Wouldn't This Be Wonderful?

Elsewhere.

Separated from the others, Zenitsu ran around the enormous mansion like a headless fly, his face full of despair.

"Tanjiro... Tanjiro, where are you? Didn't you say you'd protect me? How am I supposed to survive without you...

I'm so scared all by myself..."

As he spoke, he casually opened the door to a room and saw a muscular, eight-pack-abbed man wearing a boar's head inside!

The boar head turned to look at him as well.

Zenitsu was so frightened that he nearly jumped into the air, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"There's a boar-headed monster!!!"

The so-called boar-headed monster merely turned around, flashed past Zenitsu in a few quick movements, and left the area.

Leaving Zenitsu standing there alone, so terrified that his mind went blank. "Tanjiro... where are you?! I really can't do this without you!!!"

His whole body started twitching wildly.

Fortunately, he calmed down quickly and continued down the corridor.

Before long, however, he reached the end. Another door stood before him. After hesitating for a moment, he resolutely pushed it open.

Inside the room, he saw a boy clutching a drum to his chest, staring at him in terror with one hand ready to strike the drum at any moment.

Only after seeing that he was human did the boy refrain from attacking.

But before he could say anything, Zenitsu dashed over in a blur, crying, "I finally found someone! Can you protect me...?"

The boy: "Huh?"

In another room of the mansion.

Tanjiro and Kyogai had been locked in a stalemate, but Tanjiro had already figured out Kyogai's Blood Demon Art.

The drums on his body were the switches controlling the room's rotations. The drum on his left shoulder turned the room left, and the one on his right shoulder did the same in the opposite direction.

The drum on his abdomen launched three Wind Blade slashes, which could be predicted completely.

The drums on either side of his thighs controlled the room's forward and backward rotations.

Once he grasped the pattern, dealing with it was no longer so difficult.

How Wonderful Would That Be?

Just as Tanjiro thought so, Lin Fan reminded him, "Don't let your guard down. Have you forgotten that female demon from yesterday?"

With Lin Fan's reminder.

Tanjiro finally realized that the female demon had been plotting against him until the very end last night.

Then this Lower Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki was likely even more calculating!

Perhaps everything before his eyes had been deliberate, meant to lower his guard.

Thinking of that, he could not help feeling a lingering chill.

"Good thing you reminded me. You really helped a lot."

"Enough nonsense. I'll strengthen you next, so use your brain more!" Lin Fan replied irritably, releasing Demon Power to enhance him in every aspect.

"Got it!"

Holding his sword in both hands, Tanjiro charged at Kyogai in the corridor once more.

But halfway there, the room flipped forward.

With the ground vanishing beneath his feet, Tanjiro began to fall.

Kyogai struck the drum on his abdomen again.

Launching his attack.

Three straight slashes came flying at him. Tanjiro twisted his body to the side and drove his blade into the floor, steadying himself as he fell.

At the same time, he considered what he should do.

Seeing that he still could not take Tanjiro down, Kyogai grew even more frantic. "Wouldn't it be better if you insects just died obediently?!"

He spread his arms wide.

"Rapid Drumbeat!"

Can he get even faster?

The thought had barely arisen in Tanjiro's mind before Kyogai began beating his drums at incredible speed.

The entire room spun madly like a washing machine drum, while invisible slashes flew at him through the cramped space.

Tanjiro found it extremely difficult to evade.

But at that moment, he finally came up with a plan.

In this situation, there was only one move he could use!

Seeing this, Lin Fan increased his output of Demon Power as well.

Once the drumbeats slowed, the room gradually returned to stillness.

The floor was covered in sheet music.

Tanjiro lightly stepped through the gaps, avoiding the sheets. This also calmed the previously crazed Kyogai somewhat.

Seizing the opportunity.

Tanjiro took a deep breath. Holding his sword in one hand, he tensed the muscles in his legs. "Total Concentration Water Breathing—Ninth Form—Water Splash, Turbulent!"

His feet tapped the ground, sending sprays of water flying.

The splashes connected together, covering the entire room. Tanjiro moved across them as though walking on solid ground, his speed greatly enhanced.

In an instant.

He had closed in on Kyogai, then said.

