The Demon Slayer Corps, tasked with protecting humanity and exterminating demons, naturally has swordsmen whose strength far exceeds that of ordinary humans.
Soma initially thought that ordinary people—even well-trained martial artists—could hardly contend with swordsmen skilled in the "Breathing Techniques." Yet, he didn't expect there to be someone capable of trading blows with a Demon Slayer swordsman, even repeatedly putting them in extremely dangerous situations.
The duel between the Demon Slayer and the samurai ended quickly.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu… truly impressive."
The swordsman, wearing the standard Demon Slayer uniform, sheathed his sword, looking at the samurai with admiration.
The samurai, panting heavily, spoke with a hint of emotion: "I never expected to have a chance to spar with a member of the legendary Demon Slayer Corps."
He looked at the swordsman with curiosity: "Do demons really exist in this world?"
Though tales of demons had circulated, he had never actually encountered one. Officially, the existence of demons had never been confirmed, so he had always been skeptical.
If he hadn't seen the Demon Slayer Corps firsthand, he might have dismissed everything as legend.
The legend went that whenever the sun set, demons would appear. At that time, the Demon Slayer Corps would appear to slay the demons and protect humanity.
"One day, all demons in this world will be exterminated." The Demon Slayer swordsman replied solemnly.
"So it's true… demons really exist, and the legends are real." The samurai murmured, impressed, his gaze full of admiration for the swordsman.
Hidden in the shadows, Soma was slightly surprised when he heard the term "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu." If he remembered correctly, that style originated from Rurouni Kenshin.
Its most representative figure was Himura Kenshin.
Since being transformed into a demon by Kibutsuji Muzan, Soma had always felt as though he existed within the world of Demon Slayer and believed that only the Demon Slayer Corps could confront demons head-on.
Yet upon reflection, in the anime, the Demon Slayer Corps is essentially an officially acknowledged organization, not formally sanctioned.
He recalled in the Demon Slayer: Mugen Train arc that Tanjiro was restricted from bringing a Nichirin Sword onto the train due to the "Edict Against Swords." Similarly, in Rurouni Kenshin, there was also a concept of the "Edict Against Swords." So it wasn't too surprising that Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu appeared here.
By this point, the two had finished speaking. The Demon Slayer swordsman turned and left, and the samurai practicing Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu headed toward the town gate.
Suppressing his curiosity, Soma quietly followed.
The samurai didn't notice Soma trailing him and soon reached a building entrance, entering without hesitation.
Soma didn't follow inside. He stopped and looked at the inscription above the doorway:
"Hiko Dojo"
From the lettering, it was clearly a martial arts training dojo.
In his memories, Akaza of the Twelve Kizuki had also studied at a dojo—the Soryu Dojo—before becoming a demon.
Standing outside, Soma could already hear shouts and the clash of swords coming from within. Clearly, even late at night, people were still practicing swordsmanship and martial arts.
...
Soma didn't enter the Hiko Dojo directly. Instead, he turned toward a more populated area of the town. Though he was now a demon, his appearance was no different from a human's, so blending in with the crowd would not immediately reveal him as a demon.
In fact, many demons hide in bustling cities, and some have even become famous courtesans.
Compared to a small village where doors are tightly shut at night and streets are quiet with few shops open, this town remained brightly lit even at night. Soma didn't have to break into homes just to ask questions, unlike in the small village.
After casually asking two passersby, Soma learned the details about the so-called "Hiko Dojo."
As he had expected, the Hiko Dojo was indeed a place for martial arts training. The dojo master was extremely powerful, and the style taught there was Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu…"
Soma muttered to himself. In his memory, it was a very powerful sword style. If he could learn it, it would be beneficial for himself.
He confirmed that the Hiko Dojo taught swordsmanship to outsiders, but anyone who wanted to learn had to undergo an assessment. Clearly, it wasn't simply a matter of showing up to study.
With this in mind, Soma returned to the entrance of the Hiko Dojo. After a brief hesitation, he walked inside.
Just as he stepped through the doorway, a student who had finished training came out and, upon seeing Soma, looked at him with slight confusion.
"Who are you?"
The newcomer's eyes reflected curiosity. Most people practicing in the dojo were already familiar with each other, and Soma was clearly unknown to them.
Moreover, arriving at night was unusual.
"I want to learn Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu."
Soma stopped and spoke.
The student was momentarily stunned, clearly surprised. Typically, people came to study swordsmanship during the day, when the master and senior students were available to teach and guide them. Nighttime was usually reserved for self-practice.
Although it seemed strange, he hesitated for a moment and said: "I'll take you to see my senior. He's in charge of instruction. But not everyone is allowed into the Hiko Dojo."
"Thank you."
Soma smiled.
"No problem."
The student led the way. However, just after exchanging a glance with Soma, he felt a pang of unease at the hint of crimson in Soma's eyes.
Soon, Soma was brought to a room. The student knocked, and the door opened. A tall, burly man stepped out.
"Senior, someone has come wishing to learn our swordsmanship," The student asked the man.
The man looked puzzled—why come at night instead of during the day? It was unusual.
Soma stared at the man and paused. This was the same samurai he had seen earlier sparring with the Demon Slayer swordsman without losing ground.
The man saw Soma as well: "You're the one who wants to train in our dojo?"
"Yes. I've heard the Hiko Dojo's swordsmanship is formidable, and I want to learn."
"What's your name? Where are you from?"
The man asked.
"I am Soma, from…"
Soma hesitated slightly about how to answer regarding his hometown.
The man noticed Soma's hesitation. Coming at night was already suspicious, but now his unclear background raised even more caution.
Despite this, confident in his own strength, the man didn't worry too much. Yet he had no intention of accepting someone with such an unknown origin.
Simply rejecting him outright would be rude. Instead, he planned to give Soma an assessment and then use some excuse to deem him unqualified.