CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: STYLE

During his sword practice, a fleeting inspiration struck Tetsu no Sosuke.

He seized it, but it only increased his speed by a fraction.

He had no concept of "lines of weakness" or anything of the sort.

After all this time practicing, he hadn’t experienced any protagonist-like breakthroughs—no sudden leaps in skill, no rapid progress.

This left him somewhat melancholic. While not completely at a loss, such slow progress would render his earlier promises to Kanae meaningless.

For the past two days, he had been primarily contemplating this issue.

"The key... probably lies in understanding my own strengths," he mused.

Sitting on the corridor in front of the door, Sosuke gazed up at the sun. The slightly chilly air kept his mind remarkably clear.

What were his strengths?

He possessed great strength, excellent physical stamina, and decent speed and agility—all benefits gained from the sword-forging process.

"But that’s still not enough."

The real challenge lay in harnessing these advantages effectively.

Mastering sword technique was essential to truly unleash the blade’s power. Yet he felt that, as he was now, he might struggle to even chop down a tree, let alone a Demon’s head.

More likely, he’d simply shatter the blade.

"Holding a sword doesn’t feel nearly as natural as holding a hammer..."

He sighed, propping himself up on the corridor floor with his arms. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.

"Wait..."

He suddenly remembered the blueprint he had drawn earlier.

"The Church’s warhammer..."

His expression turned peculiar as he slapped his cheek. "No, focusing on sword technique is the right path. Hammers and such..."

But as he said this, he suddenly thought of the Stone Pillar.

With his broadaxe and meteor hammer linked by chains, that guy clearly hadn’t fixated on swords either.

Instead, he had used these weapons to maximize his inherent strength.

The chains’ entanglement properties were for control.

The meteor hammer’s advantage lay in inflicting heavy damage on Demons.

The final broadaxe was for beheading.

By combining these three elements with the stone Pillar’s immense power, he had become the strongest Pillar.

"So, if I made myself a hammer with a sword hidden inside... using ’Gale Sun’ as my hammer technique to inflict severe damage on Demons, and then finishing them off with the sword hidden within the hammer... would that be the most suitable approach for me?"

Sosuke’s face twisted as countless mental struggles raged within him.

Finally, he leaped to his feet. "Let’s try it!"

A sword hidden within a hammer—for now, the Sun of genesis would serve as the blade. Sosuke was about to forge a hammer that would function as a sword sheath.

The material he chose wasn’t Scarlet Crimson Sand Iron, but ordinary iron—and he needed a massive quantity.

’Should I reduce the weight using the Bloodforging Method?’

No. If he truly committed to this combat style later, he could use the Bloodforging Method then. For now, the weight itself would serve as a form of training.

Thus, he discarded the Bloodforging Method for the time being.

Without hesitation, he lit the furnace, and the rhythmic clang of the hammer echoed through the workshop.

In forging this unique "sword sheath," Sosuke prioritized hardness over resilience.

As his first attempt at crafting such a hammer, much of the process was trial and error.

"Creating a seamless, one-piece design is nearly impossible, so a modular approach is the best option. The section housing the sword is particularly crucial. Protecting the blade is paramount; otherwise, after a few uses, drawing the sword to find it chipped or blunted would be laughable."

With each part he forged, Sosuke would fall into deep contemplation.

He discarded the impractical, retained the ideal, and reforged, the entire process unfolding in fits and starts.

When Tomioka’s Nichirin Blade was finally completed, the reward Sosuke received opened up new opportunities.

This time, the reward was... Heavenly Crafting Technique: Mechanisms!

While the technique provided a foundational understanding of small-scale mechanisms, it lacked detailed explanations. It merely outlined the principles and basic knowledge, which is why it could be directly awarded as a reward.

Yet even this rudimentary foundation sparked countless ideas in Sosuke’s mind, leading to significant advancements in his mechanical designs.

As a result, it took him a full seven days to finally forge this "sword sheath."

The overall design was nearly identical to the church’s stone hammer, except for the absence of any inscriptions.

It was incredibly heavy. Even lifting it proved difficult for someone as small and weak as Shinobu, let alone swinging it.

When the Sun of genesis was channeled into the hammer, the locking mechanism instantly secured it. Lifting it now revealed a hammer with a sword hilt serving as the handle.

Sosuke swung it with considerable effort. Only by channeling his Breathing Technique could he manage it with relative ease.

Holding the hammer, Sosuke felt a flicker of doubt. "This... will it really work?"

There was only one way to find out.

From that day forward, the bamboo forest behind the mountain suffered a relentless assault. The shirtless youth, braving the cold wind, swung the massive hammer with unrestrained glee, hacking and pounding with abandon.

"Sun Breathing—First Form: Gale Sun!"

The delicate taps of the forging hammer had been replaced by the thunderous blows of this colossal weapon. In an instant, a hundred hammer shadows descended, crushing everything within their range into flattened oblivion.

"So, the hammer really is my true calling?"

Sosuke gazed at the hammer in his hand, feeling a sense of certainty.

Yet the fleeting moment of exhilaration was quickly overshadowed by sorrow.

"I’m truly on the irreversible path to becoming the Hammer Pillar, aren’t I? There’s no turning back now."

Although the successful forging of the hammer-blade scabbard had helped Sosuke discover his fighting style, he continued to practice his sword techniques relentlessly. He needed to master the fundamentals of swordsmanship; otherwise, relying solely on hammer techniques without the ability to decapitate Demons would prevent him from truly slaying them.

He couldn’t just wait for dawn to end every battle, could he?

Therefore, his training remained unyielding.

As winter approached, he remembered that tragic night, which had occurred during a heavy snowfall.

But when exactly had it happened?

Where were Tanjiro’s family now?

He had no idea.

Faced with an unchangeable past and a future he could still alter, Sosuke racked his brain, only to realize he had no idea how to change the fate of Tanjiro’s family.

And against Kibutsuji Muzan, the mastermind behind it all, he felt utterly helpless!

In his current state, he didn’t even have the right to stand before the Twelve Kizuki. How could he possibly confront the ultimate boss?

"But that’s no reason to give up!"

Sosuke took a deep breath. "We must find a way. When facing an insurmountable enemy, we must never surrender. We must find a way... there’s always a chance to change everything!"