"Tanjiro... don't let the demons defeat you... please..."
That call, brimming with maternal love, may have truly pierced through that thick barrier of ghostly blood.
A faint glimmer of clarity miraculously flashed in Tanjiro's beastly, bloodthirsty vertical pupils!
His gaping maw was less than three centimeters from Kie's fragile neck.
A few drops of sticky saliva had even dripped onto the Kie's collar, but its fangs, powerful enough to bite through steel, remained frozen in mid-air.
"Heh... heh..."
Tanjiro let out a painful hiss, as if two souls were cruelly tug-of-war inside that body.
"A great opportunity!"
A hundred meters away, Giyu Tomioka's deep blue eyes narrowed.
He had no time or inclination to appreciate this heart-wrenching family drama.
In this critical moment where every second counts, any hesitation could result in the immediate fulfillment of the family bucket meal offer.
"Boom--!"
The frozen ground beneath Giyu's feet cracked open, and he transformed into a streak of deep blue lightning.
He channeled all his power directly into his right leg.
A deafening sonic boom echoed through the air!
"Bang!!"
The force of that kick was terrifying!
"Awoo--"
With a piercing scream, Tanjiro's body was sent flying.
While he was in mid-air, his body, which had been strengthened by the ghost blood, could not withstand the violent kick. Half of the bones in his waist and abdomen shattered inch by inch, and a large cloud of dark red blood mist burst out in the wind and snow!
"Thump!"
Tanjiro crashed heavily into a snowdrift dozens of meters away, carving a deep crater in the process.
Giyu landed steadily in front of the Kie, his red and white feathers fluttering in the cold wind.
"Madam, while maternal love is great, it cannot physically stop a fang."
Giyu didn't even turn his head back:
"Next time you encounter this kind of monster, I suggest running away immediately, instead of lying on the ground trying to win it over with tears."
Kie collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, still shaken, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Giyu's attention was completely drawn to the commotion in the deep pit in the distance.
"Clatter... clatter clatter..."
A chilling scraping sound came from the bottom of the pit.
Tanjiro, whose body had just been kicked in half, actually managed to stand up again, albeit unsteadily!
Those shattered bones and torn muscles were writhing at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye, almost instantly restoring to their original state!
Gone is the brief moment of clarity of humanity; Tanjiro, now standing tall again, is filled only with pure savagery!
"Roar--!"
Tanjiro let out a deafening roar at Giyu, the violent sound waves even causing the surrounding snow to fall in a flurry.
"This resilience is incredible!!"
Giyu's brows were deeply furrowed.
He activated the [Transparent World] without hesitation.
His gaze pierced through Tanjiro's skin and flesh, reaching deep into his body.
Upon seeing the flow of energy within the other's body, even the well-informed Water Hashira Master couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
Tanjiro's demon blood is practically a boiling nuclear reactor!
In less than half an hour since the transformation, the aura he exuded had already completely surpassed the level of Lower Rank Demon, firmly stepping into the realm of [Lower Hashira]!
Moreover, this aura is soaring at a rocket-like speed, rapidly transforming into a terrifying level of the Upper Rank Moon!
"We can't wait any longer, this kid's evolution speed is simply unreasonable!!"
Giyu forcefully pushed the hilt aside with his thumb, preparing to strike first.
"Total Concentration-- "
Giyu was just about to unleash his power.
Two forces suddenly came from both sides of his thighs.
Big brother! Please don't kill my brother!
Nezuko rushed over with tears streaming down her face and clung tightly to Giyu's left leg.
"Stop, you expressionless guy! He's my older brother! You can't cut him!"
Takeo also grabbed the right corner of Giyu's haori without any hesitation.
What Giyu devastated Giyu was...
Kie Kamado, who had almost been eaten as takeout, suddenly spread her arms wide and used her slender body to protect the evil spirit behind her.
"Mr. Giyu! Please, have mercy!"
Kie cried her heart out.
"Tanjiro just stopped! He didn't bite me! He must still have human consciousness! There's still hope for him!"
"..."
For once Giyu Tomioka's perpetually icy face revealed a rare expression of utter despair.
He took a deep breath and patiently explained:
"Tanjiro doesn't see you as a loving family anymore, but as delicious, luxurious family meal sets!"
"Get out of the way! Otherwise, we'll all die here!"
However, the inexplicable bond between family members was fully revealed at this moment.
No matter what Giyu said, the Kamado Family stood firmly in front of them, believing that their gentle eldest son could turn back into a human!
