Right. Do you need a reason to kill demons?
It's a matter of life and death—either you die or I live. Back in the day, he, Sabito, was the one who admonished Giyu this way. Giyu afterward carried it through very well. Unfortunately, having already passed the test, he simultaneously lost the opportunity to avenge him, Makomo, and all their fellow disciples in this room.
So these years, Sabito waited. Makomo waited. Shinsuke, Fukuda, Inoue—all waited. Now, it seemed they could finally see a glimmer of hope.
Sakonji Urokodaki was silent for several seconds before laughing with a suppressed voice. Should he say the young man was ignorant, or arrogantly self-important? In any case, aside from the previous Ubuyashiki, no one had cursed him to his face in over a dozen years.
That time was when his hatred of evil led him to finish off the bait Ubuyashiki had set in advance, causing the Demon Slayer Corps to miss an opportunity to pursue Upper Moon Two, Doma.
"If everything in the world were as simple as you say, the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have been entangled with demons for so many years." The old Water Pillar poured a cup of hot tea and pushed it over. Tanjiro had already drunk his fill outside and politely declined.
Roy was different. Having just experienced growth, his body was severely "depleted"—not only hungry but also thirsty. Facing Sakonji Urokodaki's kindness, he naturally accepted it. Taking a light sip to test the temperature, he tilted his head back and drank it clean.
Mountain wild tea wasn't mellow enough but certainly wild enough. Roy pushed the cup back and asked Sakonji Urokodaki for another before saying, "In my view, the reason for so many years of entanglement is because neither side is strong enough. If one side held absolute dominance, the balance would immediately break."
"Pillars versus Moons, small fries versus small fries. The Demon Slayer Corps led by Ubuyashiki seems at a disadvantage, but due to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's lingering presence and the existence of Sun Breathing, Muzan Kibutsuji has always been wary and dares not rashly eliminate them, creating today's stalemate."
Sakonji Urokodaki simply handed the teapot to Roy, clearly unwilling to elaborate on this topic. Turning to the kitchen, he washed several potatoes, cut them, tossed them in the pot, and said leisurely, "Every one of my disciples must pass a test. After lunch, run through Mount Sagiri. If you can return by evening, I'll take you as my disciple."
"Hehehe, there's a good show to watch." Shinsuke abandoned Tanjiro, circling Fukuda in flight. Fukuda found him annoying and grabbed his neck for a beating. After a long while, they finally remembered the "main event," both grinning wickedly at Roy.
Since Sabito's death, Sakonji Urokodaki's heartbreak had led him to intensify digging pits and setting traps to eliminate his own thoughts of taking disciples. Thus, current Mount Sagiri might as well be called "Death Mountain" instead. Besides presetting a few routes for villagers going up the mountain, everything else was either blade nets or sword formations.
Sabito once followed up to look and was alarmed, thus frequently mocked by Shinsuke and other companions. If their great revenge couldn't be avenged, they'd blame him and Makomo for driving Master mad.
Moreover, it was winter now with naturally short daylight. Sakonji Urokodaki required Roy to return by evening—much shorter than the entire night given to Tanjiro in the original story.
This was fine. Roy simply stood up, bearing all the gazes cast upon him, opened the door, and walked out.
"Sorry. I'm pressed for time. I'll go make the trip now."
"You're not eating?"
"Who said I'm not eating?" The young man disappeared into wind and snow without looking back. "By the time you finish stewing it, I should be back."
Silence fell.
"Hey, this guy's too arrogant!" Shinsuke and Fukuda looked at each other bewildered. All the ghosts likewise looked at one another, then flew out together.
Makomo noticed Sakonji Urokodaki's gaze toward the doorway seemed frozen. She quietly poked Sabito with her finger. "Hey, should we also follow to watch?"
"Didn't you think highly of him?"
"What if—"
"There's no what if." Sabito's grip on his katana tightened slightly, saying lightly, "Men should take responsibility for their words. If he can't pass, that's his business."
Moreover, "With those guys like Shinsuke, Fukuda, and Inoue following, at least they won't let him lose his life."
Sabito added at the end. However, just as his words fell, several cold winds blew in. Shinsuke, Fukuda, and others who'd followed to watch the excitement all flew back, leaning on their knees, gasping and complaining. "Good lord, that exhausted me. That guy's too fast—completely couldn't keep up."
This— Actually lost him?
Sabito was somewhat dazed. He craned his neck, looking outside in disbelief. Beside him, Makomo covered her mouth, laughing.
People should not fall in the same pit twice—this was what Father Tanjuro once told Roy. Coincidentally, his other father Silva had also said similar words, except "twice" became "once." Summarized: "An assassin who makes one mistake will die!"
Like right now, if Roy's reaction hadn't been fast enough, he would have been tripped by ropes ambushing in the bushes and fallen into a blade pit. And barely five minutes after making his "bold claim," he'd already stepped on seven sword formations, encountered ten logs descending from above, and been ambushed by omnipresent grass ropes eight times.
Fortunately his stupid brother, relying on protagonist status, could survive. Otherwise, any random person would die hundreds of times.
Using Snake Awakens to shatter the last tree stump flying toward him, Roy followed the status panel's notification sound.
[Notification: Snake Awakens +1]
Stomping snow off his feet, he reappeared in the view of Sakonji Urokodaki, Sabito, Makomo, and numerous living souls like Shinsuke and Fukuda. His hair hadn't even formed ice crystals from being in the mountains too briefly. He sat down brazenly, greeted by teary-eyed Tanjiro.
The downside of an overly keen sense of smell was that even unable to see Sabito and others, Tanjiro could vaguely sense thick ghostly aura. This instinctively made him uncomfortable. Moreover, facing Sakonji Urokodaki, whose face was completely hidden behind a tengu mask with no readable expression, Tanjiro nearly hugged Roy's thigh, saying tearfully, "Don't leave me alone again."
"Fine. You leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Tanjiro's heart seemed to break. That brother who hurt him didn't bother with him at all, reaching out to lift the pot lid as if only having eyes for food.
In the clay pot, the rabbit meat had softened, showing signs of falling off bones. Potatoes were just right—neither hard nor mushy, as if celebrating Roy's return, eagerly awaiting entry to his stomach.
"Master, can we eat now?" The young man smiled at Sakonji Urokodaki. The sun and mountain earrings hanging below his earlobes swayed slightly.
Sakonji Urokodaki was dazed for a moment, seemingly not yet recovered. After a long while, he nodded and asked his name.
"Kamado Eiichiro. Master may simply call me Eiichiro." The young man said thus.