Chapter 16
The three young siblings confidently brought Kiriya back to their home, only to be shocked when they found that their house had already been reduced to ruins.
Only then did they remember that their house had indeed been destroyed by the demons rampaging through the area.
Forget preparing a generous dinner to thank their saviors.
They did not even have a clean room where their benefactors could spend the night.
"How could this happen?"
At that thought, the eyes of the three siblings filled with tears.
"It’s all right. We still have some dry rations with us. It should be enough."
Tanjiro was the first to speak, gently comforting them.
"Huh? Tanjiro, you brought dry rations? I didn’t bring anything."
Zenitsu clutched his stomach, looking pitiful and wronged.
Hearing that, the three children’s tears immediately threatened to overflow again, making Tanjiro glare at Zenitsu.
"All right, all right. It’s not a big deal."
Kiriya raised his hand, stopping Tanjiro before he could lose his temper.
"It’s just a house. We’ll have one soon enough."
Hearing that, everyone turned to look at him.
Their eyes seemed to say, ’Big bro, can you at least respect common sense when you speak? A house isn’t something that just appears because you say so.’
Facing their strange looks, Kiriya did not explain.
He simply walked forward, formed the Snake hand seal, and shouted.
"Wood Release: Three-Bedroom-One-Living-Room Technique."
As his voice fell, the earth rumbled and shook.
A two-story detached wooden house, roughly two hundred square meters in size, rose straight from the ground.
"This... this, this, this..."
For a moment, forget the ordinary children.
Even Tanjiro and Zenitsu, who had seen a bit of the world, were left staring with their mouths open.
As for Inosuke...
He had been twisting and wriggling like a wild child just a moment ago, but after seeing this, his eyes widened like copper bells.
If not for the gravity of his eye sockets holding them in place, his eyeballs might have flown out.
"W-what the hell is that? That pretty boy really is a yokai, isn’t he?"
"What... what kind of power is this?"
Tanjiro finally could not help asking.
"Well, you can understand it as something like onmyojutsu."
Kiriya used a comparison that people in this country would find easier to understand.
"Onmyojutsu? Kiriya-san, so you’re an onmyoji?"
Tanjiro’s eyes were filled with surprise and awe.
"I didn’t expect people from legends like that to really exist."
As for the ordinary children, there was even less need to mention them.
The way they looked at Kiriya was practically the way one would look at a living immortal.
"Thick beams, complete doors and windows, solid walls... Living in a house like this must be unbelievably comfortable."
Zenitsu murmured, but his mind had already begun wandering.
’If I could do this too, wouldn’t I instantly become rich? Then wouldn’t I be able to marry as many waifu as I wanted?’
The thought of being surrounded by beautiful girls made Zenitsu’s blood almost boil.
"Master! I want to learn this!"
He hugged Kiriya’s leg and shouted loudly.
The other children said nothing, but their eyes were also full of longing when they looked at Kiriya.
They wanted this miraculous power too.
"I already told you, this sort of thing depends on talent."
Kiriya sighed.
"Instead of thinking about something unrealistic, you’d be better off finding a few animals to hunt. Otherwise, we won’t have anything for dinner tonight."
Hearing that, Inosuke, who had been quietly lying on the ground, suddenly began struggling.
Kiriya had not intended to pay attention to him, but the guy only became even more intense.
Helpless, Kiriya removed the seal over his mouth and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
"To hunt, obviously!"
Inosuke shouted excitedly.
"That’s what I’m best at!"
"Really?"
Kiriya looked unconvinced.
"Of course it’s true! Would the great Inosuke Hashibira lie?"
Two streams of hot steam seemed to burst from Inosuke’s nostrils.
"Fine."
Kiriya released Inosuke’s restraints, then said to Tanjiro and the others, "You all go too. Otherwise, this guy might just be all talk and no skill."
"Hmph, just watch me!"
Inosuke was instantly fired up.
He rushed into the forest, and in less than half an hour, he came running back while carrying a wild boar!
He threw it heavily onto the ground.
With both hands on his hips, he looked so proud that Kiriya almost laughed.
This guy really was easy to understand.
Just a few provocative words had made him put in one hundred and twenty percent effort.
With the wild boar secured, everything that followed became much easier.
Kiriya handled the main cooking, while the others helped.
Using some wild mushrooms found nearby and a few spices Kiriya carried with him, they made a huge pot of meat soup and fragrant roasted meat.
The smell alone nearly made everyone’s drool form a river.
"Let’s eat."
The instant Kiriya gave the order, everyone entered serious eating mode. Before long, most of the food had been completely wiped out.
After eating until their stomachs were round, the group lay on the corridor outside the house, recovering.
But Inosuke jumped up immediately, pointing two fingers at Kiriya like a sword.
"Hey, wooden yokai, come fight me!"
"Mm?"
