Nature Manor,
Nearly two and half months have passed since the fall of Upper Moon Six in the Entertainment District. Ryou's life had returned to the familiar routine of the Demon Slayer Corps—tracking, killing demons, and providing support.
Today, the Nature Manor was lively and filled with chatter, as Ryou, who had been free for the past two days, asked the Demon Slayer Corps to send any demon slayers who wanted his guidance.
Almost all the demon slayers knew of Ryou's reputation as the strongest and knew he has deep knowledge of breathing techniques. Because of this, many sought his guidance, hoping it would improve their own breathing forms.
Whenever Ryou had free time, he would notify the Corps, and they would send demon slayers waiting for his guidance.
Aside from Tatsuya and Haruka, five Demon Slayers had come to train under Ryou today. The five of them had eager expressions, having heard from others that those who trained under Ryou had significantly improved their Breathing forms and enhanced their strength.
The five of them stood before Ryou, gripping wooden swords in their hands. Among the group, one was a girl, while the other four were boys—all of them 'Hinoe(8 of 10)' ranked.
Ryou looked them over, his expression relaxed. 'As 'Hinoe' ranked slayers, I know you've come a long way. At least, you guys should have beheaded 25 demons.
But, let me give you one piece of advice. As Demon Slayers, you never know what kind of demon you'll encounter. It could be an ordinary demon or... it could be an Upper Moon. And if it's the latter, well, that often means certain death considering your strength.
The point is—be careful. There's no shame in retreating or calling for support if the situation demands it.'
"Now, let's set aside the boring stuff like advice. Show me what you've got. Use your strongest Breathing Form and attack me—all of you, at the same time."
Without hesitation, the five slayers entered their breathing state. Two adopted stances for Wind Breathing, while the others prepared with Shadow Breathing, Snow Breathing, and Water Breathing.
They lunged forward and launched their attacks in unison, the air sizzling as their wooden blades sliced through it. However, despite their best efforts, none of them could land a single hit on Ryou.
Ryou evaded their attacks effortlessly, his movements casual and relaxed. Evading their attacks, he didn't counterattack aggressively; instead, he used his wooden sword to tap their weak points, guiding the mistakes in their form that could prove fatal.
Ryou's figure flashed to the slayer using Shadow Breathing, striking him hard and sending him stumbling back to fall on his butt.
"The essence of Shadow Breathing lies in stealth and elusiveness. Your movements are too predictable," Ryou stated and attacked the other four.
Turning to the two Wind Breathing users, he said, "Wind Breathing relies on speed, sharpness, and strength combined. You two lack all three. If the Wind Hashira saw your forms, you'd be tortured by that madman."
"Snow Breathing combines the nature of water and wind, focusing on sharpness, flexibility, and control. You lack control."
As the training spar continued for nearly thirty minutes, the five demon slayers were forced to repeatedly use their breathing forms. Ryou corrected their mistakes and suggested some improvements in their forms.
The training made them understand the gap between their current abilities and Ryou's level, but it wasn't intended to crush their spirits. Instead, it was to teach them, to improve their breathing style further.
After half an hour of nonstop sparring, the five slayers were visibly exhausted. Their hands trembled as they gripped the wooden swords, sweat streaming down their faces. Each breath was heavy as if they might collapse at any moment.
Noticing their condition, Ryou nodded and said, "Alright, we'll stop here. Rest up and eat something. Next, we'll move on to physical and reaction training."
Hearing his words, the five of them froze in disbelief as they all thought. 'Can we even survive the day?'
"Look at their miserable appearance. Pitiful. They remind us of our own early days."
Ryou glanced over at Haruka, who was giggling and making comments to Tatsuya about the exhausted demon slayers.
"Haruka, come here," Ryou suddenly called out, his tone sharp. "It's time for your training. Start with frog jumps—for an hour. And you too, Tatsuya."
Haruka's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!" she blurted out, disbelief clear in her voice.
Tatsuya shot her a glare, muttering in frustration, "Haruka, this is all your fault. Couldn't you just stay quiet? I shouldn't have stood anywhere near you."
--
The Next Day,
Ryou awoke to the familiar sound of his Kasugai crow calling his name, its voice urgent. Perched on the windowsill, the crow delivered a piece of unexpected news.
"Caw! Caw! Ryou, the Swordsmith Village was attacked by two Upper Moons! There were casualties, but the demons were killed by the combined efforts of the Mist Hashira, Love Hashira, Tanjiro, and Genya."
Hearing the news, Ryou's eyes sharpened. He was baffled as the battle had taken place without him being informed. It struck him as odd—why hadn't he been summoned or notified beforehand?
His brows furrowed as he ran through the possibilities.
There were only two plausible reasons. First, Tanjiro wasn't going on any mission, so they didn't take it seriously. Second, Ubuyashiki must have believed the Swordsmith village was safe with at least one Hashira constantly stationed nearby.
Ryou sighed. 'Fate is really wonderful. It will eventually lead you to its destination, no matter the change!'
Even with the changes that had occurred in the timeline, the world was finding a way to correct itself, returning to its 'usual' flow of events.
Though the Demon Slayer Corps had secured another significant victory by eliminating two more Upper Moon Demons, the final confrontation was drawing near, especially with Nezuko withstanding the sunlight.
Muzan would definitely come with full force to obtain Nezuko. There was no stopping it now and the final battle was inevitable.
--
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