Little Sun Tanjiro

"You again?"

The Hand Demon's enormous body trembled slightly, and its eyes narrowed. Its huge nose twitched forcefully at the air several times, making a wheezing sound like a broken bellows.

Then a piercing cackle, filled with mockery and malice, burst from its mouth, which split open all the way to its ears.

"Hee hee hee hee! Hahahahahaha!!"

The Hand Demon laughed until the fat all over its body shook, its arms waving wildly through the air as though it had heard the funniest joke in the world. It lowered its head and looked down at Kiyohiko as if he were an idiot, a piece of trash.

"I was wondering what was going on... Why has your aura gotten so weak? You're pathetically fragile, just like some low-level demon that was only born a little while ago!"

One of its arms shot out, its fingertip nearly poking Kiyohiko in the nose. Bits of flesh and blood from some unknown victim still clung beneath its fingernail.

"And... you're covered in the scent of those little rats! That's the scent of living humans! The scent of the food you should be eating! You idiot, don't tell me you actually went and saved people?"

Kiyohiko said nothing.

Tch, that might make me look a lot better, but why does that tone piss me off so much?

Seeing Kiyohiko stay silent, the Hand Demon laughed even more wildly, its voice as sharp as nails scraping a blackboard:

"Oh, this is killing me! Do you think you're playing house? Do you really think you're human? Look at your hands, look at your teeth! You're a demon! A man-eating monster! You made yourself this weak to save that food... Is your brain full of Wisteria?!"

The words struck the clearing like a heavy hammer.

Beside him, Tanjiro's eyes flew wide.

Even on a battlefield where life and death hung in the balance, even facing the enemy who had killed so many of his senior brothers and sisters, Tanjiro's red eyes still showed his disbelieving shock. He looked at the figure standing in front of him-the figure who clearly gave off a demon's aura, yet had put himself in danger to protect others.

"To... save people...?"

Tanjiro's knuckles went white around his Nichirin Blade. The sight resonated deeply with the beliefs he had always held. If there was a brother in this world who fought to protect his sister, and if there was Nezuko, who didn't eat people, then... wasn't it possible for a demon to fight to save people too?

[Current bond value with Tanjiro Kamado: 45]

Thanks to the Hand Demon's assist, Kiyohiko's bond value with Tanjiro had shot up without him saying a single word to him. At that moment, the corners of Kiyohiko's mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.

That's Demon Slayer's little sun for you, the most charming male lead there is.

Love you to death, Tanjiro.

"Hey, long-armed freak, you sure talk a lot of crap. It doesn't matter whether I'm human or not, but a guy like you, who grows arms instead of a brain and thinks eating people is the only fun there is, is definitely a monster through and through."

Kiyohiko suddenly spoke. His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was as punchable as ever. He raised his head and gave the Hand Demon the middle finger.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the hunger churning inside him, and spoke again.

"Besides, even if I've gotten weaker, that doesn't mean you've gotten stronger, does it?"

Before the words had faded, the Hand Demon's laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by an even stronger killing intent.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish! Once I chew you and this little fox up and swallow you both, I'll be back at my peak!!"

Boom-!

Dozens of arms came crashing down on the two of them like battering rams, filling the sky and howling as they tore through the air!

Faced with the thick arms raining down on him, Kiyohiko relied on his speed to dodge. Even when the occasional attack injured him, he merely patted the wound as if it were nothing.

Ow, ow, ow!

Kiyohiko was hopping in pain inside. So many arms, so many attacks, and seventy percent of them are coming at me. What's that supposed to mean?

Isn't Urokodaki the one you hate? Or that fox mask? What does any of this have to do with me?

"A-amazing."

Tanjiro looked at Kiyohiko and praised him.

"I can't fall behind either!"

"Water Breathing, second form: Water Wheel!"

Tanjiro's shout interrupted Kiyohiko's thoughts of cursing the Hand Demon's parents. The boy flipped through the air, bringing a ring of water around him that severed several of the approaching arms.

"Nice work!" Kiyohiko shouted encouragement to Tanjiro as he darted back and forth between the tree trunks like a slippery loach, drawing the Hand Demon's attention. "Hey! Long-armed freak! Are you trying to tickle me? Your aim sucks!"

The Hand Demon was thoroughly enraged. The arms that had been attacking Kiyohiko suddenly twisted strangely, tangling and merging in midair to form a huge cage of flesh that shielded it, instantly changing their trajectory!

"Die! You damned little bug!!"

It wasn't just an attack, but a blockade.

Tanjiro had just landed, his previous strength spent and his new strength yet to come. Before he could adjust his breathing, he discovered to his horror that deathly pale arms surrounded him on all sides, squeezing in like iron walls.

"Oh no... I can't dodge!!" Tanjiro's pupils contracted sharply as the breath of death rushed toward him.

Not far away, Kiyohiko caught sight of this out of the corner of his eye.

What the fuck?! This wasn't in the script?! Wasn't the protagonist's plot armor supposed to be invincible? How did this Hand Demon suddenly power up? This makes no sense!

Kiyohiko's heart skipped a beat. Reason told him that if he rushed over now, he would most likely be smashed to pulp along with Tanjiro, and that Tanjiro would probably be fine thanks to his plot armor. But what if? What if Tanjiro died just like that?

No matter what, Kiyohiko couldn't gamble with someone else's life.

With a cry of grief and rage, the muscles in Kiyohiko's legs bulged, and his feet stamped a deep crater into the ground. He chose not to attack, instead shooting like a cannonball straight into the cage of arms as it was about to close!

Squish! Squish! Squish!

The grating sound of flesh being pierced rang out.

At that critical moment, Kiyohiko stepped in front of Tanjiro. Three arms as thick as tree trunks pierced straight through his abdomen, left shoulder, and thigh, pinning him firmly in midair. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering Tanjiro's face behind him.

"D-demon sir?!" Tanjiro stared blankly at the sight before him, the warm blood making his whole body tremble.

"Cough, cough... pfft..."

Kiyohiko spat out a great mouthful of blood, his features twisting with pain.

This hurts like hell! This definitely isn't cool at all!

Kiyohiko didn't understand. How come, from the very beginning until now, the story hasn't followed my script at all?