46. Hamon + Nichirin = ?

"This…!"

Kotaro was astonished as he gazed at the blade in his hand. This wasn't an ordinary blade; it was made of Nichirin ore, the legendary material of this world used to forge weapons that could kill demons.

To him, the presence of a Nichirin blade wasn't that important, because Kotaro could turn anything in his hand into a weapon capable of killing a demon using his Hamon. But still, he was curious about what would happen if he poured his Hamon into a Nichirin blade. And now, here he was, witnessing a phenomenon that made his eyes almost pop out.

"Damn! This is cool!"

His grip tightened unintentionally, and a smirk spread across his face. Nichirin... Now, the desire to own a Nichirin-made weapon was overflowing within him.

…

A few moments earlier…

After completing his regular routine, Kotaro returned to the mansion, only to hear a loud shout. The sudden noise startled him, but he quickly grasped who it was.

It was Rengoku Shinjuro, the current Flame Hashira.

Now that he lived here with Kyojuro, encountering that man was inevitable. Kotaro saw Kyojuro returning from his father's room after receiving the usual verbal abuse.

It had become a part of Kyojuro's life to endure his father's insulting tirades and then come back.

"Kyojuro, are you alright?"

"Don't worry! I am alright!"

"That Shinjuro-san…"

"I believe that Father will regain his motivation if I become the Flame Hashira!"

'No, he won't.'

Kotaro, who knew the future, wanted to say that, but upon seeing Kyojuro's optimism, the words got stuck in his throat.

Kyojuro was unaware of why his father had suddenly quit being a swordsman, but Kotaro knew. After the death of his wife, Shinjuro was mentally shattered. In the midst of this, he also discovered "Sun Breathing," which was documented as being superior to all other Breath Styles. Believing that all his efforts were pointless, Shinjuro quit being a swordsman.

Kotaro could understand Shinjuro's feelings to some extent. Imagine dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to mastering something, only to lose a loved one and then discover that what you worked for your entire life is inferior and could never match the original.

But still, that was no excuse for him to abuse and insult his children. Kyojuro managed to stay strong, thanks to the promise he made to his mother. But Senjuro… Just look at him. He was worse off than Shinjuro himself.

"I, too, believe he will return to the man he once was."

"Thank you, Kotaro!"

Kotaro nodded at Kyojuro's words and smiled. Shinjuro did recover, but it was only after Kyojuro died.

'Don't worry, I won't let you die, Kyojuro.'

It was a wish not just from Kotaro's previous life, but also as Kyojuro's friend. To fulfill that wish, he needed to become strong enough to fight the upper-ranked demons.

"But Kotaro, why did you come here?"

"Ah? Oh, that's because I wanted to ask you something, Kyojuro. Do you have a spare Nichirin blade?"

The idea had suddenly come to Kotaro's mind. Because of Hamon, he didn't need a special Nichirin weapon; as long as it was made of metal, he was satisfied. But still, curiosity had gotten the better of him. A normal Nichirin blade could kill demons because it contained the energy of the sun.

What would happen if he poured Hamon into it?

Kotaro wanted to find out, so he came to ask Kyojuro if he had a spare Nichirin blade. His request wasn't unreasonable, and for a family of demon slayers, it was expected that they would have some spare blades made from Nichirin. Kyojuro happily handed Kotaro one of his spares, letting him experiment however he liked.

If there was one thing demon slayers didn't lack, it was money. Even if the blade were destroyed, Kyojuro could easily get a new one made for him.

"Alright. Let's see what happens now."

As soon as Kotaro held the weapon, he felt a kind of attraction. It felt extremely soothing to him, and his Hamon unconsciously started flowing, surprising him.

"Is my Hamon attracted to it?"

His interest peaked. What would happen if Hamon flowed into the Nichirin blade? He had to release his Hamon and see for himself!

With small crackling sounds, yellow-orange sparks emerged from his hands and moved toward the blade. To his surprise, as soon as the Hamon entered the blade...

"This…!"

Kotaro, being cautious, infused only a small amount of Hamon. But that Hamon became brighter, more powerful, and the blade turned an intense red the moment the Hamon entered it.

Kotaro increased the Hamon output, and the blade was no longer ordinary. It was an extreme red, with sparks constantly buzzing around it, and Kotaro could feel it... the Hamon being amplified!

Nichirin blades… They act as Hamon amplifiers!

He couldn't help but swing the sword a bit and…

Bzzz! Crackle!

It was faint, but he saw it. The Hamon was being released into the air in the form of a sword slash!

"Damn! This is cool!"

Before, he hadn't been that interested, but now, Kotaro's decided to have his weapon made out of Nichirin at any cost!

==

A/N:

Sorry for not posting yesterday and for being a bit late today! I had a lot of assignments, so I couldn't find the time to write the chapter.

How is the chapter?

Nichirin acts as a Hamon amplifier, enhancing the Hamon poured into it, which allows Kotaro to release Hamon into the air as compressed attacks. So, in a way, Kotaro has his own version of Enma, right? Though his Enma doesn't drain his Hamon; instead, it amplifies it.