Chapter 798: Outing
Chapter 798: Outing
Following the great battle, the demons and the Demon Slayer Corps reached another stalemate.
Without the direct involvement of Kibutsuji Muzan, the demons found it difficult to completely annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps. And despite his overwhelming power, Muzan would not take any risks if there was even the slightest possibility of a threat to him.
At least, the so-called swordsmanship style made him feel threatened, and the severe lack of information meant he had no intention of revealing himself.
In the worst-case scenario, if the world produced another successor to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan could simply hide for another hundred years and emerge again after his opponent's death.
The stalemate between the demons and the Demon Slayer Corps also meant that the death rate among the corps members began to decrease. However, due to the frequent demon activities, the workload remained immense.
This was especially true for the pillar-level captains, who rarely had any spare time.
When they were not out on missions, they were practicing their swordsmanship.
In a courtyard within the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters—
Butterfly Ninja, dressed in loose training clothes, held her Nichirin Sword with both hands, her gaze intense and focused on the front. She then raised her sword and swung it with all her might.
Swish!
A gleam of light appeared on the surface of the Nichirin Sword, and a flying slash was unleashed.
However, this slash was pitifully weak. Barely an inch in size, it flew only three feet before disappearing without a trace, leaving a faint mark on the wooden stake in front of her.
"Still no good..."
Butterfly Ninja sighed.
She was too weak.
A year ago, she had already mastered the Constant Concentration Breathing, and now, she had maintained this state for over a year. Normally, she would have already possessed the strength of a pillar-level captain.
In fact, this was indeed the case. Her speed and agility were indeed on par with the pillar level.
However, the problem lay in her small stature.
Standing at only 151 cm tall and weighing merely 37 kilograms, she was essentially like a tiny doll, and her pure strength was abysmal. She had never been able to muster enough power to slice through a demon's neck.
Even after learning swordsmanship from Shinobu, her performance left much to be desired.
Her sister, Kanae, who had been practicing swordsmanship alongside her, could easily unleash slashes that flew over ten meters, and she had even combined her breathing technique with her swordsmanship to create a powerful new move.
But Butterfly was still struggling.
"If I can't improve, how can I help my sister..."
Butterfly glared with frustration, gripping her Nichirin Sword and swinging it several times. However, due to her agitated state of mind, she couldn't even produce the weak slashes from before.
Just then, Kanae appeared in the courtyard.
She walked up to Butterfly and took out a light-colored handkerchief, gently wiping the sweat from Butterfly's forehead. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she said, "That's enough for now. Take a rest."
Butterfly paused for a moment and said, "But I still haven't been able to practice—"
"Come on, it's rare that we have some free time today. Let's go out for a walk this afternoon." Kanae interrupted Butterfly and smiled at her reassuringly. "Improvement in swordsmanship doesn't come from rushing."
She understood Butterfly's eagerness to quickly enhance her strength, but she also knew that cultivation required a solid foundation and accumulation. Perhaps, Butterfly was not suited for the path of pure swordsmanship.
Sometimes, the strongest option was not the most suitable one.
In times like these, it was better to relax and take a break, and see if they could find another direction that suited Butterfly better.
"...Alright."
Seeing her sister's smile up close, Butterfly finally put down her Nichirin Sword.
She returned to the house, freshened up, put on a jacket, and rejoined Kanae in the courtyard. Together, they left the premises.
Soon, they arrived in the town.
Most of the people here were poor, with tattered clothes, and only a small number of them had clothes without any patches, indicating a slightly better-off life.
"So pretty!"
Kanae fastened a butterfly-shaped hair accessory on Butterfly, nodding in satisfaction.
Butterfly, unable to take her sister's praise anymore, turned her head away.
In that moment, her peripheral vision caught a man on a bustling bridge in the distance, dragging a bundle of hemp rope. The other end of the rope was tied to a child who looked only a few years old.
"Sister."
Butterfly paused, then called out.
Following Butterfly's gaze, Kanae also spotted the scene and was slightly surprised. She put down the accessories in her hand and led Butterfly towards the man.
"Excuse me, may I ask you something?"
Kanae approached the man, her voice still gentle.
"Hmm?" The man turned around.
"Why is this child tied up?" Kanae inquired. "Is she a criminal or something?"
The man shrugged. "It's obvious, isn't it? She's filthy with fleas, and she might try to run away."
From this statement, Kanae and Butterfly realized that the man was neither the child's father nor a trafficker who had bought her.
In these chaotic times, many people couldn't even feed themselves, let alone their children, so it was not uncommon for children to be sold.
"Hello," Kanae said, bending down to the little girl. "I'm Kocho Kanae. What's your name?"
The little girl remained silent.
She stared straight at Kanae, her large eyes devoid of any emotion or spark, like a lifeless doll.
"She doesn't have a name," the man beside them answered. "Her parents never gave her one. Also... I think that's enough now. You can step away from her."
As he spoke, he reached out to push Kanae away.
Slap!
Butterfly, standing behind Kanae, took a step forward and blocked the man's hand, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Don't touch my sister."
Although she lacked physical strength compared to demons and other pillar-level members, she was still far superior to an ordinary human. The man stumbled back in surprise at her gentle block.
The man was taken aback but quickly became annoyed. "Hey, what's your problem? I bought her. If you want to talk to her, pay up!"
Butterfly glanced at her sister, seeing the concern in Kanae's eyes as she looked at the little girl. Understanding her sister's intention, Butterfly reached into her pocket and said, "Then I'll buy this child."
"This should be enough, right?"
Whoosh!
As she spoke, Butterfly scattered a handful of coins on the ground.
She then grabbed the rope from the man's hand, and together with Kanae, they pulled the little girl and ran.
"Hey, wait!" The man was surprised and didn't react immediately.
Butterfly flashed a slight smile as she ran, turning her head to say, "You'd better pick them up quickly. It's windy, and you don't want them to blow away."
"Erm, is this okay...?" Kanae turned her head as she ran and said, "Sorry about this."
The man was furious, but with money scattered all over the ground, it would be unwise to chase after Kanae and Butterfly. Besides, some bystanders had already started scrambling to pick up the coins, so he could only kneel on the ground, frantically trying to gather his money.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
