Starting with Demon Slayer, Becoming the Strongest Demon Blade!

Before the words had even faded.

Yushiro, his expression grave, immediately stepped in front of Tamayo protectively.

Hearing this, Tamayo understood that she had overthought things. She could also sense that Tanjiro bore no ill intent, so she calmly said.

"That's right. I am both a demon and a doctor. But what I want is the same as you: to destroy the source of all this, Muzan Kibutsuji!"

"But aren't you a demon too?"

Tanjiro remained unconvinced and looked at her suspiciously.

This made Yushiro, who stood before her, look extremely displeased as he scowled.

But Tamayo's expression did not change. Instead, she continued calmly.

"This is due to a personal grudge. I have also altered my own body. I do not need to eat people; I only need to drink a small amount of blood. Furthermore, I have freed myself from Muzan Kibutsuji's curse."

After hearing her explanation.

Tanjiro sniffed lightly and detected no lies, only a clear scent.

That was enough for him to believe that she could be trusted.

Tamayo glanced over the busy street and continued, "There are too many people here. This is not a suitable place to talk. Please come with me and leave this place first."

Tanjiro looked at the constant flow of people around them and only then realized it. He hurriedly replied.

"That's fine, but my sister is waiting for me on a street at the edge of town. Could you wait for me a moment?"

Tamayo answered with concern.

"Of course. Then let Yushiro go with you. Once you find your sister, Yushiro can bring both of you to my residence, and we can continue our conversation."

"Okay."

Tanjiro replied with a smile.

As for Yushiro, who had been standing in front of her, his face darkened. He quickly turned around and asked anxiously.

"Lady Tamayo, but your safety..."

Before he could finish, Tamayo waved a hand and interrupted him.

"Don't worry about me. Go on."

With that said, Yushiro could only obediently follow Tanjiro and leave.

Meanwhile.

Muzan Kibutsuji, who had left, came alone to a dim alley. That figure remained impossible to shake from his mind!

He muttered under his breath.

"Impossible... That man was clearly dead... This can't be possible. But how else could I explain that posture and those words?

Could it have been Tamayo..."

Muzan was utterly distraught, but he had calmed down somewhat. Facing the pitch-black alley before him, he suddenly said coldly.

"Whether it has anything to do with that man or not, that brat has already discovered my identity. I just need to kill him...

That's right, kill him!"

Though he said that.

There was only one word for him: cowardly!

Otherwise, he would not have hidden himself away and never shown his face while Yoriichi Tsugikuni was still alive.

Since he could not put himself in danger, he would send his subordinate demons instead!

There happened to be two nearby.

He would give them some blood and have them test the waters...

His usually sluggish mind suddenly became sharp, and he immediately summoned the two demons.

Are You the Blade's Master, or Am I?

Inside a dark alley.

Muzan snapped his fingers, and two man-eating demons abruptly appeared behind him, dropping to one knee.

Without turning around, Muzan said in a deep voice.

"Go kill the demon slayer wearing hanafuda earrings. Bring me his head!"

"As you command!"

The two demons answered in unison before vanishing from where they stood.

Meanwhile.

Elsewhere.

Tanjiro led Yushiro to a dim street outside the town.

Nezuko was currently sitting on a bench, drowsing off. Meanwhile, the owner of the noodle stall behind her frowned, looking deeply displeased.

Tanjiro's heart tightened at the sight. He hurried over alone, bowed slightly, and said, "I'm terribly sorry. Something urgent came up, so I had to leave for a moment. I'll pay the bill right away..."

But the noodle stall owner glared at him and angrily said, "Is this about money? You took one sip of the soup and dumped it on the ground?

You clearly look down on my cooking!"

Faced with the owner pointing and accusing him, Tanjiro said apologetically, "I'm truly sorry. Please give me another bowl of udon. I'll definitely finish it!"

Lin Fan watched from within the blade as Tanjiro ate his noodles.

At the same time, the system's notification for gaining emotion points rang out in his mind.

But they were all tiny amounts. Lin Fan had grown sick of hearing them. "System, can't you adjust or turn off these notifications?

It's really noisy when it keeps going like this."

After he said that.

The system responded.

"Ding! Notifications may be turned off or adjusted!"

Hearing that, Lin Fan asked.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

The system answered bluntly. Lin Fan was left speechless for a moment and could only say faintly, "Adjust the emotion point notifications from now on. Don't notify me for a single gain below one thousand."

"As you wish!"

The system adjusted the settings on its own.

Lin Fan then opened his personal panel. Looking at his emotion points, which were about to reach thirty thousand, he began considering which ability to unlock next.

Outside, Tanjiro wolfed down a bowl of udon under the owner's watchful gaze. Only then was he able to leave with his sister Nezuko.

They met up with Yushiro, who had been waiting nearby.

With Yushiro leading the way, the three of them left together.

They wound through the town's alleys until they reached a corner at the end of one alley, with paths on both sides.

Under Tanjiro's gaze.

Yushiro, walking ahead, cautiously scanned the surroundings from the corner of his eye before heading straight toward the wall in front of him.

Just as Tanjiro thought he was about to crash into it.

Yushiro's figure eerily passed straight through the wall and vanished from their sight.

Seeing this scene.

Tanjiro tried reaching his hand into the wall. He felt nothing there, and with one step forward, he easily passed through the wall with Nezuko behind him.

What came into view was a residence.

Tanjiro could not help exclaiming, "There's a residence behind a dead end?"

But Yushiro, who was walking ahead, turned around with a gloomy expression and said.

"Listen carefully. If you show any disrespect toward that lady, I will never forgive you!"

"Ah?... Okay."

Tanjiro froze for a moment before hurriedly replying.

Only then did the three of them push open the door and enter the residence together.

Before them was a brightly lit room.

Tamayo stood there, seemingly having waited for quite some time. Upon seeing them, she bluntly asked the question she cared about most.

"May I ask, do you know Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"

Hearing that name again, Tanjiro could only answer honestly.

"I do not know the person you mentioned."

Seeing Tanjiro's clear eyes, Tamayo could tell that he was not lying. Still, she continued to question him.

"Then why did you make that expression, and why did you say those things to Muzan Kibutsuji? Every movement you made was exactly like Yoriichi Tsugikuni in the past."

That hit the point. Tanjiro had no idea how to answer, so he could only ask inwardly, "Ashura Maru, how should I answer that?"

Faced with his request for help, Lin Fan was truly helpless.

He could only reply irritably, "Whatever you want. Don't come asking me about every little thing. Are you the blade's master, or am I?!"

Tanjiro nearly lost it.

But did Ashura Maru mean that he could say whatever he wanted?

With that thought, he looked at Tamayo before him, pondered for a moment, and came to a decision.

"The person who made that expression earlier was not actually me. It was the blade at my waist, called Ashura Maru, controlling me!"

Tanjiro had just confessed so directly and honestly, without hiding anything at all.

Lin Fan truly did not know what to say.

Still, it did not matter much to tell people like Tamayo, who were on their side.

But after hearing that answer, Tamayo's expression became somewhat blank. She even began to wonder whether Tanjiro was making a fool of her.

After all, a blade controlling a person was simply absurd.

Such a thing could probably only happen in the mythical tales of legend.

As for Yushiro, his face immediately darkened. He angrily demanded, "Are you making a fool of Lady Tamayo? Unforgivable..."

He made as if to teach Tanjiro a lesson.

Fortunately, Tamayo came back to her senses and immediately stopped him.

"Yushiro, stop. Do not use violence."

The moment she spoke.

Yushiro immediately suppressed the anger in his heart and obediently stepped back.

"I understand, Lady Tamayo."

Tanjiro also hurriedly explained.

"Though it may be difficult to believe, this is the truth."

His words were firm and did not sound like a lie.

Even so, it was impossible not to be suspicious. Tamayo looked at Ashura Maru at Tanjiro's waist and fell into thought.

After a moment, she asked.

"Then where did you obtain this blade? Could you let it control you once more? I would like to ask it some questions."