Tachibana's New Saber

Looking at Himejima Gyomei's vacant eyes, Kujo Tachibana could not help but voice the question weighing on his mind.

"Gyomei, since you cannot see, how are you able to drive the carriage?"

Upon hearing this, Himejima Gyomei clasped his prayer beads between his palms, held them before his chest, and turned toward Kujo Tachibana. "Lord Rumble Hashira, although my eyes are sightless, my hearing is exceptionally keen. Amitabha!"

Hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck Kujo Tachibana!

He believed what Himejima said was true, as he himself possessed an extraordinary talent for the five senses.

Take the protagonist Tanjiro, for instance; he could even use his sense of smell to detect omens, predict fortune, and discern strength, weakness, and morality.

Perhaps Tanjiro's discovery of the Line of Interval in the early stages was, in no small part, thanks to his sensitive nose!

If Himejima's sensory talent was also this impressive, then why not have him train in the Kujo Clan's ancestral sword style, which focused on the enhancement of the five senses?

If he succeeded, Himejima could potentially unlock a sixth sense!

And unlocking a sixth sense was essentially equivalent to opening the door to the supreme realm—the Transparent World!

By then, Himejima's strength would undoubtedly receive a massive boost.

After all, this was the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the original story, the Stone Hashira! Himejima Gyomei himself!

Even taking a step back, if he couldn't complete the entire training or unlock the sixth sense, he could still strengthen his other four senses!

Then, by guiding him to control his own blood vessels and muscles, perhaps Himejima could unlock the Transparent World ahead of schedule!

Yes, ahead of schedule!

In the original work, Himejima did not grasp the application of the Transparent World until he was twenty-seven, during his life-or-death battle against the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.

Regrettably, Himejima died in battle that very day.

He perished due to the strain of the Demon Slayer Mark combined with his severe injuries, ultimately choosing to forgo treatment.

Since Himejima possessed this talent, Kujo Tachibana had no intention of keeping it a secret; he was determined to change the fate of this giant, soft-hearted man!

Kujo Tachibana led Himejima directly to the outskirts of Dongchang Town, the training ground where he usually sparred with Kuwajima Jigoro.

"Gyomei, there is a method of sensory enhancement passed down through my family."

"Once this training is completed, one can manifest a sixth sense beyond the human body!"

"Our clan calls this sense—Sword Heart Clarity!"

"This sixth sense can help you observe the minute changes in your surroundings without any blind spots."

"If you focus your spirit, you can even perceive the internal structure of objects."

"I have discovered that you possess the talent for this, and today, I intend to pass this training method on to you!"

Himejima Gyomei was stunned!

This...

Although Himejima also wished he could "see," he could not bring himself to take advantage of Kujo Tachibana by accepting such a precious, private training method for nothing.

"Lord Rumble Hashira! I am very grateful, but I do not require this. Amitabha!"

Kujo Tachibana rolled his eyes, looked at Himejima, and said firmly:

"I say you do!"

"You are a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. If your strength increases, you will naturally be able to save more innocent people!"

"You say you don't need it—are you unwilling to save those innocent lives?"

"Besides, what does it matter if I teach you? Do you think this training method is easy? Do you think you can master it just because I teach you?"

"Let me tell you, in the thousand-year history of the Kujo Clan, only two people have ever unlocked the sixth sense and reached the realm of Sword Heart Clarity!"

Kujo Tachibana's words left Himejima speechless. After a moment of hesitation, Himejima finally made up his mind and said:

"Lord Rumble Hashira, I am deeply grateful! I will carry your kindness with me to help more people in need. Amitabha!"

"Alright, stop wasting time, let's begin!" Kujo Tachibana waved his hand, speaking with nonchalance.

He was willing to teach such a precious training method to Himejima simply because he wanted to.

Three days later, at the same training ground, Himejima arrived at the forest clearing, fully equipped with his specialized Nichirin Sword.

The Nichirin Sword of Himejima Gyomei is truly an oddity, aside from being forged from Scarlet Crimson Sand Iron and Scarlet Crimson Ore.

This thing has absolutely nothing in common with a Nichirin Sword; can this even be called a sword?

Kujo Tachibana found it laughable to behold: Himejima Gyomei held a flail in his right hand and a hand-axe in his left, with the chain connecting them fixed in the middle.

Is this for cutting off a demon's neck?

It's more like smashing a demon's head to pieces!

And what about Kujo Tachibana?

Kujo Tachibana had naturally arrived as well.

Himejima Gyomei's opponent today was none other than him!

The reason for this was that Kujo Tachibana's newly enchanted weapon—a Nichirin Sword modeled after the proportions of his previous long sword—had finally been delivered!

Since the new weapon had arrived, he naturally had to find someone to test it on. Originally, Kujo Tachibana had intended to seek out Kuwajima Jigoro.

Unfortunately, that prideful old man, because the Master was still present, did not want to lose face in front of him.

He refused the sparring match.

With Kuwajima Jigoro having refused, Kujo Tachibana had no choice but to settle for second best and find Himejima Gyomei.

Well, it wasn't to say that Himejima Gyomei's strength was lacking.

It was just that he had only been practicing the Breath of Stone for a year now, so it was normal for his strength to be somewhat inferior to Kuwajima Jigoro's.

If Himejima Gyomei possessed the strength of a Hashira now, he would certainly have gone to inherit the title of Stone Hashira.

After all, his breathing technique mentor, the current Stone Hashira, was already aged.

His strength had declined severely, and it was no longer appropriate for him to remain in the position of Stone Hashira.

Whether for the Demon Slayer Corps or for the man himself.

Enough idle chatter; let us return to the scene of our sparring match!

This patch of woodland was exceptionally lively today; besides the two main protagonists, Himejima Gyomei and Kujo Tachibana.

The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps and the former Rumble Hashira Kuwajima Jigoro had also graced the scene.

Furthermore, the members of the Kakushi lurking near Dongchang Town, excluding those out on missions, had arrived at the scene without a single one missing!

They were all here to watch this "ultimate showdown"!

Kujo Tachibana slowly drew the new weapon from his waist. One could see that the grip of the long sword was wrapped in strands of blue and yellow thread, and the tsuba beneath the hilt was ingeniously designed in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Looking further down, one could see the four small characters engraved on the blade just below the tsuba: "Destroyer of Demons"!

The clear blade was polished to a mirror finish, and at a single glance, a stinging sense of sharpness welled up!

The thick spine of the blade was left untreated, retaining the pitch-black original color of the iron ore, giving the black-and-white blade a truly cool aesthetic.

Kujo Tachibana nodded with satisfaction; this is what a Nichirin Sword should look like!

The next second!

As if enchanted, a faint yellow glow began to emanate from the blade, starting from the grip!

Kujo Tachibana swung the Nichirin Sword lightly twice to adjust to the weight of the new blade, then turned his head to look at Himejima Gyomei and said:

"I'm ready, let's begin!"

Himejima Gyomei nodded: "Namu Amida Butsu!"

"Breath of Stone - First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"

The iron flail and the giant axe flew like meteors, carrying immense kinetic energy, instantly crossing a distance of over twenty meters and smashing fiercely toward Kujo Tachibana, who stood rooted to the spot!