I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

The annual "Pillar Guidance and Ancient Learning" is underway.

This is a simulated battle between the pillars to maintain their highest combat power.

The battle between the two sides today attracted the attention of many ordinary members of the Demon Slayer Corps who were not on missions that day.

On one side is the Love Pillar, Kanroji Mitsuri.

Today she wore two thick braids, and her signature long hair, which gradually changed from cherry blossom pink to grass green, was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

She was wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform, but her chest was boldly exposed, revealing a breathtakingly white and deep chest.

This "specially customized" team uniform gave her an innocent yet charming and unique aura.

On the other side is Shinobu Kocho, the Pillar of Karma.

She stood there quietly, her figure slender, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

But the atmosphere in the entire training ground became heavy because of her presence.

"Well... Shinobu-chan! I'm going to go!"

Kanroji Mitsuri's cheeks were flushed, a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

She took a deep breath, and her already exaggerated bust size instantly increased by another dimension.

【Love's Breath - First Form - The Thrill of First Love!】

She moved.

The Nichirin Blade, as soft as a ribbon yet as thin as a cicada's wing, transformed in her hand into a pink, deadly tornado!

The blade sliced ​​through the air with a teeth-grinding whistle, kicking up clouds of dust as it swept towards Shinobu Kocho with an utterly unreasonable, all-encompassing attack range!

Faced with this catastrophic attack, Shinobu Kocho vanished.

No, not disappear.

She simply made a very small, sideways and backward sliding motion.

The pink blade of light, powerful enough to shred even boulders, whistled past, grazing the edge of her haori.

When Ganlu Temple's first attack missed, he flicked his wrist, and the soft sword, like a living snake, instantly spun around, launching a second, third, and even more ferocious attack!

[Love's Breath - Fifth Form - A Wavering Romance!]

【Love's Breath - Land Form - Cat Feet Love Wind!】

In an instant, the entire training ground was enveloped in pink flashes of swords and spears.

Kanroji Mitsuri was like a tireless pink spinning top, making the most of her innate superhuman strength and flexible body.

However, in the heart of that raging storm of attacks, Shinobu Kocho's figure was like a ghost that could never be touched.

She didn't draw her sword, nor did she parry once.

She was just dodging.

Every dodge landed with such precision that it sent chills down your spine.

It was precisely the blind spot of Ganlu Temple's attack power, precisely the tiny opening of a fraction of a second when her old strength was exhausted and her new strength had not yet been generated.

Her movements were precise and efficient, like a cold, killing machine programmed with the optimal solution.

The ordinary team members watching from the sidelines were completely dumbfounded.

"This can't be real... Lady Love Pillar's attacks haven't even touched me once?"

"Lord Yezhu... is she really still human? That precognitive ability..."

Unbeknownst to them, throughout the year, the [Breath of Karma] had been constantly optimizing Shinobu's body.

She is no longer the Insect Pillar from the original story, who had to gamble everything on poison because of insufficient power.

Her reaction speed and muscle explosiveness have long surpassed her past self.

But what she was showing at this moment was not overwhelming power.

Rather, it's... the overwhelming power of knowledge.

It was that man who imprinted the unheard-of concepts of "human biomechanics," "motion trajectory prediction," and "psychological game" deep into her soul.

Kanroji Mitsuri's breathing began to become heavy.

Sweat soaked the strands of hair at her temples, which clung to her snow-white skin.

Her immense strength was rapidly depleting her stamina with each missed swing.

She felt as if she wasn't fighting a person, but rather dealing with a ghost without a physical form.

No matter how hard she tried to control her breathing or how much she pushed her swordsmanship to its limits, her opponent always managed to get there first, appearing in her most vulnerable position.

The feeling that everything about her was seen through drove her almost to madness.

It's now.

At Ganlu Temple, she changed her move again, revealing a moment of stiffness that even she herself did not notice, lasting only a fraction of a second.

The butterfly stirred.

A purple afterimage instantly broke through the pink blade light's blockade.

"Chong-"

A soft sound.

Time seemed to stand still.

The flurry of sword light vanished instantly, leaving Kanroji Mitsuri frozen in place, still in the stance of wielding her sword.

A dark purple scabbard was quietly and gently touching her neck.

The icy touch made the hairs on her entire body stand on end.

She knew very well that if it were a real knife coated with deadly poison, she would already be a cold corpse.

The outcome has been decided.

Shinobu Kocho sheathed her sword, took a step back, and stood still again.

Throughout the entire process, her expression remained completely unchanged.

The whole place was dead silent.

The ordinary team members all gaped open, their mouths agape as if a fist could fit inside.

The gap between the pillars... is it really that outrageous?

