"Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Uryyyyyyyy!!!"
Accompanied by the bizarre cry, inside a dark cave a retro-clad demon kept backing away, shouting at the two figures ahead, "Don't come any closer!!!"
The newcomers were, of course, Tanjiro and Rengoku Kyojuro, who regarded the demon with calm faces.
"Tanjiro, do you need my help?" Rengoku Kyojuro asked, though he had no intention of intervening.
This demon didn't even possess a Blood Demon Art; it was merely a bit stronger physically.
Otherwise it could never have been captured by the Hashira.
A demon with a Blood Demon Art and one without were entirely different creatures.
Even the Hashira had to be cautious against demons with Blood Demon Arts; after all, they were human, not regenerating demons.
But a demon without a Blood Demon Art could, with some training, be defeated in straight combat by an ordinary human who hadn't even learned a Breathing Technique.
"No, it's fine."
Tanjiro drew a katana—not a nichirin blade, just an ordinary sword.
It had no special lethality against demons, but today he was running an experiment.
"Hah—!!!"
Recalling the rhythm of his breathing, Tanjiro inhaled deeply and golden ripples shimmered across his body again.
'The light is stronger than before,' Rengoku Kyojuro noted, eyes bright.
He hadn't expected Tanjiro to Master the ripple so quickly!
He'd grasped the knack almost instantly and could now use it proficiently.
The ripple's intensity looked weak, but Joseph had said it could be increased.
Once they confirmed whether ripple from that world could harm demons in this one,
if it could… the Demon Slayer Corps would launch a special training regimen.
With that in mind, Rengoku Kyojuro began recording; everything that happened next had to be captured on video.
Bzzt—!! Golden Hamon/ripple rippled around the blade, and in the next instant Tanjiro shot forward like a bullet.
Don't come any closer!!!
Knowing he was doomed, the demon roared and charged straight at Tanjiro.
Shhk—!!
A flash of golden light, and the demon's arm was severed.
Delighted, the demon clenched his fist and swung at Tanjiro. "I win! Die!!"
Tanjiro slid his sword back into its sheath. "You're already dead," he murmured, voice tinged with sorrow.
What?!
The demon froze, then felt an impossible heat surge from the stump of his arm.
In a heartbeat the searing spread, racing from the wound until it engulfed his entire body.
I...
Before he could finish, the demon crumbled cleanly into a pile of ash—only his clothes left behind.
...
Rengoku Kyojuro's mouth fell open; even he was visibly shaken.
The logic was simple: a demon's sole weak point was the neck; any other cut, no matter how deep, couldn't kill.
Yet what had he just seen? An ordinary tachi wrapped in golden Hamon/ripple had merely grazed the demon's hand—
—and obliterated him outright.
He'd expected it, but Rengoku hadn't imagined the Breathing Technique called Hamon/ripple could be so domineering, so mighty!
A single touch meant instant death; it seemed tailor-made to annihilate demons.
Huh? The next video is starting?
Fresh from the kill, Tanjiro didn't marvel at Hamon/ripple's power; instead he noticed the black screen beginning to shimmer.
On the way here he and Rengoku had already exclaimed over the strength of Uchiha Madara and Might Guy.
Now, right after his test, the next clip was about to roll.
He focused on the screen; the Water Breathing he'd promised Tatsumi could wait until it finished.
Type-Moon/Fate World, Chaldea.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was spamming the comment section, praising Madara and Guy's might.
She also wondered how two humans could wield such power.
In her mind, only Servants—or the gods of legend—should be that terrifying.
And what were the Five Kage? She remembered the one called Kakashi saying:
'With the limiters removed, the power can surpass the Five Kage by dozens of times.'
Could the Five Kage be that world's benchmark for strength?
Kakashi: "@Fujimaru Ritsuka, I can explain. Our world has Chakra, the special energy the Sage of Six Paths bequeathed to us."
Kakashi: "With it we developed Ninjutsu, and the Eight Gates Formation Guy used is a form of Taijutsu."
Kakashi: "The Five Kage are the strongest of the five villages, bearing the title 'Kage.' They're formidable."
Kakashi: "I'm curious—what exactly are Servants in your world?"
Indeed, Kakashi was probing for information.
He wanted to know about Servants; he'd meant to ask Emiya Shirou,
but the redhead hadn't shown up, not even when tagged.
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Servants are hero-spirits who, after death, ascend beyond humanity as 'Heroic Spirits.' Through ritual they're summoned to the Human World. I'm their Master; I issue small commands. That's a Servant."
Kakashi: "...can you simplify that?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Simply put, the dead live again in another form, and I summon them to fight for me."
Kakashi: "Edo Tensei?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Huh? What's Edo Tensei?"
She was baffled; Kakashi had likened it to Edo Tensei.
But she didn't dwell on that.
The black screen vanished, replaced by a line of text.
No.3, Uruk Still Stands!
....
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