"Can this guy, Eiichiro, hear us talking?"
The ghosts were startled. When they realized Roy was speaking directly to Urokodaki Sakonji, Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others relaxed, relieved it had been a false alarm, though they also felt a little disappointed...
"Mm." With his back to Roy, Urokodaki Sakonji brought out the food he had prepared.
It was still miso soup with a small bowl of rice, but this time there was also a small plate of leftover wild boar from yesterday, sliced and arranged neatly.
"Eat first." The old man, wearing a Tengu Mask, picked up a slice of wild boar and popped it into his mouth.
Roy followed suit, sipping some miso soup to warm his stomach. After a few quick bites, he accepted the hot tea Urokodaki Sakonji handed him.
"Tell me briefly how the fight went." As steam curled from the tea, Urokodaki Sakonji sat beside the kotatsu and listened closely as Roy recounted the battle.
In the end, his conclusions were much the same as Roy's own review the night before...
"Using the loose threads of your sleeve to bind the sword hilt was a clever idea, but it was still a shortcut."
"Shortcuts are what the weak resort to when they're backed into a corner and have no other choice..."
Urokodaki Sakonji recalled his clashes with powerful Demons in the past. It was fortunate the other party was Eiichiro's father. Otherwise, if he had faced those powerful Upper Ranks, no amount of cleverness would have kept him alive.
"So you'll have to train more... Twice as hard, and eat twice as much. When the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that'll be your time to strike."
"I was thinking the same thing." Roy smiled, drained his tea, and got straight to it. He grabbed the Short Blade hanging on the wall, pushed open the door, and headed into the depths of Mount Sagiri, facing the wind and snow.
The boy trudged through the snow, sinking deep with each step... Urokodaki Sakonji watched him silently from behind. A moment later, he fetched some wood and a carving knife and began carving a mask.
"Master's going to carve a mask for Eiichiro."
"That means Eiichiro has earned his approval."
Makomo noticed what Urokodaki Sakonji was doing and murmured softly... Beside her stood Sabito, one hand on his sword hilt, saying nothing.
"Twenty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-eight..."
"Twenty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-nine..."
On Sunday, he swung his sword twenty-four thousand times. On Monday, twenty-six thousand. On Tuesday, twenty-eight thousand. The night before he was due to leave to seek a doctor...
Roy swung his sword once, sending out a crescent-shaped slash. He had successfully completed the Ten Thousand Swings three times!
"Shhk~" The slash flew off his Short Blade and struck a wooden post three meters away, splitting it clean in two.
The panel prompted...[Swordsmanship +18]
[Current Swordsmanship Level: 88/100 (Beginner) → 6/1000 (Mastery)]
"Monster!"
"He's only been training for half a month. How can he already send a slash flying?"
Shinsuke cried out, floating up from the broken wooden post. Roy's swing had nearly hit him...
The "air slash" formed when sword wind tore through the air was known as a "detached slash." It was an achievement Shinsuke had dreamed of accomplishing when he was alive!
"At this rate, it won't be long before he graduates and cuts through the boulder." Fukuda had observed more closely than Shinsuke. From where he stood, the slash had flown nearly four meters after leaving the Short Blade, only fading once it cleaved the wooden post... And that distance was more than enough to pass the "final test" Urokodaki Sakonji had set.
In the original story, Urokodaki Sakonji's "final test" for Tanjiro was to cut through a spherical boulder three meters in radius.
Roy's slash had clearly traveled farther than that radius.
"No." Standing on a birch tree, Sabito's eyes shone brighter than ever. He had seen further than Fukuda...
He took a deep breath. "Master won't let Eiichiro leave the mountain so soon."
"He's not like us. He's nowhere near his limit."
"We have to draw out all his potential, or we'd be wasting his extraordinary talent."
You're incredible, Eiichiro. If anyone can change this awful world, it's you... Sabito thought to himself, just as Makomo tugged at his sleeve...
The girl raised her head and looked up at him with shining eyes. "Hey, was Giyu-senior this amazing back then, too?"
Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Hashira, was the pride of Urokodaki Sakonji, Sabito, Makomo, and all the other souls. Before meeting Roy, Sabito had firmly believed Giyu was the most gifted and talented student Master had ever had.
But now... "Giyu was nowhere near as good as Eiichiro." Sabito shook his head and declared, "Before learning Breathing Style, he couldn't send a slash flying either, let alone make one travel four meters in a single swing..."
"I knew Eiichiro was special..."
"He is." Sabito chuckled. "Now I'm really curious what Master will use to test him when he graduates."
A boulder ten meters across... a waterfall dropping nearly thirty meters... or maybe even a hill?
Sabito stared intently at Roy. The boy let out a long breath, pulled out the handkerchief he had prepared, and began wiping down his Short Blade.
Snow Walk was a sword, and so was the Short Blade. He wasn't human, so he didn't need to be faithful to just one... Roy focused on cleaning it, silently bonding with the blade. Soon, he received tomorrow's training plan. Just as expected...
"Two thousand more tomorrow."
Urokodaki Sakonji emerged from the woods, as usual, and said the words. The snow piled on his shoulders revealed that he had been watching from behind for quite some time...
"Okay." Roy kept it brief.
After finishing with the blade, he turned and followed Urokodaki Sakonji back to the warm Small Wooden Cabin.
Dinner was the wild chickens he had caught in the woods yesterday.
This time, Roy didn't just have a few bites. He devoured three all by himself, then sprawled on the heated kang bed, belly full, and fell asleep contentedly. At his feet, Makomo glared at him resentfully...
Being able to see food but not eat it was too cruel for a soul. Makomo really wanted to experience what "delicious" tasted like again. After all... she had been dead for so, so long... She had almost forgotten what it felt like...
"Zzz~" A faint snore echoed...
Under Makomo's gaze, Roy fell asleep quickly and soundly that night. Maybe he no longer had to worry about passing Silva's test, or perhaps he was relaxing ahead of his coming journey...
Whatever the reason, the next day, when he opened his eyes and left the Demon Slayer world, returning to Kukuroo Mountain, his familiar exhaustion had clearly eased. Even the time he spent "oversleeping" had decreased by two minutes.
"Dong..." The familiar bell rang.
His daily run began.
He ran down from the Ancient Castle at the mountaintop, passed the Butler Villa, and reached the foot of the mountain.
Roy's gaze sharpened. To his surprise, he spotted two familiar faces...
His grandfather, Zeno, and the butler, Tsubone.
"Good morning, Young Master." Gotoh had sharp eyes, which was why he had been able to work as a gatekeeper for so many years.
He took off his hat and bowed to Roy from far away. Then... Zeno and Tsubone both turned to look at him.
Tsubone placed her right hand over her chest in greeting.
Her body changed, transforming into a small car.
The car door opened. After giving Roy a glance, Zeno climbed in without expression. The engine roared, and the car sped down the mountain...
Yamato Nadeshiko Seven Metamorphoses. It had to be said... it really was a rather useful ability...
Roy watched them go, then decided he'd ask Gotoh to turn into one for him as soon as he got back!
Before you continue