Chapter 70: Muichiro
Around them, hundreds of Demon Slayer Corps members, whether standing or sitting on the ground, held their breath.
Their brains were forcibly pressed with a pause button by this unimaginable scene, leaving them completely blank.
"Wh... what just happened?"
A young member's voice trembled, breaking the dead silence.
He could hardly believe his eyes and rubbed them hard, but the frozen image before him didn't change at all.
Lord Sound Hashira was... defeated in a single punch?
"I... I didn't see clearly. Did Lord Pillar of Fist... disappear for a moment?"
"He didn't disappear! He was too fast! So fast our eyes couldn't keep up at all! I only saw a dark shadow flash by, and Lord Sound Hashira's blades shattered!"
"Is this the gap between Hashira? No, this isn't just a gap anymore; this is a total crushing!"
"As expected of Lord Pillar of Fist, who can kill an Upper Rank!"
The sounds of discussion were like a lit fuse, instantly exploding among the crowd.
Their eyes were filled with extreme awe, worship, and even fanaticism.
Defeating a fellow Hashira—especially Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira known for his speed and technique—in a single punch had completely overturned their understanding of the word 'powerful'.
This is no longer a Realm humans can reach!
"What powerful strength..."
In Rengoku Kyojuro's gold-and-red eyes, an unprecedented fire burned.
He didn't focus on victory or defeat like the others; instead, he stared fixedly at Ryuji's retracting fist.
In that instant, what he felt wasn't simple speed and strength, but a more pure and condensed, terrifying explosion that compressed all the energy in the body into a single point!
"Is this Master's Fist Breathing? It's completely different from Flame Breathing... no, there are similarities. If..."
This is the path he must take!
Rengoku Kyojuro clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. His ambition to become stronger and gain his father's recognition became incredibly fervent at this moment.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
In the corner, Iguro Obanai's Face was pale. The white snake, Kaburamaru, coiled around his neck seemed to sense its Master's unease, flicking its tongue anxiously.
He considered his sword techniques bizarre and his speed exceptionally fast, with few rivals among his peers.
But in that moment just now, he hadn't even been able to capture the trajectory of Ryuji's movements.
If he had been in the Sound Hashira's position, what would the result have been?
The answer was self-evident.
"I actually dared to think of challenging such a monster."
A sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger obsession.
No! I can't give up like this!
Since Ryuji could become so powerful in such a short time, it meant his thinking was correct!
Ryuji has a faster and stronger method.
He must obtain it.
Absolutely!
Like a venomous snake locking onto its target, Iguro Obanai stared fixedly at the figure on the stage.
Tomioka Giyu still had that expressionless look, but in the depths of those sea-blue eyes, stormy waves were surging.
"Defeated the Sound Hashira without even using full strength? Truly... as terrifying as always."
He murmured softly.
He had seen Ryuji's full-strength state at Mount Sagiri.
One punch to stop the flow of a cascading waterfall!
If it were just strength, it wouldn't be so terrifying. The most frightening thing was the Aura erupting from Ryuji!
That Aura of reigning over the world!
That Aura that makes one afraid to fight... No, I'm still far too behind. I must continue to Practice hard!
"Hey, you guy, you've made me look quite un-flamboyant."
On the stage, Uzui Tengen finally snapped out of his shock. He looked at the two pieces of the broken wooden sword on the ground and wore a flamboyant smile.
A loss is a loss; there's nothing he couldn't admit.
He wasn't someone who couldn't handle losing.
Moreover, he had known from the beginning that Ryuji would surpass him; he had felt it after guiding him.
It's just... he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
He tossed away the wooden sword hilt and stepped forward to lightly punch Ryuji's shoulder.
"Those two wooden swords were specially made..."
He leaned in and complained into Ryuji's ear, "You didn't even give me any Face!"
Ryuji shrugged and widened his eyes, looking as if he had been wrongly accused.
"No, Brother Uzui, you told me to go all out! You can't blame me..."
Uzui Tengen rolled his eyes and whispered, "Did you really go all out?"
"Maybe fifty percent..."
Ryuji said uncertainly, though in truth, he might not have even used ten percent.
"I don't believe you for a second, you un-flamboyant guy. Not a single word of truth. You're buying dinner."
"Sure, bring your wives along."
"Get lost!"
The two of them laughed and joked as they stepped off the stage.
More swordsmen wanting to prove themselves took to the stage to spar, continuing until evening.
Many Genius swordsmen emerged once again. Though not as good as the future Hashira, it was very possible for them to become Tsuchinoto Rank Swordsmen.
The tournament came to a close, and everyone had gained something.
