"Knowing how to take up a weapon is important—but knowing when to put it down is even more important. The weapon in your hands isn't only capable of killing demons; it can just as easily kill people."
Before Chu Yang began testing the weapons, Gyomei Himejima earnestly impressed this warning upon him, his intentions unmistakably sincere.
"Sir Gyomei, don't worry. I understand exactly what this power on my body represents," Chu Yang replied with genuine seriousness. He then stepped forward and carefully examined the pile of heavy weapons before him.
Meteor hammers.Spiked maces.Chain flails.Giant battle axes taller than a man.And massive horse-slaying sabers whose blades were nearly as wide as a door panel.
Chu Yang broke out in a cold sweat.
This wasn't choosing a weapon—this was choosing an instrument of execution. It felt like a full-scale crime scene lineup.
There were even long-handled great sabers and spears with a distinctly ancient Eastern style.
Even General Guan would've nodded in approval.
Gyomei's own weapon was essentially a modified chain hammer, with a massive axe head attached at one end to further amplify its killing power. To be honest, he very much hoped Chu Yang would choose a similar weapon.
But in the end, Chu Yang selected the horse-slaying saber.
At the very least… it was still a blade.
The others barely qualified as "swords" at all. Chu Yang really wasn't eager to use something that had nothing to do with a Nichirin Blade.
Worst case, he could always rename it later—Tessaiga, Zangetsu, whatever. It looked close enough.
Gyomei let out a quiet sigh, visibly disappointed.
What was wrong with a chain hammer?High lethality, simple to use—one swing, one demon dead.
No sense of appreciation at all.
"You're not yet an official Demon Slayer," Gyomei reminded him. "The weapon you're holding is only temporary, meant to allow you to participate in the Final Selection."
"Although the form of the weapon differs, the techniques are largely the same. You only need to adapt the finer details."
Gyomei picked up his weapon and began demonstrating the sword techniques of Stone Breathing.
Most heavy weapons shared fundamental principles in their use. Gyomei hoped Chu Yang would extract what suited him best—and apply it to fully unleash the horse-slaying saber's strengths.
Chu Yang watched without blinking, carving every movement deep into his memory.
Because Stone Breathing had so few inheritors, its forms were far fewer than those of other styles. After demonstrating up to the Fifth Form, Gyomei came to a stop.
"That's all the forms I know. From here on, you'll need to complete the rest yourself." He set the weapon down and pressed his palms together. "If there's anything you don't understand, ask now."
Chu Yang shook his head. He had no questions.
Seeing this, Gyomei couldn't help but sigh again, a faint loneliness creeping into his expression. Teaching a genius like Chu Yang was effortless—but perhaps too effortless, leaving him with little sense of accomplishment.
Especially when it came to Stone Breathing, the most difficult of the Five Fundamental Breathing Styles.
"For the next while, I'll be going out to investigate demon activity and cleanse my jurisdiction," Gyomei said. "You'll remain here alone to train. Remember—light the wisteria incense at night."
When mentioning the wisteria incense, Gyomei's expression subtly darkened, as though recalling painful memories. He returned to his room, packed his belongings, gave Chu Yang a few final instructions, and then departed.
After Gyomei left, Chu Yang continued hauling water up the mountain every day. Even after all the jars in the courtyard were full, he persisted without complaint.
The results were immediate and obvious.
Soon, he could return to the temple by noon, leaving the entire afternoon free to practice his techniques.
But Chu Yang clearly hadn't taken Gyomei's warning to heart. The wisteria incense stored in the temple was never lit—not even once.
Another half month passed.
That night, Chu Yang practiced his techniques in the courtyard until deep into the night.
Then he smelled something strange.
A stench impossible to properly describe—like rotting food and decomposing corpses left to ferment together.
The smell was so foul it nearly made him vomit.
In that instant, Chu Yang realized—
This was the scent of a demon.
He immediately expanded his Observation Haki, catching the sound of something rapidly approaching from outside the temple grounds—fast, starving, like a ravenous beast that had spotted prey.
Chu Yang steadied his breathing and smoothly entered Total Concentration Breathing, his gaze locked firmly on the temple gate.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the gate was blown apart. A black shadow burst from the darkness, lunging straight toward Chu Yang under the moonlight.
At the same moment, Chu Yang leapt high into the air.
The horse-slaying saber came crashing down from above, heavy and unstoppable.
Stone Breathing, Second Form — Upper Smash
The sheer force distorted the air itself. Violent pressure waves exploded outward, sending a chill of terror through the shadow's core.
This wasn't a normal human.
At the brink of death, the shadow roared in desperation, twisting its body with all its strength to evade.
It succeeded.
The blade, meant to cleave its head, instead sliced from its right shoulder all the way down to its right leg—
Cutting the demon cleanly in half.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
A scream of absolute agony echoed through the night—born equally of pain and fear.
With just one exchange, Chu Yang had inflicted catastrophic damage.
If it weren't a demon, it would already be dead.
As they passed each other, both turned, finally seeing one another clearly.
The shadow was indeed a demon—a young man with delicate features, now twisted into something grotesque. Strange markings covered his face, his crimson eyes locked onto Chu Yang with burning hatred.
As if trying to engrave Chu Yang's face into his memory—so he could seek revenge someday.
"I was aiming for the head… what a pity," Chu Yang muttered, displeased. It was his first real battle with a demon, and he'd underestimated its speed.
Standing on a single leg, half its body gone, the demon had no intention of fighting.
It knew exactly how this would end.
Without hesitation, it leapt onto the roof, preparing to flee the strange temple.
A gust of wind passed.
That familiar premonition of death surged again in the demon's heart. Instinctively, it veered right—
And the massive saber flashed past its left shoulder.
Slash.
Another arm went flying.
Thud.
It hit the ground, landing beside the arm severed earlier.
This time, the demon didn't scream.
It trembled violently, as though trapped in an ice cellar. Fear of death had completely eclipsed pain.
"Wow—your reactions are fast. I missed again," Chu Yang said with genuine surprise. The demon's danger sense nearly rivaled his Observation Haki—it had escaped death twice now.
"Your Blood Demon Art… predicts danger, doesn't it?" Chu Yang stared coldly.
The demon's heart sank.
He was right.
Its Blood Demon Art enhanced instinctive danger prediction.
Its body was already regenerating at terrifying speed.
But the demon wasn't sure it could last until full recovery.
That boy opposite him—calm, relentless—held a blade the size of a door panel, one that could tear his body apart with ease.
Despite wielding such a massive weapon, the boy moved like lightning.
And death was closing in fast.
(End of Chapter)