Tanjiro, Where Are You?!

He stared blankly at the sky, his eyes devoid of focus, and weakly murmured in broken fragments.

"I finally... escaped... but I never thought... I'd still... die..."

Hearing that, Tanjiro immediately replied without hesitation, "I'm fine, Azhulomaru. Please save this person first!"

"You're the blade's owner, after all. As you wish."

After teasing him a little, Lin Fan replied with feigned helplessness and released Demon Power. Black mist formed into threads that wrapped around the young man's body.

As a large amount of Demon Power flowed into him, the young man's body began recovering at a visible rate. The bleeding stopped, and his wounds closed.

In only a few moments—

The young man, who had been on the verge of death, miraculously came back to life.

He looked as though he had never been injured at all. Only the bloodstained kimono on his body proved how severe his wounds had once been!

The young man hurriedly got to his feet, staring at his fully restored body in disbelief before dropping to both knees.

Tears streamed from his eyes as he said—

"Thank you... thank you so much..."

Seeing this, Tanjiro hurried forward and helped him up, smiling warmly. "Don't thank me. Someone else saved you. You should thank it instead."

The words were rather confusing.

The man did not think much of them.

At the side—

Heaven knew just how deeply this scene had shocked Zenitsu. It had completely shattered his worldview!

His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open.

He had countless questions he wanted to ask Tanjiro.

But Tanjiro stood up and first questioned the two children.

"Is he your older brother?"

Only after receiving a negative answer did he sincerely ask the young man before him—

"Could I trouble you to look after these two children?" As he spoke, he pointed toward the two children nearby.

The young man immediately patted his chest and promised—

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of these two children!" With that, he got up and walked toward the two trembling children.

Once all that was done—

Tanjiro turned to Zenitsu behind him. "All right, Zenitsu, let's go. There are still people inside waiting for us to save them!"

This time, Zenitsu, who was usually so frightened—

Hastily followed Tanjiro's footsteps, and the two headed toward the mansion together.

"Tanjiro, what was that just now?"

Faced with Zenitsu's confusion, Tanjiro had no intention of hiding anything. "That was the power of the blade in my hand, Ashuramaru; it can provide healing for injuries."

"Huh... what?! Could that sword be a demon in disguise? But it was under the sun..."

Zenitsu was completely numb. This was even harder to accept than believing Tanjiro had some special ability.

But after thinking it over, he became excited again.

"Then if I stay with you from now on, doesn't that mean I won't be able to die?!"

"If you die, Azhulomaru probably can't save you," Tanjiro corrected him.

"That's still fine!"

As they spoke, they pushed open the door and entered the mansion.

Before them lay a dim corridor.

As they walked through it—

Tanjiro's sense of smell was also affected, leaving him to ask inwardly, Ashura Maru, can you sense where that demon is located?

"What do you think?"

After asking that in return, Lin Fan continued, "Go straight ahead, then turn left."

"Okay."

Tanjiro followed the directions and walked ahead, while Zenitsu, who followed behind, could not help showing a fearful expression again.

"Tanjiro, this place is way too terrifying! What if a demon suddenly pops out later, sticks its tongue into my ear, and eats all my brains..."

Where Are You, Tanjiro?!

"Don't worry. It won't."

Tanjiro reassured him without even turning his head.

The two continued onward.

They walked through the corridor until, under Lin Fan's guidance—

Tanjiro was the first to enter a bedroom.

Zenitsu followed close behind.

The sound of drums rang out again. Tanjiro, inside the bedroom, hurriedly turned around, but the doorway they had entered through had already vanished.

And the drums did not stop.

With every strike, the room Tanjiro occupied changed, as if space itself had shifted. Yet it was not the room that moved—only the people within it.

Once the changes stopped, Tanjiro looked around and secretly analyzed the situation. "The room changes with the drumbeats. Was I the one who moved?"

His nose twitched as he sensed the scents nearby.

