Starting from Demon Slayer, Forging the Strongest Demon Blade! Chapter 6

At that thought,

Sakonji Urokodaki sheathed his sword and looked at the breathtakingly beautiful girl before him, unconsciously addressing her with reverence.

"May I ask, Lady Ashura Maru, how can you recover your strength? And will you change sword masters?"

Hearing this, Tanjiro also realized something, but he said nothing and simply waited for Lin Fan's answer.

Upon hearing that, Lin Fan knew the most crucial point had arrived. After pondering for a moment, he frowned and replied unhappily.

"There are two ways for me to recover my strength.

The first is for me to slowly recover on my own over time. The second is by slaying evil creatures—I can absorb their malice and quickly regain my power!

To me, the man-eating demons you speak of are tremendous Nourishment.

And stop thinking about it. Tanjiro and I have already formed a contract, so I will not change sword masters. Even if he dies, that will not change."

The earnestness in his voice, mixed with a touch of tsundere pride, did not seem fake. Afraid someone might get foolish ideas, Lin Fan added specifically.

"If Tanjiro truly dies, I will only fall back into slumber and wait for the next person qualified to awaken me!"

Hearing this, Sakonji Urokodaki understood the gist of it. In short, killing demons would allow Ashura Maru to recover strength quickly, and changing sword masters was out of the question!

No one but Tanjiro could ever become its sword master.

Yet he still refused to give up, merely changing the way he phrased the question. "Then, without changing sword masters, can anyone else use you?"

"Of course, but Tanjiro must approve..."

Before the words had even finished,

Sakonji Urokodaki felt his breathing quicken. The first thing he thought of was whether the master's curse could be cured.

However, Lin Fan's next words promptly poured cold water over him. "Of course, aside from that, anyone who has not earned my recognition cannot use me either!"

Having said that, Lin Fan waved his hand, looking impatient. "I've already said enough. If you have anything else to ask, go ask Tanjiro."

The moment his words fell,

his figure dissipated and vanished from their sight.

After coming back to his senses, Sakonji Urokodaki still found it hard to believe what he had just seen and heard, but the sword in his hand left him no choice but to believe.

Even after obtaining so much information, Sakonji Urokodaki still felt it was not enough. He held the sword out to Tanjiro with both hands.

"I'm sorry, Tanjiro. Earlier, I failed to consider your feelings."

Tanjiro hurriedly extended both hands as well and respectfully accepted it.

"Mr. Urokodaki, please don't mind it. Ashura Maru and I are not master and servant, but friends. Whether it stays or leaves is its own decision, so you don't need to apologize for this."

Hearing that, Sakonji Urokodaki could not help but sigh inwardly. Tanjiro, you always sincerely think of others.

But he quickly composed himself and, through his mask, continued in a solemn and serious tone.

"Tanjiro, can you tell me about Ashura Maru's abilities? The more detailed, the better. This is very important to all of us!"

At that, Tanjiro recalled what Ashura Maru had said before and nodded. "I'll tell you everything I know."

Next,

Tanjiro described everything he knew about Ashura Maru.

When he mentioned that Ashura Maru could temporarily strengthen his physical abilities, Sakonji Urokodaki was even more astonished.

But what concerned him most

was that this sword could continue growing stronger!

Eternal Sister-Carrying Tanjiro

As the two talked, evening arrived.

In the room next door,

a faint sound suddenly came from within. Tanjiro turned toward it.

The next moment,

the door opened, revealing the awakened Nezuko.

After two years, his little sister had finally awakened.

Tanjiro rushed forward and embraced Nezuko. Tears burst from his eyes as he cried with joy, "Nezuko... Thank goodness. You're okay. You're really okay..."

Nezuko held Tanjiro without moving, seeming to comfort him.

Watching from the side, Sakonji Urokodaki could not help but feel happy for the brother and sister.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan inside the sword immediately began considering which ability would be most suitable to unlock.

After thinking it over, Lin Fan ultimately chose the ability [Nourishment]. With it, Tanjiro could grow stronger quickly.

The stronger Tanjiro became, the more efficiently he could kill demons.

And the faster Lin Fan would gain emotion points!

A positive cycle had been formed!

"Tanjiro, don't disappoint me!"

In the blink of an eye, another fifteen days passed.

During this time, Tanjiro, under Sakonji Urokodaki's guidance, killed several more man-eating demons and personally witnessed Ashura Maru's power.

Demons struck by it could not recover from their injuries, while the severe loss of blood continuously weakened them.

Furthermore, Ashura Maru was incredibly sharp. Against man-eating demons, it could easily sever their heads without even requiring force, as smoothly as a knife cutting tofu.

From every angle, this sword was practically the natural enemy of demons!

Sakonji Urokodaki also placed great hopes on Tanjiro.

At the same time,

along a forest path walked a man wearing a yellow kimono patterned with sun motifs. He carried a rectangular box wrapped in canvas on his back, wore a straw hat circled with wind chimes, and had an ugly mask covering his face.

He happened to run into Tanjiro.

Before Tanjiro could ask anything, the man strode up and spoke first. "My name is Hotaru Haganezuka. I forged and brought Kamado Tanjiro's sword!"

Tanjiro gave a slight bow.

"I'm Tanjiro. Please, come in..."

But Hotaru Haganezuka ignored him. He removed the bundle from his back, opened it, and began speaking to himself.

"This is a Nichirin Blade, forged by me. The material used to make Nichirin Blades is..."

After listening to him ramble for quite some time, they finally entered the house.

Sakonji Urokodaki had already been waiting for a long time. The three sat around together.

After handing the sword to Tanjiro, Hotaru Haganezuka continued.

"Nichirin Blades are also called color-changing swords. They change color depending on their wielder. As a child of the bright sun, yours might turn red. Draw it quickly and let me see!"

Upon hearing that, Tanjiro hurriedly drew the sword.

The next moment, the blade in Tanjiro's hand began turning black at a visible speed.

"Black?!"

The sight made Hotaru Haganezuka tremble with rage.

Thinking there was something wrong, Tanjiro hurriedly asked,

"What? Is it inauspicious?"

Fortunately, Sakonji Urokodaki was there to explain. "No, it's just that black ones are rarely seen."

And Hotaru Haganezuka seemed to have reached the limit of his patience.

"I thought I'd get to see a bright red blade! Damn it!"

With a roar, he pounced forward and pinned Tanjiro to the ground, limbs splayed in every direction. However, this made him notice the sword at Tanjiro's waist.

He snatched it away in one motion, released Tanjiro, and moved to the side alone. Drawing the blade from its sheath, he examined it closely.

At a single glance, his eyes behind the mask became feverish, and even his breathing began to quicken.

"This... this sword! This sharp edge, these perfect curves, these green patterns, and this hilt is the finest of the finest... What material is this made from...? This is the most perfect work I have ever seen..."

His hands continuously caressed the blade.

Lin Fan was utterly numb from watching.

Can you get lost? I'm not into men!

But it was not yet time to reveal himself, so he could only transmit his voice to Tanjiro. "Tanjiro, stop standing there. Hurry up and take me back!"

"Ah... Okay!"

Tanjiro came back to his senses, sheathed the sword in his hand, and hurried forward. Looking at Hotaru Haganezuka, he said, "Please return the sword to me..."

Hotaru Haganezuka did not react at all. His entire focus was on the sword in his hands, as though it were some peerless beauty!

Seeing that, Tanjiro could only step forward and try to seize it back.

But in the next instant,

a Kasugai Crow suddenly flew in through the door. It folded its wings and landed steadily inside the wooden house, opening its beak to speak in a hoarse voice.

"Kamado Tanjiro, I will deliver your orders!"

Tanjiro looked at the Kasugai Crow in surprise, not expecting the bird to be able to speak.

The Kasugai Crow continued.

"Head to the town northwest of here. Young women are disappearing there. Find the demon hiding among them and eliminate it!

Take note: this will be your first battle as a demon hunter!"

Hearing that, Tanjiro's expression turned solemn.

"My first battle?"

After saying that, he turned to snatch Ashura Maru back again, but Hotaru Haganezuka stubbornly refused to let go.

The two pulled back and forth, and Lin Fan wanted nothing more than to come out and slash Hotaru Haganezuka.

Sakonji Urokodaki simply watched quietly from the side.

Time passed with bared fangs and flailing claws.

In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived the next morning.

Tanjiro changed into the Demon Slayer Corps uniform and wore a green checkered haori. Two swords hung from his waist, one on each side.

The scar on his forehead had somehow changed shape, but no one paid it any attention.

Lin Fan looked at it and could not tell whether it was truly a Demon Slayer Mark.

Before setting off,

Sakonji Urokodaki gave him a few instructions and took out a wooden box for carrying Nezuko. Once everything was ready,

Nezuko shrank herself and crawled into the box, and Tanjiro unlocked a title.

Eternal Sister-Carrying!

Lin Fan silently mocked him, but the thought of being able to kill demons improved his mood somewhat. Then, recalling the plot carefully,

if he remembered correctly, he would seemingly encounter Muzan Kibutsuji in the near future. When that happened, he could possess Tanjiro and imitate the words Yoriichi Tsugikuni had spoken back then.

He wondered how many emotion points Muzan Kibutsuji could provide him...

As for whether Muzan Kibutsuji would fight back?

That was completely impossible. That guy was a total coward!

Even if he really made a move, he would only send his subordinates to test the waters!