Chapter 384
"If you can cut this rock, I will allow you to participate in the final selection."
One day three months later, Sakonji Rinta brought Souji Okita to a huge spherical stone and announced the final training goal to her.
"Eh!?! Rocks... can be cut?"
Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado, who came along out of curiosity, showed quite surprised expressions, but Okita Souji, who was the actual test subject facing the test, was quite calm.
"Do we have to chop this stone off, or is it enough to just break it, Mr. Rin Taki?"
While questioning Rinda Sakonji, Okita Souji had already aimed the tip of his silver-glowing Nichirin sword at the huge ballast stone, just like he did every time he entered the battlefield.
"Let's go, Tanjiro, Nezuko."
Rinta Sakonji obviously had no intention of answering Okita Souji's question. He followed what he had said before going up the mountain, "From now on, it's all up to you," and turned around and walked down the mountain with the other two children who had come to join in the fun.
However — the sound of rocks breaking rang in everyone’s ears.
"Excuse me, is this okay?"
The light of the Sun Blade was as sharp as before. The blue color of the Breath of Water could be seen fading away, revealing the cold silver light of metal. Behind Okita Souji, the huge stone had broken into countless small pieces - it was as if something else had exploded the stone from the inside...
——Can such a huge rock be destroyed so easily?
The Kamado siblings hadn't recovered from the shock of the huge stone shattering so easily, but Rindo Sakonji had already jumped back from below to stand in front of Okita Souji, and repeatedly emphasized to him loudly -
"Can you chop off the demon's head with a thrust!?! Chop it off! Do it again!! You must chop it off!!!"
"Can stabbing break rocks?" Tanjiro Kamado asked dully.
"You probably can't do that with a normal thrust." Okita Souji smiled as he sheathed his katana-shaped Nichirin sword and answered Kamado Tanjiro gently, "But whether it's a rock or something else - if you hit the same spot repeatedly, it will definitely be damaged, right? My thrust is different from other thrusts, and that's why it's a sword technique that's unique to me."
“‘Destruction’ is a very easy task for me, especially with the help of the breathing technique.”
While Okita Souji and Kamado Tanjiro were talking, Rindagi Sakonji found a bigger ballast stone from somewhere and dragged it here.
"...I understand, Mr. Rintoku." Okita Souji drew the Nichirin sword from his waist again, and his golden eyes reflected the same cold light as when the Shinsengumi performed their duties in the past. "I will definitely "cut" the stone."
From then on, Rinta Sakonji really never paid any attention to Okita Souji again, and was busy monitoring the training progress of the Kamado siblings all day long. However, because Rinta Sakonji no longer instructed Okita Souji, the Kamado siblings, who were still absolute novices in kendo, finally got to see the daily self-training routine of the genius swordsman, Okita Souji.
Usually the Kamado siblings went to bed later and got up earlier - they always climbed Mt. Samagiri in the middle of the night and ran back to the cabin at the foot of the mountain before dawn. But even though the Kamado siblings watched Okita Souji crawl into bed after dinner every day, they would also see Okita Souji standing in the open space in front of the door and starting to swing his sword when they ran back to the foot of the mountain every day.
When Okita Souji swung his sword, he didn't count for his own record like they did when they were fulfilling Rindotaki Sakonji's request - compared to the rough training policy of the Demon Slayer Corps trainers that only required one to be able to swing a sword, Okita Souji, who came from a serious kendo gym, swung his sword so gracefully that it looked like a work of art in a sense.
The humming sound of the blade cutting through the air, the rubbing sound of the kimono fabric, and the extremely regular breathing sound of the water breathing - this is Okita Souji swinging his sword facing the rising sun every morning at the foot of Mount Samagiri.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen Miss Kikuhara doing other training..." One day at dinner time, Kamado Tanjiro asked Okita Souji who was maintaining his sword while eating, "Although I know that it's amazing that Miss Kikuhara has achieved all of Mr. Rintaki's requirements in just three months, but--"
"Swinging a sword is the simplest exercise that can make the swordsman and the sword become one." Okita Souji checked the blade of the Nichirin sword in the firelight. After confirming that the daily maintenance of the Nichirin sword was completed, he took out Kashuu Kiyomitsu and began to repeat the maintenance work. "The sword is very important to the swordsman. It is a companion that is equivalent to a part of your body - so you must take good care of it."
"But……"
"Don't worry about me, Tanjiro." Ms. Okita smiled and looked tenderly at Kashuu Kiyomitsu who was pinned down by her. "If I just want to cut off the 'Zanza', I can cut off the 'Zanza' rock even with just the scabbard... or with my bare hands - but I promised others that I would not let this Sunwheel Sword 'Cutie Onimushi' get damaged."
