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Days later, in Swordsmith Village, Haruto stood calmly before a training dummy, holding his newly forged nichirin blade.
Gyomei Himejima stood behind him. Though he could not see, he could perceive everything before him through his senses.
"What pure power."
He pressed his palms together and took a deep breath. "It feels as if one is amidst a sea of stars."
Before the dummy, Haruto, gripping his blade, said softly, "There are no stars during the day."
Because there were no stars during the day, his power could not be unleashed to its fullest.
"Demons appear at night," Himejima replied.
That's right, it didn't matter if there were no stars during the day, because demons only appeared at night!
Haruto calmed his mind and took a deep breath.
"Breath of the Stars, First Form: Tear of Light."
His figure flickered like a bright star, appearing and disappearing, vanishing from his spot and instantly reappearing in front of the dummy.
A blue-violet blade, like an aurora, enveloped in specks of starlight, slashed forward—
The dummy's head flew high into the air, and within seconds of its ascent, it exploded with a booming sound, shattering from the inside out.
The pale wooden head fell to the ground, causing Gyomei Himejima to pause. What a powerful technique!
Coupled with such a ghostly, flickering movement, an ordinary demon would be utterly unable to withstand the might of this single strike!
Haruto's steps did not falter. He pushed off the damaged dummy and twisted his body to slash at another dummy.
"Star Breathing, Second Form: Prairie Fire!"
The sharp nichirin blade swiftly swept across the dummy's body, starlight burst from its limbs, and then a soft glow appeared on the dummy's chest: "Boom!"
Hidden behind the seemingly gentle starlight was damage the training dummy could not endure. Its chest completely exploded, burning a large hole from its chest to its neck, and its head rolled to the ground.
The last dummy… Haruto turned his blade, gripping the hilt with both hands and holding it to his chest. Starlight twinkled behind him, and even the sky seemed to dim slightly.
An indistinct full moon appeared before him. Before such a beautiful night scene, he lowered his voice and softly recited:
"Breath of the Stars, Ninth Form: Banished Moon!"
A flash of blade light cut across the bright moon. The dummy's head, representing the bright moon, gently cracked open, and in its place appeared a brilliant star.
No longer will a hundred stars be inferior to one moon; no longer will stars revolve around the moon. I will make sure that in this world, only stars remain!
Haruto's toes lightly touched the ground, and he sheathed his blade. His breathing hadn't even fluctuated, which was much stronger than when he used Flame Breathing before.
Himejima seemed to be lost in thought.
"Stone Pillar-san?" Haruto scratched his white hair. "How strong is this Breathing Technique?"
Himejima sighed deeply: "It's stronger than I expected, Haruto.
Without encountering a suitable Breathing Technique, even the strongest swordsman is like a pearl covered in dust.
Oh, and…"
He suddenly remembered something: "Ninth Form? Have you already mastered the ninth technique?"
He truly was a genius swordsman; not only did he fully comprehend and master a new Breathing Technique overnight, but he also… "No."
Haruto's eyes widened: "Genius is genius, but I'm not a pervert!"
He just felt that the 'Banished Moon' technique was incredibly powerful, and putting it earlier in the sequence felt disrespectful.
Adding in the Third Form: Detailed Star Worship, which enhances perception and speeds up physical recovery, he had already roughly constructed four techniques in one night, which was quite remarkable.
Gyomei Himejima "gazed" at him deeply: "Perhaps in the future… there truly will be another Star Pillar among the Nine Pillars."
Haruto chuckled softly.
Become a Pillar?
If he became a Pillar… would that mean Kagaya Ubuyashiki wouldn't die?
If he became a Pillar, would those commoners be able to walk freely in the dark night?
Becoming a Pillar… it's not just the end.
His goal had always been to end this dark era brought by Kibutsuji Muzan.
It's just that now, the opportunity has changed from impossible to minuscule… Because he had to accept demon-slaying missions, Haruto, who frequently entered and exited Swordsmith Village, didn't want to constantly trouble the Kakushi. He decided to find a place outside Swordsmith Village to use as a base.
"The Ubuyashiki Family has many houses for you to choose from; I will charge you a reasonable rent."
This was a letter from Kagaya Ubuyashiki, still outwardly pure but inwardly cunning, just like when he was a child.
Haruto pouted and drew a large turtle on his reply letter.
"The Rengoku Family has empty houses!"
Kyoujurou was quite enthusiastic, but Haruto was worried about upsetting Shinjuro again, so he politely declined.
So, in the end, there was only… "Come on, we'll build a house for you together, it'll be quick."
Haruto held the letter, and Sabito's gentle, watery smile seemed to appear before his eyes.
Mt. Sagiri… it seemed there were no downsides, except for the slightly thinner air.
After Godou River finished packing his things, he remained silent for a moment before replying, "That girl named Makomo…"
"Master—she's still a little girl!"
"You can make a reservation now! It's not impossible for you to get married when you're old enough!"
"You haven't even met her yet!"
"I'm not a feudal patriarch; as long as you like her, you don't need my approval!"
Haruto, carrying his backpack, covered his ears and was carried away by a Kakushi for a distance, but he could still hear Godou River shouting from afar: "You must start a family soon!"
Makomo… I've only spoken to her a few times, really.
Mt. Sagiri was not small, and Haruto did not choose to build his house right next to the Urokodaki Family home. Instead, he built his small house in a place that was neither too far nor too close.
After all, the people of the Urokodaki Family were not his real family, and he didn't want to get too close and disturb them.
He only wanted to occasionally ask Urokodaki-san to guide him in his training, as he was a professional cultivator.
But things seemed to turn out somewhat unexpectedly for Haruto.
On the first night after the house was built, Haruto fell silent as he watched Sabito and Giyuu appear at his house, each carrying their bedding.
What did this mean?
So, he had built a boys' dormitory?
I didn't come to join this family (crossed out), you came to join me?
Sabito recalled what his teacher had told him earlier: "Three people are always safer. No one will have their stomach ripped open and be eaten by a demon while they sleep."
He shook his head, smiled, and spread his futon on the floor.
"Urokodaki-sensei's meaning is that since you want him to guide you, our routines must be consistent."
"Every morning at six, we train on the mountain, and we must return to the Urokodaki Family home before twelve, otherwise, there will be no lunch."
Giyuu still had no expression, but his words carried an irrepressible excitement.
"We gave our room to Makomo. She got such a big house for free, why is she still a little unhappy?"
"Idiot Sabito!"
The long, dark green-haired girl gazed into the distance at the small wooden house at the end of her sight, her face wrinkled and her mouth pouting high.
Sakonji Urokodaki, sensing Makomo's emotions, also felt puzzled.
That's right, she got such a big house for free, why was she still a little unhappy?