Suddenly, Nezuko's body began to expand and overpower him, Tanjiro silently apologized to his family for the suffering they must have felt in their last moments and begged his sister to remain human.
Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, Nezuko began to cry. Tanjiro and Nezuko were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a demon exterminator who suddenly attacked Nezuko from behind, but his attempt failed when Tanjiro pushed him away.
After recovering quickly, the swordsman asked Tanjiro "why he was protecting the Demon?" and Tanjiro desperately replied "that the creature was his little sister."
Seeing an angry Nezuko, the swordsman questioned this statement before quickly releasing the girl from his big brother's grasp.
As Tanjiro called out to Nezuko in alarm, the swordsman told Tanjiro "not to move and stated that his job was to kill the Demon."
The swordsman also listened to Tanjiro's attempts to defend his sister and explained their current predicament. As Tanjiro expressed his confusion with Nezuko's transformation, the swordsman commented that her change was easy to explain.
The swordsman said, "Every open wound bathed in Demon blood causes the person to become a Demon themselves, so their overall numbers increase."
Tanjiro exclaimed, trying to convince the swordsman, that Nezuko had not been eating people, but the swordsman reminded him that Nezuko had just attacked him earlier.
Bluntly telling Tanjiro that there was no way to heal someone once they had turned into a Demon, despite Tanjiro's continued pleading.
Tanjiro exclaimed, trying to convince the swordsman, that Nezuko had not been eating people, but the swordsman reminded him that she had just attacked him earlier.
Bluntly telling Tanjiro that there was no way to heal someone once they had turned into a Demon, despite Tanjiro's continued pleading.
As Tanjiro continued to plead for his little sister's release, the swordsman raised his sword to Nezuko's throat. Tanjiro then bowed before the swordsman and begged him to spare Nezuko's life.
Seeing that, the swordsman became angry and shouted that Tanjiro had no authority over who lived or who died, considering he was too weak to protect even his own family.
The swordsman also labeled all his talk about finding a cure for Nezuko's condition, which killed his family as ridiculous. Because neither the Swordsman nor the Demon King would honor such a pathetic show.
Finally, the swordsman demanded that Tanjiro prove his dedication to protecting his sister by drawing his axe.
While Tanjiro hesitated after hearing these words, the swordsman silently encouraged him to find the determination necessary to achieve all the noble goals he had set for himself.
Just as he was about to stab Nezuko in the chest, Tanjiro became angry and threw a rock at the swordsman.
The swordsman deflected the stone with his sword hilt and dodged other projectiles as Tanjiro attacked him with his bare hands.
Seeing the attempted attack as a simple act of emotion, the swordsman angrily thrust the hilt of his sword into Tanjiro's back, knocking him unconscious.
Upon awakening from unconsciousness, Tanjiro and Nezuko found his body wrapped in a clean cloth and placed a tube shaped like a bamboo muzzle in Nezuko's mouth.
Tanjiro wakes up to the apparition of his dead mother and siblings, once awakened from unconsciousness, the swordsman introduces himself as Giyu Tomioka.
Giyu Tomioka ordered Tanjiro to visit a man named Sakonji Urokodaki on Mount Sagiri and not to take his sister out in the sun, who then quickly disappeared.
"Hearing that story directly from Tanjiro's mouth was very sad...Tanjiro sometimes sobbed while telling it." El murmured for a moment.
***
After several hours of traveling from the city of Asakusa to the Demon Slayer Headquarters using his owl as a guide, El finally arrived at the Demon Slayer Headquarters.
It was not what El had expected when he was in Asakusa city. In front of the Demon slayer Headquarters, not a single Hasira greeted him with anger or annoyance.
In front of the gate and around it, El didn't feel a strong sense of human presence. There were only a few insects, birds and low-level demon slayers.
"From the Demon slayer Headquarters area there is no one who has a strong presence. Apparently, Hasira's job is very free, isn't it?" El muttered, remembering what a Hashira was in the Demon slayer world.
Hashira was the highest rank that Demon Slayers could obtain in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Those who hold the position are considered the most powerful and skilled fighters in the entire organization, protecting humanity from more dangerous threats that other Demon Slayers cannot handle.
Hashira, in accordance with their great power, hold the highest authority in the organization, second only to the Corps leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
All Hashiras are assigned a specific region that they must patrol, usually to gather information on the demons inhabiting the region and to improve their sword skills.
They are also assigned to carry out missions only if lower-ranking members are unable to complete them.
Each Hashira is an expert in Breathing Styles and some of them are even self-created.
Shortly after, El was approached by his owl. El shrugged her right arm, letting the owl perch.
"Shiro, what's wrong?" By now, the white-feathered owl had been named Shiro by El. This was merely a nickname, there was no way El would keep calling him this or that.
"Hoo! Long time no see, sir!" With its distinctive chirping sound, the white owl answered El.
"Yes, long time no see. What's up, do you have a mission for me?" El took the owl perched on his arm seriously.
"Mission, mission! There is a mission to collect weak demons in Fujikasane mountain." replied the owl while waving its right wing.
"Alright, I understand." El nodded his head slowly. "For the final selection test, right? Then show me where the weak demons are."
Shiro flew again, indicating the direction where the demons were. Having just taken one step, a system notification suddenly appeared.
Ding!
[Beyonder with serial number 120,000 triggers level A side mission, -Hashira's Task-]
___________
Title: Hashira's Task
Description : Collect 200 weak demons that will be used for the final selection test by prospective demon hunters.
Reward: 3 skill points
Punishment : none
___________
El frowned his head, seriously reading the mission description. "Isn't it too much? As bored or diligent as Muzan is, I'm sure he won't turn this many humans into demons in a day."
Suddenly, the image of Muzan manipulating her body into a Demon manufacturing factory flashed. "Huh? Why did I suddenly think of Muzan becoming a demon production factory?"
"But, the reward is skill points. This is very rare. Besides, all of this is also because of the A-level side mission." El muttered looking at the level of the side mission obtained.
Then El sighed. "Apparently, this will be a very long side mission. Because I might have to travel all over Japan."
With a single stomp, El's figure suddenly distorted. El seemed to disappear from reality, leaving behind a shadow that looked like a mirage for a few moments, before vanishing.
***
The night sky was black as charcoal. There were no stars or moon because it was covered by clouds. Currently, El was near a bamboo forest with 3 Kakushi and 2 Kanoe-level demon extermination corps members.
Kakushi were a unit of members who provided essential support to the Corps. The majority of them had no sword skills.
They wore the standard demon exterminator uniform, but the difference was that the Kakushi wore a black and white mask covering their face area, revealing only their eyes.
Kakushi members care for injured Demon Exterminators, ensuring quick first aid and safe transportation to the Butterfly Mansion for further medical treatment.
In addition, they performed the important task of clearing the battlefield and sewing the distinctive uniforms worn by the Demon Exterminators.
For now, their task was to deliver the demon that El had mutilated to Fujikasane Mountain to be used as a final selection test later.