Chapter 3

Swish swish swish!

Boom, boom, boom!

The sound of whipping wind echoed as Muzan, still in mid-air, lashed his thorn whip furiously. The afterimage of the whip blade descended like a torrential rain, crashing down relentlessly toward the ground. Tom fled, dodging Muzan's attacks, but the ground was being torn apart, riddled with countless deep pits from Muzan's destructive blows.

"Cat! I'll remember you!" Muzan bellowed, his voice filled with rage as he continued his assault.

Tom's ears twitched, sensing the real fury in Muzan's voice. But it didn't take long for Tom to realize that, despite his anger, Muzan was still preparing to flee. One of Muzan's thorn whips suddenly extended, hooking onto a large tree in the distance. The immense force yanked Muzan through the air, pulling him toward the forest with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Muzan had vanished from sight.

The only thing left was the fading sound of Muzan's curses as he fled. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Muzan had developed a fear of Tom, the strange and unpredictable cat. This fear, combined with the approaching dawn, was one of the main reasons why Muzan had retreated so quickly.

Tom glanced at the sky. There was still about an hour before the sun would rise. Catching up to Muzan would be nearly impossible without the help of some special tools, and given the situation, Tom knew he had no choice but to let the Demon King escape for now.

It was a shame not being able to finish Muzan off, but this outcome was expected.

He had fought with all his strength just now, but Muzan hadn't. Muzan didn't even use his blood demon art. From beginning to end, he relied solely on the Demon King's immense physical prowess and his two thorn whips. If Muzan had gone all out, like in the finale of Demon Slayer, Tom would likely have been on the defensive the entire time.

"Sure enough, you can't become powerful overnight. It has to be a gradual process," Tom mused, shaking his head as he picked up the Nichirin sword that had fallen into the snow and sheathed it.

After the battle, Tom had a clearer understanding of his own strength. Despite his immortality, his power level seemed to be just a bit higher than some of the Pillars. After all, his breathing techniques and sword skills were taught by them, and he knew their strengths very well.

As for Tom Cat's own abilities, they were exactly what he had expected—unstable! His upper limit was ridiculously high, but his lower limit was just as low. His more consistent abilities, aside from immortality, included his highly unscientific adaptability and learning capabilities. In other words, his physique was more suited for support and self-preservation. Under certain circumstances, he could naturally perform all kinds of incredible feats and break through various laws with ease. However, if he deliberately tried to achieve those feats…

"I'm just a cute cat, don't expect too much," Tom thought with a wry smile.

Just like in Tom and Jerry, his strength depended entirely on the needs of the situation. When he was weak, he was just a house cat, getting chased and beaten by his owner with a broom. But when he was strong, creating worlds wasn't beyond his reach.

Tom also realized that his ability to take the initiative in battle was currently lacking, and for now, he could only compensate by learning. After all, he was just an ordinary Tom Cat—one who caught mice and was often chased around the house by humans wielding brooms. The Tom Cats capable of destroying worlds were those who had reached a higher level, like Superman Cat, Wizard Cat, God Cat, or Aladdin's Magic Lamp Cat. But these powerful versions of Tom were achieved under special circumstances, and they couldn't be summoned at will.

"If I think about it, practicing breathing techniques would essentially turn me into a different version of Tom Cat, like in Tom and Jerry," Tom mused. "With my learning ability and adaptability, becoming powerful quickly isn't out of the question."

In that case, Muzan Kibutsuji could be put on hold for now. First, he would need to learn the breathing techniques and sword skills from the other Pillars, then kill the Upper Moons and acquire their blood demon arts. Only after doing all this would he be able to deal with Muzan properly. At the very least, it would stop Muzan from escaping so easily next time.

Tom was summarizing the battle in his mind when a crow, which had been watching from a distance, flew over and hovered above his head.

"Amazing! Amazing!" the crow cawed.

This crow had been selected for him by Butterfly Kanae and had led him to the Kamado family's house. Now, after witnessing Tom's battle with the Demon King, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps would surely summon him upon his return. Maybe, as someone who had yet to kill a single demon but faced the Demon King in his first battle, Tom could become a Pillar.

"What would my Pillar name be, then?" Tom wondered. The names of the Pillars were usually based on the breathing techniques they mastered.

"I can only call myself the Cat Pillar, right?" Tom mused, pondering over his potential title.

