After everything had concluded, Iori approached the twin girls with the mask in hand and told them what had happened in the mountain.
She spoke of the Hand Demon, and how it had been relentlessly hunting down Urokodaki-san's disciples over the years.
Upon hearing this, the twins finally showed a flicker of emotion on their otherwise calm faces.
The black-haired girl said, "So… that's what was going on."
"Yes," Iori replied. "That's why I'd like to ask you to pass on a message to the man named Urokodaki—that the Hand Demon has been slain… and that his disciples can now rest in peace."
"Please don't worry, we'll make sure he receives the message," the twins responded in unison.
Then they glanced at the mask Iori held in her arms and asked, "Is this a relic of one of Urokodaki-san's disciples?"
"It is. But… I'd like to keep it," Iori said in a soft but firm voice.
Technically, she had no right to keep a belonging of Urokodaki's disciples. But since it was she who encountered the Hand Demon and uncovered the truth, the twins didn't object. They only said they would later consult with Urokodaki about the matter.
After that, they said no more.
Takeo stood beside Iori, not having said a single word from start to finish.
It was only after Iori finished explaining things and walked away from the twins that he turned to her and asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you mention that it was the mask that allowed the Hand Demon to recognize Urokodaki-san's disciples?"
Iori had revealed almost everything—she had laid out the truth in great detail.
But she had deliberately left out one crucial fact: That the Hand Demon hadn't identified Urokodaki's disciples by skill, but by their masks.
She hadn't said a word about that.
"Sigh~ You young boys—so completely clueless," Iori rolled her eyes at him in response to his question.
Takeo's mouth twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you're dumb. Dumb Takeo," Iori said bluntly, pointing at him without hesitation. Before he could shoot back with words of his own, she continued, "Think about it. If Urokodaki-san finds out about the mask—what do you think he'd feel?"
"…"
"He'd be heartbroken, wouldn't he? And he'd definitely blame himself. If it were me… if I found out that the gift I gave my disciples became their death sentence, I'd probably be so guilt-ridden I'd want to die."
"That kind of pain… Urokodaki-san would feel it too. So this is enough. Sometimes, not all truths need to be spoken—because sometimes… they only hurt people."
For once, Iori spoke with rare seriousness. Her voice was soft, but her words left Takeo with nothing to say in return.
He truly hadn't thought about that.
He had only considered reporting the truth to the Demon Slayer Corps. He hadn't thought beyond that.
He had completely overlooked how Urokodaki-san might feel.
In that regard… Iori had done far better than him.
And so, for once, Takeo didn't argue with her. He simply looked at the mask Iori now wore across her forehead, saying nothing for a long time.
Their silence was suddenly broken—by a wooden sword flying through the air.
Whoosh—
Hearing the wind split, Takeo instinctively reacted, raising his arm and catching the wooden blade mid-air.
Following the direction it came from, he spotted the black-haired boy from before—also holding a wooden sword, standing in the distance.
"...We agreed earlier. Hurry up and pick up your sword. I want to finish this and leave."
The boy spoke quietly, without even acknowledging Takeo's presence.
Completely looking down on me, huh?
Wooden sword in hand, Takeo noticed the twin girls standing behind the boy.
They seemed to be waiting for him, and interestingly, the black-haired twin actually looked slightly surprised after hearing what the boy had just said.
What exactly she was surprised about, Takeo couldn't tell.
But it didn't seem important, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he motioned for Iori to step back, then gripped the wooden sword tightly and followed the boy to an open area nearby.
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kamado Takeo. What's your name?"
It was customary to state your name before a fight. You couldn't very well brawl with someone and not even know who they were.
But Takeo's courtesy might as well have been tossed to a blind man. The boy, upon hearing Takeo's name, didn't introduce himself at all. Instead, he replied flatly:
"It doesn't matter. You're just someone insignificant."
"..."
(⓿_⓿)What the FUCK!
Seriously, this brat's attitude was unbelievably irritating… Hasn't anyone ever taught him what manners are?
While Takeo was grumbling inwardly, the boy spoke again:
"Can we start now?"
Takeo flicked the wooden sword in his hand, then gripped it with both hands and stared seriously at his opponent.
"Yeah. Ready."
If the guy didn't want to say his name, fine—then they'd fight. If Takeo won, he'd ask for the name afterward.
