"Inosuke!!!"
Tanjiro's voice tore through the forest.
He no longer cared about the broken blade in his hand.
"Tanjiro…"
Inosuke tried to lift his head, but his body wouldn't obey him. He couldn't even rise from the ground.
Rui watched them expressionlessly.
They weren't family.
So why were they protecting each other?
"Why?" Rui asked coldly. "You're not family. Why help each other? At a time like this, shouldn't you run? Isn't your own life the most important thing?"
Tanjiro supported Inosuke, fury blazing in his eyes.
"So what if we're not family?! We're friends! We're brothers! We're comrades who fight side by side! We fight together!"
Rui let out a faint laugh.
In his eyes, true bonds only existed between family members.
Anything else was temporary. Fragile. Meaningless.
"Then show me," Rui said softly. "Show me what that bond looks like."
Transparent threads shot toward them.
Tanjiro tightened his grip on the broken blade.
Think. Think fast!
"Total Concentration… Water Breathing!"
His blood surged through his veins, empowered by the rhythm of his breathing.
He had learned something during their exchanges—
The threads changed scent just before they struck.
His breathing couldn't falter.
Steady, Tanjiro. Steady.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Even with a broken blade, if he could enter Rui's range—
If he could just close the distance—
"Do you really think there's any point continuing?" Rui's voice dripped with disdain. "Compared to the bond between my family, yours is insignificant."
The threads moved like living things, slicing shallow wounds across Tanjiro's body.
"Your so-called bond is what's insignificant!" Tanjiro roared back.
Rui's eyes darkened instantly.
Insignificant?
He dared say that about his family?
"Then die."
His voice turned icy.
"I'll shred you—and your precious companions—into pieces."
His gaze shifted toward Inosuke.
Anyone who questioned his bond—
Deserved death.
Above, a dense web spread like a net of fate, descending.
Tanjiro couldn't escape.
Was this it?
Was this where it ended?
A shadow flashed before him.
Something warm splashed across his face.
Blood.
"Nezuko!!!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
Nezuko had thrown herself in front of him—
Her body intercepting Rui's attack.
Rui's expression flickered.
A demon.
Another demon had appeared—
And shielded a human with her own body.
His eyes trembled.
That was it.
That was the bond he sought.
That trembling in his chest—
That was what he had been searching for.
"Nezuko!!!"
Tanjiro scooped her up and leapt aside, laying her gently against a tree.
Her limbs were cut by threads.
One arm was nearly severed at the wrist.
"So… you're siblings?"
Rui's voice carried something new.
Something almost eager.
"Yes! So what?!"
Tanjiro clenched his teeth, holding Nezuko's injured arm together, praying for her regeneration to work faster.
Nezuko's brows knit in pain.
Tanjiro could do nothing but hope.
Rui covered his mouth with one hand, staring.
His own sister had become a demon.
Yet this boy still carried his demon sister with him.
And she—
Had protected him.
That was a true bond.
He wanted it.
He needed it.
"Hey, little one."
His voice softened strangely.
"Let's talk. Come here."
Little one?
Talk?
Tanjiro couldn't understand him.
Cold. Emotionless.
Yet obsessed with family bonds.
Rui stepped forward.
"I was moved just now," he admitted quietly. "Seeing your bond… my body trembled."
"There are no words in this world that could express such emotion. But if I kill you, that would be tragic, wouldn't it?"
Tanjiro tightened his hold around Nezuko.
Rui raised a finger.
"There is another way."
He extended his hand.
"Give me your sister."
"Hand her over to me, and I'll spare your life."
Tanjiro froze.
This was the first time anyone had ever said something like that.
What did he want with Nezuko?
Seeing his silence, Rui explained patiently.
"Let her become my sister. From today onward."
In Tanjiro's arms, Nezuko lifted her eyes as if she understood.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Tanjiro shouted. "How could that ever happen?! Nezuko isn't an object! She has her own will! Her own heart! She can't become your sister! She's my sister!!!"
His body trembled with rage.
Unforgivable.
To even suggest such a thing—
Unforgivable.
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