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Chapter 143: Forging a Nichirin Sword by Hand
"Lord Suyan, please come with me for a moment."
Not long after, Aoi hurried back into the room.
Seeing that Suyan and Nezuko weren't kissing this time, the blue-haired girl let out a massive sigh of relief.
To be honest, she was genuinely starting to feel a bit terrified of Lord Suyan.
Shinobu, Kanae, Kanao—it felt like the girls of the Butterfly Mansion were lining up to deliver themselves to him.
Especially Kanao. Aoi still couldn't fathom what was going through that girl's head to misinterpret "contact" as "kissing."
Plus, the three little girls had deliberately exposed her embarrassing secret to Suyan yesterday afternoon. They had told him all about how, after returning from the Final Selection, she was so terrified of demons that she accidentally wet the bed in her sleep.
She was seriously worried Suyan might use that to blackmail her! To steal her first kiss!
After all, aside from those three little brats who didn't even count, she was the only one in the Butterfly Mansion who hadn't kissed him yet.
If possible, she really didn't want to face him right now. But this errand was unavoidable.
So, without giving Suyan a chance to ask questions, Aoi turned and walked away briskly.
Suyan was a bit confused by her behavior.
He signaled Nezuko to study Sun Breathing diligently under Saeko, then took the initiative to follow Aoi.
What he didn't notice was the lingering resentment in Nezuko's eyes as he left.
Though she didn't say it aloud, Nezuko had a very strong premonition.
Brother Suyan is probably going to taste his fifth girl's lips today. "Train hard, Nezuko. Once you fully master the essence of Sun Breathing, you'll get what you wish for."
Saeko noticed the grievance in Nezuko's eyes. It reminded her of her past self, who always felt she wasn't worthy of her Suyan-kouhai.
Even when he actively approached her after joining the Kendo Club, her inferiority complex had kept her from taking a step forward; she had even used backward steps to maintain her distance.
Looking back, it was quite an amusing memory.
.....
Meanwhile, Suyan followed Aoi to what looked like a reception room inside the Butterfly Mansion.
Seeing the figure wearing a spotted black headscarf and a Hyottoko mask, Aoi finally relaxed.
"Lord Suyan, this is Mr. Haganezuka, a swordsmith sent by the Master," she explained. "He's here specifically to forge a Nichirin Sword for you. If you have any specific requests for your blade, feel free to discuss them with him."
"Mr. Haganezuka can be a bit eccentric, so please bear with him..."
Aoi scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"A Nichirin Sword?" Suyan muttered to himself, looking at the swordsmith and the chunks of ore placed on the table.
He didn't recall mentioning to Kagaya Ubuyashiki that he needed one.
He hadn't expected the man to be proactive enough to send someone to custom-forge a blade for him. It showed genuine sincerity.
As everyone knew, the Demon Slayer Corps had two primary weapons against demons.
The first was the Breathing Styles created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni during the Sengoku period—its importance went without saying.
The second was the Nichirin Sword, forged from a special ore.
This was a unique mineral in the Demon Slayer world known as Scarlet Ore. It absorbed sunlight, making it far more lethal to demons than Wisteria poison.
Wounds inflicted by a Nichirin Sword were like being burned by the sun; even a demon's immortal regenerative abilities couldn't heal them.
Of course, the author kind of forgot about that rule later on.
Let alone being unable to heal, by the late stages of the story, Upper Rank 3 Akaza and Upper Rank 1 Kokushibo were able to regrow their heads after being decapitated by Nichirin Swords.
And don't even mention the final boss, Muzan.
But regardless of the sword, Suyan had countless methods to dispatch demons—creatures that were practically useless aside from their regeneration.
Just watching Saeko fight Yoriichi had given him the insight to awaken the Crimson Red Blade, a technique specifically designed to counter demon regeneration.
So, a Nichirin Sword was genuinely useless to him.
However, the ore used to forge it was quite interesting.
A mineral that could absorb solar energy. It might not be useful right now, but there was no harm in collecting it just in case.
Suyan looked at the swordsmith. "Mr. Haganezuka, was it? You can go back now. I don't need a swordsmith to forge my blade. Just leave the ore here."
He then turned to Aoi. "Also, please inform Kagaya Ubuyashiki that once we eliminate Muzan, I want all the materials used for forging Nichirin Swords!"
Before Aoi could process this, Haganezuka completely lost it.
"What?!"
Pulling out two gleaming kitchen knives from out of nowhere, Haganezuka brandished them furiously. "What do you mean, 'I can go back'?! Are you insulting my pride as a swordsmith?! Say that again, I dare you!!"
"Oh?"
Seeing the kitchen knives, Suyan was instantly reminded of this specific character.
Wasn't this the exact swordsmith who forged Tanjiro's blades?
He remembered during the Natagumo Mountain arc, when Tanjiro's sword was snapped by the Lower Rank spider demon Rui, Haganezuka had shown up wielding kitchen knives, chasing Tanjiro down like a literal demon.
Despite recognizing him, Suyan had no intention of changing his mind.
He walked over to the table, glanced at the Scarlet Ore, and casually picked up a chunk to weigh it in his hand.
Turning back to the knife-wielding, furiously sharpening Haganezuka, Suyan said calmly, "I'll say it one more time. You can go back. I don't need a swordsmith, because I can just do this."
As he spoke, Suyan injected his Nen into the ore.
The outer layers of rock and dirt peeled away, revealing the pure essence used for forging.
Right before the eyes of Aoi and Haganezuka, the metal stretched and morphed like clay, rapidly taking the shape of a longsword.
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