As soon as Ryoma gripped the hilt of the blade, he felt a strange, resonant sensation course through his body like an electric current.
As he drew the sword, the magic power within him seemed to have found an outlet, and it surged uncontrollably towards the blade.
Schling!
The sword was drawn without the slightest hesitation.
The next second, something happened that made everyone present hold their breath.
The blade didn't simply change color. Rather, starting from the hilt, a layer of icy blue light spread rapidly upwards like a living thing. Wherever it passed, the blade became crystal clear, as if it were taken out from a ten-thousand-year-old glacier.
A thin, flowing layer of ice mist, visible to the naked eye, formed around the blade.
What was even more unsettling was that the temperature inside the wooden house suddenly dropped.
Tanjiro couldn't help but shiver, his breath turning into white mist. "Wh...what kind of effect is this?"
Hotaru's eyes widened. "In all my years of forging swords, I've never seen a Nichirin Blade change color like this."
Ryoma gripped the hilt of the sword, clearly feeling the resonance between the blade and his magic power. This sword seems to have been tailor-made for him.
"What a beautiful sword..."
Tanjiro sincerely admired it, but subconsciously kept a slight distance from the chill.
"It's not only beautiful, but it also suits me perfectly."
Ryoma flicked the blade lightly, leaving faint traces of ice crystals in the air where the blade passed.
"That's amazing!" Hotaru was so excited he danced around.
"This is absolutely a one-of-a-kind nichirin sword. I must tell everyone else in the village about this."
Sakonji stepped forward to examine the peculiar sword closely. "It seems this sword is a perfect match for your special abilities."
"Yes, it feels like a part of my body." Ryoma sheathed his sword.
"Ryoma!"
The black raven on the shoulder suddenly spoke, "Ryoma! Pass on the orders!"
Everyone was startled by the sudden sound.
"Huh? This crow can talk?"
Tanjiro stared at the crow in surprise.
Sakonji and Hotaru remained remarkably calm about the situation.
Ryoma was somewhat surprised by this.
The raven came to his place every few days, but he had never seen it utter a sound.
He just got the nuchirin sword and the mission was assigned to him. He hadn't seen that crow run out today. Was this pre-assigned, or do they possess some special ability?
"Immediately head to the town to the northwest, girls there are disappearing. It's suspected to be haunted. Investigate and eliminate the demon immediately."
The crow continued to convey the mission details, word by word.
Ryoma nodded, about to respond.
Before the words were finished, another whooshing sound of wings cut through the air rang out, and another raven swooped down to land on Tanjiro's head, calling out in the same tone.
"Kamado Tanjiro! Relay the order, proceed immediately to the town to the northwest."
The two exchanged a glance, and Tanjiro's tense face instantly lit up with a hint of surprise and relief.
"Great. Ryoma, our first mission is together."
Ryoma nodded, a slight glint of icy blue light flashing in his eyes.
"Ryoma/Tanjiro! Be careful, this is your first job as demon slayers."
After Ryoma and Tanjiro's raven delivered the instructions, they flew out of the cabin and left.
A low sigh sounded from behind Sakonji's mask.
He looked at his two disciples, his eyes becoming extremely serious. "Be careful, the official mission is different from the previous ones. The cunning and cruelty of the demons far exceed your imagination."
"We will be careful, Urokodaki-sensei." Tanjiro nodded earnestly.
Upon receiving the mission, Ryoma and Tanjiro immediately packed their bags and changed into the Demon Slayer Corps uniforms.
Seeing that the two were ready, Sakonji spoke again, "Is everything ready?"
After Ryoma and Tanjiro nodded in response, Sakonji continued, "Ryoma, Tanjiro, before you begin your mission with the Demon Slayer Corps, I have a few things to say first."
"Yes."
Ryoma and Tanjiro sat down and listened attentively to what Sakonji was about to say.
Sakonji said, "The Demon Slayer Corps uniforms you are wearing now are made of special iron wire. They are highly breathable, do not easily get damp, and are not easily burned. Ordinary demon claws and teeth cannot tear these uniforms."
"And your nichirin swords change color depending on their master, and each color has its own characteristics. However, black blades are too rare, and I don't know their detailed characteristics."
"It is said that swordsmen who are talented but unappreciated all use black blades."
Hearing Sakonji's words, Tanjiro was not discouraged and smiled slightly. "I don't know what I can do in the Demon Slayer Corps, but I must make Nezuko return to being human."
"You're right."
Sakonji acknowledged Tanjiro's goal over the long term.
"In that case, I believe you can do it."
"And this too."
As Sakonji spoke, he pushed a box made of spruce wood in front of Tanjiro, the surface of which was coated with a durable lacquer.
"The box you use to carry your sister during the day is made of very light spruce wood. Because it is coated with rock paint to harden the outer layer, it has increased durability."
"For Nezuko's sake. Keep her inside, and never expose her to the sunlight."
Tanjiro bowed to Sakonji in gratitude, then picked up the wooden box.
He took the box, and its surprisingly light weight surprised him.
"So light. It's really light, Urokodaki-sensei."
Then, Tanjiro took the wooden box, turned around and squatted down in front of Nezuko, gently comforting her and gesturing for her to crawl into the box.
Nezuko obediently shrank her body and slowly crawled into the wooden box.
Finally, Sakonji looked at Ryoma. "Ryoma, it's good that you can develop your own breathing style from Water Breathing."
"Although the performance of your nichirin sword was somewhat beyond my expectations, its color was pretty much as I had guessed."
"Your goal should be to reach the top of the Demon Slayer Corps, but I still hope you will be careful in everything you do."
Having lived together for so long, Sakonji knew Ryoma well, he had a rather strong personality. He had high aspirations, but sometimes this personality trait can also be a weakness.
"Don't worry, Urokodaki-sensei, I'll be careful."
Sakonji escorted the two to the door and straightened their clothes.
"Remember everything I taught you, trust your own judgment, and protect yourselves."
"Yes."
The two embarked on their journey to a town in the northwest.
On the way, Tanjiro seemed a little nervous. "Ryoma, what kind of demons do you think we'll encounter?"
"Who knows?" Ryoma shrugged.
"But since this is our first mission, it shouldn't be too difficult."
"I hope so."
Tanjiro gripped the straps of the wooden box he was carrying tightly.
...
After a day and a night of travel, Ryoma and Tanjiro arrived at a bustling town.
Looking at the small boats shuttling through the river and the mountains of goods piled up at the nearby dock, Tanjiro curiously surveyed the entire town.
"The town in the northwest, do you mean this place?"
"This should be it. Let's go."
Ryoma took the lead and headed towards the town.
This is a small town that looks quite prosperous, with people coming and going on the streets and shops lining the streets.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that everyone had a hint of unease on their faces, and their voices were much softer than usual.
"The people here... are all afraid."
With his keen sense of smell, Tanjiro detected the lingering scent of fear in the air.
Ryoma said, "It's more than that."