Kyogai, the demon with drums embedded in his body, felt as though his brain were trembling!
As he looked at the three Hashira before him, only one thought remained in his mind:
Can you Demon Slayer Corps people not handle losing?
Three Hashira against one former Lower Rank Six who got kicked out?!
Is that really necessary?
Kyogai quietly edged backward.
Although hope was slim, he still tried to find a chance to escape.
But the next moment, Kyogai heard a furious shout:
"Sun Breathing, seventh form: Sunflower Thrust!"
Kyogai turned his head blankly, only to see a blaze as dazzling and blinding as the sun.
The next moment, he felt the world before his eyes flip and spin.
Only when he saw the floor up close did Kyogai realize what had happened.
Another swordsman had suddenly appeared and beheaded him with a single stroke.
Before his consciousness faded, a vague thought surfaced in Kyogai's mind-
Th-there's another expert?
Even after seeing that he had beheaded the demon with drums embedded in his body, Lin Yoriichi did not sheath his sword.
He spun around and launched another slash at the room's wall:
"Sun Breathing, first form: Dance!"
Outside the room, before the tall demon could react, he saw the wall suddenly burst apart.
A dazzling blaze swept toward him, a dark red blade faintly visible within it.
At the sight, the tall demon immediately turned to flee.
But the next moment, he felt his viewpoint sinking lower and lower, and even saw his own headless body running at full speed.
Only when he sensed himself beginning to disintegrate did the tall demon realize what had happened.
He had already been beheaded...
It did not end there.
Lin Yoriichi turned again, faced another direction, then hurled the sword in his hand.
Although this move still used Sun Breathing, it did not belong to any sword form.
Yet a solar flame still erupted from the blade before it pierced through wall after wall.
Immediately afterward, a demon's scream rang out from outside!
Murata's face was filled with shock.
Three moves!
Mr. Yoriichi had killed three demons in just three moves!
But after the shock passed, Murata felt there was something a little odd about Mr. Yoriichi's actions.
It was almost as though Mr. Yoriichi had been afraid the other three Hashira would steal the demons from him, so he had rushed to act...
In fact, Murata was right. Lin Yoriichi was indeed "stealing kills."
He was about to face Kokushibo, so of course he had to seize the chance to increase his Restoration Rate some more.
But after checking his Restoration Rate, Lin Yoriichi was somewhat stunned.
According to his deductions, killing a Lower Rank demon would increase his Restoration Rate by 5%, while an ordinary demon would give around 3%.
Yet after killing the former Lower Rank Six and two ordinary demons, he had only gained 6% in total.
Was it because these demons were so weak that killing them did not increase his Restoration Rate much?
Or did simply killing demons become less effective as his Restoration Rate increased, meaning he should shift his focus to understanding Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
Lin Yoriichi was still pondering this when he heard Kyojuro Rengoku declare boldly and heartily:
"Mm! What three splendid moves! You killed three demons outright!"
"I couldn't help at all! I'm truly ashamed!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa, however, wore a dark expression as he said:
"It's not that we couldn't help at all. Mr. Yoriichi simply never gave us a chance to step in."
"So, Mr. Yoriichi, do you think we're too weak to be of any use, even against demons like these?"
Lin Yoriichi sighed helplessly.
After their trip to Asakusa in Tokyo Prefecture, Sanemi Shinazugawa had fully acknowledged his strength and had even started addressing him as "Mr. Yoriichi."
But this fellow's hotheaded personality had not improved in the slightest.
Lin Yoriichi could tell that Sanemi Shinazugawa and Kyojuro Rengoku were actually expressing the same sentiment.
Yet the moment it came out of his mouth, it took on an entirely different tone.
Although Lin Yoriichi could not directly explain his "kill stealing," he could still offer a tactful explanation.
But before he could speak, Lin Yoriichi noticed that Giyu Tomioka beside him looked about to say something.
At that moment, only one thought remained in Lin Yoriichi's mind-
We're screwed!
Who knew what would happen if Giyu Tomioka spoke now!
But then Lin Yoriichi remembered that, back at Headquarters, Giyu Tomioka had already been able to communicate with people relatively normally.
At the time, he had even asked Lin Yoriichi in all seriousness, "So saying whatever comes into my head is what you call communicating normally with people?"
If Giyu Tomioka really could express his thoughts directly, perhaps he would no longer cause misunderstandings.
Giyu Tomioka said in a low voice:
"When I was traveling with Mr. Yoriichi before, we discussed a similar topic."
"At the time, to help me see things differently, he told me very earnestly that if I felt I wasn't strong enough, I only needed to keep honing myself."
"But I absolutely mustn't let that become a reason to keep saying discouraging things."
"Mr. Yoriichi even used my own situation as an example."
"All these years, I've felt that I never truly passed the trial on Mount Fujikasane and that I didn't deserve my position as a Hashira, so I kept saying, 'I'm different from you.'"
Hearing this, Kyojuro Rengoku immediately said heartily:
"So that's it!"
"You're right! I really shouldn't say such discouraging things!"
Lin Yoriichi silently grumbled to himself that Kyojuro Rengoku spoke with such bold energy that he had not felt his words were discouraging at all.
Meanwhile, much of the irritation and agitation on Sanemi Shinazugawa's face actually faded:
"So even after all these years, you're still bothered by what happened on Mount Fujikasane."
"Ah, forget it. No wonder you'd say something like 'I'm different from you.'"
Lin Yoriichi was a little surprised. Was he about to witness Giyu Tomioka and Sanemi Shinazugawa reconcile?
He glanced at Sanemi Shinazugawa, then turned toward Giyu Tomioka, only to discover that the latter still had more to say:
"Oh, right. At the time, I also faintly heard Mr. Yoriichi muttering something under his breath."
"I've been thinking about what those words meant ever since."
"He seemed to sum up performing poorly with the word 'suck,' and encouraged me to practice more."
"I think those words make a lot of sense, so I'd like to share them with you, too."
Filled with a sense of foreboding, Lin Yoriichi hurriedly reached out and grabbed Giyu Tomioka.
But by the time he caught hold of Giyu Tomioka, the latter had already spoken:
"Sanemi Shinazugawa, you-"
"If you suck, practice more!"
Before you continue