Hua'er floating nearby, just deadpanned at his last comment.
"Master... you literally did JUST that. You watched Kanae 'die' and did nothing!" Hua'er was exasperated.
"Mah, that's different, I planned on reviving her but she's not really a teammate, at least not yet. I can count on my fingers the times she even showed up on the anime, and those flashbacks were very brief.
Even though we did see the fight with Doma, I don't know her that well. I've already made up my mind with Rengoku though..."
"But you're right, I certainly CAN control myself hahaha! I guess I haven't known them that long that I'd lose control over myself." Wang Zi grinned at Hua'er.
He then continued,
"And Rengoku not dying would probably change the story quite a bit huh..." Wang Zi mused.
"I guess it'll depend on how I feel at the moment, we'll see!" He concluded.
"What do you think about Nezuko though? I'm not sure she could see us, but she could definitely feel us looking at her."
Hua'er just tilted her head, "I don't know master, but she did turn her head towards us. Are you going to meet her?"
"Hmm... Probably. Let's do that after the train incident then."
"System, skip ahead to the train arc, before they depart, I wanna follow them!"
"Yes Host."
The world around Wang Zi began to shimmer, the forested landscape and Ubuyashiki mansion fading into a blur of colors.
Time warped and bent, days turning into months in an instant. When the light settled, Wang Zi found himself above a familiar group, Tanjiro, Nezuko (in her box), Zenitsu, and Inosuke were gathered, chatting away.
Wang Zi chuckled softly, watching them make their final preparations.
From his vantage point, Wang Zi took in the surroundings. The town was alive with activity, the sound of merchants peddling their wares mixing with the laughter of children.
In the distance, the Mugen Train rested at the station, its black iron body a contrast to the lively scene around it.
Wang Zi's attention returned to Tanjiro's group. The sun had dipped lower, casting long shadows as they moved closer to the train. The excitement and nervous energy in the group were palpable.
"There he is," Wang Zi thought as his eyes caught sight of a bright, flame-colored silhouette boarding the train.
"Rengoku." His grin widened. "It's finally time."
Wang Zi hovered for a moment, thinking about his next steps.
"Once they're on the train, I'll follow them. Rengoku will be my focus for now. He's the key to unlocking what I need, the Demon Slayer Mark, Total Concentration Breathing. The others will come later."
Turning to Hua'er, who floated beside him, he smirked.
"We're finally getting to the good part. Ready for some action?"
"Yes!" Hua'er nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Wang Zi let out a low chuckle as he descended slightly, keeping his presence masked. The players were in place, and the curtain was about to rise on one of the most iconic arcs in Demon Slayer.
He decided to get onto the train, sitting in the same carriages as Rengoku, but keeping his presence hidden. He wanted a first class seat for what was to come after all.
Not long after Wang Zi sat down, Tanjiro and his group finally met Rengoku, attracted by his loud praise at the food. While they were chatting, the first of the demons showed up, hiding behind one of the train's ticket checkers, and was immediately noticed by Wang Zi.
"Uwah, its finally starting hehe!" He said, pretending to be oblivious while glancing at the Demon Slayer group.
He noticed that Tanjiro seemed to react almost immediately aswell.
"His sense of smell is as absurd as they said huh." Wang Zi thought.
The demon was just a small fry for a Hashira though, as Rengoku immediately dispatched it using the First Form: Unknowing Fire.
"Yup, even though I also use it, it feels right in his hands." Wang Zi's eyes were shining watching Rengoku.
"But did you notice the one above the train, Rengoku?" He continued, his Rinnegan looking above the train, peering through the metal to see Enmu, the demon who liked to play with dreams.
A few hours later, once everyone was seemingly asleep, Wang Zi felt some kind of strange energy trying to influence his mind however... It seemed too weak to do anything.
"Ooh. I guess he's starting huh?"
"Its an interesting ability... For weaklings. Probably really useful to clear out small fry." He thought, looking at the ropes tying the Demon Slayer group.
As Wang Zi was thinking this, Nezuko, seemingly unnafected by Enmu, rolled out of her box, making her way to Tanjiro and trying to wake him up.
Wang Zi watched her struggle to awaken him, and couldn't help letting out a chuckle at her antics.
Which unfortunately immediately attracted Nezuko's attention.
"..."
"..."
"...hi?" Wang Zi's back was starting to sweat. Did he just influence the plot again?
