Chapter 19 — Tanjiro's First Battle × The Price of Arrogance
Tanjuro Kamado had always cherished a quiet wish: to one day build a shrine for the God of Fire.
But with so many mouths to feed and little money to spare, the dream had never come true.
He often held little Roy and Tanjiro in his arms, sighing that he was an unworthy follower—unable even to grant his deity a shelter from wind and rain. He placed his hope in his sons, that one day, if they had the means, they would build a shrine.
Not large. Not ornate. Just something humble and whole, worthy of the Fire God.
Now Tanjiro stood before an old shrine. Moss crept up the stone steps, and the building itself was modest, secluded, tranquil.
"This one would be perfect…" Tanjiro thought, tightening the basket on his back.
He turned to Roy, eyes shining. "Nii-san, let's go in and pay our respects."
When one lodges in a shrine, it is custom to light three sticks of incense and ask forgiveness for disturbing the deity. If no incense is at hand, a sincere bow must suffice.
But Roy neither believed in gods nor in ghosts. He only pointed at the steps beneath them. "The snow is heavy, yet these stairs are bare. Why do you think that is?"
Tanjiro brightened. "Then there must be a caretaker! To be sweeping snow this late at night—he must be diligent! Maybe… maybe we'll even get a hot meal tonight!"
Roy smirked, the corners of his mouth curling. "We are the hot meal."
"Eh…?"
Tanjiro blinked, confused—until suddenly his nose twitched.
The air carried a sharp tang, metallic and unmistakable. Thin though the scent was, it matched exactly the one he'd smelled in the mountains that day with Roy.
Blood.
His eyes widened. "Nii-san… there's a demon in there!"
The hair at his nape stood on end.
Roy spared him a glance. "Not too slow, after all." He stepped onto the stairs, calm as ever. "Come on. If we wait too long, dinner will be cold."
Tanjiro flushed, shame and fear warring in his chest. He yanked the axe from his belt with a sharp shing.
He was reckless by nature—brash enough, in the original tale, to drag Nezuko into a blood-reeking shrine. Fearless to the point of foolishness.
"Don't worry, Nii-san," he declared, clutching the axe tight. "This time, I'll protect you!"
His trembling hands betrayed him, but the blade gave him courage. He swallowed hard, swore he wouldn't cower behind trees again, and stepped forward.
"Go ahead," Roy said lightly, even shifting aside to clear a path for him.
Tanjiro froze. "…."
He didn't know whether to cry or laugh. But there was no turning back. He squared his shoulders and forced his feet to move up the steps.
Human history, after all, is the tale of learning to overcome fear.
Roy followed unhurriedly, his eyes shimmering faintly as he layered them with nen. He had already seen what lay within the shrine—the demon that lurked inside.
It was the very same one from the original tale: the shrine-dwelling demon that preyed on traveling merchants and weary pilgrims who sought shelter.
Rumors told of countless missing people in the area. Clearly, this was the beast responsible.
He wasn't strong—not like Sato Takeichiro, who had awakened a Blood Demon Art. But sheer regeneration and brute strength were enough to let him dominate the countryside with ease.
Inside, the sound of wet chewing echoed through the shrine. Chomp… chomp…
It was the cold season, the demon's harvest time.
And tonight, a traveling merchant had become its "hot meal."
The man was drenched in blood, his head drooping lifelessly as he slumped against a broken statue of a god. His innards had been ripped out; slick coils of intestine hung from the demon's mouth as it chewed with relish.
"What do you think you're doing, my friend?"
"This is my dining hall. Interrupting my meal is… very rude."
The demon whipped its head around, bloodshot eyes locking onto them.
Tanjiro froze in the doorway, axe raised but his gaze vacant, fixed on the creature as it swallowed. His stomach lurched violently—he nearly vomited up the rice balls they'd eaten at noon.
"Swallow it down. Don't waste Mother's hard work," Roy murmured, stepping up the weathered stone steps to stand beside him.
The demon straightened and wiped the blood from its lips, baring a jagged grin full of crooked fangs.
"Two humans?"
"Perfect. Winter's my favorite season—endless food…"
"You talk too much." Roy's expression didn't change. He reached out and slapped Tanjiro's back. "Go."
Caught off guard, Tanjiro nearly stumbled. "A-ah—!" He cried out and rushed forward—
Only to be smashed back a heartbeat later.
Bang! A knee like a battering ram crashed into his chest, hurling him aside.
Even the weakest demon possessed monstrous strength and speed thanks to its cursed blood.
Tanjiro had watched Roy fight Sato Takeichiro before, thinking it looked easy. Now he realized how badly he'd misjudged—misjudged the demon, misjudged his brother.
This… this isn't something a human can fight!
It felt like being hit head-on by a charging bear. His whole body screamed. And the demon was already closing in again.
Tanjiro forced a breath into his lungs mid-air, swung the axe, and chopped for its neck.
Say what you will, but his instincts were sharp—sharp enough that even Giyu Tomioka had thought him worth recommending to Urokodaki.
Shhk!
Blood sprayed.
The demon staggered back clutching its neck, nearly split in two. It stared at Tanjiro, incredulous. "An axe? Not bad."
"But a scratch like that? I'll heal in seconds."
Even as he spoke, the bleeding slowed. The wound sealed itself as if sewn shut by invisible thread.
The image of Sato Takeichiro's arm growing back flashed through Tanjiro's mind. He understood now: unless a demon was killed outright, no injury would last.
He gritted his teeth, forced himself to stand, and raised the axe again, eyes locked on the monster, bracing for its next attack.
Swish—
The demon moved. In a blink it vanished from his sight, reappearing from his blind spot.
A clawed hand closed around his throat and slammed him to the floor.
"Too fast—! I can't even track him!" Tanjiro strained against the crushing grip, barely using the axe haft to keep the claws from his face. The demon's brute strength made his vision swim; his eyes rolled back.
"Heh-heh-heh… I won't let you cut me twice."
"Watch me snap your neck!"
The demon squeezed harder. Tanjiro felt his consciousness flicker out—
A lightning storm of thoughts flashed through his mind:
What do I do?
Should I call Nii-san?
No—I said I'd protect him. I can't go back on my word.
But I'm about to die. If I die… it's over.
I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die—
"NIISAN! HELP ME!"