Clack! Slash! Ting!
Clashing metal echoed through the pitch-black mental space.
A silver-white blade clashed again and again with a Nichirin sword.
Takeo and 2B's silhouettes crossed paths as they dueled.
Black and white streaks collided again and again in this space of consciousness, until—on the final clash—they separated.
"Huff... huff…"
Dressed in a white haori, Takeo gripped two Nichirin swords in his hands, arms trembling slightly.
2B's power was overwhelming.
As an android, her strength and speed far exceeded any ordinary human. Even more frustrating was that her recovery rate, boosted by her internal chips, seemed faster than Takeo's.
"This is… a character from one of my old games… I used.."
Throughout this intense duel, Takeo came to a realization: the 2B before him was equipped with the exact chip configuration he had once set for her in-game.
The problem was—it had been far too long. Takeo couldn't clearly remember which specific chip builds he had used.
He vaguely remembered some of the chip setups—only a few, but he was sure about them.
There was [Overclock], which allowed time to seemingly slow down.
Then [Auto-Heal (No Damage)], which rapidly restored health after a period without taking hits.
Also, [Shockwave], which enabled blade attacks to emit energy blasts.
And finally—
Takeo was still trying to recall when 2B suddenly lunged at him again.
After this prolonged clash with 2B, Takeo had come to understand that her current actions were likely a kind of test.
Only by defeating her with his own strength could he inherit the full extent of her abilities.
But "defeat"… didn't necessarily mean overpowering her through brute strength. Maybe—just maybe—some form of clever trickery could count as well!
With that thought flashing through his mind, Takeo stared at the blade coming at him, then gritted his teeth—and braced for impact head-on!
Squish!!
The short katana—Virtuous Contract—pierced straight through Takeo's body, running through him front to back. But he didn't utter a single sound. Instead, he activated his full-body Breathing Technique, forcibly clamping the blade within his muscle fibers!
Fifth Form—!!
His twin Nichirin swords slashed out. In just an instant, eight fierce strikes—four from each side—lashed out toward 2B's neck!
—Eightfold Fangs!!
The Fifth Form of his Wolf Breathing Style was a concentrated technique that delivered at least eight strikes to the same spot using dual blades in the blink of an eye!
With a technique like this, Takeo had confidence he could sever even the hardened neck of a demon from the Twelve Kizuki!
Let alone 2B!
Sparks flew from 2B's mechanical neck, and in the blink of an eye, her head flew through the air.
A surge of joy rose in Takeo's heart.
I did it!!
He had decapitated 2B—by all accounts, that should qualify as defeating her!
That meant… he could now inherit her full abilities!
Takeo had just felt a surge of triumph—only to watch, right in front of him, as 2B's body began to move again.
The exposed wires and metal of her severed neck started fusing, reforming… reshaping into a brand-new head in a completely unnatural, impossible way!
"..."
Before Takeo could even yell, "That's not scientifically possible!" the newly regenerated 2B drew her Virtuous Treaty greatsword—and in one swift motion, sliced his head clean off.
Talk about karmic retribution!
"Shit! I remember now—!"
His consciousness was forcibly ejected from the inner mental world. Takeo opened his eyes back in the courtyard and cursed under his breath.
He had just remembered the most critical chip he'd ever equipped on 2B.
"…Restart—damn it, she can reboot even after being decapitated?!"
Takeo grumbled to himself furiously.
The chip [Restart], as the name suggests, allowed the user to automatically reboot after their health hit zero. In the game, this meant a chance at resurrection.
In simpler terms—
It's a revive function.
While playing the game, Takeo had been terrified of dying—so naturally, he'd upgraded that chip to the maximum level.
At full level, [Restart] had a 50% chance to revive the user upon death, restoring 80% of their HP.
And clearly, the 2B in his mental space had hit that 50% revival rate.
"Well great," Takeo muttered, scratching at his now slightly longer hair. "Looks like next time, I'll need a way to take out her second life too."
