Chapter Fifteen: Yukihara Ren vs. Tokito, the Mist Hashira!
『ＲＹＯＮ 』
Enjoy~~~
Time seemed to freeze in the courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. The white gravel beneath the Hashira's feet glimmered under the sunlight, yet the atmosphere was charged with an invisible electricity.
"You… are challenging me?" Tokito Muichiro repeated, his pale, mist-colored eyes fixed on the child standing before him. There was no anger in his voice—only cold bewilderment, as if he were looking at an ant that had suddenly decided to block the path of an elephant.
Yukihara Ren smiled and lazily placed a hand on his hip. "I'm not challenging you, Mist Hashira. I'm just offering you a chance to see what is 'impossible' with your own eyes."
Whispers spread among the Hashira. Sanemi ground his teeth in anger at the Mizunoto's audacity, while Rengoku's smile grew even brighter, and Tengen watched with growing curiosity.
"Oyakata-sama," Muichiro spoke, turning toward Kagaya Ubuyashiki. "Do you permit me to discipline this child? It seems he does not understand the difference in rank."
Kagaya smiled gently, as if he had anticipated this outcome. "I approve the duel. However…"
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"No swords are to be used. And no killing intent. I want a friendly match to display skill only," Kagaya said calmly but firmly. Then he turned to Muichiro and added, "Muichiro… please go easy on him. He is only ten years old, and a precious treasure to the Corps."
"Go easy on him?" Ren thought, irritation pricking his pride. "Do they really think I need pity? Me, who has physical strength comparable to twenty adult men? Fine… I'll show them what 'mercy' really looks like."
(200 Strength points ÷ 10 = one adult man.
200 = 20 adult men!)
Ren sighed loudly in boredom and raised his hand to untie the old hairband that had loosened during travel. His long, silky black hair spilled down over his shoulders, partially covering his face and giving him a wild, untamed look.
"This is annoying. Long hair gets in the way during serious fights," Ren muttered aloud.
With deft fingers, he gathered his thick black hair and tied it firmly into a high ponytail. This simple motion fully revealed the features he usually hid behind his hair and lazy demeanor.
His flawless pale skin, sharp emerald eyes, and well-defined jawline—despite his young age—were now clearly visible. Two long strands of bangs fell on either side of his face, accentuating his "distinctive" features and multiplying his charm tenfold.
At that moment, the tension shifted into… something else.
Kanroji Mitsuri, the Love Hashira, who had been watching silently, clasped her hands to her flushed cheeks and screamed internally, almost aloud: "Kyaaaaa! So cute! How can a living being be this beautiful and adorable at ten years old?! He's like a princely doll! My heart can't take this!"
Ren felt Mitsuri's gaze and, when he looked at her, felt as though she was staring at him like a pet.
Ren: Hold on! Who are you calling a pet?!
Even Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira, notorious for his obsession with beauty and flamboyance, raised an eyebrow in genuine admiration.
"Hm…" Tengen muttered softly. "I have to admit… this kid has a 'flashy' face. If he survives to adulthood, he'll be a dangerous heartbreaker. How flamboyant."
Ignoring the strange stares, Ren took an unusual combat stance. It wasn't a swordsman's stance, but a barehanded fighting posture—relaxed, yet as steady as a mountain.
"I'm ready," Ren said coolly.
Muichiro vanished.
This was not ordinary speed. It was Hashira speed. In a fraction of a second, Muichiro appeared before Ren, thrusting his palm toward Ren's chest to knock him down and end the match instantly.
"Slow," Ren thought.
Ren didn't move from his spot. Instead, he shifted his upper body mere centimeters to the left, narrowly evading the strike with millimeter precision, then grabbed Muichiro's advancing wrist.
"What?" Muichiro's eyes widened slightly.
Using Muichiro's forward momentum, Ren turned smoothly, executing a judo-like motion to throw the Hashira over his shoulder.
