Chapter 57 57: Atone With Your Death!

Zenitsu's wails followed them all the way back to the plain.

By now, that stretch of open land had practically become their execution ground—at least in Zenitsu's mind. Every time they came here, someone got beaten half to death in the name of training.

Today was no different.

Three against one.

Kyojuro Rengoku stood before them, Flame Hashira haori stirring in the wind. He drew his crimson Nichirin sword from its sheath, and the moment the steel cleared the scabbard, the air around him seemed to warm.

His gaze sharpened.

A brilliant smile spread across his face.

"Prepare yourselves, young men! I'm coming!"

With those words, he released his presence.

The pressure that rolled off him was nothing like Sanemi's savage bloodlust. It was bright, upright, and scorching—like standing before a bonfire that refused to be extinguished. Sparks seemed to dance around him, and even the hem of his haori snapped as if caught in a rising heatwave.

Tanjiro tightened his grip on Asuramaru, but before the spar could begin, he quickly spoke up.

"Mr. Rengoku, please be careful. Asuramaru is extremely sharp. If you spar with me, your Nichirin sword might be damaged."

Kyojuro's expression did not waver.

"Is that so?" he said, voice clear and full of conviction. "Then attack without fear, young man!"

Tanjiro hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"Yes!"

He gripped Asuramaru with both hands.

His breathing changed.

The next instant, flames bloomed along the sword's edge, brilliant and fierce, lighting the plain in blazing gold.

Kyojuro's eyes widened with open admiration.

"So this is Sun Breathing! It is bright, warm, and magnificent!"

He laughed heartily, his fighting spirit rising even higher.

He had wanted to see this with his own eyes for a long time.

Unfortunately, that enthusiasm meant disaster for the other two.

Kyojuro stepped forward first, charging straight toward Zenitsu.

Zenitsu's face instantly lost all color.

"Huh? Why me first?! Why does everyone always start with me?! Don't come over here!"

He turned and fled without the slightest shame.

Inosuke, standing not far away with his twin swords in hand, was almost speechless.

"You really are better when you're asleep."

"What do you mean, asleep?!"

Zenitsu had just turned his head to ask when Kyojuro arrived in front of him.

One punch.

A clean, controlled strike landed in his abdomen.

Zenitsu's eyes bulged.

His body folded.

Then he flew backward, landed on the ground, and stopped moving.

Only one thought drifted through his fading consciousness.

Why is it always me?

"Be careful, young man!" Kyojuro said brightly.

He had controlled his strength perfectly—enough to render Zenitsu temporarily unable to move, but not enough to cause serious injury.

Then, without delay, he turned toward Inosuke.

Flames seemed to trail behind him as he charged.

"Coming for me?" Inosuke's fighting spirit flared at once. "This feels kind of familiar! Whatever! Come on!"

His rule for battle was simple.

If someone dared to charge, he dared to meet them head-on.

Inosuke lunged forward, his twin swords tearing through the air.

The two clashed.

Inosuke unleashed one Beast Breathing form after another, wild and unpredictable, while Kyojuro responded with controlled Flame Breathing movements. He did not overwhelm Inosuke immediately. Instead, he pressed him, guided him, forced him into close exchanges, and sharpened his instincts through pressure.

It was training disguised as a beating.

A very convincing disguise.

Before long, Inosuke was also sent tumbling across the ground.

This time, he did not even try to get up right away.

He simply lay there, staring at the sky through the boar mask, and gave up thinking for the moment.

Only Tanjiro remained.

He faced Kyojuro and bowed his head seriously.

"Please instruct me, Mr. Rengoku!"

Kyojuro raised his sword, his smile blazing.

"Come!"

Flame met fire on the plain.

Tanjiro moved first, the flames of Hinokami Kagura wrapping around Asuramaru with every swing. Kyojuro answered with Flame Breathing, his movements powerful, direct, and radiant.

Their swords collided again and again.

Sparks burst between them.

Heat rolled across the ground.

Tanjiro's command of Hinokami Kagura had clearly improved. His timing was sharper than before, and the force behind each form had grown more stable. He was no longer simply forcing the dance into battle. He was beginning to understand its rhythm.

Kyojuro saw that growth and felt pride swell in his chest.

"That's it, young man! I will train you into the strongest swordsman!"

"Thank you very much for your guidance!"

Tanjiro answered with a smile even as sweat rolled down his face.

