Victory on Filthy Wood Mountain, the Road Ahead Begins

Giyu did not have to wait long.

About an hour later, a rapid, powerful pounding of footsteps approached from afar, racing toward the center of the battlefield.

The owner of those footsteps seemed to make no effort to hide his presence, even deliberately radiating an aura as scorching and powerful as the midday sun.

Giyu forced his heavy eyelids up.

Through vision blurred by blood loss, a blinding mass of "flame" burst through the dimness of the forest, surging toward him.

That "flame" was so fierce and overbearing that its mere approach made the air searing hot.

Only when the "flame" stopped nearby did Giyu manage to make out a tall man.

The man had a wild mane of long hair, golden yellow fading into red like a blazing flame, and a pair of... brilliant golden-red eyes that seemed capable of seeing through a person's heart.

Those eyes now swept over the devastated battlefield, filled with thunderous fury and a trace of surprise.

His gaze passed over the Wood Demon remains strewn across the ground, the massive, charred hole, and the unconscious Akamatsu and other corps members.

Finally, it fell on Giyu, who was sitting against a rock, breathing faintly.

The newcomer was none other than the current Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, who had rushed over as fast as he could after receiving the urgent call for help!

Shinjuro frowned deeply, his golden-red eyes filled with incredulous shock.

The scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

The message he had received said that more than a dozen corps members had gone missing, that a powerful demon was suspected, and that a Hashira was urgently needed to support them.

He had expected to find the corps members' mutilated corpses, or see them locked in a desperate battle against a powerful demon, waiting for him to rescue them.

But what did he see?

The demon had already been killed?!

He could tell from the charred hole, which still radiated intense heat and an evil aura.

And the one who had accomplished this feat seemed to be this kid, who looked far too young, was covered in wounds, and still bore the "Mizunoto" rank insignia on his uniform?

Mizunoto rank?

By himself?

With the addition of a poisoned, unconscious Kinoe, he had killed a demon capable of wiping out more than a dozen corps members, one that required a Hashira to deal with?

Shinjuro strode up to Giyu, his tall figure casting a shadow over him.

He first crouched down to check Akamatsu's condition, his frown deepening:

"The poison's reached his organs, and he's exhausted himself... but he's still alive."

His voice was loud and powerful, with a distinctive penetrating quality.

Then he stood and fixed Giyu with a burning gaze, his scrutiny so palpable it nearly seemed to pierce Giyu's body.

He did not immediately ask any questions. Instead, he unleashed the immense aura of a Hashira, bearing down on the boy before him like a mountain.

It was a test.

He wanted to see whether this Mizunoto kid who had worked a miracle had simply gotten lucky, or whether he truly had the mettle to match his feat!

Yet the boy simply sat there in silence. His figure looked slender, but he was like a reef deep beneath the sea, standing firm no matter how the wind and waves battered him. Not even a ripple appeared in his calm blue eyes.

A flash of admiration passed through Shinjuro's eyes. Only then did he speak, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Kid, give me your name!"

Faced with a pressure that could almost bring an ordinary corps member to his knees, Giyu simply met the imposing Flame Hashira's gaze calmly and answered concisely:

"Giyu Tomioka, Mizunoto-rank corps member, inheritor of Water Breathing."

"The demon controlled trees and poisonous mist and hid underground. Senior Akamatsu was poisoned and gravely wounded, but he held it off."

"Senior Akamatsu and I worked together to behead it."

"The demon is dead."

He said little, and not a word was wasted. Nor did he claim credit or embellish anything.

As Shinjuro listened, his golden-red eyes widened.

He suddenly strode to the edge of the hole and carefully examined the marks left on its walls.

The lingering traces of that cool, moist sword aura had not yet fully dissipated from the air...

"This is... Water Breathing?"

Shinjuro murmured, then abruptly turned, his blazing gaze shooting back to Giyu.

"Kid! What form did you use for the final blow that killed the demon?!"

Giyu fell silent for a moment, then answered truthfully:

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux."

After a brief pause, he added,

"I made a few changes to it."

"Tenth Form... made a few changes..."

Shinjuro repeated the words, the shock on his face slowly giving way to a complex expression tinged with disbelief and admiration.

As a Hashira, he naturally knew what the Tenth Form of Water Breathing was. It was a powerful sword technique that was theoretically close to an ultimate technique and demanded an exceptionally high level of mastery from its user.

A Mizunoto-rank corps member had not only mastered it, but also "made a few changes" to it.

And used it, with the help of a nearly incapacitated Kinoe-rank corps member, to kill a troublesome demon with unusual abilities?

The words "exceptionally gifted" were no longer enough to describe him.

He was a monster!

Shinjuro walked up to Giyu again. This time, the scrutiny in his eyes had vanished completely, replaced by a burning, undisguised appreciation!

He reached out with a hand as broad as a fan and slapped Giyu hard on the shoulder with a thump!

The slap was so forceful that an ordinary person would have grimaced in pain, but Giyu's body merely dipped slightly, and he remained standing straight.

"Hahahaha! Well done!!"

Shinjuro roared with laughter, his voice booming like a great bell and making people's ears ring.

"Giyu Tomioka, was it? Good! I'll remember you!!!"

Shinjuro's voice boomed like a great bell, making people's ears ring, but the praise and approval in it were undisguised.

"I'm Shinjuro Rengoku, the current Flame Hashira!!"

"Akamatsu is an outstanding junior of my Flame Breathing lineage. You saved him, and that's a huge favor to me!!"

"And you dealt with this demon cleanly, too!!"

He looked around at the corps members who were gradually waking up and groaning in pain, then called out in a booming voice:

"The Kakushi should be here soon! You did well! Ten thousand times better than I expected!!!"

"Especially you, Tomioka!!"

His gaze fell once more on Giyu's pale face and the wounds covering his body. His tone softened slightly, but remained an unquestionable command:

"Now, get some proper rest! Leave the rest to me and the Kakushi! That's an order!!!"

With that, he paid Giyu no further attention and began using his booming voice to direct the Kakushi members arriving one after another, organizing the rescue of the wounded, the cleanup of the battlefield, and the remaining follow-up work.

His presence was like a calming pill, instantly dispelling the last shadow hanging over the battlefield and bringing a reassuring sense of order and strength.

Giyu did as he was told and sat back down on the rock. He watched Shinjuro handle everything swiftly and decisively, feeling the warmth of the sunlight finally pouring unobstructed over his entire body.

Kanzaburo flew back from somewhere and landed on his shoulder, quietly rubbing his head against Giyu's cheek for once.

He let out a long breath, thick with the smell of blood, and closed his eyes.

The Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku...

Giyu silently repeated the name in his heart.

He could tell that this Flame Hashira was a completely different type of person from him, yet just as strong.

And... he did not dislike him.

Perhaps the road ahead would become a little different with the arrival of these powerful companions.

But for now, he only wanted to rest.