Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

"Oh, I forgot to ask!"

Shirakawa Yu shook his head. "I told you before, these kids couldn't possibly know how to turn Nezuko into a human."

Tanjiro said seriously, "We should at least give it a try, just in case."

Shirakawa Yu shook his head helplessly, "Whatever you say."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Chuanyu's expression suddenly paused slightly.

His left hand silently touched the hilt of the Tang-style horizontal sword at his waist.

The knife... was trembling slightly.

It wasn't the excited trembling before a battle, but rather the sobbing of someone crying, the shudder of someone angry, and the mournful cry of someone utterly grief-stricken.

Really sweet......

A flame rose in Shirakawa Yu's heart.

The sword spirit wouldn't react this way for no reason.

In this mountain, there is only one possibility that could cause such drastic emotional fluctuations in Makomo.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of tree shadows, looking deeper into the mountains and forests.

There, a far more intense and chilling aura emanated from, far stronger than that of the two little devils from before.

"It stinks!" Tanjiro clearly smelled something too and immediately looked at Shirakawa Yu.

"This smell is stronger than all the other ghost smells I've ever encountered combined. Senior brother? Is this it?"

Shirakawa Yu did not answer immediately.

He simply stroked the hilt of the knife gently, soothing the slight tremor.

"Tanjiro," Shirakawa Yu said, his voice much deeper than usual, "From now on, no matter what happens, you'll be watching from behind me."

"Huh?" Tanjiro was taken aback. "But senior brother—"

"Listen to me."

Shirakawa Yu interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for argument, "This ghost... is mine!"

He started walking towards the direction from which the aura was coming from.

Tanjiro's steps remained steady, but he keenly sensed something unusual.

Gone was the usual relaxing, slightly irritating aura; instead, it was cold and filled with murderous intent...

Tanjiro swallowed hard, gripped the hilt of his sword, and followed closely behind.

The deeper you go, the denser the trees become, and the dimmer the light becomes.

The chilling atmosphere in the air grew stronger, mixed with a strong smell of blood and a nauseating stench.

Tanjiro frowned, clearly finding the smell unpleasant for someone with such a sensitive sense of smell.

Then they heard a sound.

It wasn't the howl of a ghost, but... the screams of a human.

Short, piercing, and abruptly ended...

This was followed by a chilling chewing sound.

Tanjiro's face instantly turned angry, and he quickened his pace.

But he did not surpass Shirakawa Yu.

After passing through a dense thicket of trees, in the middle of a relatively open clearing in the woods, the two finally saw the source of the nauseating smell.

It was a monster so huge it was astonishing.

Its body resembled a mountain of flesh, with twisted veins covering its bluish-gray skin.

The most terrifying thing is its body—

Countless human arms grew from various parts of its torso, densely packed, like bizarre vines or disgusting tentacles, writhing unconsciously in the air.

At that moment, several arms were grabbing a mangled human corpse and stuffing it into a large mouth made up of two arms.

Blood dripped down its chin, staining the ground beneath it red.

Around it lay several pieces of torn clothing, and the swords of the other participants in the selection.

"What...what is this...?" Tanjiro's voice trembled, filled with fear and anger.

He smelled the intense scent of death and despair, and... the overwhelming malice and hunger emanating from the ghost before him.

Hand ghost.

Shirakawa Yu narrowed his eyes.

His right hand gripped tightly the hilt of the knife at his waist, which was trembling more and more violently.

Makomo's emotions were transmitted to his heart through the blade—

It was a deep-seated hatred, a piercing pain, and... endless sorrow.

That's it...

I ate saber rabbit, I ate mako, I ate so many of Master Urokodaki's adorable disciples...

The hand demon seemed to have sensed a new prey, stopped chewing, and slowly turned its head.

It has no nose, only a huge mouth and a pair of cloudy yellow eyes.

When its gaze fell on Shirakawa Yu and Tanjiro, its large mouth opened wide, revealing a twisted and cruel smile.

"Heh heh... two more little devils have arrived."

Its voice was full of mockery.

"The mask he's wearing... Hehehe... I recognize the carved patterns."

The demon's gaze was fixed on Tanjiro's head, on the fox-shaped mask with sun patterns.

"Urodaki...Urodaki Sakonji's brat." The Hand Demon's laughter grew louder and louder, filled with manic joy. "Great...Great! I've waited so long, and finally I've got his disciple again!"

Countless arms waved excitedly, slapping the ground with a dull thud.

“Do you know what, kid?” Hand Demon stared at Tanjiro, his yellow eyes filled with malice.

"Do you know how many little devils like you, wearing fox masks, I've eaten in this mountain?"

"Twelve? Or thirteen? I can't remember... Hehehe, but I remember their screams before they died very clearly!"

Tanjiro's pupils suddenly contracted.

Anger erupted in his chest like a volcano, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the knife hilt bulging: "You...you bastard!!!"

"Tanjiro." Shirakawa Yu reached out and pressed down on his junior brother's shoulder, who was about to rush out.

His voice was unusually calm, eerily calm.

Tanjiro turned around and was stunned when he saw his senior brother's face.

Shirakawa Yu's face was expressionless.

But for Shirakawa Yu, who loves to laugh and joke, the absence of expression is when his emotions are at their most intense.

"Senior brother..." Tanjiro murmured unconsciously.

Shirakawa Yu didn't look at him; her gaze remained fixed on the Hand Demon.

He released his hand from Tanjiro's shoulder and took a step forward.

“It’s thirteen.” Shirakawa Yu spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly piercing through the maniacal laughter of the Hand Demon. “You ate Urokodaki Sakonji’s… thirteen disciples.”

Chapter 24 Breath of Color - Second Form - Fox Walk!

The hand demon's maniacal laughter paused, and countless arms began to swing.

"Thirteen... What's wrong? Kid, do you want to be next?"

The Hand Demon mocked, "Don't worry, I'll savor you properly. You smell really delicious!"

Its gaze then fell on the straight blade at Shirakawa Yu's waist, which was trembling slightly.

"And you have a scent on you that I really miss. It's very faint... but it's true."

"It's...the taste I've had before~"

"Tsk~!"

Shirakawa Yu moved.

There was no warning, no opening move, not even the drawing of the sword.

His figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, and the next second, he was already less than five meters in front of the Hand Ghost.

He was so fast that Tanjiro couldn't even see how he moved.

The hand ghost was also clearly stunned, its waving arm even stopping for a moment.

Raising his right hand, Shirakawa Yu gripped the hilt of the mako sword at his waist.

"Clang!"

The sword was drawn.

It was a clear, melodious sound, but also a furious roar.

The purplish-pink blade emitted an eerie light in the dim forest.

The Hand Demon's yellow eyes suddenly widened.

It sensed it.

The resentment emanating from this knife!

"This, this is..." The Hand Ghost's voice was hesitant and confused.

Shirakawa Yu didn't give it time to think.

He turned slightly to the side, assuming a starting stance that Tanjiro had never seen before—