Giyuu held his bleeding finger above Hakuya's mouth, letting gravity do the work. Drops of blood fell onto the unconscious young man's lips. After several drops, Giyuu wrapped his finger, stopping the bleeding.
His expression remained stern as he watched carefully. Would Hakuya react to demon slayer blood? If he did, it would confirm demonic nature. If not... well, Hakuya was simply something unique.
Time crawled by. Hakuya showed no reaction whatsoever.
Finally, Giyuu allowed himself to relax slightly.
Tanjiro had remained by Nezuko's side, but he'd watched Giyuu's test with interest. He understood what the Hashira was checking for.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The agonized scream shattered the peaceful silence of the snowy mountain. Giyuu's hand flew to his sword hilt.
Hakuya writhed in the snow, his face contorted in unbearable pain. It felt like something was devouring him from the inside out—like his organs were being torn apart and consumed piece by piece.
He thrashed violently, his movements tearing his shirt to ribbons. Within seconds, his bare torso was exposed—and it had turned a deep, bloody crimson, as if he'd bathed in blood itself.
Tanjiro stumbled backward, his face pale with horror.
Even Giyuu, who'd seen countless demons and their victims, had never witnessed anything like this.
"Blood!" Hakuya's voice came out as a guttural roar.
Giyuu's mind raced. Blood? Was Hakuya transforming into a demon right now? But when had he been infected?
"Quick! Give me demon blood! I need demon blood!" Despite the overwhelming pain, Hakuya managed to speak coherently, clinging to the last shreds of his sanity.
He'd never imagined the Devourer transformation would have such brutal side effects. After using the power once, he had to replenish it with demon blood—or suffer this agony. What a scam!
At least it didn't require human blood. Otherwise, he'd be hunted down as a demon himself.
Come on, Giyuu, Hakuya thought desperately. Please understand what I'm saying! Brother, I'm begging you—figure this out, or I'm going to lose my mind!
Demon blood? Giyuu was utterly baffled. Why would Hakuya need demon blood?
"Hurry up!" Hakuya roared, his control slipping. "What are you waiting for?!"
He slammed his fist into the ground with enough force to send snow exploding into the air.
That display convinced Giyuu—there was no time to hesitate. He looked at Nezuko. She was the only demon present, the only source of demon blood available.
His decision made, Giyuu grabbed Nezuko and threw her toward Hakuya.
The motion was so swift that Tanjiro had no chance to intervene. He could only watch in horror as his sister flew through the air.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro tried to run after her, but Giyuu blocked his path.
"Don't be foolish," the Hashira said firmly. "The situation is unclear. Going over there now would be suicide."
"But—"
"This man fought to save your sister's life," Giyuu interrupted, his voice calm but authoritative. "He won't kill her now."
As soon as Nezuko was tossed toward him, Hakuya's heightened senses picked up on her movement. He leaped up and caught her mid-air. Unable to resist any longer, Hakuya sank his teeth into Nezuko's neck, leaving a strawberry-colored mark on her pale skin.
Hakuya was careful not to drain too much of Nezuko's blood. If he took too much and harmed her, he'd be in serious trouble himself.
With each drop of Nezuko's demon blood, Hakuya's condition improved. The blood-red discoloration gradually faded from his skin, returning it to its normal shade.
Sensing his recovery, Hakuya pulled away. When he lifted his head, he was startled to find Nezuko awake—staring at him with those wide, innocent eyes.
The surprise made Hakuya immediately push her away, his movements awkward and nervous.
After a long, uncomfortable moment, Hakuya realized how rude his behavior had been. He cleared his throat several times before speaking in an overly formal tone. "I apologize! That wasn't intentional. I had no choice but to drink your blood. Please don't take offense."
Then, remembering that Nezuko was a demon, Hakuya gave her a stiff, respectful bow.
Even after all this, Nezuko continued to stare at him blankly, like a living doll.
Hakuya decided to ignore her for now. He brushed the snow off his clothes and stood up.
Now that he'd returned to normal, the cold hit him like a wall. Damn, it was freezing! This was his first time being half-naked in the snow.
"Hey kid, take off your haori and give it to me!" Hakuya called out to Tanjiro. He was the only one Hakuya felt comfortable ordering around. Tomioka Giyuu had that intimidating, stoic demeanor—Hakuya wouldn't dare boss him around.
Tanjiro quickly removed his green-checkered haori and ran over to hand it to Hakuya.
"Thanks," Hakuya said simply, taking the garment and wrapping it around himself.
Once Hakuya was dressed, Tanjiro couldn't help but glance anxiously at Nezuko beside them.
"Is my sister alright?" Tanjiro asked.
Hakuya waved dismissively. "She's fine. I only took a little blood, nothing to worry about."
Hearing this, Tanjiro finally relaxed.
At that moment, Tomioka Giyuu approached and asked, "What exactly happened just now? Why do you need demon blood?"
Hakuya looked at the Water Hashira, shifted his stance, and explained, "My body has a unique constitution. Every time I enter that berserk state, I need demon blood to recover. It's the whole reason I became a demon slayer in the first place."
"What happens if you don't get demon blood?" Giyuu pressed.
Hakuya's expression darkened. "I'm tormented endlessly by something like a curse until I die."
This answer genuinely surprised Giyuu. He hadn't expected to encounter someone whose very survival depended on demons.
"If you rely on demons to survive, why would you bother saving one?" Giyuu asked, puzzled.
"You can see her situation is unique. Maybe she can help me break this curse," Hakuya said, offering a convenient excuse.
What Hakuya really meant was that as long as he completed his system mission involving Nezuko, he could move on to the next world—because honestly, he wasn't too fond of this one.
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P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)