Kapitel 62: Chapter 62
Sanemi lunged toward me, his movements swift and aggressive. I waited until the last second before stomping the ground with enough force to crack it, sending shockwaves toward him. The ground trembled, knocking him off balance, which I took advantage of by swinging my odachi with both hands, gripping the handle tightly.
Sanemi reacted quickly, letting gravity pull him down to dodge the swing. I didn't give him time to recover, I shifted my grip and brought the blade down again, but this time Kyojuro intervened.
"Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
A flaming upward slash came toward me, forcing me to sidestep. I released my odachi momentarily, closing the distance between Kyojuro and Sanemi with a burst of speed. Switching my wakizashi to a reverse grip, I charged it with cursed magic and clashed with Kyojuro. The impact sent him stumbling back, and I used the opening to kick Sanemi in the side, sending him crashing into Kyojuro's arms.
I quickly caught my odachi by the blade as it fell, channeling cursed magic through it. But before the blow could land, I heard the distinct sound of something cutting through the air, Mitsuri's whip-like sword was heading straight for me.
I blocked the strike with my wakizashi, but the sheer force behind it sent me skidding backward. 'Impressive strength.' I thought, regaining my footing just in time to see Muichiro closing in.
"First Form: Low Clouds, Distant Haze" Muichiro's sword flashed forward in a quick thrust, nearly grazing me as I dodged. A few strands of hair fell, severed by his precision. I responded by stomping the ground once again, this time infusing it with cursed magic. The shockwave threw Muichiro off balance, and I took the opportunity to swing the hilt of my odachi into his side, sending him flying out of my field of view.
Just as I turned, I felt the air shift. Another attack, this one aimed at my neck.
"Second Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head"
I dropped my odachi once more, catching the incoming strike with my wakizashi in a quick, downward turn. The attacker, Iguro Obanai, gave me a cold stare, but I smirked in response as I twisted my body and launched a roundhouse kick, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.
With the immediate threats cleared, I straightened up and reached for my fallen odachi. That was when I felt the ground begin to tremble beneath me again.
"First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar" Gyomei's voice boomed as both his flail and axe came hurtling toward me like a drill.
I barely had time to react. Dropping my wakizashi, I gripped the odachi with both hands, holding it high above my right shoulder. As Gyomei's massive weapons closed in, I charged forward, meeting his attack head-on. The impact was immense, his strength was no joke but I managed to block the attack, though my arms strained under the pressure.
'What strength.'
Gyomei pulled back the chain connecting his flail and axe, but I was faster. I breathed in deeply, channeling cursed magic into my legs. In a burst of speed, I appeared in front of him before he could react, my odachi blade resting just above his throat.
"Yield?" I asked with a smirk.
Gyomei remained silent for a long moment, he sighed and nodded. "I yield. Good spar, Ryou-san."
I nodded back, catching Eri as she ran over excitedly. I looked at the other Hashira, all of whom were catching their breath.
"You lot weren't bad." I remarked with a grin. "Didn't make me sweat, though."
Sanemi's expression darkened as he started stomping toward me. "Wanna say that again?!"
I dodged his attempt to grab me, casually picking up my wakizashi from the ground. 'I really need to come up with names for these weapons… and a fighting style.' I thought idly, sheathing both swords.
Gyomei placed a hand on Sanemi's shoulder, stopping him. I started talking. "There was no plan in place. Sanemi-san attacked on impulse, and the rest of you merely reacted. There was no coordination." I pointed out, turning toward the rest of the group.
I gestured toward Muichiro and Obanai. "You two should've synchronized your attacks or attacked together with less delay."
Then I looked at Mitsuri. "Or one of you could've paired with Mitsuri-chan. Her attack could have been a perfect distraction."
Finally, I motioned toward Kyojuro and Gyomei. "Or Gyomei-san could've led the charge, with Kyojuro and Sanemi-san following up behind him. A frontal attack with cover would've been much more effective."
The group was silent, absorbing my critique. Gyomei nodded slowly. "Using the excuse of being unprepared would not fit."
No one spoke as I hoisted Eri back onto my shoulders. She pumped her fist into the air enthusiastically. "Sounds good."
Gyomei nodded once more. "We shall take you up on your offer of assistance, Ryou-san."
I raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Sounds good. Now, where are the other Demon Slayers training?" I asked, adjusting Eri on my shoulders. "Also, where's Nezuko-chan?"
It didn't take long for Eri and I to come across the Demon Slayers, scattered across the training grounds, and when we did, the sight wasn't pretty. They looked utterly exhausted, beaten down by the rigors of training. I lowered Eri from my shoulders, letting her walk beside me as we wandered through the group. As we passed by, some of them shot us curious glances, but most were too tired or too unnerved to say anything. I caught snippets of whispers, rumors about me being the one who took down an Upper Moon.
Eri gripped my hand a little tighter at the mention, and I gave her a reassuring squeeze, ruffling her hair to ease the tension.
Soon enough, we found the trio. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were resting against a tree, looking just as worn out as the others. I gestured to Eri, silently encouraging her to sneak up on them, though I knew it wouldn't exactly work. Still, it would brighten their spirits.
As expected, Tanjiro and Inosuke twitched, already sensing her approach, but they kept still, playing along. Zenitsu, on the other hand, looked like he was barely awake but caught on quickly, deciding to stay quiet. I watched Eri quietly pad over to Tanjiro before leaping onto his back with a cheerful giggle.
"Tanjiro-niisan!" she squealed as Tanjiro caught her effortlessly, spinning her into his lap with a broad smile.
"Eri-chan! What are you doing here?" Tanjiro asked, his eyes lighting up with joy. The giggle and bright smile from Eri seemed to lift the spirits of all three boys. Even Inosuke's usual scowl softened for a moment, while Zenitsu's eyes went wide with surprise.
"Papa came to help everyone!" Eri declared proudly, her voice filled with excitement. At that, I ruffled Zenitsu's and Inosuke's heads..
"And you too, Eri." I added. "Don't forget you're supposed to help me as well." She gave a hesitant nod, still caught up in the excitement, while Tanjiro cradled her in his lap, his smile never fading.
I sat down with them, facing the trio. "So." I began, casting a glance around the training grounds. "how's training been? Judging by how everyone's still breathing normally, it seems like you three haven't been worked hard enough."
The trio exchanged nervous looks, laughing awkwardly as they scratched the backs of their heads. Zenitsu was the first to speak, his voice sounding exhausted. "It's been rough, Ryou-sensei. Our rest started about forty minutes ago."
Inosuke chimed in, louder as usual. "Yeah! The old guy left all of a sudden, and the other strong ones went with him!"
I hummed in response, nodding slightly, Tanjiro then turned to me, his brow furrowing in curiosity. "Ryou-sensei, while it's really good to see you again, why are you and Eri-chan here?"
I leaned down a little resting my arm on my knee with my head resting on my hand, and smirked. "I'm here for the final fight, Tanjiro."
A wave of surprise crossed their faces along with joy. Tanjiro's eyes widened with realisation before a warm smile broke out, matching the happiness of Eri.
"You're really going to help?" Zenitsu asked.
I nodded. "I'm really going to help, Muzan won't know what hit him."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein