《Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey》


 Chapter 1: Reincarnation

    <h4>Chapter 1: Reincarnation</h4>

    [MC''s POV]

    I''m fucked.

    I''m so fucked.

    "I am so fucked."

    "How many times do I have to tell you Seiji, no cursing." A voice told me from the side while I continued staring at the ceiling as Iy t on my ck like a wellid corpse, contemting on how fucked I was.

    My head lifelessly rolled to the side to look at the person who had just reprimanded me. He was sitting on the floor with one of his kneesing up to his chest. There was a small table in front where different Japanese dishes were set and he was eating a bowl of rice with chopsticks.

    He wore a ck traditional Japanese dress and there were many scars on his face that hinted at the violence he had seen. But underneath such scars was a young face that could not be older than 20.

    "Come and eat your food before it gets cold." He told me while shoving lumps of rice into his mouth. He did not even bother to look at me, his eyes were closed while he enjoyed his food.

    Of course, he would be enjoying his food peacefully, because unlike me, he was not absolutely fucked. Wait, that''s not exactly correct. He was just as screwed as me, but unlike me, he was blissfully ignorant of what the future held.

    You might be wondering why I was in such deep trouble and even contemting killing myself right now. The answer was simple.

    Currently, it was the year 1910 and somehow, I was living in a rural vige in Japan.

    And if it wasn''t obvious already, I had somehow travelled back exactly 110 years into the past.

    How it happened? I did not know. Thest thing I remember was sending a leave letter to the principal, faking sickness so that I could skip school that day.

    I did not die, I did not get hit by a truck nor did I fall into a rabbit hole like Alice.

    One moment I was there and in the next, I found myself here. There was no hint, there was no warning and there definitely was no logic.

    Actually, I found myself in this situation yesterday but being hopeful that it was a dream, I slept. But the next day, I was still in the same situation, trapped inside some kid''s body in an era that was known to be the worst.

    For people who are not well versed in history, let me tell you some of the future event that awaits me - a person living in Japan during the early 1900''s ; World War 1, The Great Kanto Earthquake that killed around 150,000 people, World War 2 which was known as the bloodiest war in human history with 85 million casualties and two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Yeah, what a remarkable future that awaits me. Did I also mention that Hitler would being into power soon as well?

    Fantastic.

    "I am so screwed."

    "Are you going toy there all day like a dead fish? If you don''te I am going to eat your share." the young man said after a while.

    I continued lying on the floor for a few more seconds before I pushed myself up. I looked at the man whom I recalled to be Kenshi, the eldest sibling and my big brother.

    Sinceing back to this era yesterday, I have slowly been gaining the memories of this 4-year-old body that I inherited. There were a total of seven members in our family but all of them were away to work for the day except for me and my brother.

    They thought I was sick since I refused to act right yesterday and slept the whole day. So they made my brother stay at home to watch over me at home.

    As the youngest in the family, I was quite spoiled.

    "I''m not hungry, you can have it." I said and my brother simply shrugged, "Suit yourself then."

    I got up and walked out of the room to wander around aimlessly while gathering my thoughts and processing the entire situation. Everything still felt unreal to me.

    I walked out into the courtyard and a pleasant breeze came to relieve my not-so-unpleasant mood. The leaves of the trees fluttered in a flushing sound and the air which was still untainted by pollution filled my lungs.

    The sun hung high in the sky and its gentle warmth caressed my skin. The greenery seemed to reflect this warmth as it zed like jade. It was a beautiful summer day and the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects was what really made this felt like a dream to me.

    I was born deaf back in my original life. So this was the first time I was hearing things. If not for the memories I was slowly gaining, I would have had a harder time adjusting.

    So I listened closely to the different sounds of the world and the melodious music of still nature. I thought to myself, maybe everything was not so bad.

    I had no family back home as my mother ran away with a guy when I was ten and my father passed away due to alcohol the following year. I had no real siblings as I was an ident my parents won''t allow to happen twice and I have been passed around between rtives like a chore.

    My social life was not good because I was deaf. I couldn''t afford hearing aids either so I remainedpletely deaf for the 13 years I had been alive. Instead, I had to adapt to reading people''s lips for the most basic level ofmunication.

    I was bullied in school as well because I was sent to a government school where all the poor and lowlifes of society went and they were more than happy to bully the small kid more unfortunate than themselves.

    I actually kicked one of them in the shin not too long ago and I was trying to skip school in fear that they would get revenge before everything happened and I travelled to the past.

    So there was nothing much to miss from my other life. So maybe even though I was born in a really bad era, this could be a great chance to start over.

    I had a proper family now and judging from my memories, they were all great people. With my future knowledge, I could escape all the uing disasters and maybe even thrive in this world

    So maybe this was not such a bad turn of events.

    Scratch that, this was a great turn of events. This was a new start for me and I was finally able to fulfil my dream of hearing sound as well.

    That''s it.

    Maybe I am not fucked.

    I fucked.

    ...

    ...

    ///////////

    "We''re home." My mother was the first to announce her return as my small body quickly got up to run up to my new family.

    My brother Kenshi followed behind with a small smile. He was a cool guy who actually fought in the Russo-Japanese War and survived to tell the tale. I spent the entire day with him and in doing so, I was able to gain back all of my memories.

    Yes, my memories.

    I realized after recalling everything that I had not taken over the body of a small child, instead, I was born as such and I recalled my memories only now.

    "Wee home." I said with a smile on my face, feeling giddy at not just seeing my mother but also hearing my own voice.

    I liked talking, even in my past life when I was deaf. It always felt like magic to me how people could share thier thoughts, feelings and intentions with just a movement of thier lips.

    "Oh~ was my baby feeling well today?" She chirped at me while picking up my small body and rubbing her cheeks against mine. She smelled like grass and soil which made sense since my family were farmers.

    "Y-yeah." I replied with a blush and a smile on my face. It was awkward as a 13-year-old to be handled like a baby but at the same time, it felt good to be loved by your mother. That other bitch could never.

    "Where''s father and the others?" I asked and my mother replied with a smile. "I came home early to prepare food since your brother can''t be trusted with the task. They will be home soon."

    My brother had an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his head under my mother''s faux disappointed gaze.

    "Do you want to help Mommy cook dinner, Seiji?" My mother turned back to me with a beaming smile.

    She was beautiful. She wore dull clothes tainted with dirt and her hair was tied into a messy bun. By all means, she wore no ttering clothes but she looked beautiful to me, like nature''s greatest gift.

    "Hn." I nodded with a small smile.

    And that was the start of my new life. It was easy for someone who never had anything to start over.

    .

    .

    .

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 Chapter 2: Demon attack

    <h4>Chapter 2: Demon attack</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Three years psed even before I knew it and I had lived more than I ever did in my past life.

    I was happy.

    Some people might find that hard to believe, given my prior reaction to the situation I found myself in. But happinesses from the people you surround yourself with, not from the world surrounding you. I experienced that first-hand.

    Because in this second life, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a real family who truly loved me.

    Now how could I possibly be sad even if I was living in the worst era of human history? How could I stop smiling when I finally had a family?

    There was my father, my mother, my older brother and three older sisters. Including myself, we were a loving family of seven. Quite a small family actually in this era.

    We were wealthy as both my father and brother were army officers who retired after the Russo-Japanese War. We moved from the city to the rural areas after thier retirement.

    They bought arge piece ofnd for farming and a small mansion with thier pension money. There, we lived a slow and peaceful life just like they always wanted.

    I thought I was blessed to have been reborn into such a family.

    My father and brother were tough men but they had a very soft side for thier family. My mother and sisters were all beautiful and loving women who couldn''t help spoiling me every moment of the day. I would get passed around like a teddy bear and I was more than happy to oblige.

    I was the youngest in the family and by a lot. There was an 8-year difference between me and the second youngest sibling. I was what they called a te in life child''. I was a pleasant surprise addition to the family.

    But this happiness did notst long. And I would have expected it if I had known the world I was living in at that time.

    I was 7 years old when it happened.

    ...

    "Who would have thought a gen-z soul like me could ever enjoy farming?"

    I said with a smile while wiping the sweat from my face. As a 7-year-old and the little jewel of the family, I was of course not allowed to do hard work on the farm yet. But I was in charge of watering all of the nts.

    They said I had a nurturing touch and the nts I watered grew healthier. Of course, I knew they were just overexaggerating but it was enough to make me take my job seriously and try my best.

    Which was exactly why I was the only person in the crop field right now. It waste in the afternoon with the sun shining deep orange as it was about to set.

    But I still remained in the field because I was watering the crops. The best time to water them was in the afternoon because that way, the nts would be able to absorb the water properly without the sun evaporating the water.

    I did not mind staying behind as the field was right next to our house and it also allowed me to witness my favourite scene every day.

    "It''s truly beautiful." I said while gazing at the horizon, specifically at the sun which was slowly sinking between the peak of two mountains.

    I liked beautiful things. Since I was deaf in my past life, I had a strong love for anything that was visually stunning. From arts, sculptures and pretty girls, I loved them all.

    I resumed my work after a minute of just watching the sunset and quickly finished watering the nts before it got dark.

    If I waste, my mother would be worried so after I finished my work, I hurried home.

    I thought it would be like every day. I thought my mother would wee me with a bright smile on her face, I thought my brother would praise me for working extra harder than everyone else.

    But that day, it was different.

    That day was the end of it all.

    "What is that smell?"

    I asked myself. It was the smell of blood so thick that it made me want to fall down on my knees and vomit. There was a metallic tang to it that stuck in my nostrils.

    I quicken my steps and head towards my house. The closer I came to the house, the stronger the smell got and then I heard the sound of sobbing from inside.

    "Mom? Dad?!" I ran to the door and slid it open.

    My blood froze when I saw it. The image was forever imprinted on the darkest corner of my mind.

    Inside, I saw the walls of the house I called my home, painted with blood and intestines. I also saw littered corpses and pieces of flesh sprawled around from the entrance to the living room.

    My stomach twisted at the sight and then my heart when I realized it was the pieces of my family. I couldn''t help myself and emptied the content of my stomach right then and there.

    I vomited violently in the doorway. My vomit was mixed with tears that fell down like a broken dam. I did not feel anything at that time even though I was brawling my eyes out. I felt too many intense emotions all at once so I think my brain just numbed everything.

    Then I heard a piercing scream which made me look up. I stumbled and then crawled towards the sound. The blood and pieces of flesh on the floor made it so slippery that I fell down numerous times.

    But I did not care. Because I knew whose voice that belonged to.

    "Mieko!!!" I called out. My juvenile voice was overflowing with fear and panic.

    When I reached the kitchen I finally saw my sister but I also saw something else. A monster I could only describe as ugly.

    He looked like an old man with a hunched back. His body was full of wrinkles and dirty white hair fell down his balding head like webs. He was also extremely pale and he was pinning my sister to the ground.

    My eyes shook when I saw them.

    My sister waspletely naked, her clothes were torn off by the sharp ws of the monster. She was crying and her face twisted with pain and despair.

    One of her breasts was gone, eaten by the monster who held her down. A side of her stomach was cut and her insides were spilling out with blood that was so red it looked ck.

    I also noticed that her thighs and her buttocks had gaping wounds, most of her flesh there was gone. The monster''s face was covered in blood and it was not hard for even my panicked mind to conclude what was happening,

    My sister was being eaten alive.

    And the way she was being eaten felt like a picky child eating his food, choosing to eat only the good parts first. The scene was a raw and unadulterated show of violence. It was demonic.

    ...

    I screamed.

    "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" My throat ripped due to how loud it came out.

    And then I charged at the monster who had killed my family and was eating my sister. My seven-year-old body moved as fast as it could and adrenaline pumped in my veins.

    I still haven''t felt anything yet.

    But before I could even reach the monster, he turned towards me. His face looked like an old man and he opened his mouth.

    He released a sonic boom that ruptured my ears and froze my adrenaline. My small body was sent flying away from the shockwave and I crashed into the wall.

    Pain.

    Pain coursed throughout my body and it was the first thing I felt. I clutched my ear with both hands and it was bleeding endlessly. I felt warm liquids inside my head and I felt dizzy.

    I tried to get up but I couldn''t. For a brief moment, I forgot up from down and right to left. My body was in shock and I broke many bones when I crashed into the wall. The only thing I could do was look up and stare as the monster continued devouring my sister.

    I still did not feel anything other than pain. But I remembered I was d when she finally died and her screaming stopped.

    I remained on the ground and watched until the end where my sister became a lump of intestines and bare bones. I saw everything.

    I just curled up on the ground and wiggled like a worm. Helpless.

    After the monster was done, it looked at me and then he came near me. I could no longer hear what he said, it felt like I was underwater.

    But I could read his lips.

    He said something along the lines of me being too small to be eaten and that he was full. But strangely enough, I could vividly hear thest thing he said to me.

    His lips curled up into the cruellest smile I had ever seen and then with eyes filled with amusement, he said to me.

    "Thank you for the meal."

    I was helpless. I couldn''t do anything.

    The demon left but as I watched him leave, I was filled with anger and hatred I never knew was possible. Was a child even capable of bearing such hatred?

    Out of pure spite, I pushed myself off the ground and then ran after him. When he was in the doorway about to leave the house, I caught up to him.

    I ran at him with mindless abandon. My body functioned only through anger and my action was filled with spite.

    But I remember, my main objective then was not to kill the monster. I knew I could not kill him even if I wanted to. I only attacked because I was filled with anger and because I wanted something else.

    I wanted to die.

    I wanted to die before my mind stopped panicking and this nightmare became a reality. I wanted to die with my family.

    But the monster did not kill me.

    I think it knew what I wanted and was refusing to grant me my wish. He merely swung his arm at me and I felt my shoulder and ribs breaking under his inhumane strength.

    And then for the second time, he opened his mouth and released a sonic boom that sent me flying away like a ragdoll.

    Iy sprawled on the ground, along with the pieces of flesh which I once called a family. I could not even differentiate who was who. They were all just mingled remains of bones and intestines.

    The monster left and I was alone in the house.

    My home had turned into hell.

    It took some time but then it eventually came, pain. And it was not the physical pain I got from being injured.

    It was something else, something that came from the deepest part of my soul.

    Reality sank in and the nightmare finally became vivid. I started brawling and I felt my heart being crushed by an invisible hand.

    It felt like I was being strangled. Grief, sadness, pain, despair, guilt and every negative emotion I know of and some I never knew existed.

    I gathered the pieces of flesh and bones and hugged them in a bloody mess of gore. And the whole night I stayed in that hell, trying to find the final warth offort from my lost family.

    I think I cried the whole night but everything was silent because I lost my sense of hearing.

    That night, after three years since regaining my memories, I was robbed of everything I was blessed with in this second life.

    My family and my hearing.

    I mourned in the silence.

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 Chapter 3: The Transparent World

    <h4>Chapter 3: The Transparent World</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I said the time and ce I was born in could not have gotten worse.

    I jinxed myself because it got so much worse.

    Demon yer. That was the world I was living in. That was my new reality.

    A manga/anime that was based in the Taisho era of Japan. The main viins of the anime were the demons who fed on human flesh and were vulnerable to sunlight. These demons were hunted by demon yers who were the good guys.

    It was a dark shounen where almost every named character had thier families ughtered by demons one way or the other.

    So if I was being honest, it was not surprising that I suffered the same fate.

    But god was it a hard fate to swallow, I couldn''t ept it. I remember crying and mourning for days after losing my family. I cried until everything felt numb.

    But after a week passed, I was fully at peace with my situation, I was lucky because other than the initial grief I felt, I did not bear any lifelong traumas.

    Because my mentality was fundamentally different from everyone else, I had known my family for only three years while I lived 13 years in my past life without a family.

    So what did that mean?

    It meant that deep down, I knew I never really had a family. The family I got in my second life were all blessings that I did not deserve. It was like a privilege that I was even able to live with them and enjoy life for three years.

    So instead of mourning over what I lost, I learned to be thankful for what I had.

    You could say that I was dealing with thier death much betterpared to a child who knew his family his whole life. To them, it must''ve felt like someone had destroyed their whole world. But to me, it felt like someone stole everything from me after I won the lottery.

    Two different feelings from the same event. The mind was a powerful thing.

    After a week, all I felt was hatred for those who had stolen from me. I despised the beings who robbed me of the warmth of a family. I would never forgive them, especially that old demon who refused to kill me.

    Fuck that ugly piece of shit.

    It has been eight days since that night and life had been silent for me ever since. With my hearingpletely destroyed by the ''blood demon art'' of that old demon, It was just like my past life, I was deaf and without family.

    Talk about going back to square one.

    In a short time, I got used to being deaf again. I even regained my old skill of reading a person''s lips to hear what they were saying. I guess old skills die hard.

    But even though I was living in perpetual silence, I was far from being lonely. In fact, it was the opposite as I was never left alone since the incident happened.

    All the vigers came together to care for andfort me. It got to the point that people were actually fighting over whose house I was going to stay in and take care of me.

    Not only that, the vigers were quick to clean up the mansion and prepare a big funeral for my dead family. And I kid you not, people I had never even met before cried harder than even myself at the funeral.

    What could be the reason? Was it sympathy? Was it the pity for the small child who lost his whole family in one night? Or was it human kindness?

    It was none of them.

    The real reason was greed. As I said before, my family was exceptionally wealthy due to my father and brother, so these people were trying to get on my good side so that I would choose them to be my legal guardian.

    I was still a child in front of thew so I could not inherit the wealth of my family until I came of age. Until then, my family''s wealth was to fall into the hands of my guardian.

    Normally, a rtive of mine should be my guardian but as I did not have other rtives, it would have to be one of these vigers who would be my legal guardian.

    Although eventually I would regain full ownership of my inheritance, there was still many benefits people could gain while I was young. For example; they could use ournd to cultivate crops, live in our mansion and evenunder my money with the excuse of using it to raise me.

    Truly disgusting but that was just human nature, you do everything to thrive. Especially in a time like this where war and poverty were constant.

    I knew all of this because they did not hold back what they said in front of the kid who they thought hadpletely lost his hearing. I might be deaf now but like I said, I could still read thier lips easily.

    ...

    "Can you understand me."

    A stupid question to ask a kid who just lost his hearing but okay, I could entertain you - random viger who acted like my favourite uncle since I lost my parents. At least he was nice enough to feed me good food and let me have my own room until now.

    I nodded.

    "Really? Then do you remember what happened that night? Did a demon really attack your family?" he asked with exaggerated bodynguage.

    I just stared at him with the most nk face I could give. People of this age were truly insensitive. Or maybe it''s just a boy thing. Did he not realize I could be traumatized and I might break down again if he kept bringing that up? I was not, but still.

    I guess they couldn''t help being curious as demons and gods were in the line between myth and reality. They just assumed a demon attacked because of the gore but some argued that it was a wild animal from the mountain, a bear maybe.

    "I don''t know if anyone has told you this but you have a really creepy stare." he said that part to himself but I saw it.

    Actually, no one had told me such things. But I guess it was reasonable for my gaze to change after I gained what I did.

    I continued staring at the man''s face and focused on my eyes. Then my gaze pierced right through his head and I saw his brain. Literally.

    I saw his brain and his skull. My eyes traveled down and I saw his expanding lungs and pulsing heart. I clearly saw how his heart was pumping blood throughout his body and I saw his muscles twitch with every movement he made.

    I was also able to discern the minor muscle tear in his biceps, quads and shoulder which hints at the work he was doing in the fields.

    It felt like I had an inbuilt x-ray vision in my eyes. I could see everything I wanted and hadn''t desired. I could also read his bodynguage like an open book, and predict his movements by the breath of his lungs and the contraction of his muscles.

    At first, I thought I was merely seeing things. I thought that it was the result of a trauma I got from seeing my loved ones eaten alive.

    But soon enough, I realized that it had nothing to do with trauma. Instead, it was one of the rarest powers in the Demon yer World.

    It was called the transparent world.

    People with this ability were able to see the inner workings of any creature. They could perceive the flow of blood, breathing, muscr contractions and joint movements of the creature they are looking at. They could then use this ability to predict the movement of said creature, find thier weaknesses and even discern thier gic makeup which helped them distinguish demons from humans or even trace back their descendants.

    Not only that, the transparent world also boosted the perception of the user and gave them faster reflexes. There might be other things that were not mentioned in the manga as well.

    There were only 7 known users in the whole world and the only way to attain the transparent world was after activating the Demon yer mark, another unique power of the Demon yer world.

    It was truly odd how I got this power without awakening my mark. My only guess was it had something to do with me being deaf - because as we know, the lost of one sense could enhance other senses.

    To be honest, I was not worried about how I got it. Only how I was going to use it.

    "I will leave you now." the man said with nonsensical hand gestures.

    "Call me if you need anything."

    He went out of the room and slid the door shut. I was left alone in the room, sitting upright on the futon. Somehow, the perpetual silence became heavier after I was alone.

    I wondered why I had not killed myself already.

    I did not have a reason to live any longer. I already died in my past life and everything after that was just extra. As I said, the time I was able to spend with my family was already a privilege.

    And this world was not even my own. This was the world of Demon yer, a world where I did not belong. A ce where I should not exist.

    I looked around the room and observed every difference between this life and my past life. The sliding doors, the decoration of the room, the futons, the age, the culture etc. It was all something vastly different from my first life.

    I felt like an outsider.

    My family was the only anchor I had to this world. They were the ones who made me feel like I belonged here but with them gone, I felt like I should not be here at all.

    So why had I not just killed myself?

    What could I possibly expect from continuing to live? I was deaf and I was an orphan, was this not exactly as I was in my first life?

    No, scratch that. It was worse with the presence of demons and the uing world wars and disasters. It would be easier to just kill myself right here and finally rest or fade away to nothingness.

    Such thoughts were loud in the silence of my world. I contemted for a long time until I eventually came to a conclusion.

    Hope. That was the biggest thing that made me want to keep living. The hope was that everything would not remain as it was. Maybe I would eventually find a new family to live for, maybe I would make friends, fall in love and find a reason to fear death again.

    Hope became a pir of my world.

    And there was one more thing that prevented me frommitting suicide right then and there.

    Demons.

    Fuck those ugly pieces of shit, especially that old demon who took everything for me. I would ughter everyst one of them.

    My hatred created a goal for me and I found a reason to continue living once more. That goal became my driving force during the darkest moments of my life.

    I knew I was capable of realizing this dream with my future knowledge and the transparent world. So I got up from the futon and walked towards the mirror in the room.

    I stood in front of it and looked at my reflection.

    A young boy with dark circles around his eyes stared back at me with purple eyes that glowed eerily. His eyes looked dead and alive at the same time.

    He wore a ck haori and he had a messy purple hair on top of his head. His skin was pale and he was quite big for a kid his age.

    So that was me.

    ''Not bad.'' I thought to myself. I haven''t seen my reflection in a week but I still looked good as ever. I was handsome in my past life and I was sure to grow up to be just a beautiful in this life as well.

    Well, another reason to continue living I guess.

    I focused my eyes and then I looked at the inner workings of my own body. It was kinda gross as my brain, lungs, muscles, heart and all of my organs revealed themselves under my gaze.

    This was it.

    This ability would be extremely useful to grow stronger. It was every science-based bodybuilder''s dream ability and it would allow me to train with the utmost efficiency.

    Not only that, it would help me immensely in learning about breathing styles.

    ''Well, what am I waiting for? Another demon attack?'' I thought to myself when I saw that the injuries I got were mostly healed.

    Then I got down and I began doing push-ups while carefully looking at my own reflection.

    ..

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 4: Path to strength

    <h4>Chapter 4: Path to strength</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Can you recall what the demon looked like?"

    Why was everyone so insistent on traumatizing me? If they kept on reminding me like this, I might actually start crying to make sure they never bother me again.

    I took my eyes off his moving lips and looked at the board he had in his hands. On it, the question he asked was written in bold hiragana.

    I knew how to read Japanese even though it was not my nativenguage in my past life. I was kind of anguage freak back then, I knew how to read and write twelve differentnguages. It had something to do with being deaf and writing being the only form ofmunication I had with others.

    I did not go to school in this second life of mine, but my past life''s knowledge tranted into an actual skill so even though I was seven, I was probably the most educated person in this vige.

    I looked up at the man who was holding the board and I analyzed his dress. He wore a ck jacket which buttoned up to his neck along with ck pants. He wore a white belt on which a katana was tightly strapped.

    All in all, it was the standard demon yer uniform.

    "Why does it matter dude? You are ten dayste anyway."

    "Wait, what did you say?"

    Oops, did I say that out loud? I reminded myself to be careful as I asionally had slip-ups like that after going deaf again. I would blurt out my own thoughts and I wouldn''t be aware since I couldn''t even hear my own voice.

