Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Mist Pillar - Tokito Muichiro.

His frail and thin body, and his blank and lifeless eyes, make it hard to associate him with the title of one of the nine strongest swordsmen.

It is said that he transformed from an ordinary boy into a pillar in just two months of wielding a knife, which is truly admirable.

As agreed, Asuka needs to come to the Ubuyashiki mansion three days a week to learn swordsmanship from Muichiro Tokito, who is temporarily staying there.

"Eh... what's your name again? Ah, Asuka..."

Muichiro remained in a dazed and confused state, a fact that Lord Ubuyashiki had specifically instructed Asuka to observe.

He has some memory problems. If possible, please talk to Muichiro more and help him recover his health.

Since it was a swordsmanship lesson, Asuka bowed slightly to Muichiro as if he were a teacher, and said in a deep voice, "Senior Muichiro, please enlighten me."

In the corridor of the mansion, the lord's wife, Ubuyashiki Amane, was silently watching the two people in the room with her children. She had always been very concerned about Muichiro.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees in the courtyard.

Asuka and Tokito Muichiro stood facing each other, each holding a plain wooden sword used for practice.

Muichiro stood ramrod straight, his thin frame hunched over. His gaze wasn't fixed on the birds, but rather drifted aimlessly into the distance, as if a part of his soul was still lost in the thick fog.

However, Asuka did not underestimate his opponent. In his spiritual pressure perception, the sword aura surrounding Muichiro Tokito was like a flashing sword, sharp and deadly!

During the three-day training last week, without using his breathing techniques, his sword posed virtually no threat to Muichiro.

"You... have a very good foundation, but you haven't had enough combat experience..."

"Your body is very stiff. You probably overdid it during training before, which caused your movements to become sluggish without you realizing it..."

"You don't need to learn sword techniques or anything like that. You just need to keep fighting."

Muichiro once said this.

Indeed, that was the case. Asuka recalled that she had only fought less than five demons, and most of them were at the last moment, relying on the power of the demon to fight.

If Arashi-sensei saw my performance, she'd be angry...

"Let's begin," Asuka said in a deep voice, and the two got into position.

whoosh-

Without further ado, the bird transformed into a flash of light.

The wooden sword slashed out with a swift gray shadow, accompanied by a sharp sound as it tore through the air, aiming straight for Muichiro's throat!

Muichiro remained calm. Just as the blade tip was about to touch his collar, he subtly shifted his feet and made a small, efficient sideways movement, dodging the sharp blade wind.

The bird was not surprised when its attack missed. Instead, it twisted its body and used the momentum of the downward slash to deliver a sweeping upward slash!

Oh? A new move? Tokito Muichiro raised an eyebrow slightly. Asuka hadn't used this move last week.

This was Asuka subconsciously using the Kagura dance she learned from Tanjiro, specifically the dance step called "Azure Heaven".

"A pretty nice slash, but... it was still too slow."

Muichiro's wooden sword flashed out like lightning, its position cunning and its timing impeccable.

With just a light touch, the wooden sword precisely pierced the bird's wrist, striking the weakest point of the chain.

Asuka's entire right arm went numb instantly, and the power she had just gathered deflated like a punctured balloon, thus nipping any potential counter-attacks in the bud.

His expression changed, and he quickly retreated to create distance, readjusting his breathing rhythm.

Muichiro sheathed his wooden sword, his eyes still blankly staring at a camellia in the corner of the courtyard, as if his previous strike, which was as sharp as a gazelle's horn, was merely a casual brushing of dust off his clothes and was not worth mentioning at all.

"What a beautiful strike! Muichiro is really something..." Ubuyashiki Amane remarked as she brewed green tea outside the arena.

"Of course! Lord Muichiro is a descendant of that swordsman! He's far superior to these small fry! Lord Muichiro's 'Mu' is the 'Mu' of invincibility!"

On the treetop, an exceptionally noisy raven was excitedly waving its arms and legs, constantly praising Tokito Muichiro.

That was Muichiro's Kasugai Crow—Ginko. She was extremely proud of everything about Muichiro and looked down on any swordsman other than Muichiro.

"Shut up, you're so noisy." Beside her stood a raven with calm eyes, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

He named himself "Black Feather" and was Asuka's partner, but he rarely saw Asuka except to deliver orders.

Even so, he disliked the other ravens pointing and whispering about the birds; it felt like other children were snatching his toys, which annoyed him.

Regardless of the squabble between the two ravens, the bird had already drawn its knife again.

This time, Asuka's sword was incredibly fast.

It should be said that Muichiro slowed down in his eyes.

Asuka didn't know if this counted as a trick, but he could indeed more clearly predict his opponent's movements by consciously releasing spiritual pressure.

If Asuka were to push this power to its limit, she could even see the texture of the muscles and blood vessels beneath the opponent's skin...

Bang!

With a dull thud, his wooden sword clashed with Muichiro's, surprising the latter as well.

Next, a fierce and rapid exchange of attacks began. Asuka kept swinging her wooden sword, while Muichiro's expression finally changed from nonchalant to serious, parrying Asuka's attacks time and time again.

The two fought from dawn until noon, until their wooden swords began to crack and their hands were blistered and bleeding, but they did not stop.

Snap!

Seizing a fleeting opening, Asuka's wooden sword grazed Muichiro's cheek, severing a few strands of his hair.

He himself had Muichiro's wooden sword pressed against his throat.

"You're getting stronger very quickly..." he said calmly, his expression grave.

What Muichiro didn't mention was that he had subconsciously used the Breath of Mist to barely dodge Asuka's attack; otherwise, it might have hit him squarely in the face...

"That's enough for now..." Muichiro looked at the broken wooden sword, put it away, and took out his handkerchief to wipe away the fine sweat.

Ubuyashiki Amane, who was in the corridor, had already prepared tea and refreshments for them and was smiling as she waved to them.

"Come on over, have a good rest."

Asuka did not resist the arrangement, but he was still immersed in the sword moves that Muichiro had just used to subdue him, and his thoughts were somewhat scattered.

Such fast movements, the breathing rhythm is like the wind... but not quite...

The afternoon sun shone through the treetops, casting a warm golden glow on the quiet floor of the Ubuyashiki mansion.

Asuka and Muichiro put away their wooden swords, washed up briefly, and sat respectfully before the beautiful white-haired woman.

As the lord's wife, Ubuyashiki Amane often received Pillar-level swordsmen on his behalf. Even Muichiro was a genius swordsman whom she had repeatedly visited and invited from her small mountain village.

Therefore, everyone treated this mistress with exceptional respect.

Beside her, several children who looked remarkably alike and had equally beautiful faces knelt.

These are all the Lord's children. The black-haired boy is named Kiriya, and the remaining four white-haired girls are named Hina, Hinata, Kanna, and Kanata.

"Please use it, you've worked hard during training."

Lady Tianyin smiled and personally served soup to the two young swordsmen. Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze rustling through a bamboo forest, possessing a magical power to soothe their restlessness.