"Roar--!"
In those few seconds of tug-of-war, something unexpected happened!
Without any interference, Tanjiro's Demon King's Blood went completely berserk!
His muscles swelled up again, and dark veins ran along his skin.
A tangible, bloody gust of wind exploded from his body, and in that instant, his aura leaped into the [Middle Hashira] level without any bottleneck!
"Damn it!!"
Giyu's pupils contracted.
That mad demon completely ignored the family's good intentions!
With a powerful push off the ground, he transformed into a raging gust of wind, lunging headlong at Kie's outstretched arms from behind!
Sharp fangs gleamed with a deadly cold light.
Watch your back!
Nezuko screamed in terror.
"This is really troublesome."
Giyu snorted coldly.
Faced with this sudden betrayal, he didn't even bother to utter a single unnecessary word.
"Whoosh--"
His body suddenly collapsed on the spot without any warning.
Nezuko was clinging to his leg, and Takeo, who was tugging at his clothes, suddenly felt their hands go empty, only to find themselves grasping a handful of scattered water droplets!
"Water Breathing - Fourth Form-- "
Almost at the moment Tanjiro's claws were about to touch Kie's back...
The deep blue figure appeared between the two in a ghostly instant.
"Striking Tide!!"
Giyu showed no mercy.
The deep blue Nichirin Blade transformed into continuous, azure waves in the air.
These seemingly gentle ripples actually contain a terrifying sharpness capable of cutting through gold and jade!
"Hiss--"
Tanjiro's newly strengthened and terrifying body was as fragile as a radish on a Giyu board under Giyu's fluid and effortless attack.
His limbs were severed cleanly at the root by the azure blue water-like blades!
"Bang!"
Tanjiro, having lost all four limbs, crashed heavily onto the snow, turning into an angry, writhing human stump.
Dark red ghost blood sprayed all over the ground.
"Now, you can listen quietly."
Giyu, holding the dripping Nichirin Blade in one hand, glanced back at the still dazed Kie.
Blind trust cannot save lives!
"On the battlefield, the only thing you can do is not get in my way."
Seeing their brother turned into a human stick, Nezuko and Takeo were so frightened that they covered their mouths and forgot to cry.
However...
"Pfft--Pfft--Pfft--Pfft--"
Accompanied by four nauseating sounds of flesh being torn apart.
Tanjiro, who had crashed to the ground in the snow, had large amounts of blood and flesh gushing from the severed limbs.
It only took the blink of an eye.
Brand new arms and legs grew back from the severed area!
Tanjiro sprang up from the ground, unleashing a black, almost tangible wave of energy that instantly blew away all the snow within a ten-meter radius!
At this moment, the pressure emanating from him... had firmly reached the terrifying level of a [Upper Hashira]/[Upper Rank Demon]!
"???"
Giyu Tomioka was completely dumbfounded.
His usually calm, lifeless eyes were now wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets.
"Can one's cultivation level really improve this quickly?!"
Back in the day, how many times did he slash through the water beneath the waterfall to master the Water Breathing?
How many times was he injured?
But this kid did something else. He drank a mouthful of blood, and in less than half an hour, he went from a mortal charcoal seller to the Upper Rank level!
How could those Pillars who had practiced swordsmanship for decades possibly bear this?
Tanjiro, whose strength had surged dramatically, decisively seized this fleeting opening.
"Roar--!"
Like an ancient ferocious beast unleashed from its cage, he brought with him a surging wave of energy, his fists clenched tightly, and he slammed directly into Giyu's face!
It was so fast that it even left a piercing whistle in the air.
"Danger!"
Giyu's central nervous system was on high alert.
In the nick of time, those honed muscles instinctively outpace the brain's thinking, automatically making the optimal defensive move.
"Clang--!"
The Nichirin Blade was held horizontally across his chest.
Tanjiro's powerful punch, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, slammed solidly into the deep blue blade!
"Boom--!"
A terrifying recoil force exploded outwards from the two of them!
The raging red demonic Demon Aura and the deep blue light of Water Breathing intertwined and collided violently.
A visible circular shockwave shot straight into the sky, directly sweeping up half of the snow on the Mount Kumotori of Mount Ungo!
The immense force of their battle altered the local microclimate, converging into a raging blizzard in mid-air!
"There's no other way now, we can only..."
Giyu braced himself against the back of the knife with both hands, his boots sliding backward several meters on the frozen ground, a long-lost, boiling fighting spirit igniting in his deep blue eyes.