That was his plan. But just as that thought surfaced in his mind, his pupils suddenly contracted. He swung his wooden sword hard—off to the side!
Clack!
The sound of wooden swords clashing rang out.
The boy, who had been standing far from Takeo just moments ago, had somehow appeared right beside him without warning.
Takeo had only managed to catch the faintest blur—a residual image of the boy's movement. And it was only because of that blur that Takeo had been able to sense the direction of the attack and react in time.
"Oh?"
The boy let out a quiet sound of surprise, clearly not expecting Takeo to block the strike.
But the boy's surprise lasted only a moment. He immediately pressed forward, swinging his wooden sword at Takeo in a relentless assault!
Clack! Clack!
Two more sharp impacts echoed as their wooden blades collided.
The boy's attacks were swift and ruthless. Takeo found himself completely unable to counterattack—he could barely even defend himself!
He's so fast—!
That was all Takeo could think as he tried to block the onslaught.
His opponent's speed was unbelievable, and every strike was frighteningly precise. Each swing was aimed squarely at a vital point on Takeo's body—had they connected, they would've ended the match instantly.
With strength and speed like this, if this had been back when they first met, Takeo wouldn't have even had the chance to react. He would've been taken down in a single move!
Fortunately, Miss 2B had appeared in his mental realm. Thanks to her, Takeo's dynamic vision had improved—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to block even a single strike.
But even now… this was already his limit.
Clack—clack—!
The sound of wood striking wood echoed again and again through the clearing. The wind began to stir, and a light mist started to rise into the air.
The dust stirred up by the force of their clashing blows filled the air, blanketing the clearing—only flashes of light from the blades could be seen through the haze.
Blade flashes?
Watching from the sidelines, Iori was utterly baffled.
They were using wooden swords, weren't they?
Where the hell were those flashes of light coming from?
And more importantly—just who was that black-haired boy fighting the brat?
No one knew better than Iori how strong the brat—Takeo—really was!
He had slain the demon woman who nearly killed her with a single strike, and in the blink of an eye, severed the Hand Demon's arm when she couldn't even make a dent.
His strength went beyond that of an average member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Even among higher-ranked slayers, few would compare!
And yet that Takeo was now being completely overwhelmed by a boy around his own age!?
Clack, clack, clack, clack—!
The sound of wooden swords clashing rang out non-stop from within the dust cloud. With the haze obscuring her vision, Iori couldn't see either of them.
Only when a gust of wind finally blew the dust away did she clearly see the scene on the battlefield!
The first to use a Breathing Technique was Takeo.
The gale stirred by Wind Breathing tore through the air like a vicious blender, surging toward the black-haired boy he was fighting!
But the boy didn't dodge. Just as Takeo activated his Breathing, the boy unleashed his own, original Breathing Style.
His wooden sword seemed to vanish from sight—along with his entire body.
A thin mist rose—and unbelievably, it withstood the wild wind. In the blink of an eye, the boy and the mist closed in on Takeo's position!
Before Takeo could even react, the wooden sword struck a vital point at his waist.
The next instant, Takeo was blown away by the sheer force of the hit, landing hard at a distance.
Mist Breathing, First Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze!
"It's over. As I thought… this was a waste of time."
The boy lowered his sword and turned away, not even sparing a glance at the fallen Takeo.
But just as he turned, he heard Takeo's voice:
"Over? Don't kid yourself. The real fight is just getting started!"
The boy stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Takeo. For the first time, a trace of annoyance appeared on his otherwise emotionless face. He flicked the wooden sword in his hand and said calmly:
"I don't understand what you're talking about. If this had been a real sword, you'd be dead."
"No," Takeo replied seriously.
He tore off his outer coat, revealing a well-trained, muscular body underneath. Then he pointed to the spot on his waist where the boy had struck him earlier, grinning wide.
"Even if it was a real sword, I still wouldn't have died!"
"Don't tell me your brain got—"
The boy started to throw a sarcastic remark, but stopped mid-sentence, stunned.
He wasn't the only one—Iori and the twin girls, who had been watching from the sidelines, were frozen in shock as well.
Because right before their eyes, the area on Takeo's waist where the boy had struck him—already swollen and bleeding—was now rapidly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Within just a few breaths, the wound on his waist had completely vanished, leaving behind unblemished skin—without a single scar.
The injury that boy had inflicted on Takeo… had healed in an instant!
________
12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI