Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

Subconsciously taking the bamboo sword, Yoriichi looked up at his older brother in front of him.

"Brother, may I?"

"Why can't you do it? You're my brother! Besides, how can a man not know how to wield a knife? Go now!"

With that, Yan Sheng stepped back to Mitsuha's side, giving the space to Yoriichi.

Seeing this, the swordsman on the other side, with the mindset of playing with a child, casually gave Yoriichi a few pointers on sword-holding techniques and stances, then picked up his bamboo sword and gestured for Yoriichi to try attacking him.

Yes, it's a playful attitude.

At this moment, the sword master completely disregarded the thin, small, and even somewhat timid little boy opposite him.

After all, even Yan Sheng, whom he considered to be extremely talented, had never actually touched him with his sword during these days of training, let alone his younger brother Yoriichi, who had only just begun to wield a sword.

It's just playing around with kids.

Not only the sword master, but also Yan Sheng and Mitsuha sitting to the side had the same thought at this moment.

Yan Sheng smiled broadly, even planning to immediately go and comfort Yuan Yi once she started crying.

Mitsuha had already stood up, preparing to go back to her room to get some medicine to treat the bruises.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the people in the courtyard, Yoriichi made a move.

His figure flashed like lightning, instantly appearing in front of the swordsman. With a rapid flick of his wrist, he unleashed several slashes at a speed beyond human limits, striking the swordsman's neck, chest, and abdomen—three vital points in succession!

Finally, he finished the fight with a sweeping slash to the calf, sending the swordsman flying and crashing to the ground!

The whole process ended in the blink of an eye. The swordsman didn't even have time to let out a scream before he fainted and lost consciousness.

What just... happened?

Yan Sheng stared blankly at Yoriichi, who was standing in the courtyard with a sword in his hand, his previous smile still frozen on his face.

The swordsmanship master whom he couldn't hit even once with all his might was defeated in an instant by Yoriichi, who was holding a sword for the first time?

Is this a joke?

This must be the swordsmanship master joking with them, right?

Yoriichi had only held a knife for the first time. How could his younger brother, who looked so thin and small, possibly do something like this?

Alright, that's enough of the jokes. Swordsmanship master, stop pretending to be unconscious. The ground is cold, get up quickly...

However, no matter how much Yan Sheng hoped, his sword master never woke up.

He had truly fainted, and he had truly been defeated by Yoriichi.

The undeniable facts are right before our eyes.

Mitsuha, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief.

But unlike the swordsmanship master who was knocked unconscious before he could even react, and Yan Sheng who couldn't see Yoriichi's movements at all, she saw Yoriichi's sword swing clearly in that extremely short instant.

From the neck to the chest, from the waist and abdomen to the calves, every movement was precise and without any unnecessary steps; each cut hit the vital points with pinpoint accuracy…

Even though it was only his first time holding a sword, why did Yoriichi possess such exquisite swordsmanship?

Is that kind of knife-swinging speed really something a human could achieve?

Chapter 3 Elder brothers, can't you do it?

Unlike the shocked brother and sister in the courtyard, Yoriichi, who defeated his sword master with incredible power, did not feel any joy or pride.

He looked down at the bamboo knife he was holding, threw it on the ground without hesitation, and turned to leave.

He hated the feeling of hitting people with a bamboo knife and hated this behavior of hurting others.

"Yosuga, Yoriichi! Wait a minute!"

Just then, Yan Sheng, who had finally come to his senses, quickly reached out and called out to him.

What...did you just do?

Perhaps even Yan Sheng himself didn't notice that at this moment, the care and affection he originally had for his younger brother was gradually fading from his eyes.

Instead, they were met with strange looks and a growing sense of jealousy.

"What is it that you are asking, elder brother?"

Yoriichi stopped and asked, his eyes still so clear and empty.

But for some reason, these eyes, which Yan Sheng had long been accustomed to, suddenly made him feel... somewhat nauseous.

What does that look mean to you?

Do you know what you just did?

You defeated that master swordsman with unparalleled skill! Even your brother me has never accomplished that!

Shouldn't you be overjoyed and smug about this right now?!

What's with that completely indifferent look in your eyes?!

"So, how exactly did you knock him down just now?"

Your speed, and your swordsmanship... what is this...?

Under the intense impact of reality, Yan Sheng was unable to even form a complete sentence at this moment, and his speech was halting and stammering.

But Yoriichi still understood what Kokushiro wanted to ask.

So he didn't hide anything and calmly explained:

"Before the opponent makes a move, there will be obvious changes in his lungs. By observing the flow of blood, muscle contraction and bone movement, you can accurately predict the opponent's attack."

Similarly, by expanding our lungs, increasing blood flow, muscle contraction, and skeletal movement, we can also unleash astonishing power in an instant…

Yoriichi explained very carefully, but Kokushige couldn't understand it at all.

Lungs? Blood? Muscles? Bones?

What... is this guy talking about?

Although Yan Sheng couldn't understand it, Miya, being a time traveler, could.

