Even though he knew this was just how Giyu Tomioka spoke—not intentionally sarcastic—Hardy couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Huh? Is this method not going to work?" Tanjiro asked anxiously after hearing Giyu Tomioka's words.
"No, he really does think this is a chance to make a difficult thing simple."
"Really?"
Tanjiro looked at Giyu Tomioka with suspicion, but Giyu merely nodded expressionlessly.
So it was true!
The shocks the village boy experienced today surpassed all those he'd faced in his entire life so far.
"Next, let's hurry up and go see the Master," Giyu Tomioka said seriously.
"No rush. Let's go down the mountain first and buy some clothes for this little girl in town, so she doesn't get burned by the sun. Also…"
Hardy silently drew his Nichirin Blade in front of Giyu Tomioka.
"Even though I know what you just said isn't what you really think, I still feel a bit offended… So, I'd like to spar with a Hashira and see how big the gap is between me and a Hashira."
Seeing Hardy's actions, Giyu Tomioka suddenly understood.
So he wants to spar with me, just like Sanemi Shinazugawa does, as a way to bond?
He was happy to oblige.
"Hope you don't get hurt," Giyu Tomioka kindly reminded him. But with his deadpan expression and cold tone, it was hard not to interpret it as mockery.
A vein bulged on Hardy's forehead.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
In an instant, lightning tore through the snowy ground, bringing Hardy right in front of Giyu Tomioka. The latter's eyes remained calm as he thrust his Nichirin Blade forward.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
It was as if a layer of water rose up before Giyu Tomioka, and Hardy's attack dissipated into ripples.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claws, Purifying Wind!"
"Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts!"
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
Although the sparring was a spur-of-the-moment decision, for Hardy, Giyu Tomioka was an excellent opponent. Among the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, his strength was among the top, making him one of the undisputed powerhouses in the Kimetsu world.
This was enough for Hardy to get a clear sense of his own current abilities.
Wind and thunder intertwined, like a storm mixed with violent lightning.
Giyu Tomioka, meanwhile, calmly wielded his Nichirin Blade, blocking all of Hardy's attacks with composure.
Water Breathing is the most balanced and harmonious of all the breathing techniques, excelling in both offense and defense. It is the gentlest and best at defense, launching counterattacks while defending.
As the strongest Water Hashira since the first generation, Giyu Tomioka showcased these qualities to perfection.
Tanjiro was so shocked that he dropped the axe in his hand.
So… these two are this strong?
Then earlier, was Mr. Tomioka holding back against me and Nezuko?
"Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Thunder Swarm!"
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
Lightning crackled like a swarm of mosquitoes, exploding rapidly, while wind blades spiraled around Hardy, causing the air to roar.
Combining two breathing techniques, Hardy had only recently figured out the basics—mainly because his main body and his DC world avatar both had extremely high affinities for wind and thunder.
This was essentially merging the characteristics of two breathing styles to unleash greater power, though so far, Hardy had only developed the prototype of this one move.
Even so, it forced Giyu Tomioka to take him seriously.
This man was clearly more than just an ordinary swordsman.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
A whirlpool formed by water clashed with the attack, but after a brief struggle, it was torn apart by the wind blades and the relentless, lightning-like sword strikes.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"
Giyu Tomioka seemed to stand motionless, as if time had stopped. Hardy's eyes flickered.
In an instant, everything went still—the raging winds and thunder vanished without a trace.
Hardy quickly shifted his footing, using Thunder Breathing techniques with Shunpo to instantly retreat.
That move was powerful.
In the original timeline, Giyu Tomioka used this self-created technique to instantly defeat Lower Moon Five, and after awakening his mark, he even used it to hold off Muzan for a while after Tanjiro was injured.
"Exquisite swordsmanship," Hardy praised.
He had more or less understood Giyu Tomioka's move, but it was precisely—
Only after understanding did I feel truly shocked.
With slashes so fast they're almost imperceptible to the naked eye, he precisely cuts through every attack within his own range.
That's why the strange phenomenon just now occurred: Giyu Tomioka remained standing in place, but all attacks around him were completely destroyed. Within a certain radius, everything was calm and undisturbed.
The principle is actually similar to how the human eye perceives an electric fan. When the fan is set to high speed and the blades spin fast enough, our eyes can't capture the frames, so it looks as if the blades are standing still.
Unless he encounters someone far stronger than himself, this move can be considered a form of absolute defense to a certain extent.
This was Hardy's first time facing a "Pillar." The impression Giyu Tomioka gave him reminded him of two sword masters he'd seen in the world of Naruto.
Salamander Hanzo and Sakumo Hatake were considered the pinnacle of swordsmanship in their era in the Naruto world. However, Hardy believed that Giyu Tomioka's sword skills were not much inferior to theirs—he was only limited by the absence of chakra, which capped his potential. In terms of overall strength, he was still a bit behind those Kage-level powerhouses.
"I didn't expect you to be not as weak as I imagined."
Hardy stared at Giyu Tomioka with dead-fish eyes.
"You should be able to become a Pillar soon—provided you don't get yourself killed first."
Are you praising me or cursing me?!
The sun gradually rose into the sky. The group settled Nezuko under the shade of a tree, and Giyu Tomioka covered her with his haori to shield her from direct sunlight.
Hardy bought a set of gauze clothing that covered the whole body, along with a bamboo hat, and hired a carriage to place Nezuko inside. The group left Yuntoriyama, heading toward the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Hardy fed Nezuko some green beans and had her and Giyu Tomioka's Kasugai crow, Kanza-burō, report the situation to Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Because Giyu Tomioka's crow was getting old and a bit senile, it often delivered incorrect messages.