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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19 – The True Color-Changing Blade

"The blue blade looks splendid," said Urokodaki, his voice calm beneath the Tengu mask. "Judging by its clarity, Chika… your talent in Water Breathing might even surpass Giyu's one day."

He meant it as modest praise, but that was no small compliment.Giyu Tomioka—Water Hashira of his generation—had once admitted that compared to Sabito's natural talent, he'd felt lacking. And yet Giyu had gone on to create Water Breathing: Eleventh Form—Dead Calm, a feat no one before him had achieved.

To say Chika's potential might reach beyond that? Even Urokodaki's low-key tone couldn't hide the gravity behind those words.

Chika, however, was less impressed. "Purity?" she thought blankly. Now blades have color grades? What is this, Baki's arena?

World's Strongest Creature: "Your purity is too low."

Chika: "Wrong universe! Get lost!"

She shook her head violently, then looked again at the blade in her hand.

…Okay, fine. It really was beautiful. The blue gleamed like calm water under moonlight—pure, luminous, alive.

Just as she admired it, a sharp caw! broke through the air. A crow flapped in through the open window, circled once—and immediately froze midair at the sight of Chika. It hit the brakes so hard it nearly backflipped, then hovered at a "safe" distance.

"Tanjiro! Chika!" it squawked. "I bear your orders! Head northwest—young women have been vanishing nightly! Find the demon responsible and slay it! Take care, this will be your first official mission as Demon Slayers!"

The crow didn't even wait for acknowledgment—it bolted straight back out the window, clearly unwilling to linger in Chika's presence.

Since she lacked a Kasugai Crow of her own, Tanjiro's had to serve double duty—apparently it wasn't thrilled about the arrangement.

Tanjiro's eyes gleamed. "Sis! Our first assignment!"

Chika smiled faintly. "Then let's make it quick."

Sliding her Nichirin Blade back into its sheath, she thought for a moment. The details of this early arc were hazy in her memory—it was one of the least striking before the Spider Mountain incident that had first drawn her to the story. She vaguely recalled a demon that preyed on young girls using Blood Demon Art, but the specifics? Not so much.

No matter. That kind of demon couldn't possibly be strong.If Tanjiro could solo it in the original timeline, then in co-op mode—with her and Nezuko—it'd be a speedrun.

In the next room, Nezuko's sharp hearing caught everything.She clenched her tiny fists and whispered to herself, "I'll help too!" even as sleep tugged at her eyes.

Back in the main room, Urokodaki cleared his throat softly. "In the left room," he said, "there's a special wooden box. Lighter and sturdier than the usual kind. You'll find it useful for carrying… certain things."

Tanjiro and Chika exchanged glances. They understood perfectly.

Nezuko shrank her body down, clutching a wooden practice sword like a cherished toy, and nestled herself inside the box. Tanjiro slung it onto his back with practiced ease.

"Then we're off!"

"Take care," said Urokodaki, stepping out to watch them depart. The faintest trace of emotion slipped into his voice. My students… please, come back alive.

Once they were out of sight, Chika slowed her pace. A thought had been nagging at her ever since she'd first drawn her sword. Finally, she stopped, unsheathed it, and stared at the brilliant blue blade.

Tanjiro blinked. "Sis—why'd you draw your sword? We're almost at the town!"

"Relax," Chika said, scanning the empty trail. "I just want to test something. No one's around to see."

She took a deep breath—then deliberately broke her Water Breathing rhythm and shifted her entire focus.The calm, cool flow of her body gave way to a roaring blaze within.

Her blood burned. Her pulse quickened. Her temperature spiked.

And the sword in her hands reacted.

At first, the hilt stung her palm. Then, before Tanjiro's widening eyes, the blade's hue began to change—blue fading into darkness, the sheen deepening until the steel gleamed black.

"Your sword—it's the same color as mine!" Tanjiro gasped.

"Exactly as I suspected," Chika said, a fierce grin forming. "It changes color with my breathing. That's what a true color-changing sword should be."

She swung in a wide arc—Hinokami Kagura: Dance (Enbu).Flames burst forth, brilliant and red, their intensity far beyond what either sibling had expected.

Satisfied, Chika sheathed the blade. "If my path isn't locked to Water Breathing," she murmured, "then I can walk both—Water and Flame. Good. When the time comes, I'll face Muzan myself… and I'll make him remember the fear of Yoriichi's red sun."

Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she muttered under her breath, "You treat life like it's nothing!"

Tanjiro blinked. "Uh… what?"

She coughed lightly, waving a hand. "Nothing. Forget it."

"R-right…"

The siblings descended the mountain, the distant sound of birds and rustling wind marking their journey toward civilization.

Tanjiro occasionally fretted about being seen with a sword—it was the Taishō era, after all, when carrying a blade could draw suspicion. Guns were the new power, trains already roamed the land, and the Demon Slayer Corps operated in secret.

Still, Chika marveled silently at the world's mix of tradition and modernity. So this was Taishō Japan, she thought. Not as backward as I'd imagined.

They passed through one town after another before finally reaching the village mentioned by the crow. The moment they arrived, Tanjiro's nose twitched—his senses sharpening to full focus.

"There's a demon's scent," he said, his expression hardening. "It's close."

"Then no time to waste," Chika said, cracking her neck with a confident smirk. "Let's hunt."

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