Wind Breathing?
'It's him... Kamado Eiichiro!'
A sudden typhoon rose from the ground, teasing the teru teru bozu hanging from the corner of the eaves. The wind curled around it, snapped the knot, and blew it into the sky—along with Sanemi Shinazugawa!
"How do you know Wind Breathing, you bastard?!"
The noon sunlight was just right. The white-haired young man glared angrily, landing on a whirlwind. He looked Roy up and down, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
Everyone knew the boy was the apprentice of the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji, and the junior brother of the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. But they had never heard of him changing schools to learn Wind Breathing... Many people quietly glanced at Giyu Tomioka.
Giyu Tomioka remained as cold as ever, showing no signs of abnormality.
From the day he met Eiichiro, he knew that it wouldn't be surprising no matter how outrageous his junior brother's actions were. Even if...
One day, Eiichiro suddenly said to him: "Senior Brother, I killed Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Giyu Tomioka would think it was only natural. He might be surprised, but he wouldn't make a fuss like the others. He simply said coldly, "Wind Breathing is just like that."
Sanemi Shinazugawa stared... Tengen Uzui, Obanai Iguro, and several other Hashira immediately looked at Giyu Tomioka's expressionless face as he continued, "Back then, Eiichiro only practiced Water Breathing with Master for one day, and by the next day, he could create his own moves. It's not strange that he has learned Wind Breathing now."
"Senior Brother understands me." Roy ran his fingers gently over his Short-hilt. Drawing the blade for the first time, he smiled gently. "However, it's not that exaggerated."
The boy twirled the blade, creating a sword flower. "Ten thousand changes do not depart from the origin. In my opinion, Breathing Styles are the same...
Whether it is [Water]... or [Wind], as long as you master the rhythm and laws of 'circulating Qi,' you will naturally learn it."
In the final analysis, Breathing Styles are about strengthening cardiopulmonary function and improving combat performance through oxygen intake. Coupled with the fact that Roy had the most fundamental Sun Breathing as a foundation, learning other schools was naturally as easy as turning over his hand.
"What about [Sun]?"
At that moment, Muichiro Tokito, who often wandered off in his thoughts, suddenly asked a question. His innocent eyes reflected the boy's flame-like hair as he stared at Roy. "What 'Breathing' do you know?"
A wall that couldn't be seen, yet couldn't be cut through... Stealing techniques from Sanemi Shinazugawa on the fly, suspected of mastering [Wind]... As Giyu Tomioka's junior brother, having learned [Water] long ago...
Muichiro Tokito looked on with curiosity. The teru teru bozu floated down into the courtyard, only to be snatched out of the air by Roy with one hand. Silence fell.
Kyojuro Rengoku was watching... Tengen Uzui was watching... Obanai Iguro, Mitsuri Kanroji, and even Shinobu Kocho—who usually wasn't very interested in fighting and only wanted to make poison to kill Doma—were watching...
"Amitabha..." Gyomei Himejima took over from Amane, helping Ubuyashiki Kagaya to sit down. The latter smiled gently; although his eyes couldn't see, his ears perked up quietly, sighing in his heart, 'It is truly regrettable that I cannot witness the boy's elegance...'
Whoosh~ A gust of wind blew, scattering a few wisteria petals. Sanemi Shinazugawa adjusted his breathing and gripped his Nichirin Sword again. This time he learned his lesson and didn't rush in recklessly.
Roy played with the teru teru bozu, smiled, and said, "Good question."
He tossed the doll casually, and it hung steadily back under the eaves. Only then did he slowly reveal the Short-hilt... 'What do I know?'
'Wherever the sunlight shines, it enters my eyes, enters my heart, and is perceived by me...'
'For example... the omnipresent [Magnetism]...'
Roy pressed the blade down... [Gravity Blade] manifest!
Mental energy turned into magnetism, adhering to the blade, instantly turning it [Purple]... Sanemi Shinazugawa felt his sword sink, then his hands, shoulders, and back... It was as if he had been hit directly on the head by a giant boulder. His knees buckled, and he almost knelt...
Hum... The Short-hilt flickered with a glowing purple light, outshining even the wisteria flowers that never withered throughout the seasons.
It swept across in an instant... Following Sanemi Shinazugawa, Kyojuro Rengoku... Tengen Uzui... Obanai Iguro... almost everyone, except for Giyu Tomioka and Ubuyashiki Kagaya and his wife Amane, who were protected behind Gyomei Himejima, abruptly felt a pressure as heavy as a mountain acting upon them.
It forced them, one by one, to bend their straight backs!
"So heavy!"
"What Breathing Style is this?"
