Kagaya closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. A thousand years! The Demon Slayer Corps had fought Muzan for a thousand years without so much as touching the hem of his clothes. Yet this boy before him had fought Muzan to mutual injury last time, and this time had not only defeated him head-on, but nearly killed him outright!
"You did very well, Rokuya. Truly... very well." Kagaya's voice carried profound gratitude.
"Don't praise me just yet. This isn't over." Rokuya pointed to Tanjiro beside him. "This is Tanjiro Kamado. Muzan went to his home to conduct some kind of twisted experiment. Tanjiro's mother and younger brother are safe, but his younger sister Nezuko-the girl in that bamboo basket-was injected with a large amount of Muzan's blood and turned into a demon."
Kagaya turned toward Tanjiro. "My child, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Master..." Tanjiro bit his lip hard, tears welling in his eyes, but he fought to keep them from falling. "I want to save my sister. I want to kill Muzan."
"So here's the important part." Rokuya stood up and folded his arms. "Although Nezuko has become a demon, even in a state of extreme hunger and frenzy, she didn't attack Tanjiro. Instead, she shielded him with her body to protect him from Giyu's blade. She has retained her human emotions, and she's replenishing her energy through sleep instead of eating people."
Kagaya frowned slightly, seemingly pondering this highly unusual phenomenon. "A demon who has overcome the instinct to eat humans... That truly is unprecedented."
"That's not all." Rokuya dropped one final bombshell. Staring into Kagaya's eyes, he said gravely, "Tanjiro's father, Tanjuro Kamado-the man who once gave me a meal and showed me the pinnacle of combat techniques on a snowy night... The Hinokami