She looked at Yoriichi with an incredulous expression and subconsciously asked:

"Brother Yoriichi, can your eyes see through our bodies?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt appeared in Yoriichi's empty eyes.

"Mitsuha, can't you guys do it?"

Can't we?

So you can do it?

So, only you can do this?!

Yoriichi's calm yet matter-of-fact question completely shattered Yan Sheng's heart.

"Uh ah ah!"

With an expression as if he were looking at a monster, Yan Sheng stared intently at Yoriichi in front of him. He subconsciously took two steps back, yelled, turned around, and fled the scene as fast as he could.

"Brother Yan Sheng!"

Mitsuha instinctively wanted to chase after him, but then she saw that Yoriichi's face also showed a sad expression.

He seemed to finally realize that he had unintentionally done something that would deeply hurt his elder brother.

Watching Yan Sheng's retreating figure, he instinctively raised his hand to stop him, but in the end, he gently lowered it again.

Perhaps he felt it was unnecessary.

Or perhaps, he felt he wasn't qualified...

In short, Yoriichi did not chase after Michiru in the end. Instead, he silently turned around and walked back alone to the small house where he had lived since childhood.

"Brother Yoriichi..."

The two older brothers walked away in different directions with their backs to each other, leaving Mitsuha alone in the courtyard, not knowing which one to follow.

She suddenly realized that bringing her brother Yuan Yi to watch her brother Yan Sheng practice swordsmanship might have been a mistake.

A colossal mistake.

Looking down at the bamboo sword that Yoriichi had thrown on the ground, Mitsuha seemed to be summoned by some unknown force, and instinctively walked over and picked it up.

The bamboo knife felt rather heavy, and there were dark red spots on the handle, which were bloodstains left from when Yan Sheng's older brother's palms were worn raw.

In his mind, Yoriichi's lightning-fast sword swing replayed repeatedly at this moment.

Mitsuha opened her eyes wide and almost instinctively raised her bamboo sword, beginning to imitate Yoriichi's movements based on her memories.

He stepped forward, first slashing and hacking with his sword, then thrusting forward, before twisting his body and using the power of his waist to drive his arm and pull the bamboo sword in his hand to unleash a final horizontal slash...

In the courtyard, Mitsuha repeatedly practiced Yoriichi's moves from memory, her movements flawless, each strike and step executed to perfection.

With each repetition, her knife-wielding movements became smoother and faster.

Yoriichi's moves were so perfect, so natural.

Although they looked like just a few ordinary sword moves, when Mitsuha performed them, she could feel all the muscles in her body being evenly and fully mobilized in the process.

At this moment, she felt neither tired nor sore; instead, she felt completely refreshed, as if all the meridians in her body had been instantly opened.

In the end, Mitsuha even closed her eyes, emptied her mind, and let her muscle memory continue to drive her to perform these sword moves.

Gradually, she could no longer feel the weight of the bamboo knife in her hand, and her steps became lighter and lighter.

Time passed by in this way, and I don't know how much time had gone by.

It could be several hours, or it could be just a moment.

In the darkness with her eyes closed, Mitsuha suddenly felt as if she could "see" again...

It was as if she had suddenly grown "another eye," which instantly pierced through the surrounding darkness and allowed her to clearly perceive everything around her.

She heard the sound of the wind, the air currents created when she swung her sword.

She heard the gurgling sound of water; it was the sound of her blood flowing through her body.

She heard the rumbling of drums, which was the sound of her heart pounding.

She saw a body composed of numerous internal organs, muscles, and bones, with bright red blood surging within it; it was the swordsmanship master still unconscious on the ground.

She also saw the muscles beneath the swordsman's skin, which were gradually swelling and bruising from the fierce blows inflicted by Yoriichi's brother.

She saw everything!

At this moment, everything in the world seemed to be laid bare before her eyes!

What is this? Where is she? What happened to her?

Is this the world of gods?

Mitsuha didn't know, and she didn't want to think about these questions at the moment.

Right now, all she wants is to immerse herself in this transparent world and experience the wondrous sensations it offers, until…

Chapter 4 The Teetering Successor State

A sudden shout startled Mitsuha awake from her reverie in the transparent world.

The bamboo sword in her hand fell to the ground, and the transparency in her eyes receded instantly like the tide. Mitsuha suddenly opened her eyes and collapsed to the ground.

Before she could even react to what was happening, a woman rushed forward and hugged her tightly, anxiously asking:

"Mitsuha, how are you? Are you alright? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

As consciousness gradually returned, Mitsuha recognized the beautiful woman who was holding her.

This is her mother, Zhu Nai, a beautiful and gentle woman who deeply loves her child.

"Mother? Why are you here? I just..."

Her heart was pounding uncontrollably, and her back was already soaked with sweat. Mitsuha tried hard to recall everything that had just happened.

She remembered that after her brothers Yan Sheng and Yoriichi left, she picked up the bamboo sword that Yoriichi had thrown down and tried to imitate the sword moves that Yoriichi had used.

Then, then it seemed like she entered a... transparent world?