"So, improving my rapport with this sword is the last and necessary step before I leave Samagiri Mountain."
"Butterfly Demon Characters 'Kochou Onimonji'?" Nezuko Kamado tilted her head towards Souji Okita and looked at her in confusion.
"Ah, this is the name I gave this Nichirin sword privately." Okita Souji took the butterfly demon word that had been put back into the scabbard back to the Kamado siblings, showing the part of the blade with the words engraved on it, "Can you see it? It says 'Evil Demon Slayer' here - that's why it's the demon word 'Onimonji'."
"As for the word 'Kochou', I decided on it based on the impression of the people who had a connection with this sword." Okita pointed at the two people with a smile, "That lady is like a beautiful butterfly, light and fluttering, it's easy to make people unconsciously lower their guard."
"Why do you give swords names?" Tanjiro Kamado asked Souji Okita.
"Because the Nichirin Sword has no name, just like there is no record of the Demon Slayer Corps." Okita Souji put away the butterfly demon text, sighed helplessly, and rushed the two children to bed, "But the sword is the most important companion for a swordsman. A companion always needs a name to call him - otherwise, with so many Nichirin Swords, how do you know which one has been destined to be with you?"
"Even if your Sun Sword breaks in the future, and you get a new one, the new Sun Sword will be different from the old one."
"So...names are very important. Don't forget this."
Because all Okita Souji did every day was swinging the sword, the Kamado siblings would later ask for advice from Okita Souji after completing their training tasks for the day. Okita Souji initially refused the two of them on the grounds that he was not well-trained enough, but Rinka Sakonji pointed out on the spot that he was a "Menkyo Kaiden".
"You've already passed the Menkyo Kaiden exam, yet you still say you're not good enough in swordsmanship." Rinta Sakonji stood under the eaves and looked at the three of them. This was his first conversation with Okita Souji since the final trial officially began. "If you say that, then no one in Japan can say they have achieved anything in swordsmanship."
"Is it really okay for me to teach these two the art of swordsmanship that can kill people, Mr. Rinta?" Souji Okita asked calmly with his back to Rinta Sakonji.
"Didn't you say that yourself?" Rinda Sakonji walked under the sun, crossed his arms and looked at the three people, repeating to Okita Souji what she had said in the past, "'Swordsmanship that cannot kill the enemy is meaningless' - so, swordsmanship that kills people can also be transformed into swordsmanship that kills demons, right?"
"...Ah, of course, because demons are also enemies." Okita Souji replied.
However, there are obvious disadvantages in letting geniuses teach others - for example, the first lesson that Ms. Okita taught the Kamado siblings was a three-person sword fight.
Although the entire process of the sparring seemed like Okita Souji was abusing the kendo newbie, at the end, Kamado Tanjiro had a surprised expression on his face, as if he had learned something from Okita Souji - so much so that Rindo Sakonji specifically asked Kamado Tanjiro what he had learned from Okita Souji during dinner that night.
"Ah, because when Miss Kikuhara was teaching us, the sword she used was not the butterfly demon character sword, but the katana in the red scabbard." Kamado Tanjiro worked hard to help the picky eater Okita Souji finish the pickled radish, while answering Rinta Sakonji, "So I understand that what Miss Kikuhara said before was the absolute truth."
"That katana is a sword that is truly integrated with Miss Kikuhara as a swordsman. The Miss Kikuhara holding this sword is completely different from the Miss Kikuhara holding the butterfly ghost letter."
"...I'm going to go up the mountain tomorrow." Okita Souji put down the bowl in his hand and announced his decision to the three people gathered around the stove. "So, Tanjiro, Nezuko, can you two stay up a little later tonight? Because I'm leaving soon, I'm going to teach you the essence of swordsmanship."
"Whether you can master it is another matter - but if you can successfully master that sword technique, you will naturally master the other sword techniques of this style."
"Are you planning to teach your unique skills?" asked Rinjo Sakonji.
"No, I'm going to teach you the basics." Okita shook his head and walked out the door. "That's the sword technique I adjusted after mastering the entire style of swordsmanship to better suit my own combat. It may not be suitable for them. The sword technique that suits them can only be explored by the two of them on their own."
"Then let's go up the mountain after we teach them." Rinta Sakonji took away the empty bowls of several people and looked at Okita Souji who was standing under the moonlight. "Aren't you in a hurry? Let's cut the rocks and leave here tonight."
"Oh, I've been spotted." Okita Souji turned around and gave Sakonji Urokita an embarrassed smile, "Thank you, Mr. Urokita."
"Now that you know what's going on, hurry up!" The old man wearing a Tengu mask fiercely chased the students who had just finished dinner out of the door like chickens, "I won't wait for you!"
"Got it, Mr. Rintoki!"