"Your Blood Demon Art is truly powerful!"

Kyogai, who had always longed for recognition, froze. And in that very instant.

Tanjiro severed his head with a single slash.

Lin Fan did not even know what to say after seeing that.

If you called Tanjiro devious, he was the kind of person who would suddenly step out when no one was paying attention and shout that he was going to kill you.

If you called him innocent, he would strike directly at the softest part of someone's heart before taking the chance to finish them off...

Lin Fan was completely numb.

Of course, someone else was even more numb.

[ Ding! Detected that Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji has developed negative emotions. Reward: 1,000 Emotion Points! ]

Lin Fan said, "Thanks, Boss Muzan, for the 1,000 Emotion Points! What a generous boss!"

Outside.

After Kyogai's head fell to the ground, he stared at Tanjiro's back and suddenly asked.

"Is my Blood Demon Art really that powerful?"

"It is powerful, but I cannot forgive you for killing people." Tanjiro turned around and answered solemnly.

"Is that so?"

It seemed that Kyogai had finally received what he wanted: recognition from another person.

He let go of everything and waited for death.

But when Tanjiro came back to himself, he heard a cat meowing beside him. Looking down, he saw that it was indeed that calico cat again.

"You're here again."

This time, he skillfully took the folding knife from his backpack and stabbed it directly into Kyogai's body.

After drawing enough blood, he put it away.

"I'll leave this to you again."

The cat licked its paw, meowed once, and disappeared from his sight.

After Kyogai completely dissipated.

Inside the blade, a game notification finally sounded in Lin Fan's mind,

[ Ding! Detected that man-eating demon Kyogai has developed negative emotions. Obtained 1,000 Emotion Points! ]

"Demon Power gained this time: 500. Thirty percent will be given to the blade's master as Nourishment!"

As soon as the words fell.

Tanjiro suddenly dropped to his knees. Veins bulged on his forehead, yet his expression looked as if he were enjoying himself immensely.

At that moment, every part of him—his limbs, bones, and even his internal organs—was being comprehensively strengthened by Demon Power!

This enhancement directly raised his strength by several levels. He was no longer comparable to his former self!

Tanjiro nearly cried out in pleasure, but after the enhancement ended, he sheathed his sword and sincerely thanked him.

"Thank you, Azhuluo Maru. I've become even stronger now!"

Faced with his gratitude, Lin Fan merely replied calmly, "Don't let joy cloud your mind. Isn't your goal revenge?"

"If this little bit of strength is enough to shake your resolve to temper yourself, then I won't be polite..."

"I will never abandon my convictions!"

Tanjiro responded as though making a vow.

"It had better be that way."

After that final sentence, Lin Fan fell completely silent.

But in the very next moment.

The room, which had just returned to silence, suddenly had its rear window violently smashed open from outside. A figure burst through it.

The figure spun through the air and delivered a kick toward Tanjiro.

The sudden change made Tanjiro's expression shift. He hurriedly raised both arms in front of himself and took the kick head-on.

However, Tanjiro achieved a miracle through brute force.

He actually shoved the attacker flying backward.

Tanjiro felt his slightly numb arms and demanded.

"Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

After the figure landed, he spread his arms and gripped two chipped Nichirin Blades, laughing wildly beneath a boar mask.

"Hahahaha... This is the first time someone has sent me flying! The thing in the box on your back is a demon, right?! Move aside! I'm going to chop him to death!"

"Listen to me. The one in the box is my sister. She won't eat people, so..." Tanjiro tried to explain anxiously.

"Who cares about that? Your babbling is driving me crazy. If you won't move, I'll beat you until you do!"

The man ignored him. Before attacking, he stabbed his blades into the ground beneath his feet, then leaned forward and charged at Tanjiro at high speed.

Tanjiro refused to back down.

The two exchanged blows inside the room, fists and kicks colliding.

Looking over from within the blade, Lin Fan recognized him as Inosuke, one of the three young powerhouses.

Now the team was finally complete.

But that also meant they would apparently be meeting Ubuyashiki soon. That was where he would truly take off...

All this groundwork was meant to make the Demon Slayer Corps work for him.

Once the Demon Slayer Corps worked for him and Muzan rewarded him, how wonderful would that be!