    The demon really fucked up my ear.

    "I said you won''t believe me anyway. No one does." I said and he gave me a look that screamed ''That was not what you just said.''

    But what was he going to do, argue with the seven-year-old who just lost his whole family? No, he shook his head and his eyes became gentle instead.

    "I promise I will believe what you say. Do you trust me?" No dude, we just met a few minutes ago.

    He moved closer to the futon where I was sitting and he gently put his hand on my shoulder while he supported his body with his other hand. He leaned towards me.

    "I understand you, kid. I experienced the same thing you did when I was a child." He started, "And now, I am a demon yer. I hunt those monsters so that they won''t ever harm anyone again. So I need you to tell me what the demon looked like and what his powers were."

    His eyes found mine and for the first time since I got the Transparent World, someone was able to hold eye contact with me. I wondered, did he remember I was deaf or did that factpletely cross his mind in his emotional state?

    After a few seconds of silence which was awkward only for him, I replied.

    "He looked like an old man with a hunched back. His skin was pale, almost blue and he was very very ugly."

    "They all are." he chuckled.

    "And for his powers." I said, "He could shout really loudly and it even caused my ears to bleed."

    The demon yer went mute in thought and he muttered to himself, "So a sound-based blood demon art huh?"

    After that, he focused back on me and shed a smile. "Thank you for your help kid. I will make sure your family rest in peace by killing the demon."

    He stood up after that and fixed his uniform. He hade to the vige today and was able to get permission to talk to me alone after asking permission. But now that he got what he wanted, he was going to leave.

    But I didn''t let him.

    "Wait a minute sir." I called out and crawled out from the futon where I was resting. He turned back to look at me, he tilted his head in question.

    "Yes?"

    "How can I be like you?" I asked bluntly. "How can I be a demon yer like you?"

    He paused at the question and with my sharp eyes, I was able to see his hesitance to reply to me. On one hand, he did not want to give an answer to protect me but on the other, he knew what it was like to lose your loved ones to a demon. He understood the feeling of hatred and the need for revenge.

    "Please." I added.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////////

    He was a good dude. I never learned his name but I hoped I meet him again.

    He really gave me a proper answer to my question. Although it was not as detailed as I would''ve liked and what he said was mostly what I already knew, I appreciated the help. Especially for telling me the location where the final selection would be held.

    The way to be a demon yer was simple. Firstly, you had to find a mentor to teach you sword skills and train your body. They could be any demon hunter but mostly, the mentors were veteran demon yers or retired Hashiras.

    After passing the training, you had to get your own nichirin de. This was why it was necessary to get a mentor because you could only obtain one through them.

    And then, you must go to Mt. Fujikasane to attend what was called ''the final selection'' process. After passing that, you would be an official demon yer.

    Pretty straightforward if I am being honest.

    The only problem was how to find a demon yer to mentor me. It''s not like demon yers weremon in the first ce but a veteran or a retired Hashira were even rarer.

    But then again, I could just go to the final selection directly and steal a Nichiren de from one of the participants. Scratch that, I wouldn''t even have to steal. If I remember the show correctly, many trainees die every year in the final selection so I could probably loot their dead body.

    My main priority should be getting stronger.

    Iid back on the futon and rxed my body for a much needed rest. I thought since my body was already healing, it wouldn''t be a problem if I trained. I was wrong and after a couple of days of training - doing push-ups and other exercises - my injuries got worse.

    Basically, I couldn''t heal when I was constantly using up all my energy and creating muscle tears while training.

    I got so engrossed with getting stronger that sound logic slipped my mind. It was kind of embarrassing but in my defence, I thought it would be fine since it was a shounen world where breaking your limits with determination and friendship was the average Tuesday.

    s, this was not fiction anymore, it was real. And even if it was, I was not the main character.

    So with all those thoughts swirling in my ever-silent world, I closed my eyes and focused on resting. If I had to rest, I was going to rest like no one ever rested before.

    Such was the path to strength.

    So I slept.

    ..

    ..

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 5: Training arc

    <h4>Chapter 5: Training arc</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The next phase of my life was full of hurdles and self-discovery as I walked the path towards strength, it was not an easy road.

    If my life was a book, I would name this Chapter of my life ''The training arc''.

    Firstly, I was adopted by themunity leader of our vige. Contrary to my expectation, we did not move to our mansion due to fear that it might be a bad omen or haunted, especially with the way my parents were brutally ughtered. But they did use our field to cultivate like I expected.

    It was at this point in my life that I realized greed was only a small fraction of human nature. Just because people were greedy, that did not mean they were bad people.

    Humans had ws, but they also had a soul. With the help of my enhanced eyes, I could see lies and deceit from miles away, so believe me when I say there was no lie, humans were kind.

    They were good people.

    Although I could never love them like I did my previous family, I was d they were there for me. It must''ve been tough to handle me in my early days when I wouldn''t open up to anyone and live an isted life with the excuse of being deaf.

    But they were persistent. So at one point, I gave in and I was happy I did.

    The family who adopted me were two old couples - they were 40 but it was considered old when the life expectancy was 42 years old - they had no more families as thier two daughters already got married and moved out to thier husband''s household.

    But even though it was only us three, we always had guests as uncle was the leader of the vige. They could either bw travellers or traders and since there were not such things as hotels, they would stay in our house or any other house they could find for the night. So we were never lonely.

    My training started after I was fully healed from the injuries and at first it was mainly about building muscles with the help of my past knowledge and fully utilizing the transparent world.

    Other than building a stronger body, I also did everything I could to gain strength. That includes swinging wooden swords (sticks) many times to get myself familiar with the action.

    The transparent world became vital in sharpening my movements. I could see how my muscles twitched and worked when executing a specific action and even without any prior knowledge, I was able to teach myself to move perfectly.

    I called it perfect movement. Since it barely cost me anything to use the transparent world, I always had it active and with it, I was able to monitor each action I made every day. I would then correct my own movements until I moved with perfect fluidity.

    I never wasted movements in any action I did. I made sure only the right muscles were working when I executed and used just enough power.

    Having the transparent world virtually active also made me extremely familiar with the human body. After two years of living in that world where I could see everything, I was capable of predicting future actions with ease.

    I learned the hidden pattern in movement and I was able to predict future actions by analysing the current state of a body. At one point, it felt like people were talking to me with thier body. I could understand everything by just looking at thier body, movement itself became anguage to me.

    Correct, I had learned thenguage of the body.

    One more interesting thing to note was that having the transparent world perpetually active made me sleep a lot due to obvious reasons. My brain worked overtime to process all the information I got from my eyes so it took a toll on my brain. I had to sleep at least 12 hours every day.

    This would be even worse if I was not deaf. Luckily, the part of my brain which should process my sense of hearing was free and more of my brain was able to focus on my sight alone.

    I hoped this minor drawback would be fixed by the time my brain fully matured.

    So three years passed just like that and during that time, my improvement could be summarize into three things, enhanced physique, perfect movement and bodynguage.

    At the age of 11, I realized I was no longer making much improvement other than my physique so I started looking for other ways to get stronger.

    That was when I learned that there was a Kendo Dojo in the city of Tokyo which was not too far away from our vige - it was only around half a day travel on foot.

    I asked my uncle to buy me a bicycle to go back and forth from Tokyo to the vige every day. He did not protest as I rarely ever asked for anything and it was bought with my inheritance money anyway.

    That was also why I was never expected to work on the farms to help them. Not only were they cultivating the fields which were legally mine, but they also used my inheritance to buy everything I needed. So they left me alone to do what I wanted.

    At the age of 11, I joined the Noma Dojo which was located in Tokyo. This was also the first time I realized just how strong I was.

    So, how strong was I?

    One word, overpowered.

    It might not seem impressive at first but the two skills I had developed, ''Perfect Movement'' and ''Body Langauge'' were an absolute cheat. Coupled with my physique which was apparently as strong as a 15-year-old, then you have someone who could beat the master of the Dojo with ease.

    On the first day, the Master of the Dojo and I had a spar on my request. We fought and that was when I realized that fighting was different for mepared to everyone else.

    How so you may ask, well...

    Fighting to me, was a conversation.

    When we started the spar, he did not move his lips but the Master spoke. His first attack was a straight verticle sh and he told me how many times he had practiced that one single swing, over ten thousand times.

    The way the muscles on his right arm tensed much more than his left told me that he was right-handed. His eyes that were looking at the left side told me that normally, his attack would be blocked and countered from the left.

    His feet were nted firmly on the floor, showing his absoluteck of fear towards me. And it also told me that he had no interest in fighting aggressively, he was only trying to demonstrate his skill.

    His tight shoulders told me exactly where the swing was going to end and how much force was put into it. His bent elbow screamed his next move to me, a horizontal sh from the right.

    It was overwhelming.

    He talked a lot.

    The master told me everything without opening his mouth. The craziest thing was that it happened in under a second.

    I dodged his swing with perfect movement. I was like water which found the easiest and most effective way to flow.

    After I dodged, the Master had a surprised look on his face and then he used another attack. Just like I expected, it was a horizontal sh from the right side.

    I also blocked that with minimal effort. There was no waste of energy when my bokken mmed against his. His attack barely slipped off mine when the wood met.

    Then it was my turn to attack and right when I thought of attacking, the Master spoke again. This time, he told me about every weakness he had and how he was going to protect himself.

    His hesitance to step back told me of his arrogance, his greatest weakness. The middle finger on his right was not gripping the handle properly, it was injured.

    The tight movement on his hips told me of the back pain he had, abination of old age and many years of training. His right eye was better than the left which caused an imbnce in sight, he most likely wore sses to read.

    He shifted his body weight to his right foot and that told me how he would have a hard time moving to the right. He blinked and I stepped in.

    I was not fast nor did I put power in my footstep but the ease at which I moved made me twice as fast and looked triple as fast.

    I was in front of him and I swung at his right side. He quickly took a step back in a show of expert footwork and then he tried to block.

    But here''s a thing about perfect movement, I only used the necessary muscle group and strength in my actions. So it made it extremely easy to discard said action and make changes midway.

    So in an instnat, I changed my swing to an upward sh that would cut his hand which held the bokken while he tried to block my first attack. But he was experienced, he saw through my attack.

    With a body superior to mine, he leaned back, almost in a falling motion, to dodge the sh.

    But he told me he was going to dodge like that even before he did. The way his muscles were currently working and tensed told me exactly what he could and could not do in his position.

    So I changed the sh again to a stab. I took a step forward and lunged at him. The master could no longer block and right when he stumbled to a stop my bokken hit him, stabbing not at his heart but his pancreas.

    I could see exactly where I was hitting and without a doubt, he would''ve died.

    There was a long moment of stunned silence from him. His bodypletely froze in shock

    Then he said with a strained smile, "Stabbing is not allowed."

    Right. Kendo was a sport and I remembered the referee talked about the rules of the spar before it started, I didn''t look to know what he was saying.

    I dropped my bokken and bowed, "I''m sorry. it''s my loss."

    That day I realized the full extent of the skill I had mastered with the help of the transparent world. Although it was nothing to boast aboutpared to people like Muichiro Tokito who became a Hashira after two months of training when he was the same.

    But I think I was decently strong enough.

    I did not know the limit to my skills but if I could easily read a master Kendo like a book, I suppose I would not have a hard time ying weaker demons.

    After the spar, I was immediately deemed a prodigy, a once-in-a-millennium genius.

    In this part of my training, I did not use my transparent world and I learned sword skills from the master and learned how to fight without the help of my eyes. Perfect movement was always there so I still easily became the strongest in the Dojo without the transparent world. It only took me half a year.

    I would learn sword techniques in the Dojo and then after going home, I wouldpletely master that technique and even make improvements with the help of the transparent world.

    Cycling back and forth every day from the city to the vige built my body to be stronger and also increased my stamina many times over. I was able to carry baggages and other objects in my travels after a while. The vigers used me like a mailman but I did not mind and used it as strength training.

    I entered manypetitions during my time in the Dojo and obviously, I emerged victorious in everypetition. I even got some fame to my name and added wealth to my inheritance.

    And just like that, two years passed and I was 13 years old.

    ..

    ..

    This was when I experienced the hardest part of my training.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : So what do you think of Seiji''s powers and abilities? I made this status to keep up with the information.

    ////////

    [Status :-

    Name : Seiji Shigan

    Age : 13

    Physique : Trained adult

    Height : 5''5

    Main power : Transparent world

    Skills :-

    1. Perfect Movement - This gives him the ability to move perfectly with no wasted strength or movement. It allows him to move by working only the necessary muscle groups so he can conserve energy but also make changes in his action mid-way. It is exactly as its name suggests. This no longer requires the use of the transparent world and remains passive unless he learnsplicated movements or techniques which he has never seen or done before.

    2. Body Language - This requires a transparent world and using this skill, Seiji literally understands bodynguage. Even the tiniest twitch of your muscle or your breathing pattern and even your heartbeat tells him everything. Seiji can perfectly predict movements before they ever happen but this depends on how experienced the fighter is. If the opponent is top tier, Sieji might only be able to predict thier next move. You are telling him everything basically.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -End]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The next phase of my life was full of hurdles and self-discovery as I walked the path towards strength, it was not an easy road.

    If my life was a book, I would name this Chapter of my life ''The training arc''.

    Firstly, I was adopted by themunity leader of our vige. Contrary to my expectation, we did not move to our mansion due to fear that it might be a bad omen or haunted, especially with the way my parents were brutally ughtered. But they did use our field to cultivate like I expected.

    It was at this point in my life that I realized greed was only a small fraction of human nature. Just because people were greedy, that did not mean they were bad people.

    Humans had ws, but they also had a soul. With the help of my enhanced eyes, I could see lies and deceit from miles away, so believe me when I say there was no lie, humans were kind.

    They were good people.

    Although I could never love them like I did my previous family, I was d they were there for me. It must''ve been tough to handle me in my early days when I wouldn''t open up to anyone and live an isted life with the excuse of being deaf.

    But they were persistent. So at one point, I gave in and I was happy I did.

    The family who adopted me were two old couples - they were 40 but it was considered old when the life expectancy was 42 years old - they had no more families as thier two daughters already got married and moved out to thier husband''s household.

    But even though it was only us three, we always had guests as uncle was the leader of the vige. They could either bw travellers or traders and since there were not such things as hotels, they would stay in our house or any other house they could find for the night. So we were never lonely.

    My training started after I was fully healed from the injuries and at first it was mainly about building muscles with the help of my past knowledge and fully utilizing the transparent world.

    Other than building a stronger body, I also did everything I could to gain strength. That includes swinging wooden swords (sticks) many times to get myself familiar with the action.

    The transparent world became vital in sharpening my movements. I could see how my muscles twitched and worked when executing a specific action and even without any prior knowledge, I was able to teach myself to move perfectly.

    I called it perfect movement. Since it barely cost me anything to use the transparent world, I always had it active and with it, I was able to monitor each action I made every day. I would then correct my own movements until I moved with perfect fluidity.

    I never wasted movements in any action I did. I made sure only the right muscles were working when I executed and used just enough power.

    Having the transparent world virtually active also made me extremely familiar with the human body. After two years of living in that world where I could see everything, I was capable of predicting future actions with ease.

    I learned the hidden pattern in movement and I was able to predict future actions by analysing the current state of a body. At one point, it felt like people were talking to me with thier body. I could understand everything by just looking at thier body, movement itself became anguage to me.

    Correct, I had learned thenguage of the body.

    One more interesting thing to note was that having the transparent world perpetually active made me sleep a lot due to obvious reasons. My brain worked overtime to process all the information I got from my eyes so it took a toll on my brain. I had to sleep at least 12 hours every day.

    This would be even worse if I was not deaf. Luckily, the part of my brain which should process my sense of hearing was free and more of my brain was able to focus on my sight alone.

    I hoped this minor drawback would be fixed by the time my brain fully matured.

    So three years passed just like that and during that time, my improvement could be summarize into three things, enhanced physique, perfect movement and bodynguage.

    At the age of 11, I realized I was no longer making much improvement other than my physique so I started looking for other ways to get stronger.

    That was when I learned that there was a Kendo Dojo in the city of Tokyo which was not too far away from our vige - it was only around half a day travel on foot.

    I asked my uncle to buy me a bicycle to go back and forth from Tokyo to the vige every day. He did not protest as I rarely ever asked for anything and it was bought with my inheritance money anyway.

    That was also why I was never expected to work on the farms to help them. Not only were they cultivating the fields which were legally mine, but they also used my inheritance to buy everything I needed. So they left me alone to do what I wanted.

    At the age of 11, I joined the Noma Dojo which was located in Tokyo. This was also the first time I realized just how strong I was.

    So, how strong was I?

    One word, overpowered.

    It might not seem impressive at first but the two skills I had developed, ''Perfect Movement'' and ''Body Langauge'' were an absolute cheat. Coupled with my physique which was apparently as strong as a 15-year-old, then you have someone who could beat the master of the Dojo with ease.

    On the first day, the Master of the Dojo and I had a spar on my request. We fought and that was when I realized that fighting was different for mepared to everyone else.

    How so you may ask, well...

    Fighting to me, was a conversation.

    When we started the spar, he did not move his lips but the Master spoke. His first attack was a straight verticle sh and he told me how many times he had practiced that one single swing, over ten thousand times.

    The way the muscles on his right arm tensed much more than his left told me that he was right-handed. His eyes that were looking at the left side told me that normally, his attack would be blocked and countered from the left.

    His feet were nted firmly on the floor, showing his absoluteck of fear towards me. And it also told me that he had no interest in fighting aggressively, he was only trying to demonstrate his skill.

    His tight shoulders told me exactly where the swing was going to end and how much force was put into it. His bent elbow screamed his next move to me, a horizontal sh from the right.

    It was overwhelming.

    He talked a lot.

    The master told me everything without opening his mouth. The craziest thing was that it happened in under a second.

    I dodged his swing with perfect movement. I was like water which found the easiest and most effective way to flow.

    After I dodged, the Master had a surprised look on his face and then he used another attack. Just like I expected, it was a horizontal sh from the right side.

    I also blocked that with minimal effort. There was no waste of energy when my bokken mmed against his. His attack barely slipped off mine when the wood met.

    Then it was my turn to attack and right when I thought of attacking, the Master spoke again. This time, he told me about every weakness he had and how he was going to protect himself.

    His hesitance to step back told me of his arrogance, his greatest weakness. The middle finger on his right was not gripping the handle properly, it was injured.

    The tight movement on his hips told me of the back pain he had, abination of old age and many years of training. His right eye was better than the left which caused an imbnce in sight, he most likely wore sses to read.

    He shifted his body weight to his right foot and that told me how he would have a hard time moving to the right. He blinked and I stepped in.

    I was not fast nor did I put power in my footstep but the ease at which I moved made me twice as fast and looked triple as fast.

    I was in front of him and I swung at his right side. He quickly took a step back in a show of expert footwork and then he tried to block.

    But here''s a thing about perfect movement, I only used the necessary muscle group and strength in my actions. So it made it extremely easy to discard said action and make changes midway.

    So in an instnat, I changed my swing to an upward sh that would cut his hand which held the bokken while he tried to block my first attack. But he was experienced, he saw through my attack.

    With a body superior to mine, he leaned back, almost in a falling motion, to dodge the sh.

    But he told me he was going to dodge like that even before he did. The way his muscles were currently working and tensed told me exactly what he could and could not do in his position.

    So I changed the sh again to a stab. I took a step forward and lunged at him. The master could no longer block and right when he stumbled to a stop my bokken hit him, stabbing not at his heart but his pancreas.

    I could see exactly where I was hitting and without a doubt, he would''ve died.

    There was a long moment of stunned silence from him. His bodypletely froze in shock

    Then he said with a strained smile, "Stabbing is not allowed."

    Right. Kendo was a sport and I remembered the referee talked about the rules of the spar before it started, I didn''t look to know what he was saying.

    I dropped my bokken and bowed, "I''m sorry. it''s my loss."

    That day I realized the full extent of the skill I had mastered with the help of the transparent world. Although it was nothing to boast aboutpared to people like Muichiro Tokito who became a Hashira after two months of training when he was the same.

    But I think I was decently strong enough.

    I did not know the limit to my skills but if I could easily read a master Kendo like a book, I suppose I would not have a hard time ying weaker demons.

    After the spar, I was immediately deemed a prodigy, a once-in-a-millennium genius.

    In this part of my training, I did not use my transparent world and I learned sword skills from the master and learned how to fight without the help of my eyes. Perfect movement was always there so I still easily became the strongest in the Dojo without the transparent world. It only took me half a year.

    I would learn sword techniques in the Dojo and then after going home, I wouldpletely master that technique and even make improvements with the help of the transparent world.

    Cycling back and forth every day from the city to the vige built my body to be stronger and also increased my stamina many times over. I was able to carry baggages and other objects in my travels after a while. The vigers used me like a mailman but I did not mind and used it as strength training.

    I entered manypetitions during my time in the Dojo and obviously, I emerged victorious in everypetition. I even got some fame to my name and added wealth to my inheritance.

    And just like that, two years passed and I was 13 years old.

    ..

    ..

    This was when I experienced the hardest part of my training.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : So what do you think of Seiji''s powers and abilities? I made this status to keep up with the information.

    ////////

    [Status :-

    Name : Seiji Shigan

    Age : 13

    Physique : Trained adult

    Height : 5''5

    Main power : Transparent world

    Skills :-

    1. Perfect Movement - This gives him the ability to move perfectly with no wasted strength or movement. It allows him to move by working only the necessary muscle groups so he can conserve energy but also make changes in his action mid-way. It is exactly as its name suggests. This no longer requires the use of the transparent world and remains passive unless he learnsplicated movements or techniques which he has never seen or done before.

    2. Body Language - This requires a transparent world and using this skill, Seiji literally understands bodynguage. Even the tiniest twitch of your muscle or your breathing pattern and even your heartbeat tells him everything. Seiji can perfectly predict movements before they ever happen but this depends on how experienced the fighter is. If the opponent is top tier, Sieji might only be able to predict thier next move. You are telling him everything basically.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -End]

 Chapter 6: Training arc 2

    <h4>Chapter 6: Training arc 2</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Two years passed and I was 13 years old. This was when I experienced the hardest part of my training.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    Studying.

    Yes, apparently I had to study even in a fictional world where breathing was a superpower and in the year 1918.

    It had something to do with my inheritance. There were real estate, business, money and other investments which were part of the inheritance. And in order to have them legally at the age of 16, I had to have at least a high school level education or ''chugakko'' as they called it.

    It was either that or I would only be able to ess my inheritance at the age of 20. Which was bloody ridiculous because I might not even live to see 20 in my line of work.

    I was more than aware of just how dangerous the job of a Demon yer was, more than anyone else probably because I watched a demon devour my sister alive and because of my past life knowledge.

    Even strength could not assure your survival because it was the Hashiras and the strongest people who died in the end.

    That was why I was so careful and not rushing into the forest blindly to fight demons unlike a certain wind pir, even though I was already more than strong nough. Some may call it cowardice but I call it not leaving my life to the whims of luck.

    Calcting the timeline of the cannon with my age, I would be 20 years old when we fight Muzan. That meant I might die even before I saw a penny of my inheritance so passing high school was a must.

    So when I was the age of 13, I spent most of my time studying while also training my senses. I was deaf and that meant I relied heavily on my eyes and I had blind spots. So in order to make up for that, I had to sharpen my instincts and other senses to an extremely high degree.

    So other than studying, I worked on my spatial awareness.

    Luckily, I already passed middle school in my past life so I did not have to start from scratch and other than history and Japanese, I did not have to study much. Education in the 21st century was undoubtedly superior after all.

    The exam for high school was nationwide. That meant that even if you didn''t go to school, you could study by yourself and pass the exam. It was the eve of the First World War so no one had time to waste a whole day going to school so people mostly took this kind exam.

    I was among them and after a total of 4 months of preparation, I passed high school sessfully on my first try. My uncle and aunt were so happy with my achievement as even high school level education was impressive during this time.

    After I was done with my exams and got my results, I finally focused on the most important aspect for demon ying.

    Breathing Styles.

    I figured I would pick up the skill easily, especially with the transparent world. If people like Inosuke could invent thier own breathing style, why the hell should I not be able to?

    "This will be a piece of cake," I said and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

    My gaze pierced through my flesh and bones and I focused on my lungs which were noticeably bigger than average.

    Lung training was obviously part of my physique training schedule since I knew how important it was. I trained using a gourd like it was shown in the anime and I also came up with my own method of training which included holding my breath for long periods of time.

    Now I had a powerful set of lungs which should be able to support even the sun breathing, hopefully.