"You want to take me as your Master? Aren't you Big Brother Himejima's Tsuguko?"
Ryuji looked at Iguro Obanai in front of him, tilted his head, and asked, "Did Big Brother Himejima agree?"
Iguro Obanai nodded.
He felt very guilty. When he told Mr. Himejima Gyomei that he wanted to study under Ryuji, he was prepared to be scolded.
But there wasn't a single word of scolding in Mr. Himejima Gyomei's letter.
Every line was filled with support for him!
This deepened the guilt in his heart... "That's fine then. This is Rengoku Kyojuro, consider him your Senior Brother. Get to know each other."
Ryuji pointed at Rengoku Kyojuro and spoke to Iguro Obanai, feeling a bit excited in his heart.
Heh, more than half of the Demon Slayer Corps' elites were coming from under him; he could be considered an elite instructor.
After taking Iguro in, the following days became boring and painful.
He and Kyojuro followed Ryuji almost everywhere.
One was to learn power control, and the other was to seek the secret of becoming powerful.
Ryuji didn't mind. Watching the two of them grow stronger under his guidance, he experienced the joy of Zephyr.
Not only could he educate the two with the Iron Fist of Love, but he could also take them on group demon-hunting missions.
He called it practical training—the experienced leading the new, accumulating experience, and ensuring safety.
In reality, it was just farming military merit points and searching for Muzan's traces.
Time flew by, and winter arrived.
Goose-feather snow dyed the whole world a pristine white.
Butterfly Mansion.
Ryuji sat on the porch, holding a cup of hot tea, staring blankly at the bare cherry blossom tree in the courtyard.
Without Shinobu Kocho, the Butterfly Mansion lacked some Life Qi.
"I wonder how Kanao is doing with her studies. She should be able to do Total Concentration Breathing by now..."
As he was thinking, a Kakushi Member appeared quietly and said respectfully, "Lord Ryuji, the Master's wife requests your presence."
Ryuji put down his teacup and raised an eyebrow. The Master's wife is inviting him?
"Does the Master know about this?"
"This plot doesn't seem right..." He asked softly, "Is she only looking for me?"
The Kakushi Member nodded and said nothing more.
Ryuji's lip twitched, and he sucked in a breath of cold air.
In the dead of winter, a beautiful lady whose husband is in poor health seeks a private meeting with a young man known for his physical fitness.
"Whoa, the tropes are all there!"
"Fine, you follow me and be a witness. It was all the Madame's idea; I'm being forced!"
Ryuji spoke to the Kakushi Member with righteous indignation.
Kakushi Member: "?"
Arriving at the Oyakata Residence, Lady Amane was standing quietly on the porch.
She wore a simple and elegant white kimono, her posture dignified and her temperament gentle.
"Mr. Ryuji, I'll have to trouble you to be my guard this time. If there are no other issues, let's depart. The Tokito Family home is still some distance from here..."
Lady Amane bowed slightly, her voice soft.
Ryuji realized after hearing this—they were going to the Tokito Family... It was all that Kakushi Member's fault for being so vague.
"Of course, Madame."
Without many words, the two of them set off on the road to the Tokito Family home against the wind and snow.
The mountain roads were rugged, and heavy snow had blocked the mountains.
Ordinary people would have found it impossible to move.
But to Ryuji and Amane, this bit of wind and snow was nothing.
"Hmm?"
Ryuji, walking in front, suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong? Is there..."
Lady Amane asked with a frown. Ubuyashiki Kagaya had told her that Ryuji's perception was extremely strong.
"It's nothing, Madame. Just a lost little mouse."
Before Ryuji's voice had even faded, his figure had already vanished from the spot.
A moment later, he walked back carrying an ugly demon head.
He tossed it onto the snow, and the demon head quickly turned to ash. He frowned and said:
"Lately, there have been more and more demons."
Lady Amane only nodded slightly without replying, but the worry in her eyes deepened.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a small wooden hut covered in snow appeared before them.
Ryuji looked at the dim yellow light shining from the hut's window, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Something's not right.
A red light flashed in his eyes. In his Observation Haki perception, there were only two weak presences in the house.
One was like a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.
The other was full of the purity unique to a child, yet it also carried a hint of unease.
Ryuji's figure flickered a few times, and he was already in front of the hut. Without knocking, he pushed the door open and entered.
A woman with a pale Face and cracked lips was lying on a tatami mat, her breathing weak. She was clearly very ill.
Beside her, a young boy about eight years old was struggling to wipe the woman's forehead with a wet towel.
The child had long, raven-black hair with mint-green tips and a pair of clear blue eyes like the sky, which were now filled with worry and determination beyond his years.