Hiss— Kaburamaru screamed miserably and was slammed directly onto the ground!
"Serpent Breathing · First Form · Winding Serpent Slash!"
Obanai Iguro drew his sword, attempting to cut off this strange "downward pressure"... Unlike other Nichirin Swords, Serpent Breathing was derived from Water Breathing and was even more flexible. Therefore, his Nichirin Sword curved like a wave... With one slash, he suddenly realized... why Sanemi Shinazugawa couldn't even hold his sword in front of the boy. It was truly... too heavy!
"Don't draw your swords in front of him!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa, bearing the greatest pressure, gradually realized something and shouted angrily to warn everyone.
Unfortunately... whether it was Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui... or even the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji and the Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho, they drew their swords instinctively. In a flash, they were still a step too late. Roy raised his hand and beckoned... [Magnetism · Attract]!
Clang... The Nichirin Swords broke free from the Hashiras' hands as if they had rebelled. Driven by Roy, Thud... thud... thud...
With several soft sounds, they were nailed to the courtyard wall behind Roy!
Ultimately, they were flesh and blood. Relying on the boost from Breathing Styles, they were slightly superior to ordinary people, but in terms of physical stats, except for Gyomei Himejima who was born with divine strength, they still couldn't withstand a powerful Nen user tempered by Nen, let alone Roy.
The boy stood in washed white clothes, his fiery long hair spirited and sharp. He seemed to be asking himself, or perhaps contemplating... 'What else can I do?'
He rubbed the Short-hilt... 'Shoot to kill, [Shinso]!'
Shoo~ The purple faded, and the gravity vanished. Just as everyone straightened their backs while holding their knees and gasping for breath, they saw...
The ordinary practice Short-hilt in Roy's hand suddenly extended... It crossed a distance of a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, grazed Sanemi Shinazugawa's ear, pierced through the courtyard wall behind him, and incidentally... sliced off a lock of his white hair.
Sanemi Shinazugawa turned his head to look at the blade. For only the second time in his life, he experienced what fear tasted like. The first time was when his mother turned into a demon; to protect his brother Genya Shinazugawa, he relied on his "Marechi" blood to kill his own mother. It was also from that time... that he embarked on a violent path of slaughtering evil demons, becoming even fiercer than the demons themselves!
As for... the Sun!
The hundred-meter-long blade traversed nearly half the courtyard.
The boy looked up at the great sun climbing into the sky overhead. Two suns ignited in his pupils with a poof, and he said softly, "Fire, come!"
The long sword turned red in one second, ignited in two seconds, spewed surging flames in three seconds, and the flames turned white in four seconds. It singed Sanemi Shinazugawa's white hair, forcing the young man to retreat, unable to hold on any longer. He flashed away from Roy, standing quietly to the side to put out the fire.
"This is... Sun Breathing?" An unprecedented brilliance erupted in Kyojuro Rengoku's fiery red eyes. As the user of Flame Breathing—the closest lower-tier substitute to Sun Breathing—his nose twitched. He could clearly smell...
Just how scorching the white flame at the center, entwined around the hundred-meter sword, truly was!
The Flame Hashira, who was usually like a big brother full of incomparable care and enthusiasm for everyone, spoke with rare obsession... Including Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro, the gazes of all the Hashira narrowed. They clearly knew what the words "Sun Breathing" signified!
'I had heard earlier that this legendary Breathing style had long been lost. I didn't expect to see it today.' Shinobu Kocho watched silently, her eyes revealing a strange light... Beside him, Tengen Uzui had lost his dual blades. He felt uncomfortable all over, yet he had to admit... The boy "couldn't be cut," "swords couldn't be drawn in front of him," and "when he attacked, it was a legendary Breathing Style"... It was truly... much flashier than his own glittering attire!
"I think that should be enough." The flames rolled out in a heatwave, getting closer... Just as they were about to engulf the teru teru bozu, Roy sheathed his sword.
Clang~ The sword shrank, the flames extinguished, and it returned quietly into the scabbard.
The boy then smiled at everyone. He didn't even raise his hand, simply saying, "Go back."
Although they were clearly the Nichirin Swords of the Hashira, they seemed to communicate with Roy's spirit. Moving with his will, they broke free from the wall's restraint and flew back into the hands of the Hashira.
Gyomei Himejima opened his mouth and chanted a Buddha's name. "Is that acceptable, everyone?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa... Obanai Iguro... all fell silent. At this point, it probably wasn't a matter of the boy dragging them down, but... they had to seriously consider whether they would drag Roy down if they acted together with him.
In short, the Ubuyashiki estate finally returned to its former tranquility after undergoing a round of devastation.
