We finally made it through the perilous mountain run.
Around noon, covered in mud and with his clothes torn to shreds, Tanjiro, looking like a refugee, finally rolled back to the open space in front of the wooden house, panting heavily.
"I... I'm back alive..."
Tanjiro rested his hands on his knees.
He was just looking for a place to sit down and catch his breath.
"Call--!"
A sudden, extremely sharp gust of wind attacked him from behind without warning!
"Too slow! Too little vigilance!"
Accompanied by Sakonji Urokodaki, cold shout.
A heavy wooden sword, carrying a terrifying force capable of shattering rocks, came crashing down upon him!
"Huh? We have to fight again?!"
Tanjiro was terrified and frantically raised his practice wooden sword to parry.
"Bang!"
A dull thud of wood striking wood rang out.
Tanjiro felt an irresistible, monstrous force surge down his wooden sword, instantly numbing his arms and forcing him to his knees.
"Your sword-wielding posture is too stiff! Your muscles are slacking off! Take this!"
Despite his advanced age, Sakonji Urokodaki's steps were as steady as a mountain, and his swordsmanship as sharp as water.
He blurred into afterimages around Tanjiro, his wooden swords raining down like a storm.
"Smack! Bang! Thud! Ouch!"
For the next half hour, Tanjiro completely transformed into a human-shaped spinning top.
He was beaten to a pulp by Urokodaki's wooden sword.
Shoulders, back, thighs, knees... there wasn't a single unscathed spot on his body; he had taken countless, merciless blows.
"Ouch! Grandpa Urokodaki hit me so hard! I feel like my bones are going to break!"
Tanjiro was in so much pain that tears were almost streaming down his face, but under this immense pressure, he still gripped the wooden sword tightly, desperately trying to see Urokodaki's attack trajectory.
Finally, as evening fell, the sun began to set.
The clouds on the horizon were dyed blood red.
Having endured the inhuman tortures of mountain running and sparring, Tanjiro collapsed on the snow, too exhausted to even lift a finger.
He thought today's torment was finally over and was fantasizing about having a bowl of hot radish soup that evening.
However--,
A pair of feet wearing straw sandals stopped mercilessly in front of him.
Giyu Tomioka, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looked down at Tanjiro, who lay there like a dead dog, his expressionless face devoid of any pity.
"Stand up."
Giyu coldly issued the order.
"Giyuu -Giyu... I really can't move..." Tanjiro pleaded weakly.
"Now, swing your sword three thousand times in place."
Giyu's voice was flat.
"If you miss one, you won't get dinner tonight and will have to sleep hungry in the snow."
"..."
Tanjiro was stunned.
Looking at that cold-blooded man, he felt a deep sense of despair.
However, recalling the vow I made in the hospital room, and the feeling of helplessness I felt when facing those pillars in the courtyard of the Ubuyashiki.
"I can't give up..."
Tanjiro gritted his teeth, used his wooden sword to support himself on the ground, and trembled and swayed as he slowly stood up again.
"One..."
Tanjiro gripped the wooden sword with both hands and swung it with all his might, unleashing his first strike.
"Two..."
Nine hundred and ninety-eight...
"Nine hundred and ninety-nine..."
When you swing it for the thousandth time.
Tanjiro's hand was raw and bleeding from the wooden handle, staining the rough handle red.
His arm muscles twitched violently from exhaustion, and he even began to experience intermittent blackouts.
"No... my hand is really going to break..."
"But... if I can't even endure this little bit of suffering, how can I protect everyone! How can I kill Muzan!"
His strong willpower led him to break through the encirclement!!
Just as Tanjiro was about to collapse from exhaustion!
Sudden!
A strange, unsettling feeling, like an electric current, coursed through his entire body.
His "demon body," which had been forcibly suppressed by the Demon Transformation Medicine Agent, unexpectedly displayed incredible potential under extreme pressure!
"Hiss..."
Tanjiro was shocked to discover this.
His own bloodied, lacerated hand stopped bleeding, scabbed over, and finally fell off within seconds, growing tough new skin!
Not only that!
His muscles, which had been aching so badly they felt like they were about to tear apart, were suddenly relieved by a downpour, as if a parched desert had been blessed with rain.
An incredible surge of heat erupted from my heart, instantly flowing through my limbs and bones.
In the span of a few breaths.
That despairing exhaustion vanished completely, and his arms were once again filled with explosive power!
"This... is this my body now?!"
Tanjiro stared wide-eyed at his unharmed hands, his heart filled with elation.