    I had covered all of the basics. I had trained my body, and learned how to swing a sword - which was an understatement as I was the under 18 national kendo champion - and I had gotten familiar with my eyes as well.

    The only thing left was to have my own breathing style.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Long story short, I was able to learn the skill but I failed to get a breathing style.

    I could enhance my body thought breathing - I was probably the best at it since I had a massive advantage - but I failed at creating my own unique breathing style.

    The concept of breathing style was simple, take in huge amounts of air in your lungs and absorb the oxygen. That would increase the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, giving you superhuman abilities.

    I was able to do that.

    What I was not able to do though was find the pattern which differentiates every breathing style. I realized this soon enough but I think I would be able to seed after seeing someone use any breathing style in action.

    This was why after the initial failures, I stopped instead of trying to find the answer myself. Why wast time when I could get my answer by seeing a demon yer fight once.

    So, that''s how I learned the basic breathing style. I called it, Steroid breathing (because it''s true and funny). Everything you need to know is in the name.

    It was an iplete breathing style that did not have any particr special attribute but worked well in enhancing every stats I had.

    After that, I finally decided it was time to end the training arc.

    I was exactly as old as I was when I died in my past life. I was 13 years and 7 months old.

    It was also the exact age Tanjiro was when his family was killed so I thought it was the perfect year. Both I and the MC would start our story at the same age.

    So at the age of 13, I began my journey.

    My main goal was to travel to Mt. Fujikasane for the final selection this year and on my way...

    Hunt some demons.

    That''s right you ugly sons of bitches.

    Revenge time.

    ..

    ..

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Three Chapters released!!

    [Status :-

    Name : Seiji Shigan

    ..

    Age : 13

    ..

    Height : 5''5

    ..

    Physique : Highly trained adult

    ..

    Main power : Transparent world

    ..

    Breathing style : Iplete. Basic enhancement. (Steroid Breathing)

    ...

    Sword skill : Easily Hashira level in sword skills alone. But he is still below Hashira when it came to fighting with sword as hecks experience.

    Meaning if it was swordman vs swordman, he would rival any Hashira in pure skill but in swordman vs demon, his sword skill may prove to be more ineffective.

    ..

    Skills :-

    1. Perfect Movement - This gives him the ability to move perfectly with no wasted strength or movement. It allows him to move by working only the necessary muscle groups so he can conserve energy but also make changes in his action mid-way. It is exactly as its name suggests. This no longer requires the use of the transparent world and remains passive unless he learnsplicated movements or techniques which he has never seen or done before.

    2. Body Language - This requires a transparent world and using this skill, Seiji literally understands bodynguage. Even the tiniest twitch of your muscle or your breathing pattern and even your heartbeat tells him everything. Seiji can perfectly predict movements before they ever happen but this depends on how experienced the fighter is. If the opponent is top tier, Sieji might only be able to predict thier next move. You are telling him everything basically.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -End]

 Chapter 7: First Demon

    <h4>Chapter 7: First Demon</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    At the age of 13 years old, I began my journey.

    The n was to direct all of my teenage spite and rebellious phase towards the demons. Since I died at the age of 13 in my past life, the demons were in for two lifetimes'' worth of teenage angst.

    I pity them.

    "I''ll be leaving now." I said to my uncle and aunt who had been taking care of me for many years now.

    "I know nothing we say is going to make you stay so what else can we do." My uncle sighed, "Good luck in your travels my boy."

    "Take care of yourself Seiji, make sure you send us letters. And always remember you have a home with us." My aunt said while wiping tears from her eyes.

    I gave them a deep bow to show my respect and appreciation. They were the closest thing I had to a family. We might have even been closer and happier if I just opened up during all these years.

    But ever since what happened that night, I put a certain distance between myself and other people. It was because of fear of losing a family again and because of what I wanted to do.

    My heart was still too bitter for that kind of love.

    "Thank you for taking care of me." I said and bowed just a tad bit deeper.

    I hope they live for a long time. I hope they single-handedly increase the average life expectancy of a Japanese which was 45 years old.

    After saying farewell, I left the house and then the vige.

    I did not tell them what I was going to do exactly, only that I was going to leave to travel by myself and that it was an important thing to me. I had told them about it since I was young so they couldn''t refute and knew it was inevitable.

    In addition, travelling alone like this from vige to vige was not a rare thing. There were many people who did it for adventure or to find a permanent vige where they could settle.

    So I was able to leave with their blessing.

    I had a katana strapped to my side. It was forged by one of the most famous smiths in Japan and it was given to me as a gift when I finally beat the master of my Dojo fair and square when I was 12.

    I also carried a bag with me that had essential tools like first aid, clean water, tools and a few utensils if I ever wanted to camp in the forest. I think there were some canned foods as well that my aunt packed for me.

    I bought a map from the city so I was half aware of where I should go. The journey to Mt Fujikasane would take me roughly two weeks if I travelled on foot but I expect to reach the mountain in a month.

    This was because I wanted to hunt demons and get experience before entering the final selection. Another reason would be that I just wanted to enjoy the journey.

    A question to all my 21st century readers, did you know how beautiful Japan was? Especially during the early 1900s when nature was still virgin, mostly untouched by humans and pollution.

    It was insane when I thought about how much we ruined nature in the span of only a century. But for now, the world was beautiful.

    And I really like beautiful things.

    My eyes could fullyprehend the beauty of nature in all its glory. I could see the air rushing through the forest, a relieving breeze. I could see every reflection of light from the leaves and every moss on the rocks.

    I saw colours that had names and those without, colours which a normal person would never see. If people saw beauty like I did, I think everyone would fall in love as well.

    It would''ve been even more beautiful if I was able to travel during the day but s, I was not perfect.

    I slept during the day and travelled during the night. One of the reasons I did it was because I wanted to be attacked by a demon.

    But the main reason I slept during the day was because I was deaf. Imagine I slept during the night when demons were roaming around. I hate to admit it but I was a deep sleeper. I was more vulnerable than anyone else when I was sleeping.

    So I could only sleep during the day when I knew for certain demons won''t attack me. I could only sleep when I knew they were hiding in some dark caves or in a hole.

    Not to mistake this to be an absolute weakness though. I trained all of my other senses - especially my sense of smell and touch - to be extremely sensitive so I was still notpletely defenceless.

    Anyways, during the day I slept and at night I travelled.

    People were kind and there were many huts or small viges all over Japan so I would just ask nicely for a ce to sleep and they were happy to say yes.

    I was not sure if I was lucky or unlucky, but I did not encounter any demons in the first two days of my travel. It was only on the third day, while I was trekking up the mountain of Akihara that I encountered my first demon.

    And oh man was it an experience.

    ...

    Mount Akihara was cold all year round but since it was not winter, there was no snow. The mountain was a named one which meant that it was significantlyrger than the usual mountains.

    People rarely visited the mountain due to its high altitude, harsh condition and because it was not the only route. Actually, it was the longer routepared to the bridge route which led to the same ce.

    But I remember I chose the mountain route because of two reasons:-

    The hope of encountering a demon and the desire to catch sunrise at the peak of the mountain - how beautiful that must be.

    The air was extremely thin and it only got worse the higher I climbed. The air was frigid and each inhtion would freeze my lungs and cause a slight difort on my nasal cavity. Nevertheless, I was well trained so it barely bothered me.

    I did not know if there were animals or insects but I imaged them chirping loudly in the silence and istion of the night.

    There was a small and rugged trail up the mountain which was covered in vegetation because it was rarely used. The trees in the mountains had thick roots and barely any branches in order to endure the strong winds that undoubtedly blew on the mountain all year round.

    It was absolutely dark with no light other than the stars and the moon. But the dark never bothered me because, with the transparent world, the world was perpetually visible.

    Therefore, I noticed immediately, the sudden change in the wind. There was something rushing at me from my side and the smell of blood and rotten corpse filled my nose.

    I stopped.

    And right then, a demon came out from the the forest to my left. His body flew across the trail and right past me at a speed that made me raise my eyebrows.

    Had I not stopped, his body would''ve crashed on me and probably break every bone I had. His action was calcted and it also took my footsteps into consideration. It was like a predator leaping at it''s prey.

    "Well, that was embarrassing." Imented at his monumental miss as his body sprawled to a stop at the side of the trail.

    "But don''t worry, no one else saw that." I said but he did not appreciate my words. He growled at me like an animal with his veins popping out on his face.

    "I promise I won''t tell a soul." I said and he lunged at me. It was a pity, if he had not revealed himself he might''ve stood a chance.

    But the brief instance already allowed me to study his body in detail. I already knew how strong he was, what his main strength was and everything in between.

    He told me everything already.

    His body disappeared in a burst of speed and force, leaving a shockwave behind as he shot at me like a cannon. A series of actions that was painfully slow with my eyes though.

    Short burst of power, that was his whole gimmick. He looked like a middle-aged man wearing a white haori and with a pale skin. He had thick powerful legs and bulbous forearms to which spear-like fingers were attached.

    I took a single step, bent my knees and leaned back to dodge his second attempt at taking my head. It was a swift and precise dodge and he missed again.

    But he did not stop and hended on a tree horizontally before he quickly pushed himself off the trunk of the tree. Then he bounced around the trees in the mountains at blinding speed - for normal eyes of course.

    I think he was trying to confuse me and make it harder to dodge. But it was still painfully obvious to me.

    He might not speak with words but actions speak louder than words.

    The directions he was looking at, the way he ced his feet afternding, the way his neck muscle tensed and the position of the tree itself told me exactly when he was going to lunge at me or when he was going to jump to another tree like a monkey.

    I could easily telegraph his movement.

    Atst, he shot at me again. His body became a blur of fluttering white and I positioned my body sideways to make him miss me by a hair''s breadth.

    An explosion of air and dirt followed as the demon nted his hand on the ground. When the dust settled, he was crouching down with a shocked, almost fearful look in his eyes.

    He was mere inches beside me so I yfully chopped at his head with my hand.

    That was also when his eyes fell on my katana and I saw in great detail how his muscles tightened in fear and his heartbeat took a stark turn. His heart previously beat rapidly in excitement but now it was thumping loudly in fear.

    He must''ve mistook me for a high-ranking demon yer. He was smart enough to realize that he was in danger.

    He pushed himself off the ground in an attempt to flee. Too bad he told me of his n to run a second before he even moved.

    I finally pulled out my katana and right when he thought he had sessfully made an escape, I sliced his ankle and when he tried to take another step, his entire foot came off. With the sudden imbnce and misdirected force, he rolled like a doll.

    He was weak, pathetically so. He talked a lot as well.

    But one thing that was infinitely interesting to me was the difference between a human body and a demon''s body. The difference was not obvious but if you looked closely, you could see how they were two entirely different things.

    Demon''s muscles were thicker and way more active than a man''s. They were extremely tight and they moved even at the cost of being ripped apart. That was only the start as demons also had thicker bones and thier blood flow was unnatural. Thier blood did not rely solely on the heart to travel throughout their body.

    At a nce, I could tell that with thier healing factor, the limiter in thier brain was effectively removed. It was said that humans were only able to use half one-third of our true strength so that we do not harm our own bodies.

    But that was not the case for demons.

    They could use 100% of their strength at all times. That was one of the reasons for thier superhuman stregth, other than the obvious magical factor of course.

    "Increadible." i said when I saw the way his wound closed. I could see his body heat increase rapidly and his ankle release smoke while it regenerated.

    "I have to know more about this." I said and the demon turned back to look at me with evident fear on his face. But there was also a newfound anger and relief.

    "You! Your sword, it''s not a nichirin de." He said.

    I tilted my head, "Yes, believe it or not, no cksmith or weapon dealer in Tokyo knew about the nichirin de. I couldn''t find them at all."

    "Then-Then you can''t kill me!!" He said and a crooked smile came onto his face.

    I nodded, affirming his statement.

    "Indeed."

    His foot healed and then he rushed at me with incredible speed and a newfound confidence at the fact that I didn''t have a nichirin, the bane of all demons.

    After all, why should he be afraid when I couldn''t kill him?

    He probably thought he was being sneaky but his bodynguage revealed his sneak attack long ago. I leaned back slightly and tilted my head just enough for his w to nick the firstyer of my skin.

    Then I took a sharp breath and used my iplete breathing style.

    Steroid Breathing. (Yes I was serious in naming it that)

    My speed doubled and I pulled out my katana with swiftness that the demon could not even behold. My attack was perfect, without any unnecessary energy or movement. It aimed true and it did its job just precisely.

    Under his shaking eyes, the demon saw his arm literally being peeled off by my de.

    Cutting them or chopping them would take necessary energy and more than one movement so I simply carved out his flesh from the bone with a circr motion.

    It was effective but brutal for the enemy.

    Luckily, I was deaf so I did not hear the shrilling scream of agony released by the demon.

    He fell on his back, watching in horror at his arm which was only white bone. He was healing but the regeneration seemed extremely painful as he writhed like a worm.

    "Yea, I cannot kill you." I said and slowly approached him while he tried to crawl away.

    "But you said that like its a good thing for you."

    A swift death would''ve been preferable to what I did to him next.

    The demon became my first victim. I used him as a way to vent out years of hatred and bitterness.

    I also used him as a way to get myself familiar with a demon''s biology - which was vital for the transparent world - and test the limits of thier healing factor.

    At one point he prayed for surise.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : How was the Chapter? Was it too brutal? If it''s not obviously already the MC is lowkey insane.

 Chapter 8: Mount Fujikasane

    <h4>Chapter 8: Mount Fujikasane</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Please...please....please...."

    "No more....no more..."

    I wonder how many people have said the same thing to him as he tore them apart, limb by limb.

    If I were to guess from his strength and from how my sister cried and begged while the demon ate her alive, I would say at least hundreds.

    "Stop talking. Move. Run." I said to his dismembered body which was not healing anymore. I needed him to move to get myself familiar with a demon and learn thenguage of thier unique body.

    There was blood along the small trail and pieces of his demon flesh sttered everywhere. He had made a great effort to run away and fight back at first but after a while, he gave up.

    Now his body did not even heal when I cut him. He justid on the ground, dismembered, like a useless corpse. The only movement in his body was on his lips which moved to form incoherent words.

    I stood over him and watched. His face stopped morphing into agonizing shapes while ago and he had stopped crying. He just stared ahead like a dead fish with a nk sheet for a face.

    It was no longer stimting.

    The sun rose not long after and the demon finally had a reaction again. His face stretched in relief and tears fell from his eyes. He was happy to see the sun.

    The sunlight shone on him and his body dissipated like ash. His blood and sttered pieces of flesh also disappeared. In just a few seconds, there was no longer any evidence of the demon ever existing.

    That was definitely an experience, I told myself.

    I might have gotten a little overboard since he was the first demon I encountered. Recalling the helplessness I felt that night, the power I had over a demon now was intoxicating. It was like a drug that filled the bottomless rage and hate I had inside.

    It was not a good thing, I knew.

    I could not just blindly hate demons because I knew there were many good demons like Nezuko, Tamayo, Yushiro etc. and demons who were just as much of a victim as human.

    I also knew feeding such negative emotions and walking the path of endless revenge was not wise. (I watched Naruto okay).

    But I was only 13 so allow me to be childish and petty. I still have time to grow.

    I continued my journey after that. I had enough time to reach the top of the mountain and I watched the sunrise like I wanted to.

    Then I head towards Mount Fujikasane again. I was not in a mood to sleep so I continued traveling the entire morning and only slept after noon.

    Days passed and to my silent delight, I encountered demons every night since then. They were not as powerful as the first one but they were enough for self-training and research.

    I also practised my breathing style a lot during this time. I realised the huge gap between the physical prowess of a demon and a human so it highlighted to me the importance of breathing styles.

    The mountains and the forest provided great training as well. It tested the limits of my endurance and gave me the perfect environment to train my senses.

    To get stronger, I had to rewire my mind and ept that the logic of my past life did not apply to this world. I often struggled with that while I was young.

    At one point in my journey, I encountered a vige that was gued by a demon with blood demon art.

    It was during the final week of my travels.

    The demon was a beautiful woman who could hypnotize and brainwash people with the sound of her voice. Her blood demon art worked simrly to sirens from what I could understand.

    The demon realized that if she act smart, she could have unlimited food supply instead of hunting for human every night. So she brainwahsed the vigers and managed the vige to suit her need.

    The whole vige was under hermand and she was rearing the humans like cattles.

    The women''s poption in the vige was more than the men''s by around ten to one. The vige had a weird customs and other practices that would ultimately increase the birth rates.

    Mostly males would be eaten and women were kept like breeding tools to give the demon an infinite food supply. The men in the vige were just enough to maintain the farm and get the women pregnant.

    Honestly, it was a fucked up vige and rarely visited by people because when they did, the visitors would be hypnotized and eaten.

    It was the demon''s personal human farm.

    Obviously the blood demon art of the demon did not work since I was deaf. At first, I did not even notice it and I thought it was just a really strange vige with strange traditions.

    But when I heard the women talking about how proud they were of their son sacrificing themselves to the gods, I knew there was something wrong.

    Honestly, my experience in the vige could be an entirely different book on its own but we shall not tell that story today. Maybe in another volume, I would tell about my experience in the vige in detail.

    So I fought with the demon who was controlling the vigers and it was my most challenging battle yet. The demon had many years to feast on human flesh so she was powerful.

    But she fell swiftly like everyone else because she was at a disadvantage. Her blood demon art did not work on a deaf person.

    After the demon''s control over the vige was gone, the vigers went almost went mad. They still retained the memories of what happened so they knew the horrible things they were manipted into doing.

    Be it sacrificing thier children, killing travellers and offering them to the demon ormitting many acts of debauchery.

    I did not stay long in the vige. I left after telling them what happened was not thier fault and to me the demons for everything. And to start anew.

    The vige would be thest one I visit in my journey because there was no way in hell I wanted to get into another mess.

    ...

    ////////////

    Atst, after more than a month of travelling, I reached the base of Mount Fujikasane.

    I did not even have to look at the map to confirm I was there because the sweet scent of a particr flower filled the air.

    Beautiful flower trees covered the mountain to give it a distinctive lookpared to the rest of the surroundings. I did not have to be told that they were Wisteria trees.

    They were the colour ofvender and they covered most of the mountain. I was truly stunned by thier beauty especially when they released a faint glow in the dark of the night, almost like they had magical properties within them.

    There was a small vige at the base of the mountain. They were the people from the Demon yer Corps but they were not demon yers. Instead, they were people stationed in the mountains to maintain the Wisteria trees.

    They were gardeners essentially. Some of them were retired demon yers while others were workers who used Wisteria to create different products like the wisteria incense.

    There was a whole industry for Wisteria products at the base of Mount Fujijasane.

    When I went to them and told them about why I hade to the mountain, I received the unfortunate news that the final selection was still a few weeks away.

    Oh! The horror of being forced to wait.

    But my time at Mout Fujikase the following weeks would not go to waste as I met someone who would be one of the most important person in my life.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    "I thought I will be the only one who came early for the final selection!! It seems I was wrong! There are still people whose hearts are burning hotter than mine!!"

    I was deaf but even I knew the guy was loud

    It was only the second day after I reached Mount Fujikasane, the ce where the final selection would take ce. He came up to me while I was sleeping under one of the Wisteria trees, thier beauty casting drowsiness on me.

    That was when I met him.

    "Hellorade, my name is Kyojiro Rengoku."

    "It''s nice to meet you!!"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I want to take this moment to ask for stones. The book finally has enough words to be on the rankings. Please let''s have good week and attract lots of new readers.

    Add the book to your collection and a review would also be helpful..

    ...

    <strong><i>Join my patreon to read 10 chaptees ahead!! Also there are polls regarding felmale leads and MC''s weapon on the patreon. </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmaneul_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 9: Rengoku Kyojiro!!

    <h4>Chapter 9: Rengoku Kyojiro!!</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Hellorade, my name is Kyojiro Rengoku."

    "It''s nice to meet you!!"

    I still remember that day so vividly.

    The warm sunlight peeked through the Wisteria trees and caressed my skin. The brightness was no longer a bother that stopped me from sleeping, instead, it had befortable out of habit.

    He came up to me with all the loudness of a day, for a moment I thought I had regained my hearing. His presence was like the sun, unapologetic for shining so brighter than everyone else.

    Izily opened my eyes to give him a look and I was awe-struck.

    He was beautiful.

    In an artistic way of course. If God were an artist, he would be considered a masterpiece.

    A tall frame filled with muscles that were designed solely to fight and swing a sword. There was a wild aura - a fighting spirit if you will - that surrounded his body at all times.

    His organs were healthy and fresh, like the parts of a brand-new car. They were free of blemishes, no drugs, no tobo or unhealthy lifestyles had affected them.

    His body proportion and bone structure spoke of his gic blessing. From his great-grandfather, they were a swordsman, and his existence itself was the result of many generations of selective reproduction. Not arranged marriage but more so that he was the direct line of the strongest sons.

    He was bred to be a powerful swordsman.

    "Hi!! My name is Kyojiro Rengoku, Nice to meet you!!" He announced for a second time.

    He was a tall young man who seemed to be about a year older than me. He had long bright yellow hair with red streaks akin to mes along with two shoulder-length bangs and two chin-length bangs on the side of his head.

    He had ck forked eyebrows, and golden eyes that faded to red with white pupils. He wore a yellow haori with me patterns.

    He had a very unique pair of eyes and I found myself staring at them.

    "Hi!! My name is Kyojiro Rengoku, Nice to meet you!!" and that was the third time he said the same thing. I got the feeling that he was the type of person who would never stop unless I replied.

    "Hello Kyojiro Rengoku, my name is Shigan Seiji. It''s a pleasure to meet you as well." I said to the future me Hashira.

    Heughed, "What a in voice you have for someone who seemed to burn with passion!"

    It was funny because I got that lot. They said my voice had absolutely no intonation and it soundedpletely t as if I was speaking in the same octave.

    "I guess I came to you at the wrong time. I apologize for waking you up." He said but the wide smile on his face told me that he was not really sorry.

    "But may I ask why you are sleeping on such a beautiful morning?"

    "I didn''t sleepst night." I said and gotfortable leaning on the tree again.

    Rengoku hit his palm with a fist in a gesture of realization. "Oh! I see you were hunting demons all night! I should''ve guessed."

    It was interesting to meet one of the most beloved characters in Demon yer. Unfortunately, like many characters beloved by the fans, he died at the hands of the demon Akaza.

    "I actually cried when I saw his death as well."

    "Wait, who died?"

    Oops, did I say that out loud?

    "Nothing." I said and closed my eyes.

    Although it was an exciting experience to meet him, I was too tired and sleepy to care. Maybe after a much-needed sleep, I would interact with him more. He said he was here for the final selection so it''s not like he would disappear soon.

    "Seeing you resting so peacefully makes me want to rest as well. Would it be a problem if I rest beside you?" He asked but I had already closed my eyes so I didn''t hear it.

    But apparently, Rengoku was the type of person to take silence as consent because he sat down and leaned against the same tree I did and he closed his eyes.

    He had also travelled day and night to reach the mountain and he needed rest even more than I.

    So the first time we met, we both rested under the same tree, tired from our fighting and journey respectively. The Wisteria tree provided a calming shade which was perfect for a nap.

    From then on, Rengoku would stay by my side and quickly take the position of my first friend.

    ....

    A question from the readers:- How do introverts like you make friends?

    The answer is we don''t.

    An extrovert found us, liked us and adopted us.

    And that day, Kyojiro Rengoku found me.

    .

    .

    .

    /////////////////

    We woke up in the afternoon and I met with an odd realization that Rengoku was actually dead tired when I first met him.

    After the nap, he was smiling brighter and became visibly louder than before. But his smile and thunderous character were not annoying by any means, instead, it was an endearing trait that people liked about him.

    His charisma was off the charts.

    In just a few hours, he became closer to the people living at the base of the mountain than I was ever able to get in two days.

    He saw me as a kindred soul, a fellow swordsman who wanted to do good in the world and be a demon yer who protected the innocents. So he stuck close to me and tried to get me to open up to him.

    Well good luck with that, my uncle and aunt failed to do so even after 6 years.

    And I think he took that as a challenge. Something about his charisma and extrovert personality wanted to get close to me and be friends.

    There was nothing wrong with me per se, I was not some edgy motherfucker who strived to be alone just for the sake of it. I just never bothered putting effort into connecting with other people except for being acquaintances. I believed that was enough.

    There was also another reason.

    I was extremely bad when it came to people. Being deaf in my past life, I never had a meaningful rtionship. And the people close to me in this second life were all brutally killed by a demon. So you could not exactly me me for my ws.

    Rengoku knew this and he made sure to be vocal about it as well.

