Episode 283: In His Heart, Demon King Muzan Breeds Jealousy Towards Tanjiro!
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "So, this is my future." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "Although I don't know what will happen to me in our world, the me in that world, in the end, still couldn't see Nezuko grow up." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Why did it turn out like this?" ]
[ Kafka (Honkai: Star Rail): "The arrangement of fate…" ]
[ .....]
『 But just then, a voice came from within the video.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
BOOM—!
Fortunately, this strike was blocked in time by Giyu, and the other Demon Slayer Corps members weren't idle either, immediately moving Zenitsu to a safe place.
Giyu held his sword, continuously parrying Tanjiro's frenzied attacks. The scene before him made his heart tremble involuntarily.
The current Tanjiro had not only bitten Nezuko and Zenitsu, but he had also tasted blood…
Now… everything was over…
He had to put Tanjiro out of his misery before he hurt anyone else.
Even though he thought this, Giyu looked at Tanjiro, who had completely turned into a demon, and felt helpless in his heart.
Not to mention that he was his own junior disciple; even against Muzan, the current Demon Slayer Corps had no way to fight back. Moreover, he seemed immune to sunlight.
Neither sunlight nor weapons specifically designed for demons were working; there was simply no way to eliminate him.
Thinking of this, a trace of despair surged in Giyu's heart.
This matter… was truly too difficult…
Suddenly, Tanjiro opened his mouth wide, and a sphere of light bearing terrifying power appeared before them.
As the sphere grew larger, Nezuko cried out her brother's name, begging him not to do this, pleading with him not to become a demon.
Watching the light sphere continue to expand, Nezuko felt she couldn't stop him.
At this moment, she didn't care about anything else and placed her palm directly in front of Tanjiro's mouth.
Then, the sphere of light was finally fired, but due to Nezuko's interference, Giyu successfully dodged the attack.
However, the destructive power of this sphere was too great; in an instant, it destroyed the wall behind him.
In the distance, Zenitsu saw Nezuko being so desperate and shouted her name loudly.
But now, only this small girl before him could stop Tanjiro.
At this moment, Nezuko, even just by covering Tanjiro's mouth, had her hands bleeding profusely, trembling non-stop.
Seeing Tanjiro preparing to launch another technique, Nezuko screamed desperately in his ear:
"No! Brother… don't do this!"
"You can't use that move again!"
Because she was so afraid of her brother becoming an evil demon, even Nezuko's voice began to tremble.
Perhaps influenced by his sister, Tanjiro ultimately did not gather the light sphere again.
On the other side, Zenitsu and Inosuke were too injured to stand, let alone fight. They could only shout over and over for Tanjiro to stop.
Giyu, who was closer, had his eyes wide open, as if he had realized something, staring blankly at Tanjiro before him.
Tanjiro… why didn't he hurt his own sister?
Even with the temptation of bleeding food right in front of him, he remained indifferent.
And, why did that lightning strike miss earlier?
He couldn't help but ask: Are you still resisting deep down? Tanjiro…
At this moment, images flashed through Giyu's mind: Tanjiro begging him not to kill Nezuko years ago, and later, the times Nezuko resisted the temptation of blood.
Gradually coming to his senses, Giyu noticed that Tanjiro hadn't completely turned into an evil demon yet. As long as he could help him recover his memories and reclaim his humanity, there might still be a chance to save him.
But the problem was, could I, as I am now, really achieve such a miracle?
Such a question instantly flooded Giyu's mind.
On the other side of the battlefield, Yushiro was hiding where the sun couldn't reach, observing the battle.
Cold sweat dripped down his face, his teeth clenched: "What should I do! Damn Muzan Kibutsuji!"
"That bastard, to be able to disgust us, survivors, in this way, even after being turned to ash!" Saying this, he punched the wall hard, immediately smashing a hole in it.
"Damn it… they are all standing in the sun… I can't get close at all."
Understanding that even his most powerful Blood Demon Art vanished under sunlight, Yushiro knew he had no options left.
But just then, a figure suddenly appeared in Yushiro's line of sight.
"Hmm?"
He saw Kanao, dragging her scarred body, running toward the scene of the battle, muttering continuously:
"Tanjiro… Sister Nezuko… it's just too pitiful…"
Seemingly having made up her mind, Kanao took a small medicine box from her pocket.
Inside was a secret drug made from wisteria flowers.
Originally, this was something Sister Shinobu had made extra, worried that Nezuko might need more, just in case.
Later, after Lady Tamayo had created the three drugs to turn demons into humans, this secret medicine naturally became useless.
