"Are you sure it's this way?" Muichiro asks as he continues in the directions Kotetsu gives him.

"Yes! We're almost there!" Kotetsu says as he clings onto Muichiro's uniform.

"There he is" Muichiro says as he looks ahead, Kanamori up a tree, trying to fend off one of the blood demon art fish that try to attack him.

"Kanamori-san!" Kotetsu shouts as he looks at Kanamori.

Muichiro does his best to drop Kotetsu as lightly as he can as he runs to the fish, cutting the vase on its back, the fish disintegrating.

"Oh! He slashed it in the blink of an eye!" Kanamori says as he looks down at Muichiro, "Lord Tokito. Thank goodness!" he says as he climbs down the tree.

"Kanamori-san!" Kotetsu shouts as he runs over.

"Kotetsu-kun!" Kanamori says as he comes over, "thank goodness you're okay! To be honest, I thought you'd be dead by now".

"Same here, Kanamori-san" Kotetsu says as he balls his fists.

"So, you're Kanamori" Muichiro says as he sheaths his sword.

"Tokito-san, this is Kanamori-san" Kotetsu says as he gestures to Kanamori.

"Do you have a sword for me?" Muichiro asks as he looks at Kanamori, "give it to me now".

"Oh my!" Kanamori says as he kneels down to get a closer look at Muichiro's sword, "look at this! It's quite badly chipped!".

"That's why I came to the village" Muichiro says as he looks down at Kanamori.

"I see! I see!" Kanamori says as he stands up, "I do have a sword ready for you, so let me give it to you right away!".

"You don't waste time, do you?" Muichiro asks as he cocks his brow.

"I'm happy for you! You should be thankful!" Kotetsu says as he looks at Muichiro.

"Tanjiro asked me to take care of it" Kanamori says as he looks at Muichiro, "your sword, that is. He also said I should be understanding towards you".

"Tanjiro?" Muichiro says as he tilts his head, "Tanjiro said it, huh?".

"So, I checked up on the first swordsmith who served you--" Kanamori says as he recalls his actions.

"Kanamori-san, Kanamori-san!" Kotetsu says as he pulls on Kanamori's sleeve, "we have to head to Haganezuka-san's! If he's under attack by those demons--".

"Oh, that's right!" Kanamori says as he snaps out of it, "come on, I'll show you the way to our workplace!" he says as the three of them make their way over, "I'm worried about the village! Since you're a Hashira, I want you to take that sword... and go to their aid as soon as possible!" he says as he spots the shed up ahead, "it's that shed over there! Thank goodness! I don't see any fish monsters! I was working in that shed! The sword I'm supposed to give you is inside that shed, too! Please take it and rush to where the chief is!".

"No, I can't" Muichiro says calmly as he grabs Kanamori's top, stopping in his tracks.

"Ouch! You're so annoying!" Kotetsu says as he bumps into Muichiro's back.

"It's here" Muichiro says as he looks ahead.

The bushes on the left shake as a pot rolls out into the path in front of them.

"Hyo!" a voice says as the pot stands upright.

"Huh?" Kotetsu says as Muichiro starts to slowly walk towards the pot.

"I'm impressed that you noticed me!" the voice says as the pot sways from side to side, "but, wait, you're a Hashira" Gyokko says as he comes out of the pot, "hyo, hyo, hyo! Is this rundown shed that important to you?" he asks as Kotetsu and Kanamori fall to the ground, "what is it that you're being so secretive about, I wonder. Now, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Gyokko! Before I kill you, might I ask for a minute of your time?".

"Why are you closing in on me?" Muichiro asks as he feels Kanamori and Kotetsu move towards him.

"Because we'd be scared on our own" Kotetsu says as he rolls his eyes.

"I'd be delighted to show my artwork to my three guests tonight!" Gyokko says happily.

"Artwork?" Muichiro asks confused, "what are you talking about?".

"Now then, let me start with this piece" Gyokko says as he claps his hands once, a pot appearing in front of Muichiro, Kanamori and Kotetsu.

Black water spills from the neck of the pot as five swordsmiths mangled together are forced out of the pot, swords binding them all together. Kotetsu gasps in horror as he spots all of the different swordsmiths, one being his own uncle.

