Chapter 215: Sword Aura
A surge of intense emotion welled up in their hearts at the same time.
They had just followed the village chief back to their quarters and had only now returned.
They hadn't expected Ren to have already forged a Nichirin Sword.
Although they knew how powerful Ren was, they were still deeply moved by the sight.
Kanao reached out.
The moment her hand closed around the Nichirin Sword, her expression changed.
So heavy.
Indeed, her Nichirin Sword was extremely heavy, completely different from the one she had used before!
Although its appearance was identical, its weight was more than five times that of her previous sword.
Ren led Kanao to a huge piece of iron ore and said softly,
"Give it a try."
Kanao nodded.
Then her beautiful eyes sharpened.
Her lungs rapidly expanded as she drew a massive amount of oxygen into them.
"Total Concentration!"
Kanao concentrated all her strength into both hands and unleashed the technique Lily, swinging the Nichirin Sword in an instant.
An astonishing scene unfolded.
As Kanao swung the sword, an invisible ripple suddenly tore through the air.
Then, accompanied by a deafening boom, the blade struck the iron ore.
A huge, jagged crack immediately appeared across the massive chunk of ore.
Kanamori and Tanjiro's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
What kind of strength is this?!
Kanamori rubbed his eyes before hurriedly stepping forward.
He repeatedly examined the piece of iron ore Kanao had just cleaved.
He was stunned.
Wasn't this a piece of iron ore weighing several hundred kilograms?
How could a little girl split it with such a casual swing?
Kanamori simply couldn't believe that a girl could possess such terrifying strength!
So, in the next moment, Kanamori also picked up a forged Nichirin Sword from the side and swung it directly at the piece of iron ore Kanao had just struck.
Clang!
The sharp sound of metal colliding rang out.
When the blade struck the ore, the sword vibrated violently, producing an ear-piercing scraping sound.
Kanamori's entire body trembled along with the Nichirin Sword.
Now he was certain.
After feeling the impact, he immediately fell silent.
As though he had realized something, Kanamori stared fixedly at the Nichirin Sword in Kanao's hands.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro blinked.
He had been a Demon Slayer and had also stayed at the Butterfly Estate, so he naturally knew that although Kanao was very strong, she had never been this strong before.
Back then, Tanjiro had managed to catch up to Kanao through his own hard work.
Has the power of Kanao's sword strikes really become this great?
Tanjiro also glanced at the Nichirin Sword in Kanao's hands.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of sadness.
After all, his own Nichirin Sword had just been taken away by Haganezuka...
The last person to undergo an emotional shift was Shinobu.
She watched Kanao's movements and fell into deep thought.
If her deduction was correct, combined with what Kanao had just done...
This Nichirin Sword must be extremely heavy.
Furthermore, Kanao's movements had seemed somewhat stiff just now, which showed that she wasn't accustomed to using it yet.
And yet, she had still managed to cleave such a massive piece of iron ore.
What did that mean?
Had Kanao become stronger?
No.
Shinobu understood her disciple very well.
Although Kanao had been training hard every day recently...
Her strength shouldn't have increased to such an exaggerated degree.
The problem had to be with the Nichirin Sword Ren had given her.
Thinking of this, Shinobu looked down at the Nichirin Sword in her own hands.
She wanted to know what effect her own Nichirin Sword would have.
Could it increase her strength as well?
To be honest, when Shinobu saw Kanao unleash such a powerful attack, she couldn't help but feel envious.
But the person most shocked by all of this was Kanao herself.
She was the one holding the sword.
How could she possibly not know what it felt like?
Even after delivering that strike, she still felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Because the blade was five times heavier than her previous sword, Kanao's movements had been somewhat stiff and lacking in fluidity.
Yet the result was still terrifying!
It had actually created such a massive crack in a piece of iron ore weighing two hundred kilograms!
Kanao was also extremely puzzled.
Could this Nichirin Sword really provide her with some kind of enhancement?
She clearly hadn't been capable of doing this before.
Ren finally solved the mystery for everyone.
"I believe Kanao has already noticed something about this Nichirin Sword. Indeed, its weight is five times that of her original sword."
"Five times?" Kanamori exclaimed. "At that weight, can even a little girl lift it?"
"Of course."
Ren explained generously, "Didn't Kanao just lift it? Everyone saw what she was capable of."
When Kanamori didn't answer, Ren continued,
"This is also the second thing I wanted to tell everyone."
"Everyone has a weapon that suits them."
"We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. The original Nichirin Swords are designed to balance various aspects of performance, so they are generally quite well-rounded. However, that also means they can't fully bring out the unique strengths of individual members."
"Kanao possesses tremendous strength and agility. Those are her advantages, so when I forged her Nichirin Sword, I took those factors into consideration."
Ren looked at Kanao.
"Kanao, didn't you say before that your Nichirin Sword was too light?"
Kanao nodded.
Ren smiled slightly.
"It seems the original Nichirin Sword actually wasn't suitable for you."
"Your strength is extremely powerful. So when the Nichirin Sword became lighter, although its power remained considerable, it couldn't fully bring out your advantage in strength."
"Likewise, I believe your speed was also being affected by the lightweight Nichirin Sword."
"From my observations, you can still become faster. But if you continue using an even lighter Nichirin Sword, your speed won't be able to improve any further."
"So I forged a heavier Nichirin Sword for you."
"I hope you like it."
I like it.
Kanao pressed her lips together as she gently held the Nichirin Sword against her chest.
Her face was filled with affection.
Her smile was radiant, impossible to conceal.
After a brief silence, Kanamori, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke.
"But, Dragon Hashira... Even if the blade is five times heavier, it shouldn't be enough to cut through iron ore, should it?"
"Of course not."
Ren replied, "It shouldn't be able to cut through iron ore, nor should it be able to release Sword Aura. I think everyone saw the Sword Aura Kanao released just now, right?"
Sword Aura?
Ren's reminder immediately made Shinobu and Tanjiro react.
They had only learned about Sword Aura later.
Before Ren had learned Sword Aura, the Demon Slayer Corps' Shinazugawa had already mastered this technique!
They had been so focused on watching Kanao cleave through the iron ore with a single strike that they had completely overlooked the fact that Kanao had released Sword Aura.
That terrifying, invisible ripple of air from moments ago was still fresh in Shinobu's memory.
Yes.
How had that Sword Aura been released?
Training Sword Aura was extraordinarily difficult and also depended on talent.
As far as Kanao was concerned, Shinobu felt that reaching such a realm should have been nearly impossible.