Disaster

Kiriya freezes in shock, blaming himself as much of the Corps is wiped out and fearing that centuries of effort against Muzan will end in failure because of him. Unable to reach him with words, Kuina slaps her brother hard across the face, startling Kanata, and tells him to stay strong and issue a fresh order since the fight is not over. Recalling that his father and the leaders before him bore the same crushing pressure, Kiriya casts his doubts aside, directs the crows to converge on Muzan, and thanks his sisters for their help.

Word reaches Mitsuri and Obanai to regroup now that Muzan has resurfaced, and the Love Hashira realizes with frustration that they have been held in place the whole time. Obanai notes bitterly that while Muichiro and Genya spent their lives fighting the first Upper Rank, he has accomplished nothing against Nakime, whose art is not lethal but endlessly prolongs the battle to keep them from killing her. Forced to devise a new plan, he wonders how he and Mitsuri can abandon the fight, just as a hand seizes her by the haori.

Nakime strums her instrument, its notes echoing through the fortress as she shifts Tanjiro, Giyu, and Muzan into a single space. Standing before the demon king at last, Tanjiro's breathing turns ragged as memories of his dead family, of Nezuko, and of the slain Hashira flood his mind, setting the stage for the surface battle to come.