Clang!
The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing interrupted Yamada's thoughts.
In the field, Tanjiro's wooden sword was parried away by Kyojuro at an extremely precise angle, followed immediately by a front kick that sent Tanjiro stumbling back five or six steps, landing on his bottom as he panted heavily.
"Very good! Tanjiro, your Breathing Style switching is much smoother than before. But there is still a slight stagnation in the transition of your moves. You must integrate the power of the flames into every heartbeat." Rengoku commented.
"Thank you for the guidance." Tanjiro wiped away his sweat. Although he was exhausted, his eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Next! Inosuke! It's your turn!"
Inosuke brandished his two wooden swords and charged up, howling.
Watching this bunch of energetic fellows, Yamada chuckled.
Just then, the sliding door to the side was pushed open.
"Yamada-san, a letter from Master."
Kanao, wearing her side ponytail, walked out. She no longer needed to flip a coin to make decisions. Although her eyes remained quiet, they had gained a bit of vivid spirit.
She handed a sealed bamboo tube to Yamada, then sat obediently on her knees to the side, adding some hot tea for him.
"Thanks."
Yamada took the bamboo tube, pulled out the stopper, and poured out a scroll of parchment.
After scanning the contents of the letter at a glance, Yamada raised an eyebrow.
The letter was written personally by Kagaya. It was short, but contained a wealth of information.
The gist was: the Kakushi had discovered several abandoned villages in remote mountainous areas. All the people in the villages had mysteriously disappeared, without leaving any traces of blood or signs of a struggle.
Judging by the faint demonic aura remaining at the scene, the modus operandi was extremely clean and efficient. It didn't look like senseless killing by ordinary demons to satisfy their hunger, but rather an organized "harvest."
"Disappearances without blood..."
Yamada tapped his fingers on the table, a flash of contemplation in his eyes.
Was Muzan stockpiling rations, or was he using a large number of living people for some kind of flesh-and-blood experiment?
Combined with the intelligence that the Infinity Castle was sealed off, Yamada leaned towards the latter.
That guy must be researching how to overcome the sun, or how to create cannon fodder that could stall for time.
"It seems he doesn't intend to show his face easily."
Yamada crumpled the parchment into a ball and let a wisp of faint black flame emerge from his palm, instantly burning it to ashes.
"What's wrong? Is it a troublesome mission?"
Shinobu, who had just finished compounding medicine, walked over from the other end of the corridor and happened to see Yamada burning the letter.
She was wearing her light purple casual outfit today and sat down beside Yamada.
"Nothing major, it's just that Muzan has started playing hide-and-seek."
Yamada picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The Kakushi sent out discovered a few empty villages in the mountains. Muzan is likely using living people for experiments, preparing to unleash a big move."
Hearing this, Shinobu's eyes turned cold. "Another one of those disgusting methods. Does Master need us to investigate?"
Yamada turned his head to look at Shinobu. "No need. Searching for a few rats deliberately hiding in the deep mountains is too time-consuming."
"Since he wants to prepare a big move, let him prepare. When he thinks his turtle shell is hard enough, he will naturally come out. What we need to do now is sharpen our blades."
He pointed to Inosuke, who was fighting fiercely with Kyojuro in the courtyard.
"Let's go down and stretch our muscles."
Yamada stood up, jumped from the corridor, and landed steadily in the center of the training grounds.
"Bo-Boss is going to step in himself?!" Zenitsu, who had just crawled out of the pond, saw this scene and was so scared that he immediately hid behind a tree.
Kyojuro stopped his movements, looking at Yamada with shining eyes.
"Yamada-san! Are you finally willing to instruct us?" Kyojuro gripped his wooden sword tightly, his fighting spirit instantly climbing to the peak.
Having been defeated by a single thunder net strike in the Ubuyashiki courtyard before, he had accepted his loss wholeheartedly.
But over this period, he had trained hard day and night. His physical strength had improved significantly, and he had long wanted to test just how large the gap was between himself and this great mountain.
"Instruction is not the right word."
Yamada walked to the weapon rack and casually picked out an ordinary wooden sword.
"Don't you all want to know how to activate the Demon Slayer Mark?"
Yamada held the wooden sword in one hand, the tip pointing at the ground, his posture lazy yet exuding an impeccable sense of oppression.
"Heart rate over two hundred, body temperature over thirty-nine degrees. This kind of near-death state cannot be achieved just by practicing blindly on your own. It requires external high-pressure stimulation."
Yamada raised his head, a flash of madness in his black eyes.
"Rengoku, and you three brats. Come at me together. As long as you can make me take a step back, or touch a corner of my clothes, you win."
Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the courtyard instantly froze.
Four against one? And all they had to do was make him move back to win?
What arrogance!
"Since Yamada-san says so, we won't be polite!" Kyojuro shouted, his muscles suddenly tensing, and the scorching air currents of Flame Breathing circled his body.
"Tanjiro! Zenitsu! Inosuke! Form a formation!"
"Yes!"
Tanjiro and the others also knew this was a rare combat opportunity, so they immediately adjusted their breathing and surrounded Yamada in a semi-circle.
"I'll go first!"
Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!
Kyojuro led the attack, transforming into a burning meteor, his wooden sword bringing a whistling sound as it struck straight at Yamada's face.
The speed was so fast that it even left a scorched trajectory in the air.
Facing a full-power blow from a Hashira, Yamada's expression was indifferent. He didn't retreat but advanced, meeting the "Unknowing Fire," merely flicking his wrist very slightly.
Smack!
The tip of the wooden sword tapped with extreme precision on the weakest side of Kyojuro's wooden sword's force.
Kyojuro felt a strange spiral dark force coming along the sword, and his originally powerful strike was unexpectedly deflected to the side, leaving his center wide open.
Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
Just as Kyojuro's attack was neutralized, Tanjiro and Zenitsu launched a pincer attack from the blind spots on both sides.
The illusions of water currents and thunder intertwined, attempting to seal Yamada's escape route.
"The coordination is passable, but there are too many flaws."
Yamada tilted his body slightly, passing through the gap in their pincer attack at an incredibly impossible angle.
The wooden sword in his hand drew an afterimage in mid-air.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull thuds sounded almost simultaneously.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu felt their wrists go numb, and their wooden swords flew out of their hands. Immediately after, Yamada's sword hilt had already lightly tapped their foreheads.
"Out."
In less than two seconds, two swordsmen with great potential had been neatly and cleanly disarmed.