Inside the main house, Ubuyashiki Kagaya instructed Amane to bring cushions specifically for everyone... Amane Ubuyashiki, who came from a line of priests, respectfully approached Roy and invited him to sit.
The boy was not polite and sat down openly. Hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya speak about the recent abnormal movements of the Twelve Kizuki and the investigation into the causes behind them... Roy thought of the face of Muzan disguised as a child that he had seen through the Clone Demon that day, and spoke up, "He is looking for me."
"You have seen Muzan Kibutsuji?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa, Shinobu Kocho... looked over in unison...
Roy didn't speak. He immediately activated [Deception], and in a flash, transformed into the appearance of the "boy" Muzan disguised himself as.
The Hashira: "..."
They looked at each other, speechless.
Sitting in the lower right corner of the corridor, far away from Roy, Sanemi Shinazugawa saw this and almost thought he had encountered another demon capable of using Blood Demon Arts. He nearly drew his sword, but his mind spun and he hit the brakes in time, suddenly remembering the hundred-meter-long sword entwined with surging flames just now. He calmly retracted his hand.
This was the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the opponent was suspected to be a user of the legendary Sun Breathing; he couldn't be a demon!
Looking again at the calm demeanor of Giyu Tomioka, Gyomei Himejima, and the Master, it seemed they had witnessed the boy using such methods before. He suppressed his temper and shut his mouth.
"I saw him twice a few days ago."
"Once the Clone Demon, once the Eye Demon..." Roy spoke truthfully. With a shake of his body, searching his memory and following the appearance in the original work, he transformed again. He turned into the appearance of Muzan Kibutsuji dressed as a geisha house madam investigating the "Blue Spider Lily," and then...
The appearance of Muzan disguised as a wealthy merchant when he first encountered Tanjiro Kamado on the streets of Tokyo...
The appearance when fighting for Nezuko, and the appearance when he would be lured by Ubuyashiki Kagaya in the future to come to the Ubuyashiki estate in his true form...
He changed just like that, one change... after another... Even Giyu Tomioka, Gyomei Himejima, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who had seen [Deception] before, couldn't help but sigh in their hearts... If the boy didn't have a strong "human scent," someone unaware of the situation would really treat him as an evil demon.
Finally, Roy stopped transforming and maintained Muzan Kibutsuji's original appearance, saying, "The above is the Muzan Kibutsuji I have seen... He is cunning and cowardly. Since the Twelve Kizuki have made strange movements, they have likely been summoned for a meeting. As for the target of the meeting..."
Roy cancelled [Deception], restored his original appearance, smiled, and said, "It should be me."
Everyone was silent. Gyomei Himejima put his palms together and looked at Ubuyashiki Kagaya. "Master."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya knelt on the cushion. Ripples appeared in his pale eyes. He listened quietly to everything, pondered silently for a moment, and mentioned several man-eating cases...
"The Tokyo Flower District cannibalism case..."
"The Kanagawa village massacre case..."
"The Infinity Train missing persons case..."
"Eiichiro..." Ubuyashiki Kagaya stared at Roy with his nearly blind eyes. "You are right. Muzan Kibutsuji is creating killing traps to lure you in..."
"But there's no need to create three cases at the same time, right? Wouldn't one be enough?" The Love Hashira scratched her head and stole a glance at Roy.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said calmly, "He is a cunning person and never puts all his eggs in one basket. If I guessed correctly, regardless of which of these three killing traps Eiichiro chooses, there will definitely be an Upper Moon demon lying in ambush behind it, and..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya paused, his tone heavy. "It is very likely there is more than one!"
"..." The Hashira fell silent, and the room immediately plunged into a dead silence... The Demon Slayer Corps had indeed killed many demons, large and small, since its establishment. Sometimes... they could even harvest a few Lower Moons, but...
Counting back several generations since Ubuyashiki Kagaya took power, they hadn't killed even a single Upper Moon demon. This showed just how terrifyingly powerful the Upper Moons were.
Moreover, many Hashira present had some entanglements with the Upper Moons. For example, Shinobu Kocho and Doma... With the deeply ingrained hatred of the Flower Hashira's death before her, just hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya mention it made the hearts of the Hashira heavy. Those with greater emotional fluctuations, like Shinobu Kocho, began to breathe heavily.
"Then kill them all!" Sanemi Shinazugawa said crudely.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't look at him but faced Roy's direction, seeming to be waiting for something...
The boy said indifferently, "Then let's start with the Infinity Train and kill them all."
On this day, the end key was pressed for this meeting.
At the same time, he tried to start preaching in the world of Demon Slayer...
His first glance fell upon Kyojuro Rengoku.