Tokito Muichiro!
Ryuji's heart sank suddenly.
Where is their father?
"Where is Yuiichirou?"
He immediately thought of the plot from the original work: the mother was gravely ill, and the father fell to his death while trying to gather medicinal herbs!
"But wasn't that on a stormy day?"
Don't panic; maybe he just went out to pick up firewood... "Who are you?"
Tokito Muichiro looked at the stranger who had barged into his home and spoke warily.
"Muichiro, it's me..."
Muichiro looked at Lady Amane as she slowly walked in, his expression relaxing slightly.
It's that white birch tree spirit.
Here again to ask them to join that Demon Slayer Corps or whatever... "Where is your father?"
Lady Amane walked quickly to the side of Tokito's mother, checked her temperature, and asked with a frown, "Where is your brother?"
"Father went out to gather herbs... Brother went to find Father."
Tokito Muichiro answered softly, looking at the burly Ryuji with some curiosity.
Is he also from the Demon Slayer Corps?
Upon hearing Muichiro's words, Ryuji was certain that this was the beginning of the Tokito Family's tragedy!
Is this the butterfly effect... "The snow is too heavy; I'll go find them to prevent any accidents."
Ryuji said a few words to Lady Amane, and his figure disappeared into the wind and snow once again.
He unleashed his Observation Haki without reservation, scanning the entire mountain forest like a radar.
Soon, he sensed an Aura near a cliff not far away.
It was an adult male.
Ryuji's heart tightened, and he rushed there at full speed.
When he arrived, he saw a man on a steep cliff Face, struggling to pick a medicinal herb.
The rock beneath his feet had loosened due to the snow cover and was letting out an overburdened groan.
"Watch out!"
Ryuji shouted.
But it was already too late.
The rock beneath the man's feet collapsed with a crash; he let out a cry of alarm as he fell toward the bottomless abyss.
Ryuji said no more, his figure lunging forward like a cannonball, his Observation Haki locked onto the falling figure in mid-air.
In mid-air, he precisely grabbed Tokito Yuusuke's arm, while his other hand gripped a protrusion on the rock Face, forcefully halting their descent.
"I'm saved... I'm saved..."
Tokito Yuusuke was still in shock as he looked at Ryuji, who had pulled him back from the gates of hell.
For a moment, he was speechless, only repeating the word "thank you" as tears streamed from his eyes.
Ryuji brought him back up to the cliff and finally breathed a sigh of relief; it had been too close.
If he had arrived half a second later, the Tokito Family's tragedy would have been set in stone.
Now only Yuiichirou was left.
After a moment, Tokito Yuusuke tried to stand up but sat back down in pain.
"Your leg is injured. Here, I'll take you back first to treat your wife. Yuiichirou is still outside; I'll go look for him."
Tokito Yuusuke wanted to say something else, but realizing his injury would only hold them back, he nodded and agreed with Ryuji's plan.
Back at the wooden hut, Lady Amane helped Tokito Yuusuke brew the herbs to treat his wife.
Ryuji plunged back into the wind and snow without looking back.
He needed to find Tokito Yuichiro. In the original plot, Tokito Yuichiro was fine for now and wouldn't be killed by a demon until later.
But... he didn't quite trust the plot anymore!
"Searching along the mountain path might offer a better chance..."
Ryuji spoke softly, walking quickly along the mountain path. Suddenly, his eyes turned red, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.
In the next second, he appeared behind a rock, his hand tightly clutching an eyeball that was still slightly twitching.
In the pupil of that eyeball, a bright red number was clearly engraved!
Nakime!
Ryuji recognized whose Blood Demon Art this eyeball belonged to at a glance... but this number.
"Five? Has she replaced Gyokko?"
Ryuji's heart sank completely.
Gyokko had only been dead for a short while, and Nakime had already taken his place. More importantly, had she already found her way here?
This place wasn't too far from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters... Using his hand coated in Armament Haki, he squeezed the eyeball tightly, not giving it any chance to self-destruct.
"Then Yuiichirou... No, it's just a coincidence!"
Ryuji thought as he searched the mountain forest for an entire day; the more he searched, the heavier his heart became!
At sunset, he returned to the wooden hut.
Tokito Yuusuke looked at the dejected Ryuji, his heart tightening as he asked softly:
"Mr. Ryuji, Yuiichirou..."
"I didn't find him..."
Ryuji spoke softly after a moment of silence, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Then, he showed the eyeball to everyone: "This is the Blood Demon Art of the upper rank five."
Except for the young Muichiro and the gravely ill mother, everyone's expression changed.