    "Hey, do you know it''s really creepy when you stare at people whenever they talk? The workers told me that''s why they didn''t like talking to you." Rengoku said. I learned that he was honest like a child and he could also be quite blunt. I liked that about him.

    "Is it?" I mused.

    "Yes, and the fact that you never respond to most people who talks to you. You seem to ignore everyone else except people who confronted you face to face." He said with a nod of his head as if to affirm his own words.

    I had to use my eyes and read lips to know what people were saying. And if they were out of my sight, I could not even notice them when they spoke to me.

    "Well, tell them I''m sorry for being deaf," I said and his eyes widened and he stopped walking.

    "You are deaf?" He asked but since he was behind me I didn''t know it. He put his hand on my shoulder and I turned to him.

    "You are deaf?"

    "Yes, I am deaf in both ears. I lost my hearing from a demon." I said and I could see he was stunned. I could also see the apology on his face.

    Since I had such incredible eyesight, people rarely noticed that I was deaf. And I never liked advertising my disability either so there were often misunderstandings.

    "I see...I should have noticed." He said.

    "It''s fine. It happens all the time." I said and continued walking. Regoku took a few seconds to collect his thought before he followed behind me.

    We were currently on our way to another mountain close by. Mount Fujikasane was filled with Wisteria trees so it repelled demons. In order to hunt them, we had to move to another mountain.

    Rengoku said he wanted to join me and since I also had an interest in seeing him fight, I allowed him. Now it was the both of us, moving through the mountain road to hunt the creatures of the night.

    We had sleep in the morning so we were filled with energy.

    We did not encounter any demons during the night. Apparently, the demons knew to stay the fuck away from Mout Fujikasane.

    So Rengoku and I spent the time just wandering around under the bright moonlight. We talked quite a bit during this time, it was mostly about how I was able to talk when I was deaf and other rted things.

    Like I said, he was a charming man so I quite enjoyed the time.

    It was only near the break of dawn that we encountered a demon. I was able to see him while we were at a high altitude and I saw him running at the base of the opposite mountain.

    The demon had blood all over his body which told us that he just had a sessful hunt and he was now running back home to who knows where before sunrise.

    We ran down the mountain immediately and with my eyes focused on the demon like a hawk, I led us to a route that directly crossed paths with the demon.

    When we caught up with the demon, Rengoku''s aura changed and his smile faded away. He ran past me and with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, he said.

    "Leave him to me."

    And that''s what I did.

    I watched Rengoku rush at the demon who tried to run away the moment he saw us. I didn''t remember the me Hashira to be a speedster but he was extremely fast even at his young age.

    I took the chance to observe in detail how breathing style worked. This could be what allowed me toplete my own breathing style.

    Rengoku caught up with the fleeing demon with ease and when he did, he sucked in huge volumes of air. So much so that a small vortex formed near his mouth.

    My purple eyes released an eerie glow as I used the full power of the transparent world. Then all of the secrets in the world wereid bare in front of my eyes.

    I saw the way Rengoku''s lungs expanded to a ridiculous degree. His body started producing an insane amount of body heat and that gave him gave him a boost in strength.

    I also observed in detail the pattern of his breath. Unlike my breathing where I inhaled to maximize each breath, he did it in a well-formted pattern.

    His yellow haori with me patterns, lit up and I was stumped when I witnessed the next scene.

    There was a trail of fireing out of his mouth and then his katana caught on fire. The edge of his sword released a trail of fire that lit up the darkness of the forest.

    "<i>me Breathing : First Form</i>." he said.

    "<strong>Unknowing Fire</strong>."

    He swung his de horizontally and it created a perfect arc of deadly mes. His de met the neck of the demon with a raging roar of fire and the head was sliced off in an instant.

    The headless demon fell on the ground and a few secondster, his body disintegrated.

    I stopped in my track and just stared while Rengoku sheathed his katana and the mes died down. I was confused.

    I remembered reading somewhere that the elemental visuals were only put in the anime for imagination and that in reality, there were no shy scenes.

    But what I just witnessed was exactly like the anime.

    Was it real or was I able to see it because of my special vision?''

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Give me stones

    Author : I am adding the visuals in my story for the simple reason that its cool. But exnation goes that MC is able to see them because of his eyes.

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    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 10: Flame Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 10: me Breathing</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    It was...

    Beautiful.

    <strong>I have to learn that.</strong>

    Rengoku slowly sheathed his sword while releasing air from his lungs. I remained rooted in my ce until he turned to me with his signature smile that burned even brighter than his mes.

    "It''s done my friend! Our night patrol was not a waste." he said and then followed up with a heartyugh.

    Meanwhile, I stared at him with a nk face but with many thoughts swirling in my mind. It was clearly stated that breathing styles could not actually achieve supernatural powers like encasing a sword with fire.

    But I clearly saw it happen.

    "Hey, did you see the mes?" I asked.

    "Huh? What mes?" he tilted his head in confusion and that proved my suspicion that it was only me who could see the mes when he used his breathing.

    "Do you mean my breathing style? I used me breathing." he said and then his eyebrows lifted up, "Wait, how do you know what breathing style I used? I never told you."

    So it was my eyes.

    My eyes enabled me to see the effects of breathing when normal eyes couldn''t. It was simr to how I was able to see the colours of gas in the atmosphere if I tried.

    The transparent world was more than just having x-ray vision and better eyesight to me. I didn''t know if it was the case for everyone else or if it was just me but I could see impossible colours. I could even ultraviolet rays, infrared, radiation etc.

    My eyes allowed me to perceive the world as it truly was, without limitations.

    "I have seen a me-breathing user before." I lied but due to my perpetual t tone, no one could tell.

    "Oh I see! I wonder if it was my father that you saw or anyone else." he hummed to himself.

    "Should we return? I feel like the sun is about to rise soon." he said. Seeing how the demon was wildly trying to run back to his hideout, it was safe to assume that the sun was rising soon.

    "Yes." I said and we both returned to Mount Fujikasane.

    My thoughts returned back to my eyes and what I could do with its capabilities. Being able to see breathing styles was quite an advantage, especially if you go up against another breath user.

    It could tell me exactly what type of breathing they were using, when they were using it and even differentiate what form they were using over time. It was no different than a boxer telegraphing his opponent''s move by looking at his shoulder.

    If I could see breathing styles, then I must be able to see the blood demon art of demons as well. This could be an absolute game-changer.

    When Tanjiro was fighting against the lower moon Yahaba and Susamaru, he was able to deflect thier attacks only when Tanjiro could see the arrow - thier blood demon art - with the help of Yushiro.

    I smiled at the thought.

    I just added a new vocabry to my dictionary for thenguage of fighting.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (The next day)

    Our des collided and released a spark of impact and friction. My eyes saw everything in detail, from the condition of both our swords to the vibrations released by them.

    If I had ears, I would describe the vibration as the sound of steel shing steel.

    His nichirin de was well-made but it couldn''tpare to mine which was crafted by one of the greatest smiths in Japan. I could see that his sword did not get enough heat and hammering when it was made. It was made by a smith who put no effort or passion in its creation, it was just one amongst the mass-produced.

    An ordinary nichiren de. If my eyes were telling the turth, I could break it after a couple of well-ced strikes, exactly four inches below the tip.

    The sword was not only ordinary but it had seen a lot of uses. The weakness at the tip told me that it was sharpened more times there - since that part of the sword was mainly used for slicing - and made it thinner than the rest.

    We pushed each other away when there was no winner in the sh. It was just a split-second observation but I had already learned a way to win if this was a real battle.

    "Hahahaha!! What a strange experience it is to fight against you." Rengoku said and gripped his sword tighter, "It feels like I am fighting against my own shadow."

    We were currently engaged in a spar he initiated after we woke up from our morning sleep. He said he wanted to see how well he would fare against me and I was more than happy to talk with him, or should I say fight.

    "Nevertheless, I wouldn''t give up that easy," he said and pushed off the ground with such force that he disappeared to the untrained eyes.

    Rengoku was a talented fighter. As the future Hashira, he was already a monster even before he became an official demon yer.

    It was just as you would expect, every Hashira was built different.

    I took a step back to throw off his attack. He expected me to remain in ce or charge at him for another sh so he was thrown off when I stepped back.

    His sword came at me still but it was not at the correct distance and his body was leaning too much. He threw a flurry of shes at me and I easily deflected them with minimal ease and a cid face.

    He might be strong but he was still inexperience, especially when it came to fighting another swordsman.

    He had trained all his life not to be a proper swordsman but to be a demon yer. Therefore he was not familiar with fighting another swordsman, after all, you could count the number of demons using a sword with one hand.

    He had more experience fighting demons who mostly used thier bare hands, ws or other weapons which was rarely a sword.

    On the other hand, I was a master of kendo which was a discipline restricted to only fighting other swordsman. So he could notpare to me when fighting each other.

    There were levels to these things.

    But then he was physically stronger than me because of his age. He was one year older than me and that might not seem much when you were an adult, but it made a huge difference when you were in your teens. It was a time when your body developed the most so one year allowed Rengoku to be much stronger than me.

    But in the end, the sheer difference in our overallbat power boiled down to my special eyes.

    Now imagine this.

    Imagine you were seeing the world and everything in slow motion. Imagine your eyes had the ability to zoom in and observe every little detail of the world. Imagine you had x-ray vision and you could see your opponent''s muscles so you could predict his every movement. You know his body better than him.

    And then imagine your opponent talking to you every moment of the fight. He tells you his every n, and every course of his action. Not only that, he tells you about his fighting style and how he had trained and more. He tells you about how he feels, what he thinks and even things he did not know himself.

    Of course, he was not actually talking but actions speak louder than words.

    That was my world. A transparent world where you could see everything.

    That was what it felt like to be me.

    To me, fighting was not fast, fighting was not violence.

    It was a conversation, and if it got tough, a debate.

    My opponent said things with his action and I replied with my own action. Every movement held meaning and we exchanged them, we matched them.

    <i>"me breathing : First form."</i>

    <strong>"Unknowing Fire."</strong>

    Rengoku never opened his mouth but he said that. I knew because the pattern of his breaths, the expansion of his lungs, the grip on his swords, and everything else matched what he didst night.

    He released fire from his mouth and his sword caught on fire. That was another giveaway.

    It seemed he had finally decided to add a new word to our fight. I smiled because the conversation was getting quite dull so it was a pleasant change.

    I tightened the grip on my sword and took a deep breath as well. Then I utilized my own iplete version of a breathing style that boosted my physical stats to the limit.

    "Steroid breathing."

    His burning sword came at me faster and more intense than ever before. Maybe it was because of the visual but I felt heating from him.

    Our swords became blurs of images and we exchanged lethal blows at each other. The ground underneath us shook and we stirred up dust that covered the entire vicinity.

    I could break his sword but I decided not to be an asshole. His attack hesitated when the dust blinded his vision. He still knew where I was and where to strike but without his full vision, he was afraid of idently hurting me.

    So his sword faltered.

    What a nice ass dude.

    I swept his feet off the ground with the blunt side of my sword and he fell on his back. When the dust settled, he was on the ground and my sword was pointing at his neck.

    "I guess I lost." he said but still smiled like a winner.

    "You hesitated. I told you I have good eyes, I could see through the dust." I said.

    "And I could not. Winning was not worth even a small chance of harming my friend." he said.

    He sure knows how to take the joy out of winning. Now I couldn''t even gloat about my victory.

    I offered him a hand before pulling him up to his feet. I helped him clean the dust off his haori before he startedughing.

    "You are quite amazing my deaf friend. But I can''t help but notice your horrendous breathing form. Tell me, who taught you that?" He said and patted me on the back.

    "No one. I made it myself."

    "Aha!! No wonder it''s so horrible." heughed.

    "Hey, I worked hard on it."

    "I don''t mean to discard your effort Seiji-san. But you missed the fundamentals of breathing styles itself." he said.

    "If you truly did not have anyone to teach you, how about I teach you my breathing style?" he said with a wide grin on his face and eyes shining with excitement.

    I was honestly not prepared for such a statement. I was already trying to copy his breathing style but it would be even better if he could teach me.

    But why would he? I thought he would be a bit more reserved with spreading the me breathing. Was he okay with offering such power to a random stranger he met a few days ago?

    "Why?" I couldn''t help but ask. If it was me, I wouldn''t go around teaching every random bloke I see. Just look at what happened to someone like Keigaku when they got power.

    "Why not? You are my friend." he said.

    It was strange how such a simple answer like ''Why not'' could make so much sense when said by the right person.

    Rengoku was not like me.

    He did not have an evil bone in his body so thoughts like mine never even crossed his mind. It was honestly a stupid naivety in a world of evil and demons.

    But I couldn''t help but be captivated by such innocent naivety.

    "Right." I said.

    Friends huh.

    I smiled.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of MC]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : If you guys are wondering, yes his eyes are way more special than normal transparent world. He just haven''t realized it yet.

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    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

 Chapter 11: Breathing styles and training

    <h4>Chapter 11: Breathing styles and training</h4>

    [Seiji''s POv]

    Here''s an interesting fact about the future me Hashira.

    Did you know that he learned his breathing style mostly through the dairy and manuals left behind by the previous me Hashiras?

    It shocked me at first because I thought he would at least get some training from his father but no, other than a few guidances and a beatdown where he told his son how pointless his training was, the father was a useless bum.

    Don''t let him catch me saying that though. He still had deep respect for his father and wouldn''t allow anyone to badmouth him.

    He admired his father for all he had done and Rengoku did not me him for how he turned out to be. A profession like his could really break any man, my friend said.

    His father had been strong for long enough. He had saved enough lives. Now it was his turn to do so, it was his turn to carry his father''s burden.

    That''s what he told me.

    Anyway, let''s shift the topic to more interesting matters.

    Breathing styles, just like Rengoku said, I had been going horrendously wrong this whole time. It was no wonder I wasn''t able to use it properly, much lessplete my own breathing style.

    The problemy in my simplistic thought andck of creativity. I was too caught up on logic and what I remembered from the show.

    You take in huge amounts of air and increase the amount of oxygen in your blood so that your muscles have a boost in energy and performance.

    I lived by that statement and it was wrong.

    I am not sure how I couldpare it but let me try it this way. Imagine a breath could be any number and my capacity for one breath was 10.

    So I go, 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 50

    I took in as much air as possible and forced my body to absorb all the oxygen it could get. But that was a primitive way of doing it.

    I learned that using unique breathing patterns and correct forms could have huge effects in the way my body got enhanced.

    So I could go like, 10 x 5 = 50

    Using a proper pattern and knowing exactly what I wanted to achieve allowed me to increase the efficiency of my breaths many times over. What took five huge breaths could be achieved using two if proper technique was applied.

    Then there were many other things that could be taken into ount as well. There were proper ways to exhale and the way you matched your breaths with your heartbeat. And posture could have a significant impact. Take the negative number as an exhtion.

    -10 x - 9 + 10 = 100

    It''s all about the patterns. And just like how you could have a positive effect, if you did an incorrect form and pattern, you could have a negative effect.

    9 + 10 + 10 x 0 + 5 = 5

    I hope thisparison made sense as it was the most simplistic way I could exin.

    In conclusion, breathing style was not about your lung capacity, it never was, it was all about forms and the pattern with which you breathe.

    When I learned this, I almost leapt up and started dancing in joy because if there was anything I was good at, it was learning and observing the pattern of things.

    After all, breathing styles were also a movement, all under thenguage of the body.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    "Stop it, that''s enough." I said to Rengoku who had a giant boulder on his back while he did pushups.

    "You are only breaking your body."

    Rengoku was a training freak. His training was so intense that it almost scared me when I first saw it. It was scary for me because I could see in detail how his body was working and tearing apart with each set of training he endured.

    I had never seen anyone training so hard and barbaric before.

    It reminded me of Might Guy from Naruto. In fact I believe they were the same person in different universes. Instead of shouting ''Youth!!'' Regoku yelled ''Set your heart abalze!'' while breaking his body and forging it like a sword.

    "That is the whole point Seiji. How about youe join me instead, let me show you everything is possible if you put your mind to it." He said.

    "No."

    I was not going to endure such hellish training for literally no gain. I could see how my muscles work and I trained just enough to simte them and then allow them time to grow so that I could make the most progress at a period of time.

    What Rengoku did was actually counterproductive. He was overtraining himself and in terms of increasing muscle power and building the body, he was cutting his own gains.

    I tried to tell him this multiple times but he did not listen. In the end, we just came to a mutual agreement that we had different type of training styles.

    I utilized my gifts to get the most progress out of training but he was using his determination to not only sharpen his body but his mind as well.

    Each of our styles had its pros and cons.

    Looking objectively, my training style was superior and I made maximum progress. But on the other hand, Rengoku was not only training his body but also the endurance of his mind.

    It was because of his freakishly intense training that he was able to go beyond his limits and achieve the impossible when it was needed. Like it was the case when he was fighting Akaza.

    In the end, it was just a matter of choice. Which one would you prefer?

    Heh, this reminded me of the scientific training vs ego-lifting in the gym. Which one was a better method?

    By the way, this did not mean I was not training hard by any means. I was training as hard as my body could handle but Rengoku was just another level. He was a freak.

    And I believe he would get stronger his own way. Who am I to try and stop him when I clearly knew that he would grow stronger?

    "One hundred!!" Rengoku yelled and then he stood up with raised hands. I cringed when I saw the muscle tear on his tricep and chest muscles.

    That would take at least two weeks to heal properly but he would probably train again the day after tomorrow. I guess we are persisting through sheer shounen power with this one.

    "Seiji! Let us go for a run around the mountain." he said and I released a sigh. I shook my head and relented.

    I guess I could go for a run.

    A few minutester I had to struggle to catch up wirh him. He said let''s run around the mountain but what he meant was, let us sprint as fast as we could around the mountain.

    Fucking freakish bastard.

    ...

    We trained like that for a week.

    We would spar against each other whenever we had time with the victor always being me. But the thing about winning against Rengoku was that he never even went close to going all out. His body just couldn''t go full power on someone he held close.

    I learned me-Breathing with Rengoku as well and he was even kind enough to let me read the manuals of the previous me Hashiras.

    I managed to learn all of the forms in a week. I made huge progress especially when Rengoku was always willing to demonstrate them for me and my eyes saw everything so it made it easer to learn them.

    Although I was far from mastering them, I think it boosted my overallbat power many times.

    We would hunt demons during the night as well and it became a lovely bonding time between us. It was times we spent under the moon that I would remember forever.

    Then a week passed and it was finally upon us.

    The final selection.

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Double update

 Chapter 12: The final selection

    <h4>Chapter 12: The final selection</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Beautiful.

    The world was beautiful.

    But demons corrupted this world.

    Thier ugly existence and evil hearts were a stain on this beautiful world.

    Such beauty did not deserve filth.

    So I shall drive them to extinction.

    I would rid the world of its blemish.

    And I would start from this mountain.

    ...

    Such was my thought process as I climbed up the trail and steps of Mount Fujikasane. The mountain was covered with beautiful Wisteria trees from the base till halfway up the mountain.

    The flowers released a beautiful glow of pink, purple andvender and it felt like I was in a different realm entirely. There were Wisteria trees at the base but halfway was where they were most plentiful.

    The ce was so bright. It was brighter than day.

    The Wisteria flowers released a sweet scent that made the simple act of breathing an enjoyable experience. They were soft when you touched them and their beauty made you hesitant to even blink.

    It was a feast to all the senses.

    I wished I had working ears because I was sure they would make such soothing sounds when the winds blew on them.

    "Hahahaha Seiji, you look drunk." Rengoku tapped my shoulder and said.

    Yes, my friend, I was drunk.

    Drunk from beauty.

    My eyes felt like they were having an orgasm just looking at the beautiful scenery. No joke it was squirting tears.

    The steps were covered with a thinyer of algae yet it was extremely clean and maintained. Red pirs with kanji words written on them stood at the edge of the steps and gave a unique Japanese vibe.

    In conclusion, I was going to attend the final selection every year.

    Atst, we reached halfway up the mountain and there was a small clearing there with a tform. Rengoku and I were the first ones to reach the ce so we decided to stand under the biggest Wisteria tree that also provided a perfect view of the wholepound.

    We waited as the other participants slowly made thier way up the mountain. Rengoku and I judged everyone who came up the mountain. We gave our thoughts on which one of them was strong and which one had the potential to pass the final selection.

    I had my eyes to judge them and Rengoku imed that his gut feeling was never wrong.

    "That one looks strong. Look at him, he is covered with scars! Clearly, his heart is burning with determination! He will definitely pass."

    "Yeah, and it''s not just scars. He has three of his fingers missing. He wouldn''t be able to hold a sword properly. He fails."

    ..

    "Look at that giant of a man. He looks strong."

    "That''s just his gic. His tendons are weak and his muscles show ack of proper development. Also, he is too fat."

    ..

    "What about that guy? His eyes give me the chills."

    "He''s blind in the right eye."

    ..

    "Look at that guy carrying a long sword. It''s too long he has to put it on his back. He looks like he knows how to fight properly."

    "That might be true. His muscles are certainly developed in the perfect way, that tells me at least he knows how to swing. He might pass."

    ..

    "Oh! I know that mask! He is a disciple of Urokodaki, the retired Water Hashira, they all have that distinctive mask."

    "He''s dead."

    "What? Why?"

    "Don''t ask."

    ..

    "Oh!~ That girl has inverted nipples. That''s rare."

    "Seiji!!!"

    "Oops, did I say that out loud?"

    ..

    In a few hours, the smallpound was filled with young warriors who wished to be demon yers. They all had that look in thier eyes, like a student who were about to face the final exams.

    Most of them were looking at each other like they were enemies and that was not a good thing. We were not going topete with each other for the final selection, instead, it would be about survival and you might need to work together.

    It would not do you good to re at everyone.

    After all participants had gathered, ady with white hair guarded by two demon yers walked towards the tform and stood on it.

    "Good evening everyone." thedy with white hair started and everyone turned towards her.

    "My name is Lady Amane Ubuyashiki. Wee participants, to the Demon yer Corps final selection." she said.

    Holy shit, it really is her. The badass wife who did not tremble in front of the Demon King, aka the perfect wife.

    God, she was beautiful.

    Her beauty stood out even in the garden of beautiful wisteria flowers.

    "Let us not waste time and get straight to the point. Here in Mout Fujikasane, there are several demons that were captured alive by demon yers. They are kept there for this event and the wisteria flowers prevent them from leaving the mountain." She said.

    "They bloom on this mountain each year-round and they cover everything from the base to halfway to the top. But the wisteria ends here." she said and signalled behind her which no longer had wisteria.

    "There are demons beyond this point and they are very hungry. For the final selection, you must survive for seven days beyond the wisteria''s protection. Good luck everyone."

    "Your trial begins here."

    After she said what was needed, she left the tform immediately and left us to go beyond the safe point.

    "Hey Rengoku, what did her voice sound like?" I asked.

    "Huh? She sounded normal to me. Although some might say her voice was quite stoic." he said with a shrug.

    Then we were all separated into a few groups. These groups would go up the mountain from different locations.

    Rengoku and I had to separate.

    "Good luck Seiji, see you in seven days." Rengoku said with a smile that outshined the glowing flowers for a good second.

    "Of course. Be sure you don''t hurt yourself trying to save a stranger, everyone who came here is prepared to die."

    I said because I knew he was strong enough to easily pass this test. The only way he could get hurt was if he tried to act like a hero and save everyone as Sabito did.

    "We can do anything we want, even the impossible, as long as we believe in it." he said and then his smile turned wider.

    "So I can save everyone without getting hurt."

    "I''ll just have to kill every demon then." I said with a smile and we separated.

    I was amongst a group of ten people and we went up the mountain from the west side.

    The atmosphere immediately turned gloomy and a sense of danger prickled my skin when I left the protection of the wisteria trees.

    "This should be fun." I said and my eyes glowed in the new darkness void of wisteria light. I could see the demons ahead and they were sharpening their teeth.

    Let the final selection begin.

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 13: Hand Demon

    <h4>Chapter 13: Hand Demon</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Let the final selection begin.

    But first...

    I needed a sword.

    I only had a normal katana with me but I required a nichirin de if I wanted to pass this trial. So I did what every rational person would do.

    I looked around for someone to rob.

    My eyes did a quick scan of the people in my vicinity and I locked on the weakest of the bunch. It was a thin young man who seemed to be around 20 or so, his body told me that he barely trained and from the slight shiver of his legs, he was afraid.

    I didn''t know why he even attended the final selection but he was doomed to die here. So I did him a favour and walked up to him before chopping his neck, effectively knocking him out.

    "You can try again next year if you are truly determined." I said while dragging his body down the mountain and back to the protection of the wisteria.

