'This sword...'
As soon as Riezel gripped the new Hermit, which had become a Nichirin Sword, an expression of astonishment involuntarily crept onto his face.
It couldn't be helped.
'So heavy and hot...'
Surprisingly, the Nichirin Sword he now held felt as heavy as a war hammer and radiated intense heat that reached the boiling point of water, 100 degrees Celsius.
Such a sword would be impossible for an average swordsman to even hold by the hilt.
'With this weight, Lightweight probably won't be much use when I use this sword in the future...' Riezel sighed and lowered the sword.
*Pssst—*
As the sword descended, before it even touched the ground, it emitted a sizzling sound, leaving a small blackened mark on the ground.
"What the hell..."
Riezel was momentarily stunned and quickly raised the sword again, lost in thought.
After a moment of pondering, Riezel used structure system magic to create a block of iron and threw it into the air.
Watching the iron block in the air, Riezel quickly swung the sword.
*Swish!*
In the next moment, the blade of the sword sliced through the iron block as if it were butter, splitting it in two effortlessly and causing it to fall to the ground. However, what was shocking was that the cut edges still emitted a red glow and smoke.
Upon seeing this, Riezel was pleasantly surprised.
'So sharp... No, not sharp...'
Riezel realized that the reason Hermit could cut through the iron block so easily was because of the high temperature condensed on its blade. In this high-temperature state, its cutting power became extremely fearsome.
It was more accurate to say Hermit burned through the iron rather than cut it.
With such a high temperature, logically, Hermit's blade should have been affected too. Yet, due to Hermit's possession of the Durandal attribute, its blade miraculously maintained its quality and appearance.
'Without a doubt, the performance and power of this new Hermit definitely surpass Fool's...'
Riezel knew that the new Hermit was undoubtedly first-class special equipment. He couldn't believe that the new sword he had refined with magic was so perfect on his first try!
'Is it because I triggered the imaginary system when using magic or did some chemical reaction occur after Hermit fused with the gemstone containing the purest essence of many Scarlet Crimson Iron Sands and Scarlet Ores?'
Riezel wasn't entirely sure, but he knew one thing—he might have obtained a special and incredible Nichirin Sword.
'Let's go try out this sword.'
Riezel couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore and quickly left the warehouse with Hermit in hand.
===
In the rear of the Rengoku family's residence, there was a small mountain that looked like the family's backyard, forming a large expanse of forest.
As Riezel entered the forest, he observed his Nichirin Sword, Hermit.
At this moment, Hermit's blade was changing color.
Any Demon Slayer knew that this was a characteristic shared by all Nichirin Swords.
Nichirin Swords, also known as the 'Color Changing Katana', would change color according to the master of the sword, reflecting the breathing style suitable for the user.
For those suited to Water Breathing, when they gripped a Nichirin Sword, its blade would turn blue.
For Thunder Breathing, it was golden.
For Flame Breathing, it was red.
For Wind Breathing, it was green.
For Stone Breathing, it was gray.
Like Kyoujurou, his Nichirin Sword's blade was red, while Tanjirou's was black.
Black Nichirin Sword was a very rare and uncommon type of Nichirin Sword, and no one knew which breathing style a swordsman suited to it would use.
However, Riezel knew that users of black Nichirin Swords had extremely high compatibility with Sun Breathing.
Yoriichi's Nichirin Sword, with its black blade resembling obsidian, only turned red during battle.
As for Riezel's Nichirin Sword, under his gaze, it slowly turned black.
Yes, his Nichirin Sword also had a black blade.
However, the crack-like texture on the blade did not disappear; instead, it became brighter and more vivid.
When one looked at the black on the blade, it was an extremely thorough, deep abyssal black, making it feel like staring into a black hole.
"Huuu..."
"Haaa..."
Riezel adjusted his breathing before suddenly swinging his sword forward.
*Whoosh!*
A great fire burst out.
Amid the terrifying heat, flames suddenly descended from the sky with Riezel's swing, smashing the ground into pieces.
Before long, the wildfire raged through the forest, igniting countless trees in an instant, and turning the surroundings into a sea of fire.
"Decompose."
Riezel immediately used decomposition magic, causing crimson waves to sweep through the entire forest like a hurricane, breaking down the flames into nothingness.
However, the aftermath of the wildfire still remained.
Charred smoke billowed, blackened traces spread all over the ground, and the partially burnt trees made the area look like the aftermath of a fire.
