Chapter 11: Kanae's Tremor |
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground on the outskirts of the settlement shook in unison with the deafening explosions while the peaceful residents hid in their homes, not daring to step outside to see what was happening.
Makomo quickly assessed the potential damage of a battle in the middle of the settlement and began to pressure and drive Akaza back until, a couple of hours later, the battlefield shifted beyond the village limits.
Meanwhile, a beautiful female silhouette was racing toward the scene.
The Flower Hashira, who had been tasked with reconnaissance—Kanae Kocho.
'There!' Her heart hammered frantically as she sensed the terrifying battle in the distance; even her voice trembled. 'An Upper Rank?'
Even from kilometers away, she could feel the chilling presence of an Upper Rank, far beyond any demon she had ever encountered before.
Compared to this presence, even the Lower Rank she had slain in the past was nothing.
The full power of Upper Rank Three was horrifying!
In a world without Yeruashi, the battle between Akaza and Kyojuro would have dragged on until dawn only because the demon enjoyed drawing out the pleasure; otherwise, a Flame Hashira without a mark would never have stood a chance.
'Incredible...' but it wasn't just the demon's presence that shocked Kanae to her core.
Despite the intensity of the battle, she couldn't sense a single drop of concentrated breathing from the demon's opponent!
As a Flower Hashira, she knew that if a master of the Breathing Techniques were fighting, she would have felt it long ago.
But there wasn't even the slightest echo of a breathing style—only an overwhelming sense of sharpness.
The closer she got to the battlefield, the more clearly she felt this sharpness permeating the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kanae slowed her pace and cautiously approached, hiding about a hundred meters from the epicenter.
One look. Just one look.
The Flower Hashira felt a crushing pressure: 'Such power...'
As a Hashira, Kanae had long since mastered Total Concentration: Constant, raising her stamina and other attributes far beyond the limits of normal humans.
Yet even then, she felt nothing but a heavy weight looking at the center of the fight from a hundred meters away.
She wouldn't even be able to fight properly if she faced either of them; her only hope would be her speed and agility, and even then, the battle wouldn't last long.
After observing for a while, Kanae reached an even more shocking conclusion.
The Upper Rank... is losing!
Exactly!
It was obvious the demon was losing, as all his attacks were ruthlessly crushed by a simple sword, along with every attempt to inflict damage on his opponent!
The outcome might have been decided long ago if not for the Upper Rank's outrageous regeneration.
If the demon frightened Kanae to such an extent, then how strong must the opponent who held a clear advantage be?
'She is human, definitely human, but...' Kanae's voice trembled with unutterable shock as she stared at Makomo with wide eyes.
Watching from here, she could say with certainty that a human was opposing the demon, but what shocked her was the complete lack of any breathing style signs from Makomo!
She was much stronger, more agile, and faster than Kanae without any breathing technique, and her dynamic perception was on an entirely different level.
She was suppressing an Upper Rank purely through her own strength!
Unbelievable!
And Kanae's shock only intensified when she realized that the master swordsman suppressing the demon was a young girl about her own age!
'Is it really possible to gain such power without a breathing technique?'
'She definitely isn't a Demon Slayer, so how...'
'How did she master the art of the sword to such a degree?'
So many questions, and so few answers.
But soon, Kanae regained her composure.
A chance!
A chance to kill an Upper Rank!
Makomo couldn't kill the demon despite her clear advantage, but what if they joined forces? Or what if she simply gave Makomo her Nichirin Sword? The Upper Rank likely wouldn't survive until dawn!
Kanae took a deep breath, placed her hand on the hilt of her blade, and called out to the powerful swordswoman: "Forgive me for interfering, but may I assist you? I am the Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kanae Kocho! I was sent here to slay an Upper Rank demon! My Nichirin Sword can kill a demon if you decapitate them!"
Kanae's words immediately caught the attention of both Makomo and Akaza.
An expression of intense irritation flashed in the demon's eyes. These Demon Slayers dared to ruin such a beautiful battle!
"Are you also a man-eater?" Makomo inquired of her opponent.
Initially, the swordsman had no intention of killing Akaza because she didn't sense a genuine desire to kill from him, and she wasn't a Demon Slayer herself.
But perhaps it was time to send Akaza to the next world if he turned out to be the same kind of monster as that man-eating demon...
"I have eaten many weak people, for they do not deserve to live, but you are different. I acknowledge your strength... so, what about becoming a demon? Have you changed your mind?" Akaza replied indifferently.
In response, Makomo pushed her opponent back with a fierce sword strike and closed her eyes. Slowly opening them, she said calmly: "I understand. I understand the meaning of your existence... but I will never become a demon, and I will never accept your views. You have no place in this world."
In the past, Makomo was a pathetic orphan who could have died of hunger in a back alley. Her teacher had not only allowed her to live but had also given her the opportunity to gain strength.
Accepting Akaza's views was equivalent to admitting that she herself did not deserve to live. Naturally, she would never agree. Never.
Memories of her childhood were still fresh—how much she had wanted to live, even as a hungry and weak orphan.
And most importantly... her teacher once said that respect is earned not by physical strength, but by spiritual and moral strength.
Her teacher had acknowledged her when she was weak in body but strong in spirit.
That was the idea Yeruashi had conveyed to her.
And she was firmly determined to defend her teacher's ideals with all her might!
"Lend me your blade..." Makomo whispered, looking at Kanae, before exclaiming resolutely, "I will destroy the demon!"