"Behold, 'Death Throes of the Smiths'" Gyokko says as he presents his piece of art, "please take a look! First, those hands! The hallmark of a swordsmith, those thick, blister ridden, soiled hands! I intentionally pushed them to the forefront. Yes! You're absolutely right! For this pieces, I used five swordsmiths to lavish, extravagant effect!" he says as he spots Kotetsu crying, "I didn't expect you to be this moved! Moreover, I've truly brought out their swordsmith qualities... by piercing them with swords! I left these hyottoko masks on to juxtapose emptiness and absurdity. Needless to say, this, too, was a deliberate choice! And this is the best part! Just twist the sword like so, and..." he says as he takes one of the swords and twists it, blood splattering everywhere as the swordsmiths scream in pain.

"Stop it!" Kotetsu yells as he tries to run at Gyokko but Kanamori holds his back.

"What do you think?" Gyokko asks as he raises his brow, "isn't it marvellous? I've reproduced their death throes!".

"Hey" Muichiro says as mist spills from around him, "cut it out, fuckface".

He swings his sword at Gyokko's neck as Gyokko disappears from his pot.

"I'm not done describing my artwork!" Gyokko says angrily as he appears from a pot on top of the shed, "kindly hear me out until the end".

It can teleport from one vase to another. I see.

Muichiro says as he studies Gyokko's movements.

"What I especially take pride in is the vase's--" Gyokko says Muichiro tries to cut him again but he moves to another pot, "you have a lot of gall, slashing it!" he says angrily as he comes out from yet another pot, "my vase, that is! My art! You have no eye for beauty, you damn ape! You bastards with muscles where your brains should be... clearly, you lack the ability to appreciate my artwork! Which, in a way, is fine!" he says as he creates a pot in his hand, three goldfish coming from it, "thousand needle fish kill!".

The three fish spit out small needles at Muichiro as he ducks behind the roof in order to avoid the attack. He peeks over the edge of the roof and spots the three fish turning their attention to Kotetsu and Kanamori. The three fish spit the needles again as Muichiro sprints down to them as Kanamori covers Kotetsu, Muichiro standing in front of the two of them as he takes the needles all over his body and face.

"Lord Tokito!" Kanamori says worriedly.

"You're getting in the way, so go hide" Muichiro says sternly.

"I'm sorry!" Kotetsu says as he starts to cry, "I... I...".

The three fish spit the needles again as Muichiro hits them all away with his sword. Kanamori stands up and grabs Kotetsu, throwing his over his shoulder as he runs off with him.

"Hyo, hyo, hyo!" Gyokko says as he watches Kanamori and Kotetsu flee, "look at you, riddled with needles... a comical sight, indeed! How do you like it? The poison must be slowly numbing your limbs, right? So very comical! You saved some worthless lives... and now you're going to die in a worthless place. So worthless, it doesn't matter if they exist or not".

Because your lives are worthless.

Muichiro hears a menacing voice in his head say.

Who's that? I can't remember. I think someone said the same thing to me years ago. Who was it? It was summer. It was hot. We'd left the door open. The cicadas buzzed really loudly, even at night, perhaps because it was so hot.

Muichiro says as he manages to recall the night he heard that voice.

"Hyo, hyo!" Gyokko says as he snaps Muichiro out of his mind, "still, you are a Hashira, even looking like that. What kind of artwork should I produce? Oh, I'm giddy!".

"Shut up" Muichiro says as he throws himself at Gyokko, "it's all your talk that is worthless" he says as he throws his sword at Gyokko's neck, only managing to cut on his small arms off.

"Blood Demon Art" Gyokko says as he regrows his arm, creating a pot at the same time, "water prison pot!" he says as he wraps Muichiro up in a pot completely made of water, "death by suffocation is rather stylish. Beautiful! And that chilling feeling of a sword pressing against your neck... now that's simply sublime! I just stopped a demon slayer's strongest weapon, his breathing! I can barely contain myself, just imagining your face twisted in agony. Hyo, hyo! Obliterating this village will be a devastating blow to you demon slayers! Once we've brought the demon slayers to their knees, even Ubuyashiki's head will be within reach!".

Muzan and Sakura watch through the trees as they continue to fight.

"Sakura, my love. This boy will die. Surrender yourself to me and tell me where Ubuyashiki and the blue spider lily are and everyone will go free" Muzan says as he holds Sakura and forces her to watch the torture Muichiro faces.

"I'll never hand them over to you. I've held it back for over 400 years, a little more won't hurt" Sakura says as she tries to fight his grip.

"If you won't give it to me, then I'll take the information for myself" Muzan says as he tries to read Sakura's thoughts, only to see memories of Sakura and the boy before him, "so when you're looking at someone, I can't get into your thoughts".

"No" Sakura says as she grabs Muzan's arms, ripping them off, "I block out the things I don't want you to see!".