Awakening and Returning, but the Inner Demon Remains!

"Pfft--!"

Warm blood splattered on my face, carrying a nauseating, metallic smell.

"No... stop! Stop it!"

Tanjiro the Scream desperately, but only a rough, beast-like roar could be heard coming from his throat.

He watched helplessly as "himself" opened its gaping maw, full of sharp white teeth, and mercilessly bit at his mother, Kie, who was standing in front of him.

That fragile neck was utterly vulnerable to the demon's fangs.

Nezuko cried out and rushed forward to stop him, but was mercilessly kicked away by "him".

Takeo held a fire poker in his hand, his face filled with despair and fear.

In this world, there is no deep blue water that cuts everything off!!

Only endless snow and a ground stained with irreparable blood-red despair!

"No--!"

Tanjiro let out a heart-wrenching cry.

He suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up from the bed as if he'd been electrocuted!

"Huff... huff... huff..."

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and cold sweat completely soaked through his thin hospital gown.

No wind or snow!!

No bloody smell!!

Tanjiro, still shaken, rolled his eyes, his gaze gradually focusing.

Beneath him was an incredibly soft mattress.

She was covered with a soft, fragrant cotton quilt.

This is clearly a comfortable guest room!

Moreover, judging from the faint herbal fragrance in the air, this is definitely not an ordinary ward!

"I... I'm..."

Tanjiro swallowed hard, his mind still a little foggy from just waking up from a terrifying nightmare.

He reached out his hands, trembling, and first touched his forehead.

Smooth and clean.

Immediately afterwards, he quickly put his finger in his mouth and ran it around his teeth.

It has no sharp fangs!

These are all human teeth that are perfectly suited for chewing rice balls!

"Great! I didn't eat the family bucket... No! I didn't hurt anyone!"

Tanjiro was so moved that tears instantly streamed down his face.

He covered his face, laughing and crying at the same time.

He succeeded!

That blue Demon Transformation Medicine Agent really worked!

He not only removed the Demon King's Blood from his body, but also preserved his dignity as a "human being"!

Tanjiro still feels a chill run down his spine when he recalls the feeling of being transformed into a demon.

In fact, he never lost consciousness during the entire process of becoming a demon!

He was like a prisoner forcibly locked in a "dark room" deep inside his own body.

He could clearly see everything happening outside, hear the sounds outside, and even feel the pain of his flesh being burned by the Red Nichirin Blade.

But he just couldn't control even his little finger!

The absolute control over the body was forcefully seized by the newly born "second personality"!

What Tanjiro found most shameful and devastating was not the loss of control over his body, but rather the sheer absurdity of his "second personality's" chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) level!

"Gods? Rulers? Pull out their tongues and feed them to the dogs?"

Tanjiro sat on the soft bed, covering his face with his hands, wishing he could dig an underground air-raid shelter out of the Butterfly Mansion floor with his toes.

"Using my body, he uttered such shameless lines to his mother and younger siblings..."

"And he was even pinned to the ground and slashed more than a hundred times by Mr. Giyu!"

"If I could, I'd really like to rush out and pin that 'me' to the snow and beat me up! It's so embarrassing!"

Just when Tanjiro was immersed in the joy of surviving the disaster and the crazy complaints about his second personality.

"Mortal, you seem to be laughing quite happily?"

Tanjiro's smile froze instantly, and every hair on his body stood up in salute.

That sound!

He'll never forget it for the rest of his life!

Isn't this just that extremely immature, self-proclaimed god-like demon's second personality?!

"You... how are you still in my mind?!"

Tanjiro was so frightened that he rolled and scrambled back on the bed, covering his head with his hands, completely gripped by extreme panic.

Hasn't the Demon Transformation Medicine Agent already taken effect?

Why is that demonic voice still coming?!

"Hmph! That cheap potion thinks it can destroy my will? That's just wishful thinking!!"

The voice snorted coldly in Tanjiro's Sea of Consciousness, carrying a condescending mockery.

"It only temporarily suppresses cell activity!"

"As long as even a trace of that divine blood remains in your filthy body, I will never disappear."

The demon's voice was incredibly seductive!!

"Don't resist it yet. Your frail body will crave that power sooner or later."

"Just imagine, a perfect body that has overcome the sun, absolute power that surpasses all swordsmen and demons! No one can resist such temptation."

The voice grew deeper and deeper, as if it possessed an indescribable magic.

"Sooner or later, when you encounter people you can't protect, when you face the desperate situation of being crushed by others, you will cry, scream, like a pitiful, lost dog..."

"--Begging me to come back!!"

"You're dreaming! Get out of my head! You big-mouthed idiot!"

Tanjiro covered his ears and, like a child arguing with someone, shouted back at the air.

"I don't need your kind of power! Besides, in the end, you were exhausted by Giyu alone! What makes you so arrogant!"

