Soon, everyone gathered in the garden, all eyes turning toward Akira with anticipation as he announced he would show them a "new magic."
"What is this new magic you're talking about? Erika asked, standing beside him, and tilted her head. She knows they can't really use magic here, aside from their Noble Arts.
Akira smiled as if he had been waiting for that question.
"Remember when you said it was too bad I couldn't evolve inorganic things? Back in the Swordsmith Village?"
Erika did remember saying that, right before she… said something else she refused to think about now. Her cheeks warmed at the memory, and she looked away.
Akira continued, unfazed, "The concept of my power is evolution. Progress. Growth. Getting better. And evolution isn't limited to organic things. Inorganic things evolve, too."
Erika blinked. "Inorganic things… evolve?"
Akira nodded, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Exactly. Evolution isn't just biological. It's an improvement. A change toward something superior. And even non-living things follow that pattern."
The others murmured among themselves, clearly intrigued. Erika tilted her head slightly, still confused, and said, "I still don't get it".
Akira thought for a bit and said. "Well, Inorganic evolution is a complex topic, but the simplest form is easy to understand. Think about it…how does a machine evolve? Or, even simpler… how does my bike evolve?"
Erika fell into deep thought. "How does a bike evolve? What does a bike evolving even mean?"
If evolution meant progress and getting better, then a bike evolving would mean…
Her eyes widened slightly. "By… adding new and better parts?"
Akira smiled brightly, pleased. "Exactly. Machines improve by adding better components. That, in its own way, is a form of evolution too."
He lifted his hand, energy rippling faintly around him.
"But since I'm organic, I can't just add parts to myself. Luckily…" His grin sharpened. "I do have something inorganic I can upgrade."
He raised his voice.
"Answer me, Eclipse."
Immediately, Akira's body was engulfed in jet-black armor, Eclipse, materializing around him in a smooth, seamless shift of metal plates. There was no dramatic explosion of light this time; he clearly didn't want theatrics, at least for the time being.
Everyone except Erika froze in stunned silence. They had heard rumors about Akira's strange "armor," but seeing it with their own eyes was a different matter entirely.
Akira lifted the two newly forged katanas in his hands and activated his new noble arts.
"Armament Rewrite."
At his command, tiny holographic black squares flickered into existence, crawling over the blades like a digital swarm. Purple circuitry pulsed through each square, scanning every inch of metal with mechanical precision.
Then.
The swords began to dissolve.
Piece by piece, they broke apart into the floating squares, which swallowed them completely before vanishing into thin air.
Erika blinked. "The katanas… disappeared?"
Akira simply extended his hands again.
A soft purple glow gathered in his palms, and then two new swords formed out of the light, taking solid shape.
They looked nothing like the katanas that had vanished.
These ones matched Eclipse perfectly, jet-black hilts, obsidian blades, and purple circuit lines running along the edge. These new radiated a strange harmony with Akira, as if they weren't just weapons, but extensions of him.
Erika stepped closer, astonished. "The swords changed… What happened?"
Akira rested the twin blades on his shoulders, sounding almost proud.
"Well, these swords are now a part of my Device. What I did was use my powers to perform a forceful Device reconstruction. It's another stage of my evolution, my new noble art, Armament Rewrite."
In his mind, Selena's voice echoed telepathically, impressed. "That's impressive, brother. With this, we can actually do a lot."
Akira smirked mentally. "I know, right? I can upgrade my armor with all kinds of tech now. Hehe."
Erika stepped closer. "So that means… You can use your breathing techniques without breaking your swords?" she asked, excitement slipping into her voice.
Akira nodded lightly. "Well, let's test it."
He inhaled, activating Star Breathing.
At once, both blades glowed brilliant purple, far brighter than his old swords ever endured.
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty.
Forty.
Sixty.
He had already surpassed every record he previously had.
Eighty.
A hundred.
And still, the blades did not so much as tremble.
Erika leaned forward slightly, unable to hide her delight.
"It didn't break!"
Akira smiled. "Yes. Now let's test it properly. Erika, find me a target."
Erika scanned the garden, then she spotted a massive boulder lying near the corner. Without hesitation, she walked over, summoned her red ribbons, and wrapped them around the stone. And lifting it easily before she hurled it toward Akira.
The moment it entered his range, Akira's eyes sharpened.
"Star Breathing, First Form — Flashing Comet."
In a burst of purple light, he vanished.
A heartbeat later, he appeared past the boulder, his movement so clean and silent that the air itself barely reacted.
Then.
CRACK.
