The next day, as the two were preparing to set off, Suzuki Makoto was once again surprised to find that the aura of the Nichirin Blade had returned to normal.
"So what's going on here?"
Tengen Uzui's head was now full of questions. If he hadn't previously witnessed Suzuki Makoto's control over "aura," he would have definitely suspected that there was a problem with his judgment.
"I'm not too sure either. Was it because it was exposed to the sun, or has the demon's power faded?"
Suzuki Makoto wasn't really sure, but since it could recover, it proved the situation wasn't too serious. However, they still had to find the source of the problem as soon as possible.
Because they didn't know if this situation was caused by a unique ability of Upper Rank Two or if the demons had undergone a new evolution, Suzuki Makoto and Tengen Uzui didn't delay at all, returning to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters with the peculiar pair of connected twin blades.
"Cough, cough, cough... Makoto, do you mean that Tengen's Nichirin Blade showed signs of damage when facing Upper Rank Two, but it has now recovered?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's illness was already severe, but upon hearing about such a major issue concerning the Nichirin Blades, he still had to inquire about it personally.
"Yes. Right now, I have two theories. One is that the Upper Rank demon has evolved abilities specifically targeting the Demon Slayer Corps. We can see some clues of this from its Blood Demon Art that counters Breathing Styles. It might be some hidden effect of its Blood Demon Art."
Suzuki Makoto laid out his thoughts completely.
"The other theory is the influence of temperature. After all, I recall from the Ubuyashiki family records that for another form of the Nichirin Blade, temperature is also a part of its manifestation."
"Makoto, are you referring to... the Crimson Red Blade?"
Although Kagaya was young, he had read all those ancient texts, so he immediately understood what Suzuki Makoto was talking about.
"Forgive me, Master, but what is a Crimson Red Blade?"
Only Tengen Uzui felt left out of the conversation. Why are these two discussing my blade, and I can't understand a single thing?
Kagaya Ubuyashiki was about to speak but was interrupted by a series of coughs.
"The so-called Crimson Red Blade is a special technique unique to the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen of the Sengoku period. Normally, their Nichirin Blades are the same as ours, but when fighting demons, their blades would turn blackish-red, closer to the original color of Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand. The blade's temperature would also rise, inflicting burn-like wounds when striking a demon. Even without decapitating them, it would cause the demons extreme pain and delay their regeneration speed."
Suzuki Makoto helped explain.
"No wonder you said it was a temperature issue. If a higher temperature increases its lethality, then my blade was frozen before... so the fading aura Mr. Suzuki mentioned was because of that. And when the temperature returned to normal, the aura also returned to normal?"
"Yes, that's exactly what Makoto means. So, what do you plan to do, Makoto?"
Suzuki Makoto pushed the blades back to the Sound Hashira and told Kagaya Ubuyashiki his idea.
"I want to make a trip to the Swordsmith Village to witness firsthand if the aura of the Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand changes during the forging process of a Nichirin Blade. If we can verify that the power of a Nichirin Blade is directly correlated with its temperature, then we might be able to find a way to reproduce the legendary Crimson Red Blade."
"I approve."
The man immediately granted Suzuki Makoto's request.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's body clearly couldn't maintain the meeting posture for long, so after the decision was made, Suzuki Makoto and Tengen Uzui took their leave and headed towards the Butterfly Mansion together.
Suzuki Makoto walked into Tanjiro and the others' hospital room, surprised not to see a chaotic scene.
"I was wondering why it was so quiet. It turns out Zenitsu has already left for a mission."
"Hahahaha, when Zenitsu is around... it's definitely not as quiet."
Tanjiro Kamado laughed awkwardly. He was the most heavily injured in this battle, but he had brought it on himself. After all, trying to use the Hinokami Kagura at full power when he had only just begun to learn Sun Breathing was really pushing his body to its limits.
Inosuke Hashibira's injuries were more severe than Zenitsu Agatsuma's because he reverted to his beastly fighting style during the latter part of the fight, habitually trading blows. As for Zenitsu, that kid was the same as always; once his legs recovered, he'd be good as new.
"Inosuke, do you have any memories of your mother?"
"Mother? This is my mother."
The boar-headed boy lifted his mask, looking at Suzuki Makoto in confusion.
The man's mouth twitched. He told him about Kotoha Hashibira's grave, and Inosuke instantly fell silent, lying stunned on the bed.
"I was thinking of having Mr. Uzui take you to that cult's headquarters. If the people there could see you, they might be able to confirm whether that Kotoha Hashibira was your mother. Besides, the cult is in a state of near-ruin now; its members are unlikely to hide anything for that demon cult leader anymore."
"...Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Suzuki."
"Huh? Inosuke, you remembered Mr. Suzuki's name!"
"Shut up! Gonpachiro!"
The boar-headed boy jumped up in irritation, crashed right through the window, and left.
"Let him be for a bit, Tanjiro. Inosuke can actually remember everyone's names; he just uses other nicknames as a way of showing affection."
Suzuki Makoto didn't say anything more, nor did he go after him. Tanjiro stared thoughtfully at the broken window—Inosuke was probably going to get an earful from Aoi when he got back.
"By the way, Mr. Suzuki, you said you'd have Mr. Uzui take Inosuke. Why don't you take him yourself?"
In his daze, the boy had spotted the key detail.
"Because I have other business to attend to. I need to go to the Swordsmith Village, and Lord Ubuyashiki has already given his permission."
"The Swordsmith Village? Can I go too?"
Tanjiro immediately forgot his injuries, grabbing Suzuki Makoto's hand eagerly to ask.
"You can, but why do you need to go to the Swordsmith Village too?"
"Uh... can I not say?"
"No."
Dejectedly, the boy took out a letter. No, it wasn't a letter at all; it was more like some kind of curse talisman.
"I've chipped my Nichirin Blade all over again. And I feel this sword is suited for Water Breathing, but not for Sun Breathing. So, I wanted a new blade, but the reply I got after writing to them..."
Suzuki Makoto couldn't help but laugh. Tanjiro was clearly not one to beat around the bush. Saying he wanted a different kind of sword right after his blade got damaged—in the eyes of a swordsmith, this was questioning their ability, implying they couldn't meet his needs. Of course, they would be furious.
"Then let's go together, Tanjiro. Don't worry, the fact that your swordsmith got angry over this just proves he's a good one. This time, in the Swordsmith Village, you'll definitely get a Nichirin Blade you're happy with."
_____
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