Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

"I didn't see anything! No need for anything else, thank you for your kindness, Shinobu-neechan!" Chiba Yo replied immediately, turning his head slightly to see that Giyuu was already lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

"It's good that I didn't see it. I hope Xiaoyang isn't lying to me. If you lie, you'll end up like Mr. Tomioka." Shinobu Kocho said to Chiba Yang with a hint of threat.

Chiba Yo nodded quickly.

Shinobu Kocho then turned and left, and went over to help Giyuu, who was lying on the ground, up.

"Huh? What's wrong with Lady Tomioka?"

At this moment, the Hidden Team members arrived and, seeing the unconscious Giyu, asked Shinobu Kocho a question.

“Mr. Giyu ran too fast and got heatstroke. Let’s take him back to the Butterfly Mansion as well,” Shinobu Kocho replied with a smile.

"Huh? You can get heatstroke in such a cold forest?" The member of the Hidden Team took the medicine from Giyu with some doubt. After examining it, he said in surprise, "Wow! I didn't expect it to be heatstroke symptoms. Shinobu-sama's medical skills are amazing. He was able to diagnose the symptoms in such an unbelievable situation immediately."

Shinobu smiled but didn't say anything. Two members of the Hidden Team put Giyu on a stretcher and carried him away.

Chiba Yo didn't dare say a word, and could only silently wish Giyu well in his heart.

The incident at Mount Natagumo gradually came to an end. The injured swordsman was sent to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment, while Tanjiro and Nezuko were taken to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters mansion.

Halfway there, Yiyong woke up while lying on the stretcher.

"...What's wrong with me?" Giyuu rubbed his forehead, still feeling a little dizzy.

"Lord Tomioka has woken up. You had heatstroke earlier, and it was Lord Shinobu who saved you," the Hidden Team member next to him said.

Yi Yong: "..."

Chapter 33 The Swordsman with a Demon

So that's why Tanjiro had been searching for a way to turn demons into humans all along...

On the way back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Chiba Yo had already learned some information from Kocho Shinobu.

The demon girl named Nezuko is Tanjiro's younger sister. His family encountered demons when he went out, and everyone in the family except for his sister died. The surviving sister also became a demon.

Sigh, what will happen?

Looking up at the sun hanging in the sky, Chiba Yo felt that this matter was somewhat beyond his expectations.

According to the Demon Slayer Corps' rules, Tanjiro's actions constitute harboring a demon, and this alone is enough to warrant his execution.

However, considering Tanjiro's personality, Chiba Yo felt that he probably wouldn't do something like harboring a man-eating demon. Thinking about the question Shinobu Kocho asked on the way here, Chiba Yo guessed that perhaps Tanjiro's sister, who had become a demon, wouldn't eat people.

Although the probability of such a thing is extremely low, and Chiba Yang has never heard of anyone encountering a ghost that doesn't eat people, Chiba Yang still hopes that it is true.

If Nezuko doesn't eat people, then try your best to protect the two of them. If she has already eaten people, then you can only protect Tanjiro.

Chiba Yo thought to himself that although he and Tanjiro were friends and he had a good impression of him, his bottom line was that man-eating demons were unforgivable. If Nezuko had eaten people, he would not let her go.

However, considering that his lord's order was to bring Tanjiro and Nezuko back instead of executing them directly, Chiba Yo felt that the outcome of this matter should not be too bad.

Chiba Yo originally intended to ask Zenitsu what was going on, but now Zenitsu was wrapped up like a mummy and couldn't speak at all, so asking him would be useless.

Sunlight streamed into the familiar courtyard as the Pillar-level swordsmen were summoned once again after only a few days apart.

The Wind Pillar is still training and hasn't arrived yet, but the other Pillars have all gathered here. Giyu is fine now after lying down for a while and is standing alone to one side. Shinobu Kocho explained the general situation to the Pillars present.

The members of the Hidden Team who were carrying Tanjiro put him down, and Chiba Yo stepped forward to untie the ropes binding Tanjiro.

"Lord Chiba..."

The hidden member felt somewhat awkward. Although it wasn't specified what to do to Tanjiro, he had violated the team rules, so tying him up with a rope to prevent him from resisting was considered normal treatment.

"Thank you, but all the pillars are here, so there shouldn't be any problems," Chiba Yang said to the hidden team member.

"Yes." After hearing Qianye Yang's words, the hidden team member didn't say anything more.

"Hey, Chiba, this guy broke the team rules, didn't he? And he's covering for a ghost. What are you doing? This isn't elegant at all." Uzui Tengen said with some displeasure after seeing Chiba Yo's behavior.

“His injuries are quite serious, and keeping them bandaged might worsen them. Besides, we Pillars are all here now, so we don’t need to worry about him putting up any resistance, right?” Chiba Yo replied.

He had just used his Clear World to see Tanjiro's injuries clearly. They were very serious, with many external and internal injuries. He probably wouldn't even be able to move properly now.

At present, Chiba Yo still believes that Tanjiro had a reason for doing what he did.

After Chiba Yo untied him, the noise from the outside world woke Tanjiro up.

