Land of Crimson Cherry Blossoms · One Against Four! (Includes Q&A)

The tension had stretched to its limit, like a bowstring pulled taut, ready to snap the next second and unleash the fiercest slaughter.

Gyomei slowly turned to face the four demons fully.

He gave the chain in his hand a gentle shake, letting the heavy flail drop to the ground with a dull thud and kick up a small ring of dust.

His other hand gripped the broad axe tightly, holding it across his side.

His eyes remained tightly shut, but his whole bearing was quietly changing.

"Namu... Amida Butsu."

He took a small half-step forward. The simple movement seemed to draw an invisible line.

"You shall not pass!"

Gyomei's voice was not loud, but it carried the steadfast resolve of solid rock, reaching every demon's ears.

"We can't pass? Hahahahaha!"

Yannu was the first to burst into laughter, his voice rumbling like thunder and shattering the silence of the standoff.

He slammed a fist against his thick chest, producing a tremendous boom like a drumbeat.

"Big monk, you think standing in our way makes you a mountain?"

"Smashing mountains and splitting rocks is what I do best! Let's see if your bones are as hard as your words!"

Before he finished speaking, his massive body dropped low like a fully compressed spring. Muscles bulged beneath his blue-gray skin, and veins rose like earthworms!

"Blood Demon Art · Rock Vein Torrent!"

Rumble—!!!

The ground within more than ten meters of Yannu's feet shook and heaved violently!

The hard earth and stone seemed to turn into raging waves. Thick, sharp stone spikes, stalagmites, and jagged-edged ridges surged toward the second floor of the ruined clinic, threatening to crush everything in their path!

The attack covered an enormous area, blocking nearly every angle Gyomei could dodge from and engulfing most of the ruined clinic as well.

Even if it could not hurt Gyomei, it would destroy his footing and force him to move, or directly bury the two little girls behind him!

Faced with an assault like the roar of the earth itself, Gyomei still did not retreat half a step.

He did not even move far. He simply drove the heavy broad axe in his hand blade-first into the floor before him!

"Stone Breathing · Second Form · Upper Smash!!"

With a low roar, he sent the strength of his entire body surging into his arms like rivers flowing into the sea, pouring it into the broad axe!

Hum—!!!

An earth-yellow arc of air visible to the naked eye burst outward in a fan from the axe!

The blast carried an incomparable weight and solidity, like a gigantic invisible shield unfolding in an instant!

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!!

The stone waves slammed into the rock-shield blast!

In an instant, fragments of stone flew and dust shot skyward!

The stone spikes and ridges Yannu had summoned struck the earth-yellow blast as though they had hit a wall of iron and bronze, shattering, crumbling, and rolling back!

The solid Stone Breathing blast weakened and canceled out the violent impact layer by layer.

The few that slipped through the blast were easily smashed apart by Gyomei's swinging chain.

The ruined clinic shook violently in the aftermath of the collision, but it was not completely destroyed by the stone waves.

"What?!"

Yannu's eyes went wide. His stone-wave assault, powerful enough to destroy a cluster of houses in an instant, had been blocked so easily?!

"Shadow Devour · Hundred-Blade Strangulation!"

Yeshu's chilling voice rang out.

At some point, he had slipped into the shadows of the ruins, and now he struck without warning!

Dozens, then hundreds of pitch-black shadow blades shot out around Gyomei from cracks in the floor, shadows on the walls, and even the shadows cast by ashes drifting through the air. They were as thin as cicada wings yet incomparably sharp!

But Gyomei seemed to have anticipated it. His fighting instincts had already brought every change in the surrounding energy within his perception.

An instant before the countless shadow blades struck him, he jerked the chain upward with his left hand, then spun it furiously around himself!

"Stone Breathing · Fourth Form · Flowing-Pattern Rock · Rapid Detonation!!"

Clatter—boom!!!

The long, thick chain snapped taut. As Gyomei spun it, it became a steel whirlwind with a piercing howl!

The chain coiled around him like a living python, while the flail served as its most ferocious striking head!

An impenetrable steel barrier formed around Gyomei in an instant!

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—!!!

Most of the incoming shadow blades struck the rapidly spinning chain and flail and were knocked away or shredded, dissolving into wisps of black smoke.

Gyomei used his now-free right hand to block the few that broke through, precisely batting them away with his broad axe.

Sparks flew and black vapor swirled. Gyomei stood as steady as a mountain at the center of the steel whirlwind, keeping every assassinating shadow blade firmly at bay!

"It's not over! Moonlight · Silk-Binding Snare!"

A cool female voice drifted over like falling moonlight.

Yuelian made her move!

She did not approach. Instead, she stood at a distance, all ten fingers moving rapidly as though playing invisible strings.

With her movements, nearly transparent, glowing white threads silently spread across the battlefield, creeping along the ground and circling around to the corner of the partitioned room behind Gyomei—where Kanae and Shinobu were hiding!

Not only were the threads extremely fast, they also seemed able to evade the energy fluctuations of the clashes to some degree. The attack was insidious and vicious!

Though Gyomei's eyes were closed, his perception of "energy" was keen to the utmost. He instantly detected the cold, slippery threat coming from behind and to his side.