Only then did Riezel sit down on the ground, looking around the surroundings, and then at Hermit, which was now wrapped in flames, gradually smiling.
'Its power is indeed impressive, and on top of that, it really matches well with Sun Breathing...'
Although this new Hermit somewhat limited his Lightweight development ability, it enhanced his attack power and explosiveness.
'From now on, Hermit will be the exclusive weapon for Sun Breathing.'
With that thought in mind, Riezel began experimenting with his other abilities in the mountains.
However, after some attempts, Riezel stopped and furrowed his brow.
There was both bad news and good news.
The bad news was that he couldn't use magic while using Sun Breathing—or, to be precise, he couldn't use enchant magic like 'Ariel'.
Perhaps it was because the evolved Sun Breathing stimulated the massive magical energy within his body, activating it and incorporating it into his blood flow, which caused a conflict with the magical energy flow affected by Ariel.
Or perhaps it was because Sun Breathing and Ariel had different attributes. If both were used simultaneously, the flow of magical energy within his body would become chaotic, causing issues with the circulation of Sun Breathing.
Because of this, not only could he not use Ariel or protection magic like Raumure to enhance his END and AGI, but he couldn't use any magic that directly affected his body.
Other types of magic had no impact, as long as they didn't affect his body, such as magic that directly enhanced his strength or speed.
Clearly, this meant that once he used Sun Breathing, he couldn't add any other amplifying strengthening magic, support magic, or auxiliary magic.
However, the good news was that by using Ariel and Wind Breathing from the five fundamental breathing styles simultaneously, not only did the effect of Ariel strengthen, but the burden on his body also decreased significantly.
'Is it because Wind Breathing and Ariel have similar attributes, making them highly compatible?'
Riezel was somewhat found the reason behind it.
Not only did Wind Breathing strengthen Ariel, but using a breathing style also automatically increased his physical ability, greatly enhancing his body's endurance. As a result, the burden caused by Ariel was significantly reduced when he used Wind Breathing.
Riezel felt that the similarity in wind attributes also played a role, explaining why the burden caused by Ariel on his body was not as significant as usual when he used Wind Breathing.
Otherwise, relying solely on the enhancement of endurance by Wind Breathing, it would be far from easy to fully withstand the burden brought by an overpowered enchant magic like Ariel.
It was indeed a blessing in disguise.
'Although Sun Breathing and Ariel can't be used at the same time, I can split them into two modes for future battles, right?'
Riezel immediately had an idea.
'Hermit pairs nicely with Sun Breathing, allowing me to fight stably across a level. In this mode, my overall abilities are at their strongest, enough to compete with opponents ranging from low to mid Level 7.'
'Fool, on the other hand, can be paired with Ariel and Wind Breathing. It maximizes the effect of Lightweight, boosting AGI and DEX, two crucial basic abilities for Ariel. With this mode, I should surpass the speed of an ordinary Level 7.'
If only Ariel was used, the current Riezel would be able to comfortably defeat the strongest Level 6, not too far from Level 7 combat power.
Moreover, Wind Breathing could strengthen Ariel's effect and mitigate its burden, likely granting Riezel the strength to rival Level 7. Using Fool in this state, fully maximizing the effect of Lightweight, when only calculating DEX and AGI, ordinary Level 7 wouldn't stand a chance against him.
On top of that, Riezel could still further enhance his AGI using Raumure. In this state, his other basic abilities might barely reach the limit of Level 7, but his AGI would significantly surpass this, reaching the limit of Level 7.
With this arrangement, Riezel could choose which mode to use based on his opponent.
'Strong attack mode is when I use Hermit as the main weapon with Sun Breathing.'
'Fast attack mode is when I use Fool as the main weapon with Wind Breathing, Ariel, and Raumure.'
'Yeah, this seems doable.'
With that in mind, Riezel took Fool out of the storage space and gripped it in his hand. With a thought, a word soon appeared on its hilt that read 'Fool'.
It wasn't added for aesthetics or to engrave a crest but to prevent its loss. Whether it was the word 'Hermit' or 'Fool' in their hilts, both served as marks for his summoning magic.
As long as these marks didn't disappear, Riezel could summon these two weapons to his hand through magic. In this way, even if they accidentally slipped away, he didn't have to worry about losing them.
Naturally, it was one of the many simple magics taught by Yuri, still seemingly unimportant but quite practical.
As he finished, Riezel put Fool back into the storage space and kept Hermit in his hand.
