The Hashira's Judgment · Trouble Begins with a Swing of the Blade!
"Bang--!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa's figure moved with incredible speed, almost like a raging blue lightning bolt.
He didn't even bother to draw his sword; instead, he took a step forward and charged, his fist, as big as a casserole dish, accompanied by a sonic boom that tore through the air, mercilessly slamming into Tanjiro Kamado's abdomen!
"Puff--!"
Tanjiro's eyes suddenly bulged out, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
A large mouthful of blood mixed with gastric juices gushed uncontrollably from his mouth, creating a ghastly mist of blood in the midday sun.
"Snap! Snap!"
A crisp cracking sound followed immediately.
Tanjiro clearly felt that his two ribs had broken under that heavy punch.
His legs almost instinctively wanted to back away, and his muscles were screaming frantically to activate his Breathing Style for defense.
But!
Just as he was about to unleash the Sun Breathing to counterattack,
A calm, even voice echoed in his mind:
"Wait a minute, no matter what... you are not allowed to resist!!"
"No! Mr. Giyu said we can't resist! If I use Breathing Style to defend now, all my previous forbearance will have been for nothing!"
"Mr. Giyu must have his reasons for doing this..."
At this moment, rigid thinking suppressed the biological instinct for survival.
Tanjiro forcibly shut down the wisp of Breathing Style that had just begun to circulate within his body.
He allowed himself to become a complete human punching bag.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa saw that Tanjiro not only didn't fight back, but didn't even make the slightest defensive move, the anger in his eyes reached its peak.
"Stop putting on that pitiful victim act in front of me! You stinking monster!"
Sanemi laughed maniacally, like a deranged villain who had completely lost his mind.
His fists rained down like a storm, relentlessly striking Tanjiro's chest, shoulders, and cheeks.
Each punch was accompanied by a chilling cracking sound of bones breaking and Tanjiro's suppressed groan.
"Stop hitting! Stop it now!"
Kanae Kocho was standing not far away, instantly had tears in her eyes. She anxiously took half a step forward, subconsciously wanting to rush over and stop her.
As the medical director, she knew better than anyone that with Tanjiro's completely defenseless human physique, Sanemi's punches had definitely caused severe internal bleeding!
"Giyu! What are you doing?!"
"Are you really going to just stand by and watch him get beaten to death?!"
Sabito's eyes widened in fury. He turned around and roared at Giyu Tomioka, who was standing next to him.
His hand was already gripping the hilt of the sword. If Giyu showed even the slightest hesitation, he would immediately draw his sword, rush forward, and kick Sanemi away.
Even the usually shy Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, couldn't bear to watch any longer.
She covered her eyes tightly with both hands, tears streaming down her face through her fingers, and cried out in a sob:
"Waaaaah... This Shinazugawa is so horrible... That child didn't even fight back, why are you bullying him like this..."
However, faced with Kanae's anxiety, Sabito's roar, and Mitsuri's tears...
Giyu Tomioka:...
His hands were securely tucked into the sleeves of his differently colored haori, without moving an inch.
Not only had it not moved, Kanae and Sabito were even more shocked to discover that...
Giyu's expressionless face at this moment showed not even the slightest bit of sympathy or worry for Tanjiro; on the contrary, it carried a sense of focus that was even greater than theirs!
"What's going on? Giyu's eyes..."
Kanae froze, staring blankly at Giyu's profile.
At this moment, Giyu Tomioka's deep blue pupils did not reflect Sanemi, who was frantically beating Tanjiro in the real world.
Deep within his eyes, a dazzling, shimmering light, like that of crystal, was swirling wildly!
This is no ordinary Transparent World!
This is the highest level of application he realized after two years of arduous practice, mastering the three Breathing Style of water, moon, and sun—[Transparent World, Future Sight]!
It can predict real-life events that will happen within the next second to three minutes!
But at this moment, the Water Hashira Pillar activated this seemingly cheat-like skill not to protect Tanjiro at all.
He was protecting... Sanemi Shinazugawa!
In Giyu's mind, a tactical simulation comparable to that of a supercomputer was unfolding at breakneck speed:
"My Master's plan to break the deadlock is truly an absolutely insane script."
"Let Tanjiro be beaten in front of the nine Hashira, driven to the brink of death, thereby fully activating the perfect 'god-demon' gene hidden within him!!"
"Only by letting these ignorant Pillars see with their own eyes what an absolutely Perfect Lifeform is... can their stereotypical prejudice of 'demons must die' be fundamentally shattered."
"Therefore, I absolutely cannot draw my sword and intervene!!"
"Tanjiro must 'die' once for that demonic personality to awaken."
"But..."
A deep sense of helplessness flashed in Giyu's deep blue eyes.
"Once that evil personality awakens, his temper will definitely not be good."
"The more enjoyable Sanemi is now, the more gruesome his death will be later."
This is the real reason why Giyu activated [Future Sight]!
He must anticipate the trajectory of Demon Tanjiro's first attack after he awakens!
"If the demonic personality decides to kill, I must intervene and cut off its attack route!!"
"These troublemaking Pillars... they're such a worry!!"
Water Hashira's inner monologue at this moment was incredibly rich.
In the real world...
"Bang!"
With a final whip kick, Tanjiro was sent flying by Sanemi's kick, rolling more than a dozen times on the gravel ground before crashing hard into a stone pillar at the edge of the courtyard.
"Cough..."
Tanjiro was covered in blood, and he struggled to stand up again, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.
His vision was blurred by blood, and his internal organs felt as if they were being roasted on fire.
But he remained clenched his teeth, refusing to utter a single plea for mercy.
"Mr. Giyu said... no resistance... I... I can still hold on..."
Tanjiro's stubborn insistence, in Sanemi's eyes, became the most glaring provocation.
"Pretend! You're still pretending?!"
Sanemi looked at Tanjiro, who was lying there like a dead dog, and laughed in anger.
His expression twisted completely into that of a pure villainous madman, and he abruptly placed his hand on the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
"Since you enjoy pretending to be a weak human being so much, then I'll grant your wish!"
An intense killing intent flashed in Sanemi's eyes.
"No demon can survive having its head chopped off!"
"Even if you're not afraid of the sun, once your head is separated from your body, you're only fit to turn into ashes! Go to hell, you monster!"
"Clang--!"
The cyan blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, tracing a cold and merciless arc in the midday sun.
"Don't want--!"
Accompanied by Kanae and Mitsuri's piercing screams.
"Pfft!"
Caught completely off guard, Tanjiro had no chance of dodging this fatal blow.
The head with short, dark red hair spun and flew through the air, its blood flowing like a tragic red fountain, instantly staining the bluestone slabs of the Ubuyashiki garden.
"Gurgle..."
Tanjiro's head rolled into the dust a few meters away.
The headless body, like a puppet that has lost its strings, collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The entire venue was deathly silent!
"Ha ha!"
Sanemi flicked the blood off his blade, tilted his head back, and let out a hearty, villainous laugh.
"Did you see that?! Tomioka! Did you see that?! My Master!"
Sanemi pointed at the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood and shouted arrogantly:
"This kid is no miracle at all! He's just a pathetic piece of trash! Even if his head is chopped off, he'll still be dead!"
"The crisis is over! The Demon Slayer Corps doesn't need this time bomb!"
However,
Just as Sanemi was mocking and laughing wildly.
The world seemed to have been suddenly dragged into an eerie stillness.