"Kill it? Senior, you're joking! How can I do this?" Tanjiro looked at Shin Arashi in surprise, clearly confused by his words.
Shouldn't Shin Arashi be the one to do this? How could he ask Tanjiro to do it?
"If you can't do it, how will you protect your sister? How will you avenge your family? Or have you given up on your hatred and are ready to live the rest of your life in disgrace?" Shin Arashi questioned Tanjiro.
Tanjiro shook his head. "No!"
"Then kill the Guitou in front of you! The path ahead will be even more dangerous than this one!" Shin Arashi's tone was firm, filled with an undeniable authority.
Tanjiro didn't dare to speak further. Hesitating, he shakily took out the small knife from his waist and held it in front of the demon.
Just then, a hand reached out from behind Tanjiro and placed itself on his shoulder.
"That kind of thing can't kill it!" an older voice said.
Both Shin Arashi and Tanjiro were startled. They quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man wearing a Tengu mask, a turban on his head, and a sky-blue robe with water ripple patterns on it.
Judging by the voice, the man must be at least fifty years old. Despite his age, his posture was straight, and he looked surprisingly energetic.
What surprised Shin Arashi the most was that he hadn't noticed or sensed the old man approaching him.
If this person had bad intentions, he could have caught me off guard by now.
It was also possible that the old man didn't intend to attack, which explained how he was able to approach so quietly.
As Shin Arashi reflected on this, he suddenly realized who the old man must be. This was the person Tanjiro had been searching for—Urokodaki Sakonji.
[Character Information]
Urokodaki Sakonji: A practitioner of the Water Breathing, and also a trainer of new demon hunters for the Demon Slayer Corps; Tomioka Giyu is his disciple.
"Then how can we kill it?" Tanjiro asked in shock.
"Don't ask others. Can't you use your own brain to think about it?" replied Urokodaki Sakonji, his voice calm yet firm.
After speaking, Urokodaki Sakonji glanced at Shin Arashi. Shin Arashi smiled faintly, a gesture of respect in return.
Tanjiro stood still, lost in thought. After a moment, he spotted a large stone and grabbed it in his hand. But as he prepared to act, doubt clouded his face. He hesitated, clearly struggling with the decision.
"Ah~ This child is no good," Urokodaki Sakonji muttered, shaking his head. "Too considerate of others, unable to make decisions. Even when facing a demon, the scent of gentleness lingers. He even feels sympathy for the demon. Giyu, is this the child you found?"
Urokodaki Sakonji observed Tanjiro's hesitation and couldn't help but murmur quietly to himself, clearly concerned by what he saw.
Shin Arashi also stood silently nearby, watching without interrupting. Now that Tanjiro's true mentor had arrived, Shin Arashi knew his role as a temporary guide was over. There was no need for him to step in anymore.
As time passed, the demon head—Guitou—who had been knocked out, slowly regained consciousness.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to eat you up! Come over here~ Hey! I can't get over there, come here, hey!" The demon head, who was nailed to the tree trunk by an axe, waved the two hands growing on his head and shouted at the hesitant Tanjiro.
At this moment, the sun gradually rose and the sunlight soon shone over.
The demon that was exposed to the sunlight began to feel the burns disappear little by little, and let out a painful howl. Finally, the demon's head completely disappeared in front of Tanjiro.