"Awesome, man!"
Cisco high-fived Qingshui, who had just removed his White Knight suit, at S.T.A.R. Labs.
"I bet you'll be the headline of tomorrow's Central City Gazette," Wally said with a smile to Qingshui, who had returned to S.T.A.R. Labs around the same time.
Many people had likely captured footage of Qingshui flying away in the White Knight suit at the end, as he'd done so to conserve Speed Force.
"Oh, then I can't miss this opportunity. Can I interview you now? Like, what's the name of that suit?" Iris, who was by Barry's side, turned her head and asked with a smile.
Now that Barry had emerged from the Speed Force, his memories were slowly returning, and a smile finally graced Iris's face.
"It's called the White Knight," Qingshui said, patting the White Knight's metal arm.
Qingshui and Mr. Freeze stayed in Central City for a few more days.
Even with Qingshui's Medical Ninjutsu, Nora still needed some time to recover; otherwise, in her current state, she wouldn't be able to endure the rigors of travel.
And after Joe and Iris took Barry to Iron Heights Prison to see Henry Allen, Barry's condition significantly improved, and he basically returned to normal.
However, Central City had been quiet these past few days. Nothing happened, except for the new superhero called the White Knight, who appeared in the Central City Gazette and sparked lively discussions linking him to the mysterious white-suited figure in Gotham City.
Well, that's not entirely true. The biggest thing that occurred was just a few petty thugs robbing in the middle of the night, only to be trapped by Kid Flash, Wally, within seconds and left at the entrance of the Central City Police Department.
"Thanks a lot these past few days, man," a fully recovered Barry said, patting Qingshui's shoulder gratefully.
"No problem, and we weren't without our gains here," Qingshui said with a smile.
Not only had Nora's illness been greatly alleviated and Mr. Freeze returned, but they had also acquired a Speed Force dagger. Qingshui only hoped such good fortune would happen more often.
"Next time you need help, just give me a call. I guarantee if you tell me the address, I'll be right there in front of you," Barry continued with a smile.
After coming out of the Speed Force, his speed had increased several times over. The distance from Central City to Gotham was no different to Barry than going from his own home to next door.
"Then I won't be polite," Qingshui replied.
Considering he might need Cisco and Barry's help to recharge the Speed Force dagger in the future, Qingshui accepted the polite offer.
However, given Barry's personality, if he said something, even if it was just a courtesy, he would treat it as a promise.
"See you!"
Waving goodbye to Barry, Cisco, and the others, Qingshui, Victor, Nora, and Angus got into the car one by one and drove off from Central City via the highway entrance.
...
...
Demon Slayer World.
Several months had passed since Tanjiro was rescued.
Tanjiro's experiences were now significantly different from the original story.
Although Nezuko remained on Mount Sagiri under the care of the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji, after falling unconscious, Tanjiro did not follow the latter to learn.
His personality seemed to greatly appeal to Rengoku Kyojuro. So, in addition to Kanroji Mitsuri, who was his apprentice when he was a Class-A Swordsman, he took Tanjiro in as his foster son.
He was indeed the most suitable person to train Tanjiro.
Based on Qingshui's research into the Five Great Breathing Styles and Sun Breathing during this period, Flame Breathing was the closest to Sun Breathing among these five basic Breathing Styles.
Tanjiro was destined to learn Sun Breathing, and using Flame Breathing to prepare for future learning of Sun Breathing was the most appropriate.
Furthermore, Rengoku Kyojuro, also a Child of Bright Red, had almost learned half of Sun Breathing. However, the latter half seemed to be incomplete because he hadn't activated the Demon Slayer Mark and Transparent World to enhance his strength and perception, thus preventing him from fully utilizing it.
As for Qingshui, he had also made significant progress recently.
After his main body mastered the Nature Transformation of Lightning Release, Qingshui's proficiency in Thunder Breathing rapidly improved, and he successfully fused it with Wind Breathing recently, creating his own unique Breathing Style.
"Separation Breathing, I'm curious to see how magnificent it will be!" Uzui Tengen, carrying a wooden sword, said with a smile to Qingshui in an open space near the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Currently, among the Hashira, only the Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen and the Stone Hashira Himejima Gyomei had just returned from a mission and were relatively free. So, Qingshui had pulled them in as sparring partners.
Neither of them had any objections.
After the last Hashira Meeting, all the Hashira knew that Qingshui possessed combat capabilities close to a Hashira. He had also taken action frequently in recent months, dealing with some powerful Demons. Therefore, they all knew that it was only a matter of time before Qingshui became a Hashira, and they conversed with him as an equal.
"Senior Uzui, I won't hold back later. You'd better be careful," Qingshui said to Uzui Tengen, twirling his sword.
He recalled that this person's strength among the Hashira was neither exceptionally strong nor weak.
Without benefiting from the "version update" of activating the Demon Slayer Mark and Transparent World, he certainly couldn't solo an Upper Rank. However, he could at least withstand Upper Rank Six for a considerable amount of time, indicating that his foundation was solid. If he could also activate the Demon Slayer Mark, his strength would likely be on par with some Upper Ranks.
At least for now, Uzui Tengen's stats on paper were among the highest of the Hashira—among all the Hashira, Uzui Tengen's normal arm strength ranked second, surpassed only by Himejima Gyomei. Having been a ninja, his speed was also the fastest among the Hashira.
"That line should have been delivered by a more flamboyant me!"
In a blink, Uzui Tengen vanished from his spot, his twin golden Nichirin Blades spinning and crisscrossing in his hands, slashing towards Qingshui.
"Sound Breathing, Second Form: Sonic Blast!"
His two specially made golden Nichirin Blades rubbed together and exploded, causing a moment of disorientation. The second blade and the force of the explosion amplified the speed and power of the first blade, bringing it down on Qingshui's head.
Not far away, Himejima Gyomei swung his chain-linked heavy axe and flail, ready to intervene at any moment.
Among the Hashira, he was the strongest. Even without eyes, his perception was extremely keen, and he was capable of intervening to stop a fight between two Hashira. Thus, he served as both referee and safeguard for this confrontation.
Uzui Tengen's surprise attack didn't faze Qingshui.
"Separation Breathing, First Form: Ion Cut."
His Nichirin Blade swung upwards from below, and a perfect, sun-like blue mirror appeared, instantly clashing with Uzui Tengen's technique.
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