    I pulled out his nichirin de and inspected it for a bit. It was in good condition other than a small chip here and there.

    "This will do."

    The other participants who saw what happened chose to shut up and stay away from me. I took the de and started climbing up the mountain with the rest of the group.

    It did not take long to encounter demons as the ce was infested with these vile creatures. Three demons appeared in front of me - one came up to me with a confident stride and a wicked grin on his face, another was on top of a tree and another suddenly leapt at me from the side bush.

    It was a roughly nned ambush but from the wicked smile on thier faces, I could tell that it had always worked out in thier favour so far.

    Why fight a participant by yourself and risk dying when you could overwhelm one of them three-to-one? It was less risky and they would share equally with each other.

    Demons were intelligent creatures. That was what made them all the more disgusting. They were able to strategize and they knew exactly what they were doing.

    I spun the nichirin de in my hand and even without sparing a nce, I cut off the head of the demon who leapt at me.

    There was a pause while the demon fell to the ground with a thud and his body quickly disintegrated. The atmosphere changed in an instant and the demon felt that maybe it was not such a good idea to target me.

    Meanwhile, I looked at the sword in my hands. It was effective, but in my mind, it was too effective.

    The demons died too easily. It felt like they did not suffer at all while I ended thier filthy existence. I could understand now why Shinoubu would prefer using poison to kill demons.

    It was not satisfying at all.

    I shook my head, putting aside the unhealthy thought. Let''s just assume they have a sad backstory so that I wouldn''t be so pissed about thier easy deaths.

    I looked at the two remaining demons and realized they were talking to me.

    "I''m going to enjoy ripping out your insides and-" I stopped reading thier lips just then. I preferred silence to nonsense.

    I shot towards the demon and before he could even react, I cut both of his legs and appeared behind him. He released a guttural scream that I could feel from the vibration alone.

    I changed the grip on my sword and then swung the Nichiren de up so that it went between his legs and I cleanly sliced him in half.

    I could get creative with my kills to make it more satisfying.

    The demon on the tree immediately turned around and started running away but my eyes never lost him. I smiled when I saw the desperation on his face. It was the face of someone who realized they fucked up.

    I sprinted through the forest and followed the demon in silence. I made sure to hide my presence and I avoided leaves and twigs to remain unnoticed.

    After running several metres away, the demon finally came to a stop and jumped down on the ground. He was a demon yet his chest rose and fell like he was tired.

    I picked up a rock and threw it in the opposite direction. The sound immediately caught his senses and he looked towards the sound with a spooked face.

    I closed the distance between us while he turned away and then I stood right behind him.

    He froze.

    He sensed my presence behind him.

    I did not kill him just yet as I let him suffer in fear and terror. There was sweat dripping down the side of his face and after several seconds, he slowly turned his head back to look at me.

    That was when I ran my de right through his neck.

    My eyes captured every detail of his fearful face and his head fell to the ground before quickly turning into ash.

    The night was still young and I still had seven more days to go.

    How delightful.

    I started moving through the forest again in search of other demons. They must''ve enjoyed the final selection as it was the time of the year when they could hunt humans. In fact, I was sure it was a much-anticipated event for the demons in this mountain.

    But not this time.

    During this one week, I would show the demons what it felt like to be the victim.

    What was the trial again? Survive in the mountain full of demons for seven days?

    Let''s rephrase that.

    Try and survive me for seven days you foul creatures.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2 dayster)

    I moved through the forest non-stop during the night and slept during the day. The mountain of Fujikasane was vast and with the frequent demon attacks, I had not covered the whole ce even once,

    But tonight, things were quite different. I had not encountered even a single demon as they learned to run away from me.

    They could not even think about trying to hunt for participants as they ran from me. Demons had great senses so I could not do much when they were actively trying to avoid me.

    I wondered how Rengoku was doing. Strangely enough, I haven''t met him during these past two days and I wouldn''t say I was worried but it would bring me much relief to see him.

    I walked through the forest at my own pace but I was brought to a halt when I saw blood all over one specific clearing.

    My eyes analyzed the broken terrain and the blood. I could somehow recreate what happened here in my mind from the clues.

    I turned to my right and then saw broken trees and disced bushes which clearly indicated that something big walked through that path. The blood also followed the trail so I decided to investigate.

    A couple of minutes walkter my eyes finally caught the demon who caused all of it. The smell of rotting corpses filled the air but I did not even show a reaction due to what my eyes were seeing.

    A gigantic demon the colour of green vomit sat down in a clearing that he made. His appearance could only be described as an abomination with many hands protecting his neck and acting like a scarf and many other arms protruding out of his body.

    But what really caught my attention was the dozen of dead corpses thaty in front of him

    I watched as he picked up one of the dead participants and slowly tore off the clothes. then one of his hands erged and ripped off the corps''s head. He peeled back the head topletely rip out the spine as blood spurt out nonstop.

    The demon then threw away the head connected with the spine before he opened his wide jaws and ate the human in three bites.

    "...."

    The demon was having a meal. And from the way he was savouring the taste of the humans, he was having a very peaceful meal.

    I walked out of the forest and came out to the clearing he had made to have a meal. His head immediately turned towards me and I could see him shake and chuckle.

    "Another one just delivered himself to me, how convenient."

    I was going to kill him.

    Sorry Tanjiro and whatever plot this world had but I would not allow this creature to live for even a second longer.

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 14: Rest In Peace

    <h4>Chapter 14: Rest In Peace</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "What do you think you''re looking at brat? I don''t like your eyes, they give me the creeps." the hand demon said with a mock shiver.

    It was a little tricky to read his lips since, well he didn''t have one. But I was able to decipher what he was saying from the vibrations and the movement of his giant throat.

    His form was an abomination, it was ugly put together. Its grotesque physical features felt like a psychopath created something even he would find revolting.

    What a bad day to have eyes.

    The scent of two-day-old corpses mixed with the stench of the demon made me want to puke. For the first time, I regretted training the sensitivity of my other senses.

    I hate it.

    I hate him.

    "Not answering? Well, that''s just fine." the hand demon said and the arms around his body moved. My eyes had some trouble keeping up with it because his body was so different from a human''s.

    Muscles started forming out of nothing and bones snapped into unpredictable directions and the blood flow was also unnatural. It did not feel like I was looking at a living thing, it felt like I was looking at water.

    For the first time in a while, I could not read bodynguage.

    Fighting was not a conversation.

    Actions talked but it was gibberish.

    I guess I finally found a new weakness I always had. It was demons like him with no concrete form and were in an ever-changing state.

    "I will make you SCREAM!!!" the demon yelled and then five hands shot towards me at ridiculous speed.

    My eyes widened, and my brain tried to make sense of the hands that were somehow reaching out to me. They were still connected to the same body but they were elongating at incredible speed.

    Nevertheless, the world was still moving in slow motion for me. I reacted quickly, without wasting a single movement. I spun the de in my hand and with the swiftness of the wind, I cut all of his hands in different joining angles.

    That was not the end though, from where I cut one hand, two took its ce and they reached out to me. I was forced to move away so I rolled to the side and ran away as the hands followed me.

    They were incredibly fast, I could see how the demon was controlling the hands and forcing them to push forward but it did not make sense. I conclude that it was his blood demon arts, something along the lines of flesh maniption.

    I ced one foot on the ground and turned towards the iing hands, I counted thirteen. I took a deep breath and used my own breathing to enhance my physical stats.

    Learning from what happened before, the demon did not reach for me blindly. Instead, his arms became whips, without bones, and theyshed at me from all directions.

    But my enhanced body was more than capable of matching his speed so I parried the flurry of attacks that came my way. My arm became an afterimage as I parried fifty attacks in five seconds.

    "You are strong, but not strong enough!!" the hand demon yelled. I was deaf yet the sharp gust of wind that came from his shout sent a tingle down my spine.

    The hands morphed into one giant hand that was able to cast a shadow over my entire body. I leapt back and the hand mmed on my previous position, leaving a hand crater where I once stood.

    Then the hand demon tried to be sneaky by sending his hands underground. I could see his barely hidden grin as the hand finally reached right under me. They popped out from the ground, trying to grab my feet but such attempts were honestly pathetic to my eyes.

    I did a backflip and cut the hands with ease.

    "Huh? You saw thating. That''s new." the hand demon said, My feetnded on the ground and I straightened my back and took a bold stance.

    I was afraid of many things.

    But an ugly piece of shit like him was not one of them.

    "You got some pretty tricks up your sleave, and you look young." his eyes turned into slits, like the eyes of a yful cat.

    "You have a bright future as a Demon yer. This will make it all the more satisfying!!" he screamed and he turned himself into a ball.

    His hands wrapped tightly around his body. More arms started growing from his body and wrapped around him until he became a sphere like a ball.

    "That''s new." I said. I didn''t know he could do that.

    Then he rolled towards me at incredible speed. His body was huge so I had to push myself off the ground with all my strength.

    I jumped above his rolling body, dodging him.

    A hand shot out from his rolling body but I saw it. I swiftly cut it off before it reached me.

    His body rolled into the forest and felled any trees that were on his way. The ground shook and a trail of dirt was left behind in the wake of his unorthodox attack.

    "YOU CAN''T RUN NO MORE!!!" he screamed and then he rolled towards me again. He had gained enough momentum and he was even faster than before.

    My eyes released a purple glow while I analyzed his body. I learned the pattern of his rotation and in a split second, I calcted where and when he would leave an opening.

    A scene of the future yed in my mind, and I was able to cut off his head in one clean strike.

    I acted on that future.

    I gripped the sword in my hand, it was getting brittle and would surely break if I did notnd a clean slice. I took in huge gusts of air from my mouth and they turned into mes.

    I felt my body heat up.

    Here''s a thing about learning breathing style with eyes like mine.

    After you learn each form, you be familiar with them like you would with words. After learning the meaning of a word, you can use it in different sentences. Simrly, after you learned the concept of one form, you could apply it in different attacks.

    <i>"me Breathing, Esoteric Art : First Form." </i>

    My legs pushed me off like a bullet.

    <strong>"Unerring Fire."</strong>

    The timing was impable.

    My eyes and my perfect movement allowed me to slice the demon right when his head was on top while he was still rolling rapidly.

    The top of the ball - his head - was neatly chopped off. A trail of fire followed my perfect movement to create a mesmerizing disy of light.

    The demon''s body immediately lost strength and it stopped contracting into a ball. His head fell on the ground with a thud, eyes widening to the limit in shock while he watched his own body stumbling into a pitiful fall.

    "What happened?" he asked himself, his final words.

    ..

    ..

    I released a long breath and I watched the nicirin de break into pieces after my attack. I figured the old sword was not going to hold on for long, especially after executing my own technique.

    Esoteric Art, it literally means secret or unique art.

    A breathing user was able to aplish such arts after fully mastering thier breathing style. They created thier own forms or versions of an attack. Rengoku''s me Breathing ninth form and Giyu Water Breathing eleventh form was such an example.

    However, I was able to shortcut that and create my own different forms of a breathing style after learning just one.

    I was just special like that.

    The<i> ''me Breathing First Form : Unknowing Fire'' w</i>as an attack in which the user dashes towards the enemy and delivers a horizontal sh at the enemy from a blind spot. It required great timing and situational awareness to attack the enemy''s blind spot.

    My own version of it, ''Esoteric Art First Form : Unerring Fire'' was just that but even more deadly as I predicted the future with my eyes and then I attacked based on that future with impable timing.

    The perfect movement also helped me achieve this as there was literally not even a millimetre of mistake in my attack. I attacked at the right ce, at the right time, without w.

    It was certain death.

    I threw away the sword hilt on my hand and rxed my body. The aftermath of an adrenaline dump was always exhausting.

    I stood in my ce for a minute before I walked to the dozen corpses the hand demon had stored for his meal.I swiftly checked their body and took their nichirin de off thier dead bodies.

    Then I spent the rest of the night digging a hole to bury thier bodies. By sunrise, I was able to bury all of them and after holding a short funeral and giving respect, I left the barren clearing.

    I hoped they rest in peace, knowing that I had avenged thier death.

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 15: A Demon Slayer

    <h4>Chapter 15: A Demon yer</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The rest of the trial went by pretty easily as the hand demon was probably the strongest demon on the mountain.

    It was just a test, the final selection, so of course the demons on the mountain were not that strong. I learned that I was too overqualified for this trial, which was to be expected as even Tanjiro did not have such a hard time with it and he only trained for two years while I trained for seven.

    But I did not fuck around for a week. Instead, I actually made use of the test and all of the training opportunities that it presented.

    A demon''s body was hard to readpared to a human''s. This could not be any clearer from my fight with the hand demon.

    The history of a man was etched into his body. You could tell what kind of movements he had done most through his muscle constitution which in turn tells you what his job was. Farmers had strong backs and forearms, smiths hadrge shoulders and triceps, artists had long nimble fingers and unique tendons etc.

    Even in the case of a swordsman, you could tell a lot of things such as how strong he was, which was his dominant hand, his weakness etc.

    But demons were a little trickier than humans with thier regenerative abilities and the way they could simply get stronger by eating humans. Then again, there were demons whose bodies surprisingly told me that they trained but these demons were one in a hundred.

    So I utilized the opportunity to learn more about demons and thier bodies.

    I looked upon Yoriichi as an example. He too was born with the transparent world and it was his deep understanding of the human body that gave birth to breathing styles. He was also able to develop Sun Breathing forms made to kill Muzan by seeing his weakness.

    This kind of research - acquiring a deeper understanding of my own body and my enemies was just as important as your standard training.

    Other than learning about the demon''s body, I also learned a lot about their behaviour and habits this week.

    Specifically, I learned how to hunt demons when they were doing everything to avoid me and how to find their hiding spot during the day.

    Here''s a fun fact, most demons usually have a cave or a shady ce where they would hide during the day. But there were also many demons who had no such ces or could not reach them in time.

    What did these demons do?

    Well, apparently they buried themselves underground.

    "Like this dude." I said while looking at the freshly dug and closed soil. I put a little focus on my eyes and I was able to see through the ground.

    Lo and behold, a demon was sleeping underground like a corpse. Sometimes, they would even dig out whole tunnels to stay away from the sunlight.

    I took out my Nichiren de and stabbed the ground. He was buried very shallow so my de was able to pierce him right at his throat. His body soon disintegrated, and he died even without realizing it.

    I eventually stumbled upon Rengoku as well on the sixth day. We decided to stick together from then on and we hunted the demons together.

    On thest night of the final selection, we did not even have to hunt demons as most of them were annihted and the survivors hid very well and refused to ever surface again even during the night.

    And just like that, the trial came to an end.

    I passed.

    With flying colours might I add.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////////

    "Wee back to all the remaining participants and congrattions to all of you. I am d to see you are safe." Lady Amane said while the sun slowly rose on the horizon.

    The final selection had ended and other than Rengoku and I, there were a total of twelve more participants who were able to survive through the week.

    The number surprised me quite a bit as I remembered only six or so people passed when Tanjiro took the test. But then when I thought about it, it made sense that there were more survivors, considering I went on a demon-killing spree.

    "From today onwards, all of you are officially Demon yers. First of all, we will all issue uniforms for you so we must take your measurements. So please, be patient with us and stay put."

    "Secondly, all of you will have your rank engraved on the back of your hand. I''m sure most of you are not familiar with the Demon yer Ranking so let me exin." Lady Amane said and she went on to exin how the ranking works and what must be done to reach each rank.

    The rank goes like this :-

    1. Kinoe

    2. Kinoto

    3. Hinoe

    4. Hinoto

    5. Tsuchinoe

    6. Tsuchinoto

    7. Kanoe

    8. Kanoto

    9. Mizunoe

    10. Mizunoto

    All of us were assigned the rank of Mizunoto and we would have to climb up the ranks from there. There were also the Hashiras or pirs as they called them but those were said to be impossible to achieve for most people.

    Well, not for me though.

    "Hahahahaha, I would be sure to reach the rank of Hashira and take my father''s duty upon my shoulder."

    And him too.

    "Now onto the next topic." Lady Amane said and she pped her hand.

    Her action made me alert and focused, so I was able to see the disturbance in the air. I followed it and turned around.

    I saw thirteen crows flying towards us and they all flew down to each of the participants. Except me.

    A bird did fly near me but it was not a crow. Instead, it was a strange sparrow with the colourbination of red, white and ck.

    There was also a notable feature about it that immediately attracted me. It was the absolutely dead eyes. They looked like the eyes of a dead fish and the bird radiates a lot of attitude.

    I turned to Rengoku who had a normal crow on his shoulder. He had his usual radiant smile on his face while he told the bird he was looking forward to working together with him.

    "Hey, I think mine is broken." I said while pointing at the sparrow that was flying just above my head.

    Rengoku gave me a look before he bursted outughing. He said, "It fits you."

    If I didn''t know he was so nice I would take that as an insult. I finally offered a hand to the bird but instead of perching on it like a normal bird, it sat on the palm of my hand like sitting on a nest.

    I spent a minute just staring at its dead eyes, expecting the sparrow to at least say something but it was neverending quiet.

    Fuck.

    Did they really give me a mute bird just because I was deaf? I mean, it won''t really make a difference bute on, how am I supposed to use him as a messenger?

    The fact that it was not a crow did not bother me since I knew there were demon yers with different birds as the messengers. Zenitsu also received a sparrow instead of a crow.

    But hey, at least give me a working one. Is that too much to ask?

    Wait, is this what discrimination feels like?

    "These are your Kasugai Crows. They will be your valued partner as a Demon yer and will act as messengers to facilitatemunication." Lady Amane exined.

    I observed the other participants and thier crows. Although I expected it to be tricky, it was not difficult to read the wordsing from the crows. The throat contraction and tongue movement were almost the same as humans.

    "So, what is your name?" I asked and looked at my sparrow''s dead eyes.

    "..."

    "..."

    "You don''t have a name?" I replied and that raised two issues.

    One, my sparrow did not have a name. It was a ''she'' and she was asking me to name her. Second, how the fuck was I able tomunicate with her?

    I knew the world of Demon yer had many supernatural elements with ghosts teaching the character and demons basically having magic spells but I really wanted to know how I was able to understand herpletely.

    She was staying so still so maybe it was something about her eyes.....nope they were as dead as ever.

    I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, I used my brain toe up with a name for her.

    "How about I call you crow?" I said to the sparrow.

    She looked me dead in the eyes and said it was toozy and she would not appreciate being associated with her annoying colleagues.

    "Raven then." I said. It was close to what she was - which was a Kasugia Crow - and her dead eyes and attitude reminded me of Raven from Teen Titans.

    "From now on, you are Raven." I said and she jumped on top of my head and made a nest on my hair.

    "Now for the final task, all of you shall select an ore to create your nichirin des often referred to as colour-changing katanas." she said, "It will take anywhere from 10-15 days for your des to be ready but you shall choose the ore now."

    The workers living in the mountains came out and brought different ores with them. The participants were made to select their preferred ores one by one.

    When it was finally my turn, I raised a question.

    "Lady Amane, will it be possible to write a letter to my smith so that they can make a few changes on my de?" I asked.

    Lady Amane nodded, "That will be possible. Just make sure you to not ask something outrageous."

    I said thank you and then proceeded to pick the biggest ore in the pile because what I was about to request would undoubtedly take a bigger ore than others.

    .....

    "You may all leave the mountain as official Demon yers." Lady Amane said after everything was done.

    And that day, at the age of 13 years and 10 months.

    I became a Demon yer.

    .

    .

    [Image of Raven]

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 Chapter 16: The wandering swordsman

    <h4>Chapter 16: The wandering swordsman</h4>

    Author : It''s saturday, literally the worst day of the week for faithful readers because most authors took break today as well, making it so that there are barely any updates of books.

    So here is a long Chapter to make up for it.

    ________________________________________________________________

    [Seiji''s POV]

    After the end of the final selection, Rengoku and I had to part ways. He had a home to return to and a father who was awaiting for his return.

    He seemed enthusiastic about breaking the news to his father. He left the same day the trial ended and I was left to my lonesome self, again.

    You truly feel the value of someone''s presence in thier absence.

    Rengoku was loud so it was too silent when he left. Which was strangeing from a deaf.

    I contemted what to do for the next 10 days. I could return to my own home but that felt like a bad idea when my house was around 14 days away.

    I did not have any rtives nor a friend whom I could visit. Heck, I did not have a sensei who trained me to be a demon yer, or else I would''ve ran to him for an embrace and pretend like I aplished something significant.

    In the end, it was just me and Raven who, by the way, had decided to make my hair her permanent nest. Luckily she was smart enough to be not shit and stuff on my head.

    "I will shave my head if you get too annoying." I said while walking along the path that led to somewhere I did not care enough to know.

    Raven gently tapped on my head and said I would never shave my head because I cared too much about my looks.

    "..."

    It was true. As I said before, I like beautiful things and I wouldn''t like myself if I were not beautiful. And I did not mean that on a gic level but on how I maintain my looks.

    I was always clean and neatly trimmed. I wouldn''t like it even if the tiniest hair was out of order in my body or the smallest blemish marked my clothes. All of which might seem redundant to most but not for me and my eyes.

    I was also quite picky with how I dressed, preferring to wear things that suited me. Whatever I wore must be neat, and tidy and fit me perfectly. I was also called a poor fashion enthusiast in my past life.

    So yes, I would never shave my head because I locked better with wavy exotic purple hair.

    {Where are we going?} Raven asked by tapping her small feet on my head.

    "Nowhere." I said, "We are going to roam around the mountains and forests like a ronin while waiting for my first mission and nichirin de. And of course, we will also kill any demons we encounter." I said, continuing my journey.

    Now a question might pop into your head. How could Imunicate with Raven? The answer was Morse Code.

    I learned Morse Code way back in my past life and in this life as well. When I was facing the examination of ''chugakko'' which I took out of necessity for my inheritance, I actually chose Morse Code as a substitute for viva voice which was an exam I was not able to take due to being deaf. It was a special privilege to select any subject of my liking in ce of viva voice due to my disability.

    When I first met Raven, she sat on my palm andmunicated through Morse Code. I did not realize it at first but I quickly caught on itter.

    So yes, it had nothing to do with her eyes or her being a psychic.

    I was kind of surprised the Demon Corp thought that far ahead. They not only selected a bird that would be able tomunicate with me but they also knew informations about me, like the fact that I knew Morse Code and took it as a subject in my exams.

    When I asked Raven about it, she said it was only a natural reaction. I was quite famous in Japan as a prodigious kendo master so when the Master heard I was going to be a Demon Salyer, he took special consideration for me.

    The same goes for promising Demon yers rmended by Hashiras or retired Hashiras.

    What else could I say, I was impressed with Ubuyashiki.

    I spent days roaming around the mountains, sleeping during the day and travelling during the night like the demons I was hunting.

    There was this universal rule about not finding something when you were actively searching for it. The same went for demons, when you searched for them you couldn''t find them yet when you were most vulnerable and did not want to encounter a demon, you found them.

    I was only able to y a total of five demons in the span of ten days. Three of them I encountered in the mountains but I found the other two terrorizing a vige and I yed them while I stayed in said vige.

    There was nothing notable to say about these demons, they were strong for sure, likely in the same level as the hand demon but they were not strong to me. And they were not tricky to fight like the hand demon was.

    The two of them who had blood demon art had very basic powers like the ability to grow des in thier body and hair that could turn into sharp tentacles.

    Nothing I couldn''t handle.

    But it was the sixth demon that was somewhat remarkable because he was able topletely hide his presence and I also learned in this encounter, the true value of my birdpanion.

    I did not have ears, and although I had sharp senses, they were limited. My eyesight was my greatest power and I could see everything in front of me but that was also limited to my field of vision, 180��.

    That meant I had a very wide blind spot behind me. I could tell when something wasing close to me by the movement of the air but by then, it would usually be toote.

    But luckily, I had another pair of eyes on top of my head.

    Dash dot dot (_..)

    It meant the letter D. But the way she tapped on my scalp told me everything I needed to know.

    D.

    Danger.

    I pivoted on my heels and turned around just in time to pull out my katana and block the demon who tried to plunge his ws into my back and take out my heart.

    His ws met my de and a bright spark lit up the darkness.

    With the alertness of a person close to death, I quickly redirected his hand and sliced at his neck. My movement was ever so perfect and swift even in times of panic.

    But a weird sight greeted me. My sword went right through his neck but I didn''t slice him, it was like cutting through a phantom.

    !!!!

    It was a blood demon art. I did not know how it worked, I was clueless, So the best action to take was running and making distance.

    That was what I did,

    I quickly leapt to the side and I swung three warning shes to stop him from closing the distance. I stopped when I was around 5 metres away from him.

