When Tanjiro Kamado's consciousness once again descended upon this spiritual wasteland that belonged to him...
He noticed that the "decoration style" here seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
The volcanic ash that used to fill the air is gone, and the floor beneath my feet is now a smooth obsidian floor.
In the very center of the space,
[The Demon - Second Personality] is currently lying undignifiedly on a leather sofa.
He even crossed his legs, pretending to hold a "spiritual reading material" that appeared out of nowhere, using it to cover his arrogant face.
"Oh, isn't this our innocent, radiant, saintly 'landlord'?"
Before Tanjiro could even speak, the Demon Consciousness didn't even raise its head, turning a page of the empty newspaper in its hand.
"Why aren't you sleeping in your warm bed in the middle of the night? What are you doing in my dark, damp basement?"
"Could it be that this stoic guy named Giyu Tomioka finally drove you crazy, and you're planning to come to me crying about it?"
Faced with this merciless and sharp tongue, Tanjiro awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
In the past, he would definitely have been angry because of this attitude.
But after experiencing that "giant baby" argument that shattered his worldview, Tanjiro now looks at this second personality with no fear in his eyes.
"Um... actually, I came to discuss something with you."
Tanjiro sat cross-legged on the obsidian floor, his hands resting on his knees, his expression very serious.
"I want to... borrow some of your strength."
"Pfft--cough cough!"
Upon hearing this, the Demon Consciousness reacted as if it had heard the biggest international joke, and it immediately sprang up from the leather sofa.
???
His blood-red, vertical pupils were fixed on Tanjiro.
I watched for a full half minute, and then suddenly burst into exaggerated, maniacal laughter!
"Haha! What did I just hear?!"
"You stubborn fool who's always spouting 'I will never submit to evil spirits,' actually come to me asking for my power?!"
The Demon Consciousness was laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down its face.
He suddenly teleported, appearing right in front of Tanjiro's face, looking at him with an expression as if he were an idiot.
"Hey, you idiot, did that White-Haired Mad Dog outside beat you so badly you lost your mind?"
"What do you think my power is? Is it the cabbages Old Wang grows next door? You think you can borrow as many kilograms as you want?!"
Tanjiro was not deterred by his nasty attitude.
He met those blood-red vertical pupils without flinching; his wine-red eyes held an unprecedented firmness.
"I'm serious!"
Tanjiro's voice was firm and resounding.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to Mount Sagiri for hellish special training!!"
"Furthermore, Mr. Giyu told me that our Master has decided to send me as bait."
"However, with my current strength in human form, let alone facing Muzan, even if it were just any Lower Rank, I would only be a piece of meat to be slaughtered."
Tanjiro took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.
"I must become stronger! Strong enough to survive Muzan's attack!"
"As Mr. Giyu said, strength itself is neither good nor evil!"
"So... I've made up my mind, I'll stop running away from you! Since you were born from within me, then we are one!"
"Even just a little bit, please lend it to me! That incredible power!"
Listening to this passionate speech, full of the typical aura of a hot-blooded anime male protagonist.
If it were a normal elderly gentleman as a mentor, he would probably be moved to tears by now, stroking his beard and imparting all his knowledge.
However...
The Demon Consciousness, however, rolled its eyes at him as if he were an idiot, showing no mercy.
"Smack!"
The Demon Consciousness slapped its own forehead and let out a long sigh.
"I take back what I said before. You didn't just get brain damage from being hit; you were born without a brain."
He turned around, his back to Tanjiro, and his voice became serious, even carrying a chilling warning.
Do you think I don't want to lend it to you? Do you think I'm stingy with that little bit of energy?
The Demon Consciousness abruptly turned its head, its blood-red vertical pupils gleaming with an extremely dangerous light.
"Fool! You have no idea what kind of being is inside you!"
"My power isn't some laughable Breathing Style you humans use, something you can unleash by simply taking a few more breaths!!"
"Did you hear me clearly!"
"Every drop of my blood, every drop of my energy, is bound to the most vicious and irresistible absolute curse in the world—an endless hunger for human flesh!"
The Demon Consciousness looked down at Tanjiro with deep disdain in its voice.
"With your current frail, human physique—enough for anyone to take you down—plus your weak willpower..."
"If you dare to borrow even one percent of my demonic power!"
"I guarantee that the moment the power surges into your limbs and bones, that hunger will instantly overwhelm your reason!"
"You'll turn into a mad dog again, drooling and biting anyone you see!"
"By then, there won't be a second Demon Transformation Medicine Agent to save your dog's life!"
"That deadpan guy will slice you into pieces without hesitation and feed you to the wild boars in the back mountains!"
These harsh words completely extinguished Tanjiro's newly ignited passion.
"How so..."
Tanjiro sat on the ground, his face full of resentment.
"Am I destined to only watch this power unfold, forever unable to touch it?"
"..."
Seeing Tanjiro's pitiful and wronged appearance,
A barely perceptible hint of... annoyance flashed across the arrogant face of the Demon Consciousness.
"Hey, stop making that disgusting, almost-crying face."
The Demon Consciousness impatiently scratched its long, dark red hair.
I only said you can't handle it 'now,' not that you'll never be able to handle it.
"Why?"
Tanjiro suddenly raised his head, and the starlight of hope rekindled in his eyes.
"Listen up, landlord."
The Demon Consciousness coldly raised a finger.
"When will you finally get here? Just based on the strength of your human body and that lousy Breathing Style of yours!!"
"... able to reach what you humans call the 'Upper Rank' level!"
"When your willpower is strong enough to crush that cannibalistic hunger like ants under your feet!"
"Come talk to me about the 'borrowing' again."
The Demon Consciousness returned to the leather sofa where energy had coalesced, lay down arrogantly, and waved its hand with its back to Tanjiro.
"Before that, get your ass to that Mount Sagiri and work your ass off with that tattered body of yours."
"If you get killed by someone else during this time... I will then naturally and completely take over this perfect body to realize my divine ambition of ruling the world... Haha!"
Tanjiro wasn't angry at all; instead, he flashed a bright, sunny smile.
He stood up from the ground and bowed deeply to the back of the person lying on the sofa.
"Thank you! My other self!"
Tanjiro's voice was incredibly firm.
"I will become incredibly powerful! Powerful enough to accept your power with ease!"
"You just stay here and watch! I, Tanjiro Kamado, will never die on the path to becoming a strongman!"
"..."
"Get out of here! You're disgusting!"
Amidst the enraged cries of the Demon Consciousness,
Tanjiro's consciousness transformed into specks of starlight and completely withdrew from this spiritual space.
The Demon Consciousness, lying on the sofa, slowly turned its head, looking in the direction where Tanjiro had disappeared.
In his blood-red vertical pupils, a rare glint of anticipation flashed—a glint he himself didn't even notice.
"You brat... don't keep me waiting too long."