"Is that your sister?" Giyu Tomioka looked coldly at Nezuko Kamado, who lay unconscious in Tanjiro Kamado's arms.
"Nezuko is innocent. She hasn't eaten anyone!" Tanjiro tightened his hold around her.
A cold wind swept through the forest. In the next instant, Giyu pushed off the snow and moved forward. With swift precision, he snatched Nezuko from Tanjiro's arms.
"My duty is to slay demons," he said, his voice as cold as the winter air.
"And that includes cutting off your sister's head."
"Mister." Tanjiro looked desperately at the young man lying nearby in the snow. Right now, only this strange traveler could help him get his sister back.
"Don't call me Mister. Just call me Sol. Give me one minute." Sol Mirek closed his eyes and remained still in the snow, quietly recovering his strength.
"Please don't kill her! I won't let anyone hurt her! I will turn Nezuko back into a human!" Tanjiro's cries echoed through the silent forest.
"It cannot be cured," Giyu replied expressionlessly. "Once someone becomes a demon, they never return to being human."
"I will find a way. I swear it. Please don't kill her." Tanjiro's voice trembled as he pleaded.
Giyu raised his Nichirin Blade without hesitation. The tip hovered inches from Nezuko's throat.
"I've already lost the rest of my family," Tanjiro said, falling to his knees. Tears hit the snow and melted into it. "Please… don't take anything else from me."
For a brief moment, Giyu paused. The blade stopped just short of its target.
His eyes rested on the kneeling boy. If he had arrived earlier, perhaps this family would still be alive. But the past could not be changed.
"Don't let others control life and death for you!" Giyu suddenly shouted.
"Begging like that won't save anyone. If it could, your family would still be alive!"
Tanjiro froze.
"The weak have no rights and no choices. They can only be crushed by the strong."
The words struck Tanjiro like a blade.
He looked down at his shaking hands, nails digging into his palms.
Giyu's sword gleamed beneath the moonlight, still pointed toward Nezuko.
Suddenly, Tanjiro raised his head again. Tears still clung to his face, but a fierce determination had ignited in his eyes.
Ignoring the pain in his knees, he pushed himself up and staggered toward Giyu.
Giyu's gaze flickered slightly, though the sword never moved.
Nearby, Sol lay quietly in the snow, sensing the slow return of strength to his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tanjiro desperately trying to reclaim his sister.
But the difference between them was obvious. Against a Hashira, Tanjiro stood no chance.
Sol slowly sat up, rolling his sore shoulders.
His stamina had not fully returned, but it was more than enough for this situation.
"Tanjiro, step back."
His calm voice cut through the tension.
Tanjiro turned in surprise and saw Sol standing behind him. Snow clung to his dark uniform, giving him a slightly messy appearance, yet the presence around him made the air feel heavy.
Giyu shifted his gaze toward him, though the sword remained aimed at Nezuko.
"Outsiders should not interfere with the affairs of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Sol did not answer.
He simply walked forward.
His steps were light, but each one left a clear mark in the snow.
As he approached, Giyu's brow tightened slightly. Something about this young man triggered his instincts.
"You are not ordinary," Giyu said, lifting his blade toward him. "Who are you?"
"Put the girl down," Sol replied calmly, ignoring the question.
Tanjiro watched nervously from the side, fists clenched. The air between the two men felt heavy, like the silence before a storm.
After a brief pause, Giyu suddenly swung his sword.
The attack was lightning fast. An ordinary person would not even see it coming.
Sol's expression did not change.
He raised one hand and caught the blade with his index finger.
The metal edge rested against his finger as if it had struck solid steel.
Sol casually brushed the blade's edge, studying it with mild interest. He wondered if he should take one back as a souvenir.
Giyu's pupils shrank.
He had never seen anyone stop his attack so effortlessly.
"I said, put the girl down."
Sol's voice remained calm, but there was now an unmistakable authority in it.
Tanjiro stared in disbelief.
He had never imagined someone his age could block a Demon Slayer's attack with a single finger.
Giyu slowly withdrew his Nichirin Blade, his eyes filled with caution.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter." Sol lowered his hand. "What matters is that the girl still has her humanity. She will not harm humans."
Giyu remained silent, his gaze shifting between Nezuko and Tanjiro.
Even so, he would not abandon his duty because of a stranger's claim.
"How can you guarantee that?" Giyu finally asked.
Sol did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Tanjiro.
"Hold your sister tightly."
Tanjiro quickly stepped forward and carefully took Nezuko back into his arms.
Giyu allowed it, but his attention never left Sol.
"With this," Sol said.
He raised his fist and punched toward the forest.
The force of the strike tore through the air.
A roaring shockwave blasted forward, shattering trees across dozens of meters. Snow exploded upward and scattered through the air like a white curtain.
Sol looked at the destruction and sighed softly.
Too weak.
That punch barely carried any power compared to what he could normally do. Even with his rapid recovery, he would need several days of rest before returning to full strength.
Across from him, Giyu stood frozen.
Sweat gathered along his forehead.
There were no breathing techniques involved in that attack. No swordsmanship. Just raw physical power.
Even powerful demons would struggle to produce that level of destruction.
And this young man looked pale, clearly injured. If this was only a fraction of his strength, then what kind of monster had managed to wound him?
"Now," Sol said, lowering his fist, "can we talk normally?"
Giyu remained silent for a moment before slowly sheathing his sword.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Just an ordinary passerby."
Giyu watched him quietly beneath the cold moonlight.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Even if someone like you vouches for her, a demon is still a demon. You cannot protect her forever."
Sol shook his head slightly.
"That won't be necessary. Tanjiro only needs to become strong enough to control the situation himself."
Inside his body, Sol quietly gathered strength.
If Giyu decided to keep pushing the issue, Sol would simply knock him out for a while. A good nap usually helped people think more clearly afterward.
Behind him, Tanjiro held Nezuko tightly.
"Please give me a chance," he said hoarsely. "I will find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human."
Giyu's gaze moved between the three of them before settling on Sol again.
"How do you intend to make him stronger?"
Sol smiled faintly.
"You already know the answer."
He knew exactly what Giyu would do. The swordsman would send Tanjiro to train under his teacher, Sakonji Urokodaki.
Despite his cold exterior, Giyu possessed a compassionate heart.
Sol could see it clearly in the design of his haori.
One side carried the pattern of his late friend Sabito, while the other matched the clothing of his sister Tsutako Tomioka.
Because of that, Sol had never been worried.
Even with his interference, Tanjiro would never be left without a path forward.
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