But Muichiro, thanks to his exceptional flexibility, flipped in midair, regained his balance before touching the ground, and leapt back.
"Oh?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "Nice reaction."
"You…" Muichiro frowned. "You're too heavy. How does a child your size have this much strength?"
"Eat your vegetables and sleep well," Ren replied mockingly, then charged.
The close-quarters battle began.
The scene shocked the observing Hashira. Muichiro—the prodigy who became a Hashira in two months—was genuinely struggling to even touch this child.
Ren did not attack recklessly. He blocked blows with arms that seemed forged from steel and countered with low kicks and precise punches that forced Muichiro on the defensive.
"Bang!"
Ren's fist collided with Muichiro's forearm. The Hashira was pushed back two steps, while Ren remained rooted in place.
"His physical strength…" Sanemi muttered in disbelief, the contempt gone from his eyes. "It's not natural. That kid's body is harder than rock."
Kagaya spoke calmly, as if commenting on a work of art. "According to the report on Yukihara Ren's past… he dominated martial arts tournaments across the western region at the age of seven. They called him the 'Martial Arts Demon' and the 'Prodigy Child.' It seems those titles were well-earned."
Hearing this, the Hashira were even more astonished by the arrogant child.
On the battlefield, Muichiro was breathing slightly heavier now. He had realized a bitter truth: in unarmed combat, without fully using breathing techniques, he could not match Ren's raw power and combat experience.
Muichiro suddenly stopped and brushed dust from his loose clothes.
"This is pointless," he said seriously, looking toward the leader. "Oyakata-sama… in physical combat, he surpasses me in experience and technique. But we are Demon Slayers. Our weapon is the sword. I request permission to use our blades."
Kagaya turned his gaze to Ren. "What do you think, Ren?"
Ren smiled—the kind of smile that heralded an approaching storm. "I was waiting for that. Barehanded fighting is boring."
"Very well," Kagaya nodded. "Draw your swords."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Muichiro placed his hand on his sword hilt. His calm transformed into lethal focus as he slowly drew his pristine white Nichirin blade.
Muichiro's sword was beautiful in its simplicity—a pure white blade reflecting light like frozen mist, its edge so sharp it seemed invisible. He assumed the stance of Mist Breathing, relaxed and deceptive, concealing both the blade's reach and his intent.
"My turn," Ren whispered.
Ren placed his hand on the hilt of his black-sheathed sword. He took a deep breath and pressed his thumb against the guard.
Shing!
With a ringing metallic sound, Ren drew his blade.
The moment the blade emerged, everyone gasped.
It was neither blue (water) nor yellow (thunder).
The sword glowed with a deep crimson red, the color of pure blood, radiating under the sunlight like burning embers. Along the crimson blade ran faint, jagged emerald-green lines, pulsing like living veins.
Rengoku Kyojuro's eyes widened to their limit. "That color… crimson?! Impossible! Isn't that the legendary blade color?! I thought it was just a myth!"
Even Tomioka Giyu, who rarely showed emotion, stepped forward. "A crimson-red blade… isn't this reminiscent of the strongest swordsman from the old legends?"
Hearing this, Ren looked at them in confusion. Had Yoriichi been reduced to nothing more than a bedtime legend?
Kagaya smiled proudly. "I received a letter from Tecchin Tecchikawahara, the head of the Swordsmith Village, this morning. He said he personally forged Ren's blade, impressed by Ren's age. But he was truly shocked when he later heard that the blade he forged had transformed into a crimson sword."
Ren admired his blade. "Beautiful… isn't it?"
"Let's begin," Muichiro said, forcing himself to focus.
Even if the crimson blade was rare or legendary, that didn't mean it was stronger. A sword's true power lies with the swordsman, not the blade.
Muichiro vanished into a haze of mist created by his speed and footwork.
"Mist Breathing: Fourth Form—Shifting Flow Slash!"
Muichiro charged in a zigzagging motion, concealing his true attack until the final moment.
