Chapter 98: I'm Free!
"In other words, two Hashira will be promoted at the same time today?" Shinjuro Rengoku finally found a chance to chime in, his voice a low rumble.
"Amitabha," Gyomei Himejima murmured, his hands clasped in prayer. "The Demon Slayer Corps is truly growing stronger."
After a brief round of introductions, the group entered the courtyard of the Ubuyashiki Estate and began the Hashira meeting.
Although, in principle, only the single strongest user of a particular Breathing Style could serve as a Hashira, the very embodiment of the Corps' principles was standing right before them. Thus, an exception was made. Both Sabito and Giyuu Tomioka were officially instated as Water Hashira. They were informed that should they wish to change their titles later, they could submit a request.
Of course, this meant that, including Makomo, there were now three masters of Water Breathing among the Hashira. The trio tacitly ignored the titles of "Water Pillar," "River Pillar," and "Sea Pillar" that a certain someone had playfully proposed.
Following the promotions, the meeting moved on to the next item on the agenda: the division of patrol responsibilities.
However, just as the large map of Japan was unfurled and before the discussion could begin, Akira Kanzaki raised his hand. "I have a proposal."
The other Hashira fell silent, their eyes turning to him as they waited for him to continue.
"I want to overhaul the existing regions," Akira stated calmly. "I propose we divide the country into six major blocks, to be handled by the six Hashira other than myself. I will act as a mobile support unit, not responsible for patrolling any fixed area. Instead, I will roam across all regions and respond to support calls at any time."
He let his words sink in before continuing his explanation. "This way, I can better use my advantage in speed. also, given the current situation, excluding the high-risk area where the Eternal Paradise Cult is located, the six of you should be more than capable of handling the patrol duties for the remaining territories."
Makomo and Kanae had already heard Akira's thoughts on the matter, so they showed no surprise. The others, however, sank into deep thought, weighing the strategic implications of his plan.
After a moment of silence, Shinjuro was the first to speak.
"Even though I know you're not that kind of person, Kanzaki," he began, his expression utterly serious, "I still have to ask—you wouldn't use this as an excuse to go on dates with your two lovely companions, would you?"
"Cough, cough..."
"Pfft!"
Shinjuro delivered the obvious jest with such a deadpan face that Akira broke into a fit of coughing. Beside him, Sabito couldn't hold back a burst of laughter, winking and nudging Akira with his elbow.
'You thick-browed, big-eyed Rengoku,'Akira thought, shooting him a look.'You're actually full of mischief!'Sabito, meanwhile, was having the time of his life.'Kanzaki, is this really the image you have in everyone's minds?'
As for Makomo and Kanae, their pretty faces were flushing a delicate shade of crimson.
"Alright, jokes aside," Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke, his gentle voice putting a stop to the brief playfulness. "Personally, I agree with Akira's proposal. What do the rest of you think?"
"I have no objection," Gyomei said.
"Me neither," Kanae added softly.
One by one, the others voiced their agreement. Everyone present was well aware of Akira's unmatched mobility. It was a waste to confine such a high-speed, high-combat-power unit to a fixed area of responsibility.
Previously, they hadn't let Akira act freely simply because they were short-handed. Now that there were seven active Hashira, they could finally liberate him to better use his unique strengths.
And once Akira could move without restriction, he could proceed with his next plan.
Whether it was the bustling streets of Asakusa or the snowy slopes of Mount Kumotori, he could finally find the time to pay them a visit.
In the subsequent division of territories, Makomo and Kanae each took an area centered around the Butterfly Mansion. Sabito and Giyuu's new patrol zones were centered around their old training grounds on Mount Sagiri. Gyomei's area of responsibility underwent some adjustments to include the region where the Eternal Paradise Cult was known to be active. Shinjuro's territory saw the least change, only shrinking slightly to accommodate the new assignments.
With that, the territorial division concluded. Since neither Sabito nor Giyuu had earned their promotion by slaying one of the Twelve Kizuki, there wasn't much new intelligence on powerful demons they could share.
Thus, before long, it was time for the sparring session Sabito had been eagerly anticipating.
"Come on, Kanzaki!" he challenged, his eyes burning with competitive fire.
"As you wish," Akira replied with a faint smile.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
Sabito's swordsmanship was defined by its relentless offense, a continuous storm of pressure. Even though Water Breathing was known as the most balanced and adaptable of the styles, in his hands, it perfectly illustrated the concept that the best defense is a good offense. After more than a year of fighting demons, his technique had become more seasoned, his attacks more cunning, leaving fewer openings for Akira to exploit.
But unfortunately for him, with Akira's speed, so long as he didn't want to be touched, his opponent couldn't even graze the corner of his uniform.
Makomo, watching from the side, could relate deeply. This was exactly how she had endured her own special training under him.
After several of his attacks met nothing but empty air, Sabito began to complain.
"Hey, hey, hey! We agreed to spar! What's with you just dodging the whole time?"
"At the very least," Akira retorted lightly, "this shows you're still lacking in terms of speed, doesn't it?"
"Then let's see how you dodge this!" Sabito roared, his stance shifting. "Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
A spiraling water dragon materialized from the arc of his blade, coiling toward Akira's position. Sabito used the move to completely seal off the space around his opponent; to break through, Akira would have to engage him head-on.
Akira originally had the chance to retreat before the encirclement formed, but that would be a bit too disrespectful. Since Sabito was giving it his all, he naturally had to show some response.
"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form Modified: Flame Thunder God's Domain!"
This was a variation Akira had created by combining the Heat Lightning form of Thunder Breathing with the Rising Scorching Sun vortex of Flame Breathing. It sacrificed offensive power to become an airtight defensive technique. He had originally designed it to clear the freezing mist during a potential battle against Douma, hoping to reduce the dampening effect of the ice crystals on his Breathing.
