Achieving the Strongest Demon Blade, Starting from Demon Slayer!

Inosuke, on the other hand, was laughing wildly.

Seeing this, Zenitsu hurried over and asked, "Was it you who saved me just now?"

But Inosuke looked utterly confused.

Still, Zenitsu knew there was no time to waste.

"Never mind that. Let's hurry and save Tanjiro!"

The two rushed toward the sounds of fighting coming from the forest.

Before long,

they arrived at the battlefield.

At that moment, both sides had reached a critical point.

Tanjiro faced the two demons before him, gripping his sword in both hands, ready to strike.

The two demons opposite him made the first move.

The bat demon opened its bloody maw. "Blood Demon Art—Sound Wave Resonance!"

The female demon beside it followed immediately. "Blood Demon Art—Iron Manipulation, Chaotic Flowers!"

It was the same familiar pincer attack from both front and back.

Tanjiro responded calmly, but Lin Fan sensed something strange and urgently warned him, "Watch your footing! That one has activated a Blood Demon Art!"

Upon hearing that,

Tanjiro had no time to think and immediately leaped into the air.

"Thanks for the warning!"

From where he had been standing,

the ground suddenly split apart, and a pair of hands burst from the earth, reaching for Tanjiro.

At the same time, blades came slashing in from both sides.

"Oh no, Tanjiro's in danger!"

Watching from nearby, Zenitsu broke out in a cold sweat for Tanjiro, but it was already too late to offer support.

Inosuke had already drawn both his swords, ready to charge in.

But at that very instant,

Tanjiro hovered in midair, gripping his sword with both hands. "Water Breathing—Eighth Form—Waterfall Basin!"

With one downward slash,

he severed the pair of hands emerging from the ground, while a pillar of water surged skyward from below and wrapped around him.

The incoming blades could no longer advance through the water pillar, and even the sound waves were obstructed.

Within the pillar of water,

Tanjiro had already found his chance. He saw the Thread of Opening and expanded his lungs, pushing his breathing to its limit.

"Now! Total Concentration!"

Gathering all his strength into a single point, he violently broke through the water pillar, spinning and darting across the ground.

The three demons attacked at once, trying to stop him.

But Tanjiro blocked them all with sword techniques along the way. Once he closed in, he unleashed, "Water Breathing—Tenth Form—Constant Flux!"

His body moved like a swimming dragon, while rushing water gathered around his blade, forming a lifelike water dragon.

As Tanjiro's sword danced, the water dragon swept past all three demons in succession.

"That's impossible..."

The three demons ultimately failed to escape their fate of decapitation. The moment their heads flew into the air, their deaths were sealed.

Tanjiro sheathed his sword and, without the slightest hesitation, prepared to rush outside to save Zenitsu and the others.

But when he turned around, he saw Zenitsu and Inosuke standing in the woods, staring at him blankly.

Only after seeing that they were unharmed did Tanjiro finally relax and let out a long breath.

"I'm so glad you're both all right."

"Huh... huh?! Tanjiro, you're ridiculously strong?!"

Zenitsu hurried forward, completely shaken.

He knew Tanjiro was strong, but he had never imagined he was this strong!

Even Inosuke, who was usually poor with words, rarely offered praise. "You really are strong..."

Faced with the compliment, Tanjiro merely scratched his head and flashed a bright smile.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan, inside the blade, continued collecting Demon Power and feeding it back.

At the same time, the system notification sounded in his mind once more.

[Ding! Detected that Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji has felt fear. Obtained 1,000 Emotion Points!]

As usual, Lin Fan silently added in his heart,

Thanks, Boss Muzan, for the generous thousand Emotion Points!

To be honest, with Tanjiro's current strength,

Lin Fan felt that he could already fight the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki. With the demonification boost added on, defeating the lower-ranked Lower Ranks

shouldn't be much of a problem.

Still, looking at the Emotion Points he had accumulated again, Lin Fan felt somewhat troubled over what ability to unlock next.

