"Kanae!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa sprinted desperately through the darkened roads while carrying the unconscious Kanae in his arms.
Her body felt frighteningly cold.
Dawn was rapidly approaching, and they were currently crossing an exposed open path with nowhere to hide.
Once the sunlight reached them
Kanae would die.
"Kanae, wake up, damn it!"
Sanemi's usually fierce voice had become hoarse from panic.
The poison coursing through Kanae's body was far deadlier to demons than ordinary toxins. Even with her regenerative abilities, her breathing was gradually weakening.
For the first time in a very long while
Sanemi truly felt fear.
He tightened his grip around Kanae and continued running with everything he had.
The eastern horizon had already begun glowing faintly.
"No…"
Sanemi gritted his teeth.
"Don't rise yet!"
This was the first time in his life he had prayed for the sunrise to come slower.
He could not lose the woman in his arms.
Kanae might have become a demon, but she had never harmed innocent people.
Everyone within the Demon Slayer Corps knew it.
Even after turning into a demon, she had survived only on voluntarily donated blood from trusted members of the Corps. She endured unbearable thirst every single day just to avoid hurting others.
According to Shinobu, Kanae constantly suppressed the instinctive bloodlust demons were born with.
That alone required unimaginable willpower.
"Kanae!"
Sanemi called her name again and again while running.
He had already done everything he could.
But the sunlight behind them was beginning to spill across the earth.
Soon
It would reach Kanae.
Then suddenly
Two figures appeared ahead of them, rushing forward at full speed.
One was petite.
The other wore a familiar haori patterned like flowing water.
"Big Sister!"
Shinobu Kocho's face turned pale the moment she saw Kanae unconscious in Sanemi's arms.
Without hesitation, she pulled a large black cloth from inside her uniform.
"Mr. Tomioka, quickly!"
Giyu Tomioka immediately grabbed the other end.
The three converged at nearly the exact same moment the first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon.
At the critical instant
Shinobu and Giyu spread the cloth across Kanae's body, shielding her completely from the sunlight.
Sanemi even hurriedly tucked the loose ends tightly around her to prevent any exposure.
"Hurry!" Sanemi roared. "She's been poisoned!"
The three immediately rushed toward the Butterfly Mansion without another word.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the treatment room.
The moment the cloth was removed, Shinobu's expression changed drastically.
Kanae's condition was terrible.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The wound in her shoulder had already begun rotting from the inside out, while blackened blood seeped continuously from the puncture wound.
Ordinary demons possessed astonishing regenerative abilities.
But Kanae was different.
Ever since becoming a demon, she had consumed only tiny amounts of blood once every few weeks barely enough to maintain basic survival.
Kokushibo had intentionally given her only a minimal amount of blood during her transformation, greatly limiting her demonic recovery speed.
Now, under the effects of this poison, her body simply could not heal properly.
"Quickly, bring the refrigerated blood "
Before Shinobu could finish speaking to Aoi, Sanemi suddenly tore open his own uniform.
"Forget that."
Without hesitation, he sliced open his left arm using a small blade.
Blood immediately flowed from the wound.
"Use mine."
Rare Marechi blood.
A blood type so intoxicating to demons that even powerful demons could lose control upon smelling it.
Sanemi brought his bleeding arm directly toward Kanae's mouth.
The scent instantly stimulated her instincts.
Kanae's eyes snapped open violently.
Crunch!!
She bit directly into Sanemi's arm and tore away a chunk of flesh.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Yet Sanemi did not even flinch.
Not a single scream escaped him.
After tasting flesh and blood directly, Kanae's suppressed instincts immediately spiraled out of control.
Her pupils turned blood-red.
Veins bulged across her face.
With a distorted growl, she lunged toward Aoi Kanzaki, who stood frozen nearby in terror.
But before she could reach her
Sanemi grabbed her from behind.
His arm wrapped tightly around her neck while his other hand restrained her violently struggling body.
At the same time, Giyu stepped forward without hesitation and pinned down Kanae's arms.
The room descended into chaos.
"Shinobu!"
Sanemi roared furiously.
"What are you standing there for?! Bring the sedative!"
Shinobu immediately snapped back to her senses.
She rushed toward the inner room and returned moments later carrying a specialized syringe.
