After talking to Koinatsu and revealing that he was a boy, Tanjiro was ready to leave the house and go meet Inosuke as planned, however, when he left through the window and walked on top of the ceiling, the smell of a demon made him stop in his tracks.

He quickly went back to the house to check on Koinatsu, standing in the border of the window as he looked inside the room where she was before, only to see Daki, standing in there in her demon form.

Her worm-like obi was wrapped around Koinatsu's body, only her head was visible as the rest of her corpse was already engulfed inside it.

“Another demon slayer child?” Daki side eyed him. “You returned, eh? Very well. How many of you are there? There's you, that ugly child, and there's also my adorable pet. Did a hashira come too? Will one come soon? You're too weak to be a hashira.” 

She turned to face him, smiling menacingly as her worm-obi tightened around the trembling Koinatsu's body.

“I have no use for any demon slayer less than a hashira, you know?”

In response, Tanjiro exclaimed angrily, “Hey! You let her go!”

In response, Daki's face contorted in anger, “Who do you think you're talking to?!” Her worm-obi attacked him, harshly throwing him off the window and making him hit his back against the building in the other side of the road.

He breathed heavily as his body was resting limp in the middle of the wreckage, slowly standing up as he overcame the shock of the impact.

“You're still alive?” Daki asks, stepping outside. “You have good eyes. They're pretty. I will pluck them out and….-” Her face slightly showed signs of disgust, but she shook her head and kept talking, “I will pluck them out and eat them.”

In response, Tanjiro looked silently at the box in his back, the shoulder strap was broken.

“I'm sorry Nezuko. I can't fight and carry you. I have to leave you here, unless your own life is in danger, don't come out of the box!”

Water breathing, fourth form: Striking Tide: Turbulent!

Tanjiro jumped in Daki's direction, in response, she also jumped in his direction.

He and Daki crossed over each other, Tanjiro managed to cut the part of the Obi where the woman was trapped in this second of opportunity.

They both landed on the floor, Tanjiro stood protectively in front of the unconscious Koinatsu.

“You make me sick. A bit like a dying rat. Do a sewage animal like you really stay around her everyday? It makes my skin crawl.”

In response, Tanjiro tilted his head, confused. “Her?”

Daki ignored his question and started to talk to herself. “What's that sound? What are you doing? You scum lack any subtlety. Where? Near house Ogimoto, is it? How many?”

She put her hand on her hip, stop talking to herself and finally looking at Tanjiro to ask: “There are five of you, right? Plus Hinatsuru?”

“I'll never tell!”

“Listen little one, because you fought so bravely before, I'm willing to spare your life if you answer me….” She then pointed at his sword with a mocking smile, “Look at your sword, the blade is already chipped, I suppose it was made by an inferior swordsmith.”

“No! The person who forged this is incredibly skilled!”

“Then why is it chipped, fool? And now you're shaking again, oh, forget it! You're getting on my nerves, so I'll kill you next!”

'A blade chips when its wielder is bad. It's my own fault. I wasn't up to the task. I should have known. I can't use water breathing, I…my body isn't suited for it. I can never use water breathing like Urokudaki or Tomioka. For me, the power of a single blow will always stronger with Hinokami Kagura, it suits me. But….because of that strength, I never could do multiple strikes. Things have changed. Now I should be able to do it. No…now I will do it! This is what I trained for, I refuse to lose! Burn…. Burn… Burn!'

Hinokami Kagura: Raging sun.

Daki attacked him, he easily cut her obi and stepped away.

'He changed his fighting style, it's sharper than before!' Daki thought in shock as she stared back at his serious eyes, 'What's this sound? I don't like, is it his breathing?'

Hinokami Kagura: Flame dance

She didn't have time to think more, Tanjiro quickly approached her, his blade millimeters away from slashing her face before she stepped down.

'Flame dance is a combo, even if she dodges, there's a second blow coming!' 

'There's nothing special…' She made her obi cut his neck, 'After all!'

Instead of blood, his image suddenly disappeared, Daki looked around confused as she tried to find the now gone Tanjiro.

Hinokami Kagura: fake rainbow

'With its high-speed twist and spin, this move is designed to confuse, the better an opponent vision is the clearer they will see your false after-image'

Hinokami Kagura….

'There's an opening thread, I can see it!'

Flame wheel!

“… Even your best move is too slow. You bore me.”

The opening thread snapped, Daki whipped him with her obi, his body harshly hitting the floor multiple times before he finally landed some meters away from her.

Cold sweat started to run down his face, his breath heaving.

'Here's come my reaction to Hinokami Kagura, I can feel exhaustion stiffening my muscles, stay calm, control my breathing!'

Daki slowly approached him, ready to finish him off.

'Must hurry, heal myself!'

She slashed the floor with her obi, Tanjiro avoiding the attack one second away from hitting him.

He steps away and attacked her with his sword, starting to trade blows with her worm-obi.

