan graced me with so much blood, I couldn't breach their ranks! They kill hashira with no effort, despite them killing countless demons themselves. Just what are they?! Do they have otherworldly powers?!"

All that remained was his two eyeballs, "I want to start over! I want to try again!"

One faded, "Oh, what a terrible nightmare, this is..."

And the second followed. Enmu was no more.

"Relax, Tanjiro. Breathe." Kyameron said, propping his brother up.

Tanjiro tried, but the strain on his lungs prevented him from taking a full breath. Suddenly, Rengoku appeared above the two, "Young Kamado! I see you've mastered the total concentration constant! Impressive!" he said.

"Master, I think something's wrong with his lungs. Using the Hinokami Kagura so intensely might have ruptured one," Kyameron replied.

"I see! That would certainly be an issue! But, I don't believe his lung to be ruptured!" Rengoku said.

"Why do you say that?" Kyameron questioned.

"Well, if it were, your brother would long be dead! Hahaha!" Rengoku joked, making Kyameron look at the ground in embarrassment, "I believe it to be internal bleeding. Concentrate on your breathing, making your nerves reach every corner of your body. Locate that torn vessel." Tanjiro obeyed, searching for the rupture in his abdomen, "Concentrate! Find that torn vessel!"

Tanjiro began to strain to find the vessel, successfully locating it, "Got it," he whispered.

"Good! Now, stop the bleeding! Stanch it!" Rengoku said.

Tanjiro continued to strain. However, Rengoku put his finger on his forehead, "Focus!" he said, all while Kyameron watched on, silently learning. Focusing his entire body to halt the bleeding, Tanjiro sealed the vessel, "Great! You've managed to stop it. Don't move too much, or you'll reopen the wound."

Kyameron spoke, "Master, I don't mean to interrupt, but are the passengers safe?"

Rengoku turned to him, "Of course! They're all safe! Many are injured, but no one's life is at risk!"

Kyameron and Tanjiro smiled, "That's wonderful news," Tanjiro said, "Thank you very much, Mister Rengoku."

Rengoku nodded his approval.

An enormous pressure fell, seemingly heavier than the now ruined Mugen train itself. The ground began to quake as dust flew up in the air, shrouding a large area in a grey mist. Two bright yellow lights appeared through the cloud, slowly revealing a humanoid figure. Rengoku and Kyameron quickly turned to face it while Tanjiro froze from the pressure. Both had their hands on their swords as the figure revealed itself. Grey skin with short red hair. A maroon vest with white pants. Blue stripes going up and down and around their torso, with similar marks on their face.

Those glowing yellow eyes became prominent, now being readable. And they read, "Upper Three."