The moment Lorne gripped the hilt, he felt a strange resonance, and the nichirin blade was drawn.
The instant Lorne grasped the hilt, a peculiar sense of resonance coursed through his entire body like an electric current.
The magic within him seemed to find an outlet, uncontrollably surging into the nichirin blade.
"Zheng--"
The long nichirin blade slid from its sheath without the slightest delay.
The next second, a scene that made everyone present hold their breath unfolded.
The nichirin blade didn't just change color; from the tsuba, an ice-blue halo spread rapidly upwards like a living thing.
Wherever it passed, the nichirin blade became crystal clear, as if it were a core of cold taken from a ten-thousand-year-old glacier.
A visible, flowing, thin layer of ice mist formed around the nichirin blade's edge.
Even more unsettling, the temperature inside the wooden house plummeted, causing Tanjirou to shiver involuntarily, his exhaled breath turning into white mist.
"What... what kind of effect is this?"
Haganezuka's eyes widened.
"I've been forging nichirin blades for so many years, and I've never seen a nichirin blade change color with such an effect!"
Lorne held the hilt, clearly feeling the resonance between the nichirin blade and his magic.
This nichirin blade felt as if it had been custom-made for him.
"What a beautiful nichirin blade..."
Tanjirou praised sincerely, yet instinctively distanced himself slightly from the cold aura.
"Not only beautiful, but also very suitable for me."
Lorne gave a light swing, and where the nichirin blade's edge cut through, faint traces of ice crystal were left in the air.
"It's incredible!"
Haganezuka was so excited he gesticulated wildly.
"This is definitely a unique nichirin blade! I must tell everyone else in the village about this!"
Urokodaki Sakonji also stepped forward to carefully examine this peculiar nichirin blade: "
It seems this nichirin blade perfectly complements your special abilities."
"Yes, it feels like a part of my body."
Lorne sheathed the nichirin blade.
"Lorne!"
The black kasugai crow on his shoulder suddenly spoke:
"Lorne! Transmitting orders!"
Everyone was startled by the sudden voice.
"Huh? This crow can talk?"
Tanjirou looked at the crow in surprise.
Urokodaki Sakonji and Haganezuka, however, remained quite calm about it.
Lorne was somewhat surprised by this.
This kasugai crow came to him every now and then, but he had never heard it speak.
He had just received his nichirin blade, and a mission was already assigned.
And he hadn't seen this crow fly out today!
Was this assigned long ago, or did it have some special ability?
"Proceed quickly to the town in the northwest; young women are disappearing there.
It is suspected that a demon is at work! Proceed immediately to investigate and eliminate!"
The crow continued to relay the mission details, word for word.
Lorne nodded, about to respond.
Before he could finish, another whoosh of wings, and another kasugai crow circled down to land on Kamado Tanjiro's head, shouting in the same tone:
"Kamado Tanjiro! Kamado Tanjiro! Transmitting orders, proceed quickly to the town in the northwest."
The two exchanged glances, and a hint of surprise and relief instantly bloomed on Tanjirou's tense face:
"That's great, Big Brother Lorne! Our first mission is together!"
Lorne nodded, the ice-blue light in his eyes flickering slightly.
"Lorne (Kamado Tanjiro)! Proceed with caution; this is your first task as Demon Slayers."
Lorne's kasugai crow, along with the later one, flew out of the wooden house and departed after relaying the orders.
A low sigh came from behind Urokodaki Sakonji's mask; he looked at his two disciples, his gaze becoming incredibly serious:
"You must be careful; formal missions are different from previous situations.
The cunning and cruelty of demons far exceed your imagination."
"We will be careful, Master Urokodaki."
Tanjirou nodded earnestly.
Upon receiving the mission, the two immediately packed their bags and changed into their Demon Slayer Corps uniforms.
Seeing that the two were ready, Urokodaki Sakonji spoke again:
"Are you changed?"
After Lorne and the other nodded in response, Urokodaki Sakonji continued:
"Lorne, Tanjirou, before you begin your Demon Slayer Corps missions, I have a few things to explain."
"Yes!"
Lorne and the other sat down, listening intently to what Urokodaki Sakonji was about to say.
"The Demon Slayer Corps uniform you are now wearing is made of special iron threads, making it excellently breathable, not easily damp, not easily flammable, and generally, a demon's claws and teeth cannot tear through this uniform."
"Also, your nichirin blade changes color with its owner, and each color has its own characteristics.
However, black blades are extremely rare, and I do not understand their detailed characteristics."
"Because they are so little understood, it is said that swordsmen whose talents go unrecognized all use black blades."
Hearing Urokodaki Sakonji's words, Tanjirou did not feel discouraged, and smiled slightly.
"I don't know what I can achieve in the Demon Slayer Corps, but I must turn Nezuko back into a human!"
"Ah, you are right."
Urokodaki Sakonji also affirmed Tanjirou's long-standing performance and goal.
"Since that is the case, I also believe you can do it."
"Also, there's this."
Urokodaki Sakonji said, pushing a box made of mist cedar wood towards Tanjirou, its surface coated with sturdy rock lacquer.
"The box you use to carry your sister during the day is made of very light mist cedar wood, and because it's coated with rock lacquer to harden the outer layer, its durability is enhanced."
"For Nezuko.
Keep her inside; never expose her to sunlight, no matter what."
Tanjirou thanked Urokodaki Sakonji with a bow, then picked up the wooden box.
Tanjirou took the box, stunned by its surprising lightness.
"So light! It's really light, Master Urokodaki!"
Then, Tanjirou, holding the wooden box, turned and squatted in front of Nezuko, gently comforting her and signaling for Nezuko to get into the wooden box.
Nezuko obediently shrunk her body, little by little, and crawled into the wooden box.
Finally, Urokodaki Sakonji looked at Lorne.
"Lorne, it's very good that you can derive your own Breathing Technique from Water Breathing."
"Although the performance of that nichirin blade was somewhat beyond my expectations, its color is largely consistent with what I imagined."
"Your goal should be among the top few in the Demon Slayer Corps, but I still hope you will be careful in all matters."
Having lived together for so long, Urokodaki Sakonji also understood this young man in front of him; he had a somewhat strong personality.
He had great aspirations, but sometimes this personality could also be a drawback.
"Don't worry, Master Urokodaki, I will be careful!"
Urokodaki Sakonji saw the two off at the door, straightening their clothes:
"Remember everything I taught you, trust your judgment, and protect yourselves."
"Yes!"
The two set off on their journey to the northwestern town.
Along the way, Tanjirou seemed a bit nervous:
"Big Brother Lorne, what kind of demon do you think we'll encounter?"
"Who knows."
Lorne shrugged, "But since it's our first mission, it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with."
"I hope so."
Tanjirou tightened the straps of the wooden box on his back.
After a day and a night of long travel, Lorne and Tanjirou arrived at a bustling town.
Looking at the small boats shuttling in the river, and the mountains of goods piled up at the nearby dock, Tanjirou curiously surveyed the entire town.
"Is this the town in the northwest direction?"
"It should be here, let's go."
Lorne took the lead and walked towards the town.
This was a seemingly prosperous small town, with people coming and going on the streets and shops lined up everywhere.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that everyone's faces carried a hint of unease, and their voices were much softer than usual.
"The people here... are all afraid."
Tanjirou, relying on his keen sense of smell, detected the lingering scent of fear in the air.
"Not just that."