Killing 2B once was a coin flip. Sure, she might die… but she also had just as good a chance of popping right back up.
Takeo had no intention of gambling on a 50/50. For now, he decided to treat 2B as a boss with a second phase—someone who needed to be defeated twice to truly go down.
Still, it wasn't all that hopeless.
After over half a month of rest and intense training, Takeo had finally grasped the deeper secret of the Breathing Techniques—Total Concentration: Constant.
A state where one maintained the flow of their Breathing Technique not just in combat, but while eating, walking, even sleeping—making it a seamless part of their being.
According to Kyojuro Rengoku, mastering this was one of the key requirements for becoming a Hashira.
All the Hashira were capable of using Total Concentration: Constant.
That might sound a bit abstract to some people, so to put it simply—
Total Concentration was what most Demon Slayers used in key moments—essentially like unleashing a special move, concentrating all their strength into a powerful technique.
But Total Concentration: Constant… Was like turning that special move into a basic attack.
And now, Takeo had reached the point where he could treat his "special move" like a regular strike. If he were to face the Dust Demon again, he probably wouldn't even need any thinking—one strike might be enough to take its head.
…Take its head.
Takeo repeated the phrase in his mind, then let out a long breath and patted his cheeks, forcing himself not to dwell on the past.
He was just about to get up and splash some water on his face—planning to return to his mental realm and "spar" with 2B again—when his kasugai crow, Kotaro, swooped in from the sky above.
"Got a mission?" Takeo asked the descending crow.
"N-No.."
Kotaro shook his head, then loudly announced:
"Notification! The Demon Slayer Corps has officially welcomed its Ninth Hashira as of last night! The Mist Hashira—Tokito Muichiro! …N-Notification complete…"
After delivering the report in his usual shrill tone, Kotaro immediately reverted to his timid demeanor, hiding nervously behind Takeo.
Takeo absentmindedly pulled out a few grains of rice from his pocket and tossed them to Kotaro, only then realizing what the crow had just reported.
"The Mist Hashira… Tokito Muichiro…"
He muttered softly.
That same kid he had once fought and narrowly defeated using sheer trickery and borrowed talent…
That boy who was the same age as him, yet possessed real, terrifying natural ability…
In just under two months since the Final Selection, he had already become a Hashira.
Mist Hashira…
Two months…
"...Iori-nee, that's what real talent looks like…" Takeo laughed quietly, but his smile was tight and hollow.
Two months—maybe even less, since the Final Selection hadn't even been that long ago.
And even if you counted that period too, it would barely be two months in total.
No way he became a Hashira just by accumulating kills to meet the quota.
There had to be something more.
Muichiro must have slain one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Takeo—just fighting a prospective Twelve Kizuki—had already lost a comrade. Yet some people could kill an actual Twelve Kizuki and become a Hashira with ease.
The gap between people… sometimes really was wider than the gap between man and beast.
"Fuu~ …It's time to head out."
He picked up his sword—then picked up another.
Strapping both Nichirin swords to his sides, Takeo reached out to gently pat Kotaro on the head, then rose to his feet, ready to go.
Technically, as the Flame Hashira's Tsuguko, he had the privilege of not being deployed for missions. He only needed to assist when Kyojuro Rengoku was mobilized, and otherwise could focus entirely on training—preparing to eventually inherit the title of Hashira himself.
That was why Takeo had stayed at the Rengoku estate for half a month—training constantly in Total Concentration: Constant, and occasionally sparring with 2B in his inner world.
He'd been waiting for intel on a Twelve Kizuki.
Once a lead surfaced, he'd planned to personally hunt one down and earn a direct promotion to Hashira.
But now, the Mist Hashira had already been established—the ninth Hashira had been born into the Corps. Takeo didn't want to keep waiting.
He needed to go out and slay demons.
If he stayed cooped up any longer… he'd start to rust.
_________
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