With the Swordsman Trial fast approaching, Mount Sagiri entered a state of intense training.
Kurozawa also became busy.
He had thirteen junior brothers and sisters. Aside from the outstanding Sabito and Makomo, the other eleven were fairly ordinary and had not mastered many sword forms.
Therefore, Kurozawa had to devote considerable energy to teaching them, hoping to rapidly improve their combat ability.
But to Kurozawa's disappointment, both Breathing Techniques and sword forms were things that relied heavily on talent. Hard work alone had little effect.
Unlike him, these junior brothers and sisters were not exceptionally gifted, nor did they have the slight assistance provided by Potential Points. Their progress was slow.
"Master, aside from Sabito and Makomo, I don't think the other junior brothers and sisters are qualified to participate in Final Selection."
"Especially Junior Brother Giyu. With his courage, he'd probably faint the moment he saw a demon. What would he use to fight one?"
Kurozawa asked Sakonji Urokodaki this a few days later.
He felt that Sakonji Urokodaki understood his disciples' circumstances as well. Why would he send them to Mount Fujikasane to die for nothing?
Even when Kurozawa had read the original work in his previous life, this question had occurred to him.
With such a vast difference in strength, wasn't going to Final Selection simply throwing their lives away?
At that moment, Sakonji Urokodaki replied without the slightest emotion, "The Demon Slayer Corps is short-handed. Anyone who has undergone more than a year of training must participate in Final Selection."
"And Kurozawa, how do you think every Demon Slayer Pillar grew into who they are?"
"They all slowly became strong through battles of blood and fire, experiencing countless partings of life and death."
"When they participated in Final Selection, some of them were even as weak as Giyu."
"The Demon Slayer Corps has a death rate as high as eighty percent. Where do you think that came from?"
"Demons are mankind's predators. They possess an innate advantage over humans. Simply picking up a Nichirin Blade and fighting them already takes tremendous courage."
"You must remember that not everyone is born with great talent. Most Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen are ordinary people."
That day, Sakonji Urokodaki, who was usually a man of few words, spoke at unusual length.
Listening to Sakonji Urokodaki's words, Kurozawa fell silent.
This was not an anime for entertainment viewed through a screen. This was a real world, one that was cruel and bloody, and he now lived in it as well.
"I understand." Faced with Sakonji Urokodaki's instruction, Kurozawa nodded heavily.
"Kurozawa, I don't know what happened to you, but I chose to trust you. I also hope you can retain the emotional side of your humanity."
"I have a mission to deal with. I will return when the trial is about to begin."
After saying that, Sakonji Urokodaki turned and left, departing Mount Sagiri directly.
His words reminded Kurozawa of a deeply etched memory.
It had been when he was twenty, the day Kurozawa awakened his Status Panel.
Sakonji Urokodaki had detected an unusual scent.
He possessed an Enhanced Sense of Smell so acute that ordinary people could scarcely imagine it, and he could even smell human emotions.
That day, Sakonji Urokodaki drew his Nichirin Blade and burst into Kurozawa's room.
He had smelled an unprecedented scent on Kurozawa.
It was an indescribable scent, chaotic and pitch-black, deeper and more terrifying than even the scent of a demon.
According to Sakonji Urokodaki, in that instant, he had even thought that the Demon Progenitor had descended upon Mount Sagiri and entered Kurozawa's house.
When Sakonji Urokodaki questioned him, Kurozawa gritted his teeth and insisted that he did not know what had happened. He had merely awakened from sleep to find Sakonji Urokodaki charging into his room.
Sakonji Urokodaki stared at the source of that chaotic scent. The hand gripping his Nichirin Blade tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened, as he underwent an unimaginably fierce internal struggle.
In the end, Sakonji Urokodaki gave Kurozawa a deep look and left the room.
From then on, he never mentioned that day's events again.
Kurozawa felt somewhat frustrated. Even if I told you about the ability I awakened, you wouldn't believe me.
Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it and threw himself into the great educational endeavor of training his junior brothers and sisters.