Protecting the children comes first!

"Hah!"

He abruptly stopped the chain's spinning dance and stomped his left foot down hard!

"Stone Breathing · Fifth Form · Arcs of Justice!!"

A circular wave of Stone Breathing energy, almost pale gold in color, burst outward from where his left foot landed!

The energy was immensely weighty, carrying the power to shake and repel!

Bang!

The incoming transparent threads collided with the pale golden energy. Their forward momentum was forcibly checked and slowed, and the vibrations disrupted their precise control, throwing them into some disarray and making it hard for them to accurately bind their targets.

"Troublesome!"

Yuelian frowned and rapidly adjusted her fingertips, trying to regain control of the threads.

Just then, Jinhua's buildup in the distance seemed to reach a critical point!

The vortex of purple-black flames above his head was spinning so fast it left afterimages. The black point at its center had expanded to the size of a fist, radiating destructive fluctuations that made even the soul burn and tremble!

The surrounding air had been utterly warped by the heat, and the wreckage at his feet melted into crimson lava.

"Almost... almost there..."

Jinhua's voice trembled with fervor.

"Hashira! Feel it well... this power that burns everything to—huh?!"

His smug murmur cut off abruptly!

A heavy sound of something tearing through the air, traveling faster than sound, ripped through the smoke and heat and headed straight for his face!

Using his extraordinary perception, Gyomei had hurled the flail, which had just stopped spinning, violently at Jinhua as he built up power!

The throw held Gyomei's overwhelming strength and the weighty nature of Stone Breathing!

I must not let him complete that terrifying Blood Demon Art!

"What?!"

Jinhua was horrified. His buildup had reached a critical point, leaving him barely able to move much or divert his attention to defense!

He could only manage to control a few of the most solid purple-black fire lotuses around him, sending them hastily to meet the howling flail.

Boom, boom, boom—!!!

The fire lotuses collided violently with the flail, exploding one after another!

Purple-black flames blossomed like fireworks, engulfing the flail in an instant. The scorching heat even burned the surface of its head faintly red!

The shock waves from the explosions also impeded the flail's trajectory slightly.

But the force behind Gyomei's throw was simply too great. Even weakened, the flail still carried terrifying momentum as it smashed into the ground less than a meter from Jinhua!

Boom—!!!

A huge, deep crater was smashed into the ground, and shattered stones sprayed in every direction like cannonballs!

Though Jinhua was not hit directly, the explosion and impact so close to him shook his blood and energy into turmoil.

The flame vortex above his head swayed violently. The black energy at its center became unstable, its light flickering, and the buildup was severely disrupted and interrupted!

"Damn it!!!"

Jinhua let out a furious roar and glared at Gyomei with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could swallow him whole and flay him alive.

Just a little more! His ultimate move would have been complete!

In the span of a few breaths, Gyomei had met every change without shifting from his position: he had withstood Yannu's stone waves, spun his chain to break Yeshu's shadow blades, stomped to repel Yuelian's threads, and thrown his flail to interrupt Jinhua's buildup!

With his strength alone, he had neutralized a cunning and ruthless combined assault from four Lower Rank demons!

His figure remained as steady as a rock, planted firmly atop the ruins as he protected the Kocho Sisters behind him without leaving a single opening.

Kanae held Shinobu tightly and watched through the broken wall as the heart-stopping battle unfolded, far beyond anything she could have imagined.

The stone waves that shook the earth and mountains, the ghostly shadow blades filling the sky, the transparent threads attacking in silence, and the terrifying flames and explosions in the distance...

Each time, she thought the towering figure protecting them would be swallowed up.

But each time, he turned every danger away with a composure that was almost domineering.

His movements were not flashy, and were even somewhat heavy, but every strike carried a reassuring strength that seemed capable of suppressing all evil.

"Sister..."

At some point, Shinobu had also raised her head in Kanae's arms. Fear still lingered on her little face, where the tracks of her tears had yet to dry, but there was something else there too.

She looked at Gyomei's broad back, rising and falling slightly, and asked in a small voice. It no longer merely trembled, but carried a trace of incredulous hope.

"That... big monk... he's so strong... can he... beat those monsters?"

Kanae looked down at her sister and nodded firmly, tears welling up again.

But this time, they were warm tears mingled with hope and gratitude.

"Yes! He'll win! I know he will!"

She did not know why, but she believed it with all her heart.

She believed that this wrathful guardian who seemed to have stepped out of a myth could hold up a safe sky for them.

The battlefield fell silent for a brief moment, and the expressions of all four demons turned exceptionally ugly.

They realized that the closed-eyed monk before them was far more difficult to deal with than they had expected.

Not only was his strength astonishing and his defense impregnable, but his battle instincts were terrifyingly sharp.

And... he always seemed able to seize the slightest gap in their coordination and deliver a precise counterattack or disruption.

"Tch, you do have some skill after all."

Yeshu licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. The greed in his eyes was replaced by deeper wariness and viciousness.

"But that makes it interesting... a Hashira's flesh and blood deserves a grander 'reception.'"

The shadows around him began to writhe more violently, as though brewing a new, even stranger attack.