"Thank you for saving us, sir! We will definitely offer incense to you in the future!"

Tom was still standing in the snow, lost in thought, when Kamado Aoi and her children approached him, bowing deeply in gratitude. Judging from the implicit meaning of their words, they likely mistook him for a cat demon. Tom couldn't exactly explain this identity mix-up, so he simply waved his paw and replied, "You're welcome. I'm a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, and killing demons is my duty. You can just call me Tom."

Despite the one-meter-tall cat standing in front of them, speaking human words, none of the Kamado family showed any fear. Their gratitude toward Tom was sincere. If Tom hadn't arrived in time to drive away the demon, their family might have perished. Kamado Aoi thought about her eldest son, Tanjiro. If he came home to find his family gone, his heart would be broken.

As she thought about Tanjiro, the sound of hurried footsteps crunching through the snow came from the hillside in the distance.

"It's Tanjiro! He's back!" A mother's intuition is never wrong. Just from the sound of the footsteps, Aoi could tell who was coming. Sure enough, moments later, a young man with a short ponytail, red hair, and a scar on his forehead appeared, running toward the house with a worried expression on his face.

When Tanjiro saw his mother and siblings safe and sound at the front of their house, he let out a sigh of relief. But his nose twitched as he picked up the faint scent of blood coming from the part of the house that had collapsed. His heart skipped a beat, and he ran forward urgently.

"What happened to Nezuko?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Nezuko was attacked by a demon. The wound isn't serious, but she hasn't woken up yet. We need to take her down the mountain to see a doctor," Kamado Aoi said, relieved to see that Tanjiro was safe. However, at the mention of Nezuko, her heart ached again. Before this, she had carried Nezuko and Rokuta into the house. Both were unconscious, and she couldn't leave them lying in the snow to risk losing body heat.

"I'll go check on her," Tanjiro said, worry evident in his voice. Hearing that Nezuko had been attacked by a demon filled him with anxiety.

He had gone down the mountain the day before to sell charcoal. However, because he had stopped to help people in the town, it was already dark when he began his return. On the way back, he passed by Grandpa Saburo's house at the foot of the mountain. Grandpa Saburo had insisted he stay the night, warning him that demons roamed the woods at night, making it too dangerous to travel. With no other choice, Tanjiro had stayed. But even early that morning, as he left while it was still dark, something had gnawed at him, his sixth sense telling him something was wrong. That unease had driven him to rush back up the mountain. Now, it seemed that his fears were justified—a demon had indeed come, and it had hurt Nezuko!

The group entered the wooden house. Although half of it had collapsed, it still provided some shelter from the wind and snow. Nezuko lay unconscious on a tatami mat, covered with a quilt. She had yet to wake up. On the other side, Rokuta, who had also been wrapped in a blanket, had woken up. He had only been knocked out and was otherwise unharmed.

"Rokuta, are you okay?" Tanjiro asked, kneeling by his younger brother's side.

Kamado Aoi stepped forward and hugged her youngest son.

"Mom?" Rokuta asked, looking up at her, confused, not knowing what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro knelt beside Nezuko, placing his hand on her forehead, his expression filled with worry.

"Nezuko..." he muttered with great distress. "Mom, I'll take Nezuko to the doctor right now."

"No need, she should wake up soon," came a sudden voice from beside him. Tanjiro turned and saw Tom standing by, looking at the unconscious Nezuko.

"You...you! Y-You! Hey!! A cat! A talking cat! Cats can talk!" Tanjiro exclaimed, startled. Though he had noticed Tom earlier, his focus had been entirely on his family's safety. The sudden revelation that the cat could talk threw him off completely.

"Tanjiro, don't be rude!" Kamado Aoi scolded. "Lord Tom is our savior. He drove away the demon and saved us."

"I see... I apologize for my rudeness." Tanjiro bowed his head in gratitude. "I will never forget Your life-saving grace! If there's anything I can do to repay you, I will!" He bowed properly showing deep respect to the cat.

"Don't worry about it. A noble cat always protects his... servants," Tom replied with a playful smirk, watching Tanjiro's confusion. He then raised a paw to lick it but quickly stopped, realizing it wasn't the right time. He casually lowered it, pretending nothing had happened.

"Hmm..." A soft sound came from Nezuko. She stirred, showing signs of waking up.

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