Facing this attack, Giyu Tomioka did not dare to be careless. Gripping the hilt of his Nichirin blade in reverse, he stabbed forward with precision.
Clash—!
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
As the fastest technique within Water Breathing, it rivals the speed of Mist Breathing's Fourth Form.
When the tip of Giyu's blade struck Muichiro Tokito's nearly shattered Nichirin sword, it came as no surprise—Muichiro's blade snapped cleanly under the pressure of the thrust.
Thrown off balance by the force and sudden loss of resistance, Muichiro stumbled. Before he could fall, Giyu moved swiftly and caught him by the waist.
"Ah—sorry, I broke your sword…" Giyu muttered, intending to end the sparring session.
But Muichiro, far from done, turned his head and looked toward Tanjiro Kamado.
"Hey. Lend me your sword."
Before Tanjiro could reply, Gyokko, the small silver crow perched on Muichiro's shoulder, barked,
"Did you hear him? Lend your sword to Muichiro!"
Giyu smiled wryly. Clearly, Muichiro wasn't satisfied yet.
"Please, Tanjiro. Let him borrow it."
"Ah? Sure!" Tanjiro responded without hesitation, stepping forward and handing over his blade.
The kind-hearted Kamado would rarely refuse a request he could fulfill.
"Come again!" Muichiro called as he gripped the blade tightly and launched another high-speed assault.
Clang, clang, clang—
Tomioka engaged head-on, easily holding his own and even appearing relaxed.
He noted Muichiro's precision and power had diminished slightly. But the fault wasn't with Muichiro himself—it was the unfamiliar sword.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
Crash—!
"Alright, Muichiro. Your sword's holding you back. Let's spar again once your new blade is forged."
And with that, Giyu unleashed his full power, his blade halting cleanly just at Muichiro's neck.
"…Mist Breathing—" Muichiro tried to call out a form, but Giyu had moved too quickly. He couldn't respond at all.
"We'll do this again once your new sword's ready."
Giyu smiled and suggested,
"Come with me, Muichiro. I'll take you to my swordsmith. He's got a few spare Nichirin blades."
Muichiro gave Giyu a long look, as if trying to understand why the man before him was so willing to help. But he needed a sword—and so, without protest, followed him down the mountain.
Along the path, Gyokko chirped cheerfully from Muichiro's shoulder:
"Thanks for the spare sword~!"
"You're welcome, Gyokko," Giyu replied.
The crow had a unique temperament—it adored anyone kind to Muichiro and loathed anyone who wasn't.
Once they reached Tecchin Tecchikawahara's forge, Muichiro spent a while selecting a satisfactory sword from among the spares.
As Muichiro turned to leave, Giyu called out, "Where are you going, Muichiro? Stay for a drink?"
Without turning his head, Muichiro murmured,
"To the hot springs…"
After he departed, Tecchin muttered gently,
"That kid's a little… distant, isn't he?"
Giyu glanced out the window and chuckled,
"Don't let Gyokko hear you say that."
That night, after drinking, Tomioka hoisted a drunken Tecchin and carried him back to his home.
He didn't join the others for dinner—instead, he climbed onto the roof and waited for a Demon crafted by Gyokko to appear.
Moments later, a distant explosion shattered the silence.
Boom—!
Turning toward the sound, Giyu narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm… Muichiro's airborne. Looks like the battle's begun."
"That means Gyokko's 'artworks' should start showing up soon, too…"
With that, Tomioka made his way toward the village's main street.
Soon, the village alarm sounded:
"Enemy attack—!"
"A Demon is in the village!"
"Protect the forge masters! Ready your blades! Get the chief to safety!"
Giyu didn't hesitate. Before any of the smiths could organize themselves, he spotted one of Gyokko's grotesque creations.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
In an elegant yet lethal arc, Giyu's blade swept through the Demons like a current, leaving only scattered limbs and fading ashes in its wake.
Then, a figure arrived through the haze: Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira.
"Giyu!! Let me help!"
But Giyu waved her off, never ceasing his movements.
"No—go protect the village chief! I'll handle this alone."
"Alright! But don't leave me behind—we'll regroup in the forest! Tanjiro needs help too!"
"Go!" Giyu urged again.
Mitsuri dashed off with blazing speed.
As other swordsmiths stepped forward with blades in hand, Giyu raised a hand to stop them.
"Your safe retreat is the greatest help you can give me."
Then, Tomioka placed a hand to his neck, stretching slightly, muttering under his breath:
"…You're all hideous."
He took a deep breath—and in a whirl of water, unleashed:
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
A twisting water dragon roared to life, surging through the street and reducing Gyokko's "artworks" to mist and splinters.
Tomioka didn't even use half of his strength.
"…Pathetic," he muttered. "Muichiro should be almost done by now…"
With calm steps, Giyu made his way toward the forest.
It wouldn't be long now—Zohakuten was about to appear.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Muichiro Tokito had reached his moment of awakening.
"…I remember now. The 'Mu' in Muichiro…"
"…means 'infinity.'"
As memories returned and clarity dawned, red cloud markings appeared on Muichiro's face—marking his first step toward the Demon Slayer Mark.
Elsewhere, Zohakuten, the manifestation of Hantengu's hatred, had already emerged.
The tide of battle shifted, and Tanjiro's group was pushed into a desperate defense.
But now, something had changed.
Standing in their way were two Hashira—
Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira.
Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira.
And they were ready.
***
Im dropping this fic…
Author wrote a really good story yet refuses to stray away from the plot…we saw this with upperrank 6 battle.
https://tomatomtl.com/book/7364425370495355966#catalog
If you still want to continue reading you can puck up from Chapter 75
Im going to put my efforts into polishing a new fanfic…a genshin impact fic, check it out if you're interested.
Im sorry