Lu Ming watched as the youth before him suddenly knelt down.
"I beg of you! Please don't hurt my sister Nezuko," the youth said as he knelt before Lu Ming.
His forehead was pressed tightly against the cold, snowy ground. "Please stop! I'm begging you."
"Please don't hurt my sister, I beg of you... I beg of you!"
Hearing the name Nezuko, Lu Ming was stunned for a moment. He looked at the youth before him, who was exactly like the Tanjiro in his memories.
Lu Ming sighed. "Young man, I'm not hurting your sister! It's just that she turned into a man-eating demon, so I had no choice but to restrain her."
Hearing this, Tanjiro snapped his head up and looked at Nezuko, who was struggling in Lu Ming's grasp.
Now, Tanjiro carefully observed the snarling Nezuko. Having regained his composure, he finally realized his sister's abnormality.
He hurriedly leaned in toward Nezuko, nervously calling out her name.
I... While I was sleeping comfortably at Old Man Saburo's house, Nezuko and the others actually encountered such a terrible thing.
Thinking of this, Tanjiro wiped away his tears and rushed toward home. Seeing this, Lu Ming sighed and did not stop him.
He had smelled a thick scent of blood since earlier. He hoped that Mother, Takeo, and the others were safe.
Tanjiro reached the door. Seeing the blood spilling out from the entrance, the unease in his heart reached its peak.
Tanjiro walked inside, trembling. Seeing the scene within the house, he collapsed, kneeling in a pool of blood and weeping in agony.
Hearing this cry, Nezuko showed signs of regaining consciousness. Lu Ming felt the strength of Nezuko's struggle in his hands gradually weaken.
After crying for a while, Tanjiro walked over to Nezuko, his whole body trembling. He cradled Nezuko's head, his eyes filled with tears as he looked into her hollow gaze.
Tanjiro's voice was choked with sobs as he said, "Nezuko, I only have you left. Please, get better soon, okay?"
Tanjiro's tears dripped onto Nezuko's head. Feeling his sorrow, her struggling slowly ceased.
Seeing this, Lu Ming finally released Nezuko and let her stand up. He watched as Nezuko held Tanjiro, comforting him.
Once their emotions had stabilized, Lu Ming said flatly, "I can bring your family back to life!" As soon as he spoke, Tanjiro snapped his gaze toward Lu Ming.
Hearing this, Tanjiro looked at Lu Ming, trembling. "Sir... can you really do such a thing?"
Lu Ming nodded calmly. He raised his hand and brought out the all-purpose printer from the Manufacturing Space.
Tanjiro looked at the large ball of light that had suddenly appeared in surprise. "What... what is this?"
"Don't worry about what it is. Either way, I can save your family!"
Having said that, Lu Ming spoke to the all-purpose printer again, "Lord God, help me collect the souls of this family and print new bodies for them."
"Very well, Master. I will do it immediately." As soon as it spoke, the Lord God flew over to Tanjiro and Nezuko, absorbing the souls of Kamado Kie and the others into the all-purpose printer.
Not only that, but the Lord God also sucked in Tanjuro's soul.
But just then, a figure holding a long sword rapidly charged toward Tanjiro and Nezuko. A slash shimmering with blue light swung toward Nezuko's neck.
Tanjiro watched the scene in shock, his pupils shrinking. He suddenly tackled Nezuko to the ground, dodging the fierce blade light.
Tanjiro rolled under a nearby tree while holding his sister, looking with confusion at the cold-faced youth holding the long sword.
"Who are you?" Tanjiro asked the cold youth before him.
But Tomioka Giyu did not answer his question. Instead, he said indifferently, "Why are you protecting her?"
"She's my sister. She's my sister!" Tanjiro said earnestly.
"She's your sister? I see." But as soon as he finished speaking, Tomioka Giyu charged toward Nezuko.
Seeing this, Lu Ming used the speed granted by the rabbit energy bottle to quickly arrive in front of Tomioka Giyu, raising his hand to block Giyu's casual slash.
Tomioka Giyu looked at the strange-looking Lu Ming before him and the pure white ball of light floating in mid-air beside him.
"Huh? Is it a Blood Demon Art? But why isn't there that disgusting aura that demons have?"
Lu Ming recognized Tomioka Giyu, but still said, "Hey, who are you? Why are you swinging a sword at people for no reason?" Lu Ming looked at Tomioka Giyu warily.
Tanjiro and Nezuko also looked at Tomioka Giyu warily. "Yeah! Why do you want to kill my sister?"
Tomioka Giyu still looked at them expressionlessly and said coldly, "My job is as a Demon Slayer who kills wicked demons."
"Now, your sister is my target. I am going to cut off her head."
"Please wait! Nezuko hasn't hurt anyone, and there was the scent of another demon at my house."
"It must have been him who killed my family and turned my sister into this. And I promise Nezuko will never eat anyone."
Tomioka Giyu saw that Nezuko did not attack him while near Tanjiro; she even hid behind him.
Seeing this, Lu Ming stepped aside to let the two of them play out the scene, but this movement drew the attention of both Tanjiro and Tomioka Giyu.
Seeing this, Lu Ming wanted to scratch his head awkwardly, but his hand touched a metal helmet instead. This made him even more embarrassed.
Without a word, Tomioka Giyu sheathed his sword, though his hand still gripped the scabbard tightly.
Seeing Tomioka Giyu sheath his sword, Lu Ming also deactivated his transformation and put the build driver back into his four-dimensional space.
Tomioka Giyu looked at Lu Ming, who had reverted to his original form—a 1.2-meter-tall nine-year-old child. Giyu rubbed his eyes and continued to look at Lu Ming, but nothing changed.
A strange metal man who was originally 1.9 meters tall had suddenly become a 1.2-meter-tall nine-year-old child. This was hard for Tomioka Giyu to accept, and even Tanjiro, who was holding Nezuko, found it hard to believe.
Lu Ming rolled his eyes at their stunned gazes. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to fight me again?"
Hearing this, the two snapped out of it and stopped staring directly at Lu Ming, though they still watched the nine-year-old child out of the corners of their eyes.
After taking several serious looks at Lu Ming, Tomioka Giyu finally confirmed that he was indeed not a demon.
Although Tomioka Giyu was still curious about the armor on the child, the most important thing now was to deal with the demon before him.
"Young man, she has already become a wicked demon. Even if she doesn't eat people now, she will eventually do so when she's starving!" Tomioka Giyu pointed at Nezuko in Tanjiro's arms.
"She won't! I will definitely find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human. There must be a way to cure her," Tanjiro said, looking at Tomioka Giyu with determination.
Tomioka Giyu looked at the youth before him and felt a slight stir in his heart, but he still said coldly, "It's hopeless! Once someone becomes a demon, they can never be turned back into a human."
Just then, Lu Ming said, "Um, well! I can turn her back into a human."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two stared straight at Lu Ming.