Kiriya did not react at first.
When he finally confirmed that the "wooden yokai" Inosuke was talking about was him, a vein bulged on his forehead!
"What did you just say?"
Kiriya smiled, his expression gentle.
But whether it was the three siblings, Tanjiro, or Zenitsu, all of them felt a chill run down their spines.
Zenitsu even hugged Tanjiro directly, trying to gain a little comfort.
Cold sweat also appeared on Inosuke’s forehead.
But that pressure did not make him afraid. Instead, it only made his fighting spirit burn even hotter.
"I knew you weren’t some simple guy. You must be really strong, right? Come on, let me see your true strength!"
As soon as Inosuke finished speaking, he charged straight at Kiriya.
"Boar Rush!"
"Stop! Corps members aren’t supposed to fight each other!"
Tanjiro instinctively moved to stop him, only to be pulled back by Zenitsu.
"Idiot, that boar fool won’t calm down unless he suffers a little."
Zenitsu whispered.
Tanjiro seemed to understand, but not fully, and nodded.
While the two of them were speaking, Inosuke had already launched several fierce attacks.
He lowered his body, pressing his center of gravity extremely low. His entire body approached as swiftly as a snake.
Sometimes his legs kicked out like lightning, and sometimes his fists smashed down like heavy hammers.
His bare body was clearly covered in powerful muscle, yet it possessed unbelievable flexibility, always allowing him to perform impossible movements at critical moments.
For example, right now, while keeping his chin against the ground, he suddenly whipped both legs toward Kiriya’s face.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu could barely keep up with what they were seeing.
"So fast!"
"His body is so flexible."
"But the strongest one is still big bro."
The youngest little girl spoke the cruel truth in an innocent voice.
That’s right.
Although Inosuke unleashed an extremely ferocious offensive, surging like wave after wave of a stormy sea, every attack shattered when it crashed against the reef that was Kiriya.
Not a single strike landed.
Again and again, attacks that should have hit missed completely. Inosuke was panting from exhaustion, yet his opponent remained calm and composed.
That gap made Inosuke’s temper rise higher and higher.
"You coward! Are you only good at using yokai tricks and dodging? If you’ve got guts, face me head-on!"
As he shouted, he lashed out with a heavy whip kick.
Suddenly, Kiriya disappeared from in front of him.
Inosuke immediately realized something was wrong and tried to adjust his posture to defend, but a heavy punch slammed into his abdomen.
The violent force pierced through his internal organs and spread through his limbs and bones, making his consciousness blur for a moment.
’Such... a hard fist!’
That thought flashed through his mind.
Then Kiriya’s fists swallowed him!
"Cough, cough, cough, cough—!"
Amid impact sounds that terrified Zenitsu and made Tanjiro’s teeth ache, Inosuke’s body was forcibly tenderized in a full circle.
The sight made everyone feel some pity.
"Why did this donkey-brained guy have to provoke him?"
Zenitsu shook his head and sighed.
One minute later, the sparring session ended.
Kiriya adjusted his breathing, looked down at Inosuke lying on the ground, and praised him with a nod.
"Not bad. You almost hit me."
Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and the others all had black lines across their foreheads.
’Kiriya-san was also the kind of person who showed no mercy with his mouth.’
"Kiriya-san, is he all right?" Tanjiro asked carefully.
"He’s fine. It just hurts a little. Nothing serious."
Kiriya waved his hand.
"I’m not some demon. Why would I randomly kill people?"
"Phew, that’s good."
Tanjiro finally let out a breath of relief.
"Someone like him definitely won’t die." Zenitsu said this, then placed both hands on Tanjiro’s shoulders and stared directly into his eyes, speaking word by word.
"Compared with that, there’s something much more important I need to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Why are you carrying a demon around with you?"
Zenitsu pointed at the wooden box on the ground, finally asking the question he had been hiding for a long time.
"She... is my younger sister."
Tanjiro looked at the box with eyes full of tenderness, then slowly told everyone his story.
Like many members of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had once lived a life that was not perfect, but still happy in its own way.
Yet because of the existence of demons and their sudden intrusion, everything had been ruined.
In the blink of an eye, his family was destroyed, and almost all of his relatives were lost in a single night.
His only surviving family member, his younger sister, had also been turned into a demon.
From that day onward, he had set his resolve.
He would kill demons and save his sister.
For that, he endured hellish training, passed a near-death selection exam, and survived one difficult battle after another.
But all of that was still far from enough.
Because the root of all this tragedy was the Demon King himself.
Kibutsuji Muzan.
The Demon King who had poisoned the world for a thousand years was the source of countless tragedies, and both his power and forces were terrifying.
With Tanjiro’s current strength alone, he was still far from enough.
"I have to become stronger. Stronger and stronger, without stopping. Kibutsuji Muzan... only him. I absolutely have to cut him down!"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
"Tanjiro..."
