Nezuko thought she saw wrong, after all, her eyes had long become blurry, so it was inevitable to mistake what she saw.
She rubbed her eyes with her hand and looked outside the house again. That black figure grew larger and closer in her vision.
'A person?'
Nezuko was surprised. That someone was outside in this weather was unexpected. But in the next instant, she remembered, wasn't Jotaro the same that night, visiting them under such conditions?
That figure seemed to be approaching their home directly. Maybe it was another person who had lost their way in the wind and snow, hoping to be taken in.
Thinking that, a trace of compassion welled up in her heart for this person drifting in the storm.
Seeing the person come closer, Nezuko hurried to the wooden door to open it for him as soon as possible. A biting cold wind rushed in. Jotaro slowly opened his closed eyes, and a figure appeared in his vision.
"Hurry and come in! It's really cold out there!"
Nezuko shrank her neck, squinted her eyes, and shouted loudly toward the outside.
The person in the snow paid no heed and continued walking slowly and steadily in their direction. He did not seem to mind the harsh environment. His movements were extremely graceful.
Thinking the person hadn't heard her, Nezuko shouted two more times.
"Nezuko, what's wrong?"
Kie was startled by her voice. Wiping her wet hands, she walked toward the main door. But a tall figure suddenly stood in front of her.
The dim lighting and the chaotic wind and snow made it hard for ordinary people to see clearly.
But not Jotaro. With Star Platinum, even in this environment, he could clearly see everything within two meters.
The man walking through the snow wore a suit. His face was pale as paper, his pupils crimson like roses, and the corners of his mouth wore a strange smile.
He was impeccably dressed, like a Western gentleman. But Jotaro felt an illusion, as if what he saw was not a human, but a beast.
Jotaro took large strides to Nezuko's side. At the same time, the figure fully revealed himself in the storm. Before revealing his identity, he always disguised himself as a human, a habit cultivated over many years.
But those slightly smiling eyes would, from time to time, unconsciously reveal an expression of disdain and arrogance over everything.
It was an expression of disgust and indifference toward all other life.
The wide-open door let the cold air rush into the house. Nezuko's delicate body shivered, but Jotaro suddenly extended a large hand and placed it on Nezuko's shoulder, pulling her behind him.
"Jotaro-san?"
Nezuko didn't understand why Jotaro did that, but her trembling body suddenly calmed. A sense of warmth spread in her heart.
"Were you waiting here just for me?"
A chilling voice came from the man's mouth. Tonight, he had come for slaughter. In front of the weak, he didn't need to hide his identity.
Thus, his teeth were sharp, and his nails were just as pointed and long.
Not only Jotaro, even Nezuko, Kie, and the others noticed something abnormal about this man. But they didn't suspect he might be a demon. They even considered inviting him inside.
Tanjiro was with a few of his younger siblings when the bloody scent in his nose made his whole body go cold. He stood up in a daze and followed the source of the scent.
This smell couldn't possibly belong to a human. He raised his head, a sickly face appeared before him.
Until now, he would never have believed that demons existed. But upon seeing this man, his heartbeat suddenly quickened. A chill crept over him.
All his previously held beliefs collapsed in an instant.
Because what he faced was not just any demon, but the king of demons, Kibutsuji Muzan.
Tanjiro's back was already drenched in sweat. Just as he was about to tell Nezuko and Kie to run, Jotaro's voice came over.
"Tanjiro! Bring your younger siblings and come to me!"
Jotaro's expression was stern. Just moments ago, the system had issued a mission.
[Protect the Kamado family from the demon. Rewards will be given based on the number of survivors.]
Right now, he didn't care about the system's so-called reward, what mattered was that the man in front of him was a demon.
He didn't know how strong the demon was. But one thing he knew, the Kamado family was large. If they got separated, the demon would pick them off one by one, and they'd be at a disadvantage.
After all, Star Platinum's range was only two meters. Beyond that distance, he wouldn't be able to protect them. So the safest place was right next to him, within Star Platinum's range.
Kibutsuji Muzan had already noticed Tanjiro. The earrings on Tanjiro's ears made his blood-red pupils instantly contract. Unpleasant memories surged in his mind.
Jotaro could see the veins bulging on the man's face, but in the next second, the man suppressed his excitement.
Muzan's five senses were many times sharper than an ordinary person's. He was extremely familiar with the Demon Slayer swordsmen. Just from breathing, he could determine a person's strength.
These people not only didn't carry swords, they hadn't even mastered the breathing techniques. To him, they posed no threat to his life. So what was there to be afraid of?
'Just a pair of earrings! What of it!'
"One, two, three…"
Muzan looked into the house, counting people with his fingers, and said with a smile, "Eight? Are you a family of eight? No one left out, I assume?"
Jotaro frowned and shouted sternly, "Tanjiro! Didn't you hear me? I told you to bring your siblings to me!"
If he were alone, he would've acted already. But now, Jotaro was in a passive situation. If he attacked Muzan first, he'd be exposing his cards, putting himself at an even greater disadvantage.
Jotaro's stern voice snapped Tanjiro out of it. He felt a different aura from Jotaro than before. But no matter the time, Jotaro always gave off a reassuring presence. So he followed Jotaro's command and brought his confused younger siblings to Jotaro's side.
Muzan quietly waited, not rushing to act. After all, once everyone gathered, killing them would save time.
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