The thin morning fog was scattered by the wind. The training ground was already packed with people, though everyone was yawning nonstop and grumbling under their breath.
"Raise your arm a little higher. Put more strength into it." Asuka passed by Kenichi, his tone showing not the slightest hint of leniency despite their familiarity. He even prodded Kenichi's forearm with the hilt of his Asauchi.
Kenichi grimaced, his body tensing instinctively as he did his best to straighten his arm according to Asuka's instructions.
"Imagine the wind as an extension of your arm..."
Passing by another trainee, Asuka once again shared his understanding without holding anything back. However, his standards for movement were strict, and most people simply could not meet them.
Rika, who was walking toward the training ground, couldn't help but smile faintly at the chorus of complaints filling the field.
Ever since Teacher Arasaki handed the nursery's morning training over to Asuka, everyone had been waking up earlier and earlier with each passing day.
During this period, Asuka continued refining his sword forms with Teacher Arasaki while also trying to share his insights with everyone at the nursery.
Rika could tell that ever since Asuka became an official Demon Slayer, their teacher had begun considering retirement.
Either he would cultivate Asuka into a Tsuguko and a future Pillar, or he intended for Asuka to take over the nursery altogether.
As for Rika, she only wanted to stay quietly in Hayama, tending to the graves of Brother Masachika and Sister Suzune.
"Asuka, there's a visitor in the main guest room. They specifically asked for you."
She called out to Asuka, who was in the middle of giving instructions, immediately triggering a wave of cheers across the training ground.
A visitor? Looking for me? Asuka was confused. He didn't really know many people here, and at such an early hour, who would come looking for him?
He pulled open the door to the main guest room. Morning sunlight slanted inside, illuminating Teacher Arasaki on the main seat and the person seated before him.
The visitor wore a plain kimono, draped with a loose outer robe patterned with sun motifs. A large straw hat sat atop his head, with several wind chimes hanging from it.
Seeing Asuka enter, the man lifted his head, revealing a strangely shaped mask with a round face and puffed cheeks, an expression hovering between a smile and a sneer. A clown mask?
In front of him sat a long, narrow wooden box wrapped in gray cloth.
"Asuka, this is..." Teacher Arasaki began.
"My name is Haganezuka."
Before Arasaki could finish, the strange man cut him off, his muffled voice echoing from behind the mask.
"I personally forged and personally delivered the blade that belongs to Nanajūhachi Asuka."
A sword? Oh, so he was the smith who forged Nichirin Blades.
Asuka closed the door. At Arasaki Tetsushin's signal, he bowed to the visitor and sat properly in front of him.
When Asuka had rushed to Mount Fujikasane, the selection had already ended. He had no choice but to randomly choose a piece of remaining tamahagane and hand it to a colleague from the Kakushi. He had been told that at the fastest, someone would deliver the sword within fifteen days.
"Thank you. I am just..."
"This is a Nichirin Blade. It's the blade I forged!" Haganezuka interrupted again, ignoring Asuka entirely as he began unwrapping the cloth in front of him.
Asuka and Arasaki exchanged glances. Arasaki could only shake his head helplessly as Haganezuka continued.
"Nichirin Blades are forged from ore closest to the sun, Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore. They absorb sunlight and use it to slay demons. They are exceptional materials..."
"I heard you didn't defeat the demon using a Nichirin Blade. How did you do it?"
At those words, Asuka froze.
He hadn't expected Shinsuke and the others to report things so thoroughly, even mentioning that he had used an Asauchi.
He hesitated and glanced at Teacher Arasaki, then removed the Asauchi at his waist and carefully handed it to Haganezuka.
"I just used an old blade that happened to be on hand. In the end, decapitation still requires a Nichirin Blade."
Though it was an important weapon to him, after testing it over time, he discovered that to anyone else, the Asauchi looked like nothing more than a worn, ordinary broken sword, with no special resonance at all.
Haganezuka took the Asauchi, his arm jerking sharply.
He carefully drew the blade just a little, closely examining the rust and corrosion covering it. Then he looked at Asuka again before returning the Asauchi, clearly puzzled.
"It's a very special blade... but that's not what I came here for today."
He opened the dark wooden box inside the cloth and took out the long sword within, handing it to Asuka.
Like the old Nichirin Blade Teacher Arasaki had given him, this sword's scabbard was a plain, deep black, devoid of any elaborate patterns. It carried only a heavy, restrained sense of solidity.
Haganezuka stared at the blade in Asuka's hands, dancing and gesturing excitedly.
"Nichirin Blades are also called color-changing blades. They change color according to their owner's power and state of mind..."
"I heard you defeated a vicious demon that could use Blood Demon Arts all by yourself. You must be an impressive kid. I poured seven full days of my heart and soul into forging this Nichirin Blade for you..."
"Come on, come on, draw it already. Let me see what color it is."
"Ah, it must be blue. Sky blue, wind blue. Or maybe not. Could it be emerald green? Or moon white? I'm so curious. Hurry up and draw it."
Watching Haganezuka's animated antics, Asuka frowned slightly but still solemnly pulled the blade from its scabbard, the Nichirin Blade ringing sharply as it was drawn.
Hmmm—
As he raised the blade upright, a deep, lingering hum vibrated through the room, drawing the attention of all three.
Behind his mask, Haganezuka's eyes narrowed instantly, locking onto the surging aura rolling along the Nichirin Blade. Arasaki Tetsushin straightened as well, his gaze heavy as he looked at Asuka.
At first, a free and lively rhythm echoed in Asuka's heart. The blade near the guard responded to that rhythm, emitting a blue-green glow.
But almost immediately, a cold, oppressive wave tinged with darkness surged forth, instantly dispersing that rhythm.
In an instant, a chilling light flashed across the blade, followed by a sudden transformation.
Near the base of the blade, close to the guard, a thick, dark crimson spread out like congealed blood, carrying an almost demonic viscosity, as though it had just drunk deeply of life.
That dark red surged upward, freezing both Haganezuka's and Arasaki's gazes.
Red? It was red?
But before the red could fully spread, another extreme black, as though capable of devouring everything, burst forth, entwining with the crimson and chasing it relentlessly all the way to the final cold glint at the blade's tip.
Black and red formed a stark yet eerily intertwined boundary across the cold steel.
Not a trace of the verdant green, pale blue, or any hue symbolizing agility or wildness that a Wind Breathing user's blade should possess appeared.
Yet before the colors could fully settle, the two arcs of light seemed to cancel each other out, vanishing at the same time.
All that remained was a blade shining like ordinary steel.
"This is..." Arasaki said in confusion, his eyes filled with doubt.
"What's wrong, Teacher? Is black and red not acceptable?"
"It's not that. Black is simply rare, and dual-colored Nichirin Blades are even rarer..."
This color had never appeared among Wind Breathing users, yet it resembled the blades of Flame Breathing users. At the very least, the current Flame Pillar's blade was like this.
Including himself, Arasaki had seen the blades of four Wind Breathing users with Pillar-level talent, and none had ever been like this. Their imagery had all been tied to wind and sky.
As for the color appearing and then disappearing entirely, that was unheard of.
Haganezuka's reaction was far more intense.
The clown mask trembled violently, heavy breathing and low growls rising louder and louder from behind it, nearly uncontrollable.
He shook his head and leaned in close to Asuka's Nichirin Blade, examining it again and again. Finally, unable to believe it, he let out a furious roar, loud enough for the disciples on the training ground to faintly hear.
"YOU—BASTARD—!!"