(Returning to Tanjiro's perspective)
Tanjiro ran relentlessly with Nezuko on his back, not daring to stop for a moment, fearing that any delay would prevent Nezuko from ever waking up again.
"As long as Nezuko still has a body temperature, brother will not give up on you!"
"Nezuko, you must hold on. Brother will definitely save you."
"But what happened that night I wasn't home?"
Tanjiro deeply regretted not returning home last night. If he had been home, perhaps he could have helped defend against that unknown creature, allowing his family to survive.
"While I was fast asleep, what kind of despair did you all endure...?"
Ahead lay the mountain path descending the slope. This path was narrow and lacked any protective barriers, with a ten-meter sheer drop beside it.
Tanjiro usually traversed this path cautiously, fearing an accidental slip and a fall down the ten-meter mountain path.
Now, the snow was slicker than usual, and the howling wind and snow blurred Tanjiro's vision, suggesting he should be even more careful.
But Tanjiro couldn't afford to be. He couldn't slow his pace; Nezuko was waiting for a doctor to save her.
The prolonged running had left Tanjiro utterly exhausted. His heart pounded, his breathing was heavy and ragged, and large amounts of cold air rushed down his throat into his lungs, freezing them painfully, as if countless steel needles were piercing through them.
"No, no matter how much my body hurts, no matter how difficult the path, I must run faster. It's still a considerable distance to the town; I have to hurry."
"Nezuko, I won't let you die! I will save you; brother will, absolutely, save you!"
But Tanjiro, consumed by his battle against physical pain, didn't notice that Nezuko's dangling hand suddenly twitched.
Her neatly trimmed and rounded fingernails slowly began to grow longer, their tips becoming sharper.
Unaware, Tanjiro continued his difficult and strenuous run. However, within a few tens of seconds, Nezuko's movements grew increasingly violent.
Suddenly, Tanjiro felt something amiss with Nezuko on his back.
He turned his head and found that the previously unconscious Nezuko was swaying unsteadily, straightening her body.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro's face lit up with joy, but before he could stop, Nezuko let out a guttural sound.
Then she strained to open her lips, revealing two sharp fangs, and lunged to bite Tanjiro fiercely.
Tanjiro's heart skipped a beat. Nezuko's appearance resembled the demons described in stories...
He hurriedly dodged.
However, as he dodged, Tanjiro's foot slipped, and he lost his balance. He, along with Nezuko, tumbled off the side of the mountain path.
"Thud!"
Tanjiro and Nezuko landed simultaneously, producing a dull thud.
Not long after, Tanjiro groggily stood up. Due to the heavy snowfall overnight, the area where Tanjiro fell was covered in deep snow.
The thick snow formed a cushion, preventing Tanjiro from sustaining too serious injuries.
Even so, Tanjiro felt sore all over, his head throbbing, as if all his bones had broken.
Dimly, Tanjiro looked up and saw Nezuko standing.
However, before he could react, Nezuko directly pounced, but not for a hug as she usually would. Instead, she tackled Tanjiro, opened her mouth to reveal her fangs, and lunged to bite Tanjiro.
Nezuko seemed to have lost her reason.
At this moment, Tanjiro drew the axe he carried, gripping both ends, and quickly held it horizontally in front of him.
Nezuko tightly bit down on the axe's wooden handle, pressing down forcefully.
"Nezuko, it's Tanjiro! What's wrong with you?"
Nezuko remained silent, only emitting meaningless, low growls. At the same time, Nezuko's body seemed to grow slightly larger, and the strength emanating from her grew stronger, making it difficult for Tanjiro to withstand.
Unwilling to admit it, Tanjiro's heart had already confirmed: Nezuko had become a demon.
"Nezuko, I'm your brother! You still remember me, right?"
"Brother believes in you. Don't become a demon! Pull yourself together!"
---
After a standoff, two drops of water splashed onto Tanjiro's cheek—Nezuko's tears.
Unbeknownst to him, Nezuko was already in tears, the tears streaming down and landing on Tanjiro's face.
Finally, Nezuko regained some of her rationality, but just then, Tanjiro saw a flash of cold light, and its target was Nezuko's neck.
Tanjiro released his grip on the axe. Drawing strength from an unknown source, he pulled Nezuko's body closer, then tightly closed his eyes and lowered his head, holding Nezuko firmly in his embrace.
What was meant to be an attack on Nezuko turned towards Tanjiro. The cold light swiftly slashed upwards, cutting off a considerable amount of Tanjiro's hair.
By this point, Nezuko had regained partial rationality and no longer attacked Tanjiro, merely struggling in his arms.
Tanjiro slowly opened his eyes and looked up, seeing the person standing before him.
A pair of narrow, upturned, cold and emotionless eyes, and a haori jacket that was half red and half alternating yellow-green-orange.
This was Tanjiro's first impression of Giyu Tomioka.
Subsequently, Tanjiro saw the sword in Giyu's hand. Wielding a sword? This person must be incredibly dangerous.
"Why are you protecting a demon? Aren't you afraid of demons?"
Tanjiro clutched the struggling Nezuko tightly, shouting loudly.
"I'm not afraid! What do you want to do? You're not allowed to hurt my sister!"
Giyu was silent for a moment, then softly said: "Is that your sister?"
Giyu could clearly see that Tanjiro's body was trembling uncontrollably; he was clearly very afraid...
Sighing imperceptibly, Giyu slowly raised his Nichirin Blade, then his body blurred, and he lunged towards Nezuko.
Tanjiro quickly hugged Nezuko, lowering his body to shield her, but felt an emptiness in his arms.
Tanjiro looked up again and found that Nezuko had been restrained by Giyu, who had single-handedly locked her wrist. She struggled painfully without causing Giyu to even tremble.
Giyu's eyes were utterly calm: "My job is to kill demons. Your sister is a demon, so I will kill her."
Tanjiro frantically stood up and pleaded: "No, even though Nezuko became a demon, she has never eaten a human."
"In my house... there's another scent, violent, chaotic..."
"That person must have killed everyone and turned Nezuko into this."
"That person is the one who should be killed! Nezuko is innocent."
Giyu's hand, holding the Nichirin Blade, slowly lifted.
"But, she is a demon."
Tanjiro's tears flowed incessantly. He was afraid that this person in front of him would just kill Nezuko.
Tanjiro didn't want to lose Nezuko.
"No, I will save her! I will turn Nezuko back into a human!"
Turn back into a human? Giyu shook his head: "It's impossible. A demon is a demon; it cannot turn back into a human."
At the same time, the sword in his hand drew closer to Nezuko.
No, he couldn't let him kill Nezuko.
Tanjiro shouted loudly: "I'll search! Even if there's no way now, I'll keep looking for a method! I will definitely find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human!"
However, Giyu no longer responded.
His gaze remained unchanged, his resolve to slay demons unyielding. The Nichirin Blade in his hand was about to touch Nezuko's neck...
---Hey hey~! 😊
Enjoyed the chapter? Then let's keep the good vibes going with a few little taps 💥
🎉 Show some love with a comment!
(Your thoughts make my day ❤️)
📚 Add this story to your collection
(If you haven't already—what are you waiting for?! 😁)
⭐ Leave a review
(Only if it's positive—we're all about good vibes here ✨)
💎 Power Stones? I see you~
Got extras lying around? Feed them to this story! Every 250 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!
So let's make it rain!! 💫💫💫
No pressure, no offence—just having fun! 😌✌️
Thanks for reading and supporting—you're awesome!
---