Tanjiro stood nearby, watching Giyu Tomioka carefully.
Giyu was holding his bleeding finger over Shin Arashi's mouth. Drops of blood fell in. After a few moments, the bleeding stopped.
Giyu's face grew serious. He was testing something important.
Would Shin Arashi react to human blood?
If he did, he was likely a demon.
If he didn't, maybe he was still human—just different.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened.
Shin Arashi didn't move. He didn't change.
Giyu finally relaxed. It looked like Shin Arashi wasn't a threat.
Tanjiro stayed close to his sister, Nezuko, but he had seen everything. He didn't say a word, just watched.
Suddenly—
"Aaaahhh!" Shin Arashi screamed loudly. The peaceful snowy mountain shook with the sound.
Giyu instantly stepped forward, ready for anything.
Shin Arashi fell to the ground and rolled in pain. His body was burning from the inside. It felt like something was tearing him apart.
His clothes ripped as he thrashed in the snow. His skin turned dark red, like it had been soaked in blood.
Tanjiro looked shocked and terrified. He had never seen anything like it.
Even Giyu, who had fought many demons, didn't understand what was happening.
Then Shin Arashi growled: "Blood…"
Giyu froze. "Was he turning into a demon?"
"Give me… demon blood!" Shin Arashi shouted, his voice shaking.
Even through the pain, he was trying to speak clearly.
Shin Arashi couldn't believe this was happening. His body was changing in horrible ways, and now he needed demon blood to survive.
"At least it's not human blood," he thought. "If it was, they'd kill me for sure."
He looked at Giyu, trying to stay calm. "Please understand. If you don't help me now… I'll lose control!"
Giyu didn't move. He was confused.
Why would Shin Arashi need demon blood?
"Now!" Shin Arashi yelled. "Don't just stand there!"
His body pulsed with power. He punched the ground, and snow exploded around him.
Giyu knew he had no choice. He turned to the only demon nearby: Nezuko.
Without hesitation, he grabbed her and threw her toward Shin Arashi.
Tanjiro's eyes went wide. "Nezuko!" he shouted.
He tried to run forward, but Giyu blocked his path.
Tanjiro froze, stunned. Everything had happened so fast.
He hadn't even been able to stop Giyu.
Now, his sister was right in front of Shin Arashi—and he couldn't reach her.
"Wait!" Giyu said firmly, placing a hand on Tanjiro's shoulder.
"The situation isn't clear right now," he explained. "If you go over there, you'll only get yourself killed."
Tanjiro clenched his fists in frustration, unsure what to do.
Then Giyu looked him straight in the eyes and said clearly: "This guy didn't let me kill your sister before. He won't kill her now, either."
(End of Chapter)