Chapter 25: Nezuko's Kick
"I don't know who you're talking about. But if that girl's hairpin is among these keepsakes, then she's already been devoured! Hahahaha!" The calmer demon clone pulled back its mesh garment, revealing a grotesque collection embedded within its chest.
With that, the demon erupted into unhinged laughter.
Kazumi's eyes scanned the horrifying array of hairpins displayed like trophies. His gaze quickly found it—Satoko's simple pink ribbon hairpin. It was the cheapest one there, yet it shattered his heart completely.
Tears welled up in Kazumi's eyes. They streamed down his face, gathering at his chin before falling to the ground in heavy drops.
Tanjiro's expression darkened as he stared at the demon's macabre collection, rage building inside him. The creature's mocking laughter only fueled his anger further.
"Let's work together and take down these annoying Demon Slayers!" the demon clone called out to its counterpart.
Both demons submerged themselves into the black water simultaneously.
Then they attacked Tanjiro from two directions. These demons were crafty—rather than targeting Hakuya, who clearly made them uncomfortable, they focused on what they perceived as the easier prey.
Hakuya had no intention of intervening. He remained on the wall, quietly observing the battle.
Suddenly, a demon burst from the ground directly beneath Tanjiro, its clawed hand slashing viciously at his head.
Tanjiro reacted instantly, leaping upward. The demon's hand smashed into the wall instead, creating a deep crater and sending chunks of debris flying.
Still airborne, Tanjiro twisted his body mid-flight and swung his blade, severing one of the demon's hands.
The injured demon immediately retreated back into the black water.
Just as Tanjiro's momentum from the attack ended, a pool of black water materialized on the wall beside him. The second demon exploded from it, its razor-sharp claws aimed directly at his vital points.
"Not good!" Tanjiro thought, forcing his body to dodge as quickly as possible.
He executed a backward somersault and landed on the ground. The instant his foot touched down, the same demon emerged from the shadows behind him.
The demon's sharpened claws thrust toward the back of Tanjiro's head with lethal intent.
As Tanjiro landed, the demon's attack was mere inches from connecting. Hakuya's hand moved toward his sword hilt—but suddenly, the wooden box on Tanjiro's back burst open.
A graceful leg shot out from within and kicked the demon squarely in the head.
The demon's head snapped around 360 degrees multiple times, and the tremendous force sent its body flying backward through the air.
"They really are siblings," Hakuya murmured, watching the elegant kick with genuine admiration.
Tanjiro was equally shocked by Nezuko's intervention. He never expected his sister would save him at such a critical moment.
"What the hell? These guys are traveling with a demon?!"
Meanwhile, the other demon clone—the one that hadn't just been sent flying—stared in complete confusion. It had just witnessed a demon traveling with humans and actually protecting one of them.
Nezuko climbed out of her box, glaring fiercely at the demon clone she'd kicked.
The demon whose head had been twisted around used its regenerative abilities to snap its neck back into place.
It submerged into the black water again, reappearing next to its counterpart.
Seeing the two half-emerged demons, Nezuko immediately charged forward with hostile intent.
At that moment, Hakuya suddenly dropped down from the wall and intercepted her.
However, due to her momentum, even though Hakuya reached out to stop her, Nezuko's body collided with his arm.
"You're a girl—let your brother Tanjiro handle the fighting," Hakuya said to Nezuko.
Nezuko didn't understand his words, but she showed no hostility toward him. She simply wanted to fight the demons.
However, Hakuya's strength was immense, and he held Nezuko firmly in place. As they struggled, his hands maintained their grip on her.
Hakuya wouldn't allow Nezuko to fight these demons—her safety was far too important.
While Hakuya and Nezuko grappled like a bickering couple, the two demon clones had already vanished beneath the black water.
"Kazumi-san, watch out!"
Tanjiro suddenly detected the demon's scent near Kazumi's feet and shoved him aside.
Pushed by Tanjiro, Kazumi stumbled backward several steps. Still holding the unconscious woman, he lost his balance and fell to the ground with her on top of him.
A pool of black water silently formed beneath Tanjiro's feet. Two demonic hands shot up, grabbed his ankles, and dragged him down into the liquid darkness.
Nezuko wanted to save her brother, but Hakuya held her firmly in place. His arms locked around her waist as he leaned close to her ear. "Nezuko, calm down! Believe in your brother! He can defeat these demons on his own!"
However, Nezuko had no intention of listening. She continued struggling, trying to leap into the black water.
Seeing this, Hakuya felt somewhat helpless. "Nezuko, don't blame me for this," he muttered to himself.
Then, Hakuya bit down gently on Nezuko's pale neck and drew a small amount of her blood.
When Nezuko felt the bite, her entire body trembled. The next moment, she froze completely, ceasing all resistance.
From Kazumi's perspective, the way Hakuya and Nezuko were pressed together seemed rather intimate. The sight of Hakuya's head buried against Nezuko's neck made Kazumi think he was kissing her there.
After drawing just a small amount of Nezuko's blood, she suddenly calmed down. Seeing her relax, Hakuya released his bite.
Hakuya had bitten Nezuko because consuming her blood temporarily drained some of her strength. Feeling that drain, Nezuko naturally settled down.
Of course, there was another, more important reason: her blood nourished the demon nature within Hakuya's own body.
Demon blood strengthened demons, so even without mastering advanced Breathing techniques, Hakuya could increase his power by consuming demon blood.
However, Hakuya wasn't so indiscriminate as to drink from every demon he encountered. He had to be selective—male demons, for instance, were completely off-limits unless absolutely necessary.
When Hakuya needed to feed, his first choice was always Nezuko. The reason was simple: she was beautiful and retained her human appearance, making her far less repulsive than other demons.
Perhaps because Nezuko had never consumed human flesh, her transformation into a demon remained incomplete.
Besides Nezuko, any sufficiently beautiful female demon could qualify as potential sustenance for Hakuya.
Dragged deep into the dark water, Tanjiro was pulled rapidly downward by the demons.
In this critical moment, Tanjiro swung his blade and severed the demonic hands gripping his ankles. The dismembered hands immediately fled into the darkness.
Tanjiro tried to swim upward, but the demons refused to give him that chance. Another demon rapidly approached through the water.
In the water, the demons' speed increased dramatically.
Sensing danger, Tanjiro slashed his sword toward the approaching threat.
The demon executed a sharp turn underwater. Just as Tanjiro's Nichirin blade was about to strike, it suddenly pivoted in the opposite direction.
"How can they maneuver like that underwater? Without solid footing, most Water Breathing forms are useless here. The only technique I can use is Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool. By violently twisting my upper and lower body, I can create a powerful rotational attack."
"I'll have to wait until they get closer. Only then will I have an opening to strike."
As his body slowly sank deeper, Tanjiro calmly analyzed the situation.
The two demons circled him like predatory fish, searching for the perfect moment to attack.
"You can't defeat us underwater! Die here!"
At that moment, the two demons, determined to finish him, charged directly at Tanjiro.
"Now! There's the opening!"
"Total Concentration! Water Breathing! Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
Tanjiro, who had already been preparing his technique, immediately twisted his upper and lower body in opposite directions, wielding his Nichirin blade with both hands in a complete 360-degree rotation.
As Tanjiro torqued his waist and swung his blade with tremendous force, a violent vortex erupted around him.
The swirling whirlpool immediately sucked both demons in. Sharp currents along its outer edge shredded the demons' mesh garments to tatters. Simultaneously, the razor-like water blades tore through their limbs.
Finally, both demon clones were swept away by the violent whirlpool and scattered into the black water.
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