Finally, some action

Urokodaki pointed at the deep trench and said gravely, "Your strength is unparalleled, and your defense is astonishing. But your movements are too straightforward, too cumbersome. Your speed, especially your explosive bursts of movement, doesn't come close to matching that terrifying strength."

"In this world, powerful demons have more than brute strength. They have strange Blood Demon Arts, recovery beyond all reason, and speed so great your naked eye can't even follow them. If your blade can't hit a demon, what does it matter if you can split an entire boulder with one stroke? You'll only waste your stamina and eventually be worn down to death."

Rokuya fell silent.

Urokodaki was right. He knew his shortcomings better than anyone.

On the system panel, frequently activating the embryonic form of "Demon Form," combined with his reckless investment in strength, had brought his [Strength] and [Constitution] to the peak of his current stage. But without a suitable training method to complement it, his [Agility] still lagged far behind.

Worse, activating Demon Form consumed tremendous amounts of stamina and mental energy. If he couldn't end a fight quickly, hunger and exhaustion would leave him a lamb awaiting slaughter.

"Brute strength can overcome any technique, provided you can keep up with the other person's speed," Rokuya muttered, acknowledging Urokodaki's words. "So, old man, what do you suggest?"

Urokodaki took an envelope from inside his clothes and handed it to Rokuya.

"There are four months until the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane," Urokodaki said slowly. "I have nothing more to teach you. Water Breathing's footwork can't fix your cumbersome movements. You need to learn the ultimate speed, how to burst forward so suddenly that your enemy can't react."

Rokuya took the envelope and glanced at the name on it. "Jigoro Kuwajima? Who's that? Another old recluse?"

"Show some respect. He's the former Rumble Hashira and a Thunder Breathing Cultivator." A trace of respect entered Urokodaki's voice. "Thunder Breathing is the fastest and most explosive of all Breathing Styles. Its core is concentrating power in the legs and releasing it in a single instant, like thunder."

"Thunder Breathing..." Rokuya narrowed his eyes, picturing himself activating Demon Form and charging straight into a demon's face with thunderous speed, splitting it in two with one slash.

Powerful, violent-exactly to Takanashi Rokuno's taste.

"Spend these three months on Mount Momoyama, where he lives." Urokodaki patted Rokuya's shoulder. "I've already written to ask for his help. You may not be able to master Thunder Breathing completely, but as long as you can learn how it generates power through the legs and incorporate that into your own fighting style, your disadvantage in speed will be completely eliminated."

"Fine. I'll go." Rokuya stood without the slightest hesitation.

He looked south, the direction the Kocho Sisters had left in. Three months had passed. He wondered how Kanae's Flower Breathing training was going, and whether that little girl Shinobu had concocted any strange poisons.

He had promised to protect them. If he couldn't even fix his own weaknesses, how could he stand against the Twelve Kizuki? How could he finish off that bastard named Muzan Kibutsuji?

"Go pack." Urokodaki turned away. "Take my letter and head north. Remember, Kuwajima is even more stubborn than I am. You'd better rein in that arrogant streak, or he'll chase you out with his cane on the very first day."

Rokuya grinned, revealing white teeth. "Don't worry, old man. I'm a good kid who respects his teachers."

Urokodaki couldn't help shuddering.

At noon that day, Rokuya set out for Mount Momoyama with a simple pack on his back and a refined-steel katana newly given to him by Urokodaki hanging at his waist.

There were no reluctant farewells or tearful parting instructions. To Rokuya, getting stronger was what mattered. Everything else was empty talk.

Walking along the winding mountain path, Rokuya summoned the system screen only he could see.

A dark-blue screen unfolded across his vision, clearly displaying his current stats.

[Host: Takanashi Rokuno (Lin Ye)]

[Gratitude Points balance: 1,200]

[Strength: 40 (Your monstrous strength is enough to tear tigers and leopards apart alive)]

[Agility: 10 (Decent straight-line speed, but lacking explosive acceleration and the ability to change direction)]

[Constitution: 35 (Extremely resistant to blows, with recovery far beyond an ordinary person's)]

[Spirit: 35 (Firm will)]

[Core skill: Arcana Armor-right arm (beginner stage). Increases Strength when activated. Continuously consumes stamina.]