Zenitsu’s expression became complicated.
He had not expected this cheerful, sunny, gentle, and kind-hearted boy to be carrying such a heavy fate.
Compared with that, he had only been tricked out of his money by a woman before meeting the old man.
He had really been lucky among the lucky.
Zenitsu had just been about to say a few words of comfort when he suddenly froze.
The wooden box behind Tanjiro had opened, and a young girl stepped out of it and hugged him.
The girl had long black hair draped over her shoulders.
She wore a pink kimono with a hemp-leaf pattern and a black haori over it.
Although she held a bamboo muzzle in her mouth, it did nothing to diminish her beauty.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro patted his sister’s shoulder, then introduced her to everyone around them.
"Everyone, this is my younger sister, Nezuko. Nezuko, these people are friends. They’re all good people."
Nezuko tilted her small head, then bowed politely to them.
"Kawaii!"
Zenitsu suddenly felt as though something had pierced his heart.
It was the arrow known as love.
From this day onward, his fate would be completely tied to this girl!
Tanjiro, no, my brother in law, I’ve decided this brotherhood is for life!
"Don’t worry, Tanjiro. As your brother, I’ll help you!"
Zenitsu’s expression became firm, firmer than ever before.
"Thank you, Zenitsu."
Tanjiro was deeply moved.
Then he saw Zenitsu’s expression turn dreamy as he twisted his body and walked toward Nezuko.
The two of them then began playing a game of chase around the courtyard.
Tanjiro: ^へ^
That was careless of me!
He had thought this guy was loyal, only to discover he had ulterior motives.
"The Demon King, huh? Sounds good!"
A rough voice rang out from beside them.
"I’ve decided. Kibutsuji Muzan’s head belongs to me!"
"Oh, Inosuke, you’re all right?" Tanjiro asked in surprise.
"Hmph. It was just a flesh wound. How could that stop the great me?"
Inosuke snorted, then looked toward Kiriya.
"Even though I lost this time, I’ll work hard to become stronger. Then I’ll challenge you again."
"I’ll be waiting anytime."
Kiriya smiled.
Although this guy’s mouth was foul, he was also straightforward in an almost cute way.
Then Kiriya turned back to Tanjiro.
"Kid, you want to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan?"
"That’s right."
Tanjiro nodded heavily.
"No matter how painful or difficult it is, I’ll never give up."
"I’m not telling you to give up."
Kiriya shook his head.
"If you want to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan, that power is already inside your body."
"Inside... me?"
Tanjiro froze, then looked down at his own hands.
Did he have that power?
Why did he not know about it?
"Kiriya-san, what exactly is this power?" Tanjiro asked urgently.
"Hinokami Kagura. Do you remember it?"
Kiriya smiled.
"That Breathing Style is the key to defeating your enemies."
"Hinokami Kagura? But isn’t that a ceremonial dance? How did it become the key to slaying Muzan?"
Tanjiro’s little brain became completely confused.
"That’s a long story."
Kiriya cleared his throat.
"A long, long time ago, a genius swordsman suddenly appeared in this land. At only seven years old, without having undergone any formal sword training, he completely defeated a samurai who had trained for many years. After he formally began learning the sword, it only took him a few years to become unmatched in the world."
"Later, he created the very first Breathing Style."
"Sun Breathing."
"With that Breathing Style, the swordsman reached a realm beyond ordinary humans. He even once drove Kibutsuji Muzan into a desperate situation. If Muzan had not run fast enough, he would have died long ago. Because of that swordsman’s deterrence, Kibutsuji Muzan hid his identity for a hundred years. Only after that swordsman died did he dare emerge again and cause chaos."
Kiriya’s words shook Tanjiro and the others deeply.
All of them swallowed at once.
To force the arrogant Demon King into a dead end and intimidate him so badly with one battle that he did not dare act freely for a hundred years...
What kind of power was that?
What kind of strength is it?
"But this... what does it have to do with my family’s Hinokami Kagura?"
Tanjiro noticed the key point.
"That swordsman failed to kill Kibutsuji Muzan. While disheartened, he met your ancestor and formed a deep friendship with him. Believing his own future to be uncertain, that swordsman passed the Breathing Style down to your ancestor, and it has been preserved in your family until now."
Gulp.
Everyone turned to look at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro, meanwhile, looked down at his own hands.
His hands were trembling.
"So... that’s how it is."
Tanjiro thought of the strange things his father had done, such as killing a giant bear with one strike while gravely ill on a snowy night.
He had not thought much of it before.
But looking back now, everything made sense.
"Thank you very much, Kiriya-san."
He stood and bowed deeply to Kiriya.
"No need to thank me. I have my own goal too."
Kiriya looked at Tanjiro and said, "I need you to demonstrate Hinokami Kagura for me once."