In the raging blizzard,
two figures clashed and separated again and again, neither able to disengage.
Clang!
A teeth-rattling metallic crash rang out.
Inosuke's boots carved two deep trenches through the snow as he was forced backward, sliding more than ten meters before he barely managed to stop.
He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently.
The expensive clothes he wore were now shredded and tattered.
"So hard…"
Inosuke shook his numb wrists and stared fiercely at Giyu Tomioka.
So this is a Hashira's strength.
Even a few casual strikes carried an oppressive force so overwhelming that the young master who had rampaged unchecked through the Eternal Paradise Faith for thirteen years felt suffocated.
"I can't win against a Hashira… not a chance…"
On the opposite side, surprise flickered in Giyu Tomioka's eyes.
This boy… was strange.
He showed no trace of orthodox breathing techniques.
Even his grip on the sword was wild and unrefined.
Yet relying purely on instinct and brute force, he had forcibly received Giyu's Water Breathing attacks.
Especially that serrated blade—
every collision caused it to snag on Giyu's sword, disrupting the fluid continuity of his water-flow slashes.
"You—"
Giyu lowered his Nichirin blade slightly, the tip pointing to the ground, calm as still water.
"Why are you protecting a demon?"
"I told you—mind your own business."
Inosuke spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, crossing his twin blades in front of him.
"That guy still owes me money.
If he dies—or if his sister dies and he breaks down—who's going to pay me back?"
Giyu's eyes turned cold.
To him, this sounded like nothing more than a reckless excuse born of youthful bravado.
Talking about debts in front of demons? Absurd.
Giyu took a deep breath.
The air around him seemed to grow damp in that instant.
Total Concentration · Water Breathing · Sixth Form: Whirlpool Twist!
His Nichirin blade transformed into a massive spiraling torrent of water,
crashing toward Inosuke and the Kamado siblings behind him.
This strike was both an attack
and an attempt to forcibly blast Inosuke away with sheer pressure.
"Damn it!"
A wide-area attack like this couldn't be dodged.
"Then I'll take it head-on!"
Inosuke slammed both swords back into his belt and thrust his hands into his coat, drawing his twin fans.
Ice Breathing · Twin Fans · Tempest!
Using Devouring Clouds and Exhaling Mist,
he swung the iron fans at blinding speed.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The fans became afterimages in his hands.
Air was violently churned, snow ripped from the ground, forming a white wall of wind that slammed straight into Giyu's water vortex.
Boom!
Water and wind-snow collided.
The massive recoil hurled Inosuke backward like a cannonball, smashing him hard into a tree.
"Cough… cough…"
He dragged himself out of the snowbank, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted.
Glancing down at his fans, he saw that the supposedly indestructible cold-iron ribs were slightly bent.
"So this… is a Hashira…"
Inosuke grinned despite the pain, his fighting spirit undiminished.
"Strong to the point of absurdity."
On the other side, Giyu had also been stalled for a brief instant by that monstrous force.
And in that split-second opening—
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro, who had been knocked aside earlier, found strength from nowhere and lunged toward Nezuko's fallen body.
He threw himself over his demonized sister, shielding her with his own body.
"Roar!"
Nezuko snarled, her nails extending as she raised her hand to slash Tanjiro's back.
"No! Nezuko! Hold on!"
Tanjiro sobbed.
"Don't become a demon! Don't lose to it!"
Giyu frowned deeply and stepped forward to finish it—
Then stopped.
The feral demon girl, moments ago filled with violence,
shed two clear lines of tears upon hearing her brother's cries.
Her raised claws froze midair.
Her body trembled violently, as if she were struggling against her instincts.
After a long moment, Nezuko collapsed into deep unconsciousness.
"See? Poker face."
Leaning against the tree, clutching his chest, Inosuke spoke smugly.
"I told you—anyone who dares owe me money but can't even control themselves, I wouldn't have lent to in the first place."
Giyu fell silent.
His grip on the sword loosened slightly.
He had slain countless demons.
But a case like Nezuko's…
this was the first time.
"Go."
Giyu sheathed his blade and turned his back to Tanjiro, speaking coldly.
Tanjiro froze.
"Huh?"
"Go to Mount Sagiri.
Find an old man named Urokodaki Sakonji."
Giyu turned his head, his gaze passing over Tanjiro and settling on Inosuke.
