The woman trembled all over, her finger shaking as she pointed at Ryosuke.
"You, what did you say..."
"WCNM!"
Ryosuke repeated it again.
Afraid she hadn't heard clearly, Ryosuke's voice was louder this time, his tone heavier, as if Master Liu Haizhu had possessed him.
Not only Obanai, but even Shinjuro, who was standing by, was stunned.
Ryosuke usually looked lazy and carefree, but he was exceptionally serious during training and missions, and respectful and polite to elders and companions.
He truly hadn't expected Ryosuke to utter vulgarities like a street ruffian.
Ryosuke spat at the woman on the ground.
"Cut your bullshit! If you think being eaten by a demon is so glorious and deserved, why are you still clinging to life here? Why don't you go let That Lord you speak of eat you?!"
"Your Iguro family relies on robbery to amass wealth and live in extreme luxury, and then sacrifices clansmen for temporary peace. You're rotten from head to toe!"
"Now that you've luckily survived, instead of atoning, you blame everything on a child who was a victim!"
"Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, selfish to this extent, how do you still have the face to live?!"
"If I were you, I'd have already slit my own throat to feed the demons! At least that would conform to your idiotic logic! Scum!"
Ryosuke's words were fast and venomous, leaving the woman dumbfounded, her face turning from red to green.
Her lips trembled, unable to utter a single coherent word in rebuttal.
"You, you..."
"You what, you!"
Ryosuke drew his nichirin blade, his eyes wide with fury: "Get out before I completely lose my temper!"
The woman stumbled to her feet, glared at the three with venom, and disappeared into the night.
Silence fell over the scene.
Shinjuro stroked his chin, his gaze on Ryosuke changed.
"Um, Ryosuke..."
"What is it, Mr. Rengoku?"
Ryosuke sheathed his nichirin blade, returning to his harmless demeanor.
"No, nothing..."
He had originally wanted to advise Ryosuke not to be impulsive in the future, as harming ordinary people violated the corps rules.
But seeing that Ryosuke had only drawn his nichirin blade to scare the woman, he didn't say much more.
Ryosuke knew what he was doing.
Shinjuro turned to look at Obanai.
The boy had his head bowed very low, tears silently soaking his bandages.
Shinjuro sighed, placing a large hand on Obanai's shoulder, and said in a deep voice.
"You don't need to bear the shackles of others' ignorance and sin, child. It's not your fault; it's the demons, it's those who succumb to demons, and even those who side with them."
Obanai looked up, tears streaming, his voice broken.
"But I have their blood, I am the descendant of scum, I don't know what to do... What will become of someone like me... Where can I go..."
He looked at Ryosuke and Shinjuro, as if grasping at the last piece of driftwood.
"Please... if you are demon slayers, please let me follow you. Let me do something, anything..."
Yes, he wanted to atone.
To atone with his entire life.
Even though he had done nothing, even though he was a victim from beginning to end.
Simply because his surname was Iguro, simply because he was born into this cursed family.
This young boy, whose heart was so soft it was broken, had always been punishing himself.
He channeled all his emotions into slaying demons, which is how he gained the strength to fight to the very end!
Ryosuke looked at the future Serpent Hashira before him, now a boy as fragile as paper, and sighed.
He looked at Shinjuro, advocating for Obanai.
Rengoku Shinjuro nodded heavily.
"I've received your resolve! Come with us, young man! I will recommend you to join!"
Iguro Obanai stared blankly at the two.
A moment later, he nodded heavily.
As dawn broke, the three stepped into the faint light, leaving behind this filthy place filled with blood and desire.
After bidding farewell to Rengoku Shinjuro, Ryosuke and Iguro Obanai embarked on the road to Mount Sagiri.
At this time, Obanai was not as sharp-tongued as in the original story; his personality was relatively introverted.
He kept his head down most of the time, with only Kaburamaru occasionally flicking its tongue, warily observing his surroundings and Ryosuke ahead.
Ryosuke didn't say anything.
He knew that any comfort at such a time would be pale and powerless, so he just quietly slowed down a bit, ensuring Obanai could keep up.
When they arrived at Mount Sagiri, the fog was thick.
Urokodaki Sakonji seemed to have known they were coming, standing silently in front of the wooden house.
