As the moon set and the sun rose, warm sunlight emerged inch by inch from the horizon, gradually climbing high into the sky. Though turmoil had broken out on the train, the sun still rose as usual.
Nothing from that carriage had spread over here. Everything remained calm and peaceful.
The train, its roof punched through with several holes, continued speeding through the fierce wind, as though nothing had happened last night.
Just as Kurozawa had expected, the news had been suppressed. The train staff did not want word to spread and cause panic.
Kurozawa propped his chin on his wrist and watched the scenery flash past outside the window.
"Was that really my subconscious last night?"
At first, Kurozawa had thought he harbored guilt deep down, which was why he had that dream.
But in the dream, Kurozawa had questioned himself and found no guilt over what he had done. By all rights, he should not have had such a dream.
"I remember there seemed to be many spirits in the Demon Slayer World. Maybe a spirit appeared in my dream, rather than it being a product of my imagination."
In the original story, after Sabito, Makomo, and the others died, their spirits returned to Mount Sagiri and kept the elderly Sakonji Urokodaki company. They appeared several more times afterward, helping Tanjiro comprehend sword forms.
Spirits might have been fictional in his previous life, but in this world, there was a strong chance they truly existed.
After all, even immortal demons and supernatural Breathing Techniques existed. Spirits were not that hard to accept.
Kurozawa spent a peaceful day aboard the train. At nine the next morning, he finally arrived at the Hachijo Island ferry terminal.
Many ferries of varying sizes were docked by the terminal, waiting for passengers. Visitors dressed in all sorts of clothing and hailing from all over boarded the ferries in groups, heading toward Hachijo Island.
Kurozawa looked in the direction of Hachijo Island.
Before him stretched a boundless ocean. The azure seawater reflected the azure sky, while seabirds soared overhead, occasionally diving into the sea before emerging moments later with plump fish in their beaks.
Several kilometers away, an island floated upon the sea. It was too far away for him to make out anything clearly.
That was Hachijo Island, a scenic destination visited by many people every year.
Ferries traveled back and forth between Hachijo Island and the terminal, and the area buzzed with voices.
Suppressing the surprise on his face, Kurozawa boarded the nearest ferry. Quite a few passengers were already aboard, waiting for the boat to fill before departure.
"The seaside... What lies beyond the sea?"
With that question in mind, Kurozawa asked the ferry owner, a burly, muscular man only slightly less imposing than Kurozawa himself.
The muscular man gazed into the distance with a profound expression. After hearing Kurozawa's question, he pointed toward the horizon and, after a long silence, said word by word, "Beyond the sea."
"Is still the sea!"
Kurozawa nearly sprayed out a mouthful of water.
The man had built it up for so long, only to say the most pointless thing possible.
"Hehe, I'm just a rough fellow. How would I know what lies beyond the sea?"
"The sea is the sea—vast and endless."
Kurozawa sighed helplessly. "Fine, I get it."
After arriving in the Demon Slayer World, Kurozawa had wanted to figure out the state of the world.
He discovered that this world closely resembled the Taisho era of his previous life, so he had assumed other countries existed as well.
But when Kurozawa asked Sakonji Urokodaki about it, Sakonji Urokodaki looked at him in astonishment, as though Kurozawa had gone mad.
Only then did Kurozawa learn that this world's technological development had taken a strange turn. There were no ships capable of crossing the ocean, and people simply had no idea what lay overseas.
He had thought asking someone who lived by the sea would get him a different answer, but nothing had changed.
"So, do other countries simply not exist, or have they just never been discovered?"
The ferry set off. Kurozawa lowered his head to look at the blue seawater, where he saw his own reflection.
Black hair and black eyes were extremely rare in this world, yet they had been commonplace in his previous life.
"By the way, I heard that quite a few tourists disappear on Hachijo Island every year. Is that true?"
A male passenger beside Kurozawa recalled the unpleasant rumors and suddenly spoke up.
The muscular man's body stiffened at first. Then he scratched his head and twitched his lips. "It does happen. Listen, you can come here to have fun, but don't go into the sea by yourselves."
"Those people refused to listen. They went swimming, then got swept away by the water."
Swept away by the water? If that were really the case, I wouldn't be here today. Kurozawa said nothing, his gaze turning thoughtful.
The disappearances of tourists on Hachijo Island had spread widely lately. That was why the Demon Slayer Corps had launched an investigation. Yet the three swordsmen sent there had also vanished on Hachijo Island, unable to bring back any information.
"Many things are not as simple as they appear."
"Did you truly mean what you said?"
A voice like blazing flames, weathered and deep, came from among the passengers behind them and reached everyone's ears. It was so distinctive that one hearing was enough to make it unforgettable. It made people wonder whether he had also boosted his Charm Stat in the area of voice. Many instinctively turned toward its source.
Kurozawa glanced back as well and spotted a very familiar-looking man.
The man wore a white haori patterned with flames. Beneath it were black clothes Kurozawa knew well—the Demon Slayer Corps uniform. A sword sheath hung at his waist, revealing a flame-like guard and an orange-yellow hilt.
He had thick hair streaked yellow and red, spirited eyes, strong brows, and a touch of bluish stubble on his chin that added considerably to his mature masculine charm.
Without question, he was a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman—Kurozawa's colleague.
He looked to be around thirty. Because he practiced a Breathing Technique, his actual age was likely higher—perhaps thirty-six or thirty-seven. He was at the age when a man was at his strongest and most vigorous.
That appearance, along with the flame-patterned haori, left Kurozawa slightly dazed.
Deep in his mind, his memories began to churn. Within them, Kurozawa found the reason the man looked so familiar.
Kyojuro Rengoku, the future Flame Pillar.
This man resembled Kyojuro Rengoku by seventy percent, though his features were more sharply defined. In an instant, Kurozawa knew who he was.
The current Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinjuro Rengoku—the head of the Rengoku family and father of the future Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku.
"Come on, what would I gain from lying to you?"
In response to Shinjuro Rengoku's question, the muscular man did not want to talk further. He gave an answer Kurozawa found strangely familiar, then silently focused on steering the ferry, wearing an expression that clearly said, Don't bother me.
But the moment he said that, Kurozawa knew the ferry owner must know something and simply did not want to reveal it.
Meanwhile, after noticing that Kurozawa's gaze differed from everyone else's, Shinjuro Rengoku looked at him.
Kurozawa raised his Nichirin Blade slightly to show his identity, then said nothing more.
He did not know why Shinjuro Rengoku, the Flame Pillar, had come to Hachijo Island. Perhaps he had heard about the missing people and come on his own, unaware that swordsmen had already been assigned to investigate the island. Or perhaps he was merely vacationing and resting, and they had met by chance. Whatever the reason, Kurozawa did not want much contact with him.
He revealed his identity only because they were on the same boat. It was only a matter of time before he was discovered, so he might as well make it clear himself.
"Flame Pillar... Running into him is not good."
If the Flame Pillar discovered the Pitch-Black Aura within Kurozawa, nothing good would come of it.
Kurozawa had heard more than once that this Flame Pillar's Flame Sword Form was explosively powerful, with tremendous destructive force. If he attacked Kurozawa, Kurozawa's current strength would make him extremely difficult to withstand. This story is currently in its recommendation period, and every vote and every comment is important. Please support it, and reading follow-up data is also crucial. I ask all readers not to stockpile chapters for now; the author will work hard to update.
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