"Tell him Tomioka Giyu sent you."
With that, his figure vanished into the storm.
"Tch."
Inosuke flipped his middle finger at the direction Giyu disappeared.
Only after confirming the Water Hashira's presence was completely gone did Inosuke finally relax, collapsing into the snow.
"I'm exhausted…"
"I–Inosuke-kun!"
Tanjiro staggered over, carrying the unconscious Nezuko, his face soaked with tears and gratitude.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!
If it weren't for you, Nezuko might've—"
"Stop."
Inosuke raised a hand, cutting off the emotional flood.
He pulled out a bamboo tube he'd prepared earlier and tossed it to Tanjiro.
"Block your sister's mouth."
He nodded toward Nezuko.
"She looks obedient now, but if she wakes up hungry and bites you like a rice ball, who do you think I'm collecting my debt from?"
Tanjiro hurriedly fitted the bamboo gag onto Nezuko.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his heart churned with emotion.
"Inosuke-kun… why were you here?"
Only now did that question surface.
"Passing through.
Collecting debts."
Inosuke brushed snow from his clothes and stood up.
He obviously couldn't admit he'd come specifically to save them.
"Tanjiro."
He looked him straight in the eyes.
"If that poker face told you to go to Mount Sagiri, then go.
That old man Urokodaki probably knows a thing or two—he can teach you how to kill demons.
"And someday, you might figure out how to turn your sister back into a human."
"Back into a human?!"
Tanjiro's eyes lit up.
"Is that really possible?"
"Who knows?"
Inosuke shrugged.
"But it beats standing here crying."
He pulled out several gold coins and forcibly shoved them into Tanjiro's arms.
"Take them."
"No! I can't! I already owe you so much!"
Tanjiro shook his head frantically.
"This is an investment."
Inosuke pressed Tanjiro's hands down, his tone domineering.
"The road to Mount Sagiri is long, and you're carrying a sister who can't eat normal food.
If you don't have money, what—are you going to beg?"
"Remember this—every coin must be repaid.
Principal and interest."
Inosuke leaned in close, flashing a vicious grin.
"When you become a Demon Slayer and start earning pay, I'll collect it all.
And if you dare default…"
He patted the twin blades at his waist—the ones that had just clashed with a Hashira.
"I'll use these to turn you into charcoal-grilled ribs."
Tanjiro stared at the heavy gold in his hands, then at the sharp-tongued but soft-hearted boy before him.
Tears spilled again.
He bowed deeply, his forehead nearly buried in the snow.
"Thank you… Inosuke-kun.
I swear I'll repay it.
No matter how long it takes—I will!"
"Enough. Don't wipe your snot on me."
Inosuke shoved him away in disgust.
He turned his back and waved casually.
"Get lost.
Before dawn—go.
"Demons can't face the sun."
Tanjiro hoisted the box containing Nezuko and headed down the mountain, glancing back again and again.
Only when his figure vanished completely into the storm did Inosuke finally look away.
"Phew…"
His face collapsed instantly. He bared his teeth and clutched his chest.
"That hurt like hell… that poker face hits hard.
Pretty sure I cracked a rib."
[System Notification]
[Host has successfully intervened in a key plot event and significantly altered Kamado Tanjiro's survival state]
[Evaluation: Identity as a transmigrator was not exposed, and a deep bond was successfully established]
[Reward granted: Special Item – Concealment Sachet]
[Effect]:
When worn, greatly conceals human aura or demonic presence.
Can even blur perception under the Transparent World.
An essential household item for double agents and undercover operations.
"Concealment sachet?"
Inosuke touched the small cloth pouch that had appeared in his chest pocket and sniffed it.
No scent.
That was exactly what made it terrifying.
With this, he could appear more like a demon before Doma,
and more like a human before the Demon Slayer Corps.
Even against Muzan someday—
this thing might save his life.
"Perfect timing."
Inosuke tucked the sachet close to his body and glanced in the direction of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
"I've been gone long enough.
Time to go report back to the old man."
He rubbed his face and put on that familiar, carefree grin again.
"I'll just say…
I didn't find anyone. Only picked up some scrap metal."
In the howling snowstorm, the boy carrying twin blades gradually vanished into the darkness.
And in his mind, a bold idea slowly took shape.
Since he now had the sachet—
Why not…
Go to the Demon Slayer Corps together with Tanjiro?
...
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