Water Walking X Aerial Void Crossing

"Brother, we're going to Mount Sagiri to learn how to slay demons, right?"

"I heard from Grandpa Sakata that there are demons down the mountain, and people who specialize in killing them. Those people must be on Mount Sagiri."

Sakata Takeya was a friend of their father's who ran a clothing store. He had heard that the man moved to Tokyo years ago, and they had lost touch since.

Roy only vaguely remembered a pot-bellied man with a thick, bushy beard who loved wearing a double-breasted suit vest.

"It's me, not you." Roy strolled along with a bamboo basket on his back, a river named the Wongchuan flowing by his left hand.

Following the Wongchuan River westward would lead them to the town at the foot of the mountain.

"Why can't you take me?" Tanjiro grew anxious, trotting forward to block Roy's path with his arms spread wide. "Brother, you promised to train me. You can't go back on your word."

"I'll train you, but I never said I'd teach you Breathing Styles."

Tanjiro's physical fitness was still far too weak... If he were thrown into the Zoldyck family, even Mike wouldn't give him a second glance. He could only compare to the commoners in the butler's villa who desperately wanted to join the Zoldyck service staff.

Therefore, before he had mastered the essence of Breathing Styles, Roy decided to cultivate Tanjiro using the same methods his family had used on him. At the very least, he would forge a solid foundation for Tanjiro before he ever touched a Breathing Style.

"Fine." The foolish little brother had no idea what he was about to face.

Seeing Roy agree, Tanjiro danced with excitement.

But the next moment—

He was completely dumbfounded.

"Brother, are you sure?"

Reaching the town at the foot of the mountain before the hour of the dragon—was that even something a human could do?

Going down the mountain to sell charcoal and returning took four hours. Roy was now demanding he cut that time in half... Tanjiro couldn't imagine how that was possible.

"Run."

Roy gave the answer directly.

If you can't make it by walking, then run. Run with a basket of charcoal on your back!

There was no better way to exercise cardiovascular endurance and strengthen the physique.

Roy stretched his ankles in front of Tanjiro, stepped toward the rushing river, and said without looking back, "You run on the bank, I'll run on the water."

"We must arrive before the hour of the dragon."

"How do you run on water?" Tanjiro's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.

Then he saw Roy, still carrying his basket, leap straight into the river.

He let out a startled cry...

And scrambled to grab his arm.

"Brother, I won't learn! I won't learn, okay? Just come back up!"

"Get out of there!"

The child was crying in terror...

He had never felt such self-reproach before, a single thought flashing through his mind repeatedly—

It's over. It's all my fault. If I hadn't forced Brother to train me, he wouldn't have lost his mind.

Tanjiro was too kind—so kind that when he encountered a demon bullying his sister, he hesitated to deliver the killing blow, nearly causing him to miss Urokodaki Sakonji, who had come to evaluate him at the request of Giyu Tomioka.

"Crying?"

"Just a reminder: crying counts as part of your time."

"Huh?" Just as Tanjiro plunged into the abyss of despair...

A familiar voice reached him... Tanjiro looked over—

And saw, Roy stepped into the river, swayed slightly, and then stood firmly upon the surface of the water.

"Water Walking"... a small trick recorded in Jager's notes for specializing in the "Nen" shape transformation.

By using imagination to spread one's "Nen" into the shape of webbed feet and adhering it to the soles, one could mimic a duck running across the water.

Sure enough, Roy had succeeded...

The young man's long, deep-red hair swayed in the wind. Leaving the stunned Tanjiro behind, he darted forward... leaving a thin, long wake on the water's surface.

"Brother, wait for me!" The iron-headed boy finally snapped out of it.

Crying and laughing at once, he didn't even bother to wipe his tears, letting them dry in the wind as he chased after Roy...

[Reminder: "Nen Shape Transformation" column has been activated...]

["Shape" +0.05... +0.05... +0.05...]

There is no wave without wind, and Roy couldn't tell if he was riding the waves or creating them artificially. Regardless, receiving a notification from the panel was something worth being happy about.

"According to the books, besides 'Water Walking,' there is also 'Cliff Walking' and 'Hookless Fishing'..."

"The focus of the training is... overcoming the limitations imposed by natural laws by changing the shape of one's 'Nen'..."

"In other words—man can conquer heaven!"

Roy looked thoughtful, and the next moment, he moved his feet, testing out the Shadow Step...

As if walking on flat ground, he left a trail of afterimages across the water's surface, startling a row of egrets into flight.

"Chirp—"

The egrets soared into the sky, shedding a few tail feathers as they rose.

Tanjiro, trailing behind and gasping for air, watched this scene with indescribable envy.

I want to be as cool as Nii-san too...

Tanjiro's heart burned with fervor; he let out a loud roar and quickened his pace.

Soon, the two brothers could see the shadows of the town below through the woods.

Rows of wooden houses stood in dense, jagged formation. As they drew closer, they could hear the hawking of vendors and the snorting of mules and horses.

Before long, they finally arrived...

Roy performed a Lingbo Void Walk, landing gracefully on the shore.

Behind him was Tanjiro, exhausted like a dying dog.

The foolish little brother's chest heaved like a broken bellows, wheezing and gasping for air, until he managed to lift his head... two rice balls flew toward him, landing in his palms.

"Eat something and take a rest." No matter what, he was his own younger brother; even if this was a Cognitive World, he couldn't work him like a donkey.

Thus, Roy took a short break with Tanjiro before they walked into town one after the other.

Thanks to their father Tanjuro's habit of building good relations, the Kamado family had quite a reputation in town; they didn't even need to shout, and the two baskets of charcoal were sold out quickly.

They went to the market to buy two outfits for Nezuko, a few candies for Takeo and Shigeru, and finally, a rattle-drum for Hanako... time ticked away second by second, and soon it was afternoon.

Tanjiro stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop, unable to tear himself away.

"Nii-san, should we spend a little more money to buy you a sword?"

The image of Roy slaying Sato Takeichiro a few days ago was still vivid in his mind.

Tanjiro couldn't help but feel that if Nii-san had been holding a sword instead of a hoe back then, things would have gone much smoother.

But unfortunately...

"Stop looking. Ordinary blades cannot kill demons."

Roy had already inquired about the direction of Mount Sagiri from a regular customer, and he glanced back at Tanjiro.

Tanjiro let out an "oh," tightened the straps of the bamboo basket on his back, and followed along.

As they walked, he said happily, "The lady who sells mushrooms said that if we cross that mountain to the south, we'll reach Mount Sagiri."

"There's a shrine on the mountain where we can spend the night."

Right... spending the night at a shrine where demons specifically lure people in; that would surely be quite the experience.

Roy narrowed his eyes, as if he could already smell the thick scent of blood...