Chapter 211: The Iron Tomb
"Hmm. Not bad. You really are an expert in this field."
Suddenly, a third voice sounded from inside the room.
The voice had no effect on Ren, but it startled Kanamori.
"Oh, it's you, Haganezuka. What are you doing here?"
The newcomer was none other than Haganezuka, another swordsmith.
Kanamori had no idea when Haganezuka had arrived. He had simply appeared out of nowhere.
"I was drawn here by a magnificent work of art."
Haganezuka spoke meaningfully as he stared intently at Ren's forging process.
Kanamori couldn't help but retort, "You're as shameless as ever!"
Haganezuka didn't answer. His attention remained fixed on Ren's movements.
Kanamori asked, "Can you even see what he's doing?"
Haganezuka shook his head.
"I can't."
"Then why are you staring so intently?!"
"But I can smell it. The scent coming from that red-hot piece of iron is incredibly fragrant."
Kanamori looked at him strangely.
"So you followed the smell here?"
"Yes."
Tanjiro suddenly walked out, though no one knew when he had appeared.
"I brought Mr. Haganezuka here."
With that, Tanjiro ran off.
He had come today to retrieve his Nichirin Sword from Haganezuka.
However, when Haganezuka learned that Tanjiro had broken his Nichirin Sword yet again, he flew into a rage and completely forgot about the sword itself.
Instead, he grabbed a sword and chased after Tanjiro!
Then, while Tanjiro was running away, he caught a certain scent and mentioned it. In the end, that scent had led Haganezuka here.
"His hands are so fast."
Although Haganezuka's face was hidden behind his mask, Kanamori could still see stars practically shining in his eyes.
Seeing this, Kanamori felt a faint sense of pride.
Hmph.
He hadn't been this impressed just moments ago!
"Mr. Ren!"
At that moment, Tanjiro finally recognized Ren.
His surprised and delighted voice successfully snapped Haganezuka out of his observation.
"Who is Ren?"
Haganezuka asked in confusion.
"It's Mr. Ren! The Dragon Hashira, Mr. Ren!"
Tanjiro's excited voice gradually faded into the distance.
Only then did Haganezuka finally understand that the person standing before him was Ren—the man he had been thinking about.
In fact, Ren's heroic deeds had already spread throughout the entire Demon Slayer Corps. Aside from the Master, there was practically no one whose reputation within the Corps could rival his.
Naturally, Haganezuka knew who he was.
But that wasn't why Haganezuka's thoughts began to spiral.
So he's Ren—the bastard who broke my Nichirin Sword during the last competition!
Ahhhhh! He broke my Nichirin Sword at such an important occasion!
Now everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps knows that Haganezuka's Nichirin Swords break!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Haganezuka's body began to swell.
His enormous muscles stood in stark contrast to his original build.
Kanamori immediately became tense.
He couldn't let Haganezuka hurt Mr. Ren!
Mr. Ren was currently at a critical stage of forging his Nichirin Sword. If his forging failed because of something that happened in the Swordsmith Village, what were they supposed to do?
Just as Kanamori was about to stop Haganezuka, he suddenly realized that Haganezuka had stopped.
Before Kanamori could even react, Haganezuka grabbed Tanjiro by the ear.
"This is all your fault! You were there that time, so why didn't you stop him?!"
Tanjiro: "???"
Tanjiro had suddenly been dragged into the crossfire and was completely bewildered.
Wait. What does this have to do with me?
Kanamori felt a throbbing pain in his head.
Fortunately, Haganezuka eventually managed to keep himself under control and didn't interfere with Ren.
Otherwise, Kanamori had no idea how he would explain the situation.
Haganezuka naturally understood that as well.
He could see that Ren was forging a sword.
A master swordsmith forging a blade was a sacred occasion to another swordsmith.
It could never be interrupted!
So Haganezuka didn't even have the opportunity to vent his anger.
As a result, Tanjiro ultimately became the target of Haganezuka's fury.
Watching this scene, Kanamori had only one thought.
Tanjiro, you've spoiled him way too much!
Clang—
Just as the few of them were arguing, the sound of a hammer striking metal rang out.
It wasn't loud or soft.
Everyone immediately turned toward Ren.
The experienced swordsmiths knew what that sound meant.
Ren had finished his work!
Everyone immediately rushed over.
Kanamori ran especially fast, eager to see Ren's finished creation.
There was no particular reason for it.
He was simply curious.
The opening act had already been so impressive. Just how astonishing would the finished product be?
"The entire blade is incredibly smooth. This is a fine sword!"
With their sharp eyes, Haganezuka and Kanamori immediately recognized the extraordinary quality of Ren's blade.
Ren held the sword in his hand and lightly drew its edge across a nearby piece of iron ore.
A shocking crack appeared across the ore!
"My God! This blade is unbelievably sharp!"
Kanamori's eyes widened.
What had he just seen?!
This sword had actually cut through iron ore.
And it had done so effortlessly, without leaving even the slightest trace of damage on the blade!
Haganezuka was equally stunned.
He stared at the blade in Ren's hand for a long time, unable to say a word.
Forged blades generally possessed high hardness, good toughness, and excellent wear resistance.
And Ren's blade possessed all three.
High hardness: Forged blades were generally harder than cast blades, giving them superior wear resistance and cutting ability.
Excellent toughness: During forging, the metal's grain structure was refined, improving the material's toughness and making the blade less likely to break under impact.
Wear resistance: Forged blades possessed high surface hardness and excellent wear resistance, allowing them to remain sharp even after prolonged use.
One strike had cut through iron ore!
Is this what high hardness means?
The blade didn't even chip. Does that mean its toughness is equally incredible?
Haganezuka began to question his own abilities.
No wonder.
No wonder Ren said his sword had broken.
He never came looking for me to repair it again.
So he was hiding a trick like this all along!
"Mr. Haganezuka, Mr. Ren, whose sword is that?"
Tanjiro, standing nearby, also looked deeply concerned.
Although he wasn't a swordsmith, he was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
He killed demons every day, so he understood better than most what a sharp and reliable Nichirin Sword meant.
Take the Nichirin Sword Haganezuka had made for him, for example.
Its sharpness was sufficient to kill a Lower Rank demon.
But it kept breaking!
The last time he had fought a Lower Rank demon on Mount Natagumo, he had nearly lost his life.
He had charged at the Lower Rank with a broken sword, intending to sever its head, and had almost died there.
That was why Tanjiro desperately wanted a good sword now.
Preferably the one currently in Ren's hands!
"Let me take a look…"
Haganezuka was just about to reach out and examine Ren's Nichirin Sword when Ren immediately lowered it.
Then he raised his hammer and struck the newly forged Nichirin Sword!