On the terrace of the inn, El sat quietly sipping warm tea, enjoying the night sky decorated by the full moon shining softly over the village.
The night air was cool, providing a moment's peace before he returned to thinking about the task that awaited him.
Metsu, his sword, was in the process of being repaired, which was expected to take three days.
This was due to another urgent request that only the head of the sword forging village could handle, which was the forging of Mitsuri Kanroji's sword, a sword of hers that was unique in that it resembled a whip with incredible flexibility.
El received word that Mitsuri had just arrived at the Sword Forging Village, right after Tanjiro and Genya's arrival.
With a slight smile, El swirled his teacup, feeling the warmth creeping into his palms.
"I'll stay longer in this village," El murmured softly, his gaze fixed on the night sky. "After all, Tanjiro just arrived, and he hasn't met Kotetsu yet, let alone trained with Yoriichi Type Zero.
In other words, El wanted to see firsthand the development of Hinokami Kagura Tanjiro after his battle against Upper Moon 6, Daki and Gyutaro.
That curiosity moved El to observe how far Tanjiro's abilities had improved, especially in terms of mastering the breathing technique.
In addition, El had thought of staying a little longer in the Sword Forging Village. The reason was that El wanted to try fighting against one of Hantengu's clones, the strongest, Zohakuten.
This battle would be a golden opportunity for El to learn the Demon Slayer Mark's special effects.
El plans to use this confrontation to sharpen his sensitivity to his surroundings, sense any changes in the environment more keenly, and test the limits of his physical and mental abilities in top condition.
His battle against Zohakuten would be the perfect testing ground to deepen his understanding of Mark's power, while also improving his alertness and instincts.
Since all of this was crucial to his preparation for attacking Infinite Castle, El knew that before that big step, he had to make sure he was fully prepared.
Before storming the fortress that was the center of Kibutsuji Muzan's power, El would do whatever needed to be done.
There was no room for error, and every moment she spent in the Sword Forging Village was part of the final preparations.
"Oh yeah, I just remembered, Muichiro Tokitou also came to the Sword Forge Village to repair swords," El muttered in a cold tone, while staring blankly into the distance.
As if staring blankly into the distance, El grinned faintly and said, "Tokitou would definitely be interested in sparring against Yoriichi Type Zero. I still want to see Tokitou use the Mist Breathing Style."
With a cold yet interested expression, El recalled some moves from the Mist Breathing Style used by Tokitou.
The thin mist that enveloped Muichiro made his movements almost invisible, as Tokitou incarnated like a ghost dancing among the shadows.
If necessary, El would use Rinnegan's Eye of Insight, to learn the movements more perfectly. Because at this time, El had only mastered 5 of the moves, two more were needed, then El would be at Tokitou's level.
***
The sun was shining brightly, creating long shadows on the ground as El sat at the edge of the field, watching Tanjiro train with Yoriichi Type Zero.
{A/N: According to the data I got, Yoriichi Type-Zero and Yoriichi Zeroshiki are the same, don't get confused, I just want to be able to create two different nicknames.}
Next to El, Kotetsu stood excitedly, but the words that came out of his mouth were no ordinary words of encouragement. Something that sounded scathing like the mouth of an internet netizen.
"Come on, Tanjiro-san! Don't be weak! You have to destroy him! Show me that you're better than that damn trash!" shouted Kotetsu in an almost vengeful tone.
Previously, Kotetsu's frustration had been directed at El for messing with Yoriichi Type-Zero. However, now his anger was mostly directed at Tokitou, especially after the previous incident where Tokitou accidentally damaged one of Yoriichi Type-Zero's arms.
The conflict between Kotetsu and Tokitou had peaked, but has now subsided, although Kotetsu is still upset, the atmosphere between is more under control now.
However, Kotetsu could not completely forget that incident, now he hoped that Tanjiro could avenge his resentment on Tokitou.
El, though seemingly calm, was watching intently. His eyes not only focused on Tanjiro's movements, but also how Yoriichi Type Zero moved even with five arms.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
Every attack of the puppet remained dangerous, even though it only had 5 arms, it felt as if El saw Yoriichi's shadow.
El knew very well, this battle was more than just an exercise to defeat Yoriichi Type-Zero and prove that Tanjiro was far better than Tokitou, but rather a battle that would improve Tanjiro's sense of smell to become stronger.
Sighing, El muttered under his breath, "Can Tanjiro understand Hinokami Kagura's dance is actually the Legendary Breathing Style?
El paused and thought, 'Although it's not important now. Because after this arc ends, then I will attack Infinite Castle, as well as finish off Muzan.'
The longer Tanjiro fought, the more ferocious the mechanical puppet became, even though one of its six arms had been damaged by Tokito.
That was because Kotetsu had set Yoriichi Type-Zero to move according to Tanjiro's weaknesses.
Even though his weapon had been replaced with wood, and he had five arms left, Yoriichi Type-Zero remained a fearsome opponent.
It was even still too much for Tanjiro who had almost mastered Hinokami Kagura better than before.
***
Three days later, the battle between Tanjiro and Yoriichi Type Zero intensified. Tanjiro tried his best to deal with the mechanical doll that never seemed to run out of energy.
On the side of the fierce battle, Tanjiro began to realize Yoriichi Type-Zero's movements were somewhat similar to El. However, when Tanjiro wanted to ask, El would say that after Tanjiro defeated Yoriichi Type-Zero.
"It's still really hard! But I have to beat," Tanjiro said with great fatigue, thirst, hunger and sleepiness. "This mechanical puppet Yoriichi's moves are based on the legendary Breathing Style User, but somehow very similar to the Hinokami Kagura moves Uncle Adrian used to use?"
Now, Tanjiro realized, the mechanical doll's fighting style was indeed based on the Legendary Breathing Style User. But somehow it looked similar to the Hinokami Kagura moves that El used when practicing at that time.
In addition, the mechanical doll had also been reset to adapt to Tanjiro's weakness. Thus, every move of the mechanical doll was geared towards exploiting the loopholes in his fighting style.
Of course, this was still too much for Tanjiro.
The relentless attacks from the five arms of the mechanical puppet felt even more oppressive. Tanjiro was sweating profusely, his breath coming in gasps as attack after attack became harder and harder to dodge.
The puppet did not just follow the usual attack pattern, but attacked strategically and targeted the points where Tanjiro was slow or off guard.
Every slightest weakness in Tanjiro's movements was immediately attacked with brutal force, causing Tanjiro to bounce repeatedly.
However, Tanjiro did not give up despite the rainy weather, not sleeping, eating, and drinking for three days. Tanjiro was desperately dedicated to defeating Yoriichi Type-Zero.