Demon Slayer: Tanjuro Kamado returns from Sekiro

Chapter 7 - Past Self
……

After walking away without misfortune,
soon.

Inside the house at the foot of the mountain.

It was pitch black.

Tanjiro was lying on the bed, he slowly opened his eyes:
"Pfft...ha...ha..."

The constricted pupils trembled violently.

The cold sweat on his forehead had already wet the hair on both sides of him.

Tanjiro was like a drowning fish, he opened his mouth and breathed heavily.

Even the rhythm of breathing trembled slightly.

His eyes were full of horror.

——The one just now.

--What is it?
Just now.

When Tanjiro was slowly falling asleep, he suddenly smelled a powerful hatred and anger.

Immediately afterwards, overwhelming oppression came in from outside the door, choking Tanjiro's breathing rhythm.

Accompanied by a strong smell of blood, it blocked his nasal cavity!

It wasn't until the smell was completely gone that Tanjiro was able to breathe again.

creak...

Tanjiro sat up slowly, looked towards the door in shock, panting, sweat had already soaked his bedding.

— a bear?Or something else?
——No, that strong emotion...

For a while, Tanjirou couldn't tell what it was just now.

He looked beside him.

Grandpa Sanlang was already sound asleep and snoring softly.

It seems that the change just now did not wake up Grandpa Sanlang.

——Saburo is the one who invited Tanjirou to stay at his house.

tread.

Tanjiro stood up lightly, put on his clothes, put his palms together towards Grandpa Saburo, and bent slightly.

Then he went to the window.

Instead of opening the window, she leaned over the window, closed her eyes, and sniffed carefully.

The faint smell was carried by the cold wind from the direction of the mountain.

That thing went up the hill!
Mother, they are still on the mountain!

Tanjiro's heart tightened suddenly!
His breathing rhythm became rapid, and he quickly turned his head to look at Grandpa Sanlang who was sleeping soundly.

Afterwards, Tanjiro quickly picked up the heavy winter coat from the ground, and wrapped it around his body in a hurry.

Just when he walked to the door, wiped the sweat from his brow, and was about to open the door.

creak...

There was just a crack in the door.

At this time.

"Tanjiro." An old and hoarse voice came from behind Tanjiro who was about to open the door.

Immediately afterwards, there was a sound of dressing and getting up.

"do not go."

Tanjiro turned his head, Grandpa Saburo was already standing behind him, watching him quietly.

Saburo looked at Tanjiro.

He just woke up.

Just pretending to be asleep.

He and Tanjiro looked at each other, his cloudy eyes were a little blurry in the darkness, and he could only vaguely see the outline.

When Tanjiro was called to stop at night, Saburo was thinking.

——If his grandson hadn't died at the hands of ghosts, he would be this old by now.

"Don't go." Saburo shook his head slightly, with a serious expression, he just repeated this sentence.

Tanjirou and Saburo looked at each other, he opened his mouth slightly, gasped for breath, choked for a while, and then hurriedly said:

"Grandpa Saburo!"

"That! Headed up the mountain!"

Saburo closed his eyes and shook his head slowly:

"I know."

"That thing is the ghost I told you about."

He opened his eyes, the old eyelids that had been drawn down trembled slightly:
"Ghosts that come out to eat people at night."

"do not go."

Tanjirou listened to Saburo's words, his pupils trembled, he looked back at the direction of the mountain, and turned to look at Saburo again.

Subsequently.

He shook his head towards Saburo.

"...Sorry, Grandpa Saburo!"

"My family, they are still on the mountain!"

Tanjirou's hands trembled slightly, the impact of the strong smell of blood was too great for him.

But he still said in a trembling voice:

"I have to go!"

He turned around and staggered to the door.

He tried to push the door open, but for a moment his arms were weak and his trembling legs almost made him fall to the ground.

Tanjiro leaned on the door, trying to get up out of breath.

The lingering smell of blood irritated Tanjiro's nerves in his nostrils.

——How many people did this... kill...!
Are you scared.

Scared.

Tanjiro is very scared now.

but.

Can't back down!
His father had told him so.

"Tanjiro."

"After I leave, protect everyone."

"Don't be timid."

"You are the eldest son."

Yes, I am Tanjiro Kamado.

Tanjiro clenched his fists tightly, and opened his eyes firmly.

The eldest son of the family!
Mother, Mizuko, Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta...

The smiles of the family members come to mind.

Get moving!
Thinking of this, Tanjiro stabilized the fear in his heart, and he recalled the scene when his father beheaded the giant bear with an ax when he was young.

The trembling hands gradually stabilized.

tread!
Then slam the door open!
Bang!
He rushed out in the wind and snow.

He smelled the bloody smell left in the air, and while pulling his legs apart and running hard on the snow, he panted heavily.

White mist kept exhaling in his air.

"Mom!!" He yelled towards the dark forest in the distance, hoping to attract the attention of that "ghost".

behind him.

inside the house.

Looking at the rejoined door.

"... Tanjiro."

Saburo's serious expression did not change.

But it was as if all his strength was suddenly taken away.

Slowly bent down, then fell to his knees on the ground.

With his hands on the ground, his eyes blurred by aging seemed to be wet with tears.

He didn't have the courage to stop Tanjiro at the end.

He saw something in Tanjiro that he never had.

a decade ago.

When encountering a ghost, he hesitated for a moment due to fear and timidity, and failed to save his grandson who could have been rescued in time.

He watched his grandson die in front of his eyes.

If it wasn't dawn, he would have died in the hands of the ghost.

In the end, the originally happy family of four survived only him, an old man.

Since then, Saburo lived alone at the foot of the mountain, regretting himself.

Saburo!

he yelled inwardly.

If... I was like this back then, and could run to my family regardless of everything...

if that happened…!
boom!
He beat the ground vigorously, gritted his teeth, tried not to cry out, and squeezed out a few syllables from the bottom of his throat:
"here you go…"

……

In a trance, there seemed to be three illusory figures appearing around Saburo.

Knelt down and hugged him.

They are a man, a woman, and a young child.

……

soon.

creak...

The door was opened again.

Saburo with an ax appeared outside the door, he turned and closed the door, tightening his clothes.

The expression is serious and the breathing is steady.

He looked up towards the mountain.

"...Son, grandpa is here."

At this moment, he wants to save.

It's not just a kitchen on the mountain.

……

……

mountainside.

"…Mother?"

Ghost Mai Tsuji Mumi, who was walking, seemed to hear someone shouting.

He turned his head in doubt, clicked his lips, and frowned slightly.

Then he turned around and continued walking up the mountain.

The house can already be seen.

(End of this chapter)