Swordsmith

Still confined within Gyokko's water-filled prison pot with enough air for a single attack, Muichiro Tokito attempts the first Mist Breathing form, Low Clouds, Distant Haze, but it fails. Out of breath, he begins to accept death, thanking Kagaya Ubuyashiki and wishing him luck in finding a replacement Hashira. A vision of Tanjiro then appears, telling him no one can know what the future holds, words the real Tanjiro never spoke to him.

In a nearby shed, Gyokko wounds Kozo Kanamori as he shields Hotaru Haganezuka, who remains so absorbed in restoring Tanjiro's blade that he ignores the demon entirely. Astonished and then jealous of the smith's focus, Gyokko slashes him and his mask falls away, revealing his face. Outside, the vision of Tanjiro keeps urging Muichiro to decide his own fate and to accept help from others.

The boy Kotetsu plunges a knife into the water, begging Muichiro not to die, and is stabbed in his vital point by one of Gyokko's minions. Muichiro thinks the boy is dead, but Kotetsu stays standing, returns to the water, and blows a breath into it for the Hashira. Inhaling it, Muichiro recalls Tanjiro's words and his own father, then shatters the prison with the second Mist Breathing form, Eight-Layered Mist.

The chapter delivers Muichiro's turning point: an emotionally distant prodigy learns to rely on others and begins recovering his lost memories. Kotetsu's sacrifice and Hotaru's single-minded craftsmanship both prove pivotal, freeing Muichiro to continue his duel with the Upper Rank Five demon Gyokko.