Rushing Boar

Tanjiro is startled by the masked intruder, who carries two Nichirin blades and boldly declares that defeating Kyogai will raise his rank. The Drum Demon strikes its instruments, spinning the room while Tanjiro shouts at Teruko to grab onto the furniture. The dual-wielder uses Tanjiro as a launch point to attack the demon, ignoring every warning to be careful.

When another drum reshapes the room, the boar-masked fighter lands on Teruko and tramples her without concern. Furious at his disregard for the child, Tanjiro hurls him aside and shields her. The stranger only laughs and resumes his assault, indifferent to the demon nearby.

A different drumbeat produces three rapid slashes across the floor, cutting their brawl short. Tanjiro begins to grasp how each beat triggers a specific motion of the rooms, but he and Teruko are whisked away before he can act. In a new chamber he hides a corpse from her view, follows a distinct scent of blood, and opens a door to find her eldest brother, Kiyoshi, just as the boy strikes a drum.

The masked swordsman is confirmed to be a fellow Demon Slayer. Meanwhile, Zenitsu walks the halls clutching Shoichi's hand, only for the Tongue Demon to emerge from beneath the mansion's foundation and confront the pair.

This chapter introduces Inosuke Hashibira's combat debut inside the spinning house, though he remains unnamed and masked. The cover features both Tanjiro and Inosuke, foreshadowing their pairing. The story unfolds in the Tsuzumi Mansion Arc, collected in Volume 3 and adapted in Episode 12.

The corresponding drum mechanics and the appearance of additional demons set up the multi-front battle that continues across the following chapters.