The shadows of the swords crossed, forming a curtain of steel around Xander. It didn't matter whether it was a heavy ball thrown by the ball demon or the barrages of arrows from the arrow demon—all were reflected by Xander's Sun Wheel. Xander, surrounded by swords, seemed to be encased in a block of ancient black ice. No matter how much the demons attacked, they couldn't even touch him.
— Tanjiro! While he's deflecting their attacks, you and your sister go deal with the arrow demon! — Yushiro shouted to Tanjiro.
— Understood!
Tanjiro, seizing the Sun Blade, rushed towards the arrow demon with Nezuko.
At that moment, Tamayo looked at the battlefield with concern.
— Although Xander is very strong, the opponent is equally formidable. I don't know how long he can withstand this full-force assault. We need to find a way. — Tamayo lifted her sleeve, revealing her white, delicate hand.
Tanjiro and Nezuko had just run out of the house when suddenly Xander flicked his wrist, and a light blue blade of light intercepted all the attacks. The next second, there was a white flash, and the heads of the ball demon and the arrow demon flew into the air. Snowflakes fell from the sky, and the heads landed on the ground.
— Breath of Ice! Earth Form! Unyielding Mysterious Ice Snake!
Xander slowly sheathed his sword as the frost on his body gradually dissipated. He looked coldly at the fallen demons. Sasumaru and Yabaha were stunned; they couldn't comprehend how the man they'd just overwhelmed managed to kill them in an instant. Not only them, but Tanjiro, Tamayo, and Yushiro also looked at Xander in disbelief.
"Miss Tamayo, although these two demons are not part of the Twelve Demon Moons, they are quite strong. I think their blood might be useful, but you need to hurry, or I'm afraid they will disappear soon," Xander reminded.
Xander's words prompted Tamayo to react. She let go of her wrist, pulled out two syringes, and collected some blood from the ball demon and the arrow demon.
"I hope their blood becomes the key to the medicine," Tamayo said, placing the two syringes in a small box.
As soon as Tamayo collected the blood from the ball demon and Yahaba , the two demons completely dissipated. At the same time, Xander heard the system's voice.
[Ding! The host kills Yabaha and Shushamaru, receiving 10 chests of black iron.]
Xander approached and took the chest, then said to Tamayo, "Miss Tamayo, dawn is approaching. Let's find a place to shelter from the sun."
Seeing that Xander did not mention the terms he spoke of earlier, Tamayo sighed with relief. "Yes, Mr. Tanjiro and his sister are together because of their blood ties. Besides this, how can one treat a demon as a person and be with her?"
Tamayo nodded and said, "Well, please follow me." Yushiro glared at Xander with hostility but, having witnessed Xander's power, did not dare act and could only express his animosity through his eyes.
Xander paid no attention to these looks and followed Tamayo and Yushiro into the basement of the house. Tanjiro, following Nezuko and Xander, lowered his head and remained silent. However, Xander did not notice anything unusual in Tanjiro's behavior.
When they descended into the basement, Nezuko ran over to Tamayo and hugged her. Seeing this scene, Yushiro immediately felt out of place. "You! Step away from Lady Tamayo! How rude!"
"Stop, Yushiro, it's all right." Tamayo stopped Yushiro with a single sentence.
Hearing Tamayo's words, Yushiro instantly became obedient. "Yes! Lady Tamayo!"
But who would have thought that Nezuko would reach out and pat Yushiro on the head? Feeling Nezuko's hand on his head, Yushiro froze, unable to speak.
"Enough!"
Tamayo embraced Nezuko and asked, "Mr. Tanjiro, what happened to Miss Nezuko? Is everything okay?"
Seeing this, Tanjiro came to his senses and smiled gently. "Don't worry, everything is fine." I think Nezuko sees the two of you as members of her family.
Tamayo was a little surprised and confused by Tanjiro's words. "Family? But wasn't Nezuko hinted to consider people as family? But we are demons."
Tanjiro replied joyfully: "But Nezuko chose to see you both as humans, and that's how it turned out. I didn't want her to be influenced earlier, but now it seems Nezuko has still maintained her self-awareness, which is wonderful..."
Before he could finish, Tamayo shed a tear. Seeing Miss Tamayo cry, Tanjiro panicked.
"I'm sorry! Nezuko! Come...come here! That's very impolite!"
Tamayo hugged Nezuko, smiling, unable to hold back her tears. "Thank you, Miss Nezuko, thank you."
"How beautiful." Looking at Tamayo's smile, Xander couldn't help but compliment.
Xander's words once again riled up Yushiro, but Xander ignored him.
After Tamayo's emotions calmed, Nezuko left Tamayo's embrace and returned to Tanjiro. At that moment, Xander approached Tamayo and said, "Miss Tamayo, you just took the blood of those two demons. Can I take that as your agreement to my conditions?"
These words stunned everyone again. Yushiro was the first to react and was about to stand in front of Tamayo. Xander waved his hand, and unexpectedly, a wall of ice appeared before Yushiro, trapping him.
Seeing this incredible scene, Tanjiro once more updated his understanding of the world.
Tamayo saw that Yushiro was encased in ice and was involuntarily concerned. "Yushiro..."
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. I just don't want him distracting us. Besides, for your sake, I won't harm him," Xander said. "Now, can you think it over carefully?"
Hearing that Yushiro would be alright, Tamayo calmed down and looked at Xander with a complex expression.
"You know, I am a demon."
Xander embraced Tamayo's slender waist, and the distance between their faces instantly closed. They could even feel each other's breath.
"I've heard your story, I know your past, and I even know what burden you carry."
"But after seeing you, it doesn't matter to me whether you're a demon, what your past was like, or even that you fed people to Muzan Kibutsuji."
"If anyone says you're guilty, then I'll take the blame! If you want revenge on Muzan Kibutsuji, then I'll kill him for you!" You just need to be yourself.
If Nezuko's behavior melted the icy shell in Tamayo's heart, then Xander's authoritative yet tender words shattered the defenses Tamayo had built in her heart over hundreds of years.
Hundreds of years ago, Tamayo, who was terminally ill, was deceived by Muzan Kibutsuji into becoming a demon in order to see her child grow. Losing control, she killed her husband and child. This left an indelible mark on Tamayo's heart, and she could not forgive herself.
However, today, someone said he would take all of this upon himself for her sake. How could Tamayo not be shaken by that?
Nevertheless, kind-hearted Tamayo did not want Xander to take on what he shouldn't for her, so she intended to refuse Xander.
Tamayo lifted her head, looked into Xander's eyes, and with some reluctance said, "Xander, I..."
Before she could finish, Xander leaned in and kissed Tamayo.
Seeing this, Tanjiro closed Nezuko's eyes and kept repeating three words: "Don't look."
Yushiro, trapped in the ice cube, sank to the ground upon witnessing this scene.
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