“Su…success…”
Tanjiro plopped down onto the ground.
Although it wasn’t murder, the tactile sensation wasn’t significantly different.
The only distinction was that killing demons didn’t carry a sense of guilt.
Tanjiro had done splendidly, even better than Chika had imagined.
Chika had thought Tanjiro might hesitate a little, but this time he did not.
Well, in the original story, the reason Tanjiro hesitated at this stage was because he felt the large rock in his hands couldn’t crush the demon’s head in one blow; it would take several, even dozens of hits.
But with an iron axe, one or two swings were enough, so naturally, Tanjiro wouldn’t hesitate.
Just as Chika was about to extend her hands to clap and encourage Tanjiro, the sound of applause came from behind her.
A mysterious old man wearing a tengu mask had appeared behind them.
It was exactly as described in the original story—his footsteps were truly swift and silent.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
“Well done.
Fast, precise, and ruthless.
Your ability to act is beyond my expectations.
You must be the child Giyu introduced.
More outstanding than I imagined.”
He spoke these words while clapping.
This masked old man was the person they had come to find.
Trainer: Urokodaki Sakonji.
Hearing someone come out and applaud him, Tanjiro, sitting on the ground, lowered his head slightly, scratching the back of his head in a somewhat awkward manner as he replied, “That was all my sister’s idea.
I just carried out the plan she suggested.”
“Oh?
You thought of it?”
Urokodaki looked at Chika in the wheelchair with some surprise.
Tomioka Giyu hadn’t introduced the girl in the wheelchair to him.
He hadn’t expected that the earlier ambush was orchestrated by this seemingly frail girl.
“I’d like to ask, if this young man hadn’t managed to crush the demon’s head, what would you have done next?
Run away or continue fighting?”
“Naturally, continue fighting.
To be honest, Tanjiro killing the demon so decisively was already beyond my expectations.”
“Oh?
So you had a backup plan?”
Urokodaki looked at Chika with interest.
In his view, if Tanjiro hadn’t been able to kill the demon with the axe, the situation would have taken a complete one-eighty turn.
The boy wouldn’t be able to fight the demon, and the girl in the wheelchair had no abi…
no ability to move?
Just as Urokodaki thought this, in his line of sight, Chika, sitting in the wheelchair, stood up on her own.
Where was the lack of mobility?
“I see, it was a disguise.
You intended to use your own disguise to make the demon mistakenly think you were the weak point, thus creating an attack opportunity for Tanjiro?”
Urokodaki believed he had figured out the truth, inwardly praising the girl’s cleverness, but Chika’s answer differed from his assumption.
It wasn’t about sacrificing herself to create an opportunity for Tanjiro to attack, but about creating an opportunity for herself.
However, since Urokodaki had already thought this, Chika didn’t plan to explain clearly.
Anyway, Urokodaki’s assumption wasn’t bad; it should have earned her quite a few points in his external favorability rating.
Upon hearing that their sister had apparently thought this way, both Tanjiro and Nezuko, standing beside her, immediately became anxious.
Neither of them wanted their sister to take risks for them.
“Sister!!!”
“I’m sorry!!!”
Chika clasped her hands together and apologized to Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Urokodaki watched the three before him, images of the many disciples he had once taught flashing in his vision.
The sky gradually brightened, and sunlight fell on their faces.
Tanjiro’s first thought was to marvel at how dazzling the sun was today, before he remembered that Nezuko, being a demon now, couldn’t be exposed to sunlight.
Tanjiro anxiously turned his head, scanning his surroundings.
Following the scent, he quickly ran to the Buddhist Hall filled with corpses.
Only upon seeing Nezuko curled up inside the hall did he let out a sigh of relief.
And then, Urokodaki appeared behind him as if out of thin air.
“Young man, your name is Tanjiro, correct.”
“Y…yes, my name is Kamado Tanjiro!” Tanjiro hurriedly turned around and answered nervously.
From their earlier conversation, he already knew that this masked old man before him was the Urokodaki Sakonji he had been seeking.
Mr.
Tomioka was very strong, so naturally, the Mr.
Urokodaki introduced by Mr.
Tomioka was definitely no ordinary person.
Indeed, Urokodaki Sakonji was no ordinary person.
He was the “Former Water Hashira,” one of the strongest members of the Demon Slayer Corps in his time.
Urokodaki looked at Tanjiro before him and said seriously, “Since you killed that demon earlier using the combat method your sister suggested, that won’t count toward my assessment of you.
Later, I will conduct a rigorous test on you.
Let me see if you have what it takes to become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.”
Although it wasn’t immediate acceptance, Tanjiro was already extremely happy to hear this response.
“I understand!”
“Then carry your sister on your back and follow me.
I will be responsible for transporting your elder sister!”
And so, a rather peculiar scene appeared on the rural dirt road: an old man wearing a tengu mask pushed a wheelchair, running at a speed that defied his age and physique, racing ahead, while a young man carrying a large basket panted heavily, following behind.
Tanjiro’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
He couldn’t fathom why Urokodaki Sakonji could run so fast.
It was one thing to run that fast, but how could he maintain such endurance?
Over so many kilometers, his speed hadn’t dropped even a bit, remaining constant the entire time.
Sharing Tanjiro’s disbelief, Chika, sitting in the wheelchair being pushed forward by Urokodaki, was also utterly astonished.
The strong wind blowing from the front and the powerful force pushing from behind made her feel not like she was sitting in a wheelchair, but rather riding a roller coaster at an amusement park.
Thi…thi…this…
this is just too exhilarating?!
Chika didn’t mind this speed at all, even though the wind blowing into her face made it somewhat difficult to keep her eyes open.
From nightfall to dawn, and from dawn to dusk, Urokodaki finally stopped ahead.
Tanjiro, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath, supported himself on his knees and said, “Have…
have I…
ear…
earned your…
recognition?”
“The test is only just beginning.
Climb the mountain.
During your ascent, I will be responsible for taking care of your elder sister and your younger sister.”
Urokodaki gave Tanjiro a preliminary explanation of the difficulties he would encounter during this “mountain climb.” Tanjiro gulped nervously, then resolutely embarked on the mountain ascent test.
After seeing Tanjiro off, Urokodaki turned his gaze to Chika in the wheelchair.
Beneath the tengu mask, his eyes revealed a peculiar glint.
“Girl, may I have a word with you?”