[Normal skill: Returning Blade]

[Exclusive passive: Single-Target Critical Strike Rule. When you have only one attack target (or hostile unit locked on within your field of vision), damage dealt is forcibly increased by 50%, with a chance to ignore defense.]

"1,200 Gratitude Points..." Rokuya rubbed his chin.

Over the past three months, he had roamed around Mount Sagiri quite often, lending a hand whenever he encountered villagers attacked by wild beasts or merchants who had lost their way. Though he usually wore a cold expression and sometimes even roughly picked people up and threw them somewhere safe, their heartfelt gratitude had still provided a substantial income.

Unfortunately, since he hadn't encountered any actual demons, those Gratitude Points had accumulated very slowly.

"Breaking through to intermediate Demon Form requires at least ten thousand Gratitude Points, and there are strict Constitution and Agility requirements too." Rokuya closed the panel, his gaze sharpening. "No matter what, I have to wring those Thunder Breathing power-generation techniques out of this trip to Mount Momoyama!"

Over the next few days, Rokuya traveled day and night.

Nights in the Taisho era were a carnival for demons. Rokuya deliberately avoided large cities, choosing remote wilderness routes. Aside from saving time, he was mostly hoping to "fish."

He wasn't afraid of encountering demons. He was afraid they wouldn't come looking for him.

On the fourth night, there was no moon in the sky, and the surrounding forest was as dark as a vast, abyssal maw that could swallow everything.

Rokuya was leaning against a large tree, chewing a hard, dry rice ball, when his ears suddenly twitched.

"H-help!!"

A piercing scream came from deep in the woods several hundred meters away, accompanied by the snapping of branches and some spine-chilling chewing sounds.

Rokuya swallowed the last bite of his rice ball and dusted off his hands. A trace of cold killing intent flashed through his deep black eyes.

"Finally, some action."

When he reached the scene, there was a strong smell of blood.

It was a demon. It had a human torso, but its limbs were severely mutated. Its arms and lower legs were abnormally long and thin, ending in bone blades as sharp as sickles. Two additional pairs of jointed limbs even grew from its back, making it look like a cross between an upright praying mantis and a spider.

"Heeheehee... Run faster, fatty. Your flesh has too much fat. It doesn't taste good, but I love watching you people flee in terror." The sickle demon laughed shrilly. In no hurry to kill, it lightly drew its bladed forelimb across the merchant's thigh, sending blood spraying.

The merchant let out a despairing wail. "Someone save me... I'll pay a hundred taels of gold! No, a thousand!!"

"No one can save you. All the meat here is mine..."

"You talk too much. Shut up."

A cold voice abruptly rang through the woods, interrupting the sickle demon's game.

The sickle demon whipped its head around. A black-haired boy in a dark-blue haori was slowly emerging from the shadows. He carried a long, still-sheathed sword and looked at it as though it were a pile of useless trash.

"Demon Slayer Corps? Such a young swordsman?" The sickle demon froze for a moment, then burst into arrogant laughter. "Heeheehee, perfect! A swordsman's meat is much chewier than this fat pig's!"

Seeing Rokuya, the merchant seemed to grasp a lifeline. "Help! Save me! If you save me, I'll give you as much money as you want!"

[Ding! An extremely intense desire to survive detected. A successful rescue will award a large amount of Gratitude Points.]

The system notification rang in his mind, and the corners of Rokuya's mouth lifted slightly.

"Shut up. Lie on the ground and don't move." Rokuya didn't even glance at the merchant, his gaze locked firmly on the sickle demon.

"Die, brat!!"

The sickle demon wasted no words. Its six jointed limbs thrust hard, and its entire body instantly became a blur. Too fast! A Special Ability Demon that specialized in speed was in its element amid the forest's complicated terrain. It didn't attack in a straight line. Instead, it bounced repeatedly between the surrounding trunks, exploiting blind spots before swinging its bone sickles down from above, straight for Rokuya's head!

"So fast!" The merchant hadn't even seen the demon's movements clearly.

Rokuya's gaze focused. He could see its movements clearly, but when his brain ordered his body to block, he felt a slight sluggishness.

This was the cumbersomeness Urokodaki had spoken of!

Clang!

At the critical moment, Rokuya barely managed to draw his sword and hold it across his head. The bone sickle smashed into the refined-steel blade, bursting into dazzling sparks.

