"Eek!!!"
"See, see! It's here! A demon is here!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu, dragging Shoichi, started to sprint wildly, snot and tears flying everywhere. His legs, which had been so weak with fear that he couldn't move, were now running incredibly fast. Driven by the instinct for survival, Agatsuma Zenitsu unleashed the hidden power within his body.
"Ah, ah! Don't come closer, we don't taste good at all!!!"
The demon crawled with all fours, its movements dark and twisted on the ground, saliva freely drooling. Its broad tongue whipped out forcefully, suddenly elongating. Agatsuma Zenitsu, with Shoichi, barely dodged the attack. Seeing the broken wall, he screamed in terror.
"What is that, a tongue? It's too disgusting!"
The demon whipped its long tongue again. After hugging Shoichi and dodging, falling into a room, Agatsuma Zenitsu lay on the ground, unable to get up. Facing Shoichi's shouts, his teeth chattered.
"I can't do it anymore! Fear has reached my knees! I can't stand up!"
"Shoichi, don't mind me, run!"
"I can't do it!"
Shoichi pulled Agatsuma Zenitsu with all his might, trying to get him up. Even though he was incredibly scared, he still didn't abandon him.
What a good child! If even I can't protect him, then he's too pitiful! Only having a single-digit lifespan is too much!
The demon had already crawled to the doorway, tilting its head, its green eyes staring directly at Agatsuma Zenitsu, "I'm going to suck your brains out through your ears!"
"…"
With a "thump," Agatsuma Zenitsu fell to the ground, unresponsive. Shoichi looked over anxiously, his expression hardening.
"…He fell asleep."
Seeing the demon getting closer and closer, Shoichi dragged the fallen Agatsuma Zenitsu, slowly backing away until his back hit the wall, with no escape. A look of despair appeared on Shoichi's face.
"Die!"
"Wake up, Mr. Zenitsu!"
Just as the tongue was about to reach them, Shoichi closed his eyes. No pain came. He slowly opened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the demon whose tongue had suddenly been severed.
A large amount of blood sprayed out. Agatsuma Zenitsu slowly stood up, extending his hand to shield Shoichi. The demon retracted its tongue in disbelief.
What happened? What just occurred? Its tongue was severed without even detecting an attack!
Agatsuma Zenitsu lowered his center of gravity, concentrating all his strength in his legs. His leg muscles tensed, his eyes tightly closed, and a long, drawn-out breath entered the demon's ears.
What sound is that? This boy, his aura has changed!
He gripped the nichirin blade at his side, the scabbard tilted, and his left thumb flicked open the hilt, drawing the nichirin blade.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
With faint lightning accompanying him, Agatsuma Zenitsu's body darted forward like lightning at an extremely high speed. The ground was damaged by the powerful impact. He instantly drew his nichirin blade, the blade carving out a golden flash of lightning, and in the blink of an eye, decapitated the demon.
Without even seeing the motion of retracting the nichirin blade, the nichirin blade was already back in its scabbard, the movement clean, sharp, and seamless.
After settling back into position, Agatsuma Zenitsu seemed to awaken from a dream. Seeing the demon's head roll to his feet, he shuddered in fright.
"Ah! What happened! Why did it suddenly die?!"
After the demon dissipated, Agatsuma Zenitsu looked at Shoichi, covering his mouth in surprise.
"Could it be? Shoichi, you…" He pounced on Shoichi, crying with snot and tears, "If you were that strong, you should have said so earlier!"
Shoichi was bewildered; what exactly had happened just now?
…"Boar Assault!"
Tsk!
Damn it, he didn't like this kind of narrow room. Hashibira Inosuke ran down the corridor, turning corner after corner at an extremely fast pace, sometimes accidentally crashing into walls.
A large, thick palm appeared before him. He did a backflip, retreating several meters away. A tall, corpulent demon appeared, and Hashibira Inosuke exhaled a large amount of turbid air.
He raised his nichirin blade. A target this large had even more value in being sliced to pieces!
Without giving the demon a chance, he started by simultaneously severing both its arms.
Third Fang: Rip and Tear
The two nichirin blades slashed out in a cross, cleanly cutting off the demon's head. He kicked the demon's belly hard, not even glancing at the demon lying on the ground.
He once again charged recklessly through the corridor.
"Boar Assault! Boar Assault!"
…"Yoizumi-nii! Teruko!" Tanjirou opened the door and saw Yoizumi inside, as well as two children embracing on the ground. Their clothes were earthy yellow; they must be their older brother. It was so good that he was alright!
"Tanjirou, come here." Yoizumi extended his hand towards Tanjirou. He had already treated the children on the ground. He hadn't noticed Tanjirou was injured because ever since Yoizumi met him, Tanjirou had been in an agitated state.
It wasn't until he heard Tanjirou's irregular breathing from inside the wooden box that he noticed. Yoizumi lowered his gaze. Tanjirou came before him, his bright crimson eyes full of trust for his family. Why didn't he tell him?
Blood Demon Art: Rotation
A soft glow lit up. Tanjirou felt himself enveloped by a warm, reassuring sensation. His previously anxious heart calmed down, and gradually, the faintly aching chest and leg bones no longer hurt. Every rise and fall of his breath used to cause a dull pain in his chest.
Because he was the eldest son, he had to learn to endure. And during this period of losing his family, he had no one else to rely on but himself.
Nezuko still needed his protection. For his family, he could endure all pain. However, Yoizumi-nii was back.
When Yoizumi-nii was there, he could occasionally set aside some household chores and be like any ordinary child, fishing in the river or collecting pretty pinecones that fell from the trees.
"Yoizumi-nii, this is…"
"My Blood Demon Art." Withdrawing his hand, Yoizumi pursed his lips, averting his gaze from Tanjirou. After a moment, a cold voice spoke, yet it uttered words that made Tanjirou want to cry.
"If anything happens, you can tell me. Because we are brothers, aren't we?"
Yes!
Yoizumi-nii is my older brother!
He is the older brother I can depend on and rely on!
"Yoizumi-nii, please help me! Let's slay demons together!" Tanjirou smiled as he looked at Yoizumi. He knew Yoizumi-nii wouldn't refuse his request.
"Mm." Yoizumi's sapphire eyes flickered, and he nodded in agreement.
"But, Yoizumi-nii, how did you find their brother?" Tanjirou was a bit puzzled. This house was complex and constantly changing. He had found people here because of his keen sense of smell. How did Yoizumi-nii do it?
"Because he's a Marechi. I followed the scent."
After separating from Tanjirou, he found that no matter which way he went, he couldn't get out. After detecting the scent of a Marechi, he followed the scent, carrying Teruko, and broke through walls until he found Kiyoshi, holding a drum and looking terrified.
"A Marechi? What's that?"
"A rare type of human blood. If a demon eats a Marechi, it's equivalent to consuming the nourishment of 50 or 100 people."
"I see… Yoizumi-nii, a demon is coming!" Tanjirou turned around, looking at the doorway connecting to the corridor.
"Understood." Yoizumi walked to Tanjirou's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Kiyoshi, after we leave this room, strike the drum. We'll come back for you after everything is over." After saying this, Tanjirou made the first move, with Yoizumi following closely behind.
"Bang!" The room where Kiyoshi and Teruko were disappeared, and the demon with drums embedded in its body appeared. Tanjirou drew his nichirin blade, the blade pointing directly at the demon's neck.
"Hey! Demon, what's your name?"
The demon paused, but still said, "Kyogai."
"Kyogai, Yoizumi-nii and I will kill you next!"
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