Forging the Strongest Demon Blade from Demon Slayer!

Tamayo made a suggestion.

"Dawn is almost here. Let's go to the basement first."

Seeing the sun about to rise, Tanjiro came back to his senses and hurriedly replied, "Okay."

The group went down to the basement together to avoid the sunlight.

Inside the brightly lit basement,

Tamayo looked at Tanjiro before her and spoke calmly.

"We need to leave this place. Muzan Kibutsuji has already discovered it. If we do not relocate quickly, it will be very dangerous."

At that, Tamayo paused.

"One more thing, Mr. Tanjiro. Could you leave Miss Nezuko with us?"

As soon as she said that,

Tanjiro froze.

Yushiro's eyes widened as well, and even the corners of his mouth began to twitch. He looked exactly like someone about to lose his favor.

Tamayo paid him no mind and continued calmly.

"While I cannot guarantee Nezuko's absolute safety, she would still be far safer with us than on the battlefield."

Hearing that, Tanjiro nodded slightly.

His resolve had already begun to waver, for it was indeed true.

But when Nezuko clasped Tanjiro's hands, and he saw the earnest, unwavering look in her eyes,

Tanjiro already had his answer.

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Tamayo, but we will stay together and never separate!"

Hearing his resolute answer,

Yushiro let out a sigh of relief.

Tamayo could see Tanjiro's determination, so she said no more and simply replied serenely, "In that case, I wish you a smooth journey."

But Tanjiro suddenly remembered something and quickly bowed slightly. "I'm terribly sorry. I forgot to collect the blood of those two demons."

As soon as he said that,

Yushiro, who had remained silent until then, folded his arms and turned away. "I already collected it. You do not need to worry too much about collecting demon blood from now on."

Tamayo saw this, and a smile finally appeared on her lips, because it meant that Yushiro had finally acknowledged Tanjiro.

"Thank you so much."

As he spoke, Tanjiro flashed a brilliant smile.

He turned and left the basement with his sister Nezuko. After finding the box, the two set off on their journey once more.

As they walked along the small road leading out of town,

Tanjiro could not suppress his curiosity and asked,

"Ashura Maru, do you know who Yoriichi Tsugikuni really is?"

Lin Fan did not answer the question directly. "Who he is is not important right now. What matters is that countless demons will come looking for you next!

Prepare yourself."

As he spoke,

a Kasugai Crow flew down beside Tanjiro and said, "Southeast-southeast! The next location is southeast-southeast! Demons have appeared there..."

Hearing the crow's reminder, Tanjiro could not help but sigh.

The workload of a demon slayer was just too intense.

He had not stopped once since setting out.

After leaving the town, they traveled down a country road toward their destination.

Perhaps the distance was simply too great.

They walked from dawn until night fell.

On the dark country road,

Tanjiro sniffed lightly beneath the moonlight and suddenly caught the scent of demons. He immediately stopped.

He drew Ashura Maru from his waist and warily scanned his surroundings.

Lin Fan also sensed them and warned him,

"Tanjiro, three demons are lying in ambush directly ahead of you."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the three demons, seeing that Tanjiro still was not moving, emerged one after another from the darkness beside the road.

There were three demons in total.

One of them was an extremely large, fat demon built like a sumo wrestler. Its scarlet eyes stared fixedly at Tanjiro, saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth.

"Those hanafuda earrings... so you're the demon slayer that person wants dead. You noticed us so keenly. Your flesh must be delicious!"

Beside it was another demon crawling bizarrely along the ground. It had four eyes and a twisted, slick tongue hanging from its mouth.

It looked like a humanoid lizard!

It licked its tongue, making no attempt to hide the greed on its face. "You fat bastard, get lost! This prey is mine!"

"Do you want to die?!"

The sumo demon refused to back down and coldly challenged it.

The two demons were instantly at each other's throats.

Meanwhile, the female demon standing some distance away seemed much more rational. Looking at the two idiots who had started fighting among themselves before even attacking,

she curled her lips disdainfully and shouted sharply,

"What are you two arguing about? Capture this demon slayer first, then decide who gets him! What if he takes the chance to run away?!"

The two demons both thought that made sense.

The long-tongued demon spoke first.

"Kill this demon slayer first. Then whoever gets the head can depend on their own ability!"

"Fine, let's do that!"

The sumo demon immediately voiced its agreement.

The female demon looked at the two brainless fools and could not even be bothered to waste words on them.

"Delays invite trouble. Move."

Though she said that, the female demon did not act immediately.

Instead, the sumo demon simply lumbered forward, raising its broad, powerful arms.

Tanjiro's expression did not change. He adjusted his breathing, gripped his sword in one hand, and kicked off the ground, charging forward before leaping into the air.

Water surged from the blade.

"Water Breathing—Fourth Form—Striking Tide!"

The blade slashed like an incoming tide.

Facing that strike, the sumo demon still failed to sense the danger. Arrogant as ever, it raised both hands to seize Tanjiro.

"You chose to charge me head-on? Admirable courage. Watch me crush you to death!"

Unfortunately, the moment it finished speaking,

it only had time to see a flash of water before its head separated from its body and rolled across the ground.

This sight

immediately shocked the other two demons.

The long-tongued demon in particular turned and ran at once. What a joke.

Though it did not want to admit it, the sumo demon was about as strong as it was. If that strike had been aimed at it, it would have died as well.

Only an idiot would stay here.

But after landing, Tanjiro gripped his sword with both hands, spun his feet through an unusual step, and moved. "Water Breathing—Third Form—Flowing Dance!"

In an instant, he caught up to the long-tongued demon. Holding his sword in both hands, he slashed several times in quick succession. The demon did not even have time to scream before its body was cut into several pieces.

After doing all that,

Tanjiro paused, looking at his sword-holding hands in surprise. He had not expected to improve so much.

Still, his soaring strength was all thanks to Ashura Maru.

With that thought,

Lin Fan's ability activated again and fed power back to him.

Feeling the changes in his body, Tanjiro was delighted, yet he could not help feeling sorrowful. After all, his increased strength had been bought with these demons' lives.

Looking at the two demons' bodies as they began to fade away, he murmured softly,

"Thank you."

That completely baffled the female demon.

Was something wrong with this kid? He killed people and still fucking thanked them?!

Seeing this, Lin Fan could not help but marvel at Tanjiro's kindness.

Having witnessed it firsthand, he had to admit that Tanjiro was truly gentle to the core. But even as he reflected on that, Lin Fan did not forget to remind him,

"Stop feeling sad. There's still a female demon over there."

Hearing that,

Tanjiro came back to his senses and turned to face the female demon.

The female demon also began to take Tanjiro seriously.

Those two demons had made her understand something.

In close combat, this demon slayer was not someone she could handle.

She raised her slender right hand.

"To earn that person's approval, please die here!"

With a flick of her hand,

she sent an inconspicuous drop of blood flying straight toward Tanjiro.

"Before you die, tell me your name, demon slayer!" The female demon kept talking to herself, trying to distract Tanjiro.

Tanjiro was completely focused and immediately noticed the drop of blood.

Though he did not know what it did, he raised his sword in front of him, ready for anything.

Then,

a sudden change occurred. The blood droplet transformed and abruptly accelerated through the air.

Like a bullet, it shot toward Tanjiro.

The unexpected change caught him off guard.

Fortunately, Tanjiro had been prepared. He immediately held his blade horizontally before him and collided with the blood.

Sparks flew, accompanied by the sound of metal striking metal.

"Bang!"