Outside,

after the three regrouped, the Kasugai Crow flew back.

It began leading them once more.

As they walked along the country road, Tanjiro kept an eye on the two beside him.

Zenitsu was fine, but Inosuke clearly did not look uninjured. Thinking that it had all happened because of him,

Tanjiro could not stop feeling guilty.

"Ashura Maru, sorry to bother you. Please heal Inosuke."

They said practice made perfect.

He used to ask for my opinion so politely. Now he's getting straight to the point, huh?

Still, Lin Fan did not refuse.

"Fine. Put your hand on him."

Upon hearing that, Tanjiro suddenly placed his right hand on Inosuke's shoulder.

Inosuke abruptly turned his head and demanded, "What are you doing?"

"I want to heal your injuries. Please bear with it," Tanjiro replied honestly.

This also caught Zenitsu's attention.

He had been the last person to receive treatment. He had not looked closely last time, but this time, he absolutely had to find out what was going on.

As they spoke,

countless wisps of black smoke converged into dark threads that wound around Tanjiro's arm from the sword hilt and connected to Inosuke's shoulder.

Then Lin Fan began transferring Demon Power and activated his healing ability.

Inosuke, who had been about to resist, immediately quieted down. He could clearly feel the warmth spreading through his body.

The faint pain from his injuries gradually faded away as well.

In the blink of an eye,

once the black threads dispersed, all of his injuries had been completely healed.

Only then did Tanjiro remove his hand.

Inosuke examined his body, twisting himself into all sorts of difficult poses. "My injuries are all healed? Hahahaha... What was that just now?"

"That is my most important companion, Ashura Maru," Tanjiro answered with a gentle yet earnest expression.

Having seen the entire process this time, Zenitsu became increasingly curious about this so-called Ashura Maru.

That sword really had consciousness.

Did it have a human form? Was it male or female? Was it good-looking...

His thoughts drifted further and further off course.

Meanwhile, Muzan in Infinity Castle still wore an expression twisted to the extreme.

So he really had been hiding his strength!

No matter how many ordinary demons were sent, it would be useless. Then send a Lower Rank!

As it happened, a Lower Rank had already arrived nearby!

Can This Be Drawn Too?

Following behind the Kasugai Crow, Tanjiro and the others traveled until they arrived before a mansion in a village. Its gate bore a wisteria pattern.

The Kasugai Crow flapped its wings and landed in Tanjiro's hand before speaking. "Rest! Rest! The injured must rest until they have recovered!"

"But our injuries have already healed—"

Tanjiro had just started to speak when Zenitsu clamped a hand over his mouth from behind. "You idiot, we finally get to rest!"

As for Inosuke, he had no such worldly desires. He only had one thought right now.

How could he eat this Kasugai Crow?

Lin Fan noticed this as well. But it seemed Inosuke's Kasugai Crow had indeed never appeared before, so there appeared to be only one reasonable answer.

Inosuke had eaten it!

After being constantly busy for so long, Tanjiro was feeling somewhat tired as well. He could only close his mouth and obediently walk forward.

He knocked on the gate bearing the wisteria pattern.

Knock, knock!

At the sound of knocking, the gate opened a crack, and a frail old man emerged from within.

Tanjiro greeted him politely.

"I'm truly sorry to disturb you at this hour."

After seeing their clothing, the old man had already recognized their identities.

"You must be demon slayers. Please come with me."

With that, he turned around and led the three into the mansion.

They were provided food, lodging, and treatment from a physician. However, when the physician came to examine them,

he discovered that they were not injured at all. In fact, they were in exceptionally good condition. Even so, the Kasugai Crow did not bring them any new mission.

Late at night,

the three lay on tatami mats.

Zenitsu looked at Inosuke's uncovered face on the far right, his expression as twisted as if he were constipated. "Seeing that face of yours that looks like a woman's makes me feel sick."

"Who asked you to look?"

Inosuke curled his lip and snapped back.

But after that, an eerie silence fell over the room.

A moment later.