Using it now, however, was also quite appropriate.
Incandescent lightning erupted from his blade, forming a protective barrier like an inverted bowl. It completely isolated him, deflecting all of Sabito's slashes on the outside.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
Facing Akira's impenetrable defense, Sabito was forced to change his approach, attempting to break the surface at a single point.
It was just that this "point" was excessively... dense.
As someone who pushed the offensive nature of Water Breathing to its absolute limit, Sabito's Seventh Form was a live demonstration of a human Gatling gun, a blinding flurry of thrusts.
"Thunder Breathing, Eighth Form: Pear Blossom Cascade!"
Faced with this onslaught, Akira chose to counter point for point. Relying on his impossibly sharp eyes, he perfectly intercepted every single one of Sabito's wooden sword thrusts with his own.
It wasn't until the brief gap where Sabito's offensive ended and he prepared to transition to another form that Akira finally took the initiative.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
This time, Akira used the advanced application his master, Jigoro Kuwajima, had once shown him, turning the standard five-fold slash into five distinct strikes delivered almost simultaneously. The attack completely sealed off the entire area in front of Sabito.
Sabito had only two choices: try to take it head-on or retreat to dodge.
But how could he possibly retreat, having finally waited for Akira to attack?
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
Sabito unleashed the most powerful single strike among the Water Breathing forms, attempting to forcibly shatter Akira's blockade.
However, due to the sheer difference in their basic physical stats, Sabito was still sent stumbling back by the force of Akira's attack.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
Having gotten a rough measure of Sabito's current strength, Akira stopped wasting time. In a blur of motion, he cleanly placed his wooden sword against Sabito's neck, ending the spar.
Staring at the wooden blade stopped just beside his throat, Sabito's silver-gray eyes were a bit dazed. He took a deep, shuddering breath before speaking, his voice low but firm. "The gap between us is still so large. But I won't give up. One day, I will catch up to you, surpass you, and then give you a proper beating."
After witnessing that final move, Sabito realized that Akira had only been testing his strength earlier and hadn't been fighting at full power at all.
Regarding that last attack, among everyone present, only Gyomei had been able to capture Akira's movements. The others had only seen a flash of white light before the battle was over.
Even Gyomei asked himself—if Akira used that move before he could swing his flail, it would be incredibly difficult to intercept. He would only be able to use the axe in his other hand to block his vitals.
"I'll be waiting for your next challenge," Akira said, not wanting to dampen Sabito's fighting spirit. He gave a nod and turned his gaze toward Giyuu, who still wore his usual cold expression, though his eyes were now filled with a hint of shock.
"Giyuu, want to give it a try?"
"No." Giyuu refused flatly.
"Go on, try it, Giyuu!" Sabito encouraged him, patting his shoulder. "Use that move you created and see if you can block Kanzaki's attack."
Giyuu turned to look at Sabito, his eyes practically screaming, 'Are you kidding me?''Me,' his expression said,'tanking Kanzaki Akira's attack? For real?'
"Oh? Giyuu created his own technique?" Akira was slightly surprised. He knew that in the original story, Giyuu had created an ultimate defensive technique. He just didn't expect that, even with his promotion to Hashira happening sooner, the technique had already been born.
Immediately after, Akira looked back at Sabito, his eyes conveying a single, teasing meaning—'Your junior brother has created his own technique, what about you?'
He remembered that back when Sabito found out Akira had developed new forms, Sabito, who hadn't even become an official swordsman yet, had also clamored about creating his own, only to be sternly lectured by Sakonji Urokodaki.
Sabito's face darkened. 'Don't bring up things that shouldn't be mentioned!'
Akira just chuckled.
The other Hashira, hearing that Giyuu had created a new technique, also turned to look at the boy who seemed as silent as a gourd.
Seeing all eyes on him, Giyuu could only let out a soft sigh. He took the wooden sword from Sabito's hand and walked to stand before Akira, the two of them a few meters apart.
"Here I come!" Akira announced.
Since he was the attacker, he naturally wanted to see how Giyuu's self-created technique actually performed.
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Akira's wooden sword was steadily parried by Giyuu.
Akira hadn't held back his strength on that strike. He saw very clearly that Giyuu's first parry didn't stop his attack, but it was immediately followed by a second, then a third... As soon as his blade entered a certain range around Giyuu, it was like a sword cutting into water, its force continuously washed away by a relentless flow until its power was completely exhausted.
"Impressive technique," Akira said, his interest piqued. "Again."
He retreated a short distance to give Giyuu time to reset.
'You're actually being quite nice,'Giyuu thought, a hint of desperation in his eyes.'So can we just stop here?'Akira's smile was unwavering.'Of course... not.'
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami!"
The roaming dragon formed by lightning, accompanied by a thunderous roar, coiled directly toward Giyuu.
The watery domain sustained by the Eleventh Form around Giyuu gradually contracted under the dragon's assault until finally, it was shattered by the dragon's head. Akira showed everyone what it meant for overwhelming power to tear through any defense.
"The technique is very strong," Akira said, helping the somewhat exhausted Giyuu to his feet. "But you still need to train your body."
The current Giyuu's physical strength was still not quite enough to sustain such a powerful defensive form, and the same went for Sabito.
"You and Sabito, if you have time in the future, can go to Master Gyomei for some training. I guarantee it will further improve your strength."
Sabito and Giyuu both looked at the giant of a man who was quietly watching from the side. Meanwhile, the other three who knew the true intensity of Gyomei's training—Kanae, Makomo, and Shinjuro—looked at each other and began to mourn for the two boys in their hearts.
"Amitabha," Gyomei said, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face. "It is my honor to be able to contribute to the strength of the Demon Slayer Corps."
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