Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 5 Explanation

Upon hearing the heart-wrenching cry, Yoshiyuki Tomioka immediately looked towards the direction of the wooden house.

He never imagined that there would be survivors.

And he finally remembered something he had overlooked: why this demonized boy hadn't eaten his family.

Initially, based on the scene, it was confirmed that this family had been transformed into demons by Muzan.

When he arrived, the boy was slowly turning into a demon and gradually stood up.

This was also the first time he had ever experienced a human turning into a ghost, so he stopped and watched the scene carefully, recalling some of his past experiences.

Even though the boy had completely turned into a demon, with his scarlet pupils surging with violence, he only stared intently at his family's remains and never made a move to devour them.

It wasn't until Tanjiro leaned forward slightly that Giyu Tomioka realized the demon's instincts were about to awaken, and he decisively launched his slash.

But now...

Giyu Tomioka's heart tightened. He was about to turn around to check Tanjiro's movements when he was shocked to find that the boy had already turned into a red shadow and was running towards the wooden house at a speed far exceeding his previous speed!

[Oh no! Living people have a fatal attraction to ghosts, especially a girl!]

He instantly understood Tanjiro's intention, and the seriousness in his eyes rose to its peak.

This boy's regenerative abilities have already surpassed those of a Lower Moon demon. If he were allowed to devour living people and further enhance his strength, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, Giyu Tomioka held nothing back.

"Complete Focus, Breathing of Water, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

He held his Nichirin Blade horizontally at his side, and the water vapor around him suddenly surged, unleashing the fastest technique in Water Breathing to its fullest potential.

The blue figure, like a surging torrent, caught up with Tanjiro, who was running at top speed, in the blink of an eye.

Tanjiro had already detected the aura behind him, which was filled with a sharp killing intent, thanks to his enhanced sense of smell.

He could sense from the smell that Giyu Tomioka meant no harm, but he dared not gamble.

I dare not gamble on whether this person will harm Nidouzi.

His sister's pitiful cry still echoed in his ears, and his instinct as an older brother made his heart clench, fearing that something might happen to Ni Douzi.

His deep-seated protective instincts erupted instantly, pushing his physical potential to its peak.

Tanjiro nimbly dodged through the snow, each turn and leap precisely avoiding fatal attacks.

Even as new wounds kept appearing on his body, and blood stained the snow, he continued to move closer to the wooden house without taking a single step back.

A hint of anxiety appeared on Tomioka Giyu's usually indifferent face.

Tanjiro didn't engage with him much, which prevented him from killing Tanjiro immediately.

Although several attacks had landed solidly on Tanjiro's body.

Tanjiro, however, preferred to risk being cut rather than slow down, and instead got closer and closer to the wooden house.

This is the first time since Giyu Tomioka became a Pillar that he has felt doubt about his own strength.

I am truly unworthy to be a pillar... If Sabito were here, he would never have allowed things to escalate to this point.

Self-blame and self-doubt surged into my heart like a tide.

But when the wooden door of the cabin came into clear view, he suddenly suppressed all distracting thoughts, his eyes turned cold and sharp again, and the Nichirin Blade in his hand emitted an even more turbulent azure halo than before.

"Complete Collection, Breathing of Water, Fourth Form: Tide Rising!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless water-like slashes swept towards Tanjiro. Amidst the rising water vapor, the surrounding wind and snow were temporarily pushed back. With a destructive force, they slashed fiercely towards the boy's back.

However, the next second, to his astonishment, Tanjiro tackled the girl who was about to leave to the ground.

However, his slash missed Tanjiro's head because Tanjiro was knocked down, and instead struck his back.

Giyu Tomioka stared wide-eyed at the back of the boy who was shielding the girl beneath him, and at that moment, a strange thought lingered in his mind.

[Is he... protecting this girl?]

……

Midouzi lay on the snow, the strong smell of blood lingering around his nose.

When she saw who was protecting her, her heart was instantly filled with shock, panic, and heartache.

The older brother in front of me was covered in blood, his clothes were tattered, and he had sharp fangs, scarlet pupils, and a twisted ghost mark on his forehead.

Everything about him spoke of his strange transformation, yet a trace of tenderness and anxiety remained hidden in his eyes.

"Brother...brother, what happened to you?" Mi Douzi's cries were broken and heartbreaking, tears mixed with snow water rolling down her cheeks, her eyes filled with self-blame and regret. "It's all my fault, it's all my fault for coming back so late..."

"Are you his sister?"

Giyu Tomioka slowly raised his Nichirin Blade, blood dripping from the tip. His voice remained cold, but with a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

Midouzi then looked up at him abruptly, and when she saw the blood-stained knife, she instantly hugged her brother even tighter.

With his other hand, he gripped the axe tightly in his arms, raising it tremblingly in front of him, his eyes filled with vigilance and anger.

"Who are you? Why are you hurting my brother!"

She didn't know what had happened, nor did she understand why her brother had become like this, but she knew clearly that the man in front of her was going to kill her only remaining relative.

As Yoshiyuki Tomioka watched Mizuko's futile attempt to stop a chariot, a complex emotion flickered in his calm eyes.

The next second, he suddenly teleported in front of the two of them.

Before Nezuko could even react or see what was happening, she grabbed Tanjiro by the back of the neck and yanked him away from her.

Then, before Nezuko could react or even see clearly, he pulled Tanjiro away from her, held him firmly in his hand, and stood a short distance away.

"Your brother has become a ghost." He stated the cruelest truth in the calmest tone, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Slaying ghosts is my duty."

The bean was stunned by this sudden turn of events and stood there for a moment.

When he saw his brother struggling in pain in Giyu Tomioka's hands, with blood still seeping from his wounds, he instantly snapped out of his daze.

She stood up abruptly, gripping the axe tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force, her voice trembling with tears yet unusually firm.

"No way! My brother isn't a ghost! He's just... he's just injured! Let him go!"

Her voice grew increasingly weak, and her throat tightened, making it almost impossible for her to speak.

Her brother's sharp fangs and scarlet pupils were constantly assaulting her understanding, but she stubbornly refused to believe it.

How could that gentle yet resilient older brother, who did everything he could to protect his family, have turned into a ghost?

"He came into contact with a monster that could turn people into demons, Muzan Kibutsuji."

Yoshiyuki Tomioka's voice remained calm and composed, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

"It was that guy's blood that turned him into what he is now."

He tightened his grip on Tanjiro, who was struggling wildly in his arms, and drops of crimson blood dripped from the boy's wounds, leaving tiny marks on the snow.

There was no superfluous emotion in her words, yet she laid the cruel truth bare before Midouzi, like a cold knife severing her last shred of hope.