'That obi is as tough as a blade! Even if I see an opening thread, it breaks right away! Raise my body temperature…that's it, even more!'

Another harsh blow was gave to his sword,  and Tanjiro was once again threw back from her, however, he managed to stand on his feet this time.

'He's tougher than I thought. Interesting.' Daki thought as she approached him, still smiling mockingly at his tired face.

'I'm holding my own against an upper-rank demon! Hinokami Kagura is working!… No! It's not enough to fight to a draw! I have to win this! I have to use all my strength and find a way to win! In order to save people! I won't let her just casually take another life! Not Hinatsuru's! Not mine! Not anyone's! I won't let anyone experience the same sadness as me!'

“Te-hee! Ugly people can try, but they are still ugly!”

They started once again trading blows, before pieces of Daki's obi suddenly came in her direction, tackling her body.

'Are the obi attacking her? No, the fragments are coming back to her body!'

Tanjiro tried to slash her, but she disappeared.

“A hashira has come” Her previous black hair was now slowly turning white. “I can finish carrying on with his lordship orders….” Daki clenched her teeth, since this means that now it's also time for her to bring Y/N to him.

“Hey! What are doing here?!” A civilian suddenly appeared, angrily pointing at the Tanjiro still standing in the middle of the road.

'Oh no! Bystanders!'

“Don't fight in front of my shop!”

“No! Stay away! You're safer inside!” Tanjiro warning was for no avail as Daki harshly lashed her obi around, he quickly got in front of the old man, getting a deep cut to his shoulder in the process.

“…eh?”

'That…wasn't that cut just now too shallow? Did she miss it?' He thought, confused as he looked back at the completely unscathed civilian behind him.

Well, he did was scared and trembling like a baby goat, but physically, he was fine.

'…. Did she?' Tanjiro shook his head, 'Of course not, she probably just missed it.'

He was ready to start another attack, but his eyes suddenly go wide in shock as he slightly put his sword down, “You…. You don't like seeing blood?”

Daki let out a surprised noise in response, before gritting her teeth in frustration, “It's the second time… It's the second time one of you filthy human see through me! I hate this! I hate this so much! So what if I don't like blood anymore?! I still have to carry on with my orders! You don't understand! His lordship is all that I have, I can't put everything to lose because of a stupid human!”

'A stupid human…? Who?' Tanjiro thought, before once again checking her smell.

'It's very small but… Y/N's smell is definitely on her!'

He got back in battle position, glaring at her, “What did you do to Y/N?!”

“… What do you think I did?” She tilted her head, a menacing smile in her face.

In response, Tanjiro clenched his teeth in anger, before taking a deep breath to calm down.

'She's only trying to get me riled up, if she really did hurt her, she would've had the smell of her blood on her, but she doesn't….but even so, the fact that Y/N is somewhere where I can't reach is still frustrating.'

“What's your relationship with her?” Daki suddenly asks, her smile still menacing.

“Huh?”

“With the human girl, what's your relationship?

“Huh?! I- I'm not talking about this with YOU!”

“Haaah?! Well, Its important information to me!”

“What do you mean important information?!”

“Well, if you are her fiancé, then I will kill you right now.”

“Wha- Why? Does it make a difference if I am her fiancé or not? Won't you just try to kill me either way?”

“! Well…. If you are her friend, then she would be sad, right?” She comments with a pout, avoiding eye contact with him.

'….what with this atmosphere? Y/N…don't tell me…you seduced even the upper moon!?'

“Anyway!” She accusingly pointed her finger at him, “If you are her fiancé, then I will be sure to make you have a painful dead! Though she will be sad, I can't let an insect like you do unholy acts to her!”

“Unholy acts?! I would never do that to her! Well, not when if we aren't even in a relationship but- Argh! Why do I have to talk about this with you?!”

“Since I confirmed your relationship, I will try my best to not break you too much!” She says, her worm-obi suddenly lashing around in his direction, destroying all the nearby houses in the process.

He looked around in shock at the dead and hurt humans around, trapped inside their now completely wrecked residences.

She turned away from him, ready to carry on with her orders.

“Stop! I won't let you get away with this!” Tanjiro exclaimed at her, Daki looked back at him, her browns furrowed. “What? Are you still talking? That's enough of you, you ugly thing! An ugly human life has no value, you will get along just fine with the other rotting corpses!”

Tanjiro just looked at her in complete shock.

He didn't know how to react. He was now sure that some time ago she really did purposely miss the attack to not hurt the civilian, and then just after, her smell made it clear that she also didn't like the sight of blood, but even so, she still killed all these people so easily... What is her instance after all? Does she want or not to kill people? 

Muzan Kibutsuji.

Ba-dump

She did say that it didn't matter, that she had to carry on with his orders.

How many people will he have to hurt until he's satisfied, be it humans or demons?!

Ba-dump

He tightened his grip on his sword.

Ba-dump

Anger. A deep anger started to slowly consume his body.

Ba-dump.

His eyes started to slowly turn red.