"That was awesome, man!"
Inside S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco high-fived Hardy, who had just taken off his White Samurai armor.
"I bet tomorrow's Central City Gazette headline will be all about you."
Wally, who had returned to S.T.A.R. Labs around the same time, grinned at Hardy.
Just now, in order to save Speed Force energy, Hardy had flown off in the White Samurai armor, and the scene had probably been captured by quite a few people.
"Oh, then I can't miss this opportunity. Can I interview you now? For example, what's the name of your suit?"
Alice, who was by Barry's side, turned and asked with a smile.
Now that Barry had returned from the Speed Force and was slowly regaining his memories, a smile had finally returned to Alice's face.
"It's called the White Samurai."
Hardy patted the metallic arm of the White Samurai armor.
Hardy and Captain Cold stayed in Central City for a few more days.
Even with Hardy's medical ninjutsu, Nora still needed some time to recuperate. Otherwise, in her current state, she wouldn't be able to withstand the fatigue of travel.
After Joe and Alice took Barry to Iron Heights Prison to visit Henry Allen, Barry made a significant recovery and was basically back to normal.
These past few days had been peaceful in Central City. Apart from the heated discussions in the Gazette about the new superhero, the White Samurai—who people connected to the mysterious figure in white armor from Gotham—nothing much had happened.
Well, that's not entirely true. The biggest incident was just a few black gang members trying to rob someone at night, only to be captured and dumped at the police station entrance by Kid Flash, Wally, within seconds.
"Thanks for everything these past few days, man."
Finally back to normal, Barry patted Hardy's shoulder gratefully.
"No problem. Besides, our time here wasn't without its rewards."
Hardy smiled.
Not only had Nora's condition improved greatly and Captain Cold found his way, but they had also obtained a Speed Force dagger. Hardy could only hope for more good fortune like this.
"If you ever need help, just call me. Give me the address, and I promise I'll show up right away."
Barry smiled and continued.
After coming out of the Speed Force, he was several times faster than before. The distance from Central City to Gotham was no different from going next door for Barry.
"Then I won't be polite."
Considering that he might need Cisco and Barry's help to recharge the Speed Force dagger in the future, Hardy accepted the offer.
But knowing Barry, even if it was just a polite remark, he'd treat it as a promise.
"See you!"
Waving at Barry, Cisco, and the others, Hardy, Victor, Nora, and Ang got into the car and left Central City via the highway.
...
...
Demon Slayer World.
It had been several months since Hardy last rescued Tanjiro.
Tanjiro's experiences now were already quite different from the original story.
Although Nezuko remained on Mt. Sagiri under the care of former Water Hashira Sakonji Urokodaki after falling into a coma, Tanjiro did not stay to train with him.
His personality seemed to suit Kyojuro Rengoku's taste, so in addition to his former apprentice, Mitsuri Kanroji, Rengoku took Tanjiro as his successor.
He truly was the most suitable person to train Tanjiro.
Based on Hardy's research into the five major Breathing Styles and Sun Breathing, Flame Breathing was the closest of the five basic styles to Sun Breathing.
Tanjiro was destined to learn Sun Breathing, so using Flame Breathing as preparation was the best choice.
Moreover, as a child of the Rengoku family, Kyojuro had already mastered about half of Sun Breathing. However, because he hadn't awakened his Mark or entered the Transparent World to enhance his strength and perception, he couldn't fully unleash its power.
As for Hardy, he had also made significant progress recently.
After mastering the nature transformation of Lightning Release, Hardy's proficiency in Thunder Breathing improved rapidly. Recently, he succeeded in merging it with Wind Breathing, creating a unique Breathing Style of his own.
"The Breath of Separation—I'm really curious to see how dazzling it will be!"
On the training grounds near the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Tengen Uzui rested a wooden sword on his shoulder and smiled at Hardy.
Among the Hashira, only Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira, and Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, had just returned from missions and were relatively free, so Hardy roped them in as sparring partners.
Neither of them minded.
After the last Hashira meeting, all the Hashira knew that Hardy possessed at least near-Hashira-level combat power. Over the past few months, he had also taken down several powerful demons, so everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he became a Hashira, and treated him as an equal.
"Uzui-senpai, I won't hold back, so you'd better be careful."
Hardy spun his sword and addressed Tengen Uzui.
He remembered that among the Hashira, Uzui wasn't the strongest, but he wasn't weak either.
Without the benefit of plot armor, like awakening the Mark or entering the Transparent World, he couldn't solo an Upper Moon, but he could hold out against Upper Moon Six for quite a while, which meant his foundation was solid. If he awakened the Mark, he might even be able to contend with some of the Upper Moons.
At the very least, on paper, Uzui's stats were among the best of the Hashira—his arm strength was second only to Gyomei Himejima, and as a former ninja, his speed was the fastest among them.
"That line should be mine, since I'm obviously more flamboyant!"
In a flash, Tengen Uzui disappeared from where he stood, his golden Nichirin dual swords spinning in his hands...
Flying, the blades crossed and slashed toward Hardy.
"Sound Breathing, Second Form: Resonant Thunder!"
The two specially crafted Nichirin gold blades scraped against each other, causing an explosion that left one momentarily dazed. The second Nichirin blade, propelled by the force of the blast, further accelerated and empowered the first, coming down at Hardy's head with tremendous speed and force.
Not far away, Himejima Gyomei swung his heavy axe and flail, linked by a chain, always ready to step in and provide assistance.
Among all the Hashira, he was the strongest. Even though he was blind, his senses were incredibly sharp, making him fully capable of intervening and stopping a fight between two Hashira. Thus, he served as both referee and safeguard for this match.
Uzui Tengen's sudden assault did not trouble Hardy.
"Separation Breathing, First Form: Ionic Slash."
The Nichirin blade swept upward from below, conjuring a flawless, sun-like blue mirror that instantly clashed with Uzui Tengen's technique.
...
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