"Mother… Nezuko… Hanako…"
"Takeo… Shigeru… Rokuta…"
Kamado Tanjiro stood frozen in the snow, the charcoal basket slipping from his trembling hands as his entire world shattered before his eyes.
Blood stained the white ground crimson.
The familiar warmth of his home had vanished completely, replaced by the heavy stench of death.
His family lay motionless across the yard.
Tanjiro stumbled forward like a madman, falling to his knees beside them one after another.
No response.
No movement.
Their bodies were already growing cold.
His breathing became uneven as disbelief consumed him.
Why?
He had only stayed one night at Saburo's house because the mountain road had grown too dangerous after dark.
How could everything change in a single night?
Tanjiro gritted his teeth as tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
"What happened…?"
"What happened to my family?!"
His voice echoed helplessly through the snowy mountain.
Then
A faint sound reached his ears.
Breathing.
Weak.
Almost imperceptible.
Tanjiro's eyes widened as he hurried toward the sound.
Among the lifeless bodies of his siblings and mother, only one person still retained a trace of life.
"Nezuko!"
He immediately lifted his younger sister into his arms.
Her body was cold, yet her chest still rose faintly.
"Hang on, Nezuko!"
"I'll get help right away!"
Without hesitation, Tanjiro carried Nezuko onto his back and rushed down the mountain path through the heavy snow.
At that moment, panic overwhelmed his senses so completely that he failed to notice several distorted figures slowly emerging from the shadows behind the house.
Tanjiro continued running desperately.
As long as Nezuko was still breathing, there was hope.
They only needed a doctor.
They only needed help.
Behind him, Nezuko's body suddenly twitched violently from the constant shaking.
Then her eyes slowly opened.
However, the instant she awakened, her expression twisted in agony.
"Ghh…!"
Nezuko suddenly struggled violently before tumbling from Tanjiro's back.
Both siblings crashed heavily into the snow.
"Nezuko?!"
Before Tanjiro could understand what was happening, Nezuko abruptly raised her head.
Sharp fangs protruded from her mouth.
Her eyes had changed completely.
With a feral roar, she lunged directly toward him.
Tanjiro instinctively drew the axe hanging from his waist.
But at the final moment, he forcibly stopped himself from swinging.
Instead, he turned the handle sideways and desperately used it to block Nezuko's bite.
"Nezuko!"
"It's me!"
"It's your brother, Tanjiro!"
Tears filled his eyes as he struggled against her monstrous strength.
"Nezuko, what happened to you?!"
The sister before him was completely different.
Her veins bulged beneath her skin, her fangs glistened with saliva, and her body radiated a terrifying aura unlike any human.
Yet Tanjiro did not let go.
Because no matter how terrifying she appeared, he would never mistake her scent.
This was still Kamado Nezuko.
His little sister.
"Nezuko… wake up…"
Only then did Tanjiro recall the stories Saburo had once told him.
Demons.
Creatures that devoured humans.
And now…
Nezuko had become one of them.
But something else troubled him even more.
Aside from Nezuko's scent, there were two additional unfamiliar scents lingering around the house.
Neither belonged to humans.
Nor demons.
Suddenly, Nezuko's strength surged even further.
Her power had already surpassed that of an ordinary adult woman.
Tanjiro's heart ached.
"So while I slept peacefully…"
"…everyone was suffering here alone…"
"Nezuko!"
"Please fight it!"
"Don't become a demon!"
Tanjiro shouted desperately as tears poured from his eyes.
At first, Nezuko continued struggling violently.
Then
A droplet of water landed on Tanjiro's face.
He froze.
Nezuko was crying.
Although her fangs remained exposed and her body trembled uncontrollably, tears flowed endlessly from her eyes.
As if some fragment of her humanity was desperately resisting the transformation.
"Nezuko…"
Tanjiro slowly reached toward her face.
This time, Nezuko did not attack.
For a brief moment, Tanjiro believed everything might still be alright.
Then suddenly
A sharp killing intent descended.
A blade flashed toward Nezuko's neck with terrifying speed.
At the critical moment, Tanjiro instinctively grabbed Nezuko and rolled aside through the snow.
The sword sliced through empty air.
Nezuko's body shrank back slightly as she instinctively hid behind Tanjiro.
Standing before them was a young man wearing a half-patterned haori.
