bookbashuk Chapter 8 Attack
Chapter 8 Attack
I had a very warm and loving family. Although we weren't wealthy, I had the most beautiful and gentle mother, the most adorable younger siblings, and an older brother who always shouldered everything. But then, a sudden disaster struck my family. My mother, my siblings, and my gentle, supportive brother all died, and he became a ghost. Even so, I will never let anyone, no ghost, take away my last remaining family member, even if my brother… is a ghost!
Mizuko gripped the axe tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes, as if tempered by fire, were fixed on the charging figure of Tomioka Giyuu. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, yet she remained surprisingly calm.
Giyu Tomioka arrived in an instant.
He raised his Nichirin Blade, slightly shifted his footing, and bypassed Nezuko, the blade carrying a chilling aura, slashing straight at Tanjiro, who lay helplessly in the snow!
At this critical moment, the bean moved!
The body's intuition and senses are amplified to an extreme degree by the survival instinct and the desire to protect.
The sounds of wind and snow, breathing, and blades cutting through the wind all became incredibly clear.
She suddenly raised the axe in her hand and, with all her might, slashed fiercely at the arm of Giyu Tomioka who was swinging the knife!
This strike embodied all her resolve and courage, without the slightest hesitation.
Her senses pinpointed the gap in Giyu Tomioka's strike; the axe, with a sharp whistling sound, cleaved precisely at the arm holding the Nichirin Blade, determined to stop the fatal blow.
Yoshiyuki Tomioka was also surprised by the girl's reaction and her resolute attitude.
He immediately parried with his sword, though he had no intention of actually killing Tanjiro.
Even in that instant of blocking, he still felt the girl's strength and reaction.
"clang--"
The echo of the axe clashing with the Nichirin sword reverberated throughout the forest.
Even the snow beneath their feet seemed to ripple for a moment.
As Mizuko watched as Giyu Tomioka blocked the attack, her eyes narrowed, and she raised her foot to kick Giyu Tomioka in the abdomen.
Giyu Tomioka reacted quickly, raising his leg to block the attack.
The two legs collided, and Mi Douzi felt a tingling sensation in her calf, but she did not flinch at all.
Two attacks were blocked in a row, and anxiety instantly welled up in my heart.
She was ultimately just a girl who did housework all year round, had never experienced real combat, and had no skills whatsoever.
Driven by a fierce determination to protect his brother, he gripped his axe and launched a frenzied attack on Giyu Tomioka.
Each strike was delivered with all his might, with a resolute determination that disregarded the consequences. Even when his arms ached so much that he could barely lift them, he refused to stop for even a moment.
Giyu Tomioka held back ninety percent of his strength throughout, steadily receiving all of Nezuko's attacks. His Nichirin Blade barely managed to block vital points, and he never showed the slightest intention to retaliate.
Seeing the girl's attacks were haphazard yet revealed a fierce determination to protect her loved ones even at the cost of mutual destruction, a sense of certainty quietly arose in his heart.
This resilience far surpasses that of ordinary people.
Why... why my family of all people...?
Mi Douzi's arm, which had been wielding the axe, was already sore and numb. Tears mixed with sweat streamed down his face as he roared and prayed in his heart.
[Lord Vulcan, please protect me! Please let me protect my brother!]
The relentless, chaotic attack continued for a long time until Midouzi finally collapsed from exhaustion. Her legs gave way, and she knelt on the snow, panting heavily. The white mist from her breath rose and gradually melted the snow at her feet.
She looked up at Giyu Tomioka across from her. He remained calm, his breathing steady and without the slightest disturbance, as if the struggle just now was nothing more than a trivial matter for him.
A surge of resentment and stubbornness welled up in his heart. Ni Douzi gritted his teeth, used the axe to support himself on the ground, and struggled to stand up again.
She gripped the axe handle tightly again, her knuckles turning white, her eyes fixed on Yoshiyuki Tomioka, showing no sign of backing down despite trembling all over.
Giyu Tomioka calmly watched Nezuko get up again, without saying a word, wanting to observe her.
Even knowing the vast difference in their strength, would you still be willing to give up everything for your brother who has become a demon?
Yoshiyuki Tomioka asked slowly in his heart.
Mi Douzi gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. The cold air made her throat hurt, but the panic in her eyes had long since faded, replaced by an almost terrifying calmness.
She gripped the axe handle tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force, with only one thought in her mind.
I can't fall, I absolutely can't. This person is too strong. If I give up, my brother will truly be beyond saving.
Mi Douzi took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the burning pain in her chest. Her arms, which had been trembling from exhaustion, gradually became steady.
She stared intently at Giyu Tomioka's movements, her mind replaying every moment of their fight, trying to find a flaw in that impenetrable defense.
Suddenly, she moved violently!
This time, she no longer swung her sword blindly. Instead, taking advantage of the wind and snow, she staggered but swiftly lunged to the side, avoiding Giyu Tomioka's blind spot.
Instead of raising the axe high, it traced a sharp arc along the snow and chopped down hard towards his ankle.
Giyu Tomioka's pupils contracted slightly, and he was startled.
This attack was both cunning and decisive, completely devoid of the previous panic, instead revealing a do-or-die precision.
This is the potential that was forced out by the obsession to protect his brother in a desperate situation!
He instinctively raised his foot to dodge, and his Nichirin Blade hastily slashed down, barely blocking the blade of the axe, but the sudden burst of force made his wrist go numb.
Before he could regain his footing, Mi Douzi had already used the momentum to leap up. Even though his legs were weak, he mustered his last bit of strength and swung the axe at his sword-wielding arm again.
Fear was gone from her eyes, replaced by a burning flame, as if she wanted to pour all her pain, resentment, and obsession into this one strike.
Giyu Tomioka calmly received the attack, but remained motionless for a long time.
He looked down at the girl in front of him, covered in snow and panting, yet still gripping the axe tightly and refusing to let go, and for the first time, he was deeply moved.
Just as Nezuko was bracing herself against the snow, preparing to get up and attack again, Giyu Tomioka's calm voice suddenly rang out.
"That's enough!"
His calm yet undeniable power froze Mizuko in her tracks. She lifted her sweat-covered face and looked at him with suspicion in her eyes.
Giyu Tomioka slowly sheathed his Nichirin Blade, the crisp sound of metal going into its sheath breaking the silence of the forest.
He took two steps back, giving Midouzi enough safe space, his tone remaining calm and even.
"If you really want to protect your brother, go to Mount Sagiri. There's an old man there named Sakonji Urokodaki. Just tell him that Giyu Tomioka sent you to find him..."