Naturally, it was impossible to fight openly at the Master's mansion, so we decided to settle it in a large clearing nearby that was often used as a training ground.
Sakata had no interest in the outcome of the spar, and Anji claimed he had tasks to attend to, so they departed first. Minase and Rengoku remained, thinking it would be entertaining. Master Banda stayed as well, remarking that a duel between Hashira would provide Amano with a significant stimulus.
Indeed, more than half of the Demon Slayer Corps' greatest assets were neglecting their duties for the sake of a single spar.
In this critical hour, when prototypes of the Twelve Kizuki might appear at any moment.
Is this truly acceptable?
I had accepted the duel in the heat of the moment, but feeling a pang of doubt, I asked for the Master's permission. The Master gave the okay immediately.
Is he telling me to simply understand without asking questions?
Though, the condition was that we fight with wooden swords.
I still wonder if this is the right thing to do.
@@@
Facing each other with wooden swords in hand were myself and Shimotsuki, the Wind Hashira.
"If I win, I'm dropping the formalities and speaking to you however I like."
"Fine."
The first strike—
Sshhh—!
Wind Breathing
First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
It was Shimotsuki Shusui who charged.
As he lunged with enough force to gouge the earth, a razor-sharp gale accompanied by a massive shockwave made the very ground tremble.
It was the same technique he had unleashed when I had stood up to the Master, yet the skill itself had matured beyond comparison since then.
The problem, however—
Hooooo—
Moon Breathing
First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace
Was that I had already broken this technique once before.
With a vertical slash, I effortlessly quelled the storm.
"...Is that all? A mere display of strength?"
Yet Shimotsuki smirked, as if he had expected this.
?
Come to think of it, my vision was obscured—perhaps due to the wind stirred up when he unleashed his Breathing.
Was the previous attack a feint to block my sight? In that case...
Wind Breathing
The second blow would be the true strike.
Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind
Four slashing arcs, like the claw marks of a beast, flew at me in a surprise attack.
If so—
Moon Breathing
I shall counter with the fastest technique at my disposal.
Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy
The wooden sword moved with such swift agility it seemed almost stationary, neutralizing the beast's claws.
Once all four claws were parried, Shimotsuki immediately twisted his body, unleashing a powerful diagonal rising slash.
Wind Breathing
Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist
Unfazed by the block, Shimotsuki pressed his momentum into the next assault.
"Still, you cannot reach me."
Moon Breathing
Fourth Form: Total Solar Eclipse - New Moon
I leapt into the air, rotating once to strike back with a wide, hollowing slash.
"A battle between Slayers is a battle of Breathing. I shall crush your techniques entirely with my own."
"It's not over yet!"
Wind Breathing
Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm
Shimotsuki unleashed his swordsmanship from a low stance, and a gale surged upward like a relentless waterspout.
Moon Breathing
Second Form: Pearl Flower Moonsong
Refusing to back down, I swung my sword in rapid, wide arcs to intercept the tempest.
"That attack just now—I have seen through it as well."
"Even this one?"
Sshhh—!
Shimotsuki closed the distance with startling speed once more.
Wind Breathing
Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash
Two consecutive strikes swung with blistering speed in the blink of an eye.
Hooooo—
Moon Breathing
Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains
I swung my blade in turn, meeting his assault with my own double strike.
"It seems you still haven't realized... My current strength far exceeds yours."
@@@
I can't see them at all.
I can sense through pure intuition that the Moon and the Wind are colliding, but as Moon Hashira Tsugikuni and Wind Hashira Shimotsuki clash, I cannot follow the speed of the two Pillars.
It was the same as when we fought that Demon; I could see the creature's movements, yet I could not track Tsugikuni's attacks with my eyes.
This is the combat of the Hashira.
The heights they occupy are truly astronomical.
"As expected of young Michikatsu! He isn't being pushed back by Shimotsuki at all!"
"Tsugikuni-dono is remarkably strong, isn't he?"
"It is quite the stimulus, Amano."
"Yes. I thought I had grown strong, but the actual wall between the Hashira and myself is still dauntingly high."
I watched the invisible exchange between the Wind and Moon Hashira with a faint smile.
Tsugikuni Michikatsu.
