Uzui Tengen awkwardly moved his arms; the purple poison had completely faded, leaving only a few remaining scrapes.
That's truly amazing.
Uzui Tengen looked at Nezuko with some surprise.
What is the deal with these two?
A Blood Demon Art used entirely for humans... Thinking back to the two of them who were ambushed before the Hashira Meeting, Uzui Tengen felt an inexplicable wave of shame.
Mizuki smiled slightly: "It seems the Blood Demon Art cleared the poison from your body. That's wonderful, no need for an amputation."
"Give me a break, big sister..." Uzui Tengen's mouth twitched slightly, and the trace of guilt that had just arisen instantly vanished.
Mizuki's eyes sparkled slightly. Nezuko's ability, combined with her blood, could greatly narrow the gap between humans and Demons.
Tanjirou watched the Twin Demons dissipate in mid-air, wondering if they had finally reconciled.
After a moment of reflection, he walked toward Mizuki: "Miss Mizuki, this..."
Tanjirou held the Nichirin Blade with both hands and offered it to Mizuki.
Mizuki smiled helplessly: "Didn't you just cut off an Upper Rank's head?"
"You have already proven yourself, Tanjirou."
"This blade is absolutely the most suitable for a Sun Breathing swordsman. You must feel that, right?"
A trace of hesitation flashed across Tanjirou's brow. Indeed, just as Mizuki said, even though he had just received the sword and hadn't spent time adapting to it, he wielded it as easily as his own limbs; it was incredibly smooth to use.
But... Tanjirou gave a wry smile: "I am too weak..."
He simply wasn't worthy of... a sword used by an Origin Breathing swordsman. He couldn't accept such a valuable blade.
A vein popped on Mizuki's forehead, and she delivered a sharp knuckle rap to Tanjirou's head.
"Ow!" Tanjirou, completely unprepared, ended up with a bump from Mizuki's strike.
Nezuko watched her brother argue with her favorite older sister, sweating profusely and waving her arms, unsure what to do.
Mizuki didn't have time to deal with Nezuko. She glared at Tanjirou and pointed at Uzui Tengen: "Go ask this guy if he had ever cut off an Upper Rank's head when he was fifteen."
"Go ask him if anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps has ever slain an Upper Rank at the age of fifteen."
Uzui Tengen stared blankly: "There's no need to drag me into this..."
Mizuki spared him a sidelong glance.
Uzui Tengen swallowed hard and replied honestly: "No! Tanjirou! You are already incredibly strong!"
That was the absolute truth. After all, even the strongest Stone Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps had never killed an Upper Rank Demon.
Whether they encountered one was one thing, and whether they could kill one was another, but the fact remained.
"Besides, why are you comparing yourself to that monster?" The more Mizuki spoke, the angrier she became. Tanjirou, you are too gentle!
"His age is three times greater than your height!"
Kokushibou had survived since the Sengoku Period. Although Mizuki hadn't calculated his exact age, he was at least well over four hundred, approaching five hundred years old.
Moreover... Kokushibou was no small fry.
Although he was a jealous person, you couldn't deny that in that era, he was a swordsman whose talent and combat strength were second only to Yoriichi.
If it hadn't been for Yoriichi, even if he hadn't joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he would have definitely left his name in history as a samurai.
Finally, Mizuki sighed helplessly: "You are too anxious, Tanjirou. I never intended for you to face Muzan alone."
"No one stipulated that mastering Sun Breathing means you must bear the greatest responsibility."
"Kibutsuji Muzan is fundamentally not an opponent that can be defeated by one person."
"Don't forget your comrades."
"Everyone will help you."
Hearing this, Tanjirou was slightly stunned: "Miss Mizuki..."
Mizuki smiled: "Take it. I am very sure you won't let this sword go to waste."
When it came to delivering inspirational speeches, no one could surpass her.
Of course, it wasn't entirely an inspirational speech.
After all, a monster like Yoriichi wouldn't appear easily again.
You have to realize that before Muzan met Yoriichi, he was arrogant and looked down on everyone.
The result was that after encountering Yoriichi, he immediately became a rat hiding in the sewers.
Even after centuries had passed, Muzan still couldn't overcome his fear of Yoriichi; perhaps he knew himself that such a monster could never appear in this world again.
But... what if?
Mizuki certainly had a knack for giving inspirational speeches. After hearing Mizuki's words, Tanjirou, deeply moved, pursed his lips and, with a complex expression, accepted the Nichirin Blade that was centuries old and had once scarred the Demon King Muzan.
Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief. She was genuinely worried that Tanjirou wouldn't change his mind.
Primarily, the sword wasn't very useful in her hands. The blade, which Yoriichi had imbued with his spirit for decades, was originally forged specifically for Sun Breathing... Overall, the battle in the Entertainment District ended favorably.
Another Upper Rank Demon Moon had been slain.
Of course, it was not without cost.
The surrounding buildings were shattered by the fighting, and there were people who had sacrificed their lives because of it.
Watching the Logistics Squad carry ordinary people out of the ruins one by one, Mizuki couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
She had gotten a bit carried away at the time.
If she hadn't initiated the attack, the losses wouldn't have been so severe.
Since she couldn't kill Kokushibou, she should have just kept him occupied with small talk until Tanjirou's side achieved victory.
"Hmph, so that's it. Rank Six, the weakest of the Upper Ranks."
"Even though it was Rank Six, you still managed to defeat an Upper Rank. How truly commendable."
"Even though it was Rank Six, I suppose I can praise you a little."
The Serpent Hashira, Iguro Obanai, whose neck was wrapped with a white snake, looked at Uzui Tengen expressionlessly.
Uzui Tengen felt a massive headache coming on; he was nearly having a stress reaction.
Why is every single one of these guys more venomous than the last?!
"Who cares about your praise!"
"You, you, you're so slow! Besides, you arrived way too late."
"Exactly! You were delayed for so long."
The three women were not so polite when facing Iguro Obanai's sharp tongue. Mizuki had saved Uzui Tengen's life, but who was this guy?!
Iguro Obanai felt the critical hit coming from the sickening couples—three of them, no less.
"Hiss! Hiss!!" The white snake suddenly snapped aggressively.
"Ah!!" Frightened, the three women clung tightly to Uzui Tengen.
"But speaking of which..." Iguro Obanai's expression suddenly turned serious, "Could a battle of this magnitude truly be caused by only Upper Rank Six?"
Although he had a sharp tongue, he never meant to underestimate Upper Rank Six, but... seeing the aftermath, it was still too excessive... If these people weren't running around full of life, he probably wouldn't have been in the mood to joke.
Uzui Tengen paused for a moment: "Huh?"
Iguro Obanai pointed to the side expressionlessly: "Over there, over there. It looks like a natural disaster."
"Just how do you fight to cause that level of destruction?"
Mizuki left without a word.
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