Who Said You Have to Cut Off a Demon's Neck to Kill It?

When Shinobu Kocho publicly branded him with the shocking title of "a beast in human clothing who seduces underage girls," even Giyu Tomioka, whose face was usually expressionless, showed a rare crack.

His lips twitched slightly, uncontrollably.

On the other side, Kanae Kocho's face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

She was both embarrassed and ashamed. She quickly let go of the hand that Giyu Tomioka was holding, turned around, covered Shinobu Kocho's loose tongue with her hand, and dragged her aside.

"Shinobu! You mustn't be so rude to Giyu- san!!"

"Ugh... Sister... Sister... This is domestic violence!"

The two sisters walked ahead, playfully bickering. Their clear laughter dispelled the last lingering gloom left by the Final Selection, bringing a rare liveliness and vitality to the mountain path in the early morning.

Giyu Tomioka followed silently behind them, a gentle ripple quietly appearing in his usually calm, icy blue eyes.

The three of them walked slowly along the mountain path toward the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light that fell upon them.

After a brief period of noise, the atmosphere settled into a wonderful, warm, and peaceful silence.

In the end, it was Giyu Tomioka who first broke the silence.

"Congratulations."

His voice remained cool and indifferent, but if you listened carefully, you could hear a subtle, heartfelt sense of satisfaction hidden within it.

"You... all did a great job."

"Thank you, Mr. Giyu."

Kanae turned around and gave him a gentle smile as warm as the spring sun.

"Speaking of which, we should thank you for your recommendation. The Cultivators in Flower Valley have been very kind to my sister and me, and I have benefited greatly from our training during this time."

"Now I can finally stand on my own and won't hold Mr. Giyu back anymore."

Her words were filled with a sense of letting go of the past and confidence in the future.

However, upon hearing the words "Shinobu Kocho alone," Shinobu Kocho's bright purple eyes visibly dimmed.

She lowered her head, kicking at the pebbles at her feet, her voice filled with grievance and resentment.

"Hmph, only my sister can stand on her own."

"I... I'm simply not good enough!! I'm too weak; no matter how hard I try, I can't reach the point where I can cut off a demon's neck!"

"In this Final Selection, if it weren't for my sister protecting me, I... I'm afraid I would have already..."

Towards the end, her voice even carried a barely audible sob.

"Shinobu..."

Kanae looked at her younger sister with heartache, quickly reached out and pulled her into her arms, gently comforting her:

"How could that be? Shinobu did a great job! Didn't you use your speed to launch a beautiful counterattack against that Speed Demon's attack?"

"That's different!!"

Shinobu Kocho in her sister's arms, shook her head vigorously, her eyes slightly red.

"That level of counterattack might work against weaklings, but it's utterly ineffective against truly powerful opponents!"

"In the end, I still have to rely on my sister... I... I don't want to be like this anymore! I don't want to always have to hide behind my sister!!"

Seeing her younger sister so fixated on her own thoughts, Kanae felt a mix of helplessness and heartache.

She knew that the biggest worry in Shinobu was that she couldn't have the power to sever demon heads like she did.

Giyu Tomioka simply listened quietly.

He was certainly aware of Shinobu Kocho's predicament.

In fact, he had already learned about the two sisters' specific situation in detail through letters.

In terms of talent, Shinobu Kocho and Kanae are actually on par, and in some aspects, Shinobu may even surpass Kanae.

She has shown remarkable talent, especially in her understanding of speed and technique.

Whether it's the ever-changing, graceful, dance-like Water Breathing - Third Form - Flowing Dance,

Still incredibly fast, the Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust is as precise and swift as a drop of water falling into a lake.

Or perhaps it's the Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent, capable of high-speed movement in the air without a foothold.

She has mastered them all to perfection, and her flexibility even surpasses that of most official Demon Slayer Corps members.

Unfortunately, her petite stature and naturally weak arm strength became an almost insurmountable obstacle on her path as a swordsman.

Strength is the foundation of all strikes.

Without sufficient strength, even the most exquisite swordsmanship cannot unleash its full power.

This is her biggest weakness, and the root of all her pain and resentment.

Giyu Tomioka sighed softly.

Involuntarily, the image of that gentle, elegant, yet intellectually brilliant and madly beautiful figure appeared in his mind.

"If..."

"If Miss Tamayo can successfully develop that enhancer that can alter a person's physique, then all of Shinobu's problems will be solved."

Unfortunately, according to the latest confidential letter he received two days ago, this project has reached a bottleneck.

His special blood is extremely resistant to human rejection.