Inside Asuramaru, Alex watched the exchange closely.

This was a rare opportunity.

"Tanjirou," he said, his voice ringing inside the boy's mind, "use this chance to try switching between two Breathing Styles. Don't treat them as separate techniques. Learn to change from one to the other freely."

Tanjiro's breathing faltered for the briefest moment.

Can I really do that?

Then he remembered Mount Natagumo.

In that desperate battle, when death had closed in from every direction, he had forcibly shifted from Water Breathing into Hinokami Kagura.

He had done it once.

If he had done it once, then he could do it again.

His uncertainty settled into resolve.

Tanjiro gripped Asuramaru with both hands.

Flames burst from the sword.

"Hinokami Kagura—Round Dance, Flash!"

He shot forward, leaping into the air. His body spun once, and he brought Asuramaru down in a blazing arc.

Kyojuro's eyes fixed on the incoming strike.

"A spirited attack!" he shouted. "But too slow!"

He planted his feet and swung his sword in a winding motion before him.

"Flame Breathing—Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"

A vortex of fire bloomed in front of him, curling and twisting like a defensive wall.

Tanjiro's fiery slash struck it head-on.

The flames collided and tangled together.

Then, in the next breath, the fire around Asuramaru shifted.

The blazing heat gave way to surging water.

"Water Breathing—Second Form: Water Wheel!"

Still in midair, Tanjiro flipped forward. Water rushed from the sword in a circular sweep, forming a wheel that carried his body past the flame defense.

The transition was not perfect.

But it worked.

Kyojuro had not expected the sudden change. His instincts moved before his thoughts did, and he raised his Nichirin sword to block.

Asuramaru fell.

The two swords met.

Kyojuro's Nichirin sword was severed cleanly in half.

The broken section spun through the air and landed in the grass.

For a moment, the plain fell silent.

Tanjiro landed, turned around, and immediately bowed in panic.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rengoku! I—"

"Hahaha!"

Kyojuro's laughter cut him off.

He looked at the broken sword in his hand, then at Tanjiro, and there was not the slightest trace of anger on his face.

"That final movement was splendid, young man!"

Tanjiro froze.

"To switch between two Breathing Styles so boldly in the middle of combat—excellent! As expected of someone recognized by Asuramaru!"

Kyojuro bent down and picked up the broken piece of his sword.

He truly did not care about the damage.

What mattered more to him was Tanjiro's growth.

He turned back with the same unwavering smile.

"Continue growing stronger, young man!"

With that, he began walking away.

Behind him, Tanjiro watched that broad, radiant back. It felt majestic somehow, like a flame moving forward without ever doubting its path.

"Mr. Rengoku!" Tanjiro called out. "Please rest assured. I will definitely become stronger!"

Kyojuro did not turn around.

But his voice carried back, bright and certain.

"Mm! I believe you!"

Inside Asuramaru, Alex watched him leave.

A faint smile touched his lips.

According to the original flow of events, the next great battle would be the Mugen Train.

And there, this Flame Hashira would face Upper Rank Three, Akaza.

Kyojuro Rengoku would fight until his body reached its limit. He would refuse to retreat. He would hold the line until dawn and die with his convictions intact.

A man who burned to the very end.

Even Alex had to admit it.

He was captivating.

For Tanjiro to grow in a short period, mastering the fusion of Breathing Styles was one path.

The other was simpler.

Hunt demons.

As for learning Zenitsu's Thunder Breathing and integrating it into his own swordsmanship, that was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

Alex's plan became clear.

Once Tanjiro fully mastered switching between Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura, they would leave Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters and begin hunting demons again.

He silently calculated their next moves.

Outside, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke returned to the Butterfly Mansion in miserable condition and continued the rest of the day's training.

Fortunately, the next day brought something different.

Haganezuka, whom Tanjiro had not seen in some time, finally appeared outside the Butterfly Mansion.

In his hands was a brand-new Nichirin sword, freshly forged.

Tanjiro spotted him at once and brightened.

"Mr. Haganezuka! It's been so long! How have you been? About my Nichirin sword—"

He did not get to finish.

Haganezuka stormed toward him.

Without a word, he drew a sharp knife and charged straight at Tanjiro.

"You broke my Nichirin sword?!"

His voice exploded across the courtyard.

"I'll cut you down! Atone with your death!"

.....

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