Strike the snake at its vital point.

Tanjiro's simplest retort precisely struck at the biggest sore spot of the demon's personality.

The voice in my mind paused for a second, as if it had been choked by this blunt truth.

"What do you know! I was just born then! I wasn't strong enough!!"

"If I ever run into that mudfish swordsman again, I'll definitely..."

"Splash--"

Just as the evil spirit was still spouting threats in its mind, trying to get revenge...

The wooden sliding door to the ward was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

"Who are you calling an idiot by talking to thin air?"

A cool, clear voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Is it the side effects of the Demon Transformation Medicine Agent that damaged your central nervous system, causing you to experience visual and auditory hallucinations now?"

"If so, I can call Butterfly over so she can check it again for you."

Tanjiro was startled and abruptly looked up.

Giyu Tomioka stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, his body relaxed against the doorframe!

Her deep blue eyes gazed silently at Tanjiro lying on the bed.

It was already late at night, and only the faint light of lanterns illuminated the corridor.

"Mr. Righteousness... Mr. Giyu!"

Tanjiro scrambled out of bed in a flustered manner, intending to get out and bow, but his limbs were still a little weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

He quickly waved his hand, his face turning bright red.

"No, no! I'm perfectly fine! I just... had a nightmare and was just trying to cheer myself up!"

"Oh."

Giyu nodded very calmly, seemingly not caring much about whether Tanjiro had a split personality or not.

He remained with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over Tanjiro's face, which had now fully recovered.

That violent Demon Aura has completely disappeared.

Standing before him now was just a charcoal-selling boy who had just crawled out of the jaws of death...

"It seems Miss Tamayo's medicine is indeed effective."

Giyu made a mental assessment, then stood up straight.

"Since your brain isn't damaged and your legs aren't broken..."

"... Get dressed and come for a walk with me."

"Huh? Now?"

Tanjiro paused for a moment, glancing at the pitch-black sky outside the window.

It's the middle of the night, and the wind is howling outside. Why go out for a walk?

Besides, isn't Mr. Giyu usually the least fond of interacting with people?

"If you don't want to, I can tie you up with a rope and take you out."

Giyu very seriously proposed a second alternative plan.

"No, no! I'll wear it right away! I'd love to!"

Tanjiro was startled and quickly grabbed a thick coat prepared by the Butterfly Mansion from the bedside and put it on.

He had no doubt that Lord Water Hashira was joking when he said he would be tied up and taken away, after all, this was a ruthless character who dared to chop him up like a human stick in the snow!

The arrogant, demonic voice deep within his mind wisely fell completely silent the moment Giyu Tomioka pushed open the door, as if it had encountered its natural enemy and didn't dare utter a single word.

Tanjiro put on his straw sandals and Giyu followed Giyu out of the ward.

The Butterfly Mansion was very quiet late at night.

The wounded had all fallen asleep, with only the occasional hooting of an owl.

Giyu walked slowly, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Tanjiro followed closely behind, his unusually sensitive nose twitching twice in the cold air.

He smelled a very complex scent emanating from the man walking in front of him.

Instead of the usual chilling murderous aura of someone ready to draw their sword at any moment, he exuded a sense of relief and ease.

"Mr. Giyu."

Tanjiro, watching that broad back, finally couldn't help but break the silence.

His voice trembled slightly, filled with deep guilt and lingering fear.

"Sorry..."

Tanjiro lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I failed to protect my mother and everyone else; instead, I became a monster and hurt them."

"If you hadn't been there, if you hadn't stopped me... I can't even imagine what I would have done."

Hearing Tanjiro's tearful self-reproach...

Giyu was walking ahead, stopped.

He turned around, his deep blue eyes appearing exceptionally profound in the moonlight.

He looked at the boy in front of him, who had his head down and a face full of self-reproach.

If it were any other pillar, they might say something comforting like, "This isn't your fault," or "You're a victim too."

But Giyu Tomioka would never make that kind of useless platitudes.

You really should apologize.

Giyu looked at him expressionlessly, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight.

"You're too weak."

"Because of your weakness, you cannot resist the blood Muzan infused into you;"

Because of your weakness, you almost killed the family member you most wanted to protect with your own hands.

"In the face of demons, weakness is the greatest original sin."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Tanjiro's head.

But Tanjiro was not defeated.

He raised his head, and in his wine-red eyes there was no resentment, only a tenacious spirit that grew stronger with each setback.

"You're right. I'm too weak."

Tanjiro clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

"But I will absolutely never let this happen again!"

Looking at the flame that had reignited in the boy's eyes.

A barely perceptible hint of admiration flashed in Giyu's eyes.

This is Mr. Tanjuro's son.

"Talking big is useless."

Giyu turned around and continued walking forward with his hands in his sleeves.

"Since you know you're weak, then go and become stronger."