Chapter 214: Give It a Try
Instead, they had allowed young people like Ren and Muichiro Tokito to take the positions of Hashira!
Were the higher-ups of the Demon Slayer Corps all idiots?!
Kaigaku voiced his dissatisfaction and declared that he would prove himself by killing an Upper Rank demon.
But now, after receiving Kokushibo's message, Kaigaku—who already hated Ren—immediately decided to tell him where Ren was.
He didn't believe Ren would be able to kill an Upper Rank demon.
As long as Ren weakened the Upper Rank first, Kaigaku could simply swoop in afterward and reap the rewards.
Wouldn't that be perfect?
With that thought, Kaigaku got dressed, quickly tidied himself up, and left the hot spring area...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Inside Kanamori's forge.
The ringing of metal echoed throughout the room.
Aside from the sound of Ren's hammer, there wasn't a single other noise.
Ren gripped the hammer and struck the fifth Nichirin Sword he had forged, one blow after another.
That's right.
This was already his fifth.
He had already forged Nichirin Swords for Kanao and himself.
The final sword was for Shinobu.
Shinobu's physical strength was relatively weak, but she excelled at using poison and possessed incredible speed.
Ren wanted to try forging an upgraded version of the Nichirin Sword Shinobu was currently using.
It was an extremely difficult task, which was why Ren had spent so much additional time on it.
Kanamori stood nearby, his eyes wide with astonishment.
This was the third one.
This was already the third!
Ever since Haganezuka had snatched the Nichirin Sword from Ren, Ren had forged three more Nichirin Swords!
At this point, Kanamori was certain.
Ren surpassed him in both quality and forging speed.
He could even be compared to the Swordsmith Village's chief.
Aside from the chief, Kanamori couldn't think of anyone whose skills could surpass Ren's.
Had this young man really been a Demon Slayer before this?
Even if someone told him that this level of craftsmanship had been passed down through eighteen generations in the Swordsmith Village, he would believe them.
"However..."
Kanamori glanced toward Ren, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Ren had forged the first two Nichirin Swords extremely quickly, but the third one had clearly taken much longer.
Was he pursuing perfection?
Kanamori didn't know Ren's purpose. He simply assumed that Ren was repeatedly honing his skills.
After that, he would forge a weapon for himself.
Lord Ren is truly amazing!
Tanjiro stood to the side, staring intently at Ren.
His eyes were practically sparkling.
From the very beginning, he had never taken his eyes off Ren.
He could tell that Lord Ren took everything he did extremely seriously, whether it was fighting or forging Nichirin Swords!
That was why Lord Ren had been able to become a Hashira!
Tanjiro had long since begun treating Ren as his role model.
He said nothing.
Instead, he had already decided to return and put himself through another day of hellish training to become stronger!
"Hey, hey~ What are you all doing here?"
Suddenly, a sweet voice came from the doorway.
The voice was like soft, sticky candy, instantly catching Tanjiro and Kanamori's attention.
Tanjiro turned his head.
The newcomers were Shinobu and Kanao from the Butterfly Estate.
All three swordsmen from the Butterfly Estate had gathered here.
"Lady Shinobu."
"Lady Shinobu."
The two greeted Shinobu with clenched fists, and Kochou Shinobu responded with a smile.
"My, my~ There certainly are a lot of people here. What are you all gathered together for?"
As she spoke, Shinobu's bright eyes began scanning the room.
The next moment, she immediately spotted Ren.
Beside the forge, Ren's forehead was covered in sweat. He held a hammer in his hand, striking the metal with a rhythmic clang.
Two newly forged Nichirin Swords lay beside him—the results of his hard work that morning.
At that moment, Ren, drenched in sweat and completely absorbed in his work, appeared particularly captivating in Shinobu's eyes.
Shinobu immediately etched his figure deeply into her mind.
Kanao did the same.
The moment she entered the room, she had begun looking for Ren.
She was slightly faster than Shinobu.
Because she was taller than Shinobu, she spotted Ren immediately.
"Answering Lady Shinobu, Lord Ren is forging Nichirin Swords. We are here to observe."
"Observe?" Shinobu blinked. "Observe what? Aren't you a swordsmith?"
Kanamori answered honestly, "Yes. But Lord Ren's skills are far more refined than mine, so I'm here to learn from him."
Shinobu's gaze shifted slightly.
Then, with a smile in her eyes, she said, "It seems Ren really is very talented. He helped modify my Nichirin Sword before, and even then, I thought he was quite incredible. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Kanamori and Tanjiro nodded repeatedly.
Ren's astonishing abilities were obvious to anyone who saw them. Now that Shinobu had specifically brought up the matter, the two naturally answered honestly.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of a hammer falling to the ground rang out.
Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the noise.
It had come from Ren.
Ren wiped the sweat from his forehead, submerged the final newly forged Nichirin Sword in water, and then pulled it back out.
White steam billowed above the blade.
The water boiled violently, and finally, a Nichirin Sword gleaming with golden light appeared in Ren's hand.
"A Nichirin Sword!" Kanamori's eyes immediately lit up. "What a beautiful Nichirin Sword!"
The entire blade was golden, as though it had been coated in gold, giving it a magnificent appearance.
The craftsmanship of the final Nichirin Sword Ren had forged was simply exquisite.
It immediately drew everyone's attention.
Everyone moved closer to Ren.
"I'm not entirely sure about its quality," Kanamori said.
He knew that normally, whenever Ren finished forging a Nichirin Sword, he would instinctively test it himself.
But this time, Kanamori was somewhat uncertain.
He hadn't been able to see it clearly before.
Now that he had moved closer, he finally realized what Ren was holding.
It was extremely small.
Yes.
It was a very light and thin Nichirin Sword.
A Nichirin Sword like this was extremely light, allowing its user to move much faster.
However, its drawback was equally obvious.
Although it increased the user's speed, it did not increase their strength.
Under normal circumstances, a Nichirin Sword like this would be unable to sever a demon's neck.
Unless it was wielded by a swordsman with monstrous strength, like Ren, Sanemi Shinazugawa, or Obanai Iguro.
If a swordsman couldn't even properly wield a heavy Nichirin Sword, why would they choose one like this?
At that moment, Kanamori's thoughts were racing.
He subconsciously looked toward Shinobu.
He wasn't stupid.
He knew exactly who among the Demon Slayer Corps knew Ren and possessed relatively little physical strength.
This sword had been forged by Ren for Shinobu.
"Give it a try."
Ren picked up the two Nichirin Swords in his hands and handed one each to Kanao and Shinobu.
The petite bodies of Kanao and Shinobu trembled simultaneously.