Inside the sword, Lin Fan gave him a warning at that moment.

"Watch the doorway. That demon is approaching us."

Hearing that—

"I understand!"

Tanjiro drew Azhulomaru from his waist with one hand, then gripped the sword with both hands and faced the wide-open doorway ahead, ready for battle.

Listening to the increasingly close footsteps, as well as the stench and bloody smell unique to demons filling his nostrils—

His hands tightened around the sword hilt.

But this also left Lin Fan somewhat helpless.

You brat, your sweaty hands are all over the hilt.

I'm really uncomfortable...

But given the situation, Lin Fan could not distract him. He could only endure it alone.

The next moment—

A massive figure appeared in the corridor beyond the doorway. It was none other than the former Lower Rank Six, Kyogai.

He was tall and powerfully built, with thick, smooth long hair draped over his shoulders.

There were faint patterns on his face. His blood-red eyes stared ahead, while five drums were scattered across his limbs and abdomen.

He opened his bloody maw, his fangs clicking as he said—

"Damn it! Because of them, one got away! Why does everyone love barging into other people's homes without permission?!

It really pisses me off!

And who knows where those two ran off to..."

Tanjiro, on the other hand, openly declared—

"I'm Tanjiro of the Demon Slayer Corps. I'm going to cut you down!"

Lin Fan wanted nothing more than to come out and slap him across the face.

Could you be any more straightforward?!

Ambush him! Cut him down!

But this successfully made the demon turn around. Its crimson eyes assessed Tanjiro, and then it suddenly seemed to remember something and blurted out—

"That appearance, and those earrings... That's right, you're that person!

As long as I kill you, I'll earn that lord's recognition. Then I can return to the Twelve Kizuki!"

As soon as he finished speaking—

One of his originally scarlet eyes suddenly shifted, revealing a blue iris. Yet words were clearly inscribed upon that iris.

They read—

Lower Rank Six!

However, two cracks ran across that eye.

When Tanjiro saw this—

His expression immediately changed.

He had heard of the Twelve Kizuki before.

They were the twelve strongest demons under Muzan Kibutsuji, each one exceptionally powerful. He had not expected to encounter one here.

Judging by the number, this should be Lower Rank Six.

But why were there two cracks in its eye? Recalling what it had just said, Tanjiro already had a faint answer in his heart.

Even so, this demon should be the strongest one he had encountered so far, aside from Muzan!

Tanjiro made his decision at once and gripped his sword with both hands.

"Water Breathing—Fourth Form—Striking Tide!"

Water flowed along the blade.

Tanjiro's body soared into the air, but just as his strike was about to sever Kyogai's neck—

Kyogai suddenly raised his right hand and struck the drum on his left shoulder. As the drum sounded—

The entire room began rotating to the left.

Tanjiro's body, suspended in midair, also uncontrollably fell toward the wall on the left.

Kyogai's body, on the other hand, was unaffected. He remained standing in the corridor and said in a low voice—

"Die, insect!"

One hand struck the drum on his abdomen.

The next moment—

Tanjiro sensed danger and immediately dodged.

The spot where he had been standing was torn apart by three invisible slashes, like the claws of a wild beast raking across the ground.

It's fast, almost synchronized with the drumbeats... But fortunately, my body can react quickly enough to evade it now.

Tanjiro rapidly analyzed the situation inwardly.

As for Kyogai, Lin Fan was recalling memories from before, but he did not offer any warning.

Mainly because Kyogai should not be able to defeat Tanjiro. This was a good chance to let him hone his combat skills.

Kyogai used both hands to strike the five drums on his body back and forth, rotating the room while launching attacks.

Tanjiro calmly dodged and observed, and for a time, the battle reached a stalemate.

Lin Fan watched the show from within the sword.

He could not help silently mourning Nezuko inside the wooden box. By the time this was over, she would probably be thoroughly shaken up.

Meanwhile—