Ever since I was saved by him during the Final Selection, I have harbored a vague sense of admiration for him. Despite possessing such overwhelming strength, he was never arrogant; he dismissed his aid as if it were nothing and always remained composed.
To me, someone who believed that saving the weak is the duty of the strong, he was the only one who possessed immense power and used it entirely for the sake of others while fulfilling his responsibilities with success.
I wondered if I could one day become a strong person like him, capable of protecting the vulnerable. With that thought, I continued to swing my sword, master my Breathing, and hunt Demons.
However, after learning that he was the one who taught Breathing to the Corps, and seeing him reach the rank nearest to a Hashira in less than four months... the gap between us only seemed to widen as time passed.
It wasn't envy. It wasn't even jealousy. It was just a lingering thought every time I swung my blade: *Is it because only he is special, and I am someone who can never reach that kind of strength?*
Even when I spoke to Master Banda, he said it was because Tsugikuni resided in a different realm. But that answer did not ease the turmoil in my heart.
Then, one day, I was assigned to a mission with him for the first time.
Reunited after so long, he was unchanged—and he was still undeniably strong.
After the desperate struggle with that Demon ended and he was cleaning my wounds, I found myself asking him without thinking.
'Tsugikuni-sama, why are you so strong?'
'What brings this on so suddenly?'
'...I don't think you were this far ahead when we first met, but now it feels like you've moved so far away I can no longer reach you.'
I don't know why I blurted that out. Whether I truly wanted to know, or if I was simply complaining.
He thought for a moment before speaking.
'I have a younger brother. A brother who possesses such staggering talent that he makes someone like me look like a common, ordinary man.'
He spoke of something shocking. A genius so great that it made a man as strong as Michikatsu look mediocre. It was hard to believe.
He continued to clean my wounds as he spoke.
'Being this young and this immature must have been unbearable for someone as flawless as him to witness. That is why I hated the thought of showing him how weak I was. By striving with that sentiment in my heart, I became strong. Though, I suppose to him, I am still nothing more than an ordinary man.'
'I see...'
The story of his brother was astonishing. Someone with talent so vast that it diminished Michikatsu's own... Yet, as if that wasn't the answer I was seeking, the knot in my heart remained.
Then.
'Amano-kun, why do you seek to become strong?'
He turned the question back on me, looking me straight in the eyes.
The reason I seek to be strong.
'To save the weak. Because that is the duty of those born with strength.'
That was why I joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
'You mean to say you swing your sword out of a sense of responsibility, without any hatred? Fighting spirit devoid of hatred is like an eagle without wings.'
'Is that so...'
Was the reason I remained weak because I swung my blade only out of responsibility?
It's not that I have no hatred. I lost everything to the Demons. But I felt that if I dragged that deep-seated hatred back to the surface, I might lose myself... and forget the teachings my parents gave me: to help the weak.
Was hatred truly a necessity for strength?
'However.'
'Yes?'
'Your desire to become strong for that reason has remained unchanged until now, hasn't it?'
Unchanged...
Yes. The teachings I received from my parents have never wavered, not even by an inch. It has always been so, and it will remain so in the future.
'Yes.'
I answered, looking directly into his eyes.
Hearing my answer, he smiled.
'It is the heart that does not change. Being able to say that is proof of your strength. Since all paths eventually lead to the same summit, there is no need to be impatient. Especially for someone like you with an unwavering heart, you will surely reach the place where I stand.'
There is no need to be impatient...
If I have an unchanging heart, I can one day reach his level. Honestly, that sounds like nothing more than optimistic talk.
But.
Somehow, my heart felt lighter. It felt as if the knot had been untied.
By moving forward with an unwavering heart, I will one day reach the same height as him.
I had the contradictory thought that while the solution he provided might not be the "correct" answer, it certainly wasn't the "wrong" one either.
Clack!
The sound of wooden swords colliding rang out, jolting me from my deep thoughts.
As I looked ahead, the spar between Moon Hashira Tsugikuni and Wind Hashira Shimotsuki had concluded. The victor and the vanquished were clear.
"Can you no longer even hear me?"
Tsugikuni was the one standing, and the one sprawled on the ground was Shimotsuki.