"Although it still retains human consciousness, this regenerative ability... it's practically cheating!"
With this almost superhuman resilience...
One thousand and one!
Tanjiro's sword-swinging speed did not slow down; on the contrary, it became faster and more ferocious!
The wooden sword made a sharp, piercing sound as it cut through the air, echoing through the silent, Mount Sagiri.
Giyu Tomioka, who had been standing by and supervising, saw this scene and a barely perceptible glint flashed in his deep blue eyes.
"The self-repair mechanism of demon cells, coupled with the extreme exploitation of humanity."
Giyu made an objective assessment in his mind.
"It seems that Tanjiro's durability far exceeds my expectations."
Late at night.
The cold wind on Mount Sagiri remained biting.
Tanjiro, dragging his seemingly broken yet energetic body, pushed open the door of the cabin.
Inside the room, a warm oil lamp was lit.
At this moment, the dim yellow light became the most healing glow in Tanjiro's eyes.
"Elder brother!"
They saw Tanjiro return.
Nezuko had been waiting at the door, immediately came to greet them.
She was holding a warm towel that had been soaked in hot water.
Looking at my brother's disheveled appearance, his face covered in mud, sweat, and even blood.
Nezuko's eyes welled up with tears of heartache.
She tiptoed and, with incredibly gentle movements, wiped the dirt off her brother's face little by little.
"Brother, you've worked hard."
Nezuko's voice was soft, gentle, and filled with endless concern.
"Does it hurt a lot today? You must be very tired."
Feeling the gentle touch of his sister's fingertips and the warmth of the towel, Tanjiro felt as if his heart was being soaked in a hot spring.
"I'm fine, Nezuko." Tanjiro gave a bright smile.
"You idiot brother, sit down already."
Takeo brought over a small stool and forcibly made Tanjiro sit down.
Although Takeo's expression remained arrogant, and he was still complaining,
But his hands honestly landed on Tanjiro's shoulders, and he began to diligently massage his aching muscles.
"Don't exhaust yourself on the first day up the mountain. I'll have to carry you back, and I don't have the strength for that," Takeo muttered.
"Yes, yes, thank you Takeo." Tanjiro enjoyed his younger brother's massage, his mouth practically stretched to the back of his head in a wide grin.
At that moment, Delia and Shigeru also came over from either side.
Each of them held a teacup and carefully brought it to Tanjiro's lips.
"Brother, have some water."
"My brother looks super handsome today!"
Looking at her younger siblings surrounding her, their eyes filled with care and admiration.
Feeling this unconditional family love.
Tanjiro felt that all the hardships he had endured, the sweat he had shed, and even the beatings he had suffered on the mountain that day had, at this moment, transformed into the sweetest reward.
"With everyone by my side..."
Tanjiro's psychological defenses were completely shattered by this force called "family affection".
Sudden--,
Just a second ago, Tanjiro was exhausted, looking like a dead dog with a tired face.
Suddenly, a huge light bulb lit up above his head!
"Bang!"
Tanjiro suddenly sprang up from the bench!
His sudden, startling movement startled Takeo, who was massaging his shoulders, and Delia was pouring water.
He erupted with an energy comparable to a volcanic eruption... ultimate drive!
Inside the small wooden hut, Tanjiro struck an exaggerated pose, pounding his chest wildly like a gorilla.
He roared at the roof with a powerful voice:
"I'm not tired!!"
"I don't feel any pain at all!!"
"As long as everyone is here! As long as I can see Nezuko and everyone's smiles!"
"Don't even mention a mere three thousand swings! Even if it's ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million!"
"I, Tanjiro Kamado, can definitely do it too!!"
This roar, brimming with passion and youthful exuberance, pierced through the thin walls of the wooden cabin and echoed for a long time in the Mount Sagiri.
And at this very moment.
Outside the wooden door.
Giyu Tomioka was just about to push open the door and enter the house to check on Tanjiro's progress:
???
The large hand reaching for the doorknob paused eerily in mid-air.
He listened quietly to the frantic roar from inside the room, which sounded like it had been injected with ten pounds of chicken blood.
Giyu's usually expressionless face twitched slightly in the moonlight, a rare occurrence.
Then.
He silently withdrew his outstretched hand.
He put his hands back into the sleeves of his uniform, turned around, and walked steadily toward his room.
Under the cool moonlight.
The demanding coach muttered something under his breath, in a matter-of-fact tone:
"Since you're so energetic..."
"Then tomorrow, let's increase the number of sword swings to five thousand."