    "You blocked that." the demon said and tilted his head in an odd mix of anger and confusion, "No one has ever blocked that."

    I fear the day I have to be in an uglypetition with a demon. I would never win.

    Because what the fuck was that?

    "Can you wait for me while I vomit." I said, my in voiceced with disgust. I felt bile rising up my throat.

    In front of me stood a demon with crossed eyes with mucus in his eye sac. He had spiky hair, the colour of sand and he only wore an Obi and a torn yukata that covered up to his knees.

    Putting aside the ugliness and the triggering asymmetrical shape of the demon - I analyzed him to determine his strength and blood demon art.

    It was not difficult to see him for what he was. All truthsid bare before my eyes.

    His body is intangible. I could tell this instantly because many indications point towards that. the first thing was that I could not see the inside of his body, and my x-ray vision failed.

    The air was phasing through his body, I could see it clearly with my eyes. There was also this weird aura surrounding his body which told me something was going on with him.

    His blood demon art was intangibility. That would exin theck of sound in his steps and his non-existent smell. Both senses which I trained to make sure no one could sneak up on me from behind were meaningless to him.

    "I don''t like the way you are looking at me human. Do you think you will survive just because you are a demon yer?" he asked, "I got news for you, I have a thing for demon yers'' flesh and I have killed countless of them."

    He burst forward with incredible speed. He left cobweb cracks on the ground due to his powerful legs pushing him off.

    The air exploded out and so did he.

    The action was predicted but only at thest few seconds. The fact that I could not see inside of his body was clearly a disadvantage.

    But when he pushed off the ground, that was when his intangibly ended and his body became visible. I learned many things from that and he also told me many things about himself.

    He could be intangible but he could not attack while doing so. He also could not make parts of his body intangible, it was either all or nothing.

    He had two beating hearts in his chest, which was not umon for strong demons as it boosted thier physical strength and made them a bit more durable to piercing.

    A peek at his muscles told me that he was exceptionally fast and was built for speed. But hecked the sheer strength of most demons his calibre.

    <i>"me Breathing : Second Form."</i>

    My breath turned into mes and my sword left a trail of fire as I swung vertically upwards. It created a perfect arc that went up like the sun.

    <strong>"Rising Scorching Sun."</strong>

    The demon''s smile widened and he turned intangible. His movement became even bolder and he phased right through my attack and through me.

    I immediately turned around to see him shoot towards the forest. Hended horizontally on a tree before heunched himself at me again like a cannon. The branch of the tree was blown apart due to the sheer force.

    "You''re dying!!" he screamed.

    I turned my de sideways and threw a horizontal sh at him but just like before, he phased through my de and right through my body.

    "Hahahahaha!!" heughed like a hyena. He thought he had gotten to my head. He was infinitely amused seeing my attacks be void in front of his blood demon art.

    My lips curved too.

    This must be his usual strategy. Normal people could not differentiate when he was intangible or not so he would attack multiple times from different angles like this. He constantly put the opponents on edge until he found openings he could take.

    Or better yet, he let his enemies tire themselves out. Humans were not like demons, exhaustion was a big issue for them. And it''s not like they could ignore his bluff either since they couldn''t tell if he was intangible and he was literally too fast to even get a thought across.

    And in the case that they let their guard down, thinking he was about to fake another attack, he would make them regret that by taking thier head.

    It was a wless strategy as the enemy would inevitably fall.

    Unless they''re me.

    Because I had an advantage, I could tell exactly when he was going intangible and when he was real.

    He swiped his sharp ws at me and I barely had time to dodge it by moving to the side - theck of air resistance made him move at extreme speed.

    I drew my sword and managed to cut his leg as he shot past me but that was a minor injury for a demon like him.

    "Be careful, fighting me is not the time to be lost in thought!" he said with glee before he sprang at me again. But this time, it was a fake attack.

    He bounced around the forest, destroying many trees in the process. He faked another three attacks which I pretended to respond to.

    Then he decided that he had a chance and he went for the kill.

    "DIE!!!" he screamed, it was stupid to give out your location like that if you were truly to attack your enemy. Which was exactly why someone other than me would expect the demon to fake another attack.

    But I saw it clearly.

    I saw how his body turned into a physical body and resisted the air. Heunched at me with the boldest and fastest movement. Everything was so exaggerated that you would think it was another fake.

    But I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword.

    <i>"me Breathing, Esoteric Art : First Form." </i>

    My legs pushed me off like a bullet and my body left a trail of yellow fire that lit up the darkness with hope, as if to signify the victory of light against dark.

    <strong>"Unerring Fire."</strong>

    It was the ultimate attack of both precision and timing. My action was so smooth and perfect it looked like water breathing instead of me breathing to spectators.

    The demon could only stare and witness his own death upon the reflection of my de. His ugly eyes met my purple eyes at thest moment and he found no mercy.

    Even the tiniest fibre of my muscle did not hesitate while I chopped off his head in a single swing. It was at the perfect moment when he was not intangible, the exact angle from where he wouldn''t see iting and the right distance that gave him enough time to despair but not enough room to act.

    "Disappear vermin." my final words and then his body disintegrated without even hitting the ground. me Breathing was extremely effective not only because it boosted the user''s stregth but it also made the nichirin de more effective.

    I sheathed my sword and I synch thest of my breath with the gentle click of the sheath.

    ....

    Then without another word, I continued my journey.

    It was already eleven days since the final selection so I should be getting my first mission and nichrin de soon.

    And just like I thought, a swordsmith arrived in the morning.

    .

    .

    [IMAGE of MC]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Raven have an important role of covering Seiji''s greatest weakness - limited vision.

    I thought hard on how I could realistically make him ovee this. The thought of giving him sensitive touch to sense vibration like elephants or snakes crossed my mind, and so does the thought of giving him strong instincts or sense of smell to be able to sense danger.

    But in the end, I did not want Seiji to be so unreasonably overpowered so quickly. He will have weakness and strength and he will use every tool to make up for his weakness and capitalize on his strength.

    Thanks for reading.

    .....

    <strong>Join my patreon to read two weeks ahead and participate in polls and group chats. </strong>

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

 Chapter 17: Nichirin Blade

    <h4>Chapter 17: Nichirin de</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    "Your sword has arrived, young man. Get up." I was able to barely make out his words due to a mixture of drowsiness and the sudden brightness after closing my eyes for too long.

    I did a quick scan of where I was, under the shade of a giant tree in the Kabujitsu mountain. I remembered going to sleep under the shade after the sun had risen up.

    "Good morning sir." I said with a yawn while stretching my limbs. I rubbed my eyes to reduce the heaviness of my eyelids while the person in front of me released a sigh.

    "It''s afternoon." he said and a quick peek at his attire told me that he was a Demon yer Corp swordsmith. He had the signature mask as well.

    "Then Good afternoon."

    "I know you young demon yers are working hard but it''s not healthy to live like that. A man is made to work during the day and rest at night." he said and looking through his mask, I saw that he was on the older side.

    "I''ll keep that in mind." I said although I was not sure if I would follow the advice. I didn''t believe I would be able to sleep peacefully at night.

    "Anyways, here is your nichirin de." he said and revealed the giant long sword he was carrying behind him.

    I stood up and took the sword from his hand. It was just like a normal katana except it was twice as long and the hilt was also longer, allowing for a two-handed use.

    "Never thought someone would order an Odachi for demon ying. I have only made such swords for ceremonial purposes so I was unsure, but I really lucked out on that one," he said with a proud smile on his face.

    "It should be deadly if you can use it correctly"

    Odachi.

    A Japanese equivalent of the ymore. It was a long katana made to be wielded with both hands and was rarely used inbat due to its inefficiency.

    The length of the sword reached past my shoulder. I pulled out the sword from its sheath and admired how the sun reflected on the sharp de.

    "It''s beautiful." I admired.

    I could see in vivid detail how well-crafted the de was. It made me take another look at the smith who was able to create such a marvellous de.

    "What is your name?" I asked. I needed to know his name.

    "Hatori Kanezuka." he answered with a nod.

    "Thank you for making my de." I said with a respectful bow.

    His smile widened and he waved me off, "No no, I was simply doing my job. I should be the one thanking you since your request gave me a new thing to work on instead of crafting the usual swords."

    "Enough pleasantry,e on, take out the sword. You know the reason why us swordsmiths always deliver the nichirin de personally is because we want to see the colour changing so don''t keep me waiting," he said.

    "Right." I replied and withdrew the depletely from its sheath.

    I was able to hold it in one hand with ease and when I did, the sword started changing its colour. It started from the base until the colour spread to the tips.

    A dark purple de.

    "That''s magnificent. Purple swords are rare." he said and then revealed a satisfied grin behind his mask, "Coming all the way here was worth it."

    "About that, how did you find me?" I asked.

    "Well you definitely did not make it easy." he said and gave me the stink eye while I replied with an awkward smile.

    I was always moving so it must''ve been quite a challenge.

    "The bird led me to you." he said and that was when I noticed the absence of Raven on my head. She was not on the trees nearby either.

    "A sparrow?"

    "Shaped like one at least," he replied and I chuckled. Raven was ck and red, unlike any other sparrow.

    She must be busy with her job at the moment. I was supposed to have my first mission after getting my nichirin de.

    "How about you show me how you n to use the sword young man? I was incredulous ever since I got the letter." he said and walked back to give me some space to show him.

    I gave a polite smile and nodded.

    The reason why I specifically asked for an odachi was not only to look like a cool anime character, it also had a real practical use.

    One thing I noticed whenever I found myself in battle was that I was not meant to be a closebat fighter.

    My fighting style relied too heavily on my eyes so I needed my opponents to always be in my field of vision. If they got too close to me, it was harder to see every part of thier bodies.

    I would''ve made for an excellent marksman but since that was not a viable option, I had to look for an alternative to increase my range.

    The solution I came up with was wielding a long sword. That way I could always keep my opponents at a good distance where I could see every part of thier bodies. The long distance would also allow me to anticipate their moves better.

    All in all, it was an advantage for me.

    I wielded the sword in one hand. The weight was almost three times that of a normal nichirin de but since I was stronger than most, it did not affect me much.

    There was also puberty, I nned to capitalize on this phase of my life to get stronger. I would develop my strength to the point that wielding an odachi would feel like wielding a normal de.

    The odachi was not only heavier but longer than a katana. That usually made the wielder slower and sometimes even weaker.

    Not for me though.

    I had perfect movement which allowed me to easily wield the odachi. It reduced all the waste movements that came with using an odachi. I was also able to bnce the weight of the sword perfectly which made the heavy weight nearly irrelevant when swinging.

    My eyes allowed me to perfectly read my opponent and the rhythm of battles. With this, I had impable timing which should make up for myck of speed.

    In short, I had perfect precision and timing to make up for the disadvantage that came with the odachi. And as one warrior once said,

    Precision beats power and timing beats speed.

    "Ready?" I asked but I did not look to see his reply

    I brought my sword up above my head and I swung down at the tree that once provided me shade.

    I took in a gust of air to boost my body and I used all the fibre of my muscles to apply torque on my de. I sliced the tree with deadly precision.

    A small whirlwind erupted from my attack and then the tree neatly slide off its trunk and fell on the ground.

    But that was not all because I also cut two more trees which were behind the one I aimed for. My swing was so perfect that it created a wind de that was able to cut down two more trees.

    The sound of the trees falling on the ground released a deep vibration on the ground.

    "Wow!" Hatori eximed and pped his hands. "I see, you have mastered the Wind Breathing Style. No wonder you would dare wield a longsword."

    "Thank you, I still have much to learn," I said, finding no reason to correct him that I was not a user of Wind Breathing and I did not use any breathing style in my attack for that matter.

    After that, I did other movements and just like I expected, I did not struggle much to wield the sword. Although it would take some to be as familiar as a normal katana.

    Hatori and I chatted for a short while after that. I asked him in detail how made the sword. I also inquired if it would be possible for him to make a bow and nichirin-tipped arrow for me in the future. It was a genuine idea I had for a weapon.

    In return, he asked me if he could look at my normal katana.

    I said yes and handed my katana to him. It was made of normal steel but it was crafted by one of the greatest smiths in Japan.

    "This is truly a work of art. Who was the swordsmith?" he asked while inspecting the sword.

    "Gassan Sadakazu. He was given the title ''Imperial Artist'' which is the highest title the Japanese government can give an artist." I said, "If not for my Kendo master''s request and my victory in the nationals, I would never be able to even hold Gassan''s work. They are in great demand." I said.

    "I''m sure it is. Wow." he said while inspecting the tiniest detail of the katana. It felt like he was able to see just as much as me at the moment.

    "If you want you can hold onto it since I no longer have use for the sword. It will just be a heavy burden in my travels." I said.

    "Well if you say so." he said with shining eyes. He was excited.

    Hatori left soon after that since he also had other deliveries and a ton of work back at home. I was left alone in the forest so I took the time to train with my new sword again.

    I also strapped the sheath on my back since I was not able to the sword on my waist like a normal katana.

    The afternoon sun slowly started falling on the horizon and Raven returned after disappearing the entire day. She immediately perched on top of my head upon her return and she brought news from the Demon yer headquarters.

    My first mission was that I had to travel to Tokyo and investigate the recent disappearance of demons in different Wards of Tokyo.

    I was also told that I was sent to Tokyo because I was knowledgable of the city and its areas. I spent most of my time in Tokyo when I was young since my kendo dojo was located there.

    The Master also said that I could take the chance to visit my home if I wished to. Talk about being a great boss.

    And there was also one more news.

    "Tsuchinoto? Cool."

    I was promoted to the rank of Tsuchinoto. Apparently, they were counting all of the demons I yed after the final selection.

    Raven also reported back to the headquarters so they thought it was only fair that they promoted me to Tsuchinoto since I killed six demons, half of them even had blood demon arts.

    It seemed reaching the rank of Hashria won''t be too hard.

    A smile graced my lips as I got a new interesting idea. How about I beat Muichir''s record of bing a Hasira in the span on two months?

    Well well well, what an interesting challenge. My gen z blood boiled just from thinking about it because this was literally what we grew up with.

    Speedrunning.

    "Watch me speedrun to Hashira!!"

    Sounds like the title of a youtube video, or in this case.

    The title of a Chapter.

    .

    .

    .

    [Image of the sword]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I request stones. I want more people to read my story so help me climb the rankings.

    And I give you more Chapters. Equivalent exchange, like the way the universe intended

    ..

    <i>Support the author and get acess to two weeks worth of advanced Chapters by joining the patreon. </i>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 18: First mission

    <h4>Chapter 18: First mission</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The journey to Tokyo was not long as it was the first time I was travelling with a destination in mind. I travelled through day and night without stopping.

    I also used Steroid Breathing constantly to increase my running speed so in just one day, I was able to cover a distance that would''ve taken other people a week.

    I did not stop to hunt demons nor did I stop to even eat or sleep. I just ran and ran until my body felt like it was on fire.

    It was almost as bad as the time I trained with Rengoku.

    Many would criticize my stupidity. Why was I overexerting myself when I was about to face demons when I reached Tokyo? Was I not just reducing my chance of survival?

    Absolutely true.

    But that was the difference between a speedrunner and the rest. While everyone saw stupidity, I saw the six days I saved.

    ...

    In all seriousness, I knew myself and my body the best. I would never tire myself out to the point where I was vulnerable.

    So when I reached the city of Tokyo, I was out of breath and tired but that was about it.

    "I did it Raven. What did I tell you about not underestimating the insanity of a speedrunner?" I said with a smile as I looked upon the bright streets of Tokyo in the evening.

    It was truly a marvel to see the bright lights, the trains, and the bustling streets in the early 20th century. The buildings were tall and they stood side by side along the busy road.

    It would take a bit more to impress a modern guy like me but I could see how vige boys like Tanjiro would lose thier shit when they see Tokyo.

    I looked at my reflection in one of the windows of the building to see Raven. She still had the eyes of a dead fish in front of such a spectacle, she gave zero fucks about the city.

    I shook my head in defeat and began walking along the roads with the pedestrians. I may have reached Tokyo but I still did not know exactly where I was.I saw a bright light in the distance and just ran towards it.

    The first thing I should do was find out which Ward I was in. Then I would head towards the Ward with the missing people.

    The people of the city were mostly dressed in Japanese traditional clothes but there were also plenty of people either wearing suits or dressed in Western style clothes. Modernity was still associated with Western countries so there were people who wanted to live and behave as Westerners.

    World War 1 did not affect Japan much so there was a sense of prosperity in a big city like Tokyo. There were lots of foreigners in the city as well and business were booming.

    I walked through the crowd and my demon yer clothes along with the huge sword strapped on my back attracted lots of gazes. I just gave a creepy re to the men who stared too much while I winked at thedies.

    What can I say, I was an attractive bloke.

    Just like somedies were appreciating my good looks, I was also appreciating theirs.

    Now a question, what would you do if you had x-ray vision built into your eyes and you met attractive Japanesedies, housewives even.

    I would not reveal what I did as mywyer kindly advised me to, but let''s just say some bazookas were sealed under the modest Yukatas.

    Thier shapes were deformed but they yearned to be set free. But bazookas were not the only weapon of destruction because while somecked bazookas, they had cake.

    Huge cake.

    Jiggling cake that was perfectly cut in the middle, vani vour.

    But could you believe that that was not the end of it?

    Some had long flowing legs.

    Few of them had wide hips and small waist, perfect love handles.

    And one of them had seven hearts and five brains. Wait.

    pause

    ..

    ..

    ..

    My body froze and I became a statue. All bodily functions ceased to work as they stilled for a moment.

    My jolly moodpletely vanished and the rest of the world fade away as my eyes remained stuck on her.

    She was a stunning beauty on the outside but I was unfortunate enough to be able to see through the ugliness inside of her.

    No, it''s not ''her''.

    Him.

    His outer flesh was a mere disguise he put on. Underneath thaty the most cursed being in this world.

    The source of all my hatred.

    My breath hitched as I struggled to even breathe in his presence. There was something big, that was swelling endlessly in my chest.

    Rage and bitter hate.

    They nearly took over my body and chopped off the head of that stain on the Earth. It took everything in my power to stop.

    Doing nothing had never been so hard.

    I stood still as he walked towards me and right past me.

    "I will kill you." the sentence managed to slip out of my lips although I was unaware of it.

    It was only when she turned around to re me in the eye did I realised I had blurted the sentence out. He knew that I was a Demon yer from my outfit and he knew what I meant with that word.

    He realized I knew what he was.

    Then a great pressure decided upon my shoulder. Killing intent so thick I could taste blood in my mouth assaulted my senses. My body shook.

    It was the same feeling I got that night.

    He was so much stronger than me it hurts to even exist in front of him. My eyes saw how his nails extended into a w and he swiped at me.

    My body moved to dodge the attack and it was sessful. It was the fastest movement I had ever witnessed even though it was a causal swing of his hands.

    But I could read him.

    He seemed to be caught off guard by my action as his feminine features morphed into something sinister. Yet we were in the middle of the street so he decided to leave me alone for now.

    He walked away.

    I remained in my ce, my heart was a beating mess of fear and anger, panic and hatred. My body was covered in sweat at the encounter.

    Fuck.

    Fuck.

    Fuck.

    I grabbed the skin of my chest and continue walking again. It was a short yet valuable encounter for me. It opened my eyes to how strong I still needed to get.

    I finally fell down and vomited on the ground. My heart pounded in my chest and my vision got blurry.

    What was happening?

    It was an anxiety attack, but why? Was it because meeting him reminded me of that night?

    Even so, why was I on the ground and writhing like a worm? I though I had grown past this, I thought I had be stronger.

    No, no, no.

    The images started appearing in my mind. I closed my eyes to stop but I couldn''t stop seeing them.

    I will kill him.

    I will kill him.

    I swear. I swear.

    <strong>Muzan Kibutsuji.</strong>

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Double Chapter because you guys are so nice in giving me stones.

 Chapter 19: Let’s talk

    <h4>Chapter 19: Let''s talk</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Holy fucking shit.

    If I got a penny for every time a demon came into my life and made me want to roll over and die, I would have two.

    It''s not much but fucking hell why''d it happen twice?

    What were the chances that in my very first mission as a demon yer, I would encounter the literal demon king? The chances were so slim that it was a clear indication of my remarkable fate in this world.

    For real this was the type of shit experienced only by the main characters.

    ..or the side character who would soon die to show just how scary and brutal the main viin was. Hopefully, I was neither and I haven''t realized the third option yet.

    The Asakusa Ward of Tokyo was the ce I found myself in. It was also the ce where the demon king was hiding in in sight, blending in with the thousands upon thousands of humans living here.

    I''d assumed it must be quite easy to do so since he could shapeshift onmand. Heck, he was in his women form when I met him but I was sure he would''ve changed that form by now.

    I quickly went to the direction opposite to where Muzan went and I also prepared myself to leave the city. Honestly, fuck the mission. The culprit behind the missing people was obviously Walmart Michael Jackson here and I was like, five years and ten more training arcs away from being at his level.

    So I decided to leave the city as soon as possible, which was about the easiest decision I made in my life.

    I put a hand on my heart and felt my heartbeat calming down. It was embarrassing to say but his simple presence reminded me of the most traumatizing event that happened in my life.

    Ipletely lost my cool because of that, which was totally not cool. I knew I had serious unresolved issues from both lives but I did not like confronting them.

    Instead, I found a loophole of ignoring all of those problems or traumas and I learned that if ignored them long enough, most wounds heal with time.

    This one would too.

    When I am the strongest Demon yer and when I drive the demons to extinction, all of these traumas will be solved.

    Like I said, I just need time.

    Time will heal me.

    ...

    ...

    "Watch where you are going idiot!!" I saw a man on the train scream at me as I barely crossed the rail.

    I wanted to scream back that I couldn''t help it, I was running for my literally life right now, but I chose to keep my mouth shut and continue to leave the city.

    ///////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    Muzan Kibutsuji walked into an alley and quickly changed his form into that of a man. He put a hand on his face while grinding his teeth in anger.

    He was found out.

    He thought he had hidden perfectly but that boy was able to tell instantly that he was a demon.

    How the boy did it, he did not know. But he knew he needed to remove him before he revealed the information.

    He snapped his finger and immediately, two of hs loyal servants appeared kneeling beside him.

    They were high-ranking demons he kept around them to run errands whether that be killing people or bringing him humans.

    They were not as strong as the twelve demon moons but together, they had the potential to be one.

    "There is a demon yer in the city, purple hair and eyes. He is a lower-ranking demon yer so quickly dispatch him and bring me his head." he said and immediately, two demon disappeared toplete thier mission.

    It was not often that thier lord gave them important missions like this so the two demons, Susamaru and Yahaba, ran on top of the building to look for thier prey.

    it did not take them long to find thier target, in fact, Yahaba did not even have to use his eyes to track thier prey.

    "Watch where you are going idiot!!" they heard a scream and when they looked towards it, they saw their target, a demon yer with purple hair.

    He was running out of the city, he was trying to escape them.

    Not a chance!

    "Hey Yahaba, do you think we will be able to be Twelve kKzuki after this?" Sasamaru asked in a giddy tone.

    She was too obsessed with being one of the Twelve Kizuki that she was ready to do anything. She even went as far as calling herself one due to her obsession.

    "Maybe, but I know the Lord will reward us with his blood if weplete this mission." said Yahaba.

    They both had smiles on thier faces as they followed the demon yer outside of the city. They nned on attacking him then.

    And so they walked to thier deaths.

    ///////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I was being followed.

    Which was a lot creepier than it sounds.

    Especially when it was a bird on top of your head who told you that you were being followed.

    At first, I thought it was Muzan but then she told me that they were two demons, a girl and a boy. Relief instantly washed over me as I realized it was not the demon lord.

    Instead ofing after me himself, he had sent two of his underlings to deal with me. And from the description, I think I know exactly who they were.

    Susamaru and Yahaba.

    They were one of the earliest demons Tanjiro encountered in the series. If I remember correctly, they were one of the lower moons.

    But I was not too worried since they were pretty weak, being killed by Tanjiro before he even acquired Sun Breathing.

    If I had to rate my current straight, I would put myself in the same rank as a weak Hashira. I was at the level of strength where I was not really afraid of the lower moons.

    So when I finally reached far enough from the city, I stopped in my tracks.

    I slowly pulled out the sword on my back and then I turned around to gaze at the two demons who were following me.

    "Weak."

    The word left my mouth unintentionally.

    Just from looking at them, I could tell that they were nowhere near the level of a lower moon. Maybe they were even weaker than when Tanjiro met them.

    But it was not a bad thing.

    At least with them here, I could have an excuse for iming that the mission given to me was indeed aplished.

