Sword Mastery X Yamato Nadeshiko Seven Metamorphoses

"Can Eiichiro hear us talking?"

The ghosts were startled, but upon realizing Roy was addressing Urokodaki Sakonji, Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others let out a sigh of relief. They felt it was a false alarm, though a hint of disappointment lingered in their hearts...

"Mm." Urokodaki Sakonji turned his back to Roy, finished preparing the meal, and brought it out.

It was the usual miso soup with a small bowl of rice, though this time it included a small plate of leftover wild boar meat from the day before, sliced and arranged on a dish.

"Eat first." The old man, wearing his tengu mask, was the first to pick up a slice of boar meat and toss it into his mouth.

Roy followed suit, sipping the miso soup to warm his stomach. After a few simple bites, he took the hot tea Urokodaki Sakonji handed him.

"Tell me briefly about the combat process." With steam rising from the tea, Urokodaki Sakonji knelt by the kotatsu, listening intently as Roy recounted the events.

The final summary was much the same as the one Roy had reviewed the previous night...

"Your idea of using the unraveled thread from your sleeve to bind the hilt was clever, but it was still 'taking a shortcut'."

"Taking a shortcut is the only way for the weak to survive when pushed into a corner..."

Urokodaki Sakonji recalled his past clashes with powerful demons. It was fortunate that his opponent had been Eiichiro's father; had he encountered those powerful Upper Moons, no amount of cleverness would have allowed him to survive.

"Therefore, you must train more... train twice as hard, eat twice as much. When the sun rises and sets, that will be the time for you to strike."

"That is what I think as well." Roy smiled, downed the tea in one gulp, and without further ado, grabbed the Short Blade hanging on the wall. He pushed open the door and headed deep into Mount Sagiri, braving the wind and snow.

The youth disappeared into the storm, his footsteps heavy and uneven... Urokodaki Sakonji watched him silently from behind. A moment later, he retrieved his carving knife and wood to begin carving a mask.

"Master is going to carve a mask for Eiichiro."

"That means Eiichiro has earned his approval."

Makomo noticed Urokodaki Sakonji's actions and whispered to herself... Beside her, Sabito stood with his hand on his sword hilt, saying nothing.

"Twenty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-eight..."

"Twenty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-nine..."

Sunday, twenty-four thousand swings; Monday, twenty-six thousand; Tuesday, twenty-eight thousand. It was the eve of his departure to seek medical help...

Roy swung his blade, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash, successfully completing three sets of "Ten Thousand Swings"!

Swoosh! The slash detached from the Short Blade, struck the wooden post three meters away, and sliced it clean in two.

System notification... [Swordsmanship +18]

[Current Swordsmanship Level: 88/100 (Novice) → 6/1000 (Proficient)]

"Monster!"

"How is it that he can already achieve a 'detached slash' after only half a month of training?"

Shinsuke let out a strange cry and floated up from the severed wooden post; Roy's blade had nearly struck him just now...

The "air slash" formed by the sword wind tearing through the air was a "detached slash," an achievement he had dreamed of completing back when he was alive!

"At this rate, it won't be long before he finishes his apprenticeship and cuts through the boulder." Fukuda observed more closely than Shinsuke. Under his gaze, the slash had detached from the Short Blade and traveled nearly four meters before dissipating upon striking the post... This distance was more than enough to pass the "Final Selection" set by Urokodaki Sakonji.

In the original story, the "Final Selection" Urokodaki Sakonji set for Tanjiro was to slice through a spherical boulder with a radius of three meters.

Roy's slash had clearly exceeded that radius.

"No, it won't." Sabito stood on a birch tree, his eyes brighter than ever, seeing deeper and further than Fukuda...

He took a deep breath and said, "Master will not let Eiichiro leave the mountain so soon."

"He is not us; he is nowhere near his own limits yet."

"He must have his potential fully squeezed out; only then will it not be a waste of his exceptional talent."

How amazing you are, Eiichiro. If it were you, you would surely be able to change this terrible world... Sabito thought silently to himself, his sleeve tugged by Makomo...

The young girl looked up, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she asked, "Ne~ was Giyu Tomioka just as amazing back then?"

Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Hashira, was the pride of Urokodaki Sakonji, Sabito, Makomo, and all the other lingering spirits. Before meeting Roy, Sabito had firmly believed he was the most talented disciple under the Master.

But now... "Giyu is nowhere near as good as Eiichiro," Sabito shook his head, stating firmly, "Before he learned Breathing Techniques, he couldn't achieve a 'detached slash,' let alone one that could travel four meters on the first try..."

"I knew Eiichiro was unique..."

"Yes, he is." Sabito chuckled, "I am now very curious: when he finishes his apprenticeship, what will Master use to test him?"

A boulder ten meters in diameter... or a waterfall falling nearly thirty meters... or perhaps, an entire hill?

Sabito stared intently at Roy. The youth let out a long breath, pulled a handkerchief he had prepared from his pocket, and began to wipe the Short Blade.

Snow Walk was a sword, and the Short Blade was also a sword; they were not human, so there was no need to be exclusive... Roy wiped it with focused devotion, silently building a bond with the blade. Soon, he received the training plan for tomorrow, and as expected...

"Add two thousand more tomorrow."

Urokodaki Sakonji emerged from the dense forest, speaking as he always did... The snow piled on his shoulders revealed the fact that he had been watching silently from behind for a long time...

"Understood." Roy was concise.

After wiping the blade, he turned around and followed Urokodaki Sakonji back to the warm Small Wooden Cabin.

Dinner consisted of several wild pheasants he had caught in the dense forest the day before.

Roy didn't just settle for a couple of bites this time; he single-handedly devoured three of them, then collapsed onto the kang with a distended belly, falling into a satisfied sleep. At his feet, Makomo kept glaring at him with resentful eyes...

Being able to look but not eat was far too cruel for a wandering soul. Makomo truly longed to experience what "fragrance" tasted like once more; after all... she had been dead for a very, very long time... she had almost forgotten what that sensation felt like.

"Sss~ ya~" A faint snoring sound echoed through the room...

Under Makomo's gaze, Roy fell into a deep, rapid sleep that night. Perhaps it was because he no longer had to worry about how to pass Silva's test, or perhaps his mind was finally at ease knowing he would soon be setting out on a journey...

In any case, when he opened his eyes the next day and returned to Kukuroo Mountain after leaving the Demon Slayer world, that familiar sense of exhaustion had lightened significantly, even shaving two minutes off his usual "bed-hogging" time.

"Clang..." The familiar bell tolled.

The daily run began.

He followed the path down from the ancient castle at the summit, passed the butler's villa, and arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Roy narrowed his eyes, surprised to see two familiar faces...

His grandfather Zeno and the butler Tsubone.

"Good morning, Young Master." Zee was sharp-eyed; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to serve as the gatekeeper for so many years.

He tipped his hat and bowed to Roy from a distance, and following that... Zeno and Tsubone both turned to look at him simultaneously.

Tsubone placed her right hand over her chest to greet him.

Her body shifted, transforming into a small sedan.

The car door swung open. After sweeping a glance over him, Zeno sat inside with an expressionless face, revved the engine with a roar... and sped off toward the base of the mountain...

"Yamato Nadeshiko Seven Metamorphoses"—honestly speaking... it really was an incredibly useful ability...

Roy stood still and watched them go, deciding that as soon as he got back, he would tell Gotoh to transform into one for him too!