A Test of Strength

"Whew, I slept great last night."

Early the next morning, Ye Chen was already outside enjoying the scenery when he turned toward Makomo, who was about to leave the house.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Ye Chen."

Upon seeing Ye Chen, Makomo smiled politely and greeted him.

"Oh, good morning, Makomo." Ye Chen returned her greeting just as politely, then casually glanced at the wooden sword in her hand and asked:

"Are you heading out to train your swordsmanship?"

"Yes. Final Selection is starting soon, so I have to get stronger as quickly as possible."

Makomo answered softly, then looked at his empty hands and asked, "Don't you usually train, Mr. Ye Chen?"

"Uh... honestly, I only got into this stuff recently. Before that, I was just a pampered young master at home."

Ye Chen shrugged. He was telling the truth. In his previous life, he had been a shut-in who barely ever left home, supporting himself with his computer skills. In this life, his former identity had also been the young master of a prominent family.

"Then why did you come here to join the Demon Slayer Corps?"

Makomo tilted her head in confusion. If Ye Chen was a pampered young master, why would he take up a profession that could cost him his life at any moment?

"I didn't have much choice. Circumstances forced my hand. Besides, demons killed my whole family."

Ye Chen gave a bitter smile. All he had wanted was to stay home and enjoy himself, but somehow he had ended up in another world. And after arriving here, he had turned out to be a fallen young master. Whether because of the mission system's demands or that faint, elusive obsession, he was destined to clash with demons.

"...I see. I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories." Makomo looked guilty at his words.

"No, the past is the past. Remembering it or not won't change anything." Ye Chen rubbed his brow. In truth, he hardly cared. Apart from that lingering obsession in his mind that still influenced him, he felt little else.

"Oh, good morning, Ye Chen."

Before they could exchange many more words, Sakonji Urokodaki emerged from the house, still wearing his rather peculiar red mask. He picked up a wooden sword and tossed it toward Ye Chen.

"What's this for?" Ye Chen caught the wooden sword, puzzled. He had come here for some pointers, not to become an apprentice. There should have been no need for him to join their training.

"I want to test your strength and see what level you've reached. That will help me answer your questions later."

Sakonji Urokodaki took out another wooden sword for himself, then walked to a clearing ahead and said to Ye Chen:

"Come over when you're ready."

"Huh... didn't you already acknowledge my strength yesterday?" Ye Chen wore an odd expression. What on earth was this old fellow up to? Still, he didn't hesitate, picking up the wooden sword and walking over.

"All right. Please show me what you can, Mr. Urokodaki." Ye Chen raised his wooden sword and took a stance opposite Sakonji Urokodaki, waiting for him to attack.

"Well, I'm not shameless enough to pick on a teenager. You attack first." Sakonji Urokodaki felt a little helpless when he saw Ye Chen waiting for his attack. As a former Water Hashira, how could he strike first against a youngster? He would let the boy come at him instead.

"That doesn't seem quite right... fine, I understand." Ye Chen scratched his head, finding this a little troublesome. He preferred to show consideration toward the elderly, but since Urokodaki had insisted, he would stop worrying about it.

Makomo stood to the side and watched. Although Ye Chen had only briefly tested himself against Sakonji Urokodaki at the dinner table yesterday, that had been enough to prove he had real ability. She simply didn't know how much.

"Don't worry. I'm not so old that I need people to go easy on me." Sakonji Urokodaki shook his head, then said:

"Begin."

But the instant he finished speaking, Ye Chen vanished. Sakonji Urokodaki's eyes narrowed sharply, and he abruptly stepped back.

The next moment, Ye Chen appeared where he had just been standing. With a slight turn of the wooden sword in his hand, Ye Chen swung hard at Sakonji Urokodaki.

Smack!!

Sakonji Urokodaki held his wooden sword horizontally and blocked the attack, but his right arm buckled, the sword in his hand bent, and he involuntarily stumbled two steps backward.

"What incredible strength..." Sakonji Urokodaki was astonished. The boy was actually stronger than him, a former Water Hashira. Didn't that mean Ye Chen possessed greater physical strength than most Demon Slayer Corps Hashira?

But he had no time to dwell on it. He angled his wooden sword to slide past Ye Chen's attack, then stepped forward, turned his blade slightly, and struck straight at him.

Ye Chen remained calm. He bent his body to evade Sakonji Urokodaki's diagonal slash, then swept his leg toward the older man's legs.

Sakonji Urokodaki narrowed his eyes. He wanted to see whether Ye Chen really was stronger than him. He swept out a kick of his own, stirring gusts of wind as it met Ye Chen's incoming leg head-on.

Shock jolted through him. It felt as though he had kicked not a leg, but an impossibly heavy mountain. And the force behind Ye Chen's kick was far from spent, sending him flying.

Sakonji Urokodaki spun several times in midair, dissipating most of the remaining force from Ye Chen's kick. Then he landed hard, gouging two long furrows a full five or six meters through the ground before he finally came to a stop.

"Are you really human? Even demons rarely have that much strength."

Sakonji Urokodaki looked at Ye Chen helplessly. Wasn't this boy a little too terrifying? Even actual demons rarely had strength like that. If Ye Chen hadn't been standing in the sunlight right then, he would genuinely have suspected the boy was a demon.

"Uh... it's my constitution. I've been strong since I was little." Ye Chen felt rather helpless. Xeno'jiiva's constitution really was powerful. Even if Muzan came to arm-wrestle him using nothing but raw strength, the outcome would probably still be uncertain.

"But we're not finished yet." Sakonji Urokodaki shook his slightly numb leg, then kicked off the ground. His speed rose another notch as he thrust his wooden sword fiercely at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen's eyes contracted sharply as he realized Urokodaki was already right in front of him. He quickly rolled aside, evading the attack.

Bushido Style! A rapid roll allowed him to evade an opponent's attack. Even area attacks could be avoided completely with the right angle, allowing him to counterattack immediately.

Refusing to be outdone, he held his wooden sword before his chest and blocked the next thrust. Then he gripped the hilt with both hands and twisted the blade hard, knocking Sakonji Urokodaki's wooden sword aside. Applying force with his right hand, he brought his sword down at Sakonji Urokodaki again.

Sakonji Urokodaki leaned aside to evade Ye Chen's strike, then moved again. Like a coiling venomous snake, he brought his wooden sword parallel to the ground at an incredible angle and struck toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen leaped into the air. Sakonji Urokodaki jumped after him, swiftly sweeping his wooden sword upward toward him.

Ye Chen drew a deep breath, twisted sharply in midair, and slashed hard at the wooden sword rising to meet him.

Crack!!!

Under Ye Chen's and Sakonji Urokodaki's astonished gazes, both wooden swords snapped in two the instant they collided.