Tremendous force pressed down, but Rokuya's legs remained motionless, as though rooted to the ground.

"Hmm? Pretty strong, aren't you?" When its strike failed, the sickle demon immediately used the recoil to spring away, disappearing once more into the dark canopy around him.

"Heeheehee... You're like a wooden stump." The sickle demon's mocking voice came from every direction. "You've got strength, but you can't touch me! I'll slice your flesh off piece by piece!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three successive sounds cut through the air as the sickle demon launched surprise attacks from different angles. Rokuya swung his sword to block, knocking it back with his terrifying strength, but one bone sickle still grazed his arm, slicing his clothing and leaving a shallow bloody mark.

"Tch." Rokuya looked at the blood on his arm, his gaze turning utterly cold.

It really was annoying. Before, he might have simply activated beginner Demon Form, relied on his defense to take the attacks head-on, and slapped his opponent to death. But he didn't want to waste precious stamina on small fry like this.

"If you like jumping around so much, I'll cut down this whole stretch of forest along with you."

Rokuya took a deep breath and stopped trying to track the sickle demon's movements. He slowly closed his eyes, circulating the method of Water Breathing through his body, but his flowing blood carried a savage heat.

"Given up resisting? Then die!!"

Seeing Rokuya close his eyes, the sickle demon thought he had accepted his fate. It lunged straight down from a large tree directly ahead, crossing its bone sickles to shred him.

"Now."

Rokuya's eyes snapped open, a terrifying silver-blue gleam flashing deep within them.

At that moment, nothing remained in his field of vision except the sickle demon!

[Core passive triggered: Single-Target Critical Strike Rule!]

[Hostile units currently within field of vision: 1. Damage forcibly increased by 50%!]

Rokuya gripped his sword with both hands, his muscles swelling to their limit in an instant. He used no form. He simply drove power through his waist into his arms and swung upward in a savage rising slash that left no angle uncovered!

"You've gone too far-shatter!!"

The slash still wasn't fast, but it carried terrifying air pressure that sealed off every escape route. Silver-blue arcane radiance surged along the blade, illuminating the surrounding darkness as brightly as day.

Suspended in midair, the sickle demon felt a deadly presence powerful enough to grind it to dust. Its wild grin instantly turned to utter terror. It desperately tried to twist away and escape, but under that immense pressure, its movements actually stalled for a moment.

"No-"

Boom!!!

The blade sliced through the sickle demon's crossed bone sickles without resistance, as easily as cutting two dead branches. Then it swept upward through its body.

No blood sprayed, because at the instant of contact, that savage force and arcane radiance tore the sickle demon's body apart and pulverized it!

And that wasn't all. The silver-blue blade light continued unabated, shooting toward the sky and splitting the towering tree behind the sickle demon straight down the middle-a tree so thick it took three people to encircle it!

Wood chips and the demon's ashes drifted in the night wind.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

The merchant lay on the ground, his crotch already soaked. He stared blankly at the boy, who still held his sword in the finishing position, as though looking at a god of slaughter descended into the world.

"Phew..." Rokuya slowly exhaled a white breath, flicked the residue from his blade, and sheathed his sword.

The strength is enough, but without the single-target passive's damage boost and that instant of suppressive pressure, it very likely could have dodged that slash, Rokuya calculated inwardly. If it were one of the Twelve Kizuki, ten times faster than this thing, relying only on the passive to seize an opening would leave me far too passive.

He turned to look at the merchant on the ground.

"Hey, fatty. If you're not dead, get moving. Next time you travel at night, I can't guarantee you'll run into me again."

The merchant snapped out of his daze and scrambled to Rokuya's feet, pulling several bloodstained gold notes from inside his clothes. "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you! This is a small token of my gratitude. Please accept it!"

[Ding! Extreme, heartfelt gratitude detected from a survivor.]

[Gratitude Points +300!]

Rokuya raised an eyebrow and unceremoniously took the gold notes, stuffing them inside his clothes. Money could buy plenty of good meat and dishes in this world, and what a huge eater like him needed most was money for food.

"Enough. Stop kneeling. Find a town and hide there."

With that, Rokuya turned and continued north without looking back. His desire for Thunder Breathing had now reached its peak.

(A long, four-thousand-character chapter)