"Yo? What are you doing here? Nezuko... cough cough..." Tanjiro was puzzled when he woke up and saw Chiba Yo, but he quickly became concerned about Nezuko's whereabouts. However, his injuries were too severe, and he started coughing after only saying a few words.

"Hey! The person in front of you is the highest-ranking Pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps. Show him some respect!" A member of the Hidden Corps, somewhat annoyed by Tanjiro's address, said to him.

"It's alright, we know each other, he's my friend," Chiba Yang said, waving his hand at the hidden team member.

Then he looked at Tanjiro.

"Your injuries are quite severe, so it's best to talk less for now. You'll need to say a lot later," Chiba Yang reminded Tanjiro.

Pillar? The highest rank in the Demon Slayer Corps? Didn't we both join the Demon Slayer Corps together? I think my current rank is still the lowest, Kyu...

Tanjiro was momentarily stunned by what the hidden member had just said, and his gaze toward Chiba Yo now held a newfound respect.

"Before the trial begins, explain the crimes you have committed..." Shinobu Kocho said to Tanjiro after he woke up. All she knew was that the demon was Tanjiro's sister.

“There’s no need for a trial!” Kyojuro said, his voice as forceful as ever.

“Protecting the demon is clearly a violation of the guild rules! We are capable of handling this on our own! He should be beheaded along with the demon!” Kyojuro shouted.

Chiba Yo wasn't surprised by Kyojuro's attitude. After spending time with him, Chiba Yo had come to understand his teacher's personality quite well. He was very enthusiastic and liked to take care of people, but he was also someone who wanted to jump to conclusions at the drop of a hat and sometimes wouldn't wait for the other person to finish speaking. However, he was very sensitive to people's emotional fluctuations and was very considerate.

Even so, his attitude toward demons was still very clear: he believed that demons were beings that had to be killed.

“Then let me cut off his neck in a magnificent way. I’ll make sure his blood is splattered everywhere, more magnificent than anyone else’s, already magnificent beyond compare,” Uzui Tengen echoed after hearing Kyojuro’s words.

"Ah, what a wretched child. How pitiful, the very act of being born is pitiful enough. Let me kill you," Xingming said, his hands clasped together and tears streaming down his face.

“Yes, it should be magnificent,” Uzui Tengen agreed.

“I think we should let him explain. Tanjiro is a friend I met during the Final Selection. He can cut off the neck of a demon without hesitation and saved many people during the Final Selection. I believe he has his reasons for doing so. Please give him a chance.”

Seeing that the Pillars were about to execute Tanjiro on the spot, Chiba Yang stood up, bowed to the other Pillars, and said...

I couldn't save that boy back then, and I can't bear to see Tanjiro go through the same thing...

Unlike the other Pillars, Chiba Yo has some understanding of Tanjiro and believes that Tanjiro can provide an explanation that he can understand, and he hopes so.

The other pillars were stunned by Chiba Yo's actions, and the scene calmed down. Obanai, who was about to speak from the tree, also remained silent for the time being.

Similarly, the other Pillars also had some understanding of Chiba Yo. The matter of the mark and the Crimson Blade made the other Pillars realize that Chiba Yo was someone who was willing to give everything to slay demons.

“Alright then! Since Xiaoyang has said so, let this boy explain! But if he can’t give a reasonable explanation, he will still be beheaded along with the demon!” Kyojuro spoke first, indicating that he was willing to give Tanjiro a chance.

The other pillars did not open again.

Tanjiro was deeply moved as he looked at Chiba Yo in front of him.

Chiba Yojiro straightened up, turned to look at Tanjiro, and said to him:

"Tell me, Tanjiro, I also want to know why you did this."

Chapter 34 The Ghost That Doesn't Eat People

Tanjiro glanced at the surrounding Pillars, slowly stood up, and, enduring the pain in his body, said, "My...my sister...cough cough..."

Before he could utter a complete sentence, Tanjiro began coughing violently.

Seeing this, Shinobu took out a gourd, opened it, and handed it to Tanjiro.

"It would be better to drink some water. I put some painkillers in it to relieve your pain, but the wound hasn't healed yet, so you can't push yourself too hard," Shinobu Kocho said gently to Tanjiro.

Tanjiro took the gourd and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, which made him feel a little better.

After catching his breath, Tanjiro raised his head and continued speaking.

"That ghost is my sister. When I left home, the house was attacked, and when I came back, everyone was dead. Although my sister became a ghost, she has never eaten a person, not now, and not ever again. She will never hurt anyone."

Is that really the case?

Chiba Yang breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Tanjiro's words. He chose to believe Tanjiro. During the Final Selection, he discovered that Tanjiro was an extremely honest person who would rather remain silent than fabricate stories. However, the other Pillars did not seem to be convinced by Tanjiro.

"Don't spout such boring nonsense. In the end, it's only natural to protect your family. What you're saying is completely unbelievable, and I won't believe it," said Obanai, who was perched in the tree, pointing in front of her.

Gyomei didn't believe Tanjiro's words either. He clasped his hands together, tears streaming down his face, and said regretfully, "Ahhh, he's possessed by a demon. Quickly kill this poor child and give him a release."

