Arakawa Akihiro had roughly explained what the Hiko Dojo taught, giving Soma a deeper understanding of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu.
There was no doubt: this Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was exactly the same style from Rurouni Kenshin, and it was by no means weaker than the Demon Slayer Corps' Breathing Techniques.
The difference, however, was that the Demon Slayer Corps' Breathing Techniques were designed to fight demons, whereas the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was aimed at combat against humans.
Since Soma had come late at night, Arakawa Akihiro stopped teaching after about half an hour. Soma knew the man needed rest, so he took his leave.
Before leaving, though, he asked Arakawa Akihiro to demonstrate the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu for him.
Arakawa Akihiro hesitated for a moment but agreed.
...
Back in the open training field, Arakawa Akihiro faced Soma and a straw training dummy placed on the ground.
At that moment, Arakawa Akihiro pressed his hand to the hilt of his sword, slightly bent his body forward, and his expression became extremely serious, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Though Soma wasn't directly in front of him, he could vaguely sense a sharpness almost as if it were aimed straight at him.
In an instant, Arakawa Akihiro took a step forward.
He drew his sword.
The move was the standard opening of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, also the essence of the style: the quick-draw slash.
In the dim night, the blade's gleam flashed in an instant, cutting through the air so quickly that it was almost impossible to see—and the strike was completed in a single motion.
When Arakawa Akihiro sheathed his sword, Soma realized the straw dummy had been cleanly split in two.
Having offered this brief glimpse of the style's power, Arakawa turned and walked back toward his quarters without a word. The night was far spent, and he needed his sleep.
Once Arakawa was gone, Soma walked over to the severed dummy. The cut was smooth and perfectly level. He replayed that single strike in his mind over and over.
As a demon, his physical capabilities—strength, vision, and reflexes—were vastly superior to any human's. He was an existence that had already shattered the limits of the human body. Yet, he had barely been able to track Arakawa's strike.
He could sense that Arakawa Akihiro's physical strength exceeded that of an ordinary human, but not to the point of breaking human limits. Yet in that instant, the speed of the strike was too fast for him to follow.
With his own far superior demonic body, Soma believed he could replicate that speed—but that would rely on his demonic strength. Arakawa Akihiro, however, had achieved it with only a frail human body. One relies on physical power, the other surpasses it; the two were incomparable.
If a human body alone could wield the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu with such power, Soma wondered what kind of force it would achieve in the hands of a demon like him, with his immense strength.
Thinking of this, he felt a thrill rising in his chest.
...
After leaving Hiko Dojo, Soma approached several traveling merchants in the town. These itinerant traders were well-informed and knew a lot of regional details.
Although Mount Sagiri wasn't particularly famous, he finally obtained its exact location from one merchant. Not only that, he also learned the locations of Mount Fujikasane and Mount Natagumo.
Mount Fujikasane was the final selection ground where the Demon Slayer Corps tested prospective swordsmen; only those who survived its trials could become official slayers.
As for Mount Natagumo, it was the territory of Rui, the Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki. According to the merchants, Mount Natagumo was very dangerous at night, and several travelers had gone "missing" while passing through.
This so-called "missing" was clearly the result of encountering demons. Apparently, Rui, the Lower Rank Five, had not yet been eliminated. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many travelers going missing in Mount Natagumo.
This gave Soma a clearer understanding of the current stage of the story he was in.
The only regret was that he hadn't learned anything about Kamado Tanjiro from the merchants. After all, who would pay attention to a family selling charcoal deep in the mountains?
Although it was slightly disappointing not to have Tanjiro's address, knowing the location of Mount Sagiri meant that finding Tanjiro's residence wouldn't be difficult—he just needed to search around Mount Sagiri.
It shouldn't take too much time.
However, during the search, he needed to be extremely cautious. After all, Sakonji Urokodaki, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, was also secluded on Mount Sagiri. If Urokodaki discovered that Soma was a demon, he would likely end up with his neck severed.
...
After gathering information from the merchants, Soma looked up at the sky. It was already late, and his body instinctively sent warnings—a natural fear of sunlight.
Clearly, his demonic instincts were reminding him that he needed to find shelter away from the sun before sunrise.
So, Soma quickly returned.
As a demon, his body was strong and tireless; traveling long distances was no problem.
As the sun slowly rose, piercing the darkness and illuminating the land, all creatures that thrived in darkness went into hiding. Soma returned to his cave as the sunlight appeared.
The cave was damp and dark. Soma moved forward silently, passing over the white bones scattered like a carpet on the ground, remaining quiet.
As a former human, seeing his own kind treated this way was unsettling, but now, as a demon, these bones were just food—much like the chicken or duck he once ate as a human. For a demon, consuming this flesh was necessary and even enhanced their own body.
Yet despite knowing this, he still couldn't fully accept it. It still felt uncomfortable.
Just as he closed his eyes and prepared to continue forward, his steps halted.
Among the bones lying like a carpet, there was now one that still had traces of fresh blood. But it wasn't the blood that caught his attention—it was the torn clothing nearby, and… a sword.
Though the clothes were torn, he could still make out that it was the standard uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps.
And that sword… was a demon slayer's specialized weapon, known as the Color-Changing Sword, also called… the Nichirin Sword.