At this moment, Riezel planned to create a scabbard for Hermit, as the previous one was completely unsuitable for further use.
However, since Hermit's blade temperature was relatively high, it was challenging to create a scabbard capable of bearing it.
Regardless, Riezel had no choice but to do it, as he truly cherished his new Nichirin Sword dearly.
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As Riezel began his endeavor to create Hermit's scabbard, a conversation unfolded at the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Estate.
The location was the courtyard where Riezel had previously met Kagaya.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi's practice finally come to an end?"
Kagaya once again went to the veranda leading to the courtyard, listening to Shinobu's report as she knelt before him.
"Yes." Shinobu replied with a smile, bowing her head. "I can confirm it myself; there's no mistake."
"Um, that's good to hear..." Kagaya said gently. "And what do you think of his practice results?"
Facing that question, Shinobu answered without hesitation.
"It should be as Master had hoped for."
Her answer held a meaning understood only by Kagaya and the Hashira.
Shinobu's implied meaning was that Kagaya's previous statement was no mere talk.
"Is that so? So, you think so too?" Kagaya seemed pleased.
"I can't help it... As someone who has witnessed the results of his practice firsthand, I can't imagine anyone surpassing Tsugikuni..." Shinobu said softly. "If our enemies are stronger than Tsugikuni, it would be truly despairing."
She expressed herself to that extent.
She genuinely believed that if there existed demons stronger than Riezel, the Demon Slayer Corps might as well disband on the spot because humans would never be able to defeat such monsters.
But conversely—
"But if there are no demons stronger than Tsugikuni, then the dream of us Demon Slayers might be closest to fulfillment in our generation." Shinobu's eyes revealed a complex and hopeful emotion.
"We will definitely achieve that dream..." Kagaya said decisively. "After finally seeing the opportunity to end all of this, we must ensure that all tragedies end in our generation... The stain on the Ubuyashiki family, our shame, must also be cleansed in this generation... This time, we must kill him."
His voice echoed slowly.
"We must kill the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan..."
At his words, Shinobu bowed her head deeper.
"Yes."
Her response lingered in the courtyard, not fading for a long time.
===
At the same time, not far from the Ubuyashiki Estate, deep in the mountains, several people were carrying some things, heading toward the town.
They were dressed in matching black uniforms, with masks covering their faces, looking somewhat like professional personnel from a secret organization.
And indeed they were.
These people were members of the 'Kakushi'.
The Kakushi, who acted as the support unit of the Demon Slayer Corps, were specifically responsible for post-battle cleanup after battles between Demon Slayers and demons, as well as other miscellaneous tasks.
In other words, members of the Kakushi were non-combatants, mostly lacking swordsmanship skills, similar to the personnel in the Butterfly Mansion, who supported the Demon Slayer Corps from the rear.
At this moment, several members of the Kakushi were transporting a batch of supplies to the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Be careful, don't bump into anything. These are the daily supplies for the Master and the Hashira."
"So, are we dropping these straight off at the mansion?"
"Anyone wanna swap with me?"
As they talked with each other while making their way toward the town, someone among them quickly noticed an anomaly.
"Hey, what's that?"
With a surprised voice, the one pushing the cart of supplies pointed ahead on the mountain path.
Everyone quickly looked in the direction he indicated.
"Wait, is that a vase?"
"Seriously? A vase?"
"Why the heck is there a vase in the middle of the road?"
Each of them looked at each other in confusion.
As they had said, right in the middle of the mountain path, there appeared a vase.
It looked quite exquisite and seemed out of place in these deep mountains, especially standing in the middle of the path, making it both strange and abrupt.
"Where did this vase come from anyway?"
As one of them somewhat impatiently approached to move the vase, something astonishing happened in that split second.
*Swish!*
Suddenly, a hand sprang out from the delicate vase, grabbing his head and dragging him into the vase.
*Splurt!*
"AAAHHHHH—!!!"
As a burst of blood splattered from the mouth of the vase, his scream started out sharp but was abruptly silenced, and all movement ceased.
"What the heck?!"
"I-Is it a demon?!"
"It's a demon! A demon is here!"
In an instant, the remaining members of the Kakushi plunged into panic, reflexively fleeing to distance themselves from the vase.
Unfortunately, as they rushed into the bushes, screams echoed one after another, only calming down after a while.
At this moment, a figure emerged from the vase, stained with blood.