Gyomei dislikes children; in his eyes, children are all liars and extremely untrustworthy. Similarly, he does not believe what Tanjiro is saying now.

However, this was not the case when he was young. When he was a monk in a temple, he often took in some orphaned and helpless children and treated them as his own family.

But an event that happened later completely changed his view of children, altering his circumstances and personality.

One night, a boy named Kaigaku in the temple broke the rule set by Gyomei that he could not return home at night. He encountered a demon and even extinguished the wisteria incense that Gyomei had lit in the temple in order to save his life, thus leading the demon into the temple.

The children in the temple were thrown into chaos and panic.

Xingming, who cannot see anything, instructed the children to stay by his side and not to run around, because he knew that his body was very strong and that he could protect the children if they stayed by his side.

However, except for a four-year-old girl named Shadai, all the other children ran away. As a result, all the children who went out were killed by the demon. Xingming, who was blind and ate very little every day, was unable to save them.

All he could do was protect the little girl who stayed by his side. To this end, he fought the evil spirits with his bare hands and risked his life. With his superhuman body, he smashed the evil spirits' heads with his human form.

As dawn broke, the evil spirit turned to ashes and vanished. Exhausted, Gyomei was not greeted with gratitude from Sayo, the little girl he had risked his life to protect. Instead, she, in a state of extreme shock, directly accused Gyomei of murdering the other children.

The evil spirit had long since turned to ashes, and all evidence had been erased. As a result, Gyomei was thrown into prison. If it weren't for Lord Kagaya's rescue, he might have been executed as a murderer.

From then on, Xingming became utterly disillusioned with children and human nature, and became increasingly suspicious.

Listening to Tanjiro's words, Gyomei thought he was no different from those children who lied all the time. Demons must be killed, and so must those who protect them.

Tanjiro became anxious after hearing Obanai and Gyomei's words. Nezuko was still missing, which worried him greatly.

"Please listen to me! I became a swordsman to heal Nezuko. Nezuko became a demon more than two years ago, and she has never eaten a human since then!" Tanjiro said urgently, trying his best to convince the Pillars.

However, his anxious words were merely a repetition of what he had said before, and could not change the minds of those pillars who did not believe him in the first place.

"You keep going in circles, you idiot. You've never eaten people, and you never will. Don't just talk the talk, give us some solid proof!" Tengen noticed this too and looked at Tanjiro, saying to him.

At this moment, Mitsuri thought of something and looked at the Pillar beside her, whispering, "Um, but I have a question. I don't think our lord knows about this. Can he really punish them on his own? Or should we wait for our lord to come first..."

Chiba Yo understood that his lord must know about this. Judging from the fact that the crow's order did not allow them to execute Nezuko directly, Chiba Yo believed that his lord approved of Tanjiro taking his sister, who was a demon, on the mission. Therefore, he did not rush to say anything and planned to wait until his lord arrived before speaking.

Of course, if the other Pillars were to forcibly execute Tanjiro before that, he would also intervene to stop them.

Tanjiro realized that simply repeating what he had just said wouldn't convince the other Pillars, so he tried a different approach.

"My sister...! My sister can fight alongside me! She can fight as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps to protect humanity! So..."

Tanjiro shouted loudly, but he was interrupted by another voice before he could finish speaking.

"Hey, something interesting seems to have happened." Shinazugawa Sanemi walked into the courtyard at some point, his body covered in wounds that made him look extremely fierce, and he was carrying a wooden box in his hand.

"Is that the idiot teammate with the demon? What's his plan?" Sanemi said with a slightly hoarse grin.

One of the hidden members caught up and wanted the box back. He said to Sanemi, "This will make things difficult for me, Lord Shinazugawa. Please put the box down."

Because his attention was focused on Tanjiro, Chiba Yo didn't notice the Wind Pillar had arrived.

Is that Tanjiro's sister who became a demon?

Chiba Yo's gaze fell on the box, he thought.

“Mr. Shinazugawa, wouldn’t it be better to wait until our lord arrives before dealing with this matter?” Chiba Yo sensed that Sanemi seemed a bit emotionally unstable, so he spoke to him.

However, Sanemi ignored them and continued looking at Tanjiro, saying, "What did you say about demons, kid? Something about fighting as a Demon Slayer Corps member to protect humanity? That kind of thing..."

Sanemi placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword as he spoke.

"How could that be, you idiot!"

The Nichirin Blade was drawn, its green blade thrusting towards the box in the other hand.

However, the box in Sanemi's hand disappeared the next moment, and his blade fell into the empty space.

"Chiba Yo, what do you mean by this? Are you going to help this idiot protect the demon?"

Sanemi slowly turned around. Chiba Yo, who had been standing next to Shinobu Kocho, was now standing behind Sanemi, holding the box containing Nezuko.

“I just think we should wait for our lord to make a decision on this matter,” Qianye Yang said, handing the box in his hand to the hidden team member.

"Th...thank you..." The hidden team member took the box in a bit of a panic and thanked Chiba Yang.

Sanemi wanted to say something more, but then two children's voices made him stop.

"My lord has arrived."