Chapter 44

And when he saw the flying blades swirling toward Tanjiro and his sister, Yudai hesitated for just a moment before suddenly leaving Giyu Tomioka and rushing to the location of Tanjiro and his sister.

Yudai had always admired the performance of the brother and sister, and now that they were in danger, it was because of the mess caused by his own long sword breaking. Therefore, Yudai could not stand by and do nothing.

However, what Yudai did not expect was that his long sword had already shattered due to the inability to withstand his own demon power. Moreover, at this moment, as he turned to protect Tanjiro and his sister, his back was almost completely exposed to Giyu Tomioka.

But Giyu Tomioka, who had been saying that all demons should be exterminated, did not choose to take advantage of the situation. Instead, to Yudai's surprise, he made the same move as Yudai, using the Third Form to rush to Tanjiro's position almost simultaneously.

"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Pot!"

A fierce upward slash was unleashed from Giyu Tomioka's hand, and a towering water column instantly swept away the flying blades.

"Invoke the majesty of the mountain, the immovable grand gate, Immovable as a Mountain: Grand Gate!"

As for Yudai, although his long sword had already shattered, the broken blade in his hand was now enveloped in a thick, heavy aura. Despite being a broken blade, it emitted an unusual luster and, in the face of the numerous flying blades, Yudai wielded it so swiftly that it was impenetrable.

The moment the blades were all deflected, a towering mountain's shadow seemed to appear behind Yudai, giving the impression of being tall, majestic, and unshakable!

Thanks to the timely assistance of Giyu Tomioka and Yudai, Tanjiro and Nezuko were not injured. However, Nezuko's condition was worsening.

Nezuko, tightly held in Tanjiro's arms, was driven by a strong hunger, making her want to bite her brother who was right in front of her. But the remaining rationality told her that the person in front of her was her last remaining family. If she did something irreparable, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Put this on her. If you want to save your sister, find a man named Lekijyu Zankichi."

Giyu Tomioka, seeing Nezuko, who had already been demonized and was overwhelmed by hunger, still relied on her remaining rationality to suppress the urge to attack Tanjiro, who was right in front of her. Moreover, Tanjiro's selfless act of protecting his demonized sister touched Giyu Tomioka, so he ultimately threw a bamboo tube, which Tanjiro placed on his sister's mouth.

He also told Tanjiro that he could find a man named "Lekijyu Zankichi," who would tell him everything he needed to know.

After that, Giyu Tomioka looked at Yudai on the other side, seriously examined him, and then sheathed his Nichirin Blade, preparing to leave.

Giyu Tomioka judged that the battle between him and Yudai was no longer necessary.

Initially, their conflict arose because Giyu Tomioka wanted to kill the demonized Nezuko, while Yudai wanted to protect the siblings. But now, Giyu Tomioka was moved by the siblings' bond and decided to let them go.

The reason the conflict escalated to a life-or-death battle was that Giyu Tomioka believed Yudai had a demon-like aura and was extremely powerful, making him a dangerous existence.

However, when Tanjiro was in danger, Yudai risked exposing his weakness to save the siblings, a behavior that Giyu Tomioka recognized as something a demon would never do.

Moreover, Yudai's strength was considerable, and Giyu Tomioka admitted that even if he used all his means, he might not be able to defeat Yudai.

Although Yudai's long sword was broken, Giyu Tomioka could defeat him but not necessarily capture him. After much consideration, Giyu Tomioka decided to end the fight.

Yudai, seeing Giyu Tomioka sheathing his sword, couldn't help but smile.

Similarly, he had no intention of continuing to attack Giyu Tomioka.

He had no choice; he didn't even have a sword. How could he fight?

Although his demon power was still abundant, and he had the trump card of "half-demonization," Yudai couldn't be sure that Giyu Tomioka had used his full strength.

Moreover, he had to admit that nearly 70% of his current strength came from the sword techniques "Furinkazan" and "Advanced Swordsmanship." Without a weapon to wield these techniques, Yudai doubted he could capture Giyu Tomioka.

To be honest, he should consider this battle a loss. If he had a decent sword, Yudai was confident he could defeat Giyu Tomioka. But the moment his long sword shattered, it meant his defeat.

There was no point in complaining. After all, for a swordsman, the sword in their hand is part of their strength. So Yudai was willing to accept the loss.

"According to our previous agreement, if I win, I would take your sword. If I lose, I would turn around and leave, no longer caring about the fate of the siblings. But now it seems you also recognize the siblings, so as the victor, you can make a reasonable request of me."

Although he was only a half-demon, the demon race was known for keeping their promises, especially in one-on-one duels. If he didn't keep his word, he would be looked down upon by the battle-crazy demons.

"It seems you are truly different from other demons, in every aspect..."

Giyu Tomioka, who was about to leave, turned back and examined Yudai again after hearing his words, ultimately reaching this conclusion.

The more he thought about it, the more Giyu Tomioka felt that his decision today was the right one.

"Your defeat was due to your weapon, so it doesn't count as a loss, and I didn't win either, so you don't need to do anything for me."

Giyu Tomioka understood that in the face of the aggressive flames, he was almost unable to maintain his Eleventh Form. If Yudai's sword hadn't broken first, he might have been the one to lose.

"Enough talk. A loss is a loss. A weapon is part of one's strength. And who says my weapon is inferior? It is the most precious treasure of a village."

Demons have two favorite things: alcohol and battle. Other promises aside, if a promise is made based on the outcome of a battle, they will always keep it.