The moon set, and the sun rose. The warm sun slowly emerged from the horizon, gradually hanging high in the sky. Though there had been turmoil on the train, the sun still rose as usual.
What happened in that carriage hadn't spread; everything was calm.
The train, with several holes punched in its roof, still sped through the strong wind. It was as if nothing had happened last night.
Just as Kurozawa expected, the news was suppressed. The train administrators didn't want the incident to spread and cause panic.
Kurozawa propped his chin on his hand, watching the scenery flash by outside the window.
"Last night... was that really my subconscious?"
Initially, Kurozawa thought that the dream was a result of a deep-seated sense of guilt.
But in the dream, Kurozawa asked himself if he had a clear conscience about his actions. Logically, he shouldn't have had that kind of dream.
"I remember... there seem to be many spirits in the Demon Slayer world. Perhaps it was a spirit communicating through the dream, not my own imagination."
In the original story, after Sabito, Makomo, and others died, their spirits returned to Mount Sagiri, accompanying the elderly Sakonji Urokodaki. They also appeared many times afterward, helping Tanjiro understand the Sword Forms.
Spirits, perhaps, were fake in his previous life, but in this world, the possibility of their existence is very high.
After all, with immortal Demons and supernatural Breathing Techniques appearing, the appearance of spirits isn't unacceptable.
Kurozawa spent a peaceful and quiet day on the train. At nine o'clock the next morning, he finally arrived at the Hachijo Island ferry terminal.
Many small and medium-sized ferries were moored by the terminal, welcoming guests. People dressed in various clothes, from different places, boarded the ferries in batches, heading towards Hachijo Island.
Kurozawa looked in the direction of Hachijo Island.
Before him was an endless ocean. The azure water reflected the azure sky. Seabirds soared in the air, occasionally diving into the sea. Moments later, they would leave the surface, carrying a plump sea fish.
About a few kilometers away, a small island floated on the sea. Because of the distance, nothing could be seen clearly.
That was Hachijo Island, a tourist spot visited by many people every year.
Ferries went back and forth between Hachijo Island and the terminal, filled with the hustle and bustle of people.
Putting away his look of surprise, Kurozawa boarded the nearest ferry. There were already quite a few passengers on it, waiting for it to fill up before setting sail.
"The seaside... What's beyond the sea?"
With this question, Kurozawa asked the owner of the ferry, a burly, strong man who was only slightly less imposing than Kurozawa himself.
The strong man's gaze was distant, his expression profound. When Kurozawa asked, he pointed into the distance and after a long pause, said word by word: "Beyond the sea..."
"Is still the sea!"
Kurozawa almost spat out the water he was drinking.
The strong man had built up the moment for so long, only to say the most uninspired thing.
"Hehe, I'm a rough man. How would I know what's beyond the sea?"
"The sea is just the sea, boundless and endless."
Kurozawa sighed helplessly: "Alright, I understand."
After arriving in the Demon Slayer world, Kurozawa really wanted to understand the current state of the world.
He found that this world was very similar to the Taisho period of his previous life, and thus he assumed that other countries also existed.
But when Kurozawa asked Sakonji Urokodaki, Sakonji Urokodaki looked at him in surprise, thinking Kurozawa had lost his mind.
That's when Kurozawa realized that the technology tree in this world was somewhat skewed; ships capable of crossing oceans didn't exist, and people had no idea what was overseas.
He had thought asking people who lived by the sea might yield a different answer, but it hadn't changed anything.
"So, do other countries simply not exist, or have they just not been discovered?"
The ferry started moving. Kurozawa looked down at the azure water and saw his reflection.
Black hair and black eyes were extremely rare in this world, but they were commonplace in his previous life.
"Oh, by the way, I heard that quite a few tourists go missing on Hachijo Island every year. Is that true?"
A male passenger next to Kurozawa suddenly spoke up, remembering the bad rumors.
The strong man's body stiffened for a moment, then he scratched his head and twitched the corner of his mouth: "There are indeed some. Let me tell you, it's okay to visit, but don't go into the sea by yourself."
"Those people... they didn't listen to advice and were swept away by the sea when they went in to play."
Swept away by the sea? If that were truly the case, I wouldn't be here today... Kurozawa didn't speak, his eyes filled with thought.
The disappearances of tourists on Hachijo Island had spread quite a bit recently, which was why the Demon Slayer Corps had started an investigation. However, the three swordsmen who went there also disappeared on Hachijo Island and couldn't bring back any information.
"Many things aren't as simple as they appear on the surface."
"Are you saying what you truly feel?"
A voice, filled with a sense of vicissitude and depth, like fire, came from the passengers behind, reaching everyone's ears. This voice was extremely distinctive; hearing it once would make you remember it firmly, making you wonder if he had also added to his Charm Stat related to voice. Many people subconsciously looked towards the source of the voice.
Kurozawa also glanced back and saw a very familiar man.
The man wore a haori with a white base and fire patterns. Underneath the haori was the black clothing Kurozawa was very familiar with – the Demon Slayer Corps uniform. A scabbard hung at his waist, revealing a flame-patterned tsuba and an orange-yellow sword hilt.
He had thick, yellow-red hair, bright eyes, sharp eyebrows, and a slight stubble on his chin, which added to his mature masculine charm.
Undoubtedly, this was a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, a colleague of Kurozawa's.
He looked around thirty years old. Because he practiced a Breathing Technique, he was actually older, perhaps thirty-six or thirty-seven, which is precisely the age when men are at their peak physical condition.
This appearance, plus the flame-patterned haori... Kurozawa was slightly taken aback.
Deep in his mind, his memories began to stir. Within those memories, Kurozawa found the reason for the familiar feeling.
Kyojuro Rengoku, the future Flame Pillar.
This man bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Kyojuro Rengoku, but his features were more defined. In an instant, Kurozawa knew who this person was.
The current Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinjuro Rengoku, head of the Rengoku family, and father of the future Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku.
"Look at you, what good would it do me to lie to you?"
The muscular man didn't want to elaborate on Shinjuro Rengoku's question. He said something that struck Kurozawa as strangely familiar, then silently began operating the boat, looking intently as if to say, "Don't bother me."
But as soon as he said that, Kurozawa knew that the muscular ferryman definitely knew something but was unwilling to say it.
On the other side, noticing Kurozawa's different gaze, Shinjuro Rengoku looked towards Kurozawa.
Kurozawa raised his hand and lightly shook his Nichirin Blade, indicating his identity. After that, he didn't say much more.
He didn't know why Shinjuro Rengoku, being the Flame Pillar, would appear on Hachijo Island. Perhaps he had heard about the missing people on Hachijo Island and came on his own, unaware that a Swordsman had already been assigned the task of investigating Hachijo Island. Or perhaps he was just traveling or resting and happened to encounter him by chance. Regardless, Kurozawa didn't want to have too much contact with him.
He revealed his identity simply because being on the same boat, it was only a matter of time before he was discovered. It was better to be upfront himself.
Flame Pillar... running into him isn't good.
If the Flame Pillar discovered the Pitch-Black Aura on Kurozawa, nothing good would come of it.
Kurozawa had heard multiple times that this Flame Pillar's Flame Sword Form was incredibly explosive and had extremely high destructive power. If he were to attack him, with his current strength, it would be quite difficult to resist. Recently, it's been the recommendation period, and every vote and every comment is very important. I hope everyone can support me, and the read-through data is also crucial. Please, fellow readers, don't save the book for later yet. The author will work hard to update.
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