As he continued training himself and teaching his junior brothers and sisters, time slowly passed. Before long, twenty-five days had gone by, and Sakonji Urokodaki returned to Mount Sagiri.
At the same time, he brought back thirteen Nichirin Blades.
They were not ordinary training weapons, but Nichirin Blades made from the same material as Sakonji Urokodaki's own blade, each with a different shape.
At noon, the ancient trees covering the mountain were bathed in sunlight like scattered gold. In a clearing at the foot of Mount Sagiri, Sakonji Urokodaki slowly addressed the fourteen people before him.
"These Nichirin Blades were left behind by Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen. They are for your temporary use during the Swordsman Trial."
"Those who pass the Swordsman Trial will receive Nichirin Blades of their own. Those who fail will no longer need Nichirin Blades."
"In three days, you will set out for the trial site. During this time, familiarize yourselves with the Nichirin Blades in your hands."
After distributing the thirteen Nichirin Blades one by one, Sakonji Urokodaki looked at Kurozawa and said, "Come with me."
Following Sakonji Urokodaki, Kurozawa entered the house.
"I became a swordsman at seventeen and received my own Nichirin Blade. I am now sixty-four, and this blade has accompanied me for forty-seven years. It has carried me through countless dangers and slain innumerable demons. I cherish it as if it were my wife or daughter."
"My body no longer allows me to engage in high-intensity combat. The position of Water Pillar will soon be vacant."
"Kurozawa, take it. You are the disciple I have taught since childhood. In the eyes of others, you represent me. Do not tarnish my reputation in my old age!"
At this time, Sakonji Urokodaki had not yet suffered the grief of thirteen disciples dying one after another in Final Selection. He had not become an old man who only wished for a peaceful life. Though his body had aged, his spirit remained full and vigorous.
Kurozawa scratched his head, looked down at Sakonji Urokodaki, and gave an embarrassed smile. "Master, isn't this a bit much? Your Nichirin Blade has been with you for forty-seven years, and you're just giving it to me? You know me. I don't really like using Nichirin Blades."
Smack! The flat of the blade struck Kurozawa's forehead, and Sakonji Urokodaki rarely smiled as he scolded, "You little brat, I'm only lending it to you!"
"Giving it to you? What are you thinking?"
"I truly pity the Nichirin Blade that will someday belong to you."
Given Kurozawa's habits, his Nichirin Blade would probably become a fishing tool to lure demons in, only to be taken out at the very end to cut off their heads.
Kurozawa thought for a moment and smiled. "Indeed, putting myself in its place, I feel rather aggrieved on its behalf too."
"Then could Nichirin Blade material be made into gloves or something?"
"Gloves? I don't know either. There has never been such a precedent."
"Let me think. The Stone Pillar's weapon is a broad axe and chain flail, which means Scarlet Ore and Iron Sand can be made into other forms. I'll ask around for you."
After pondering for a moment, Sakonji Urokodaki answered Kurozawa.
The Scarlet Ore and Iron Sand he spoke of was a peculiar material capable of absorbing sunlight.
Nichirin Blades forged from Scarlet Ore and Iron Sand contained the energy of the sun. That was why they could inflict fatal wounds on demons unable to survive beneath sunlight, and why they could display different colors according to their user's attributes.
Nichirin Blades were also known as Color-Changing Blades.
Kurozawa solemnly accepted Sakonji Urokodaki's Nichirin Blade and tucked it into his belt. As he left the house, he turned back and reminded Sakonji Urokodaki.
"Master, don't forget. I want Nichirin Gauntlets."
"I know. Go familiarize yourself with the Nichirin Blade. With a weapon that isn't yours, you need time to get used to it."
"The gloves should preferably be transparent and as thin as cicada wings, the kind that won't affect my sense of touch. I like the feeling of fists hitting flesh the most."
"Fine, I'll pass that on to the swordsmiths of Swordsmith Village."
"Can I have several pairs, so I can rotate and wash them?"
"Get lost!"
The protagonist's weapon was still a Nichirin Blade. Later on, he would also learn Ougi Level sword forms. The gloves mentioned here were merely a joke between him and Sakonji Urokodaki.
Before you continue