"Ah ah ah ah ah."
Zenitsu Agatsuma looked at the brightly lit street, the night illuminated like day by lanterns, his mouth wide open. Inosuke, on the other hand, was running around everywhere, acting hyperactive.
"Don't run around, and don't get off this carriage."
Tengen Uzui grabbed Inosuke and Zenitsu. Outside the city, the group chose to take a carriage into the city, partly to hide their special identity as Demon Slayers, and partly because some of them were genuinely tired.
These guys are truly a handful. It's a shame I won't get to see them in their female disguises later, otherwise, it would be enough to make me laugh for a year. No, when did I become so playful? Is it because I've been training for too long without an outlet?
"Everyone, I'll stop here. If you need anything, I'll be at the inn over there. You're welcome to come find me."
Kamiya Seiichi said goodbye to the four and returned to his inn room. He knew the battle was about to begin, and he had to quickly get ready.
This was different from the academy competition. In the academy competition, the students wouldn't try to kill him, but demons would try to torture him to death. In the face of major events, one must stay calm. When facing life and death, no amount of caution is too much. His chest slowly burned with excitement, and flames seemed to flicker in his eyes.
Could he be the battle-crazy type?
At the same time, the quartet began their plans.
"That Kamiya Seiichi is not simple."
Tengen Uzui's first sentence left the three youngsters a bit confused.
"Uzui-san, he shouldn't be a Demon Slayer, right? He doesn't have a Nichirin Sword, and he's not a demon either."
Tanjiro asked, confused.
"Exactly because he's not a demon, I didn't interfere. Choosing to enter the city with him was also to watch him along the way. Currently, it seems he bears us no ill will, so that watching was likely an accident."
"However, we still need to stay alert. The most important issue now is the presence of demons in the Entertainment District. We must investigate thoroughly."
Tengen Uzui brought the topic back. He then revealed that he had three wives and had a lively discussion with the three youngsters. Ultimately, he decided to have the three youngsters disguise themselves as women and go to the various geisha houses.
As the quartet began their operations in full swing, Kamiya Seiichi was thinking deeply, reviewing the basic situation of Demon Slayer and letting the background story of the Demon Slayer World flow through his mind.
The Demon Slayer World, as the name suggests, has demon slaying as its core theme.
In the distant past, a nobleman got an incurable disease. He hired a doctor to make medicine for him to extend his life. He may or may not have known that this doctor was experimenting on him.
But as time passed, the nobleman found that his illness had not improved, so he, in a fit of anger, killed the doctor. However, not long after the doctor's death, he was surprised to find that his illness was cured, and he had become powerful, almighty.
The only cost was that he needed to eat humans. Eating humans didn't bother him. What bothered him was another cost: he became afraid of sunlight.
So, in the eras that followed, he transformed humans into demons by giving them his blood, helping him search for the blue spider lily that could overcome sunlight.
As the number of demons increased, incidents of human consumption also slowly rose. Knowledgeable people observed these demons and, under the call of the Ubuyashiki family, formed the Demon Slayer Corps, specifically to eliminate human-eating demons. Thus, demons and the Demon Slayer Corps have been fighting for a long time.
Demons possess immortal power and can only be killed by cutting their necks with a Nichirin Sword (a sword filled with the power of the sun) or by exposing them to sunlight.
Breathing Styles are support techniques invented by humans to fight against the power of demons. They can greatly enhance a human's potential.
The first generation of swordsmen created these various Breathing Styles and passed them down. According to legend, the Sun Breathing used by the powerful Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the origin of everything, and thus Sun Breathing is also known as the First Breathing Style.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, the strongest are called Hashira. The number of Hashira is not fixed and is determined by contribution and strength. Tengen Uzui is the Sound Hashira.
For Kamiya Seiichi, the most valuable thing in the Demon Slayer World was not entirely the Breathing Styles, but the sword techniques. He wanted to reach the peak of swordsmanship, and to do so, he had to learn from many sources, absorbing the experiences of various master swordsmen. The Demon Slayer World was a world where everyone practiced swordsmanship, and exchanging knowledge with every strong person was his greatest treasure.
"Sword technique exchange, Red Nichirin Sword, Transparent World, Breathing Styles—these are the things I need to master on this trip."
Kamiya Seiichi thought with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, there was a slight vibration from the windowsill, and the floor hummed. Kamiya Seiichi focused his hearing and could faintly hear the sound of an obi sash piercing through the entire wooden house and running wild through the row of houses.
At the same time, it was accompanied by the sound of cracking ground and flying debris. Without a word, he grabbed his sword and jumped out of the window, disappearing instantly.
"It's a bit far, but I should make it in time."
At this moment, Tanjiro and Daki were facing each other, or rather, Daki was playing with Tanjiro. Obi sashes attacked Tanjiro at high speed. These sashes were sharp and tough. Ordinary slashes could not break them.
Tanjiro's body was injured, and he could only temporarily stop the bleeding with a Breathing Style. The blue water flow had disappeared, replaced by the explosion of fiery red flames.
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun."
The flames formed a circular whirlwind, instantly cutting Daki's sashes. Daki reacted, and more sashes shot towards Tanjiro. Tanjiro's face was calm, and the sword in his hand was so fast that it could create flames from friction with the air. One slash, two slashes...
Countless sword strikes blocked all the sashes. Daki's shaking hands seemed to show her fear and disbelief.
"Impossible, am I afraid? Of this ugly freak?!"
Blood seeped into Tanjiro's eyes, but he felt nothing at this moment, because his extreme focus meant that his eyes only saw the demon in front of him who killed for pleasure.
Daki quickly created distance, jumping onto a nearby rooftop. Tanjiro, with a single flash, appeared opposite Daki, his gaze calm, holding his sword with both hands, and performing a horizontal slash.
The sashes came to block like crazy, but it was useless. Tanjiro quickly swung his sword, instantly deflecting all the sashes, opening a path to Daki's front. Without any hesitation, he charged forward, instantly reaching Daki. The sword swung, striking her neck directly.
With a whoosh, the long sword was blocked. Daki's neck had transformed into a sash, incredibly soft and tough, difficult to cut through directly.
Taking this chance, Daki quickly retreated and attacked again with sashes. This time, there were even more sashes than before. However, Tanjiro's speed was even faster than before. He instantly pinned all the sashes under his feet, cut them all at once, and once again opened a direct path to Daki.
Flames carried the scorching sword. Before Daki could react, the sword had already reached her neck, her pupils shaking.
!!!
However, at the last inch of distance, Tanjiro could not advance another step. His body had reached its limit. The burst of power ended, and Tanjiro lay on the ground, gasping for air, throwing up.
It seemed like a long battle, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. Everything happened in a flash.
"Humans are truly pitiful."
Daki, who had recovered, looked at Tanjiro kneeling on the ground, throwing up, with pity.
"I don't think humans are pitiful at all."
A clear voice came from not far away. Kamiya Seiichi stood on another rooftop, observing the first demon he had encountered since coming to this world.
Hmm... she looks quite good, actually? Too bad she smells awful.