Although they already knew the final outcome of this battle, the scene unfolding was still enough to move the audience outside the light curtain.
One could only say that Tanjiro was truly a protagonist chosen by fate. His kindness was not an act, and his anger at Wamuu's disregard for life was absolutely genuine.
Furthermore, to have grown so much in just a few short days, he clearly had a talent for the path of Breathing Styles.
But that was precisely what made it all the more tragic. The gap between them and Wamuu was far too vast.
It was like the difference between an adult and an infant. If not for Wamuu's warrior-like personality, they would have been doomed to die, protagonist's halo or not.
[Light Curtain Commentary]
[Joseph Joestar: "Wamuu, a warrior gone with the wind... You were truly the most respectable opponent I, Joseph Joestar, ever faced in my life."]
In the Stardust Crusaders timeline, seeing this long-unseen opponent on the screen filled Joseph's heart with a complex mix of emotions. Wamuu was indeed the warrior who had left the deepest impression on him.
Before Kars became the Ultimate Lifeform, Wamuu was the most difficult one to deal with, despite being the youngest and lowest in rank among the three Pillar Men.
But as a natural-born warrior, Wamuu was actually the strongest of the three in terms of combat prowess. If Kars hadn't played dirty, victory would have been theirs the moment they defeated Wamuu.
[Kars: "Wamuu, you are the same as ever. I've told you before, humans can grow in the blink of an eye. Even so, are you still unwilling to kill those children who have yet to fully mature?"]
In the Battle Tendency timeline, Kars felt little excitement upon witnessing that he too had crossed over into the world called Demon Slayer.
Although he possessed immense self-confidence, he knew that in his current state, he could not handle DIO or the boy named Jotaro Kujo. The same was true for Wamuu. Time stop, the mysterious power of Stands—unless he became the Ultimate Lifeform, facing those things meant certain death!
---o---
[On Screen]
The story continued.
Wamuu's keen observation had him lock his gaze on the wooden box Tanjiro had placed on the ground the instant he heard the sound.
He spoke with a calm expression, "Brat, what I said before still stands. I will spare your lives. But in exchange, give me that wooden box, along with the life inside it."
On screen, Wamuu's tone was perfectly level, without a hint of fluctuation, as if he was already certain the contents of the box would be his.
Seeing Wamuu take an interest in his sister, the furious look in Tanjiro's eyes shifted rapidly, a surge of alarmed anger rising in his heart.
Tanjiro was no fool. The disparity in their strength was immense; anyone could see it. If he were alone, Tanjiro might have fought to the death.
But... this was different. Not only could he not avenge the lives lost here, but he might not even be able to protect his own sister.
I absolutely cannot let this guy have Nezuko!
Tanjiro repeated this to himself over and over in his mind, his guard against Wamuu rising even higher.
Faced with such a defiant Tanjiro, Wamuu simply scratched the back of his neck and said with a hint of resignation, "Don't be like that, human. Your lives are so short. Isn't it better to live them well? Why are you always so eager to die?"
With those words, Wamuu completely disregarded Tanjiro and the others, walking straight toward the wooden box.
Seeing this, the trio could finally wait no longer. In the next moment, "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
A crackle of lightning flashed. At a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye, Zenitsu Agatsuma unleashed his Thunder Breathing at Wamuu's neck.
However, to Wamuu, it was like watching a slow-motion replay, full of openings. He raised his right hand to block his neck, and then... the sound of metal colliding rang out.
The nigh-unstoppable Thunder Breathing, upon meeting Wamuu's body, was uncharacteristically unable to cut through.
On the other side, the boy in the boar mask pushed himself up from the ground, relying on his flexible body. Having grown up in the mountains and forests, he had long developed a strong and supple physique.
Enduring immense pain, he once again unleashed his Beast Breathing. His two specialized blades hacked at Wamuu's body, sawing back and forth, attempting to break through Wamuu's defense by force.
And Tanjiro, who had been gathering his strength, took a sharp breath. The red in his eyes and hair seemed to deepen. Exhaling a puff of flame, he held his breath.
His entire body now wreathed in fire, he unleashed the strongest power he could currently muster. Its name: "Hinokami Kagura—Waltz!"
The slash, tracing a circular arc, engulfed the entire blade in flames as hot as the sun, seeming to want to illuminate the entire night!
I absolutely cannot let this guy take Nezuko! Absolutely not!
Fueled by this conviction, the Fire Breathing that Tanjiro unleashed... no, it should be called Sun Breathing, seemed to faintly overlap with the silhouette of another figure.
On the screen, a swordsman with a mark on his face and wearing the same sun-patterned earrings as Tanjiro appeared, executing a slash that was nothing short of divine.
The moment that shadow appeared, Muzan was stunned. Kokushibo was stunned. The entire audience outside the light curtain was stunned.
Even Wamuu in the video was taken aback. This boy... had unleashed a slash that was completely beyond his current level of strength.
And the human figure that flickered within that fiery waltz, a posture like that of a god descending from the heavens, was deeply etched into the minds of the audience.
With the atmosphere built to this point, could Tanjiro's most powerful attack actually defeat Wamuu?
The answer was... impossible.
When the flaming blade of the Waltz struck at Wamuu's body, he did indeed feel a terrifying power.
But that power did not come from the boy before him. It came from the original user of the technique, the human figure that faintly appeared within the waltz.
It stirred within Wamuu an impulse to fight. That man was an absolute master swordsman. Only by defeating that man in a fair fight could Wamuu feel the true joy of victory!
It was just a pity that the swordsman was not here. And Tanjiro, the one who had inherited his legacy, was just a child who couldn't even wield one-tenth of its true power.
"I've had enough," Wamuu said. A violent force of wind erupted from his body.
The immense power sent the boar-headed boy and Zenitsu, who were restraining his left and right arms, flying.
