Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

I turned my head and met Kochou Kanae's clear eyes.

Like an electric shock, I averted my gaze for a second, and heard Kochou Kanae murmur, "Don't push yourself."

"I... yeah, thanks."

The aftereffects of Breath of the Sun couldn't be suppressed no matter what—my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my throat!

The harder I tried to control it, the more uncontrollable it became.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!!!!!"

A coughing fit that sounded like it was trying to wreck her throat came from nearby.

The two of them, pressed together, snapped back to reality. Kochou Kanae quickly stepped back, and Tetsu no Sosuke felt his footing vanish—thud, he landed on the ground.

"Ah." Kochou Kanae moved to help him again.

Watching from the side, Shinobu Kocho's temple veins bulged. What... what was this?

They'd just been through such a dangerous battle, and now the atmosphere had suddenly turned strange.

Seeing her sister's cautious, almost guilty demeanor, Shinobu bit her lip and stomped over, huffing: "I'll help you up!"

No way!!!

Every cell in Tetsu no Sosuke's body rejected that.

"Sister just finished fighting—she's definitely exhausted. How can you let her support you? Hurry up!"

Shinobu's words were perfectly reasonable.

Kochou Kanae, who'd thought she could manage a bit longer, suddenly couldn't find a reason to argue.

And... was she acting too strangely?

With that thought, she quickly nodded. "Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Shinobu."

Earlier, she'd had the Kasugai Crow send a message; reinforcements from the Demon Slayer Corps should arrive soon.

This made Kochou Kanae temporarily abandon her plan to rush back to the Butterfly Estate.

For one thing, the demons had been slain and the crisis was over. For another, traveling at night with the severely injured Tetsu no Sosuke wasn't wise. So she decided to stay, do some basic hemostasis treatment, and wait for reinforcements to join them before leaving together.

The flames in the great house still burned, and the bodies had been carefully moved aside.

Tetsu no Sosuke lay beside the firelight, his wounds already bandaged and treated by Kochou Kanae.

Shinobu came in from outside and said, "I had the Kasugai Crow send word that the crisis is resolved. I also reported the slaying of Upper Moon Two. The 'Hidden' will arrive soon to handle the rest."

Kochou Kanae nodded. She sat beside Tetsu no Sosuke, quietly gazing at the new weapon.

"But Sister, you're incredible! Upper Moon Two of the Twelve Demon Moons, killed so easily."

Shinobu's voice carried a hint of excitement.

Kochou Kanae gave her a gentle look and shook her head softly. "It's not that simple."

"Huh?" Shinobu looked at her sister, confused.

"The key to winning this battle wasn't really me." Kochou Kanae glanced at Tetsu no Sosuke, who had somehow already fallen asleep beside her.

Shinobu looked at him too. Reluctant as she was to admit it, she nodded. "True, that swordsmith did play some role."

"Not just some role..." Kochou Kanae shook her head with a smile. "There were two key factors. The first was this sword. It gave me an experience I've never had before—and he forged it."

"This new Nichirin Blade?" Shinobu had noticed its strange shape and felt a urge to try it.

Kochou Kanae smiled wryly and handed the weapon to her.

The moment she took it, Shinobu's expression shifted. "It's heavy."

"Heavy?" Kochou Kanae blinked.

"Not extremely heavy, but much heavier than my own blade." Shinobu frowned. "Can't you feel it?"

Kochou Kanae shook her head, then suddenly recalled that before leaving the Swordsmith Village, Tetsu no Sosuke had asked her for a drop of blood.

"Could it be because of that?"

She had a guess, but wasn't sure.

She continued, "This sword increased my slashing speed. And it felt like a warmth traveled from the hilt into my body, greatly delaying my stamina loss. Most importantly, it suppresses demons—it can slow their regeneration."

"I noticed it from the start. That Upper Moon Two was actually very strong... At first, he seemed almost mocking, even letting me hit him on purpose. But what surprised us both was that the wounds I inflicted didn't heal quickly."

Kochou Kanae recalled the battle's details, her eyes showing surprise. "Still, what puzzled me was that when I cut off his arm, it healed faster than the smaller cuts."

Author's Note:

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Chapter 23: Analysis

Logically, small wounds should heal faster.

But this sword seemed to defy logic—though demons themselves exist beyond it.

In short, the result was that Upper Moon Two's minor injuries refused to heal, while severe wounds like a severed arm recovered in no time.

This point seemed strange not only to Kochou Kanae, but even Doma hadn't expected it.

"Otherwise, he only needed to stall for time, wait for his missing limbs to regenerate, and this battle wouldn't have ended so quickly."

Kochou Kanae said to Shinobu Kocho, "And the answer to that question probably lies with him."

That "him" naturally referred to Tetsu no Sosuke.

Shinobu Kocho nodded, then asked, "And the second key point?"