Beneath the morning glow, Kurosaki Rei sat cross-legged under a peach tree. With each breath, white, dragon-like streams of vapor flowed in and out.
"Such rapid progress… It seems all these years of effort truly weren't in vain."
Kuwajima Jigoro walked down the slope, looking at Kurosaki Rei's state with deep satisfaction.
"It's all thanks to your teaching, Teacher," Kurosaki Rei said modestly as he opened his eyes.
This was already his second morning in the Demon Slayer world. Breathing Styles were profound, but to Kurosaki Rei, they weren't particularly difficult.
If he had to categorize them, they resembled the "inner cultivation" techniques he had once imagined. He had always been exceptionally talented in this area, so it only took him a few hours to grasp the basics, and within a single day, he had learned all six forms of Thunder Breathing that Kuwajima taught.
"Even if you've had a breakthrough, you still mustn't slack off in your training," Kuwajima instructed. "Practice Thunder Breathing Forms One through Six frequently, and strive to reach the state of Total Concentration Constant as soon as possible."
To be honest, Kurosaki Rei mastering all of Thunder Breathing's sword forms in just one day had given Kuwajima an enormous shock.
But beyond the shock, there was joy. He felt that his years of patience and cultivation hadn't been wasted. The seed that was Kurosaki Rei had finally sprouted—and it would grow into a towering tree at a speed no one could have imagined.
The stronger Kurosaki Rei became, the more people he could protect—and the better he could protect himself.
"Graaaandpa—I really can't do it! Just let Senior Brother go to the selection instead…"
Zenitsu stood behind Kuwajima like a shameless stray dog. He looked like he wanted to run away, but Kuwajima had tied him up with a rope.
"Zenitsu, believe in yourself. You can do it," Kuwajima said, already feeling a headache coming on the moment he heard Zenitsu's voice.
He truly didn't know how to build this child's confidence. A few days ago, he himself had wavered—Zenitsu's Thunder Breathing was competent, but his personality made the Final Selection genuinely dangerous.
But now, Kuwajima was no longer worried.
After all, his eldest disciple—Kurosaki Rei, who had now mastered Thunder Breathing—would also be participating in this selection. In Kuwajima's eyes, the demons in the selection grounds posed little threat to Kurosaki Rei, and Kurosaki Rei would surely look after his junior brother.
"But I only know First Form…"
Zenitsu was about to start whining again when Kurosaki Rei cut him off.
"Zenitsu, just stay with me. I'll make you understand how strong you really are."
Kurosaki Rei's voice was steady, inexplicably calming Zenitsu. All the excuses he had prepared were swallowed back down.
Looking at the hopeful gazes of his senior brother and Grandpa, Zenitsu felt that continuing to act shamelessly would be letting them down too much. He finally steeled himself to participate in this selection.
Still, he had already made up his mind—once inside, he would stick tightly to Senior Brother Rei's side. After all, Senior Brother Rei was incredibly strong now… probably even stronger than Senior Brother Kaigaku, right?
"Good. If you two brothers look after each other, I can rest easy," Kuwajima said with a smile. "Once you pass the selection, remember to send me a letter."
He then took two bundles from his back.
"This one's yours, A-Li. Inside is your favorite fried mochi. I made it fresh this morning."
He handed the other bundle to Zenitsu.
"Zenitsu, this one's yours. There are two sets of spare clothes inside. You're always so careless—don't cause trouble for your senior brother once you're down the mountain."
Kurosaki Rei accepted the bundle and opened it. Inside was a neatly folded change of clothes, along with fried mochi wrapped carefully in clean oil paper. The portion was generous.
For a moment, warmth filled his heart.
Fried mochi wasn't truly his favorite food—but he did enjoy these crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside snacks sprinkled with salt.
He also knew that although Kuwajima was a former Hashira, his life wasn't well-off. In an era where Japan was generally impoverished, glutinous rice was expensive. Mochi wasn't something they ate often.
"A-Li," Kuwajima said after a pause, "even though you're naturally strong, once you become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, you must still be careful in everything…"
He thought for a bit, but couldn't find anything more to say. Leaning on his cane, he reached out as if to pat Kurosaki Rei's shoulder.
Seeing the short, one-legged old man, Kurosaki Rei lowered himself slightly so Kuwajima's hand could reach. Kuwajima sighed with emotion.
"Time really flies… I can't even reach you anymore. Take good care of yourselves."
"Please rest assured, Teacher," Kurosaki Rei replied.
As the morning sun rose higher, it was time for him and Zenitsu to depart.
Wisteria Mountain wasn't very far from Mount Sagiri, but it was still a full day's journey. They had to hurry, or they might miss the start of the Final Selection.
Before leaving, Zenitsu shed his usual frivolous demeanor. He knelt sincerely on the ground and kowtowed to Kuwajima.
He truly felt that Grandpa had treated him well—and once he passed the selection, it might be a long time before he could return to see him.
For some reason, he also felt a sense of foreboding, as if descending the mountain this time would mark a final farewell.
The small-statured Kuwajima stood beneath the peach tree. The wind brushed across his aged face as he watched Kurosaki Rei and Zenitsu's figures disappear down the mountain.
"I don't ask you to change this era," he murmured. "Just… live."
After climbing the steps, both Kurosaki Rei and Zenitsu couldn't help but marvel at the sight before them.
On the mountainside, wisteria blossoms cascaded down like waterfalls. Clusters of flowers swayed gently in the breeze, releasing a faint, elegant fragrance. Their pale violet petals looked like the softest clouds in the sky made solid, mesmerizing to behold.
Occasionally, petals drifted down from the branches like purple butterflies dancing through the air, before settling quietly onto the lush green grass, adding a serene beauty to the floral sea.
On the day of the Final Selection, Kurosaki Rei and Zenitsu arrived at Wisteria Mountain on time.
Along the way, there were a few minor incidents. For example, the night before, while they were sheltering in an abandoned wooden cabin in the wilderness, they had been attacked by a demon.
Interestingly, after sneaking into the cabin and discovering the sleeping Zenitsu, the demon immediately turned tail and fled.
Kurosaki Rei, however, didn't let it escape. He moved soundlessly through the night and decapitated it with a single strike.
His original intention was to test whether his Imprisoned Demon blade had any effect on demons. The result, however, was not merely effective—it was astonishingly so.
Strictly speaking, Imprisoned Demon wasn't a Nichirin Blade, and by logic shouldn't have been able to deliver a fatal blow to a demon.
Yet in practice, Kurosaki Rei found that demons decapitated by Imprisoned Demon simply could not survive.
He surmised that this was because Imprisoned Demon was fundamentally a Zanpakutō. Its attacks naturally possessed the property of severing the soul—it wasn't purely physical damage. Thus, much like a Nichirin Blade, it could effectively kill demons, perhaps even more thoroughly.
After all, Nichirin Blades destroyed demons through the power of the sun, whereas Zanpakutō strikes directly targeted the soul itself.
However, Kurosaki Rei couldn't yet be certain whether this decapitation-kill effect would work on the Upper Rank demons—or even on Kibutsuji Muzan himself.
Since he was testing, he hadn't used his full strength—he hadn't even activated Thunder Breathing.
Unfortunately, the demon had been far too weak. It died instantly, leaving him without a chance to determine whether Breathing-augmented techniques would deal even more decisive damage to demons.
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