[The scene continued.]
["If that's how it is… then be torn to pieces!"]
[With a cold expression, Rui violently yanked back the hand connected to the threads. The threads that had attacked Tanjiro earlier had somehow already formed a gigantic spiderweb, sealing off every direction Tanjiro could dodge—above, below, left, and right.]
[Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage!]
[I can't dodge it completely…! Tanjiro stared blankly at the spiderweb rushing straight toward him. His pupils trembled, and for a moment, he actually forgot to move.]
[Splurt!]
[In the next instant, bright red blood flooded the entire screen.]
"Aah~!"
In the world of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, on the athletic field of Namimori Middle School, the sudden appearance of the giant screen in the sky had drawn all the students out of their classrooms. They stood there in neat rows, staring up at it.
When blood splashed across the entire screen, some of the more timid girls screamed and immediately threw themselves into the arms of the boys nearest to them.
Amid the commotion, Tsunayoshi Sawada's gaze remained fixed on the girl he liked, Kyoko Sasagawa, waiting for her to do the same and leap into his arms like the others.
Sadly, though, there was worry in the girl's eyes, and pity too…
But not fear.
A little disappointed, the boy didn't force the matter. He simply turned his worried gaze back to the screen in the sky.
[The scene shifted, giving a close-up of Rui's stunned, wary expression.]
[Then the camera turned again, returning to Tanjiro.]
[Tanjiro wore the same look of shock. There was blood on him, but no new wounds had appeared.]
"He dodged it?"
In the Clover Kingdom, at the Black Bulls' base, Noelle—one of the Black Bulls—said in surprise.
"No. Someone blocked it for him," Captain Yami Sukehiro said, shaking his head as he calmly analyzed the scene. "Look closely. There's blood on the boy, but there aren't any new injuries on him.
"It's obvious. Someone took the hit for him, and that blood splashed onto him."
[The camera moved forward, and a long-haired girl with a bamboo tube in her mouth appeared on the screen.]
["Nezuko!!!"]
[Tanjiro caught Nezuko, who had taken the fatal blow for him and fallen unconscious from the severe injury. Carrying her in his arms, he retreated at once, only stopping after he had left the threads' attack range. Then he carefully laid her down and let her lean against the thick trunk of a nearby tree.]
["Nezuko! Nezuko! You actually protected me… your big brother… I'm sorry…" Tanjiro choked out, his voice thick with guilt and worry.]
["There was a girl inside the box he was carrying? But her scent… belongs to a demon?" the white-haired girl, who had been quietly watching from the rear, murmured in a low voice.]
[Suddenly, as if she had been startled by something, the white-haired girl whipped her head around and looked at Rui in terror.]
["You… th-that woman… are you two brother and sister?" Rui raised a trembling hand and pointed at Nezuko, who was leaning against the tree. His voice was filled with disbelief.]
["So what if we are!" Tanjiro answered without even turning his head.]
[At that moment, all of his attention was fixed on his sister's injuries.]
[Cradling the arm that had nearly been severed by the thread, Tanjiro's heart ached so badly he could barely breathe.]
["It's so bad… her left wrist is almost completely cut through…"]
["Mm…" As if the injury had been touched, Nezuko frowned even while unconscious.]
[Seeing his sister frown in pain even in her unconscious state, Tanjiro grew even more frantic. Heal faster! Heal faster! Heal faster!]
"Oi! Hurry up and bandage her! What's the point of standing there muttering?!"
As one of the only two gentlemen in the Straw Hat crew, Sanji had already wanted to jump into the screen and beat Rui to a pulp the moment he saw such a beautiful girl like Nezuko get so horribly injured while protecting Tanjiro.
But when he saw that Tanjiro still wasn't even bandaging her, he got so angry that he kicked off into the air with Moon Walk and shot straight toward the giant screen overhead.
Unfortunately, no matter how high he rose, the distance between him and the screen never seemed to change.
Only after reaching the highest point he could possibly attain did Sanji finally fall back down from midair—straight into the waiting arms of a certain moss-headed swordsman, who caught him steadily.
"Damn it!"
Sanji shoved Zoro away in frustration and unwillingly looked back up at the scene on the screen.
"Look! That girl's wounds are healing on their own!"
At that moment, the emergency food supply, Chopper, pointed his little hoof at Nezuko's injuries and cried out in shock.
"What?"
Sanji and the others were drawn in by Chopper's words. Looking where his hoof pointed, they found that the wounds on Nezuko's body really had grown noticeably smaller than before.
After staring more closely for a while, they realized in astonishment that her injuries were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"H-How is that possible?"
It wasn't just the Straw Hat crew who were stunned by Nezuko's monstrous recovery speed. People across all the heavens and myriad worlds watching the edit were equally astonished.
In the world of Naruto, inside a secret research base, Orochimaru watched the scene of Nezuko's wounds rapidly healing on the giant screen. Unconsciously, he extended his inhumanly long tongue and licked his lips, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
"A fascinating constitution… I'd love to study it. I wonder if a body like that could achieve immortality…"
At the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, however, the Hashira were not surprised by Nezuko's healing ability.
What truly astonished them was that a younger sister who had become a demon would actually throw herself forward to protect her brother from that fatal blow.
[Back to the scene.]
[The white-haired boy Rui was still so stirred by the bond of affection between Tanjiro and his sister that his pupils were shaking violently.]
["Brother and sister… brother and sister…!"]
[This should have been the best possible chance to finish Tanjiro and Nezuko off, but Rui looked like he had been deeply provoked by something. His eyes remained locked on the siblings on the ground as he kept muttering to himself.]
["Your sister became a demon… yet you're still together with her…"]
["Rui… Rui…?"]
[Seeing Rui suddenly fall into this state, the older sister nearby showed a trace of fear on her face and kept calling his name.]
[But Rui noticed nothing at all. He continued staring at the Kamado siblings and muttering under his breath.]
["His little sister stepped forward… and protected her older brother…"]
["That's a real bond! I want it so badly!"]
[Suddenly, Rui's eyes flew wide open. In his blood-red irises, those eerie three-dot pupils trembled even more violently from emotional agitation.]
(New book release! Please support with flowers, monthly tickets, and recommendations orz!)
(Bonus: a picture of the Kamado siblings.)