Yannu panted irritably, energy surging beneath his blue-gray skin. He was clearly preparing an even more powerful charge.

The silver threads at Yuelian's fingertips flowed silently. The calm in her eyes gave way to a hint of calculation, as though she were reassessing her tactics.

Jinhua stared fixedly at Gyomei. Though the flame vortex above his head had shrunk somewhat, it had begun slowly spinning and gathering power again. This time, however, he devoted more attention to guarding against Gyomei's ranged attacks.

The air grew thick again. Far from diminishing, the killing intent became even more chilling.

The auras of the four demons faintly joined together like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey, searching for their next, perhaps deadlier, chance to attack.

Gyomei slowly adjusted his breathing. Stone Breathing circulated steadily within him, replenishing the strength he had expended.

He could clearly sense the four demons' increasingly concentrated killing intent and their rising energy fluctuations.

The situation was still critical. He had to deal with four different types of attacks from four directions at once, while also diverting his attention to protect children who had no means of defending themselves.

But so what?

He tightened his grip on the chain and broad axe, lowered his shoulders slightly, and adjusted his defensive stance to its most perfect state.

Beneath his tightly closed eyelids lay a steadfast darkness and a resolve to fight in order to protect, as steady as the earth beneath his feet.

Next, the author will answer the various questions that have come up about this book all in one place!

1. Which came first, Sabito or Makomo??

When writing the book, I specifically searched online, and what I found then was "Makomo first, Sabito second!"

After a reader brought it up, I checked again and found that there was no official answer, and both versions existed.

It's also possible I just didn't find it, but it's too late to change it now! If I had first found "Makomo came after Sabito," then Makomo could have lived, but...

All I can say is that it came down to chance. Readers who have made it this far have surely already accepted the fact of "Makomo's death," so bringing her back to life now would obviously be inappropriate!

2. Why didn't the Stone Hashira become a Hashira before Giyu??

At this point, Giyu became a Hashira at thirteen, and Gyomei should have been nineteen! In other words, they became Hashira in the same year, so either one could have come first!

But I had a reason for putting Gyomei later, though I suppose it was partly a personal preference!

It has to do with the Land of Crimson Cherry Blossoms. You'll understand from the story: Gyomei has to suffer a setback, but "the Stone Hashira suffers a setback fighting four Lower Ranks" sounds bad. It would be a disgrace if the Stone Hashira didn't kill them instantly!

Meanwhile, I think "an A-Rank swordsman fights four Lower Ranks in a grueling battle" sounds better, and he can use this incident to earn a promotion too!

3. About mission ranks!

Actually, I originally didn't want to go into detail about this, since the rank discovered through investigation doesn't tell you much. But a reader asked!

Originally, I planned the mission ranks as beginner, intermediate, advanced, and special!

But after thinking it over, I replaced them with A, B, and C!

C: Trash demons that only eat one or two people a day. Most don't have a Blood Demon Art!

B: Demons that possess a Blood Demon Art and have caused a certain degree of impact!

A-Rank: Twelve Kizuki!

This ranking system was very rudimentary, but the entire Demon Slayer Corps was indeed relatively poor at reconnaissance!

That was why Giyu's first assignment upon taking office was a C-Rank mission, because that was the lowest rank!

4. Was it reasonable to send Mizunoto Rank swordsmen to support the Defiled Wood Mountain mission?

Yes. In the original story's Natagumo Mountain arc, the Ubuyashiki predicted that one of the Twelve Kizuki would be there, yet they still sent the three youngsters and some low-ranking swordsmen up the mountain. That showed that high-ranking missions required people to investigate.

The Defiled Wood Mountain was an Upper B-Rank instance to begin with, and the main person assigned to it was the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku!

The protagonist and the others were only there to investigate; they just happened to cut the demon down by accident!

5. About the characters' combat strength!

★ Giyu fought Sakonji Urokodaki for four hours!

This was entirely a sparring match, with Giyu attacking and Urokodaki defending. Rather than saying they fought for four hours, it would be more accurate to say Giyu went all out for four hours before burning out! (This was mainly meant to highlight Water Breathing's high endurance.)

At this point, Giyu's strength had not reached Hashira level. He was roughly B-Rank to A-Rank!

★ The demon of Defiled Wood Mountain!

It was an Earthbound Demon. Its main body had no combat ability, but its defense stat was high!

It fought using poisonous mist and by controlling Wood Demons. It was a gimmick-based fighter, so its combat strength could not be measured!

One Wood Demon = one fodder demon. They relied purely on numbers to overwhelm their opponents!

★ Lower Rank One, Tetsusai!

An original demon, a budget version of Third Brother!

His combat strength was between Daki's and Gyutaro's. In terms of raw stats alone, he was at the bottom of the Upper Ranks!

If he fought the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, his demonic physique would probably allow him to take Shinjuro down with him, leaving them both dead!

That should be everything. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, and the author will do their best to explain or revise!

If you think something is important, you can @ me. I might not see a comment, but I'll definitely see an @!

Thank you all for your support!

(The main text was 3,500 Chinese characters. This doesn't count as padding the word count, since readers really did bring these things up!)