Nezuko just continued to stare at him... Before slowly making her way over, holding Wang Zi's hand.
Wang Zi was stunned. With the Rinnegan and his now massive frame, almost no one even entertained the thought of getting close to him, but Nezuko seemed unnafected.
Wang Zi let out a smile.
"What do you want little girl?"
Nezuko wanted to drag him, but couldn't make him move, so she started poiting at Tanjiro, and then at Wang Zi, but didn't let go of his hand. She seemed sure that he could help her brother.
"You want me to help him...?" Wang Zi asked, his eerie Rinnegan starting at Nezuko.
Unfortunately for him, it really did seem that the Rinnegan didn't scare her at all.
"How interesting. Fine, I'll help thjis boy, but you must keep this a secret between us okay?" Wang Zi said, patting her head. Nezuko allowed him to do this, but didn't say anything, just staring at him.
"Ah right, you have a memory problem or something wasn't it. Easy to fix... But that would draw attention. Alright, let's wake up your brother then, remember not to let anyone know!" He said, before making his way over to Tanjiro.
As he did, he just placed one of his hands on Tanjiro's head, and restored the flow of his mana to normal. From Wang Zi's eyes, Enmu's blood art was akin to a crappy level genjutsu, breaking it couldn't be any easier.
"Its done. Remember what I said!" Wang Zi turned to Nezuko and let her know, before flashing to his seat and pretending to be asleep.
Soon after Wang Zi touched Tanjiro, he woke up, immediately seeing Nezuko and asking about her well-being, before asking her to burn the ropes with her ability, trying to wake the others up.
"Phew." Wang Zi, just watching from the back, was glad that even though he intervened, it seemed like the plot was continuing as normal.
"From here on out, the fight with Enmu is kind of lame, even though it makes sense since Tanjiro's group is still kind of weak at the moment... So I'll just wait until its time for the real fight." So he continued to pretend to sleep.
He didn't have to wait long, shortly after the train suddenly crashed.
BOOM!
"God damn thing!" Wang Zi was caught unaware, and sent tumbling a little before stabilizing himself.
"If the train's like this then Akaza is probably showing up soon, time to hide again!" He thought, before flashing outside and rising up to the sky once again.
"Its coming master!" Hua'er excitedly said.
"Hum. Finally."
As Rengoku was telling Tanjiro how to stop the bleeding for himself, they heard a sound of someone landing.
Akaza was here.
The Mugen Train had derailed, its carriages strewn across the forested area in disarray. Smoke and fire painted the scene with a sense of urgency and destruction.
Amid the chaos, the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, stood tall, his fiery aura blazing as brightly as the morning sun.
Across from him, the menacing figure of Akaza, the Upper Moon 3, exuded a chilling bloodlust that seemed to freeze the air around him.
"Why did you attack him?" Rengoku asked.
"He'd just get in the way of our fight. I hate weak humans!" Akaza answered.
Up in the sky, Wang Zi scoffed. "A weakling hating weaklings... How fitting."
Then came Akaza asking Rengoku to become a demon, to which Rengoku obviously declined.
"Growing old and dying is the beauty of the fleeting creature called a human being. Because they grow old. Because they die. They are tremendous, lovable, and precious. What they call 'strength' isn't a word that is used in regards to the body. This boy isn't weak, don't insult him.
You and I have different values, no matter what kind of motivation I may have, I will not become a demon!"
"Holy crap, Rengoku could give Naruto a run for his money with that speech!" Wang Zi was stunned again.
Akaza's answer to Rengoku was simple, and the fight finally started!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFX_Qnnq7g) fight here.
"Technique development... Destructive Death: Compass Needle!"
BOOM!
The ground cracked, and Akaza flashed in front on Rengoku. But Rengoku saw the attack, moving to parry with his blade, before dodge Akaza's other fist and making him retreat with a swift horizontal slash.
"Hahaha! Out of all the pillars I've killed until now, none of them were flames! And none of them agreed to my invitation!"
"Why! Why would you want to get old, when we can become immortal and continue fighting until the end of time! Why would you want to grow old and weak, Rengoku Kyojuro!"
"Destructive Death: Compass Needle!" Akaza shouted, unleashing a barrage of punches that distorted the air.
Rengoku spun, barely deflecting the strikes with his blade, the force of the blows sending shockwaves rippling through the forest.
The ground beneath them cracked, debris flying as their attacks clashed with relentless intensity.
