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Haruto froze.
He looked up, and Rengoku Shinjuro's eyes were filled with tears.
"You..."
"You should go. Don't come here again."
Shinjuro lowered his head and, after a long pause, said, "I have already resigned from my position as Flame Pillar, and the affairs of the Demon Slayer Corps will no longer concern me."
He moved his lips, perhaps wanting to apologize for what he had just said, but in the end, he remained silent.
This passionate and cheerful man, deeply affected by his wife's departure, had actually given up his demon slayer career, which he once loved like his own life.
Haruto left the Rengoku Family, and the young Kyoujurou came to see him off.
"Is your body alright?"
Kyoujurou asked with concern; he was almost identical to his father, with the same warmth and care, and a burning flame in his heart.
"It's fine, no need to see me off so far."
"Father's words weren't truly meant to blame you; he's just being hard on himself. Please don't take it to heart."
Haruto chuckled softly, "I know. It's just..."
He looked back at the Rengoku Family in the sunset and said with a touch of melancholy, "Has Mr. Shinjuro truly decided to leave the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Since the birth of Flame Breathing, the position of Flame Pillar had never been vacant.
Now that Rengoku Shinjuro had quit, who would fill the position of Flame Pillar?
"Lord Ubuyashiki has not yet approved Father's resignation," Kyoujurou replied, his eyes sparkling. "I am already preparing to join the Demon Slayer Corps and strive to become a Pillar to replace my father!"
With his back to the evening glow, Kyojuro Rengoku's eyes were as fiery and bright as his father's; the faith burning in his chest was even hotter than the sun...
A cold wind blew over the Swordsmith Village mountaintop at night, stars scattered among the clouds, and the moon and stars shone brightly in the sky.
Because it was heavily protected by the Demon Slayer Corps, there was no need to worry about attacks from man-eating demons at night here.
Haruto lay on the meadow, the scent of green grass mixed with a faint fragrance of wildflowers at his nose, which made his heart incredibly peaceful.
He had greeted Godou River and then ran up the mountain, where he had been for two or three days.
He said it was training, but he was just lying on the ground aimlessly, staring at the sky.
Mr. Shinjuro had lost his faith, and the belief that supported his Flame Breathing had also vanished from his heart.
Kyoujurou had strengthened his faith; his aura was firm and stable, and he truly might become the next Flame Pillar.
And what about him?
What about Haruto?
What was his faith?
The white-haired young man tossed and turned on the ground, thinking for a long time, but still couldn't find the answer.
He had never known who his parents were since he was a child and had lived with his granduncle.
After his granduncle passed away peacefully, he kowtowed three times to Godou River, who came to offer condolences, and then followed him to the Swordsmith Village, becoming an apprentice under Godou River.
His life was that simple; he slayed demons not out of hatred, but simply because he needed to do so.
Man-eating demons were no different from people who harmed the innocent; they needed to be sent into the sunlight, to be scorched by the blazing sun and turn to ash.
He had no firm belief in his heart, and a person without firm belief and passionate spirit could not become an excellent Flame Breathing swordsman.
This was the question Haruto had been pondering for the past few days.
[You and I are both useless people.]
Rengoku Shinjuro's tearful and tragic words still seemed to echo in his ears, pressing heavily on Haruto's heart.
Useless people?
Who?
Me?
The young man gazed at the sky, connecting the brilliant stars with his sight.
I'm a twenty-something struggling worker who transmigrated to another world.
From a weakling who couldn't carry anything to a super strong swordsman with eight-pack abs... You say I'm useless?
I... don't agree.
It's just that the Breathing Technique doesn't suit my body. If Flame Breathing can't satisfy me—then I'll switch to another Breathing Technique.
Haruto didn't know that normal Demon Slayer Swordsmen couldn't use two different Breathing Techniques; he only knew that when he occasionally glanced at "demon slayer," the protagonist Tanjirou sometimes used the blue ripple Water Breathing, and sometimes used one with firelight—was it Flame Breathing?
This meant that swordsmen could use two different Breathing Techniques.
