The dim, shattered streets of the red-light district were filled with the stench of blood and the acrid smoke of burning ruins.
Tanjiro's heart pounded violently in his chest—so hard that he often feared it might leap out.
His grip on the Nichirin Blade had gone numb, while the blood from his split palms soaked his hands.
Despite the severe injuries wracking his body, Tanjiro paid them no mind.
His wide, unblinking eyes were fixed on the graceful yet deadly figure battling Zenitsu and Inosuke in the distance.
Daki, clad in revealing attire with an alluring figure, now held no charm to captivate men.
Her crimson claws, the terrifying ribbons swirling around her, and the overwhelming aura of brutality she exuded made it clear—she was no delicate courtesan.
She was a savage, merciless Demon, one who had devoured countless humans!
"Hah! No... I can't give up. I—I have to help them now!!"
Gritting his teeth, Tanjiro forced himself up with the support of his Nichirin Blade.
The wounds on his face still oozed blood, the warmth tinged with a numbing sting.
But the moment he stood, darkness nearly swallowed his vision.
Exhaustion and pain, as if conspiring, surged through his body in unison.
If his body could speak, every cell in his body would surely scream: Stop pushing yourself! You've reached your limit!
With great effort, he lifted his head just in time to see Inosuke brandishing his twin blades as he charged recklessly at Daki while roaring.
"Ugly freak! I'm gonna rip out every last one of your bones today!!"
Seizing the opening Inosuke created, Zenitsu swiftly crouched into a perfect iai stance.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Godspeed!"
Crackling with golden lightning, he swung his Nichirin Blade with thunderous force—only for Daki's golden eye to flicker.
The ribbons behind her writhed like living things, layering themselves into a dense shield before Zenitsu.
"Trying to ambush me?! You brats are still too weak!!"
By the time Tanjiro regained his focus, his two closest friends lay sprawled on the ground like broken kites.
Daki wasted no time.
Her lethal ribbons surged forth, poised to claim Zenitsu and Inosuke's lives—until, at the critical moment—
"Nggh!!"
CRACK!!
A furious grunt accompanied a devastating kick, snapping Daki's arm into a grotesque C-shape.
"You again, you traitorous little wretch?! I'll kill you first for Muzan-sama!!"
Daki's rage exploded as she lunged at Nezuko, who met her with equal fury.
"Nezuko! Zenitsu! Inosuke! No—I can't fall here! As long as I can breathe, I can still fight! Get up!!!"
Tanjiro's teeth clenched as a guttural, beast-like roar tore from his throat.
His body, moments ago on the verge of collapse, suddenly surged back to life.
Due to his intense struggle, Tanjiro's forehead bulged with terrifying veins, and even the flame-shaped scar on his forehead became distorted.
Swish!
Raising his Nichirin Blade high, Tanjiro charged toward Daki at full speed!
Watching as Daki viciously grabbed Nezuko's arms and mercilessly tore one off, Tanjiro's eyes nearly burst with rage.
The Nichirin Blade in his hand regained its weight.
"Move—damn it!!!"
The veins on his forehead swelled like coiling dragons, and the old flame-shaped scar burned as hot as a branding iron, as if magma surged beneath his skin.
Consumed by fury, Tanjiro lunged straight for Daki's neck without hesitation.
Sensing the killing intent from behind her, Daki snarled in irritation.
"Annoying pests!"
But she could no longer focus on Nezuko.
The crimson ribbons swirling around her instantly retracted, forming layers upon layers of an impenetrable scarlet shield behind her, like a swarm of loyal venomous snakes!
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!!"
Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade gleamed with a dazzling blue light, transforming into a swirling torrent like a roaring dragon!
It clashed and slashed madly against the resilient ribbons.
Rip! Tear! Splatter!
Shredded fabric fragments scattered like a bloody rain!
The already injured flesh of Tanjiro's palms split open again, blood streaming down the hilt and staining the guard crimson.
Yet, gritting his teeth, he pushed the spinning blade deeper against the immense resistance.
His world narrowed to the spinning Nichirin Blade, the torn ribbons, and the monstrous face behind the shield wall.
"Give up, brat! I can see it—your life flickers like a firefly! It'll be gone in an instant!" Daki cackled with savage glee.
But at that moment, two figures rushed to Tanjiro's side almost simultaneously.
Bam! Crack!!
A Nichirin Blade crackling with lightning and a pair of jagged, ice-cold blades—Zenitsu and Inosuke shielded Tanjiro, blocking all of Daki's ribbons in perfect sync.
"Tanjiro!!"
"Manjurou! Go for it!!"
"You damn brats?! Are you kidding me?!" Daki's face twisted with rage, but in that split second, Tanjiro seized the opportunity.
Leaping high, he vaulted over the ribbon shield and swung his Nichirin Blade down at Daki with all his might.
Clang!!
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
Tanjiro's pupils shrank—his blade was caught in Daki's clawed grip!
Her cold eyes brimmed with disdain and cruelty.
"Wishful thinking!"
In an instant, Tanjiro's strength began to leave his body and his vision blurred.
'Is this my limit? Is this as far as I go?'
Suddenly, all sound in the world vanished for Tanjiro.
Yet in that absolute silence, an inexplicable voice spoke—gentle yet commanding.
"Tanjiro, open your eyes. You cannot fall yet. Nezuko, your comrades—they need you. Open your eyes, Tanjiro!"
"Father?"
Swish!
His blurred vision sharpened once more.
In that instant—a scalding torrent erupted from the depths of Tanjiro's heart, from the very core of his soul!
"Thud—!!!"
A dull heartbeat, like an ancient war drum, exploded with crystal clarity in his own ears!
Then came the second, the third...
The sound of his heartbeat instantly turned into a frenzied storm, each pulse pumping forth scorching power akin to volcanic lava, surging through his nearly depleted veins!
Agony!
As if every bone in his body was being shattered and reforged!
Burning!
His organs felt as though they had been cast into a furnace!
Yet, accompanying it was an unprecedented surge of strength!
Like a slumbering volcano violently awakened!
Right where Tanjiro's flame-shaped scar lay on his forehead—hiss!
A sinister yet blazing flame-like pattern abruptly emerged!
The markings writhed like living things beneath his skin, as if real flames were dancing and flickering!
Tanjiro's body erupted with astonishing heat, instantly vaporizing the sweat on his forehead!
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the entire battlefield was drawn to this boy.
Swish!
Shinichi instantly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence and whipped his head around.
An inexplicable panic surged within him—not his own fear, but the terror of the demon blood within him, or rather, the revival of a force capable of striking dread into all demons!
For the first time in a thousand years, humanity's strongest power—the Demon Slayer Mark—had awakened.
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