Tokito Yuusuke naturally knew about demons and what "Upper Rank" meant. Although he lacked the talent to become a swordsman, the Tokito Family's ancestor was Tsugikuni Michikatsu!
They were a Family of natural-born swordsmen!
Although Muichiro didn't yet understand the weight of "Upper Rank"...
He knew that if his brother was taken by a "beast" in this heavy snow, there would only be one outcome.
And that was death.
Tears silently fell from his clear eyes.
Ryuji fell silent.
This was a situation he hadn't expected. For Nakime to actually appear here... why would she be here?
Was this the consequence of the plot breaking down? Or was this Muzan's way of showing his power?
His thoughts were in a mess when he suddenly remembered Tanjiro's Family.
If this really was caused by the plot breaking down, then Tanjiro's home might be discovered ahead of time... Forcing himself to calm down, he looked around and said coldly, "It's no longer safe here..."
Ryuji walked to Tokito Yuusuke's side and said in a low voice, "Come with us to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters."
He leaned into Tokito Yuusuke's ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your children are both geniuses."
"True Genius swordsmen shouldn't waste their lives here. Besides, don't you want revenge?"
Tokito Yuusuke fell silent. His father had been a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, just not as strong as their ancestors.
He had been killed by a demon... He hadn't wanted his children to follow in his father's footsteps, but now, his eldest son had been eaten by a demon, and his home was being targeted by an evil demon.
The flames of revenge ignited in his heart.
"Alright."
He nodded:
"Once my wife's illness is cured, we will leave. Moving her now would kill her..."
Ryuji and Amane exchanged a glance, and Lady Amane made a decision:
"I will head back first. Ryūsei-kun, I'll leave things here to you."
"My Lady..."
Ryuji was a bit worried.
"Don't worry."
Lady Amane had a reassuring smile on her Face, identical to that of Ubuyashiki Kagaya:
"From the day I married Lord Kagaya, I have been prepared. Besides, there are some swordsmen following me."
After a moment of silence, Ryuji nodded:
"My Lady, please be safe. Remember to take a detour..."
Lady Amane nodded and then left.
While waiting for Tokito Yuusuke's wife to recover, Ryuji also helped the Tokito Muichiro Family chop wood.
He also taught him some basic power techniques and Breathing Techniques.
Then, Ryuji witnessed what a true Genius was.
"Like this, use your waist to drive your shoulders..."
He only said one sentence, and Muichiro immediately adjusted his posture. By the second swing of the axe, his movements were already flawless.
By the third swing, he had even begun to apply what he learned, trying different ways of chopping wood and using techniques to save energy.
Ryuji was stunned.
"Please continue, Mr. Ryuji."
Muichiro tilted his head, his clear eyes full of confusion. "Why did you stop teaching? It's the first time I've known that chopping wood could be so effortless..."
Ryuji's mouth twitched as he taught him the basics of Breathing Techniques, thinking it would take Tokito Muichiro some time to Master them.
And it did take some time.
Well, fifteen minutes!
In just fifteen minutes, Tokito Muichiro mastered the basics of Breathing Techniques and had even begun to create his own Breathing Technique based on his own body.
"Thank you, Mr. Ryuji. I feel like I can chop wood all day now... This way, Father can rest more."
Tokito Muichiro was very happy; he was glad to be able to help his father.
Ryuji opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Four hours later, he had mastered the Breathing Technique.
By the time they went to bed, Tokito Muichiro had even reached the threshold of Total Concentration: Constant.
Ryuji was completely numb.
Is this... the Genius who became a Hashira after only two months of practice?
At night, the two lay on the tatami mats.
"Mr. Ryuji..."
Muichiro's voice sounded in the darkness. "What exactly is an Upper Rank?"
Ryuji gave a brief explanation.
Muichiro was silent for a long time before asking, "Was Brother... eaten?"
Ryuji couldn't be sure; being eaten was highly probable, but there was another, more terrifying possibility.
"Um... maybe."
Ryuji spoke evasively, not daring to tell the boy about that possibility.
Muichiro looked at the ceiling, silent for a long time.
The next day, when Ryuji woke up, he found the bedding beside him empty.
In the courtyard, that small figure had already begun a new day of chopping wood amidst the falling snow.
Meanwhile, in the Infinity Castle.
Nakime lightly plucked the Biwa in her hands.
Kibutsuji Muzan stood on a high platform, looking down at the boy whose limbs had been severed, but who still glared at him with resentful eyes.
Upon learning his origin, a cruel smile curled at the corners of Muzan's mouth:
"Well done, Nakime."
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