Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

"Tie him up, hang him from a tree, and when the sun rises tomorrow, he'll be burned to ash!"

That was one way to do it. Back when he'd read the manga, one of the Nine Pillars—before becoming a Demon Slayer Corps member—had used this exact method to deal with demons.

"Rope, rope..."

He fumbled around looking for rope, but the moment his gaze left the demon for just an instant—

The demon sprang up like a shot. Its hands, with nails a deep, bloody red, lunged straight for Tetsu no Sosuke's throat.

Its fanged, grotesque maw, forked tongue dangling, snapped viciously toward Tetsu no Sosuke's head!

Tetsu no Sosuke's pupils contracted sharply.

Tricked!

This bastard had been faking it. He hadn't really lost consciousness.

So whether he went for the sword or the rope, the second his attention left the demon, it would attack without fail.

"Am I... going to die?"

A flash of lightning, a single instant—yet that instant stretched into eternity.

The onrushing demon, its sharp, cruel claws, its hideous fangs, the foul stench from its mouth.

Everything converged into what seemed like the final image of his life.

Thump, thump!

"Heartbeat!"

The moment awareness surged, a sharp gleam flashed through Tetsu no Sosuke's pupils.

His blood boiled in an instant, his heart pounding like a war drum.

His right hand, still gripping the Heavenly Crafting Hammer, swung fiercely!

Breath of the Sun—Form One: Gale Sun!

This technique, originally meant for hammering iron, surged into his mind in that split second. His right hand became the wind—a storm of rapid strikes, the blazing sun in tow!

Flames seemed to flow. In that instant, a hailstorm of hammer shadows, wreathed in fire, crashed headlong into the demon.

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!!!

Every hammer blow was accompanied by a spray of blood.

Total Concentration Breathing. Tetsu no Sosuke controlled the Heavenly Crafting Hammer's landing points.

First the demon's claws, then its head, then its body—under the relentless, gale-force hammering of Gale Sun, it was like forging iron.

In the span of a breath, the demon was riddled with holes. Its bones had been shattered, its body gone limp as a wad of cotton.

It staggered back, unable to take another step forward!

And at that moment, Tetsu no Sosuke's breathing shifted abruptly—from a raging storm to a steady mountain.

Breath of the Sun—Form Two: Name Not Yet Decided!!!

Heavy and powerful, yet precise to a fault. Tetsu no Sosuke's Heavenly Crafting Hammer came straight down, slamming into the demon's head with brutal force.

Thud!

A strange, jarring sound. The demon's head was driven straight into its chest cavity.

A torrent of blood sprayed from its mangled body.

The demon's body froze on the spot, completely unable to move.

Tetsu no Sosuke glared at the thing, adjusting his breathing.

The name for Form Two really wasn't decided yet, and the abrupt shift from Form One to Form Two—such an extreme change in state—had drained a fair bit of his stamina.

But now... wasn't the time to rest.

While the demon was immobilized, Tetsu no Sosuke quickly looked around. He found no rope, but dangling down from a hole in the roof were some vines.

"Not sure if this'll work..."

Doubt flickered in his mind, but his movements were anything but slow.

He pulled a short knife from his belt—originally meant for cutting through brambles and weeds while walking in the mountains.

It worked perfectly for cutting the vines.

He took a length of vine and wrapped it tightly around the demon, which still couldn't move, binding it from top to bottom. He had no skill with intricate knots or clever tying methods—just rough, brute force, trussing the demon up like a dumpling. He'd planned to leave its head exposed, but since it had been hammered into its chest cavity, it probably wouldn't be able to struggle free anytime soon, so he let it be.

Once done, he dragged the demon over and hung it from the temple's entrance.

Come sunrise tomorrow, this thing would vanish with the dawn.

And after finishing all that, Tetsu no Sosuke finally felt his limbs go weak. He stumbled back a couple of steps and sat down on the ground, panting.

Author's note:

I'm completely dazed today. The collection count is skyrocketing!

We're already at seventh on the weekly rankings!

Unbelievable... Overwhelming joy!

But after the joy came fear... fear of failing to live up to everyone's affection.

So for most of today, I've been in a daze.

Scrolling through everyone's comments, seeing all the GKD... Mm, I'll do my best to GKD!

So, to not let everyone down, I will definitely work hard.

Stay consistent, update well, and write this book with all my heart.

Also, I was so out of it today that I actually missed adding the contract editor... sweatdrop...

Mm, this book has passed review and can now be signed.

I'll keep up with the updates, so rest assured and enjoy~

Finally, thanks to everyone for the tips! Every tip, every click, every recommendation, every blade—they're all what keep me from slacking off. Thank you all!