All at once, a pair of feet stepped down upon Rui's lifeless kimono.
Tanjiro looked up. Standing there was his fellow disciple—his senior—and the current Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps: Giyu Tomioka.
Expressionless, Giyu warned the grief-stricken Tanjiro:
"Do not pity demons that eat humans. They are nothing but repulsive monsters."
Tanjiro shouted back in defiance:
"Demons were once human! Just like me, they were people! They are not ugly monsters—they are hollow, pitiful beings! They suffer for being demons, they regret it! That's why we shouldn't trample them. Please… take your foot off!"
Giyu gazed at Tanjiro's unwavering expression, then at the unconscious Nezuko behind him. From the depths of his memory surfaced the boy kneeling in the snow, begging him to spare his sister who had become a demon.
Suddenly, a figure rushed in from afar, blade flashing toward Nezuko.
With a swift motion, Giyu's Nichirin Blade intercepted the strike. His eyes narrowed as he saw who it was—
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, face twisted with fury.
"Giyu Tomioka! Why are you interfering? You're a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps—have you forgotten your duty?!" Sanemi demanded, his voice seething with anger.
Giyu gave no answer. He lowered his gaze, refusing to meet Sanemi's eyes.
Veins bulged on Sanemi's forehead.
"Always with that arrogant, indifferent look! That's why everyone despises you! I'll give you one last warning—move!"
Giyu frowned slightly.
"No one has ever despised me."
The words struck both Sanemi and Tanjiro like thunder.
Sanemi scoffed mockingly:
"So you don't even realize people hate you. Pathetic. From the look of it, you're still choosing to protect this demon, aren't you?"
Tanjiro stammered, trying to explain:
"No, that's not it! She's my sister, and—"
But his words tangled uselessly in his throat.
"Your sister? What of it? A demon is a demon. It must be slain!" Sanemi raised his Nichirin Blade, pointing it directly at Nezuko.
Giyu's voice broke the tension, calm yet firm:
"Can you move?"
Tanjiro looked up at him in shock.
"Even if you can't—force yourself to. Take your sister and run."
Tanjiro stared at Giyu's back, eyes burning.
"Tomioka-san… I'm sorry! And… thank you!"
Cradling Nezuko tightly, Tanjiro fled the battlefield.
"You think I'll let you escape?! Wind Breathing, Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree!"
Sanemi slashed, sending three blades of wind cutting toward Nezuko's direction.
Giyu's sword flashed, blocking all three.
"Giyu Tomioka! A Hashira shielding a demon—if that's how you want it, I'll subdue you here and now for violating Corps law! Then I'll kill that demon myself, and hand you over to the Master for judgment! Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Sanemi launched five upward wind blades toward Giyu.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"
Giyu entered his unique, self-created state of absolute stillness. Within his blade's reach, all incoming techniques were nullified. The instant Sanemi's wind blades crossed into his range, they unraveled into nothing.
Knowing the secret of Giyu's technique, Sanemi abandoned distance and rushed in, engaging him at close quarters. Their blades clashed furiously, neither yielding an inch.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro stumbled through the forest, Nezuko in his arms. His body screamed in exhaustion, lungs burning as if cut by knives.
"Don't stop! Keep moving! Just a little farther—escape!"
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, halting him in his tracks.
Tanjiro froze, staring at the bullet hole in a nearby tree. If he hadn't stopped just then, he would have been hit.
From the shadows emerged a man with a rooster-like pompadour and a scar running from his right cheek across his nose. He aimed a double-barreled shotgun directly at Nezuko.
Tanjiro recognized him immediately: Genya Shinazugawa, Sanemi's younger brother, and a fellow survivor of the Final Selection.
Genya pulled the trigger again.
Tanjiro twisted midair, shielding Nezuko with his back. The bullet hurtled straight toward him—
And then, the air filled with a delicate fragrance of flowers. A soft, gentle voice brushed against Tanjiro's ears:
"Flower Breathing, Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum."
Blossom-like sword strikes cleaved the bullet in two, the fragments falling harmlessly before Tanjiro.
Three women appeared before him. Among them, Tanjiro recognized one—Kanao Tsuyuri, who had entered the Corps at the same time as him.
Stunned, Tanjiro whispered:
"You… are you Hashira too?"
The eldest, Kanae Kocho, turned her head with a warm smile.
"No, not at all. We only came because so many wounded are in critical condition on Mount Natagumo. We're here to treat them."
Her younger sister, Shinobu Kocho, glanced around uneasily.
"Sis, just now I sensed Master's presence… but it suddenly vanished."
Kanae's gaze fell on Nezuko resting in Tanjiro's arms.
"Perhaps the aura came from the child he's holding."
Shinobu crouched down in front of Nezuko. Though faint, she too sensed Yōsuke's lingering energy.
Her eyes widened at Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings, and Nezuko's identical adornment.
"Onii-chan! Their earrings—they're exactly like Master's!"
Panicked, Tanjiro quickly explained:
"These earrings… they're a family heirloom of mine. As for Nezuko's—Yōsuke-san gave hers to her."
Kanae and Kanao leaned close, examining Nezuko's right-ear earring carefully.
Because Nezuko was nestled in his arms, the three came very near Tanjiro. Their mingled scents filled his nose, and his cheeks flushed red.
"Um…" he began awkwardly, only for Shinobu to cut him off.
"I never imagined Master's most treasured earrings would be given to this child. I must admit… I feel a little jealous." Her tone was sharp with envy.
"Hey, you three! Why are you interfering with me killing this demon?!" Genya barked furiously.
"You fired at these two children just now, didn't you? If I recall correctly, Corps law forbids harming fellow members," Shinobu replied, frowning in disapproval. Her impression of Genya was sinking quickly.
Genya snorted.
"Hmph! If he protects a demon, then his death means nothing!"
Kanae's gentle expression hardened.
"How cold. But I'm afraid I won't allow you to harm these two children."
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