Chapter 96: Red Sun Refines the Heart x Sakonji Urokodaki's Shock!
Roy pushed open the door and walked into the mountain forest.
Winter had passed, and early spring greenery was beginning to sprout. Sagiri Mountain, perpetually sunless, showed faint touches of green, bursting with life. Sabito followed him out without a word. Makomo stayed with Sakonji Urokodaki, occasionally using a ghostly wind to help him clear away wood shavings from his carving. When she looked again...
Roy maintained his stance, feet planted firmly, core engaged, driving his elbows, connecting to his hands, swinging relentlessly. He was nearing five thousand swings.
"How many is that?" Makomo flew up into the tree, landing beside Sabito. Her counting always got fuzzy after three thousand; she had wisely given up and passed the task to Sabito.
"Four thousand nine hundred."
"Huh?" Makomo glanced at the sky. It was still a long way from dusk. Four thousand nine hundred already? Could it be... "Is Eiichiro going to break through his bottleneck today?"
"Whether he breaks through, I don't know." Sabito said, "All I know is that he took a half-hour break in the middle to eat some rice balls and drink a pot of hot tea."
Makomo: "..." Only him. Anyone else would have had their jaw drop. The girl told herself not to be surprised; she should be used to it by now. Her gaze drifted numbly back to Roy. Her brow furrowed, then she froze again. Did... Eiichiro get even taller overnight?
"You noticed too?" The sleeves and cuffs of the swinging boy's clothes were noticeably shorter, revealing his wrists and ankles.
Sabito let out a soft sigh. "Back when my parents were still alive, they used to tell me a story. They said never to go into a bamboo forest after it rains, lest the bamboo shoots suddenly spring up and hit you."
"I never believed it before, but now..." The fox-masked boy gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Even if Eiichiro suddenly told me he was made of bamboo, I wouldn't be surprised."
"You jest, senpai," Roy said, raising his blade for another slash. The whistling blade cut through the mist.
"I'm not joking," Sabito replied, crossing his arms, his voice tinged with envy. "If I had possessed even a tenth of your strength back then, I wouldn't have died at that monster's hands."
"I don't need a tenth, just a twentieth would be fine," Makomo said, propping her chin on her hand and calling out to Roy. "Hey, Eiichiro! Can you tell me what you eat to grow so fast?" The little girl had always been self-conscious about her height, even in death. Sabito rolled his eyes, exasperated, unsure of what to say.
Roy delivered another slash, smiling but not answering. He couldn't exactly say, "Eat you." When it came to soul resentment, his senior brothers and sisters here were likely no less potent than Moritonio's sister. In fact, having practiced Breathing Styles, their souls were probably refined and almost tangible, containing an extraordinary amount of life energy.
The thought made Roy pause, surprised that 'hunger' could trigger such a dark impulse—the idea of consuming his own seniors. He frowned, quickly realizing something was wrong. Within his own heart lurked many 'negative emotions'. He hadn't noticed them before, but now, calming his mind and examining himself closely...
Some came from the vengeful souls killed by the terrorist "Joker." Some from the girl and other Nen users tortured by "The Meat Grinder" Harrison. Some from Moritonio's sister and the victims he had turned into "art" or crushed into paste. Even... Hiro Minamino, the first spirit Roy had helped, was among them.
These "victims" actually held no ill will towards Roy himself. They had remained dormant, showing no signs of unrest, until today, when Makomo's words stirred his 'hunger', making them active.
Roy frowned, deep in thought. Humans, as individuals, are inherently complex. The 'human heart' can never be completely free of dust. There will always be a bright side and a dark side, existing simultaneously, opposed yet unified.
In that case... "Since I chose to accept them, I inevitably accepted their 'darkness' as well..."
Understanding dawned on the boy. He raised his blade... and his slash went wide.
"This must be the so-called 'Law of Equivalent Exchange'. To gain strength, one must accept the risks that come with it."
"Shh!" Sabito noticed Roy's stance had faltered and quickly signaled Makomo not to distract him further. Makomo, understanding the gravity, fell silent.
Roy's brow furrowed tightly. Having identified the problem, he promptly corrected his stance and continued swinging, his mind racing, figuring out how to dispel these negative emotions. If they accumulated, it was highly likely, as his father Silva had warned, that his path would twist, leading him to madness.
Unconsciously—
The boy swung his blade.
The count passed five thousand, five thousand five hundred... six hundred... seven hundred... nine hundred... nearing six thousand—
At the exact moment Sabito counted "five thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine," a ray of setting sun pierced the mist, striking Roy's face. Warmth instantly flooded his heart.
He paused, stunned. Twin suns ignited fwoosh in his eyes, instantly seeing through illusion and confusion.
'Yes. The sun rises, the night retreats.'
'Wherever sunlight shines, all filth naturally withdraws...'
Inspiration struck.
Roy, guided by sudden insight, gently closed his eyes and silently visualized the sun in his mind.
Voom... An inexplicable resonance emanated from him, passing through Sabito and Makomo, making their spiritual forms tremble!
They looked closer. The training blade in Roy's hands began to show faint red spots. At first, just two or three scattered points, then a line, then they connected into patches, finally spreading across the entire blade. Here, on Sagiri Mountain, perpetually shrouded in fog, it erupted in a dazzling crimson glow.
As the boy slashed diagonally, all the 'negative' emotions lurking deep within his heart were instantly vanquished, dissipating like black smoke rising from his head, swept away by the wind into nothingness.
Following it was a massive slash of fire, crossing nearly thirty meters, cutting through the wooden post, tearing open the ground, splitting the birch tree, and stopping just an inch from Sakonji Urokodaki's toes!
BOOM!
The birch tree fell, sending snow flying.
Amidst the white expanse, the old man, who had come under the cover of night to check on his disciple's practice, felt the 'Tengu mask' on his face crack kacha down the middle and fall to the ground, revealing his weathered face, utterly shocked and speechless!
'A red blade... sword aura like burning flames...' Memories instantly flashed back several years, to the day his beloved disciple Giyu Tomioka had graduated—a day of quiet sorrow for himself. That day, Giyu, thanks to Sabito, had passed the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane and officially become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. While waiting at home for the swordsmith to deliver his blade, Sakonji clearly remembered something the smith had said: he was searching for a swordsman who could turn a Nichirin Blade red. In fact... the entire Swordsmith Village was searching for this swordsman. And now...
"Hotaru Haganezuka," Sakonji thought, his voice choked with emotion, "the person you were looking for... has been found."
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