The cries of seagulls were drowned out by the sound of waves crashing against the ship's side.
The cruise ship "Dawn" departed from the Hachijōjima pier, leaving a long white trail in its wake.
The members of the Kakushi Division waved goodbye at the dock, with several servants of the Iguro Family standing beside them. Their hands and feet were already shackled with special shackles, and their faces were filled with numb despair.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will spend the rest of their lives in the Demon Slayer Corps dungeon.
Colluding with the demon race, sacrificing blood relatives, assisting in the creation of cannibals... every single one of these is a capital offense!
Shinjuro stood on the deck, watching the dock gradually shrink into a tiny dot, and sighed.
His right arm was still in a sling across his chest, and his left hand was wrapped in thick bandages. The medical team members provided emergency treatment on the ship, but a full recovery would take at least a month.
"Lord Flame Hashira."
Obanai walked up to him.
The boy changed into a clean set of coarse cloth clothes, which he had found in the ship's storage compartment. They didn't fit him very well, but they were still better than the blood-stained tattered kimono.
The heterochromatic eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, the right eye being gold and the left green, like two gemstones of different colors.
"What will happen to those people?" Obanai looked towards the dock.
"Alive... but that's all."
He paused, then added, "This is the path they chose themselves. The Demon Slayer Corps doesn't kill ordinary people, but it doesn't forgive sinners either!"
Obanai remained silent for a moment.
I almost became like that.
He whispered, "If I hadn't escaped, if I hadn't met you..."
Shinjuro patted his shoulder with his left hand... very gently, as if afraid of hurting the child.
"But now you're here! You've chosen a different path. Remember this choice, and remember it every time you swing your sword."
Obanai nodded emphatically.
The sea breeze carries the scent of salt and freedom.
~~~
In the second-class cabin of the cruise ship, Giyu sat cross-legged on the tatami mat.
He changed into a light blue haori, a spare garment prepared on the ship. His original white haori was completely destroyed in the battle, and the Kakushi Division troops only managed to salvage a few scraps when cleaning up the mess.
The private room was small, but clean.
A round window faces the sea, and sunlight streams through the glass, casting shimmering spots of light on the floor.
He was alone in the room now.
It's very quiet.
The only sounds were the rhythmic vibrations of the ship cutting through the waves and the splashing of the waves against the hull.
Giyu closed his eyes.
Breathing slows, consciousness descends.
Transparent World is opened.
Then, he "looked" at himself.
First, the skin.
Pores, sweat glands, tiny scars...
"Wait, a scar?"
Giyu noticed that the wounds from the previous battles had now disappeared without even leaving scars. His skin was smooth and intact, as if he had never been injured.
But what's even more unusual is the skin temperature. Data from Transparent World shows that the skin surface temperature is 39.8℃, close to 40℃.
The normal human body temperature is 36-37℃.
He continued his introspection.
Muscle fibers.
The density increased at least three times.
Each muscle bundle is like a tightly packed steel wire, brimming with explosive power.
A pale blue halo flowed at the junction of tendons and bones... a trace of the long-term tempering of Water Breathing, but now the halo was mixed with moon-white starlight.
Skeleton.
Abnormally high bone density means the blood flowing in the bone marrow cavity is moving too fast.
Giyu watched his own heartbeat.
"Thump-thump-thump-"
It beats 120 times per minute, twice the rate at rest. The heart contracts powerfully, pumping blood like a hydraulic press with each stroke.
Blood rushes through the blood vessels at a speed 1.5 times faster than normal, and carries an absurdly high amount of oxygen.
[Special Physique ★ Second Awakening]
[Effect:
1. Get stronger with each battle: Physical abilities will increase over time/as the battle continues.
2. Regeneration: Consuming some physical strength allows any part of the body to regenerate.
3. Not afraid of sunlight, but will die if "beheaded"!!
[Note: The attraction to ghosts increases dramatically ↑↑↑]
Is this the body after the special constitution is fully activated?
Giyu raised his right hand and slowly clenched his fist.
"Click."
A slight cracking sound.
He looked down and saw the ceramic teacup he had just been drinking from, which he had unconsciously been holding in his hand, now shattered into more than a dozen pieces.
The edges of the shards were sharp, but not a single piece cut his palm.
Giyu let go, and the fragments fell onto the tatami mat.
He looked at his palm.
The palm lines are clear, and the skin texture is normal, but the power hidden beneath...
He has probably surpassed Mr. Himejima.
That Stone Hashira is known for his superhuman strength, but Giyu now feels that if he were to throw a full-force punch, he could punch through the steel plates of this ship.
This made him somewhat uneasy.
The power came too fast, too suddenly.
It's like a child suddenly getting a sharp knife; they don't know how to use it and are afraid of hurting themselves or others.
"Call..."
Giyu took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Then, he practiced Breathing Style.
A familiar blue halo emanated from my body, gentle, inclusive, and smooth.
Then, he tried the power of that moon-white color.
It was a bit slow at first.
Just like when you first learn to write, the pen doesn't obey your commands.
But Giyu's comprehension is too high... Kokushibo was right, his talent is monstrous.
Three breaths later, a faint silver glow shone through the skin.
Cold... Sharp... Aloof...
Giyu closed his eyes, replaying Kokushibo's battle in his mind.
First Form ★ Dark Moon ★ Evening Palace.
Second Form ★ Pearl Flower Moongazing.
Third Form ★ Aversion to the Moon ★ Erosion.
Sixteenth Form ★ Moon Rainbow ★ Lonely Moon.
Every move was crystal clear in the memory replay of the Transparent World. The angle of muscle exertion, the rhythm of breathing, the details of the blade's trajectory... he had memorized them all.
Giyu didn't have a knife, but he made a fist with his right hand, using his fingers as a substitute for a knife, and slowly drew a trajectory in the air.