"Hyo, hyo, hyo... Looks like we've caught a big fish this time."
Such mischievous laughter—it wasn't from a blooming young girl but from a particularly hideous creature.
He was entirely pale, resembling a wriggling fish, with purple fins growing on top of his head. Two mouths were positioned where his eyes should be, and two eyes were on his forehead and mouth, with yellow eyeballs and green lips. Several small hands sprouted from various parts of his head and body, making him a complete aberration devoid of any human features.
Upon closer inspection, the eyes on his forehead and mouth were inscribed with Japanese characters.
One eye read 'Five'.
The other eye read 'Upper Rank'.
He was none other than Gyokko, the Upper Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
"I totally didn't expect this at all... originally ordered by Lord Muzan to track that swordsman named Tsugikuni Yoriichi, we actually stumbled upon the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps during the process... This is truly a great achievement, hyo, hyo, hyo..."
Gyokko excitedly writhed his body as he spoke in the direction of the bushes.
"You agree, right? Hantengu?"
Following Gyokko's extremely excited voice, a figure slowly crawled out of the bushes.
It was an elderly demon with red eyes, no visible characters in it, a large bump on top of his head, accompanied by two curved horns, and a face resembling a scared old man.
"Scary... so scary..." Hantengu shivered, cowering on the ground. "We originally had only one enemy, but now it's turned into the entire Demon Slayer Corps! Too scaryyyy!"
Hantengu acted as if he was scared to tears.
"Oh my, if you say that, then I guess I'll just take all the credit this time, can I? Hyo, hyo, hyo..." Gyokko extended his long tongue, twisting it around while laughing.
"Hiiii..." Hantengu curled up in the grass, seemingly not hearing his words. "I-I need to report this to Lord Muzan, then he will protect me!"
"Don't forget to mention my name!"
After shouting toward the bushes where Hantengu was, Gyokko turned and looked in the direction of the town while chuckling.
"Hyo, hyo, hyo, looks like my collection will soon have another fine piece of art..."
"But... which Hashira should I use for the new vase? I need to think about it carefully, hyo, hyo, hyo..."
===
"What did you say? You found their headquarters?"
In a luxurious study, a gloomy and ominous voice echoed.
"Tracking down the human who calls himself Tsugikuni Yoriichi, only to stumble upon the hiding place of those Ubuyashikis instead? Hahaha..."
After hearing the report from Hantengu, the voice's owner in the darkness chuckled.
"Well, those pests have been bothering me for years. It's time to get rid of this nuisance."
After saying that, the voice's owner pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"Hantengu, you and Gyokko stay there for now. I'll send Daki over to your side."
"That place is their headquarters, where there will always be a few Hashira stationed. If too many Hashira are staying there, you two might need to step in to make sure no one slips through."
"This time, the three of you will act together. Bring me the heads of those Ubuyashikis, don't disappoint me."
As the cold voice fell, within the voice owner's mind, Hantengu's voice quickly echoed.
"Un-Understood, Lord Muzan."
With that, Hantengu's timid voice quickly disappeared.
"Ubuyashiki..."
In the study, a menacing whisper filled the air.
"This time, you're done for..."
===
"Lord Muzan ordered us to wait for Daki to come to support us!"
In the depths of the mountains, Hantengu crawled out from the bushes once again, dragging himself halfway out, and started yelping in Gyokko's direction.
"Daki? That useless courtesan?" Gyokko stopped his body's movements and said quite sarcastically. "She's coming for what? To slow us down?"
"Hiii!" Hantengu said coweringly. "It's Lord Muzan's order! It would be scary, very scary, to disobey him!"
"...Fine." Gyokko said somewhat unhappily. "Since even the Upper Six is coming, then this time it's certain."
"Three Upper Ranks working together... it's been a century since we've seen this..." Hantengu murmured with a trembling voice. "The last time more than two Upper Ranks were together was during the summoning 113 years ago... After 113 years, half of the Upper Ranks are somehow together on this task, th-three... odd numbers... Scary! Scary!"
"Hyo, hyo, hyo, I'm actually getting excited~"
Gyokko spread his arms, his body twisting once more, his voice growing increasingly excited.
"Seizing this opportunity, I'll create several more pieces of artwork."
"Next, it's time for work."
"Hyo, hyo, hyo... Hyo, hyo, hyo..."
In the darkness, Gyokko's chilling laughter lingered, as if foretelling a storm's imminent arrival.
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