Ryou smoothly diverted the topic without any embarrassment. "Let's talk about Tekkai. What stage have you reached?"
'It's been a year since I taught her the skill. I wonder how much she has improved,' he mused.
Kanae replied, "I can harden my muscles without moving, but I can't do it while in movement."
Ryou nodded. "Let me see."
"Tekkai!" Kanae muttered. Ryou reached out to touch her arm, feeling the hardened muscles and assessing her level. 'Impressive!'
Her progress had reached the peak of the beginner stage, just short of advancing to the intermediate level, where she could perform Tekkai while moving.
"You've made excellent progress," Ryou praised. "To advance further, you need to strengthen your physique. Tekkai relies on your physical strength—the stronger your body, the more powerful your Tekkai will be."
Ryou then shared his tips and tricks for efficiently controlling body movements while performing Tekkai. He then demonstrated Advanced Tekkai, showing the hardening of specific body parts.
"Keep practicing. Once you can perform Tekkai while moving, your strength will increase drastically," Ryou encouraged.
"Thank you, Ryou. Tekkai is such a useful skill!" Kanae said with a smile. Since she had practiced it, she knew just how strong the skill truly was.
She felt extremely grateful to Ryou for teaching her the skill as it may save her life in danger.
For another hour, Ryou helped Kanae practice her skills and offered some suggestions to improve her physical strength.
Just then, Hina approached and informed Ryou, "Ryou-sama, Kanamori-san has finished the work on your Nichirin sword. It is ready."
"Alright. I'll come and see," Ryou replied, nodding in acknowledgment. Turning to Kanae, he said, "Kanae, want to come inside with me?"
Kanae rejected his invitation with a shake of her head. "I have to go. I've already spent more time here than I intended. As a Hashira, I can't afford to be absent for too long. You should understand this."
Ryou nodded understandingly, though a hint of disappointment surged in his heart but he didn't show it on his face. "I understand. Thank you for coming today."
"See you again, Ryou-san!" Kanae said with a slight bow. She turned to leave the Nature Manor, but her steps seemed reluctant. She didn't want to leave, but after a brief pause, determination became evident in every step.
Duty as a Hashira and her responsibility to protect humanity from demons took precedence over personal feelings.
Ryou could sense that Kanae harbored some special feelings toward him, but he could only watch her figure vanish from his view.
A sense of loss welled up within him as frustration became evident on his face. He clenched his fists and muttered, "Damn Muzan. Damn the demons... If not for them, I could spend more time with Kanae. I am going to destroy them to the core!"
Seeing his dark expression, Hina hesitantly called, "Ryou-sama?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ryou waved his hand dismissively, "Nothing. Let's go." He glanced once more in the direction Kanae had gone before following Hina to check on his Nichirin sword.
--
Inside the manor,
Kanamori-san had engraved "Destroyer of Demons" perfectly onto the blade. The words gave the Nichirin blade a sense of completeness and purpose.
"Nice work, Kanamori-san," Ryou remarked, running his fingers along the blade's edge.
Kanamori bowed deeply. "It was an honor to forge a sword for a Hashira like you, Ryou-sama. May it help you well in destroying the demons!"
"I will take my leave now."
"Be careful on the way," Ryou replied. Shortly after that, Kanamori left the Nature Manor.
--
From the next day, Ryou's regular life as a Hashira resumed. With the constant threat of demons and the lack of manpower, his responsibilities were heavy.
He not only defended his own territory but also covered the areas typically patrolled by other Hashira whose ranks were currently unoccupied.
Each day, Ryou woke up before dawn to train his breathing style and improve his physique. Being frequently on the move, he only had little time to rest and train.
Of course, there were also times when he wouldn't encounter or find any demons for weeks.
The days passed by with Ryou providing aid to Demon Slayers in need, defending villages and towns from demon attacks, investigating reports of any suspicious demon activity, and even guiding the Demon Slayers.
As the days turned into months, Ryou's reputation as a formidable Hashira grew. His incredible strength and skill boosted the Demon Slayers, who began to hear tales of his prowess.
Stories of Nature Hashira beheading demons with a single slash spread through the ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps, filling them with respect and yearning.
Just like that, nearly six months passed,
"Caw...Caw...Ryou, your presence is needed in the North! Nagano Prefecture," his Kasugai crow cawed urgently as it landed on his shoulder. "A group of Demon Slayers has encountered a strong demon! Hurry, hurry!"
"Yes. Let's hope nothing happens before I get there!" Ryou muttered, calculating the distance. From his current position to Nagano, it was nearly 80 kilometers. Even with his speed, it would take him close to two hours to get there at the fastest.
Without wasting any time, he sprang into action and dashed forward. His form turned into a blur as he sped through the forests and mountains.
After two hours of sprinting, he finally arrived at the scene and entered Nature Mode. His senses perceived everything within a few hundred meters.
The sight was grim. Nearly five Demon Slayers lay dead, their bodies lifeless on the ground. There's no demon in sight. A single remaining slayer, alive but unconscious, was being treated by a young lady and a young man.
With his senses, Ryou realized that these two were demons he was familiar with: Tamayo and Yushiro. "What a coincidence!" he thought.
The astonishing thing was that he couldn't see them with normal eyes.
If not for Natural energy, he would have overlooked them. Ryou thought, 'It should be Yushiro's blood demon art: Blindfold!'
Tamayo and Yushiro, oblivious to Ryou's presence, were focused on tending to the wounded Demon Slayer.
--
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