Thanks to "Saint Pa" for clearing the way, Roy had the airship to himself. All three levels had only him as a passenger.
After spending about half an hour carefully checking to ensure it was safe, Roy sat cross-legged on the sofa in the VIP room and began to add his points. Gotoh stood guard at the door.
He casually swatted a fly that was attempting to fly into the room.
Ka~ The shackle limiting his growth was broken. A familiar, intense pain spread throughout his body. This time, Roy didn't draw it out; he chose to go all in!
Fifty points of "Life Energy" were squandered in one go... He let out a muffled grunt, almost losing consciousness. He bit his tongue to stay awake, witnessing his cells accelerate their division, his bones thicken and lengthen, his muscle fibers tear and recombine, his hair fall out and regrow. Finally, there was a Dong—
A tremor from his heart!
Visibly, a larger version of Roy shed his former skin, granted new life!
[Hint: "Constitution +50"]
[Name: Roy Zoldyck]
[Constitution: 75.7 → 125.7 (Remark: Average person is 1)]
[Displayed Aura: D- (170/10000) → D+ (200/10000) (Remark: Rating based on Chimera Ants... Elite Squad Leader is D, Squadron Leader is C, Three Royal Guards are B, Ant King is B+)]
[Potential Aura: D (236/10000) → D+ (8431/10000) (Remark: Rating based on Chimera Ants)]
Crack... crack... crack... Roy rolled his neck, stretching his new body. The joints all over his body popped like firecrackers, attracting Gotoh's attention.
"Young master, are you alright?" the butler asked from outside the door.
"I'm fine."
Aiya~ The door slid open, revealing Roy's heroic and extraordinary face.
Gotoh took one look and was... stunned. In just a few seconds, the young master seemed to have grown a head taller, and he was a size bulkier. The tracksuit he was wearing would clearly need to be replaced again; it was so tight his muscles were about to burst through.
"Let's go, time to eat." His stomach was rumbling again, in urgent need of nourishment...
Roy pretended not to see the surprise in Gotoh's eyes and walked first toward the dining area.
The young butler came back to his senses and followed a step behind, silently looking at Roy's broad back, faintly reminded of Silva.
He thought to himself: 'Young master... is really... growing too fast, too fast...'
...
Demon Slayer World.
The New Year had passed more than a month ago.
Roy's sword training was stuck at 59,000 strikes. He had made no progress for ten consecutive days.
Although the boy hadn't said anything, everyone, including Urokodaki Sakonji, Sabito, and Makomo, could clearly sense it—Eiichiro... he had reached the absolute limit for his age.
Late at night, the boy was sleeping soundly on the kang.
An oil lamp was quietly lit in a corner of the wooden hut. An old man wearing a Tengu mask sat under the lamp, writing a recommendation letter.
As a former Water Hashira, and also a cultivator, Urokodaki Sakonji had a duty to report the geniuses he discovered to his superior—the current head of the Ubuyashiki clan, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
The demons were powerful these days; one more genius meant one more sliver of hope.
Urokodaki Sakonji lifted his brush, carefully choosing his words as he wrote. Beside him, Makomo's ghostly wind swirled around the inkstone, helping him grind the ink. Behind him, Sabito leaned against a pillar, watching. As for Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others, they had quieted down a lot since reuniting with Urokodaki. They liked to just stare blankly from the rafters and rarely went out.
"Hey, what rank do you think Master will give Eiichiro?" Makomo peeked her head out, curiously watching Urokodaki write. Seeing him pause as he was about to assign Eiichiro's rank at the end, she curiously asked Sabito.
Sabito closed his eyes in thought. If he went by the current Demon Slayer Corps ranking system: Aoi, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, Shen...
"I would rank Eiichiro as Shen." The fox boy analyzed carefully, "Slayers below Hinoe are completely useless against demons; they're usually responsible for relaying intelligence and logistics. Those above Hinoe can fight alongside a Hashira and provide a little help... Kinoto can handle ordinary demons alone, but if they run into one of those powerful Demon Moons, they're still no match... And Eiichiro..."
Sabito opened his eyes, looked at the boy sleeping soundly on the kang, and said deeply, "At my peak, if I met him, he would kill me instantly. So... I believe with his skill and potential, he is strong enough to solo the Lower Moons Giyu mentioned. Ranking him as Kinoe (甲), as a Hashira reserve, is not a problem at all."
"Master, Sabito ranked Eiichiro as Kinoe~" Just as Sabito finished speaking, the ghostly wind brushed the inkstone and wrote a line of small characters on the table.
Makomo made a playful face at Sabito, having "sold him out." The fox boy just smiled helplessly, making no effort to correct himself. Anyway, Shen was Shen. What he, Sabito, had decided, he wouldn't change.
Urokodaki Sakonji smiled. He turned his head to the side, knowing Makomo was right there, and asked gently, "What about you? Do you think Eiichiro should be Kinoe?"
"I'll listen to whatever Master says~" Makomo, without a second thought, kicked the ball right back. Another line of characters appeared on the table, with a jaunty little tongue-sticking-out emoji at the end.
"... ..." Urokodaki Sakonji watched with a smile. After a long moment, he nodded. "Then let's give him Kinoe."
With that, he lifted his brush and wrote a big "Kinoe" (甲) character on the recommendation letter. After "Kinoe," he added an "Upper" (上) character, making it—"Kinoe-Upper!" (甲上!)
Finally, he thought for a moment and added a comment: "I dare to inform the Master, if anyone in the future can kill Muzan Kibutsuji, it will be my disciple—Kamado Eiichiro."
"More to say, but I'll stop here...
"March 12th, night. Urokodaki Sakonji, respectfully."
Lifting the brush, the old man picked up the paper and held it up to the lamp to blow the ink dry. That final comment was reflected in his eyes, clearly illuminated.
?
Sabito and Makomo looked at each other, speechless. A single thought popped into both their minds... They had still underestimated that guy Eiichiro's position in their Master's heart.
The girl turned stiffly to ask Sabito, "What was Giyu-shishou's rank?"
Sabito was silent for a moment, then uttered one word: "Kinoto."
Whoosh~ In early spring, the snow on Mt. Sagiri had not yet completely melted. The cold wind rattled the paper window. The room fell into a long, long silence...
After finishing the letter, Urokodaki Sakonji slid open the window to let the crow in. He placed Roy's daily training records and the letter together, stuffed them into a small bamboo tube, and tied it to the crow's leg. With a toss of his hand, he set it free...
Caw— The crow dropped a black feather, flapping its wings and heading for the forest...
A few days later, it arrived at the Ubuyashiki estate, circling above the grounds.
At that time, it was high noon. Inside the main house, a "Hashira Meeting" was being held to discuss a plan of attack, as a trace of Upper Moon Three, Akaza, had been found. Suddenly, they heard a crow's cry.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya extended an arm, letting the crow land on his hand. He opened the bamboo tube, unfolded the letter, and began to read. At the end, his pupils trembled, and he cast an ambiguous glance at Giyu Tomioka, who was kneeling below.
He paused the meeting.
The nine Hashira looked over. The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, spoke, "Master, has something happened?"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was silent for a long time, then beckoned Giyu Tomioka forward. "Giyu, read this to everyone."
"Yes."