Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

This wasn't entirely because Asuka had just offended him; it was also because he and Giyu Tomioka didn't get along very well.

Giyu Tomioka was not angry. He calmly explained, "I have collected information about the Lower Moon Four in the northern villages. I am not mistaken about her demonic aura."

“I believe Mr. Tomioka wouldn’t joke about something like this, and I also believe Mr. Asuka has the ability.” Shinobu Kocho maintained her smile and nodded to Asuka: “After all, he just severely injured Lower Moon Two not long ago.”

"Oh! That's amazing! Very impressive!" Rengoku Kyojuro praised loudly again, without any doubt that Asuka's battle record was exaggerated. "We Pillars don't really have many chances to encounter Oni-Tsuki. I'm so envious!"

"Tch..." Seeing that Shinobu Kocho and Kyojuro Rengoku were also speaking up for this kid, Obanai Iguro fell silent.

The birds remained calm as always, because what they said was the truth.

This calm demeanor seemed quite cool to Kanroji Mitsuri, causing a flutter in her heart and her eyes to sparkle.

At the same time, this made Obanai Iguro, who had a good impression of Kanroji, even more unhappy.

"Asuka, your ability to force Lower Moon Two to retreat and defeat Lower Moon Four has already proven your capabilities. Theoretically, you are qualified to become a Pillar-level swordsman," the lord said with a smile.

"However, throughout history, there have only been nine Pillar-level swordsmen at any one time, so for now, we can only promote you to [A]-rank swordsman, giving you the power to participate in councils with the Pillars. Consider this a recognition of your abilities."

"I will follow your instructions."

Asuka didn't care about status or anything like that; he cared more about practical things.

He took the initiative to speak up: "If possible, I hope to learn from the other pillars, as my strength is still insufficient."

"Oh? You're quite the hard-working kid... Good for you, what would you like to learn?"

Asuka looked at the scene and noticed Shinobu Kocho, Muichiro Tokito, and Kyojuro Rengoku.

"I want to learn body techniques, sword techniques, and breathing techniques."

"What?!?!"

Upon hearing Asuka's request, Shinazugawa Saneya, who had remained silent until then, suddenly frowned, looked in Asuka's direction with an unfriendly tone, and prepared to rise, leaning on his Nichirin Blade.

"Hey! Kid... Has Teacher Tiexin been too lenient with you? Making you think that swordsmen from Hayama need to learn other breathing techniques?"

"I don't think you need to learn from anyone else. I'll take care of you! I'll teach you well..."

“Shimi”.

As soon as the lord spoke, Shinazugawa's anger, which was about to erupt, instantly subsided. He forcibly swallowed his dissatisfaction and silently returned to his original seat.

"This is quite a sight," the bird thought to itself.

After calming Shinazugawa Saneya down, the lord looked at Asuka with a puzzled expression: "Although I am just an ordinary person who is not skilled in swordsmanship, I have heard that the styles of different breathing techniques are very different. This kind of training will not affect your health, will it?"

"Thank you for your concern, my lord... This is my only request."

Physical health? Compared to gaining greater power to seek revenge against Aizen, that's nothing.

He knew that if that guy could command so many black-clad swordsmen, he himself was certainly no ordinary person.

He was merely a lowly demon struggling with the Lower Moon using the power of the Tatsumaki; how could he possibly achieve revenge?

Moreover, he had already discovered that even though he had never relaxed his practice of wind breathing, he never felt that he could achieve the same feeling as Arasaki-sensei, where he became one with the wind.

Was it because he hadn't tried hard enough? He wanted to find out where his problem lay by observing and learning other sword styles and breathing techniques.

Seeing Asuka's resolute attitude, Ubuyashiki couldn't say anything, so he agreed to his request and specifically instructed Tokito Muichiro, one of the three, to remember to cooperate with Asuka's training.

Afterwards, Asuka stepped aside, and the Nine Pillars meeting, led by the Princess, continued with deeper discussions:

"As you have reported, the activities of the demons are becoming more and more frequent."

"Wu-chan has more and more loopholes, and is getting more and more impatient, so he has started to create disturbances to divert our attention."

"People's lives are under unprecedented threat, and I think we should increase the number of Demon Slayer Corps members."

“My children (swordsmen), you are the strongest generation of Pillar-level swordsmen since the swordsmen who mastered the ‘Initial Breathing’ in the Warring States period.”

"Perhaps Muzan Kibutsuji's evil will come to an end in our generation!"

Chapter 43 The Dream of a Wandering Soul

"Promise me you won't hurt him, okay?"

It was that woman's voice again...

"Of course not, sister. This isn't about harming him... it's all for..."

Who? Such a sticky, chilling voice... What are they saying...?

Am I dreaming again...?

Since freeing the raccoon from taking her name, Asuka felt that many things had started to change.

The demons' attacks began to slow down in his eyes, and he could more easily perceive the state of those around him with his spiritual pressure, allowing him to more intuitively judge their next move.

Most importantly, he started dreaming, very long dreams.

When you're out making a living on the streets, sleep is a luxury.

Always be vigilant and on guard to avoid being attacked when you are most vulnerable.

For fourteen years, he had hardly had a good night's sleep, often waking up from a deep sleep. This only improved during his two years in Hayama.

Now, he starts to dream frequently.

He would dream of a boy wearing a straw hat with arms that could stretch infinitely, and he would also dream of a blond ninja wearing a headband and holding a ball of azure spirit particles in his hand.

These dreams had no pattern or origin; they were like real people and events that appeared out of thin air in his mind.

The one that appears most often is a woman.

The woman's face was obscured; all that could be seen was her long, dark green hair draped over her shoulders, and she wore a loose, dark brown kimono. She was constantly holding an infant and crying.

