"Wait! Giyu-san, what are you doing? Please let go of Nezuko! Let her go!" Tanjiro anxiously grabbed Giyu's arm, trying to stop his movements.
But with the Nichirin Blade clenched between his teeth, Giyu couldn't respond to him.
Nezuko had already turned into a Demon—a man-eating Demon!
For Demons, the best outcome was to be reduced to ashes under a Nichirin Blade.
Otherwise, once their true nature emerged and they began slaughtering humans, it would be too late!
Giyu's blue eyes were clear and resolute.
His left hand firmly pressed down on the snarling Nezuko, unmoved by Tanjiro's pleas.
The Nichirin Blade in his mouth was poised to strike at Nezuko's neck.
Tanjiro watched in desperation.
He too had noticed his sister's abnormality—the ferocious expression, bulging veins, sharp fangs, and claws.
It was clear she had likely become one of those creatures.
Yet even so, Tanjiro couldn't bear to watch Giyu kill Nezuko.
He'd already lost the rest of his family.
He couldn't lose her too...
"Wait, Giyu-san! No! Please stop! There must still be hope for Nezuko! Please spare her, I beg you!" Tanjiro pulled desperately at Giyu's arm, but despite his severe injuries, the man's arm was like unyielding steel.
Even with all his strength, Tanjiro couldn't stop him.
"STOP! STOP IT!" Tanjiro's eyes strained so hard that blood seeped from their corners.
As the Nichirin Blade touched Nezuko's neck, Tanjiro roared.
"NOOOOO!!"
Thud!!
An unusually crisp sound.
Giyu's vision suddenly blurred.
The world spun, stars flashing before his eyes.
A sharp pain exploded in his forehead, throwing him off balance.
"What just—" Before he could recover, he was tackled to the ground, the Nichirin Blade falling from his mouth.
When Giyu struggled to his feet, he saw Tanjiro—forehead red and swollen—standing before him with arms outstretched like a protective mother hen, panting heavily.
Gritting through the pain in his head, chest heaving, Tanjiro had just delivered a powerful headbutt.
One strike had caught Giyu completely off guard, stunning him momentarily.
As Giyu regained his senses, Tanjiro cried out urgently.
"Giyu-san, please wait! Nezuko, she—"
"TANJIRO!" Tomioka's sudden shout cut him off.
Despite his own severe injuries, he explained with equal intensity.
"Your sister has become a Demon! She's lost all human consciousness! A Demon's instinct to devour humans will soon consume her completely! If you don't kill her now, she'll slaughter countless others in the future!"
Tanjiro's face instantly turned deathly pale, yet he still refused to step aside from Giyu's path.
"No, Giyu-san, it can't be! If humans can turn into demons, then there must be a way for demons to become human again! Please, give Nezuko a chance! I—I swear on my life that Nezuko won't harm anyone! Please!"
As he spoke, Tanjiro repeatedly bowed and pleaded with Giyu.
Though deeply moved by such profound sibling devotion, Giyu knew the idea of a demon reverting to human form was nothing but nonsense.
"Tanjiro, you— Look out!!" Giyu tried to explain, but suddenly he shouted a warning.
From behind Tanjiro came a hoarse growl—
"Grr... Aaah!"
"Nezuko?" The moment Tanjiro turned around, the demonized Nezuko pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.
He barely managed to block her claws, straining with all his might to keep her fangs from sinking into his flesh.
"Grr! Aaah!"
"Nezuko! It's me! I'm sorry—this is all my fault! I failed to protect you all! Please, snap out of it, Nezuko! Don't let the demon's instincts take over!" Tanjiro's face turned bluish-purple from exertion.
But no matter what he said, the transformed Nezuko showed no recognition, only snarling as she tried to bite him.
"Nezuko!"
Witnessing this, Giyu made his decision.
Gritting through the pain, he picked up his broken Nichirin Blade from the ground and hurled it with all his strength at Nezuko's neck.
Tanjiro immediately saw the glint of steel hurtling toward his sister's throat.
"YAMEROOO! (Stop!)"
Whoosh!
A figure clad in green suddenly dashed forward.
A verdant slash flashed through the air—Clang!—precisely intercepting Giyu's broken blade.
Tanjiro's eyes widened in shock.
The next moment, he felt the weight lift off him as a powerful arm yanked the demonized Nezuko away.
Crack!
With one hand firmly gripping Nezuko's wrists, Shinichi held his green-and-red Nichirin longsword in the other.
Recognizing Shinichi as the unexpected savior, the severely wounded Giyu nearby exhaled in relief.
But the moment his focus wavered, excruciating pain flooded his body like a tidal wave.
The Kasugai Crow Kanjuro landed on Giyus shoulder, asking worriedly.
"Giyu, are you alright? Can you hold on caw?"
Tanjiro also clearly saw the newcomer's face.
When he realized it was Shinichi, his heart swelled with hope—Shinichi knew Nezuko too.
Surely he would give her a chance!
"Shinichi-senpai!"
As Tanjiro called out, Shinichi sprang into action.
Plunging his Nichirin sword into the earth with one hand, an overwhelming surge of life force erupted from his body, channeling through the blade into the ground.
His left eye blazed with brilliant emerald light.
"Forest Breathing: Ninth Form—Eternal Cycle!"
Rustle~
Despite the snow-covered winter landscape, tender green sprouts miraculously broke through the frozen earth, their curling tendrils brushing against both Giyu and Tanjiro.
Tanjiro immediately felt a warm sensation flowing into his body through the tender sprouts touching his skin.
His previously exhausted body and painful wounds began to show signs of improvement right away.
On the other side, Giyu who had been extremely pale, also showed signs of recovery, with color returning to his face.
After completing this task, Shinichi finally turned his gaze towards Nezuko, who was struggling incessantly against his restraints.
'Nezuko... turned into a demon? The Kamado family... Muzan, what exactly are you after?'
Shinichi pondered internally.
Though he felt some reluctance seeing Nezuko in her demonized state, he still raised his Nichirin Blade.
Seeing Shinichi slowly raise his Nichirin Blade, the excitement on Tanjiro's face vanished instantly.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward and under Shinichi's watchful eyes, tightly embraced the demonized Nezuko.
"No! Please, I beg you... don't take my family away from me again!"
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