    They remained on top of a tree, their face were in the shape of confusion. They wondered how I could see them in the darkness and whether I really noticed them or I was just bluffing.

    Nevertheless, after a minute, a temari ball shot towards me and I smiled.

    It was a good time to vent out all of the shitty emotions I just went through. Who knows, this could be like therapy.

    "Let''s talk."

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Auhtor : Fighting is like talking to him, for those who got confused in thest sentence.

    Stone me, I can take it.

    ...

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 Chapter 20: First mission accomplished

    <h4>Chapter 20: First mission aplished</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Let''s talk."

    I started the conversation.

    I vent my frustration, anger and hatred with my first words. It was a violent, direct and bold way to start a sentence.

    My body sliced through the air that was resisting my speed and then I swung my sword horizontally. The sharp sound of metal slicing wood rang out in the quietness of the night before a hurricane roared.

    Seven trees were cut down in an instant, including the tree where the demons were on.

    My eyes glowed purple in the darkness as I carefully observed thier reply to my daring action. The demon boy, Yahaba, was calm and collected. He activated his demon art and a red arrow carried him away as the tree copsed.

    On the other hand, the demon girl, Susamaru, was easy to anger. Her eyebrows knitted with rage and she conjured a temari ball in her hand. She threw the ball at me while she was falling.

    She was the type to disregard her own safety if it meant she could hurt her enemies. It was a very typical trait for demons who had great regenerative abilities so it did not surprise me.

    The temari ball shot at me with the speed of a bullet - which sounds scary, I know - but I dodged the ball with an effortless tilt of my head.

    There was no difference between the speed of a bullet and a crawling baby in front of my eyes.

    I allowed the demons tond on the ground while I took that time to examine them more closely. In that short instance, I was able to discern thier blood demon art.

    It might have taken longer if I did not know thier abilities before, but since I watched ''Demon yer'' in my past life, it was simply a confirmation more than a real analysis.

    Susamaru, the demon girl can conjure many Temari balls which she could then throw and kick towards her enemy at the speed of a bullet. Her balls were capable of prating cement walls.

    Yahaba, the demon boy has eyes on the n of his hands. These eyes are extremely sharp and capable of tracking even footprints. His blood demon arts allows him to conjure invisible red arrows which interfere with the vector of matters - the object affected by the arrow is pulled to the direction of the arrows.

    "I''ll have your head for that!!" Susamaru said with an angry face. But I noticed that, although she was short-tempered, she was doing it a little too much.

    "I will rip out your heart and feast on it." She said with a creepy grin and veins popping out of her forehead. She was trying a little too much.

    ''A distraction then.'' I thought to myself and gave a side eye to Yahaba who was sneaking away before he hid behind a tree.

    They must''ve done this a lot because they were experts in it, too bad I caught on quickly. But then again, I could see through trees so there was no hiding from my sight.

    If I remember correctly, Susamaru and Yahabe worked extremely well together. Yahaba would control the Temari balls of Susamarua to create projectiles akin to a honing missile. Thebination of thier two blood demon arts made them quite a tricky adversary.

    Yahaba was the weaker physically and acted as a support of Susamaru. That was why he his immediately.

    Susamaru conjured temari balls out of thin air with a huge, nasty smile on her face. She pulled her arms back and they blurred as the balls shot at me.

    But this time it was different.

    The balls had invisible arrows guiding them. It was the blood demon art of Yahaba and with it, the balls swerved and moved with impossible angles.

    <strong><i>*Boom!*</i></strong>

    The sound barrier was broken.

    It seemed the arrows increased the power behind them as well. How neat.

    Luckily, the invisible arrows were not invisible to my eyes. Instead, they act as an obvious indicator of where the balls are going to hit. Prediction had never been easier.

    <i>"me Breathing : Third Form." </i>

    <strong>"zing Universe."</strong>

    Inferno wrapped around my de and I felt my body heat up to an unnatural degree. My breath turned into mes and I leapt into the air.

    The temari balls followed me but with a twirl of my de, they were sliced in half. The temari balls were part of the demon so they disintegrated upon making contact with my de.

    Then I crashed beside the enemy with wide eyes. Susamaru was clearly surprised that I was not caught off guard by the honing attack like most people.

    My de created a burst of hot air that sent a shockwave through the surroundings. Everything was lit up in golden fury as my de bit into her body.

    I cut diagonally across her chest.

    Her body could not even put up resistance to my de, it was like carving a cake.

    "AHHHHHH!!!!" the demon girl released a shriek that would surely burst my eardrum if I was not already deaf.

    I smiled and jumped back as twelve invisible red arrows came at me with brilliant speed. They were quick and although they had no piercing power, they could drag me around like a ragdoll if they catch me.

    So I twirled my long sword to create a protective barrier. The mes took the form of a flower and I deflected every iing arrows with ease.

    <i>"me Breathing : Fourth Form."</i>

    <strong>"Blooming me Undtion"</strong>

    me breathing was known to be an aggressive fighting style that required explosive strength and inhumane stamina to burn forever. But the Forth Form was created solely for defensive purposes.

    I flicked my sword to clean the blood off and I watched as Susamaru healed herself. I observed her body closely as her body healed and not just that, she grew four more arms from the side of her torso.

    "I will burst your head for that!!" she screamed at me. I brought up my sword and a smile tugged my lips.

    The enemy spoke.

    Six Temari balls with an inbuilt aim bot in the form of arrows rushed at me at the speed of sound. It was surely a sight to behold, anyone else might''ve shat their pants.

    Thier action was desperate and angry. They took me as a weak opponent at first but now they realized they were the ones who should be scared.

    They were giving everything they had. I could tell at a nce that they were inexperienced, it was probably not long ago that they turned into demons. They had solid teamwork and they found a genius way to work together but that was it.

    They didn''t really know how to fight. Nor the dangers that came along with it.

    I''d assume that all of the opponents they faced till now were too busy dealing with theirbines attacks so they were never confronted head on.

    Multiple battles such as that had given them false confidence.

    My arm and sword became one and they blurred into multiple afterimages. I focused on my breath to maintain deep concentration and maximum reflex.

    My eyes and my mind were quick, it was just my body that had to catch up.

    Six deadly balls bounced and swerved in a way that defied physics. Yet their objective was the same - put a hole in me.

    But under the shocked gazes of the enemy, I deflected the iing projectiles with ease. My armpletely disappeared with rapid movements as I blocked every attacking at me.

    I also used the shiny, reflective side of my sword to look behind me, so I was able to block all attacks that came from every angle.

    I liked the expression on thier faces while looking at the scene I was painting.

    Despair.

    Because no matter how angry they were, no matter how frustrated they were, and no matter how much they desired strength.

    I was always angrier, I was always more frustrated and my thirst for power was far greater.

    I just learned how to control them. I mould them into a de that cuts down demons unfortunate enough to encounter me.

    "I am Malenia, de of Mique and I have never known defeat." I said with an amused smile on my face while I slowly walked towards Susamaru.

    The sound of a de moving at incredible speed in the air and the nging sound of temari balls getting deflected rang through the surroundings. Sparks surrounded me.

    "Wh-What are you doing!!" she screamed.

    "Can''t you see? I''m entertaining myself because truthfully, your strength is.." my legs propelled me forward faster than sound.

    "..boring."

    In an instant, I was behind her and the deed was already done by then.

    Susamaru''s head slide off her neck and I crushed her head with the soles of my shoe. Her body disintegrated after a few seconds.

    I disappeared again right after, my movement was untrackable by the naked eye. Years of training and perfect movement allowed me to achieve feats of incredible speed.

    "You have good eyes." I said from behind Yahaba. He was sitting on top of a tree, trying to hide from me.

    Yahaba lept off the tree and put his hands forward. His palms had eyes and they blinked. Then multiple arrows shoot towards me.

    "Let''s see who has better eyes." I said and easily cut through the invisible arrows. He was telling me everything, his strategies, his fears, and even things he had not realize yet.

    "I spy with my little eyes, something red." I said, lunging towards my left and swinging my sword.

    I was just in time to catch Yahaba who - with the help of his arrows - was trying to fly away from me. He was trying to escape to the city because he knew I wouldn''t return.

    But s he could not escape me.

    His body was bisected at his waist. While his lower body continued flying towards the city, his upper body fell to the forest floor.

    Blood splurted out, painting his vision red.

    He started regenerating his legs and while he was trying to push himself back up, I cleanly cut off his head whilending.

    He died like an animal in a sacrificial ritual.

    ..

    ..

    "Well that was therapeutic. Don''t you agree Raven?" I asked her while she flew towards me and perched on top of my head.

    "That is mission aplished," I said with a smile, watching Yahaba disintegrate to ash.

    "Now let''s get the fuck away from Tokyo and continue our speedrunning elsewhere." I said and I continued my journey.

    I had aplished my first mission.

    But there was no rest for a speedrunner.

    In less than two months, I had to be a Hashira.

    And I won''t ept anything less.

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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 Chapter 21: A familiar face

    <h4>Chapter 21: A familiar face</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    It has been more than three weeks - nearly a month - since Ipleted my final selection.

    And it has been a week since my first mission where I encountered a demon none other than Michael fucking Jackson.

    Speaking of which, he wasn''t in his Michael Jackson form when I met him, was he? Thinking about it, I felt scammed and robbed.

    Why did I have to encounter zesty Demon King instead of Michael Jackson? My disappointment was immeasurable.

    On a positive note, it would seem that I was no side character who would die a dog''s death just to show how cruel and bad the main viin was. It''s been a week and I was still alive and sending demons to hell.

    Do you guys remember those two dudes who died after knocking Muzan''s shoulder and the woman whom he tortured by injecting his blood into her until her cells melted? Yeah, I was d not to be one of them.

    Anyway, the missions I got afterwards all went extremely well. In fact, I hadpleted a total of 9 missions in the span of a week. Let that sink in, nine missions werepleted in a single week.

    For reference, Tanjiro took days toplete one mission. On the other hand, Ipleted more than one mission every single day.

    Truly, it was a feat worthy of a speedrunner.

    However, the main reason I was able toplete missions so quickly was my eyes. Of course they were, they were my special cheat.

    Now imagine this, you are a demon yer and you have a mission that said to investigate a vige which had missing people recently. Now you go to this vige and strangely enough, you find nothing wrong with it.

    Them you have to stay there and investigate for days upon days until the demon act up again. Only then could you y the demon and save the vige.

    I need not go through such things. I went to the vige and with the help of my eyes, I could see the marks of demons and thier blood demon arts. You usually find blood demon art in such viges as it is only demons with that kind of technique that would stay and terrorize a vige.

    So I was easily able to find these demons and what was going on in the vige. I did not need days to investigate.

    And even if the demon left no mark or used blood demon art, they usually have tunnels underground or a hideout. I was able to find such ces with my eyes.

    Then I would y the demons which proved to be quite easy since I was already above lower moon level - I think. No demons have posed a serious threat to me.

    The only thing that took time was the travelling part and getting new missions. Speaking of which, I had a new Kasugai crow.

    Raven had proved to be too valuable as apanion to constantly act as a messenger. She sat on top of my head and she became another pair of eyes I had at the back of my head.

    That and also because I was getting missions too rapidly. Raven could not be bothered to go back and forth like that so I got a new crow.

    An actual crow this time.

    In the end, Raven became a service animal for me - which was funny and fitting since I was deaf.

    "A new mission!! A new mission has arrived!!" The Kasugai crow said while circling above me. I think the higher-ups have realized my true strength and my desire to climb the ranks because missions have beening at me nonstop.

    You would think at one point they would decide to give me a break but nope, they came endlessly. Which honestly put a smile on my face.

    They said do something you love and you will never work a day in your life, it was true. I was doing just that so there was no mental exhaustion for me.

    "Where to?" I asked the crow above.

    "You need to y the demon living in Mount Tarumae! The demon has been hunting humans who walked through the mountain but he is very adept in hiding so this will require some tracking." the crow said.

    "Complete the mission as quickly as possible and I will return. Kaw!!" the crow flew away.

    Well.

    Shit.

    It''s a mission that requires tracking down a demon. I hated these kinds of missions since it took a little longer than going to a vige and killing the demon living there.

    I was adept at tracking as well with the help of my eyes and the experience I had in Mount Fujikasane, but it still took longer time than I would''ve liked. But the Demon yer Corp seemed to realize how well I performed in these kinds of missionsd to others so they have been giving me simr missions these days.

    Whatever, I will make do with it.

    How many demons would this make? Counting Yahaba and Susamaru, it will be my 15th demon.

    35 demons more to go before I be Hashira. Oh, I can see it happening in less than a month. How exciting.

    "Raven, do you know the way?" I asked and I received one short tap, two long taps and the final three short taps on my head.

    Yes, indeed she knows the way to Mount Tarumae.

    "Lead the way." I said and disappeared under the bright sun of midday. I aimed to reach there by night and quickly y the demon.

    If it haunts humans going through the mountain, it should attack me as well. Or at least get close enough for me to chase after him.

    Lets go!!!

    ..

    ..

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POv]

    (Mount Tarumae)

    "Oi!!" I called out.

    "Not to bother you but that is my demon you are killing!!" I said, my usually in voice was displeased this time.

    Did I really travel all the way here just for someone else to steal my kill? I thought I wouldn''t experience such things aftering to this world since League of Legends has not even been created yet.

    But here he was, an old man who was so short you would mistake him for a child. He had a prosthetic leg made of wood in his right leg. The prosthetic was a little longer than it should be, which hints that the old man wanted to look taller than he actually was.

    He had white hair and he was balding but I would agree that he had a gorgeous moustache.

    All in all, I wouldn''t say he was ugly, but he was definitely funny-looking.

    "Ahh! A Demon yer." the old man said and took a huge breath that released streaks of yellow lightning.

    "Would you mind giving me a hand? I have a hard time reaching his neck." He asked me while holding out a small Nichrin de, it was a Wakizahi.

    In front of him was a demon - who was likely my target considering where I was. The demon was a tall demon with a thin frame as if he had not eaten in years. His bones protrude out of his sickly body in a horrific way.

    Like every other demon, he was ugly.

    But what really caught my attention instead was the old man. I think I know him.

    I racked my brain while the old man and the demon engaged in another fight. The old man was winning but he was too short to reach the neck of the demon which was pretty funny. He only had one leg which kind of prevented him from leaping and there were no trees around to use as a foothold.

    When the old man took a deep breath and lighting came alive around him, the memory finally popped into my mind.

    Right, it was him.

    The Master of Zenitsu - what was his name again?

    Jigoro Kuwajima.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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 Chapter 22: New sensei

    <h4>Chapter 22: New sensei</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Jigoro Kuwajima.

    I totally read that off his haori because there was no way I could''ve remembered the name of such a vague side character for that long.

    "Young man!" Jigoro called out while dodging the attacks of the demon who had somehow turned his arms into long des.

    Was that his blood demon art? Turning parts of his body into des?

    I observed the demon''s biology carefully and concluded that he was not a threat. He could turn his body into steel des which required his blood gathering in parts he wanted des - so he should not be able to turn any part of his body into a de much less simultaneously.

    But the thing that put him into the harmless category was his simplicity.

    You don''t want to be simple when facing me.

    I took out my sword from my back and with a crack of my neck, I blitzed towards the demon. The enemy immediately took a step back as his instinct screamed at him.

    He pulled up his arms which were des and shielded himself. But I had seen such a replying from miles away.

    I cut at the exact spot in his arm where steel connected flesh. My de cleaved through his arm and then his neck. The enemy had no time to react.

    My action was resolute and it said...

    <strong>Disappear. </strong>

    And so the demon''s head hit the ground along with both his arms-turned-des. By the time I sheathed my sword, his body had disintegrated to disappear from the face of the earth.

    One less demon in the world was a step towards a perfect world.

    Fuck them.

    "Ohhh.. you are quite the swordsman young man!!" Jigoro said, "I totally misjudged you, hahahaha."

    "The same goes for you, old man. You might be tiny but you sure can fight." Imented inly which made the small jab I made more effective. He visibly reeled back.

    He might be small but the old man could really fight. Even if I had not intervened, he would''ve yed the demon one way or another. I would expect nothing less from the former Thunder Hashira.

    "Tiny? I will have you know I used to be average height when I was young!! It''s just that old age has shrunk me." he said in defiance.

    My eyes see through all lies. Not only that, I could construct how his body would look like in its prime by observing its current state. He was at most two inches taller when he was young.

    "Right."

    "Why do I get the feeling you don''t believe me?" he said.

    "I do sir."

    "Really?"

    "Of course."

    "You do then, hahahaha!!" he said with augh and twirled his long moustache.

    "What''s your name kid?" he asked me while he strapped his short sword back to his belt.

    "Seiji Shigan." I said.

    "Seiji Shigan, what exactly does it mean? Seer of Turth? Ruler of Will?" Jigoro analysed the meaning behind my name but there was no exact meaning. My name could mean many things in kanji.

    "I''m not sure what my parents intended as they died before I can ask them what my name means." I said.

    " A demon killed them?" he guessed.

    "Yes, how did you know?"

    "Bah! Whose families aren''t killed by demons? You see, it requires a unique kind of hate - that can onlye from having lost loved ones - to be a Demon yer." he said with a nod.

    "I see."

    "Enough about that, What I want to know is which one of us old goats managed to create a monster like you?" he said and rubbed his chin. He analysed me up and down.

    "I''d say you are already at the strength of a Hashira, how old are you?"

    "14. Well, 13 years 11 months to be exact."

    "God damn those poor demons, hahahaha!! I am certain you will be their greatest nightmare ten years from now," he said, amused.

    "So do tell, who trained you."

    "No one." I said, "I used to train kendo under Master Naito Takaharu in Tokyo but that was it. I never had someone to train me in the ways of a demon yer."

    "..."

    "..."

    "You are not messing with me, young man?"

    "Positive."

    "Well that puts you in apletely different league again." he said thoughtfully, "And also disprove my spection that you are as strong as a Hashira. Without a breathing style, you will never cross that threshold."

    I wisely decided not to mention how I learned and copied me Breathing sessfully in the span of a week.

    After a long silence, the old man suddenly revealed a wide smile on his face. My eyes also detect greed under his harmless smile.

    He wanted to have me all for himself, like a jewellery smith who finds a diamond in the mud, ready to be polished.

    "Tell you what kid, my name is Jigoro Kuwajima. A former Hashira, also known as the Lightning Pir or the Roaring Hashira," he said with no small amount of pride in his tone.

    "And if you want, I will be more than happy to be your trainer and pass down the secret art of Thunder Breathing to you." he said and grinned at me.

    "So, what do you say?" he asked.

    "I would love to." I replied.

    It was a no-brainer. In my opinion, Thunder Breathing was one of the strongest breathing styles even in the context of the five original breathing styles.

    Not only that, I had already mastered me Breathing so Thunder Breathing seemed like the next step since, you know, fire and lightning always have simr affinities in fiction - like in the Avatar.

    It will also add more weapons to my arsenal. It meant I would have more varied ways to kill a demon.

    The thought of killing a demon so quickly that it had no time to pray and ask for forgiveness put a smile on his face. Without such a chance, it will make sure they go straight to hell.

    "But." I said. "I won''t be able to do it now."

    "Huh? And why not?" he asked.

    I stayed silent for a while before I decided to tell him about my n and my goal of bing a Hashira in less than two months.

    At first, he thought it was ridiculous but when he realized I was serious, he had a change in mind. He said it was always good for someone to challenge themselves and he respected my goal.

    "So..can Ie back to you in a month or so?" I asked.

    "There will be no need of such a thing." he said, "I am actually quite free myself and have no student under me at the moment."

    "So I can follow you in your missions. You are already physically more than capable so I will only need to teach you Thunder Breathing. If you spare me three or so hours everyday, it will be enough." he said.

    I remained silent and took a look at him again, this time in a new light.

    He was a nice old man.

    The reason why he wanted to follow me was not because he was desperate to teach me. In fact, it made no sense why he should trouble himself and follow me around just because he could get a few hours of teaching every day with me when I said I will seek him out for training in a month.

    The real reason was that he wanted to make sure I lived. The goal I had was a reckless one even though Jigoro decided to respect it.

    To go on multiple missions consecutively without allowing myself time to rest or grow just for the sake of reaching a higher rank quickly was not a very wise choice without knowing the whole context. It screamed of the reckless, burning passion of youth.

    And Jigoro wanted to make sure I lived by apanying me. He could help me in fights or advise me aginst my actions if he realized that I was putting myself in too much danger.

    In the end, he wanted the new generation to be safe, especially someone with talents like mine.

    "Are you sure gramps? Can you even keep up with me?" I said and nced at his prosthetic leg.

    "Nonsense, I was the fastest Hashira and would leave you to dust even today." he waved his hand.

    "Well then." I said and bowed, "Thank you, I will be in your care."

    "Same to you." Jigoro said with a smile.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    Something feels wrong.

    Bowing was a sign of respect because you basically put your head lower than the person you are bowing to. It was a sign of humility.

    But Jigoro was too short that my head was still higher than his even when I bowed.

    So Iy face down on the ground.

    "Stop insulting me brat!!"

    .

    .

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    Author : Give me stones and I give you extra Chapter today.

 Chapter 23: Thunder Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 23: Thunder Breathing</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Thunder Breathing was fast.

    Fighting was like a conversation, where me and my opponent exchanged words in thenguage of the body.

    With my eyes, I was able to perceive and most of the time, predict the movement/words of my opponents.

    Movement has patterns, actions tell the past and the future.

    But all of these went down the drain when I went against a Thunder Breather for the first time. I was caughtpletely off guard due to the sheer speed at which Jigoro moved.

    It was like arguing with a rapper.

    I could see his future, I could predict him and I know how to reply as well but my body was too slow to react. In the end, I find myself dead every single time.

    "You....saw me." Jigoro said from behind me but I did not know because my eyes were fixated on the residual lighting which was the aftermath of his attack.

    Eventually, I turned towards him with wide eyes and an open mouth.

    "That was way too fast." I said. If he was still that fast now, I could only imagine how much faster he would be in his prime.

    It was a humbling experience, to know that there were people other than Muzan who could pose such a great threat to me. I was sure that if he attacked me from behind, my head would roll off with ease

    I would have no time to react.

    "Stop acting surprised like I was the one who just did an impossible feat!!" Jigoro yelled and point his finger at me.

    I tilted my head.

    "You, you, your eyes followed me! How is that even possible!!" he said, "That was the first form of Thunder Breathing and it was supposed to be the fastest form."

    "I don''t understand. If you know that my eyes followed you, it means that you can also see me while moving at such speed right?" I asked.

    "No! Everything was over in an instant for me. But I have fought for more than four decades and I have performed the first form of Thunder Breathing thousands of times. The one I executed just now was different, I could feel your eyes on my body. It was a feeling I had never experienced before." he said with sweat falling off his face.

    "Yeah, well." I scratched my cheek, "I told you I have very special eyes."

    "No, you said you have special eyes which allowed you to read people''s lips even though you are deaf. You never told me anything about being able to see someone move at the speed of sound!!" he said.

    "This changes a lot of things, no, this changes everything!! hahahahaha!!" he said and startedughing.

    Should I be concerned that he was this happy in our first training session?

    "Kid, I will turn you into the strongest Thunder Breath user in the history of demon ying. Hahahahahaha!!"

    And so my training began after Jigoro demonstrated Thunder Breathing to me.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    (Two weekster)

    Perfect movement. It was the ability I gained after many years of constant training. It allows me to move my body perfectly, engaging only the necessary muscle group in my movement to conserve energy. Couples with motor skills so incredible that each move I made was with extreme precision.

    This skill allows me to change my movement midway like someone changing the meaning of a sentence even after already saying the first words of the sentence.

    Even though I had no superhuman stregth like Gyomei or Mitsuri, I was able to aplish feats of stregth equal to them by having perfect control of my body and the force it generated.

    But Thunder Breathing was kind of opposite to that.

    ''You have to use every fibre of muscle in your leg to explode out in an instant. Utilize all your strength in one moment.'' that was the concept Jigoro gave me.

    To bepletely honest, that was a stupid way to fight. It was also the major downside of Thunder Breathing.

    I could not stress enough how much injury that could cause. Even if you were not injured, your body would fatigue extremely quickly and you will find yourself unable to fight for long.

    In a battle of attrition, Thunder Breathing was the worst while Water Breathing was the best. That''s what Jigoro told me.

    Honestly, the more I learned about Water Breathing, the more I wondered if I should''ve started out with Water Breathing. It seemed to match my style perfeclty.

    Instead, I seem to start from Breathing Stylespletely opposite to my nature. Fire Breathing and Thunder Breathing.

