This smile made Roy feel both familiar and strange.
In the Zoldyck Family, Roy had never seen Silva smile.
It was as if a "smile" shouldn't naturally appear on the face of a cold-blooded assassin.
Even a "sneer" or a "grim grin," Roy had never seen one on Silva's face.
Sometimes, he even wondered if Illumi often wore an expressionless face because he was influenced by him.
After all, the elders in the family had said more than once—
"An assassin must never let emotions sway their judgment."
"Whether happy, angry, resentful, or sad, one must 'show no expression.' Only by achieving absolute calm can one complete a mission better and avoid exposing oneself to danger."
Perhaps seeing that Roy couldn't achieve this, Silva and Zeno further concluded that his talent as an assassin was limited.
Indeed, Silva and Zeno's judgment was very accurate. Compared to being an assassin, Roy was more determined in his belief that he should first be a vibrant "human," and then a "professional," rather than reversing the order and becoming an emotionless killing machine. This was also why he never liked Illumi.
Because Illumi was too "formulaic"...
The training from the family had erased the joy that a child should have. He should, like Nezuko, Takeo, and Mao in front of him, rush to him, chattering about their joys, grievances, or complaining about others.
Instead of wearing a lifeless face all day, like a machine, engaging in boring training.
A lot of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant... Roy was momentarily dazed, and his thigh was hugged by the little thing Kamado Shigeru.
He looked up, gazing at him with naive eyes, and said in a babyish voice, "Big brother~ candy~"
Roy smiled, quickly taking out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and tossed him a piece... This really blew things up....
Nezuko wanted some, and Takeo wanted some too... Roy was heavily surrounded and was busy...
He would pet Nezuko's little head, then pat Takeo's back, and advised Mao not to eat too fast to avoid choking. His silhouette, illuminated by the oil lamp, fell into Tanjiro's eyes, finally bringing back a sense of familiarity.
That's right, this was the big brother Eiichiro he knew. As for the person in the forest just now... that was a Ghost God who had devoured a soul!
"Big brother, I want some too..."
Tanjiro rubbed his face and smiled as he joined in. He, at least somewhat sensible, knew to help Roy unload the basket from his back, which significantly relieved Roy's burden.
Roy nodded at him, and after satisfying the little ones' appetites, he walked over to Tanjuro.
"For me?" Tanjuro looked at the candy Roy handed over with an open hand, momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses, his eyes welled up... He couldn't remember the last time he had candy, a memory so distant that he could only vaguely remember it was when his father, Tanjiro's grandfather, was still around....
Time has passed unexpectedly... Looking back, his child was now thoughtful enough to bring him candy...
Tanjuro looked at Roy gently, shaking his head: "Father doesn't like candy. You eat it."
Roy didn't withdraw his hand and insisted: "Father has some, grandma has some, mother has some, everyone has some."
Seeing this, Tanjuro, knowing he couldn't refuse this child, opened the candy with a smile and put it in his mouth, savoring it seriously while gesturing for Roy to help him put on the costume for the Fire God ritual.
To worship the Fire God, dance for Lord Fire God, and pray for safety is a tradition passed down through generations in the Kamado Family.
This Dance of the Fire God and the earrings with depictions of the sun and mountains that Tanjuro wears, others may not know, but Roy, having read the original work, knew very well... they were items of Tsugikuni Yoriichi—
Sun Breathing and the Sun Earrings he wore during his lifetime!
"From Kamado Tanji's generation, it's been required that the eldest son in our family must learn the 'Dance of the Fire God.' Now....
"It's your turn, Eiichiro."
The costume was quickly donned with Roy's help, and the moment the last string was tied, the usually gentle Tanjuro stood up, his aura changed...
The red and white robe swayed with the wind, and the large flame kanji on the mask seemed to come alive...
He waved at Roy: "Come."
Roy, unable to hide his excitement, realized his opportunity to change his constitution had come!
The Dance of the Fire God is Sun Breathing! Sun Breathing is a powerful Breathing Technique that Tsugikuni Yoriichi created by visualizing the sun, allowing absorption of the Power of the Sun to change one's constitution. It is also the origin of all Breathing styles, such as "Moon Breathing," "Rock Breathing," "Wind Breathing," "Water Breathing," and so on.
The ideology it employs can be summed up in one sentence: sunlight is the source of all growth, and naturally, it becomes the nurturing ground for each family's Breathing techniques.
Of course, strength means difficulty in learning.
In the past, after Tsugikuni Yoriichi created Sun Breathing, he didn't keep it to himself but spread it within the Demon Slayer Corps, which also included his brother, who is now One of the Upper Moons, Kokushibo.
But unfortunately, neither Kokushibo nor other swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps could bear the Weight of the Sun and master Sun Breathing.
As a result, from the Warring States Era to the present, only Tanjiro truly mastered it and applied it in actual combat, highlighting its immense difficulty.
Roy pulled Tanjiro: "You too."
Without waiting for Tanjiro to come to his senses, he had already stepped into the courtyard, reaching Tanjuro's side, and invoked Gyo!
Unlike the Four Major Principles of Nenryoku, Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu...
Gyo is merely a simple application of Nen, which requires only that the Sense is focused on the eyes.
With Wutong's careful guidance and the bloodline of the Zoldyck Family, Roy effortlessly mastered it...
A layer of milky white energy covered his eyes as he closely observed Tanjuro's movements.
Using the Sense flowing within him, like analyzing an animation, he imprinted the Dance of the Fire God frame by frame.
First the Dance of the Fire God—"Dance," then the Dance of the Fire God—"Clear Blue Sky," followed by "Raging Sun," "Fake Rainbow," "Fire Wheel," "Burning Bones, Summer Sun," and "Sunflower Thrust"....
Tanjuro danced like a Fire Spirit in the drifting snow, followed by Roy, who learned move by move, alongside the clumsy Tanjiro...
Again and again, thrice...
Tanjiro, panting heavily, gradually fell behind...
He panted heavily, hands on knees, eyes fixed on Tanjuro and Roy, this small child filled with great doubts.
Why did his usually weak father have such stamina today?
Why did his big brother, initially as clumsy as him, now manage to keep up with their father's pace in such a convincing manner?