This sedative had been developed jointly by Kanae and Shinobu specifically for demon suppression.
Normally, they used it to temporarily incapacitate lesser demons before transporting them alive to Mount Fujikasane for Final Selection training.
Now, Shinobu plunged the needle directly into Kanae's neck.
The medicine entered her bloodstream rapidly.
Gradually
Kanae's struggles weakened.
Her breathing slowed.
Eventually, she fell unconscious once more.
However, the wound on her shoulder still showed little improvement.
Although her bloodlust had temporarily subsided after feeding, the poison continued suppressing her regeneration.
The situation remained critical.
In short
Kanae's life was hanging by a thread.
Naturally, news of Kanae attacking someone and consuming human flesh quickly reached Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Giyu had reported everything honestly without concealing any details whatsoever.
Sometimes, Giyu's excessive honesty truly made people want to hit him.
After hearing the full report, Kagaya fell into deep silence.
As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, he could not allow a demon who had harmed humans to remain unchecked within the organization.
Even if that demon was Kanae.
Even if it pained him deeply.
For the safety of everyone else, an execution order became unavoidable.
Yet before the order could officially be carried out
Someone knelt before him.
It was Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Bang!!
His forehead slammed violently against the ground.
"My lord!"
Blood already trickled down his skin from the force of the impact.
"Please revoke the execution order!"
Kagaya looked quietly toward him.
Sanemi lowered himself again.
Bang!!
"You once said that if Kanae harmed innocent people, she would have to be executed!"
His voice trembled fiercely.
"But she didn't attack an innocent person!"
"She attacked me!"
Another violent kowtow.
Bang!!
"And I'm no innocent saint!"
Blood spread across the ground beneath his forehead.
"I've killed demons my entire life! I've bathed in blood for years!"
His fists trembled violently.
"I swear on my life that I will never allow her to hurt anyone else!"
"I swear it!"
"So please…!"
"Give her another chance!"
The courtyard fell silent.
In truth, Kagaya never wanted Kanae executed either.
And now, the person harmed by Kanae himself was pleading for her life.
After a long silence, Kagaya finally closed his blind eyes gently.
"…Very well."
Sanemi's body froze.
"I will trust you this once, Sanemi."
Only after Sanemi left did Kagaya suddenly cough violently.
Blood stained his sleeve.
The curse spreading across his body had already consumed both of his eyes completely.
He could no longer see.
"Father!"
His daughters hurriedly rushed forward to support him before he collapsed.
Kagaya smiled faintly despite his weakening condition.
He no longer feared death for himself.
What truly haunted him
Was the future of his children.
Especially his young son, Kiriya Ubuyashiki.
For a thousand years, the curse of Muzan Kibutsuji had tormented the Ubuyashiki bloodline.
And until Muzan died
That curse would continue.
"Kibutsuji Muzan…"
Kagaya whispered weakly.
"We must destroy you."
"For the sake of ending this tragedy forever."
Meanwhile, back at the Butterfly Mansion
Shinobu remained focused entirely on developing an antidote.
The poison extracted from Kanae's wound was being carefully analyzed alongside samples taken from the monster's remains.
Sanemi stood nearby silently watching her work.
Although he was rough-tempered and impatient by nature, even he understood that this process could not be rushed.
So instead of interrupting, he quietly walked toward Kanae's bedside.
The room was silent except for the faint sound of her breathing.
As Sanemi sat beside her, memories slowly resurfaced within his mind.
The first time they met
Back then, he had merely been an ordinary Demon Slayer still climbing through the ranks.
Kanae, however, had already become the elegant and admired Flower Hashira.
He remembered waking within the Butterfly Mansion after a mission.
And the first thing he saw
Was Kanae's smile.
Gentle.
Warm.
Unbelievably sincere.
It was unlike any expression he had ever encountered before.
For someone like Sanemi, whose life had been consumed by hatred, bloodshed, and anger
That smile felt almost unreal.
As though it could wash away every ugly thing buried inside him.
Slowly, Sanemi reached out and held Kanae's hand.
Her eyes remained closed peacefully beneath the dim lantern light.
Sanemi lowered his head slightly.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he made a solemn vow.
"Kanae…"
"I swear…"
"I'll find a way to turn you back into a human."
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