Gyomei Himejima's Nichirin Blade was custom-made even by the standards of custom weapons. Its shape alone set it apart from ordinary Nichirin Blades, and the ore used to forge it was far purer than usual, giving it greater hardness and strength.
In the original story, Gyomei Himejima had never tried turning his blade red by hand. Instead, he had relied on his unique Nichirin Blade, using the chain to rub the axe at one end against the Meteor Hammer at the other to activate the Bright Red Nichirin Sword.
Gyomei Himejima lowered his head toward the hand gripping his chain. Of course, the gesture was merely symbolic. He had been blind from birth, yet he still lived a normal life and had even trained his body to this degree. That alone showed just how powerful his will was.
After taking a deep breath, he rapidly gathered the strength of his entire body, concentrating it in his palm.
One moment, he loosened his hold on the chain slightly; the next, he gripped it tight again. His tremendous grip strength poured into the chain, and the resulting heat represented not only that strength, but also Gyomei Himejima's resolve.
Time ticked by, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on Gyomei Himejima's focused face.
Turning a blade red by hand was extremely difficult. In the original story, both the Mist Hashira and the Serpent Hashira had done it in a moment between life and death. From a mystical perspective, one could say that their unyielding wills had flowed into their Nichirin Blades at that critical instant, drawing a response from them.
So without being on the brink of death, it couldn't be done?
As a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had spent years fighting demons on the front lines, where life and death hung by a thread. Even without deliberately recalling those moments, their "imprint" had long since been etched deep into his body.
With his understanding of those life-and-death moments, he poured his mental and physical strength into the Nichirin Blade in his hand. At last, Gyomei Himejima's weapon responded. A vivid red gradually emerged, until it completely covered both the axe and the Meteor Hammer at either end of the chain.
He had turned it red by hand!!!
Everyone watched with trembling eyes as Gyomei Himejima truly activated the Bright Red Nichirin Sword all on his own. Shock appeared on every face, followed by... joy!
His success proved that this method was possible. Even if their grip strength was not quite enough yet, they now had a goal. All they had to do was charge toward it with everything they had!
A Bright Red Nichirin Sword that could be activated by hand had far greater strategic value than one that required advance preparation. It could catch demons completely off guard!
Watching their excited gazes, Chinatsu lowered her head slightly, the corners of her mouth rising into a gratified smile, like a mother watching her children grow.
Good. This was exactly what I wanted!
Excitement filled Oyakata-sama's room. Only when the smiling Oyakata-sama gently clapped his hands did everyone come to their senses, close their mouths with a touch of embarrassment, and settle down.
"I understand how excited everyone is. I am too. This is a major discovery, one that will undoubtedly make a significant difference in our future efforts to destroy demons. However, until you have all fully mastered it, please avoid revealing it in front of demons whenever possible~"
As Oyakata-sama spoke, he raised a finger to the center of his lips. Everyone immediately understood, and almost everyone before him wore an expression worthy of a villain.
Until now, it had always been demons who ambushed people and played dirty.
It was time to sound the horn of counterattack!
Just as the meeting was about to reach a successful conclusion, Oyakata-sama turned his head slightly toward Kyojuro and Chinatsu.
"By the way, this state of the Nichirin Blade does not have a name yet. Since it emerged from your duel, the two of you should name it."
A name!
Of the three great cheats in the world of Demon Slayer-[Demon Slayer Mark], [Transparent World], and [Bright Red Nichirin Sword]-only the "Demon Slayer Mark" had been documented. The other two were merely concepts explained by the narration. No one had ever shouted something like "Take this! Bright Red Nichirin Sword!" in battle.
Kyojuro lifted his head slightly and fell into thought. After a brief moment, he smiled and turned toward Chinatsu beside him, leaving the naming to her. The other Pillars around them also looked at her.
Chinatsu could now replace "Bright Red Nichirin Sword" with any name she liked. If she were a little more shameless and brazen, she could even name it after herself.
For example... the Chinatsu Blade?
Uh... better not.
"It's essentially a Nichirin Blade at a high temperature, so let's call it the Bright Red Nichirin Sword. Simple and easy to understand," Chinatsu said with a smile, raising one finger.
"Bright Red Nichirin Sword... Bright Red Nichirin Sword... um! A fine name!"
Beside Chinatsu, Kyojuro muttered the name a few times, then folded his arms, raised his head, and voiced his approval. Everyone around them also agreed that it was a good name.
With that, the Demon Slayer Corps fully embraced the concept of the "Bright Red Nichirin Sword" and began intensive grip-strength training, working toward turning their blades red single-handedly just as Gyomei Himejima had. Chinatsu was no exception, and his success had given her confidence in this area as well.
Chinatsu's physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, and there was still no sign that she was anywhere near her limits. Training among so many people with inhuman strength naturally sent her grip strength soaring.
She went from barely surpassing the Love Hashira to comfortably exceeding the male Pillars, second only to Gyomei Himejima, who possessed humanity's strongest physique. The entire process took only a week or two.
Through their intensive training, Chinatsu became the second person to turn her blade red by hand. The Flame Hashira, Sound Hashira, and Water Hashira followed close behind. The Serpent Hashira and Mist Hashira were also getting a feel for it, and should be able to activate it with a little more training.
After mastering the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, Chinatsu said goodbye to the Pillars and stopped spending all her time with them. It had not actually been that long, but she planned to return and check on Tanjiro and Nezuko.
The weather really was lovely today. Chinatsu raised her head slightly and admired it, thinking what a shame it was that Nezuko did not dare come outside to enjoy such a beautiful day.
Nezuko was special. Sunlight could not harm her, but she did not know that yet. Her fear was psychological, even though her body had nothing to fear.
Muttering that she needed to find a way for Nezuko to take that first step naturally, Chinatsu reached her residence within headquarters and suddenly stopped.
What had she just seen?
There, in the open space outside her residence, Nezuko stood right beneath the sunlight. She had even lifted her head slightly, looking straight up at the blue sky, white clouds, and sun.
Noticing someone approach, she lowered her head slightly and looked toward Chinatsu. When she realized it was her older sister, she opened her mouth happily and broke into a radiant smile.
"Big sister!"
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