……

Night, the bathhouse of the Butterfly Mansion.

The warm spring water creates a large expanse of mist.

The huge wooden bathtub was filled with steam, blurring the view.

Kanroji Mitsuri soaked her voluptuous body in hot water, with only her head, flushed red from the steam, showing.

Her gaze, however, could not be taken off the slender, stunningly charming girl beside her.

After a year of growth, Shinobu's body shed its last traces of immaturity and became increasingly mature and beautiful.

Her skin, steaming with moisture, was as white as the finest mutton-fat jade, every curve resembling the most perfect creation of the gods.

Kanroji Mitsuri was somewhat stunned.

She knew that Ren had always been beautiful, but now, there seemed to be something else in that beauty.

Some...heartbreaking, hard things.

Like a meticulously sculpted piece of ice, perfect yet cold, exuding an aura that keeps strangers at bay.

No matter how hard I try, it seems I can no longer touch her true heart like before.

A wave of bitterness washed over her, and Kanroji Mitsuri really wanted to ask her what had happened.

But when the words were about to come out, she hesitated, afraid that her concern would be seen as a disturbance.

In the end, the concern stemming from his friend overcame his fear.

"Shinobu-chan..." Kanroji's voice trembled slightly, "You've become so strong, but also... so distant."

She looked at Shinobu Kocho's calm profile and added softly, "...Is it related to that 'teacher' you mentioned before?"

Shinobu Kocho paused slightly as she wiped her long hair.

She did not answer.

She remembered that man.

I remembered him sitting under the cherry blossom corridor in the courtyard, gazing at me with eyes so calm they seemed to see through everything.

This moment of silence felt like a stone weighing on Ganlu Temple's heart.

She immediately felt flustered, realizing she might have asked something she shouldn't have, making the atmosphere awkward.

To break the silence and to hide her unease, she subconsciously steered the conversation toward herself.

Kanroji Mitsuri buried her chin in the water with a hint of self-consciousness, leaving only her large, watery eyes visible, and her voice became muffled.

“My strength is just wildly swinging around, not elegant at all…” She pinched her powerful arms, which were full of strength from long-term training, and puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"I really envy you, Shinobu-chan. You're so smart, so amazing, and everything you do is perfect..."

Shinobu Kocho finally turned her head.

For once, a very faint trace of emotion called "gentleness" appeared in those usually cold and frosty purple eyes.

Hearing her friend's words, she was slightly taken aback at first, and then a self-deprecating, almost invisible bitter smile flashed across her lips.

“Perfect?” she repeated the word softly, her voice hollow and ethereal. “I’m so far from that word, Mitsuri.”

She lowered her eyes and looked at her blurry reflection in the water.

"I am neither smart nor capable."

“I don’t have the innate power you have, I don’t even have the strength to cut off the demon’s head… It was my teacher who forced me to face this fact.”

The moment that person was mentioned, a complex emotion, akin to "awe," crept into her icy tone.

"He told me that since I could not become the blade that cuts off the head of the demon, I should become the one who can control death itself."

"So all I can do is infuse poison into my frail body day after day, using the least 'elegant' way to gain a chance at life."

Her voice was calm, yet it was like a blunt knife, cutting through her hard shell to reveal the bloody truth within.

"The 'perfection' you see is just an illusion carefully crafted with anger and hatred and re-guided by the teacher."

Kanroji Mitsuri was completely stunned. She had never heard Shinobu say such a thing before. The immense sadness contained in that honesty made her heart ache so much that she couldn't breathe.

Shinobu raised her head again, her purple eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the mist.

This time, she fixed her gaze firmly on Ganlu Temple's eyes, the self-deprecation in her tone dissipating, replaced by an incomparably solemn and comforting power.

“But you and I are different, Mitsuri.”

“My teacher once told me that the essence of power lies not in its form, but in why it is wielded.”

Her gaze softened, like a warm current flowing precisely into Ganlu Temple's heart, which trembled with shock and heartache.

"My power is born from the obsession with 'revenge'."

"And your power is born from the kindness of 'wanting to protect others'."

"This kindness has given you a physical body far stronger than that of ordinary people, allowing you to wield the heavy Nichirin Blade as lightly as a ribbon."

"This is something more precious and more powerful than any skill or poison."

She paused, as if recalling that distant yet warm teaching.

"If that gentle teacher were here, he would definitely tell you..."

Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on Shinobu's lips, a smile she herself was unaware of. Within that smile lay endless longing and reverence.

"Your power is a unique 'talent'."

This word, like a warm lightning bolt, instantly struck the softest spot in Kanroji Mitsuri's heart.

She was first heartbroken by Ren's honesty, and then moved by this recognition built on truth.