Water Breathing? Wind Breathing? Thunder Breathing? Or should he ask Mr. Himejima for advice on Stone Breathing?
The stars in his vision connected into a series of curved lines according to his thoughts, gentle yet subtly sharp.
Haruto closed his eyes, feeling as if he had transformed into Sora, deeply leaping into the ocean of the sky.
A clear night gives a refreshing feeling; such a beautiful scene should not be marred by evil spirits.
His thoughts danced under the night sky, reaching to touch the moon, to kiss the stars.
It was as if something was stirring in his chest, as if he had taken a deep breath of mint-flavored air, and his mind became crystal clear.
The cool air rushed into his chest, making his limbs feel as if they were floating in the air.
The stars before his eyes connected into a single expanse, like constellations, or perhaps... sword moves.
Haruto traced those sword moves in his consciousness; his body sprang from the grass, grasping the nichirin blade he had set aside.
Unnoticed by him, a dense white barrage of comments filled the screen.
[Famous scene incoming!]
[Brother Haruto has finally abandoned Flame Breathing and is turning to the path of self-created Breathing Techniques!]
[The second tough guy after Tanjirou who can use two sets of Breathing Techniques!]
[Above, Haruto appeared much earlier than Tanjirou, okay? If we're ranking, Haruto is the first.]
[Hus-band—]
Haganezuka Hotaru tossed and turned in bed, covering his ears.
Damn it... Who the hell is making whooshing sounds in the mountains all night instead of sleeping!
He came up to the mountain to train precisely to escape these inexplicable noises!
After enduring for several tens of minutes, Haganezuka Hotaru angrily leaped up, not even wearing his Fire Man mask, and rushed out the door with two cleavers he had forged.
"Eeek, eeek, eeek, eeek—"
Haganezuka Hotaru transformed into a special grade cursed spirit, holding two cleavers and scurrying towards the source of the sound.
Let me find out who it is, I'll definitely kill him with my own hands!
That brat who ruined my beautiful dream!
Wielding two cleavers with muscular arms, he hacked away at the obstructing bushes in front of him, and Haganezuka Hotaru finally found the fellow who was keeping him awake at night.
The white-haired young man stood under the starlight, holding the nichirin blade he had painstakingly forged.
Shifting, turning, thrusting, slashing.
His footwork was agile, his posture stable, and his sword-wielding hand was as steady as a rock. Aside from the sound of the blade cutting through the wind, it was indeed a beautiful tableau of power and grace.
It's just... isn't this Takanashi kid's Breathing Technique Flame Breathing?!
Why is his blade a blue-violet color like the aurora?!
Is there any Breathing Technique whose blade is blue-violet?
Haganezuka Hotaru squatted in the bushes with his two cleavers, pondering.
The most important point was that this blade was forged based on Haruto using Flame Breathing; it definitely couldn't unleash the full power of Haruto using a non-Flame Breathing Technique!
His assigned swordsman, using a nichirin blade he forged, couldn't unleash its full power?
This was undoubtedly the biggest failure of his career as a swordsmith!
Haruto exhaled a long breath and landed on the ground, his heart filled with uncontrollable joy.
There was no exhaustion or muscle soreness like when he ran Flame Breathing!
Although he didn't know the full power of this Breathing Technique he had discovered through the movement of the stars, at least it wouldn't wildly drain his stamina like Flame Breathing!
"Giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle..."
A strange sound suddenly came from his ear, and Haruto immediately looked around vigilantly.
As he scanned the bushes not far away, he almost jumped out of his skin—
An unknown creature with extremely low pressure was squatting there, giggling and shaking madly, two gleaming cleavers reflecting an eerie light in the moonlight!
"Oh my god—you scared me to death!"
"Giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle!"
A muscular man leaped out from the bushes, his eyes wide and bloodshot: "Unforgivable!"
"You damn Haganezuka Hotaru! You'll scare people to death like that!"
"Let me forge you a new blade! I will never allow my swordsman to wield such a blade!"