The bird turned its neck, which no longer had a body, and looked around blankly.

The room features classic walls painted with pine trees, exquisitely crafted tatami mats, and a subtle aroma of incense.

This feels so familiar...

"But I know... the other children, they're all dead, aren't they...?"

The woman suddenly trembled and whispered to the misty figure before her:

"I don't want to concern myself with your ambitions... but you absolutely cannot have this child..."

"Big sister, stop fooling around, okay?" the figure said coldly. "This child was never yours to begin with. There's a limit to maternal love..."

The man reached out and roughly grabbed the baby's swaddling clothes, causing the baby to cry.

As the cries rang out, the bird felt a splitting headache, and the whole world began to collapse.

The next second, the Japanese-style room shattered, and he plummeted as if falling into an abyss, crashing deeper and deeper into the darkness...

boom!

After an unknown amount of time, the bird felt itself fall onto a soft, fluffy cloud and groggily got up.

The space here was much larger, and dazzling light shone everywhere, so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

Amidst all the brilliance, he vaguely saw a familiar face.

Isn't that Shinobu Kocho...?

"Sister! Don't go! Sister!!"

Shinobu's voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, falling drop by drop onto the pale cheeks of the woman in her arms.

The woman looked very much like Shinobu Kocho, and also wore a butterfly-shaped hairpin. She was so weak that she could barely speak, and she couldn't stop crying.

"Shinobu...please leave the Demon Slayer Corps..."

"I hope... you can be as happy as any other girl... I hope you live a long and healthy life, until your hair turns white..."

"don't want!!"

Shinobu screamed and grabbed the other's cold hand, tears welling up in her eyes as her emotions surged.

"I will never back down! I must avenge my sister!"

"My dear sister! What kind of demon has attacked you?! I will never let him get away with this!!"

"...That was a...ghost...with double fans...on its head...it looked like it had been doused with blood..."

The woman's voice grew weaker and weaker until she finally managed to squeeze out the words with almost all her might.

After she uttered her last word, her arm fell limply to her side, and she lost all sign of life.

"elder sister!!!"

Shinobu buried her face in the other's neck, her shoulders trembling violently, causing the entire mental space of Asuka to tremble.

Who is this? Is she Ninja-senpai's older sister? Why am I dreaming about this?

Is this the root of her inner anger? That overwhelming hatred for evil spirits would deeply move even an ordinary person.

Suddenly, Shinobu Kocho, who was holding the corpse and crying, raised her head and looked at Asuka with her red eyes, which were still full of tears but had a gentle smile on them.

"Are you alright, Mr. Asuka?"

Huh? Asuka felt a twitch in her consciousness, and the world of her dream began to distort.

Shinobu's voice echoed continuously in the spiritual world, growing louder and clearer...

"Well--!!"

Just as the sound was about to overwhelm her, the bird suddenly opened her eyes, gasped, and sprang up.

"Allah!"

At the same time, the lithe figure gracefully leaped backward, dodging the bird's suddenly bouncing head.

Turning her head in surprise, Asuka discovered that Shinobu Kocho was actually in her room.

"It's already noon, Mr. Asuka." She said with a smile, "I noticed you hadn't come to cultivate, so I came to check on the situation. It really was a nightmare."

Cultivation... Oh, right.

Seven days have passed since the meeting of the Sun Pillars.

He stayed at the Butterfly House for the past seven days.

For the first three days, I trained my movement techniques with Shinobu Kocho, and for the next three days, I went to Muichiro Tokito to train in swordsmanship and sparring.

He originally wanted to spend another day learning Flame Breathing, but Shinobu Kocho felt that such high-intensity Pillar-level training was enough, and it was more important to leave a day to recuperate.

"Sorry... I scared you, didn't I?" Asuka wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, feeling apologetic for her lapse in composure.

If Shinobu hadn't reacted quickly, she probably would have been hit.

Shinobu Kocho didn't seem to care, but spoke with some concern: "Mr. Asuka's nightmares are getting longer and longer, which is not a good sign. Is it because the training is too strenuous?"

Because Tanjiro and the other Demon Slayer Corps members who were seriously injured at Spider Mountain were receiving treatment at the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu Kocho also worked at the Butterfly Mansion during this time and did not go out on fieldwork.

During this period, besides taking care of the children who were cultivating [Complete Collection - Normal] while they were sleeping, she also paid special attention to the birds' situation at night.

As she said, the bird's nightmares have become longer during this period.

At first, it was just brief sleep talking, but now it has become so severe that it requires external force to wake me up.

"It's alright, it'll be fine in a while."

Asuka looked at Shinobu Kocho, who was smiling, and couldn't reconcile her image with the screaming girl in her dream.

He straightened his collar: "Thank you... Senior Shinobu, we can begin our training now."

"Are you really okay?" Shinobu Kocho looked suspiciously at the still throbbing veins on Asuka's forehead and sighed inwardly.

She had learned a little about Asuka's past from the lord:

A homeless boy believed to possess a natural breathing ability, capable of fighting demons with just a broken sword... After being taken in by the Hayama Training Center, he trains and grows stronger, putting in several times, even dozens of times, more effort than ordinary people...

What obsession was driving him to push himself so hard...?

A moment later, Asuka had changed into her training clothes and stood in the field, holding a wooden sword.

Dozens of green bamboo stalks intertwined at an angle, each bound with a copper bell, and scattered copper coins lay on the ground.

His training is very simple:

While navigating through the bamboo groves and dodging the copper bells, pick up the scattered copper coins on the ground.

During this time, Shinobu Kocho will continuously throw pebbles around to interfere with the bird's movements.

If you get hit, you have to start all over again.