The boulder split neatly into four massive segments.
And the swords remained intact.
"It worked," Akira said with satisfaction.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then.
"Akira-san That's great!!!"
"Yay!!"
"AMAZING!!"
Everyone watching Erika, Aoi, Kanao, the little girls, even Nezuko, burst into cheers.
Akira glanced around at their expectant faces and laughed.
"Alright, alright. Let's celebrate. I'll cook everyone a great meal."
That announcement alone caused another explosion of cheers.
Everyone in the Butterfly Mansion knew exactly how good Akira's cooking was.
The feast that followed filled the halls with laughter and warmth, though several members who had already departed for Hashira Training would later weep over the injustice of missing it.
Still, with this success, Akira had finally gained something important: swords that could withstand his power.
Too bad he still wasn't very proficient with them.
Most of his fights are hand-to-hand, and even when he used the swords, the fight ended in a single hit.
Which was precisely why he intended to join Hashira Training, to learn how to truly fight with swords.
After the feast had finally settled into the warm afternoon quiet, Shinobu sought Akira out. She found him chatting with Aoi and the girls, and with a gentle, but unmistakably sharp smile, she approached him.
"Akira-san, Tamayo-san and Yushiro have arrived."
Akira straightened immediately. "Ah, already? Well free time is over I guess."
Thus, with Nezuko in tow, Akira and Erika followed Shinobu into the forest path, guided by the crows overhead.
Akira tilted his head toward Shinobu. "Is it really okay to bring Nezuko without telling Tanjiro?"
"I already sent word to him and received permission," Shinobu replied, her voice just a touch snappy.
Akira blinked innocently. "…Are you angry because I didn't invite you to the feast?"
Shinobu's smile remained serene, but the twitch at the corner of her eye was anything but. "Of course not. I am perfectly calm. I'm only slightly irritated that you used half of the mansion's ingredient storage for a single meal… and then ate the majority of it yourself."
Akira looked away immediately. Because yes, he had done exactly that. Aoi had even warned him, but he'd confidently said: Don't worry, it's so everyone can be full.
…In the end, he ate the most.
"Well… I-I was optimizing my caloric intake before the battle with Muzan," he muttered.
"How nice," Shinobu replied sweetly. "Next time, optimize it with fewer vegetables from my pantry."
Before Akira could defend himself.
KAA! KAA!
Raven swooped down from the sky, circling above his head like a flying menace.
"KAA! Akira, gluttony berserker! Destroyer of pantry! KAA!"
Akira pointed at him with outrage. "OI!! TRAITOR!"
Shinobu immediately covered her mouth, shoulders trembling from suppressed laughter. Erika burst out laughing openly and even Nezuko giggled.
Akira made a grab for Raven, but the bird zipped behind Erika.
"KAA! Erika-sama, protect me!"
Erika giggled and held up an arm as a shield. "You heard him. He's under my protection."
"Erika! Why are both of OUR crows on YOUR side?!" Akira cried.
Erika tilted her head, smiling softly. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just nicer than you?"
"KAA! Confirmed!" Raven proclaimed proudly.
Rose, Erika's crow, added in singsong rhythm, "It's true, it's true."
Erika shrugged as if it couldn't be helped. "See? They said so."
Raven said from behind Erika, "KAA! Akira was a big bully!"
Akira's eye twitched. "Just you wait, I swear I'll pluck all your feathers!"
Thus began their bickering march through the forest: Akira and Raven trading insults, Erika quietly amused, Shinobu pretending she wasn't entertained, and Nezuko smiling at all of them.
Eventually, the trees parted, revealing a quiet clearing and a lone traditional wooden house stood at its center, surrounded by medicinal herbs and charms.
They stepped inside.
Tamayo sat at a low table, graceful as always, her expression warm and serene.
Yushiro hovered behind her like an angry shadow, his glare sharp enough to slice stone directed at everyone who wasn't Tamayo.
But three unfamiliar figures sat in the room as well, their presence immediately shifting the air.
Akira recognized them in an instant, how could he not?
They were legends.
Urokodaki Sakonji, former Water Hashira, is silent and unreadable behind his mask.
Shinjuro Rengoku, former Flame Hashira, towering and grim like an untamed blaze.
Jigoro Kuwajima, former Thunder Hashira, is small but piercingly sharp-eyed.
All three turned their attention toward Akira, their gazes heavy, discerning… and curious.
And studied him with the eyes of veterans who had seen countless warriors rise and fall.
Akira sighed, thinking. "Well, this is a new development."