Kanao gripped the medicine box tightly, and Sister Shinobu's words seemed to echo in her ears again:
"I will leave it to you to keep safe. That person is truly amazing; one can't help but feel awe for him."
And at this moment, Kanao's eyes were filled with tears.
"If I can still see, it must be for this very moment, Sister!"
"He only just became a demon; there should still be a way to save him."
"Even with only one eye, it should be enough to barely dodge Tanjiro's attack."
"Then…"
Kanao took a deep breath, as if having made a decision. Her previously weak body suddenly straightened up, and her pupils dilated sharply.
"Flower Breathing, Final Form!"
"Equinoctial Vermilion Eye—!"
In an instant, Kanao rushed toward Tanjiro like lightning. Using the final technique, her speed increased sharply, which took Giyu by surprise.
"That's a disciple of the Butterfly Mansion!"
Giyu couldn't help but shout.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro, as the Demon King, had reflexes that were extreme reflexes; he immediately sensed someone approaching from behind.
Looking at the approaching Kanao, a trace of coldness appeared on Tanjiro's face, and he swung his claws directly at her eyes.
Kanao stomped hard on the ground, using her explosive power to leap up, landing directly behind Tanjiro.
Although she jumped with all her might to avoid the most dangerous spot, she was still wounded by Tanjiro's sharp claws. Fortunately, the medicine bottle in Kanao's hand successfully pierced his back.
"No, no… Tanjiro… you can't do this…"
"Don't make Sister Nezuko cry… hurry and come back."
With a huge force coming from him, Kanao was sent flying, crashing hard against the wall.
And at this very moment, as if Kanao's words had taken effect, Tanjiro's movements suddenly became sluggish.
"Thump… thump… thump… thump…!"
Tanjiro's heart was beating violently. In the depths of his subconscious, a voice kept chanting:
"Nezuko… Nezuko… Nezuko…"
It seemed the medicine had indeed helped Tanjiro regain some reason, but the price behind this was also enormous.
Seeing Kanao collapse in the distance, Nezuko was extremely anxious. However, at this moment…
She could feel it… Tanjiro's eyes seemed a bit different.
Once again, Nezuko called out to Tanjiro:
"Brother… let's go home… let's go home together…"
Tanjiro, on the verge of falling into unconsciousness, seemed to sense something and responded softly:
"Nezuko… Nezuko…"
His voice was extremely weak, almost inaudible.
"Actually, Brother wants to go home too…"
"But…"
After a pause, Tanjiro seemed to be waking up, but then his eyes closed again.
"But Brother is really tired now…"
"Heaven… I beg you… take me home…"
Tanjiro's hand raised slightly, pointing toward the direction of light.
"I just… I just want to go home with my sister… that's all…"
"Please… grant my wish…"
Just at this moment, a malicious voice interrupted him.
Muzan's eye appeared on Tanjiro's arm, staring at him with a hideous gaze.
"So what if you go home? Your family is all dead!"
"Even if you return to that place full of graves, what can you do now?"
Tanjiro's mind began to replay fragments of the past; those happy, joyful memories surged like a flood.
Vivid family scenes, along with heartwarming words, filled Tanjiro's heart at this moment.
He knew very well that as long as he was alive, he would remember them forever…
"As long as Nezuko and I are here, they will never disappear."
Tanjiro's hand clenched into a fist, as if wanting to grasp all the memories in his mind.
"I'm going back… I must!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That's great, you must do your best." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Your sister is still waiting for you; you must succeed in going back." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "As expected of Sumiyoshi's descendant, to be able to do such a thing with his own consciousness." ]
[ Kocho Shinobu (Demon Slayer): "Ara ara~ not bad." ]
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "A hero with a firm will." ]
[ Kamado Tanjiro (Demon Slayer): "A hero? I don't think I count as one." ]
[ Touma Kamiyama: "After doing something like this, being called a true hero is completely justified." ]
[ .....]
『 But in the scene at this moment.
Hearing these words, Muzan was immediately enraged.
"What family… what happiness… it's all gone, all of it… It's all gone!"
"Throw away those meaningless fantasies of yours!"
"Nezuko is already dead! And you were the one who killed her with your own hands! If you go back now, you'll just be a wanderer with no home and nowhere to go."
In Tanjiro's mind, scenes of the Demon Slayer Corps appeared: his good friends Zenitsu, Inosuke, Kanao, his respected Sister Shinobu, Kyojuro, Brother Giyu, and the other Hashira, as well as the always kind Ubuyashiki-sama, and Lady Tamayo, who sacrificed herself to eliminate Muzan.
For a moment, everyone who had helped him reappeared in his mind, and a happy smile couldn't help but appear on Tanjiro's face.
"Still refusing to give up?"
"The Demon Slayer Corps has been wiped out, and your family and friends are all dead."
"What are you still living for now!"
"Tanjiro, tell me, what are you living for now!"
Tanjiro slowly closed his eyes and softly spat out one word:
"No…"
Suddenly, countless hands supported him, pulling him free from Muzan's cells.
"Nezuko is still alive… You liar…"
Just then, his family's hands lifted him up from Muzan's sea of flesh.
Muzan was extremely furious and said viciously:
"Don't meddle! You bunch of ghosts!"
"You should be able to smell their stench of rot, right?"
"This is all caused by you!"
"They all hate you; no one wants you to come back!"
As he spoke, the veins on Muzan's face bulged.
Tanjiro looked at Muzan and said slowly:
"No… I want to go back… to apologize to the comrades I hurt…"
"Even if you apologize, you won't get their forgiveness!"
"This isn't something you can decide!"
Tanjiro's expression didn't change; he maintained that happy smile.
"I can feel it from everyone's aura… everyone is worried about me…"
Seeing Tanjiro being lifted higher and higher by the hands of the dead, Muzan began to truly panic.
"Shut up! You must inherit my will! I won't allow you to be optimistic anymore! I won't allow you to trust others! And I won't allow you to harbor hope!"
"Tanjiro!"
Muzan's face suddenly leaned in front of Tanjiro, staring at him with a fierce gaze.
"Tanjiro! Don't forget, you must bear the consequences of the Demon Slayer Mark!"
"Unless you become a demon, it won't be long before you die for sure!"
Muzan's remaining consciousness pressed down on Tanjiro, trying hard to push him down.
"Tanjiro! You must be completely selfish to grasp this endless life!"
Tanjiro refuted Muzan's words again, and this time he answered very firmly:
"No… even if I die! I will die as a normal human!"
As he spoke, he became more and more agitated, constantly responding to Muzan's provocations.
"I don't care about immortality at all; I want to return to my friends."
At this moment, Muzan was speechless.
But in a flash, he leaned into Tanjiro's ear and said:
"So many people have died, and you still want to live on alone? How shameless!"
"Tanjiro, you are so selfish!"
"You are truly shameless to be able to live on so peacefully!"
Tears welled up in Tanjiro's eyes, and he said slowly:
"Yes…"
Seeing that the verbal attack had an effect, Muzan revealed a hideous smile.
But he didn't know that it wasn't his words that changed Tanjiro's mind, but rather, they made Tanjiro think of the friends who had already passed away.
Suddenly… a pair of hands once again exerted force, lifting him high. Tanjiro's body shuddered, and the tears that had been falling stopped abruptly at this moment.
Those familiar auras made him freeze.
It was his friends from the Demon Slayer Corps; everyone was helping him.
Different hands lifted him higher and higher, one after another.
Brother Rengoku… Mr. Gyomei… Muichiro… and all his departed friends were supporting him.
At this moment, Muzan began to panic; he was truly terrified.
"These hands are all your fantasies!"
Muzan desperately pushed Tanjiro down, continuously saying:
"Have you no shame! Stop it right now!"
But now, Tanjiro didn't care what Muzan said. He lay in those hands, brimming with happiness. Suddenly, he seemed to smell something.
"This is… Sister Shinobu's scent?"
"No… that's not right… This is the scent of wisteria flowers!"
In an instant, wisteria flowers in full bloom covered Tanjiro's head. A small hand reached out to him from the flowers, and he seemed to smell it again, that unique fragrance that belonged to Nezuko.
"Brother… let's go home…"
Nezuko held his hand and pulled hard.
Hearing Nezuko's voice, tears streamed down Tanjiro's face.
Although Tanjiro wanted to leave this place very much, he was firmly pressed down by Muzan at this moment and couldn't get up.
"No! Let go! Come back to me!"
Muzan continued to say things intended to influence Tanjiro.
"You can even withstand sunlight; you are the rarest, strongest creature in this world, the most powerful demon!"
"Don't go that way! Tanjiro!"
"Can't you hear the cries of the dead?"
"They are all calling out. Why! Why are you the only one who gets to live!"
"Why did they lose everything, while only you escaped unscathed!"
Muzan held onto Tanjiro tightly, continuously pushing him down. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Ryuga Banjou (Kamen Rider): "Why do I feel the more I listen, the more it seems like this Demon King is just jealous?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Yes, that's what I heard too." ]
[ .....]