章節 20: Chapter 20 Target - Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
"I am the light of righteousness and the exterminator of evil. I wander the world, cleansing it of impurities. My name is Aomori, a hero who happened to pass by."
"So cool!" To Aomori's surprise, both Tanjiro and Tomioka heard these words and their eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.
"To endure loneliness, bear the hardships of leaving one's hometown, and tirelessly fight against evil for decades, how noble!" Tanjiro wiped his eyes, deeply moved by his own imagination.
"To travel alone, facing the attacks of demons alone, is this the source of your strength? No wonder you could defeat Muzan Kibutsuji." Tomioka clenched his fists, his eyes shining, as if he had found the right path to become stronger.
"Yes, something like that," Aomori cleared his throat and brought the conversation back on track. "As I mentioned earlier, because Muzan escaped, he might send his demons here. So, it's not safe here. Tanjiro, you and your family should leave with me to a safe place."
"Agreed," Tomioka also concurred, "Just in case, it's better to be cautious for safety."
"Yes!" Tanjiro nodded vigorously. "I'll go tell my mom and the others right away."
As Tanjiro turned to head back inside, Aomori said, "The safest place is probably the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. I want you to take us there. Besides, I need to discuss the matter of hunting down Muzan Kibutsuji with your master."
"Hunting down Muzan Kibutsuji?" Tomioka took a deep breath and said, "The headquarters is the most critical location of the Demon Slayer Corps. Even though I am a Water Hashira, I don't have the authority to bring outsiders there. I'll need to report to my master first."
"No problem, go ahead and report. If it's the master I remember, he might have some insights by now," Aomori replied.
Confused, Tomioka hesitated for a moment, then sent a crow messenger with a brief message about the situation here, which would be delivered to the headquarters.
Afterward, he said, "I'll go to the nearby town and hire a carriage. The headquarters is quite a distance away."
Aomori nodded slightly and watched Tomioka as he walked away. Then, he sat cross-legged on the ground.
He concentrated, emptied his mind, and closed his eyes, "seeing" a gray-white world.
In this world, everything was monochromatic, but otherwise, it perfectly mirrored the real world.
Aomori's vision swept past Absol and Pidgeot, through the wooden house, seeing Tanjiro talking to his family, and extended further outward until it couldn't move any farther.
This was Aomori's newly acquired skill, the "Mind's Eye," which could replace physical vision to observe distant scenes.
This skill was the key to recapturing Muzan Kibutsuji, who had gone into hiding.
Aomori then attempted to move his "sight" upward and downward, until his mental fatigue became too much to bear.
"The range of detection on the ground is approximately a 200-meter radius in a hemisphere shape. Underground, the range is limited to a quarter of that due to soil interference. I can maintain this for about 10 minutes."
With this range, Aomori believed that in one or two days, he could thoroughly explore a small town, making it a matter of time before finding Muzan.
The next step was to figure out how to prevent Muzan from escaping.
Aomori looked up at the sun, closed his eyes slightly, and began to contemplate.
…
Tanjiro's mother was understanding and readily agreed to Tanjiro's request.
"Tanjiro is a good boy. I trust you completely. Everything you're doing is for our sake, right?"
Tears welled up in Tanjiro's eyes as he nodded vigorously.
After half a day, Tanjiro's family had packed up and, coincidentally, Tomioka returned with a horse-drawn carriage he had hired from the nearby town.
They loaded their belongings onto the carriage. Nezuko, along with Tanjiro's mother and siblings, climbed inside. Tanjiro rode Absol, while Tomioka sat at the front of the carriage, side by side with the coachman.
Seeing that everyone was settled, Tomioka said to the coachman, "Let's go."
"Alright! Everyone hold on tight! Yah!" The coachman shouted and cracked his whip on the horse's back. The two old horses neighed and took their first steps.
In the sky, Pidgeot spread its wings and soared high above.
Tanjiro looked back at the wooden house, a place filled with his memories, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions as they left.
"When Muzan is defeated, you can come back here. It won't be long," Aomori reassured him.
"Yeah, I understand." Tanjiro held back his reluctance and regained his spirited self, raising his right hand and shouting, "Charge, Absol, catch up with Mom and the others!"
"Roar!" Absol galloped forward.
"Hahaha." Tanjiro spread out his hands, enjoying the breeze.
"Ah, Tanjiro is so clever. I want to ride the doggy too."
"I want to, I want to."
"Wait, I have to ask Absol first."
Laughter and joy filled the journey, making them feel like a family on vacation. Meanwhile, Aomori, who was jogging behind them for exercise, unintentionally revealed a faint smile.
As night fell, Aomori and the group hadn't reached the next town, so they had to camp outdoors.
The weather was cold, but Tomioka and Tanjiro gathered some dry firewood, lit a fire, and, with the added warmth of their clothes and blankets, they weren't afraid of the cold.
Aomori used his "Mind's Eye" to locate a few hibernating snakes, providing an additional meal for everyone.
After eating and drinking their fill, Tomioka asked Aomori to teach him swordsmanship.
"I know I'm very weak and not worthy of the title of Water Hashira. I wouldn't be of any use in the mission to defeat Muzan. So, I want to become a little stronger, even if it means increasing my chances by a bit," Tomioka confessed.
As a Water Hashira, Tomioka felt deeply inadequate, but his desire for revenge outweighed everything else. He wanted to contribute more and atone for his past weakness.
Aomori nodded and said, "Sure."
To avoid being seen by others, they used the excuse of fetching water and moved to a more secluded location.
Tanjiro watched them depart, curious about following along. However, he decided to stay behind when he looked at Nezuko and the others.
"Without Aomori and Mr. Tomioka here, I have to keep watch over them."
Ever since he learned about the existence of demons, Tanjiro had been worried about the safety of his family. He even had a nightmare during his afternoon nap. In the dream, he hadn't met Aomori, choosing to stay in town overnight.
When he returned home the next day, he found his mother, Nezuko, and the others lying in a pool of blood.
After waking from that nightmare, Tanjiro was immensely grateful to have met Aomori, and his appreciation for him deepened. He also became even more concerned about the safety of his family.
"Ruu" Absol gently nudged Tanjiro with its head.
Tanjiro smiled and patted Absol. "Yes, with you here, I don't have to worry."
"Bi!" Pidgeot, perched on top of the carriage, flapped its wings and gave a proud call.
"Yes, Pidgeot is amazing too."
With Absol and Pidgeot as companions, Tanjiro felt much more at ease. He looked in the direction where Aomori and Tomioka had gone, contemplating whether he should learn swordsmanship as well.
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