"Mr. Urokodaki."
Ryosuke bowed respectfully, then gently led the somewhat timid Obanai forward.
"This is Iguro Obanai. I met him and Mr. Rengoku during a mission. He is now homeless and has a resilient spirit. I specially recommend him here, hoping you can take him in and assess him."
Urokodaki's gaze fell on Obanai.
He nodded slightly, his voice gentle: "Since Mr. Rengoku and Ryosuke recommend him, Mount Sagiri will certainly provide you a place to stay. But whether you can remain, whether you can wield a nichirin blade, depends on yourself."
Obanai nodded vigorously: "Yes! I will... I will work hard!"
Just then, Sabito and Giyuu, who had returned from a mission, also saw them.
Sabito enthusiastically ran over: "Ryosuke-nii! You're here! Who is this?"
Ryosuke briefly introduced Obanai's situation.
Sabito immediately broke into a cheerful smile and clapped Obanai on the shoulder.
"Welcome to Mount Sagiri! I'm Sabito, and he's Tomioka Giyu. Don't worry, although the training here is tough, Urokodaki-sensei is the best person!"
Giyuu stood by, quietly watching Obanai.
Yes, he just kept watching, doing nothing, saying nothing.
He seemed surprised by his eye color and Kaburamaru on his neck.
That expressionless face and overly direct gaze made Obanai's lips twitch.
Ryosuke watched this scene and immediately felt a little embarrassed.
Among humans, Giyuu; among demons, Douma.
This one human and one demon... hard to describe! Very hard to describe!
In the original story, Obanai disliked Giyuu from beginning to end.
It seems this first impression determined their future development—
However, with Sabito and Makomo here now, it should, maybe, probably... be fine... Well, I hope so.
While Ryosuke was lost in thought, Sabito had already taken Obanai to introduce the daily training at Mount Sagiri.
Makomo also heard the commotion and ran over, curiously and kindly looking at the new companion.
Ryosuke didn't linger. After greeting Urokodaki, he left.
Ten years saved up, I can activate God Speed!
[10 years of lifespan injected, remaining lifespan: 253 days]
[Thunderclap and Flash upgraded to mastery, unlocking advanced form: God Speed!]
In the original story, Zenitsu had used this move when fighting Daki, the Upper Rank Six, in the Entertainment District.
He transformed into a dump truck, holding his nichirin blade, dragging the demon's head, and rushing forward.
However, it put a considerable strain on his legs.
What surprised Ryosuke was that the release of this move could control the distance, which was relatively humane... Peach Mountain was unexpectedly quiet.
Rika had completed her first mission a few days ago.
Shota, worried, clung to her like a mother hen, acting as a temporary bodyguard.
Only Jigoro, Uzui Tengen who had just returned from a mission, and his three wives remained on the mountain.
Ryosuke had just entered the courtyard and hadn't even had a sip of water when a figure grabbed his arm.
"Ryosuke! You're back just in time!"
Uzui Tengen's eyes gleamed with extreme excitement.
"Quick! Come see my incredibly flashy progress!"
Ryosuke was dragged to the center of the training ground.
Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma watched with smiles from the side, long accustomed to their husband's antics.
"Watch closely! This is the foundation of my Sound Breathing, First Form—"
Uzui Tengen took a deep breath, two wooden nichirin blades in hand, and his aura suddenly changed!
It was no longer the explosive rush of Thunder Breathing, but a deeper, more profound, rumbling sensation, imbued with terrifying explosive power!
"Boom!"
He roared, slashing out with his wooden nichirin blades in a powerful stance!
Boom!!!
The intense roar seemed to shatter eardrums!
The air was visibly compressed and vibrated, forming an invisible shockwave that slammed into the training dummy ahead!
Bang!!!
The huge wooden dummy, requiring several people to embrace, shattered under this single blow, wood splinters flying!
The power was astonishing!
Destruction purely caused by force and vibration!
Ryosuke's eyes twitched as he watched.
He only felt fear towards such a talented monster.
One must know, Uzui Tengen was using wooden nichirin blades right now!
If he switched to a nichirin blade and added explosives... the power would be enough to blow an average demon to bits, unrecognizable even to its own mother.