His Nichirin Blade reflected the cold morning light.
Tomioka Giyu stared silently at the empty spot where Nezuko's head should have fallen.
His usually emotionless eyes showed slight surprise.
"You protected a demon?"
Tanjiro immediately spread his arms in front of Nezuko.
"Wait!"
"She's my sister!"
Giyu's gaze remained cold.
"A demon is a demon."
The Nichirin Blade in his hand tilted slightly.
"To hesitate means death."
However, the moment Giyu stepped forward, Nezuko sensed the threat and lunged at him again with a feral roar.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro tried to stop her, but her speed had already surpassed his own.
Giyu's expression remained unchanged.
If it was a demon, then he would simply eliminate it.
But before either side could clash
"HSSSSSSSS !!!"
A horrifying screech suddenly echoed from the direction of the mountain.
The sound resembled the shrill chirping of insects during midsummer, yet carried a grotesque, predatory malice that made one's skin crawl.
Giyu's pupils instantly contracted.
"…A Manju Parasite?"
Over the past year, these creatures had become infamous within the Demon Slayer Corps.
In terms of casualties alone, they already rivaled ordinary demons.
Worse still, they were extraordinarily difficult to kill.
Unlike demons, sunlight merely weakened them rather than destroying them completely.
The sound caused Nezuko to freeze.
Then an overwhelming hatred suddenly erupted from within her.
Without hesitation, she charged directly back toward the mountain house.
"Wait!"
Giyu immediately pursued her.
Compared to demons, the Manju Parasites were even more troublesome opponents.
They consumed humans and demons alike.
And after devouring demon flesh, their bodies became even harder to destroy.
Giyu would rather face demons directly than allow another parasite to evolve further.
Tanjiro, completely unaware of the situation, also rushed after them.
No matter what happened, he would not abandon Nezuko.
The three quickly returned to the Kamado residence.
And the sight before them was horrifying.
Two enormous insectoid monsters stood within the blood-soaked yard.
Their bodies resembled grotesque combinations of humans and giant praying mantises, with bladed arms and twitching compound eyes covering their split-open heads.
Beside them lay the corpses of Tanjiro's family.
The monsters appeared to be fighting each other over the remains.
The moment Nezuko saw them, rage exploded within her eyes.
"GRAAAAAAH!"
She charged forward immediately.
"Nezuko!"
The two Manju Parasites shrieked excitedly upon sensing demon flesh.
Their scythe-like arms swung downward, aiming to carve Nezuko apart.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide.
Giyu moved first.
Flowing sword strikes surged forward like crashing waves, severing one parasite's scythe-arm instantly.
At the same moment, Nezuko leapt high into the air and delivered a vicious kick directly into one monster's head.
The impact echoed loudly.
However, the creature merely staggered slightly.
Its durability was terrifying.
In the next instant, the parasite retaliated by driving its bladed arm directly through Nezuko's abdomen.
"NEZUKO!"
Tanjiro roared and charged forward with his axe raised high.
Then
He smelled it.
The scent was wrong.
These creatures did not smell like demons.
There was another odor hidden deep inside their bodies.
A smaller core.
Without hesitation, Tanjiro swung his axe directly into the parasite's abdomen.
The blade tore through flesh violently.
However, the monster retaliated instantly, hurling both Tanjiro and Nezuko away with overwhelming force.
Seeing them sent flying, Giyu immediately rushed forward.
But another parasite suddenly attacked from behind.
Its scythe aimed directly for Giyu's leg.
Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool.
Giyu twisted his body fluidly like flowing water while simultaneously unleashing a rotating slash.
The parasite's body split apart instantly.
And by pure coincidence
The hidden parasite core inside its body was severed as well.
The Manju Parasite shrieked violently before collapsing completely.
Dead.
Seeing its companion killed, the remaining parasite immediately abandoned the battle and fled into the forest without hesitation.
Its survival instincts vastly exceeded those of ordinary demons.
Giyu stared momentarily at the corpse in disbelief.
During the past year, only Rengoku Kyojuro and Tokito Muichiro had successfully killed multiple Manju Parasites.
Most Hashira could only force them to retreat.
Yet now, through sheer luck, Giyu had discovered their weakness.
If this corpse were brought back to the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu would surely uncover even more information.
Just as Giyu considered the implications
Nezuko suddenly lunged toward him once more.