The first time, I was unfamiliar with it.
The second time, it went smoothly.
The third time, the silver light shines brightly!
Moonlight suddenly illuminated the private room.
Light burst forth from Giyu, casting a crescent moon shadow on the wall. The air temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of frost condensed on the tatami mats.
"It's still... too much of a stretch."
Giyu muttered to himself.
He did indeed replicate the sixteenth form of Moon Breathing through his comprehension. But like copying a famous painting, it was similar in form but lacked the spirit.
He couldn't imitate the aloofness, indifference, and all-severing sword intent that Kokushibo had accumulated over four hundred years.
"It needs time to adjust..."
The two Breathing Style form a delicate balance within the body— the Water Breathing method focuses on repair and nourishment, Moon Breathing method focuses on attack and explosive power.
Giyu knew that he was no longer an ordinary person.
Body temperature 40℃, heart rate 120, muscle density tripled, bone strength doubled, regenerative capacity comparable to Upper Rank, simultaneously operating two Breathing Style...
Is this even human?
Giyu looked at his hands.
Under sunlight, the skin appears normal, the shadow is clear, and breathing is steady.
But the inside has been completely turned upside down.
"What exactly am I..."
He murmured, his words unfinished.
Because there was a knock on the door.
~~~
Thump, thump.
A very light knock, tinged with hesitation.
Giyu opened his eyes, Transparent World automatically swept towards the door—it was Obanai Iguro.
The boy stood in the corridor, his fingers raised, as if he wanted to knock but dared not. His heterochromatic eyes were fixed on the door, his lips were tightly pursed, and his expression was as tense as if he were about to be executed.
Giyu waited for three seconds.
There was no movement outside the door; Obanai was still struggling with her decision.
"Enter."
Giyu spoke, his voice not loud, but it penetrated the door panel.
There was a moment of silence outside the door.
Then the door was gently pulled open, Obanai walked in with her head down, her movements excessively reserved.
He knelt on the edge of the tatami mat, keeping a distance of two meters from Giyu, with his hands on his knees and his fingers intertwined.
Giyu looked at him.
Through the Transparent World, you can see that Obanai's heart is beating fast, her muscles are tense, and her adrenaline levels are rising... She's nervous, extremely nervous.
"Is something the matter?"
Giyu slightly opened his right eye!
This action made him look a little... impatient?
Obanai shuddered.
"Water, Lord Water Hashira..."
The boy's voice trembled.
"Excuse me, may I... can I ask you for a favor?"
Giyu didn't speak, he just looked at him.
His gaze was calm, but Obanai felt that it was like a knife, dissecting her from the inside out.
"I..."
Obanai a deep breath, forced herself to look up, and looked directly into Giyu's eyes.
I want to learn the Water Breathing!
After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.
There was only the sound of waves and the vibration of the ship.
Giyu remained silent.
Obanai waited a few seconds, her heart sinking lower and lower.
He quickly added:
"I... I saw it with my own eyes! Your battle with Upper Rank One at the Iguro Family manor!"
"Those streams of water, those slashes, so powerful, so... so beautiful!"
The boy's eyes were shining.
The sunlight streaming in through the round window shone brightly in their golden and green pupils, like a burning fire.
I want to be that strong too!
Obanai raised her voice.
"I also want to protect others! I also want to... stand up in desperate situations, just like you!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, leaning forward:
"Please teach me! I'm willing to pay any price! I can do anything! I can--"
I'm not as strong as you say.
Giyu interrupted him.
Obanai was stunned.
"But, but you—"
"I don't."
Giyu repeated it, his tone completely flat.
"Kokushibo only retreated because the sun rose. If we continue fighting, I will die!!"
This is true.
If it weren't for the awakening of his special physical constitution, and if it weren't for the opportune moment of sunlight, he would have died in the courtyard long ago.
But to Obanai, these words sounded more like modesty than... an excuse for rejection.
"Then, please allow me to learn from you!"
Obanai refused to give up.
"I will definitely work hard! I--"
I don't have time to teach you.
Giyu interrupted again.
As Water Hashira, he has to patrol his territory, deal with ghostly disturbances, attend Hashira Meetings, and complete tasks assigned by his Oyakata-sama... There's simply not enough time.
Obanai's face began to turn pale.
"But... I..."
Giyu looked at him, his Transparent World sweeping over the boy's body. Skeletal structure, muscle type, breathing rhythm, energy flow tendency—he saw it all.
Then he said his third sentence.
"You're not suitable."
The boy's expression froze.
The light in his eyes gradually faded. A layer of gray clouded over his golden and green pupils. His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Giyu was telling the truth.
Through the Transparent World, he saw Obanai's physical characteristics:
Slender bones, extremely flexible joints, muscles that are more suited to rapid contraction than sustained exertion, and unpredictable energy flow... all of this points to one conclusion:
This boy is not suited for the Water Breathing.
The Water Breathing emphasizes smoothness, inclusiveness, and continuity. Users need a peaceful mind and coordinated body, able to adapt to and change their environment like water.
But Obanai is not that kind of person.
His body is better suited to unpredictable, fast, and unexpected sword techniques.
But Obanai didn't understand these subtexts.
All he heard were the four words, "You're not suitable."
Like a verdict, like a conclusion, like crushing all his hopes and dreams underfoot.
"I..."
Obanai stood up.
His movements were a little unsteady, as if he were drunk. He looked down at the tatami mat, avoiding Giyu's eyes.
"I'm sorry... I disturbed you..."
The sound was very soft, almost inaudible.
Then he turned around, opened the door to the private room, and walked out.
The door closed gently.
Giyu sat there and blinked.
Did he say something wrong?
That's all the truth.
Why does that child look... so sad?
Giyu was a little confused.