If that spinning flame had managed to strike his neck, it might have indeed caused him harm. But as a natural-born warrior, Wamuu wasn't just going to stand there and take the hit.
"Using this technique on the weak is a bit excessive, but Lord Kars has been waiting too long. Let me put an end to this farce."
"Fighting Technique...!"
"DIVINE SANDSTORM!!!!!"
BOOM!
A blue-green aura exploded from Wamuu's body.
The joints in his arms deformed and twisted, beginning to spin rapidly.
SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH! The sound of a howling gale erupted.
The sheer speed of the rotation created a vortex, like a black hole, that was both dazzling and terrifying. The powerful vacuum suction was strong enough to grind the nearby stone pillars and rocks to dust, and the ground cracked under the force of the wind blades!
"Aaaah!" Tanjiro couldn't even maintain his Hinokami Kagura, let alone his own breathing and balance. He was uncontrollably sucked into the vortex.
That boy was sure to die! Almost no one could survive the Divine Sandstorm. Even solid stone was pulverized into fragments, let alone Tanjiro's mortal flesh.
Feeling the suction and the slicing wind blades of the vortex, Tanjiro's pained cries rang out. He felt as if his body was being completely twisted, and he could even hear the faint cracking of his own bones.
Like a death-bed flashback, scenes from Tanjiro's memories flashed before the audience. This boy, whose entire family was destroyed by a demon, had fought tirelessly for the sake of his sister, who had become a demon herself.
It was hard to imagine how a child like him, after all he had been through, could still maintain such rare kindness.
His experiences had given him countless reasons to turn to darkness, yet he always faced everyone with the best of himself.
The Golden Spirit!
What was coalesced in this boy was the precious and rare Golden Spirit!
Regardless of his role as a protagonist, regardless of his original destiny, this boy's resolve and spirit were precious and admirable in any era!
A person like this should not die here!
In the nick of time, an unexpected figure appeared in front of Tanjiro!
"Ne... Nezuko!"
Tanjiro cried out in alarm. The small figure stood before him without a moment's hesitation, shielding him from Wamuu's Divine Sandstorm.
Even with a demon's body, withstanding such an attack was nearly impossible. However, out of a desire to preserve a valuable test subject, Wamuu did not deal a fatal blow.
Instead, he stopped his attack, gazing at Nezuko, who had emerged from the wooden box on her own.
With her bangs tied up with a pink ribbon, a pink kimono under a hemp-brown haori, and her legs wrapped in tightly bound leggings, Nezuko was undoubtedly a rare beauty.
Unfortunately, in Wamuu's eyes, the concept of beauty did not exist. No matter how beautiful food was, it was still meant to be eaten. One would never hesitate to eat a meal just because it looked good.
"I see. The reason you can coexist is because of the connection in your bloodline?"
Looking at the siblings, Wamuu quickly deduced their relationship.
Tanjiro, knocked to the ground by the aftershock of the Divine Sandstorm, struggled back to his feet and called out to the sister shielding him, "Ne... Nezuko, run! Don't let him catch you!"
However, Nezuko, who was usually very obedient, stood firmly in front of Tanjiro. The wounds on her body from the wind blades were slowly healing.
The veins on her temples were clearly visible. It seemed Nezuko had no intention of surrendering, nor would she abandon her brother to save herself.
"A moving bond..." Wamuu stated, his expression still calm. He had to admit, attacking such a pair of siblings made him feel a pang of reluctance.
Ultimately, Wamuu himself was only interested in powerful warriors, and no one present fit that description. His assumption that Kars would be interested in Nezuko was just his own wishful thinking.
After a long moment of contemplation, Wamuu's thoughts raced. Then, he spoke, "Enough. The bond between you siblings, and the strength that humans display in the face of despair, have moved me, Wamuu."
"In that case, I will spare you this time. And, of course, this young lady as well."
Wamuu said, gesturing toward the battle-ready Nezuko, as if he had a sudden change of heart.
This caught Tanjiro and the audience by surprise, filling them with a sense of disbelief. This Wamuu... setting aside his allegiances, was he actually a good person?
As this idea was being debated, Wamuu walked past the defensive Nezuko, looked down at the fallen Tanjiro, and continued:
"I respect your will as a warrior and a brother. But I, Wamuu, am Lord Kars's most loyal servant. It is impossible for me to simply let you and your sister go."
The next moment, while Tanjiro was still trying to process those words, Wamuu thrust his hand straight into Tanjiro's chest.
With no chance to resist, unable to even dodge, Tanjiro could only watch as the man did something inside his body.
A feeling like his heart was being squeezed shot through him, and then Wamuu withdrew his arm.
He was fine? His hand went right through to his heart, yet he was fine?
Tanjiro carefully checked his body for any changes, a sliver of relief in his heart.
Seeing this, Wamuu spoke slowly.
"Consider it a reward from me, Wamuu, for your courage and will. I will give you one chance."
"I have placed a ring inside your heart, attached to the organ itself."
"My... my heart?" Tanjiro was stunned. Was this something a human, or even a demon, could do?
"One month... I will give you only one month," Wamuu continued, his expression unreadable. "Find the man who taught you that technique you just used and bring him to me for a duel."
"Regardless of the outcome, I will give you the antidote on my lip ring. As for your sister, that will depend on Lord Kars's decision."
"Don't even think about running away. The ring on your heart is coated with a potent poison. Only the antidote on my lip ring can neutralize it."
"So, boy... take this charity I, Wamuu, have bestowed upon you, and find a way to live."
As his voice faded, Wamuu vanished from the spot. No one saw how he left...
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: Young Joseph will be making an appearance soon. Hermit Purple will be slightly enhanced, mainly its attributes. The old man's Stand won't be useless anymore.