“Mr.
Demon!”
Tanjiro tightened his grip on his Nichirin Sword, its tip trembling slightly.
He could smell it—the pure, animalistic hunger radiating from Kiyohiko.
“Tanjiro…”
Kiyohiko struggled to force the words out.
He had intended to tell Tanjiro to knock him unconscious while he could still control himself.
After that, he could slowly recover with time.
Unfortunately, before Kiyohiko could finish speaking, he heard a burst of hurried footsteps, followed by Tanjiro’s apologetic shout.
“I’m sorry!
But I can’t cut you down!”
What…?
That wasn’t what I was trying to say…
Immediately afterward, Kiyohiko saw something smooth, rapidly enlarging, and incomparably hard enter his field of vision—
A forehead.
Thud!
An incredibly deep impact, like a temple bell being struck, reverberated throughout the forest.
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
Kiyohiko felt as though his brain had been struck head-on by a Shinkansen traveling at full speed.
It was not pain.
It was his soul leaving his body.
His eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
His fangs bit down on his tongue, and his head violently snapped backward, carrying the rest of his body through the air in a graceful arc.
Huh?
During the final 0.01 seconds before he lost consciousness, a trace of confusion flashed through Kiyohiko’s brain, which had already been reduced to mush.
That wasn’t what I meant…
This isn’t how the script was supposed to go…
Thud.
Kiyohiko crashed heavily onto the ground.
His eyes rolled back, his tongue hung limply from his mouth, and he completely lost consciousness.
The terrifying killing intent and hunger surrounding him vanished the moment his consciousness faded.
Tanjiro crouched on the ground, clutching his swollen forehead as tears sprang from the corners of his eyes.
“Ow… Ow… A demon’s skull really is harder than stone…”
Zenitsu slowly poked his head out from behind the tree.
He looked at Kiyohiko, who lay motionless on the ground like a corpse, then at Tanjiro clutching his forehead.
His jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
He had heard the impact perfectly clearly.
That had been the sound of two sets of bones colliding.
And judging by what he had heard…
Tanjiro’s bones had won.
“Y-You…”
Zenitsu pointed at Tanjiro with a trembling finger.
The expression on his face gradually changed from terror to reverence.
“You really are the hardheaded guy!
You knocked a demon unconscious with your forehead?!
What is your skull made of?!
Steel?!”
Tanjiro rubbed his forehead and explained with complete seriousness.
“Mr.
I couldn’t kill him.”
“I’m sure he was about to ask me to kill him.
He really is an incredible person, but I don’t want him to die.
If he loses consciousness, he should be able to calm down.”
Tanjiro walked over to the unconscious Kiyohiko.
He gazed at this strange demon who had left himself battered and broken for the sake of complete strangers, then sighed softly.
Tearing a strip of cloth from his haori, Tanjiro carefully placed it inside Kiyohiko’s mouth as a gag, preventing him from biting anyone when he awoke.
“Zenitsu, give me a hand.
The sun will rise soon, so we need to move him somewhere shaded.”
“Huh?!
I have to carry him too?!
He’ll eat me when he wakes up!
He’ll definitely start with someone as young and tender as me!”
Despite continuing to protest, Zenitsu’s body was far more honest than his mouth.
He ran over while sniffling and prepared to lift Kiyohiko by the legs.
“Hey… Tanjiro…”
Zenitsu suddenly pointed at Kiyohiko.
“D-Did he just get smaller?”
Kiyohiko had originally possessed the body of an ordinary young man.
However, after exhausting his strength and falling into a state of extreme starvation, his body had instinctively entered a self-preservation state.
He had shrunk to the size of an eight- or nine-year-old child.
Curled up on the ground, he resembled a sleeping porcelain doll.
His clothes were now far too large for him, hanging loosely over his tiny body and revealing only a tuft of black hair and one pale hand.
“Yeah.”
Tanjiro’s gaze was gentle yet determined.
“This actually makes things easier.
Zenitsu, let’s build a wooden box and carry him with us.
Mr.
Demon is far too weak right now.
We can’t leave him here.”
It was obvious that Tanjiro had begun treating Kiyohiko like Nezuko.
“Even so!
We’re planning to take a demon to the end of Final Selection!
They’ll kill us!
A Hashira will definitely cut his head off!”
Zenitsu continued muttering in despair, but he nevertheless turned around and began searching for suitable wood.
[System Notification: Bond Level with Tanjiro Kamado has increased!]
[Current Level: Lv.
2.]
[Reward obtained: Physical durability increased by 30%.
Head durability increased by 50%.]
[Reward obtained: All attributes slightly increased.]
[System Notification: Bond Level with Zenitsu Agatsuma has increased!]
[Current Level: Lv.
2.]
[Reward obtained: Speed increased by 40%.]
[Reward obtained: All attributes slightly increased.]
Naturally, the unconscious Kiyohiko knew nothing about them.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
“Who’s there?!”
Tanjiro instantly became alert, placing one hand upon the hilt of his Nichirin Sword.
Zenitsu immediately hid behind Tanjiro, his chattering teeth loud enough to be clearly heard.
“Th-That…”
A young swordsman emerged from the bushes.
His eyes widened as he pointed at the half of Kiyohiko’s face visible beneath the oversized clothes.
“That demon?”
Tanjiro’s heart tightened.
He instinctively shifted to shield the person on his back.
“Please don’t misunderstand!
Although he’s a demon, he hasn’t eaten anyone!
He—”
“That’s him!!”
The young swordsman suddenly interrupted Tanjiro excitedly, his eyes instantly turning red.
He rushed forward and, beneath Tanjiro’s wary gaze, bowed deeply.
“It really is him… I recognize those clothes.”
“Last night, two deformed demons surrounded me.
I managed to kill them, but I nearly died as well.
Then he suddenly appeared and ‘absorbed’ my injuries.”
The swordsman then looked at Zenitsu.
“Oh, you’re here too—the blond kid who was following behind the demon while crying and dripping snot everywhere!”
“Hey!
Who are you talking about?!” Zenitsu shouted, jumping furiously.
The young swordsman ran a trembling hand across his completely healed chest, his voice choking with emotion.
“I saw how much pain he was in.
But I was too frightened, so I ran away immediately…”
“I regretted it afterward.
I thought he had already died.”
Tanjiro froze before revealing a reassuring smile.
“He isn’t dead.
He’s only exhausted.”
“I saw him too.”
Another voice came from behind a tree.
A female swordswoman with a scar on her face stepped out while supporting herself against the trunk.
Two injured candidates followed behind her, leaning on each other for support.
“My eyes… I was nearly blind.”
The swordswoman pointed at her clear, undamaged eyes.
“He placed his hands over them, and then his own eyes began bleeding.
Who would believe that a demon had done something like that unless they experienced it themselves?”
“You’re heading toward the finish, aren’t you?”
“I’ll go with you.”
The first young swordsman drew his heavily chipped sword and took his place on Tanjiro’s left.
“The Demon Slayer Corps might try to kill him.
I’m willing to vouch for him, but I’m afraid my word alone won’t be enough.”
“Count me in.”
The female swordswoman moved to Tanjiro’s right.
“I don’t know whether I’ll pass Final Selection, but a swordsman who refuses to repay a debt of gratitude is no swordsman at all.”