Ren did not move. He closed his eyes and activated his enhanced senses.
There!
Ren's crimson blade flowed smoothly, like a stream of water.
"Water Breathing: Fourth Form!"
Clang!
Ren perfectly deflected Muichiro's strike, redirecting the white blade away.
"Water Breathing?" Muichiro thought with frustration. "His defense is flawless."
The fight continued. Muichiro increased his speed, using multiple Mist Breathing forms, moving like a ghost—appearing and disappearing as he searched for an opening.
But Ren was an impenetrable wall. His Water Breathing was so refined that Tomioka Giyu narrowed his eyes in intense focus.
"The fluidity of his movement, the rotation of his wrist, his timing…" Giyu analyzed. "He has mastered the style. His Water Breathing is already close to my level. How can a ten-year-old reach such depth?"
"Will you only defend?" Muichiro asked, breathing slightly heavier, while Ren's breathing remained perfectly steady. "Where is the Storm Breathing you boasted about?"
Ren smiled. "I was just warming up my muscles. Now… the warm-up is over."
Suddenly, Ren's stance changed.
The fluidity of water vanished. Ren lowered his body, pressed his feet into the ground until the gravel cracked beneath him, and positioned his crimson blade behind him in a launching stance.
The air around him changed. The Hashira felt a sudden pressure shift, and the scent of ozone—like the air after rain and lightning—filled the area.
"Thunder Breathing…" Ren whispered.
Muichiro's eyes widened. Thunder? Now?
Ren became a golden flash of lightning and vanished. In the next instant, he was in front of Muichiro.
Ren kicked Muichiro's chest—not to damage him, but to create distance. Muichiro was sent flying backward, trying to regain balance midair.
"Now!"
At that moment, as Muichiro was suspended in the air, Ren moved.
No one saw him.
Literally—no naked eye could follow him.
A deafening explosion echoed. BOOOOM!
The sound barrier had been broken.
Ren became a streak of crimson and green.
"Storm Breathing: First Form—Thunderous Deluge!"
In a fraction of a second, Ren crossed the distance between them.
Muichiro, still airborne, raised his sword to defend, but in that instant he realized: I'm too slow. I can't block this.
Muichiro closed his eyes, bracing for pain.
But… nothing happened.
The wind stopped.
Muichiro slowly opened his eyes.
Ren was standing directly before him, suspended for a moment in the air before landing.
The crimson blade… its glowing red edge was stopped with terrifying precision, just a millimeter from Muichiro's throat.
Strands of Muichiro's hair fluttered from the wind generated by the blade's sudden halt.
Ren looked into the Hashira's eyes and smiled lazily, a smile filled with the confidence of victory.
"I think that's enough, Mist Hashira," Ren said calmly as he sheathed his sword with a final click and landed lightly on the ground. "I've proven my point. Storm Breathing exists."
Muichiro fell to his knees, staring at Ren in shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe it. He had lost—lost to a ten-year-old, in a single strike he couldn't even see.
A deathly silence filled the courtyard. Even Sanemi's mouth hung slightly open.
Then, a slow, rhythmic clap echoed.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki was applauding, a proud smile on his face.
"Wonderful… truly wonderful, Ren," the leader said. "You have exceeded all our expectations."
Ren turned to the stunned Hashira and lazily adjusted his tied hair.
"So…" Ren said coolly. "Do you still think I need a tragic backstory to be strong?"
Tengen looked at him and burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! No! You don't need anything! That was the flashiest thing I've seen in years, you little brat!"
Shinobu smiled, a new respect shining in her eyes. "It seems I was mistaken, Yukihara-san. Your efficiency… truly exists."
As for Ren, he looked up at the sky and sighed in relief.
"Well, that's done. I'm a Hashira now, and I can train more comfortably," Ren thought. "Now… where's the food? I'm hungry."
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End of Chapter Fifteen.
I'll try to release more chapters… encourage me.