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Time passed, and the sunset gradually faded into silence.
When a crescent moon slowly rose from behind the distant mountain peaks, changes finally began to stir among the Hashira-level swordsmen.
Sanemi Shinazugawa. Perhaps due to his cultivation of Wind Breathing, which resonated with the current environment, Kaito could clearly sense natural energy accelerating into his body.
Soon after, the surging natural energy formed a small whirlwind around his body.
"It's starting already?"
Kaito approached the edge of the formation once more.
At this moment, the whirlwind around Sanemi spun faster and faster, dissipating abruptly after breaching a certain threshold.
And on the right side of this Wind Hashira's face, a pinwheel-shaped pattern slowly emerged.
Kaito formed hand seals.
"Bind!"
In the next second, several chains of spiritual energy erupted from beneath Sanemi's feet, binding his body before flinging him out of the formation.
"So this is a mark!" Sanemi opened his eyes in midair, clenched his fist, and flipped to land steadily.
He turned to Kaito and Kagaya, grinning ferociously in delight.
"My strength has definitely surged!!"
"Best to deactivate the full activation state for now, Shinazugawa-san," Kaito reminded him. "Marks constantly consume your life force, after all."
"I don't care about that!"
Sanemi dismissed it carelessly, leaping back a distance before drawing his Nichirin Sword.
A massive cyan blade flash streaked through the air, and several large trees were instantly severed cleanly at the base, creaking as they toppled in unison.
"Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
With a loud shout, his body leaped upward, unleashing several intersecting cyan blade arcs that sliced the falling trees into neat wooden blocks.
On the other side, Kaito turned to Kagaya with a helpless expression.
"Sanemi, come back."
Kagaya smiled apologetically, calling out to halt the Wind Hashira's sword-testing antics.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sanemi accelerated from the descending wooden blocks to stand before Kagaya.
"Master."
The mark on his face had already faded, and he stood "obediently" in front of Kagaya.
"Come, let me add the lock to your mark, Shinazugawa-san."
Kaito's voice came from behind him.
Kagaya nodded, and Sanemi immediately turned to begin undressing.
"No need."
Kaito couldn't help but chuckle wryly, reaching out to stop his overly eager action.
"Mr. Kamado's body was far too frail, so I used that gradual method on him. For you all, it's unnecessary."
He stepped behind Sanemi, raising his palm aglow with spiritual light, and struck the nape of his neck.
"It'll just hurt a bit more than what I used on Mr. Kamado."
Spiritual energy surged from his palm, swiftly forming all sorts of peculiar incantations that blanketed Sanemi's skin in an instant.
"The less hassle, the better—suits me fine!" Sanemi grinned ferociously again. "Pain's nothing."
"Then we'll begin."
Kaito gave a heads-up, and the incantations covering Sanemi's body immediately began to contract.
"..." Sanemi's body stiffened instantly, his pupils contracting as he clamped his jaw shut tight.
"It hurts, doesn't it? Hold on, Shinazugawa-san." Kaito's gentle voice came from behind him.
Sweat the size of beans slid down Sanemi's forehead, yet he bit down hard without a sound.
At this point, Kaito sensed movement in the formation once more.
Natural energy around Gyomei Himejima began to flow faster.
"Himejima-san is about to activate his mark," Kaito said. "So we'll have to speed this up for you, Shinazugawa-san."
"Bring it!"
Sanemi's voice squeezed through gritted teeth.
Brilliant spiritual light flared beneath Kaito's palm, countless incantations rapidly retracting into it.
When he finally released his hand, Sanemi was drenched in sweat, gasping heavily and swaying before barely steadying himself.
At this moment, his mind was a blank slate, fixated on one repeating question.
This is just "a bit more" painful?
Kaito, however, had already moved on, employing the same technique to drag the Stone Hashira out of the formation and serve him the "doubled pain package."
Soon, Gyomei followed in Sanemi's footsteps, his clothes soaked through with sweat, trembling hands pressed together as he sat cross-legged on the ground.
Next came the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, fresh out of the oven.
After him were the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka; the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui; and the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro.
Finally, the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho.
By the time the moon reached its zenith, every current Hashira-level swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps had activated their marks, and Kaito had fitted each with a "Lock of Marks."
"There, all done."
Kaito looked at Kanae Kocho, the last to emerge from the pain and still catching her breath, smiling as he spoke. His gaze then swept over the group.
"Once Mr. Kamado's body recovers a bit more, he can guide everyone into the next phase: training for [Transparent World]."
"Speaking of which, us Hashira still have to train the lower ranks too!" Sanemi, now recovered, leaned against a tree.
"Is there enough time?"
"Time? We'll squeeze it in somehow," Kaito smiled at him.
"Fine then. Hope those two knuckleheads step up—don't want to waste my training time."
Sanemi flashed a terrifying grin, making it all too clear just how brutal his sessions would be.
"Master, Uchiha-san!" Rengoku stepped forward. "By the way, I recently took on a Tsuguko—a very talented girl. Could I trouble you, Uchiha-san, to activate her mark as well?"
"Is it Mitsuri Kanroji?" Kagaya recited effortlessly, as always with his members' details. "Indeed, a remarkably gifted child."
Obanai suddenly spoke up. "Are you sure your Tsuguko's strength has reached the level for mark activation, Rengoku? Pushing someone prematurely onto a battlefield they can't handle will only harm everyone in the end."
"Ah, I'm certain!" Rengoku proudly thrust up his thumb, declaring loudly. "That girl derived her own new breathing style from Flame Breathing—called Love Breathing! I've judged her capable of taking on Lower Moons!"
"The real genius is on my side," Sanemi interjected competitively. "Muichiro Tokito, the youngest from the Tokito family—that kid wouldn't give up, so he begged me to introduce him to my old trainer. He ended up inheriting a derivative branch of Wind Breathing: Mist Breathing. Word is, he mastered all the forms in just a few days."
"That child?" Kaito shook his head. "He's only ten. Too young—let him keep studying peacefully for now."
"Exactly! More power is never a bad thing, but kids are off-limits!" Rengoku boomed.
"I wasn't suggesting dragging kids into battle. I just wanted you to know what a real genius looks like."
Sanemi grinned at Rengoku in a way that seemed anything but well-intentioned.