His father, Tanjuro, had always dreamed of building a shrine for the Fire God.
But money was tight, and he had a large family to support, so he had never been able to make it happen.
He would often hold young Roy and Tanjiro and sigh that he wasn't a worthy Believer, then pin his hopes on the two brothers. Once they were old enough, he said, they had to find the Fire God a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
It didn't need to be big or fancy. It just had to be in good repair and not make the Fire God feel unwelcome.
Standing before a shrine, Tanjiro looked up along the moss-covered stone steps and decided it was perfect.
It wasn't fancy or particularly large. It was quiet and secluded, and he was sure the Fire God would love it.
The boy tightened the basket on his back, turned to Roy, and said, "Nii-san, let's go in and pay our respects."
When you came across a shrine on the road, you were supposed to offer three sticks of incense if you planned to spend the night, and say a word of thanks for imposing. If you had no incense, you should kneel in earnest and thank the gods for taking you in...
Roy didn't believe in gods, much less ghosts, so he had no intention of paying his respects.
Pointing at the stone steps beneath their feet, he asked Tanjiro, "It's snowing so hard. Why isn't there any snow on these steps?"
"This shrine has a caretaker, so someone must be looking after it." Tanjiro looked delighted. "The caretaker is still clearing the snow this late at night, so he must be a hard worker. Nii-san... maybe we'll even get a hot meal tonight."
"We're the hot meal." Roy's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"?"
Tanjiro's expression changed. Before he could ask what Roy meant, he caught a sharp whiff of blood.
The scent was faint, but familiar—exactly like the smell he'd caught that day when he'd gone into the mountains with Roy to dig for coal.
That meant...
A demon!
Tanjiro's hair stood on end.
Roy glanced at him. At least the kid wasn't completely stupid. He climbed the steps and said calmly, "Come on."
"If we go in too late, we'll miss the meal while it's still hot."
Tanjiro's face flushed. With a shing, he drew the ax from his waist and gripped it tightly.
He was a reckless hothead by nature. In the original story, he'd smelled blood outside the shrine and still charged inside with Nezuko on his back. That was proof enough of his courage.
"Don't worry, Nii-san. This time, I'll protect you!"
The gleaming ax gave Tanjiro confidence. The foolish little brother swallowed and swore he wouldn't hide behind a tree this time!
"Sure~" Roy stepped aside, casually clearing the way for him.
Tanjiro: "..."
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
With no way out now, he gritted his teeth and charged inside.
Human history was really just a movie about overcoming fear.
Roy followed at an unhurried pace. A thin layer of Nen covered his eyes, letting him see what was inside the shrine before Tanjiro did. He recognized the demon at once.
It was the same demon from the original story, using the shrine as bait to prey on traveling merchants and wayfarers looking for a place to stay.
A number of people had reportedly gone missing nearby. This demon was clearly responsible.
It wasn't particularly strong—not like Sato Takeichiro, who had awakened a Blood Demon Art. But with a demon's powerful regeneration and its formidable physical abilities, it could easily terrorize the surrounding villages and dominate the area.
Crunch... crunch... The demon was enjoying its dinner.
The cold season was its busiest time.
Having a shrine to shelter from the wind and snow was obviously much better than sleeping out in the wilderness.
As luck would have it, a traveling merchant had "caught a hot meal"...
He was covered in blood, his head drooping as he sat beside a battered statue of a god. His innards had been ripped out, and his blood-slick intestines dangled from the demon's mouth as it chewed with gusto.
"What are you trying to do, my friend?"
"This is my dining room. It's rude to interrupt my meal."
The demon whipped around, its bloodshot eyes glaring straight at them.
Tanjiro stood frozen in the doorway, ax raised, staring blankly as it took one bite after another of its "meal." His stomach lurched, and he nearly threw up the dumplings he'd eaten at noon!
Swallow it. Don't waste all the hard work Mother put in this morning.
Step... step... Roy walked up the mottled stone steps and stopped beside Tanjiro.
The demon stood up and wiped its bloody mouth. It was thrilled. When it opened its mouth, a row of jagged fangs came into view!
"Two humans?"
"Wonderful... I love winter most of all. There's always more food than I can eat..."
"You sure talk a lot..." Roy held out a hand without changing expression and smacked Tanjiro on the back. "Go."
Caught off guard, Tanjiro nearly stumbled. "Ah... ah..." he cried as he charged forward, and then—
Bang! A knee strike sent him flying right back out!
Even the weakest demon had strength and speed far beyond what an ordinary person could withstand, thanks to the power of demon blood.
Tanjiro had seen Roy fight Sato Takeichiro. It had looked easy at the time... Now, he realized he'd badly underestimated the demon—and even more badly underestimated his Nii-san!
This thing is way beyond what a human can fight!
Tanjiro felt as if he'd been hit head-on by a charging bear. His whole body nearly fell apart... And when he saw the demon rush after him again, he forced a breath into his lungs in midair, raised his ax, and swung at its neck.
His instincts were remarkably sharp. That was one reason Giyu Tomioka had recommended him to Urokodaki Sakonji.
Spurt...
Blood sprayed out!
The demon landed, clutching its wound. Its neck had nearly been split in two. It stared at Tanjiro in disbelief and said, "An ax? Not bad."
"But a little wound like this will heal in no time."
As soon as it finished speaking, the bleeding slowed before their eyes. The wound began to close as if someone had immediately stitched it up.
The memory of Sato Takeichiro regrowing his severed arm was still vivid.
Tanjiro knew that unless a demon was killed, any injury it suffered would heal in an instant.
He suppressed his headache and pushed himself up off the ground. Gripping the ax handle tightly in both hands, he fixed his gaze on the demon and braced for its next attack.
Whoosh—
The demon moved, vanishing from Tanjiro's sight in a flash.
It gave him no time to react. Bursting in from his blind spot, it grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground!
Fast... too fast... I can't even track its movements. Tanjiro managed to fend off the demon's claws with the ax handle, but the monstrous strength surging from its arm still had him choking and rolling his eyes back. He was utterly helpless.
"Heh heh heh... You won't hit me a second time!"
"Come on, let's see if I can snap your neck!"
The demon tightened its grip, and Tanjiro nearly blacked out on the spot...
In that instant, his mind seemed to be struck by lightning, and countless thoughts flashed through it...
What do I do?
Should I call for Nii-san?
No... I said I'd protect him... How can I go back on my word?
But I'm about to die... If I die, everything will be over...
I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die...
Nii-san! Help me!
Before you continue