'That's the first time Nii-san has praised you…'
'Tanjiro, you have to fight for honor!'
Tanjiro has never felt so motivated before.
Doihara, having failed in his provocation and full of suppressed anger with nowhere to vent, viciously shouted, "Fine! I'll break his neck right in front of you and rip out his heart and liver!"
Since there's no way around it, then let's face it head-on!
Doihara swore to make this arrogant human pay dearly!
"Whoosh!" Doihara stomped the ground, leaving a pair of deep footprints.
Charged at Tanjiro with incredible speed.
Roy, with hands in pockets, eyes unwaveringly focused, lightly said, "Left."
Tanjiro gripped the axe tightly, without thinking, swung it upwards to the left!
From the waist upward, slashing across Doihara's chest!
The excruciating headache nearly tore through Doihara's consciousness… He was also a fierce character, knowing he couldn't retreat at such a moment. Otherwise, with Roy continuously reporting his attack routes, if not dead, he'd be crippled eventually!
Thus——
Doihara, risking injury, activated Blood Demon Art!
'Blood Demon Art—Head Binding Rope!'
Doihara used rapidly healing muscles to clamp the axe in place, preventing Tanjiro from pulling it out, swiftly shaking his head, causing his hair to grow instantly and twist into several "hemp ropes," aiming to strangle Tanjiro!
"Watch his hair."
Roy saw clearly; this wasn't a "Blood Demon Art" but a common ability every demon possessed—regeneration.
Doihara was clever, sneakily attacking by accelerating hair growth; those unfamiliar with demons typically wouldn't anticipate this, making suffering almost inevitable.
"Nii-san… You spoke too late." In a blink, Tanjiro was bound like a zongzi by Doihara's long hair.
Actually, it was not Roy speaking too late but Tanjiro's slow reaction under surprise...
Tanjiro's still slightly baby-faced small face visibly turned green… He rapidly blinked at Roy...
Then, Doihara forcefully strangled him, painfully kicking toward Doihara's chest!
Specifically targeting the disabled leg, Tanjiro, in crisis, became resourceful.
However, relying on the enhancement of Ghost Blood, Doihara's regeneration speed was exceptionally fast, the embedded axe in his chest fell out with a clang as the wound healed instantly.
"Hehehe… Feel the pain, human!" Doihara grasped Tanjiro's neck and lifted him high, through the wind and snow, menacingly glanced at Roy: "I told you… You will pay for underestimating me!"
"Ough…" Tanjiro struggled in agony; this time, his strong sense of dignity forbade seeking aid from Roy.
'A character more stubborn than a mule...' Roy leaned against a large tree, completely ignoring Doihara's flaunting, frustratingly advised Tanjiro, "Can't fight back if your limbs are bound?"
"Are your head… teeth… all just for show?"
"Bite him, ram him!"
!
An unexpected clap of thunder!
Tanjiro suddenly realized... 'Right, do I still have my head?'
Then, our main character finally remembered his trusty forehead, just like portrayed in the original, lowered his head for a fierce headbutt!
"Boom——"
The sound of cracking skulls seemed audible…...
Doihara, caught off guard, was struck, instantly losing consciousness, faintly falling to the ground...
The hair binding Tanjiro loosened immediately, as the young boy landed, seized the chance, picked up the axe, and chopped down...
"Gulp..." A clean decapitation...
Then Tanjiro collapsed onto the ground, unable to steadily hold the axe, gasping heavily, turned towards Roy and grinned....
"Nii-san, it's over..."
The silly Mamen Beans laughed heartily, finally proving himself no longer the coward hiding behind trees, awaiting his big brother's protection...
But humans are prone to forgetfulness amidst pride.
Celebratory missteps leading to mishaps are notoriously common.
Staggering... A figure rose upright behind Tanjiro, blocking the snow overhead...
Tanjiro stiffly lifted his head, greeted by a pair of sharp demon claws...
'Demons aren't killed by ordinary blades...' Roy's reply at the blacksmith's earlier flashed in Tanjiro's mind, realizing then merely severing the demon's head wasn't enough!
'Thus, finishing off the demon is a good habit...'
"Whoosh——" Stepping on "Dark Step," a graceful figure, at speeds beyond human perception, flashed out…...
Under Tanjiro's terrified gaze——
A move of "Snake Life," breaking through Doihara's decapitated body, extracting his heart!
"Thump..." The fresh heart still beating...
Roy's Sun Earrings swayed amid the wind and snow, glanced down at Tanjiro, "Is this what you call an end?"
Tanjiro quietly said, "Sorry."
Lowered his head, his face flushed red as a baboon's behind....
Roy coldly snorted, clenched his hand, directly crushing Doihara's heart into ashes, then spoke: "If all you do is apologize, best not follow me anymore."
Devoid of heart support, Doihara's body heavily crashed down, scattering snowflakes...
Relying solely on a barely successful sneak attack to buy a little time for his head to grow limbs, moving away from the Kamado Brothers' direction, sneaked away....
"That guy is ruthless!"
"He must be a 'Hashira'!"
"Only a 'Hashira' can possess such power!"
Demons and the Demon Slayer Corps have fought for thousands of years, deeply understanding each other's boundaries.
Doihara knew that within a mountain's distance at Sagiri yama lived a retired Water Hashira. Though he feared, hearing rumors of issues a few years back, he settled in this 'shadow under the lamp,' fishing for "prey".....
Who'd expect, today luck betrayed him into catching a Hashira!
"Whoosh... Whoosh..." Using his hands as feet, Doihara crawled swiftly, suddenly hearing a breeze from behind, instinctively glanced...and that glance....
Tanjiro raised his axe, caught his newly grown arms, though attacked later, already chased up, then swung, pinning him onto a large tree!
"Rustle... Rustle...."
Snow dropped from branches, hitting Tanjiro's head....
Tanjiro, oblivious, picked up a rock, annoyance evident...
'This demon is so cunning... can still run without a body...'
'As expected, Nii-san was right. I shouldn't have been careless, nor should have I celebrated too soon....'
Tanjiro raised the rock overhead...
He knew Roy was watching, hand paused mid-air, yet hesitated, unable to bring it down.....
Unexpectedly, Doihara assumed a different face, desperately lamenting to Tanjiro, "Do you think anyone would willingly be a demon?"
"I forsake being a good human to become demon, but was it not this damned world forcing me!"
"Obviously, Yamada Kounosuke didn't cook the beans and poisoned the guests, why should I take the blame?"
"He bribed the authorities to force my confession… After I already confessed, he bribed the warden to take my life!"
"You… and you… Tell me, what should I have done?"
"Just because I'm honest, do I deserve to live under threat?"