Until a perfect stabilizer capable of neutralizing that violent power is found, the so-called enhancer is nothing more than a flashy suicide poison that can cause a person to explode instantly.

The only progress so far is that Tamayo has successfully concentrated and purified his blood to a high degree, creating vials of a special poison specifically for demons!!

Etc...

Poison?!?!

Giyu Tomioka's steps suddenly halted!

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind!

He... and the entire Demon Slayer Corps, seem to have fallen into a huge cognitive trap from the very beginning!

Who said...

Does killing a demon necessarily mean severing its neck?!?!

For a long time, decapitation with the Nichirin Blade has been the only means for Demon Slayer Corps members to fight against demons, and it is an irrefutable truth engraved in the bones of every swordsman.

But now, Tamayo's research has opened a door to a completely new world for them!

Since one's own blood can be made into a potent poison capable of killing evil spirits, why can't this poisoning be used as a regular, or even widely adopted, method for exterminating demons?

If every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, in addition to their Nichirin Blade, were also equipped with a lethal dose of poison...

Wouldn't that increase the Demon Slayer Corps' combat efficiency by several levels?!?!

For a swordsman like Shinobu, who possesses top-tier speed and skill but lacks the power for a fatal blow...

This is practically tailor-made for her, the perfect fighting style!!

Thinking of this, an unprecedented, dazzling light burst forth in Giyu Tomioka's icy blue eyes!

He strode over to Shinobu Kocho, who was still sobbing softly, knelt down, and spoke in an extremely serious tone:

"Shinobu."

"Who says you have to cut off a ghost's neck to kill it?"

"Huh?"

Shinobu Kocho raised her tear-streaked face and looked at him blankly.

Not only her, but even Kanae, who was standing next to her, looked puzzled.

Giyu Tomioka didn't keep them in suspense; he succinctly explained his bold and crazy idea to the two sisters in front of him.

"... Use poison?"

After hearing Giyu Tomioka's account, the Kocho Sisters simultaneously displayed stunned expressions, as if they had been struck by lightning.

Their brains seemed to have been forcibly rebooted at that moment.

Yes...

Use poison!!

This thought, like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake, stirred up a tidal wave in their hearts, especially in Shinobu Kocho's!

After a long, blank stare lasting more than ten seconds, her dim purple eyes suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light that could illuminate the entire forest!

"That's right!! Poison! How come I didn't think of that!!"

She suddenly broke free from her sister's embrace, her face flushed red with excitement!

"Since I'm not strong enough to cut off the ghosts' necks, I just need to find a way to inject poison into their bodies, right?!"

"I'm so fast, I can easily poke countless holes in them before they even realize what's happening!"

"As long as my poison is potent enough, even just a tiny bit will be enough to kill them instantly!"

Shinobu became more and more excited as she talked, and her little brain began to work at an unprecedented speed!

"That's right! Since Mr. Giyu's blood is already highly poisonous, what if... what if we added some Wisteria Poison, which also has a restraining effect on demons?"

"No, no, no, Wisteria alone isn't enough! I also know several other herbs that, when used alone, might not be very effective, but if mixed together in a specific ratio, can produce a deadly poison that could instantly incapacitate an elephant!"

"And my Nichirin Blade! It must be modified too! The blade doesn't need to be sharpened at all; just make the blade thinner and stronger, with a needle-like tip, and design grooves on the blade to store and inject venom..."

"My God! This weapon was made just for me!!"

"..."

Watching her younger sister transform from an autistic girl into a mad scientist in an instant, standing there gesturing wildly and muttering to herself, Kanae wore a wry smile.

But in her heart, what she felt most was a deep, heartfelt joy of relief.

She turned her head and looked at the young man who stood calmly to the side, his merits and fame hidden. His gentle eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration.

This man always manages to clear the fog and guide them in the most unexpected way when they need him most.

"Um... Ms Tamayo..."

Completely caught up in a frenzy, Shinobu Kocho rubbed her hands together and approached Giyu Tomioka with an expectant look on her face.

"That Tamayo you mentioned... who's incredibly skilled at making drugs, when can I meet her? I... I can't wait to exchange drug-making tips with her!"

Looking into her bright, inquisitive eyes, Giyu Tomioka surprisingly smiled slightly.

There will be an opportunity.

He looked up at the sky and said, "Now, let's go back to headquarters. I need to go to the Oyakata-sama's residence for the Hashira Meeting. You two, go and rest at my place for a bit."

"After the meeting, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where are we going?" Kanae asked curiously.

"Swordsmith Village."

Giyu Tomioka's gaze swept over the two sisters, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"Your Nichirin Blades need to be reforged."