Mount Kumotori, located in Saitama Prefecture, is a remote and sparsely populated area. However, Chichibu Town the foot of the mountain has prospered rapidly after the Meiji Restoration, following the development of Kyoto. Its industries are mainly based on silkworm breeding, silk reeling, and other silk products. At this rate, it may rise from a town to a city in the future.
In a small courtyard filled with Wisteria.
"Lord Meikyō!"
A Demon Slayer Corps swordsman respectfully handed the booklet to Meikyō.
Putting aside the fact that almost everyone knows Meikyō will soon become the next pillar, Meikyō's current status as Kishira is already higher than that of these ordinary swordsmen.
[In December of the Taishō era, the Rank 9 Swordsman Maruta Toshihiro slew a demon here; signs of battle were left at the scene of his disappearance.]
[In the same month, Rank 5 Swordsman Akiba Sadaji came to investigate but found nothing. He disappeared in Saitama Prefecture a month later, leaving traces of a battle at the scene.]
In February of the second year of the Taishō era, Class B Swordsman Murakami Takeshi disappeared in Yamanashi Prefecture; signs of battle were found at the scene.
[In March of the Taishō era, the Kishira Hirakawa Jiichiro tracked down the demons, pursuing them all the way to Mount Kumotori. He was defeated and killed, and it is suspected that the Twelve Kizuki, who operate centered around Mount Kumotori, have been appearing.]
March, which is the month in which this happened, he was able to kill Kishira, no wonder he is considered one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Further down, there is more specific information, such as a more accurate timeframe for the disappearance and a more precise location.
"Any other information? Since ghosts exist, they must eat people. If we can find information about other ordinary people encountering ghosts, we can further pinpoint their location."
Meikyō closed the booklet and asked the Demon Slayer Corps swordsman in front of her.
"Mr. Hirakawa also investigated this information, so we also collected nearly a year's worth of missing persons cases in this area, which are on the last few pages of that booklet."
Meikyō opened the booklet again and turned to the last two pages to read.
The records here are very detailed, including the age, gender, and family situation of each missing person.
"Are they all adult men...?"
Meikyō raised an eyebrow.
These ghosts, one by one, have very strange quirks. Some only eat women, while others only eat children. However, they generally don't exclude women. For these ghosts, young girls are their favorite.
However, coincidentally, among the Twelve Kizuki, there is one that will not harm women, namely the Upper Rank Three, Akaza.
If it's this guy, then luring him out shouldn't be too difficult.
Because this guy is someone who pursues the pinnacle of martial arts, as long as someone is strong, he can sense the fighting spirit emanating from powerful creatures through his Blood Demon Art and challenge them.
If he simply reappears in the places where the previous Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen disappeared a few more times, Akaza will definitely lose his patience and come knocking on his door.
If it really is this Upper Rank Three, Meikyō would very much like to use him to test his own strength.
"I understand now, and I will investigate further."
Meikyō nodded slightly and handed the booklet back to the swordsman.
He had a tough time too, being a newcomer. His relationship with the fallen Kishira, Hirakawa Jiichiro, was similar to that of Kanroji Mitsuri and Kyōjurō, who was still Kishira at the time. He learned his Breathing Technique from the other. As a newcomer, he unfortunately encountered the Twelve Kizuki, and was one of the three strongest among them.
A few days later.
Chichibu Town, evening, the sun has set.
On the street.
Meikyō held a basket of steamed buns she had just bought, eating them as she walked towards a secluded bamboo grove on the edge of town.
He's been practicing his swordplay in this bamboo forest lately.
Akaza believes that everyone in this world possesses fighting spirit, except for infants with pure and innocent hearts. The stronger a person is, the stronger their fighting spirit will be.
According to Meikyō, this so-called fighting spirit should be related to a person's will, momentum, and other spiritual aspects. Just like when a person throws a punch in a fight, you must first want to punch a certain part of the enemy's body before the nerves transmit a signal to the body to make the hand throw the punch.
If one can achieve perfect harmony between the fist and the mind, and the generation of thought and the swing of the fist reach a high degree of unity, one can already be considered a rare master in Taijutsu. However, no matter how fast the fist swings, it will be slower than one's own will.
Even subconscious muscle memory is the same.
It takes time for nerve signals to transmit.
Unless one can grasp the Transparent World, one can naturally suppress the fighting spirit released outwards.
Perhaps Akaza couldn't sense any fighting spirit in Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, which is why he relentlessly pursued the highest level of fighting spirit.
Meikyō practiced swordsmanship in the bamboo forest in order to release as much of her fighting spirit as possible to attract Akaza.
Anyone with strong fighting spirit will be challenged by Akaza if he discovers them.
"These buns taste alright, but they feel a bit lacking in oil. Next time I might try the one next door."
Meikyō took a bite of the bun, mumbling incoherently.
"Hey! If you want to fight, you wouldn't mind waiting until I finish this last bun, would you?"
Meikyō took out the last steamed bun and spoke to a person covered in dark blue tattoos who had appeared in the bamboo forest at some point.
The visitor was none other than Akaza.
He was probably already waiting for Meikyō here when the sun had just set.
"Your fighting spirit is very different from others, but it's very strong. It's so strong that among the pillars I've fought, there aren't many who can surpass you in fighting spirit. I like it very much."
Akaza grinned wickedly, looking at Meikyō with a satisfied expression.
"Say your name, you deserve to be remembered by me!"
"Hiccup~ Uchiha Meikyō".
Meikyō swallowed the last bite of the bun, let out a burp, and said...
"Very good! Uchiha Meikyō, remember this: the one who killed you was Akaza!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Akaza's feet exploded with a speed that was difficult to detect with the naked eye, and he threw a punch at Meikyō.
With his Three-Tomoe Sharingan Meikyō, Meikyo was naturally able to clearly capture Akaza's movements.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Azure Sky!"
The Nichirin Blade was instantly drawn, tracing a perfect arc, and cleaved Akaza's arm in two.
"Such power!"
Akaza's pupils suddenly contracted, forcefully halting his forward momentum and quickly retreating.
He could feel that after being struck by the swordsman, his regeneration speed, which far surpassed that of other ghosts, was greatly reduced.
Is it because of the Breathing Technique?
Although Sun Breathing and Flame Breathing are very similar, Akaza martial arts master, can naturally see the differences.