Yet his attack didn't stop, his movements fluid and explosive.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!" he shouted, slicing upward with a blazing arc that forced Akaza to leap back. Cutting off his arms, only for them to regenerate almost instantly.
Akaza laughed, his voice echoing through the chaos.
"Your techniques are incredible, but they mean nothing against my regeneration!" he taunted.
Rengoku dashed forward, his blade a blur of fiery light.
"Then I'll just have to cut you down faster than you can heal!" he bellowed, launching into a flurry of attacks. Each strike was precise and powerful, his flames roaring.
Akaza's expression grew serious, his movements becoming sharper and more calculated.
"Destructive Death: Air Type!" he shouted, sending shockwaves of compressed air hurtling toward Rengoku. The Flame Hashira dodged and weaved through the onslaught, but the relentless barrage forced him on the defensive.
Seizing the opportunity, Akaza closed the distance in an instant. His fist collided with Rengoku's abdomen, the impact reverberating like a thunderclap. Rengoku coughed blood but refused to falter, countering with a fiery slash that narrowly missed Akaza's neck.
As the battle raged on, Rengoku's movements began to slow, his injuries taking their toll. Akaza, unscathed and invigorated, grinned triumphantly.
Up in the sky, Wang Zi knew Rengoku was outmatched. His skill was there for all to see, but the Demon's abilities were extremely annoying for the powers available in this world.
He could see Tanjiro and Inosuke trying to find a gap to help him, but they were untimately way too weak to intervene.
"A pity." He sighed.
"Are you intervening or not, master?"
"Hmm. I'll decide on the final moments. Let's keep watching for now." He said.
Back on the ground, Akaza was getting more and more disappointed.
"Don't die on me, Kyojuro."
"Even if you fight with the intention of sacrificing your body, its all pointless. The wonderful techniques and slashes you landed on me are all completely healed."
"But look at you? Your left eye is smashed, your ribs are broken, and your organs wounded. You can't recover from this anymore."
"If you were a demon, this could be cured instantly. It would be a mere flesh wound."
"No matter how much you struggle, humans can't beat demons."
But Rengoku's resolve only burned brighter. Planting his feet firmly, he raised his sword, flames engulfing his body in a radiant inferno.
"I'll fulfill my duty! Nobody will die here!" Rengoku yelled.
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!" he roared, charging forward with everything he had.
"Master..." Hua'er poked Wang Zi.
"... I can't intervene. This is his fight. He will finish it. Intervening would be insulting everything he stands for. You wouldn't understand Hua'er." He said, closing his eyes.
Akaza met the attack head-on, his fists colliding with Rengoku's blade in a blinding explosion of fire and force. The ground beneath them shattered, trees uprooted as the power of their clash echoed through the battlefield.
For a moment, it seemed as though time stood still. Rengoku's blade dug deep into Akaza's neck, flames searing through his flesh. Akaza's fist pierced Rengoku's abdomen, blood spilling from the wound.
"You'll die Kyojuro!" Akaza yelled, "Become a demon! Tell me you're gonna become a demon! You are stro-!"
SHING!
Rengoku only answered by pushing his blade deeper into Akaza's neck, stunning him.
"OOOOOORRRAAAAA!" Rengoku yelled, his arms straining, trying to end Akaza's life.
He tried pushing Rengoku away, aware that dawn was coming, and they would BOTH die if he didn't do so. But Rengoku wasn't budging, holding onto him.
In the end, Akaza had to rip out his own arms, dashing away before the sun hit him.
Tanjiro could be heard calling him a coward from far away, "Rengoku-san will always be more amazing, he never let anyone die! He's not gonna lose!
He fought till the end, and protected till the end!
You're the loser! And Rengoku-san is the winner!
UUUUWWWWWWAAAAAAA!!" Tanjiro kept yelling and crying.
Unfortunately, Akaza still escaped, and Kyojuro still lost. That was the reality, no matter how he tried to change it.
"That's enough, Tanjiro. Come here, there's something I have to say."
Tanjiro made his way to Rengoku, aware that the final moments of his life were unfolding.
"Isn't there a way to stop the bleeding?" He asked nervously.
"No, I'm going to die very soon. Please, listen to me while I can still talk." Rengoku begged.
Suddenly though, they heard a strange voice coming from the air.
"Yo, Rengoku. Long time no see, can I listen in?"