The next day
Xander was summoned to Shinobu Kocho's courtyard.
Shinobu Kocho held two wooden swords and tossed one to Xander.
"Xander, can you use your Breath of Ice against me? I want to gain some combat experience so that when the time comes, it will be easier to kill Douma with my poison."
Xander looked at Shinobu Kocho with concern and said, "Forget it, I'm afraid of hurting you."
Shinobu Kocho smiled easily and replied, "I'm a pillar too. Just because my strength is weak doesn't mean my abilities are."
Xander couldn't help but laugh, took the wooden sword in his hands, and said, "Alright! You said it! Don't be mad if you lose!"
Shinobu Kocho smiled and said, "Let's begin."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Kocho rushed at Xander. He didn't use Shave but opened telepathy. At the moment Kocho made her move, Xander noticed it.
Xander raised the wooden sword and blocked Kocho's strike.
After the unsuccessful attack, Kocho retreated and tried to keep a distance.
Xander also seized the moment and rushed forward, attempting to catch Kocho.
However, Kocho's body was extremely agile, and she dodged Xander with a single twist.
The two fighters intertwined, with Kocho ending up behind Xander, and the wooden sword in her hand struck again.
"Breath of Ice! Form 1! Icy Blade!"
A layer of frost appeared on the sword, and then Xander turned and struck.
With a loud crack!
The two wooden swords collided, and Shinobu Kocho seemed to rise into the air from the force of the clash between the two swords.
At that moment, a delighted voice echoed through the courtyard.
"Shinobu! I've come to play with you!"
As soon as Mitsuri Kanroji entered the Butterfly Mansion, she heard the sounds of a battle. She rushed into the courtyard and saw Shinobu Kocho jumping up. Seeing Xander and Shinobu Kocho fighting, Mitsuri Kanroji realized they were both using wooden swords and understood they must be training in combat.
And since Xander's Breath of Ice was a new breathing technique, all the Pillars were actually a bit curious about Xander.
Mitsuri Kanroji watched Shinobu Kocho in the air, a flicker of envy passing through her eyes.
"As expected of the shinobu!" So amazing!
On the other hand, Shinobu Kocho used the speed of her descent to employ her combat skills.
"Butterfly Dance! Temptation!"
Xander noticed shinobu's Butterfly's intent and also used a form to counter.
"Breath of Ice! Form 3! Wild Icy Blade!"
A series of cracks sounded as Xander's wooden sword blocked all of Kocho Shinobu's attacks.
At the same time, thanks to Xander's sword skills, the temperature around her dropped slightly.
When Kocho Shinobu was about to use her breath technique again, she felt a slight chill in her lungs but paid no attention to it and still used her combat skills.
"Dragonfly Dance! Hexagonal Compound Eyes!"
In an instant, a strike faster than the Butterfly Dance headed towards Xander.
The wooden sword in Xander's hand was on the defense. A trace of frost rose up Xander's face, and the temperature around him suddenly dropped.
"Breath of Ice! Earth Form! Unbreakable Secret Ice: Tortoise!"
Cold air spread everywhere, and for a moment, Shinobu Kocho felt her movements become slightly slower.
But in the blink of an eye, six consecutive attacks were executed, and all of them were blocked by Xander.
Suddenly, Shinobu Kocho sensed a hint of danger.
"Breath of Ice! Earth Form! Unbreakable Secret Ice: Serpent!"
The wooden sword in Xander's hand instantly turned into an offensive force and struck Shinobu Kocho at an incredible angle.
Shinobu Kocho held her sword horizontally in front of her, trying to block Xander's attack, but for some reason, her body's reaction was slightly slower than usual.
With a loud snap, the wooden sword in Shinobu Kocho's hand was knocked away by Xander.
"The winner is decided! I won again!" Xander said with a smile.
Shinobu Kocho paid no attention to Xander and looked carefully at the ground. She noticed there was a thin layer of frost, but it soon melted in the sun.
Seeing this, Shinobu Kocho roughly understood why her body felt uncomfortable during the battle with Xander.
At that moment, Mitsuri Kanroji ran up, picked up the wooden sword that had fallen from Shinobu Kocho, and said excitedly:
"Shinobu, Xander! I want to try too, may I?"
Seeing Mitsuri Kanroji, Shinobu Kocho smiled lightly and asked:
"Mitsuri, you're here, what happened?"
To which Mitsuri Kanroji blushed and said:
"I heard that the time Xander took to become a Pillar was even shorter than Lord Tokito's, so I came to see."
"As a result, when I just arrived, I saw you training with Xander in battle, and Xander is truly amazing! He can block all your attacks, Shinobu."
Mitsuri Kanroji made up a random excuse and at the same time praised Xander.
Xander said with a smile:
"Of course, I'm very strong now! I definitely won't lose to you in arm wrestling this time."
Hearing Xander's words, Mitsuri Kanroji exclaimed enthusiastically:
"Xander! Do you want to arm wrestle with me?"
Shinobu Kocho heard what Xander said and asked Mitsuri Kanroji:
"Mitsuri, when did you become so close with Xander?"
To which Mitsuri Kanroji replied directly:
"A year ago, when I first joined the Demon Slayer Corps, I met Xander at Lord Rengoku's house. At that time, he lost to me in arm wrestling and treated me to many cherry pastries!"
Hearing Mitsuri Kanroji's words, Shinobu Kocho was a little surprised:
"A year ago!"
Shinobu Kocho covered her mouth and glanced at Xander.
Xander had no intention of avoiding the topic, but smiled and said:
"A year ago, when Grandpa Urokodaki and I came to headquarters, I wanted to find you, but you didn't want to see me, so I went to find Brother Rengoku, and that's when I met Mitsuri."
Mitsuri Kanroji also confirmed with a nod.
Then Shinobu Kocho slightly smiled and said:
"So that's the story. Xander, do you want to compete in arm wrestling with Mitsuri?"
Xander was about to say something when suddenly a raven flew down from the sky and landed on Xander's shoulder.
"Southwest to south! Southwest to south! It's suspected that someone in the southwest village was killed by a demon. Xander, go to the southwest village to investigate!"
Hearing this, Xander smiled easily:
"Really? Weren't you telling me to take a little rest? Looks like I'll be starting a mission soon."
Shinobu Kocho said seriously:
"After all, demons are still very active right now. Lord Rengoku also left to investigate this morning, and it might be related to the Twelve Demon Moons."
Hearing this, Xander calculated the time in his mind:
"Originally, the incident with the Infinite Train happened about four to five months after the events on Spider Mountain, but because of me, Tanjirou and the others weren't seriously injured and will recover in about a week."
"So the Infinite Train event might be accelerated by one or two months. It seems we need to improve Tanjirou and the others' strength. I can also try to prepare over the next two to three months"
Xander smiled and said:
"Alright, I understand. While I'm away, Tanjirou and the others will be in your hands. They have immense potential. Remember to help me train them well."
After that, Xander waved his hand and left the Butterfly Mansion, heading to the mission location.
If you want to read advance chapters follow me on patreon
50+chapters