Father Tanjuro always had a long-standing wish to build a shrine for Lord Fire God.
However, due to financial constraints and a large family to support, he was never able to fulfill it.
He often held young Roy and Tanjiro, lamenting that he was not a qualified follower, and hoped that one day, when the brothers were capable, they would find a place for Lord Fire God to shelter from the wind and rain.
It needn't be large, nor luxurious, as long as it wasn't dilapidated and didn't disgrace Lord Fire God.
Tanjiro stood in front of a shrine, looking up along the moss-covered stone steps, and felt this shrine was very suitable.
Not luxurious, not too large, serene and quiet; he believed Lord Fire God would definitely like it.
The boy tightened the basket on his back and turned his head to look at Roy and said, "Nii-san, let's go in and pay our respects."
Encountering a shrine on the road, if staying overnight, one should light three sticks of incense and say, 'pardon the disturbance'... if without incense, one must kneel and bow sincerely to thank the gods for sheltering them...
Roy didn't believe in gods or ghosts, naturally having no intention of worshipping.
Pointing at the stone steps underfoot, he asked Tanjiro, "Why isn't there any snow on these steps with so much snow around?"
"It's a shrine with someone watching over it; surely there's a shrine guardian." Tanjiro said happily, "The shrine guardian is still sweeping the snow this late, indicates a diligent person, Nii-san... maybe we might even have a hot meal tonight."
"We are the hot meal." Roy's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"?"
Tanjiro's expression changed, and before he could ask Roy what he meant, he suddenly caught the pungent smell of blood.
The scent was faint yet familiar, identical to the smell on the day he accompanied Roy into the mountains to dig for coal.
Which means....
Ghost!
"There's a ghost in this shrine!"
Tanjiro's hair stood on end.
Roy glanced at him, figuring the child wasn't entirely stupid, and started up the steps calmly, "Let's go."
"If we're late, we'll miss the warmth."
Tanjiro's face flushed, and with a "whoosh," he drew an axe from his waist, holding it in his hand.
He was essentially a hothead; even in the original story, having smelled blood outside the shrine, he dared to rush in carrying Nezuko, showcasing his bravery.
"Don't worry, Nii-san, this time I'll protect you!"
The bright, gleaming axe gave Tanjiro confidence, the foolish Mamen Beans swallowed hard, vowing not to hide behind a tree again this time!
"Alright~" Roy stepped aside, straightforwardly giving him a clear path.
Tanjiro: "..."
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Since forced onto the spot, he could only brace himself and charge in.
The history of humanity is essentially a film overcoming fear.
Roy followed leisurely behind him, his eyes covered with a thin layer of "Nen," already one step ahead, seeing the situation inside the shrine clearly, and recognizing the ghost's appearance.
It was precisely the Evil Ghost who used the shrine as a lure to hunt traveling merchants and lodging travelers in the original story.
He had heard about missing people nearby, apparently the work of this Evil Ghost.
His strength wasn't particularly strong, not like Sato Takeshi who had awakened the Blood Demon Art, but relying on the ghost's powerful healing ability and excellent physical qualities, he wreaked havoc in the village, easily dominating one side.
"Creak... creak...." The Evil Ghost was enjoying his dinner.
Cold times were peak season.
Having a shrine to shelter from wind and snow was evidently much better than camping in the wilderness.
Fortunately, a passing traveling merchant "caught a hot meal"....
He was drenched in blood, drooping his head, leaning against a broken deity statue, his organs gutted out, and blood-drenched intestines hung at the edge of the Evil Ghost's mouth, chewed relishly.
"What do you want to do, my friend?"
"This is my dining room, interrupting my meal is impolite."
The Evil Ghost suddenly turned his head, bloodshot eyes glaring straight over.
Tanjiro stood still at the entrance holding the axe, dazed at it eating "meals" mouthful by mouthful, his stomach churned, almost losing his midday dango!
"Swallow it down; don't waste mother's early morning hard work."
"Tap... tap..." Roy stepped on the mottled stone steps, came to stand by Tanjiro's side.
The Evil Ghost stood up, wiped his bloody mouth, extremely delighted; when he opened his mouth, it revealed a set of jagged fangs!
"Two humans?"
"Wonderful... I love winter the most, where there's endless food...."
"You do seem to talk a lot..." Without expression, Roy extended a hand, patting hard on Tanjiro's back, "Go."
Tanjiro was caught off guard, almost stumbled, shouting "Ah... Ah..." and rushed over, and then —
With a "bang~," he was directly kicked out by a knee strike!
With the aid of Ghost Blood's enhancement, even the most ordinary Evil Ghost possessed strength and speed that were hard for ordinary people to resist.
Tanjiro had seen Roy and Sato Takeshi fight before, thinking it seemed easy... now, he felt he had seriously underestimated the Evil Ghost, and even more grossly underestimated his Nii-san!
'This is simply not someone a human can fight against!'
Tanjiro felt as if he was hit by a bear charging head-on, his whole body nearly fell apart... watching the Evil Ghost close in again, he forced himself to take a deep breath in mid-air, raised the axe to slice towards the ghost's neck.
It must be said, his intuition was quite keen, which was also why Tomioka Giyu recommended him to Urokodaki Sakonji.
"Screech..."
Blood spurted out!
The Evil Ghost covered the landing wound on his neck, almost being chopped into two halves, staring at Tanjiro incredulously, "An axe? I'll give you that."
"But such a minor wound will heal right away."
As soon as the words fell, the bleeding visibly stopped, and the wound looked as if someone immediately stitched it up and showed signs of healing.
The scene of Sato Takeshi's severed arm regenerating was still vivid.
Tanjiro understood that as long as the ghost wasn't killed, no matter what injury it sustained, it would quickly recover.
He endured the headache, climbed up from the ground, gripping the axe handle tightly with both hands, keeping his gaze locked on the Evil Ghost, wary of its next move.
"Whoosh——"
The Evil Ghost moved, in a flash, disappearing from Tanjiro's sight.
Without giving him any chance to react, it rushed in from a blind spot of his vision, grabbed his neck, and pinned him to the ground!
"Too... too fast... I cannot catch his movement at all." Tanjiro barely used the axe handle to block the Evil Ghost's claws, but the overwhelming strength from its arms squeezed him to the point of rolling his eyes back, totally defenseless.
"Heh heh heh... I won't let you chop me a second time!"
"Watch me break your neck!"
The Evil Ghost unleashed a burst of force, nearly causing Tanjiro to lose consciousness on the spot...
At that moment, his mind felt electrified, sparking many thoughts...
'What should I do?'
'Should I ask Nii-san for help?'
'No... I promised I would protect him... I can't go back on that...'
'But I'm about to die... If I die, then it's all over....'
'I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die...'
"Nii-san! Save me!"