    It was fine though. They were both powerful breathing styles and my goal was to learn all of the five major breathing styles anyway so we will get to Water Breathing soon.

    I would learn all of the five major breathing styles and finally create my own, taking the best out of every style and creating the ultimate Breathing Technique. That was the end goal.

    And I will ruin Muzan Kibutsuji''s whole career with said style.

    Anyways, we are straying from the topic.

    Thunder Breathing, although a direct contrast to my style of fighting proved to be not so difficult to learn. It took me two times longer than learning me Breathing but in the end, I think I was able to at least get the hang of all six forms.

    Learning the unique pattern of Thunder Breathing was not difficult with my eyes. I basically did the same thing I did with Rengoku, I copied the breathing patterns of Master Jigoro.

    The only thing I struggled with was the concept of Thunder Breathing itself which contradicted my style of fighting.

    "Get ready." Jigoro said and I nodded.

    I crouched down and lowered my centre of gravity as much as I could. I folded the muscles on my legs and tensed them, ready to explode out like a spring.

    My head was tucked under to avoid air resistance as I took a deep breath. Blue lighting came alive around me and the air vibrated from the strength coursing through my legs.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form."</i>

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh."</strong>

    It took me quite some time but I finally understood the concept.

    Thunder Breathing itself was based on the principle of ''Impulse''. The first form of Thunder Breathing was the best example of it.

    Impulse refers to the impact force exerted upon a surface in a specific amount of time. The lower the amount of time needed to deliver the force, the higher is the impact.

    Now imagine you push someone with 100 newtons of force slowly over arge period of time, they will probably not feel much. But if you push them with the same force within a millisecond, they will fall and you will likely break thier ribs.

    In the same manner, with Thunder Breathing, you apply all of the force your leg can generate on the ground in a short amount of time. This allows you to explode out at incredible speed over a short distance.

    The keyword being a short distance, around ten meters. If you want to go further, you will have to execute the technique more than once which Zenitsu did in the series.

    Anyway, I pushed myself off the ground with all of the strength my leg could produce in the span of one fickle moment. I engaged every fibre of my muscles and perfect movement allowed me to aplish such feat.

    Then I blitz towards the stick Jigoro held on top of his head. The sound of my leg pushing me off the ground rumbled like thunder. In an instant, I cut the stick in half and appeared right behind him.

    I released steam for breath while I slowly sheathed the sword on the side of my waist.

    "Incredible," Jigoro whispers in awe.

    The first form of Thudner Breathing was the most important form. It encapstes the very principle of Thunder Breathing so if you master the first form, you master the rest of the forms.

    The power behind the rest of the forms also depend on how well you mastered the first form.

    "I am happy to hear that." I said with a twitching face because my legs felt like buckling and falling on the ground. They were fatigued beyond belief.

    And it was not just because of one attack either, I have been in constant training for over two weeks.

    "You mastered it." Jigoro said while looking at the bisected stick in his hand. Then he turned to look at me.

    "You mastered Thunder Breathing in two weeks. That is an incredible feat which I don''t think I will ever see again in my life," he said but ultimately, a smile crept up to his face.

    "I am d to have witnessed it." He said and looked at the rising sun in the distance.

    "I think if anyone is going to end this war and kill the Demon King, it will be you Seiji." he said.

    "I am truly d to have been a part of it." he said as tears pooled in his eyes.

    I gave him a bow.

    "Thank you for all your teachings, master." I said with sincerity. I could not hear my own voice but I hoped my voice reflected my feeling.

    "I have nothing more to teach you. From here on out, it is entirely up to you on how you will advance your skills." he said.

    ...

    ///////////

    "Goodbye young man, I guess this is where we part." Jigoro said with his back facing me as he walked away.

    The sun was slowly climbing towards the peak of the sky. He waved his hand as goodbye.

    "Thank you for all you have done for me!! I hope we meet again gramps!!" I yelled out which was very out of character but I had to because he was walking further and further away from me.

    "Hahahaha, no. Thank you Seiji!!" he said and turned to face me again.

    The smile on his face matched the brightness of the sun above him. I could not point it out but his smile was so much more brighter than when we first met.

    "Thank you for giving this old man hope again!!" he said and startedughing.

    I got lost in thought.

    ..

    I see. So that''s what it was.

    His smile had hope in them now.

    He never truly believed that the war between demons and humans would end soon but after seeing my talents and training me for two weeks, that outlook has changed.

    Now he had genuine hope that it would be over soon. He believed that I would be the one to finally put an end to the demons.

    I inspired such hope in him.

    I felt my breath hitched while looking at his disappearing figure.

    Hope was such a powerful thing. It was hope that made me persist through the difficult times in my life. When I lost all of my family, my hearing and when I was in apletely different world, hope was the only thing that drove me towards tomorrow.

    Hope that things will be better. Hope that i will find a family or love again.

    I hoped I would be happy again tomorrow, just as I was yesterday.

    That''s why everyone keeps fighting every day, isn''t it?

    Hope.

    I will create a better future for this world with my de.

    <strong>I swear. </strong>

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

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 Chapter 24: Shinobu Kocho

    <h4>Chapter 24: Shinobu Kocho</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Total concentration breathing or constant breathing.

    It was when the user of a breathing style constantly used thier technique to enhance thier body at every moment. Be it night when they are sleeping, or day when they are eating.

    They practised a constant purposeful breathing pattern which allowed them to stay superhuman. They heal better and they be stronger as well.

    There were few even amongst the demon yer who could use this advanced technique. It required a powerful set of lungs which could only be achieved through hard training.

    I remember even Tanjiro, the main character, struggling with it in the beginning.

    But believe it or not, I never had trouble with constant breathing. In fact, I have been doing that since the beginning with my iplete breathing.

    This was mainly because even though I never learned a breathing style, I trained my lungs from a young age since I knew how important they would beter on.

    Most of the time, I used my own breathing style ''Steroid Breathing'' as it enhanced all aspects of my body. Although it may not have forms, ''Steroid Breathing'' was the best when it came to constant breathing.

    But in the case of speed and travelling, the ''Thunder Breathing Constant'' proved to be superior. My senses and aspects other than speed were not improved but it made up for it with the sheer increase in speed.

    So with the help of thunder breathing, travelling proved to be much quicker and easier. That meant I waspleting my missions even faster than before.

    While I trained for two weeks with Master Jigoro, I did not ck on my mission either and often used the demons as a dummy practice.

    This was why, right now - after nine days had passed since Jigoro left - I was already on myst mission to be a Hashira.

    "I have killed a total of 49 demons." I said with a smile, "Afterpleting this mission, I will finally be promoted to the rank of Hashira."

    "In total, it has been 47 days since I passed the final selection, which is roughly a month and a half. With that, I have broken Gyomei and Muichiro''s record of bing a Hashira in two months."

    To be honest I was a little excited.

    I mean, who didn''t love pushing ranks?

    The sun was slowly setting in the western horizon, its bright yellow light had turned into a warmer orange. The people finished up thier work to get back home before dark while demons waited impatiently for the hunt to start.

    But as the demons hunt in the night, so do I.

    ...

    //////////////

    The mission I got this time was pretty straightforward. The mission was to y a demon living in the Iya Valley. Many lower-ranked demon yers had died trying to y the demon which was why they were giving the mission to someone they considered as strong as a Hashira.

    The demon was apparently bold enough to remain in the valley even after three attempts at ying him. Which told me that the demon was pretty confident in his strength.

    I should expect a strong one.

    This would be fun.

    After a few hours of travelling, I reached the Iya Valley. It was a very narrow valley located in the middle of two mountains.

    The valley had thick vegetation and the Iya river ran through the mountains, providing a fresh water source for the nts and animals.

    However, due to its steep gorges and dangerousndscapes, the valley was isted. Which puzzled me quite a bit, why would a demon live here? There were no nearby humans on which it could feed.

    I stood at the top of a mountain and I looked down upon thend. It was dark but my eyes easily pierced through the darkness as I searched for my prey like a hawk.

    But before I could locate my demon, my eyes caught something else - or should I say someone else.

    ''Is that?'' I asked myself while narrowing my eyes.

    Then I lept off the mountain to fall into the valley. Raven pecked at my head in anger before she flew off my head.

    The wind rushed past my body as I descended into the valley. When I neared the ground, I used the tall trees to decrease my momentum andnded gracefully on the ground.

    Inded close to her.

    "Little girl, why are you here?" I asked the girl who caught my eye.

    "It''s dangerous," I said inly while observing her.

    I was finally able to confirm my suspicion now that she was so close. She had dark ck hair that faded tovender at the end. Her eyes were hazy purple with no pupils, which made her eyes look like that of an insect.

    She wore a white and purple haori and she tied her hair into a bun while two strands framed her face. She had a small body but with her youthful face, it made sense.

    "Huh? Who are you calling a little kid, you look the same age as me." she said and turned to face me.

    I paused abruptly.

    Damn.

    She''s pretty.

    I stared.

    I think I stared too much.

    "What the fuck are you looking at creep? Your eyes are creepy as hell!"

    It''s amazing how personality can drag down one''s beauty. That wasn''t a very nice thing to say but understandable I guess.

    For the record, I did not use X-ray vision. She had nothing worth peeking at yet as she was just a small girl.

    But she had potential.

    Pause.

    "I am a demon yer and I am on a mission to kill the demon living here. But who are you?" I asked the girl.

    She seemed taken aback by my words, "A demon yer?"

    She did not see a sword strapped on my waist so I had to show her my odachi which was sheathed on my back. Then I showed her my uniform under the haori.

    "I see." she said, "Well, my name is Shinobu Kocho. I am a Tsuguko of the Flower Hashira and a medical expert. I was sent here in case you get injured. The valley is quite isted so the master wanted me toe here and give you medical help immediately if you need it."

    Wow. Talk about prodigal privilege.

    I assumed the higher-ups did not want to see a young talent like me die so they sent her here to make sure I survived in case I suffered an injury in my mission. Since many lower-rank demon yers have died, there was a chance of the demon being strong.

    And this mission was particrly dangerous because even if the injury I suffered after the fight was not fatal, it could have led to death since there was no nearby help.

    "I understand," I said.

    "If that is all, I will immediately get to hunting the demon," I said and disappeared.

    I see him.

    The demon.

    I ran towards the ce where I saw movement and smelled the scent of a demon. I pulled out my sword and my heart roared in my chest, preparing for a fight.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of Shinobu]

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 Chapter 25: Debate of death

    <h4>Chapter 25: Debate of death</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I''m scared of pretty girls.

    So I ran to the less scary being which was the man-eating demon living in the Iya Valley. I swiftly ran through the thick forest while Raven flew overhead.

    The demon I was hunting put absolutely zero effort into hiding himself. I could sense his bloodlust so clearly that the logical conclusion was that he wanted people to find him.

    I could also see him. My eyes pierced through the thick vegetation and locked on his demonic form. I would say that he was awfully human-like for a demon.

    In just a few more minutes, I finally reached the demon. He wore a yellow haori with a white scarf on his neck. His clothes were neat and tidy, unlike most demons which gave the impression that he was a human.

    But I knew for certain he was not.

    "Your time is up demon. Your arrogance had led to your end." I said, my voice echoing in the small clearing I found myself in.

    ''It led me to this ce.'' I concluded in my mind when I saw the marks of previous battles in the surroundings. This was likely the ce where he fought with the Demon yers that tried to y him before me.

    The demonughed, I could not see his face since he was turning his back on me but I knew he was genuinely amused.

    "It is so convenient this way, I don''t know why I haven''t thought of this sooner. My prey delivered themselves to me and I do not even need to hunt them down." the demon said. It was hard to tell but I could make it out from the movement of his throat.

    "You have it all wrong Demon yer, it is you who rushed to his own end." he said and finally turned to face me.

    !!!!!!

    He had the face of a young man with three ''X'' scars on his forehead and cheeks. But the thing that instantly caught my attention was the Kanji in his eyes.

    �� - the number ''4'' in Kanji, that was written on his left eye.

    "...lower moon four." I muttered in surprise before I looked down to hide my face.

    "Oh~ are you scared ''Demon yer''? You people have been a bother to my master so he gave us all an order to kill as many demon yers as possible. I have been staying in this valley, calling them with my presence so that I can ughter the lots of you." he said, even though I never asked.

    "I''m sorry." the demon said with a crooked smile, veins popped around his eyes and his human teeth turned sharp. His face abandoned all humanity and finally turned demonic.

    "Actually, I''m not sorry." then he shot at me with a burst of speed.

    I finally looked up to meet his eyes and I pulled out my sword before swinging at him. His ws met the sharp edge of my de with a spark of friction and he halted in mid-air. His body tried to overpower me but with refined technique, I resisted.

    My usually stoic face scrunched up to show anger.

    Because at that moment, I was absolutely pissed - livid even.

    Why?

    "You just couldn''t show your ugly face sooner." I said and pivoted on my heels to deliver a backkick at the side of his body.

    Steroid Breathing enhanced my physical strength and my kick broke his ribs and tore his liver. A small shockwave erupted and sent the demon flying to the side.

    I had every right to be angry at that moment. I had worked so hard to be a Hashira as fast as possible - which required me to either kill one of the Twelve Kizuki or y 50 demons.

    Since I did not know the location of the Twelve Kizuki and because I was still not strong enough to take on the upper moons, I decided to be a Hashira by killing 50 demons.

    I nearly seeded, I had in a total of 49 demons and he was supposed to be the final demon. But he turned out to be one of the lower moons.

    If I had met him earlier, I would be a Hashira instantly without having to grind so hard. He just had to show up when his death would least benefit me.

    The feeling was exactly the same as that time in my past life where I studied the whole night for a test, only to find out the teacher was absent the next day.

    It''s silly, I know but goddamn was it frustrating.

    "You''re pretty strong, that''s a surprise. I guess they would send someone decent after the third time." the demon said and a demonic smile split his face.

    <i>"Blood Demon Art : Velocity Burst."</i>

    ''That''s new, I have never seen a demon use blood demon art like tha-'' my eyes shone bright and opened wide in absolute shock.

    It was because somehow, the enemy who was at least 5 meters away from me had suddenly appeared in front of me, arms pulled back to deliver a punch. His eyes were demonic red and his smile was straight out of a nightmare.

    The wind caused by his sudden appearance blew my hair and dried my eyes, making me want to blink.

    I could predict movements perfectly. I knew thenguage of the body better than anyone and my enemies spoke to me before they even made a single move.

    But what I couldn''t see were spells - blood demon art. And the demon had just used some form of spell to appear in front of me.

    Time had slowed down to a crawl as my brain and eyes worked overtime to make up for the shock. I brought my sword up just in time to block his punch.

    I would block the hit and the demon''s arm would be split in half since the sharp edge of my sword was shielding me.

    But then something happened again.

    A shockwave.

    A powerful shockwave erupted from his fist and the force sent me flying away like a ragdoll. I blinked and time resumed like normal. Everything happened in an instant.

    <strong>*BOOOM!!*</strong>

    I nted my feet on the ground and slid to a stop. I could not feel my arms properly.

    My eyes immediately fell upon the enemy and this time with all the seriousness in the world. All silly thoughts were cast aside and emotions were discarded.

    It was no time to joke around. The enemy was strong. He was easily the second strongest being I ever encountered. I could tell that much with a single exchange.

    ''So this is the power of a lower moon.'' I thought grimly and took a stance with my sword.

    "Good, I like that face better." the demon said and chuckled before he shot at me once more. This time, I was ready so I could see everything that I missed before.

    ..

    ..

    He was fast. He was easily three times as fast as Jigoro whom I had trouble keeping up with.

    How was the demon able to gain such speed with such minimal effort? My eyes revealed the truth to me and answered my question.

    Shockwave.

    The demon was able to create a shockwave on the bottom of his feet and from his hand - maybe even with other parts of his body but his feet and hand were the only parts he used so far.

    A powerful shockwave strong enough to shatter the earth pushed him off. The speed at which he moved was so fast and sudden that his own body suffered internal injuries.

    Blocking was out of the option since the enemy could also create shockwaves with his hands so I dodged the body which wasing at me like a meat cannon.

    But as the demon flew past me, I could tell from his bodynguage that he had no intention of missing. Instead, he was readying his muscles to deliver another attack instantly.

    The twitch of his arm, the rotation of his hips and the side nce he gave me, all of these things told me of his next n.

    I pivoted on my heel and leapt to the side and dodged the following attack before it even happened.

    Just as predicted, the demon exploded shockwave at his feet again and changed his trajectory. The sudden change in vector absolutely crushed his body but he was a demon, he didn''t care.

    But by the time the sequence of action was executed, I was no longer where I was supposed to be. The demon was forced to stop his attacks abruptly, his face told me he was surprised.

    I can still read him.

    "That was...strange." the demon said but then shrugged his shoulder, thinking what I just did was luck or a fluke.

    He casually healed all of his muscle tears and internal injuries while cracking his neck. I also decided to get serious and I took a deep breath - blue lighting sizzled as I inhaled and mes came out of my mouth while I exhaled.

    Two of the five major breathing styles mingled inside my body.

    "Fine, let''s talk."

    And so, the debate of death starts.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of the Demon]

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 Chapter 26: Slaying lower moon 4

    <h4>Chapter 26: ying lower moon 4</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Fine, let''s talk."

    "LETS NOT!!!" the demon yelled and he exploded out towards me. He came at me with endless momentum but this time, I was ready.

    <i>"me Breathing : Second Form."</i> I said as my eyes glowed bright and mes wrapped around my de.

    <strong>"Rising Scorching Sun." </strong>I swung my sword up in a perfect arc, like the sun rising to the sky. A trail of fire followed my de.

    The sound of two consecutive shockwaves rang out, its vibration shaking the air itself. The demon produced shockwaves from his hands to stop his momentum and he halted right before my de reached him.

    His rows of sharp teeth smiled at me as if he had predicted my attack perfectly and dodged in time.

    I bit down a smile, one thing you should never do when you fight me is try to out-predict me. It was a battle that assured defeat.

    So I changed the grip on my sword, holding the de horizontally and the pattern of my breath also changed abruptly yet seamlessly.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : Second form." </i>Lighting came alive around my body and my muscles tensed up, preparing to explode out with every fibre of stregth at one moment.

    <strong>"Rice Spirit."</strong> I dered and the following action exploded in one moment. My arm blurred and my de became five, slicing from different angles in one moment.

    That was the concept of the second form. It was to deliver five consecutive shes at the enemy from different angles in one moment.

    The shocked demon did not even have time to react as I cleaved at his limbs one by one. I sliced off his left hand, and then his right arm. In less than a millisecond, I sliced off both of his feet as well.

    Four shes.

    With all his limbs cut off, he could not use his shockwave anymore.

    Thest swing was aimed at his neck. But right before I decapitated the demon, he opened his mouth and a terrible shockwave shot at me - my head would''ve exploded in a gory mess it hit.

    So I stopped my swing midway and tilted my head to the side. The shockwave went right past my ear and left a dent on the ground. I had seen the way his throat contracted before the attack so I had ample time to dodge.

    The shockwave also pushed the demon back and he escaped my range in an instant. But I was determined to capitalize on the opportunity. He let his guard down and it cost him four limbs. Now I had to cut off his head before he could regrow them.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form."</i>

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh."</strong>

    Lightning wrapped around my body and I pushed myself off the ground at the speed of sound. A sonic boom shattered the ground and roared like thunder.

    I became something akin to a streak of lightning.

    The demon''s face pinched together to paint a nasty expression of fear and anger. He focused all of his regenerative power into one hand and managed to use his shockwave to shoot himself up the sky.

    By the time I reached him, my de could no longer slice his neck but I bisected his body just below his armpits. My de cut through his demonic flesh like a cake.

    But the moment was lost, the demon used his shockwave to propel himself high in the sky where I could no longer reach him.

    He healed his body in the safety of the sky.

    "You insignificant bug!!!" The demon roared in the sky, "I will kill you!"

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Meteorite Fall."</i></strong> the demon said and just by the name, I could already guess what was about to happen.

    Words and actions spoke to me.

    The end of all four limbs exploded multiple times with shockwave and the demon shot down to the ground like a meteorite. I used thunder breathing to move away from my position quickly and the demon shattered the earth in his crash.

    A huge dust of smoke rose. My eyes pierced through the smoke and locked on the demon who thought I would have trouble seeing.

    Heunched himself at me again, his body cutting through the smoke at sonic speed while I gripped the handle of my sword and took in a huge gust of air.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Shockwave Dance!!!"</i></strong> the demon yelled.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form." </i>I<i> </i>replied to his action. It was an exchange of words, an exchange of meaning and violence.

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh."</strong> I said and after careful analysis of my enemy, I determined the amount of move required. "<strong>Twelvefold</strong>."

    Our body moved at supersonic speed. Our image became a blur of sh and shockwave as we exchanged twelve consecutive attacks in a matter of seconds.

    We were equal in speed, but he was stronger and more durable. On the other hand, I could read him like a book and predict his moves - then I replied in such a manner that nullified his superior strength and durability.

    The sound of our exchange was like thunder and explosion, bringing chaos to the thick forest. Animals fled while trees were uprooted due to the shockwave and due to being used as a foothold.

    We were equally matched.

    By the end of our sh, we were already miles away from the previous clearing where we fought. I felt my body ache due to the exhausting nature of Thunder Breathing.

    To attain victory, I needed to end this quickly.

    Although it might look like I was at a massive disadvantage right now since I was tired and my enemy was a demon who knew no injury or exhaustion, it was actually the opposite.

    The end for the demon drew near because through our exchanges I finally had a grasp of his fighting style.

    I was now familiar with the rhythm of his movement and the patterns of his attack.

    What attack did he prefer? Which angle is his favourite? Which part of my body did he always target? What are the timing of his attacks? How did he react to an opening?

    I had the answer to all of these questions. He told me himself through our battle.

    And now it was time to end this.

    I intentionally created an opening. It was a bait which I knew he would take without fail. He was desperate, angry and humiliated.

    "DIE!!!"

    It was oh so simple.

    I got him used to Thunder Breathing and its fast nature. So the sudden change in breathing style was more effective than it should be.

    "<i>me Breathing : Fifth Form</i>." I whispered as I fell from the sky. Our final sh took ce high in the sky so we both fell.

    But unlike me who was seemingly helpless while mid-air, the demon could use his shockwave to maneuver in the air. That was the fake opening I created, I lied with my action

    "<strong>me Tiger.</strong>"

    mes encased the entirety of my body. Those mes wrapped and folded around me until it became the shape of a tiger. I sucked in huge volumes of air in my lungs and my body reached a supernatural temperature. I was in overheat.

    me Breathing was not like Thunder Breathing. It was not fast, but it was explosive and it burned with intensity that waspletely unmatched.

    My purple eyes bore down on the demon with disdain. Only a fool would run into mes.

    The mes around my body which was in the shape of a tiger head, swallowed the demon and chomped down on him.

    The canines of the tiger were my des and they chopped him up into pieces. me Breathing was more effective than other breathing style due to its close rtion with Sun Breathing, so even a sh to his body damaged him greatly.

    The demon let out a guttural scream. It was times like these when I wished I was not deaf.

    Was his scream as helpless as the screams of my family? Was it as sad as mine on that fateful night?

    I hope so.

    No. I made sure it was so.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!!*</i></strong>

    ...

    ...

    ...

    On that lonely night in the valley, at the young age of 13 and 11 months, I slew the lower moon four and became eligible to be a Hashira.

    .

    .

    .

    [IMAGE of Seiji (Hot)]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

 Chapter 27: Heaven and thighs

    <h4>Chapter 27: Heaven and thighs</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Good talk." I said while sheathing the sword on my back.

    I might not suffer any visible cuts or injuries but I was beyond tired and I was sore all over due to the shockwave that the demon threw at me like candies on Halloween.

    ''Definitely going to feel worse tomorrow.'' I thought while taking a closer look at my body.

    Although I did not kill the demon with one strike like Giyu did in the anime, I was still happy with the strength I disyed against the lower moon demon.

    Now I had a clear picture of just how strong I was.

    I was probably strong enough to take on any lower moon - although the first and second may prove to be extremely difficult - and I was definitely at the level of Hashira.

    A Hashira who was on the weaker side but a Hashira level nheless.

    I suppose if my body developed for a few more years, I would be able to fight against the likes of Upper Moon themselves - of course, excluding the top 3.

    Coupled with the improvement in skills and the breathing styles I would eventually learn and master, I would hopefully be even stronger than that.

    Raven flew down andnded on my head. A small smile tugged at my lips as I asked, "Did you see me, Raven? Was I cool?"

    She gave me an answer by tapping on my scalp.

    Indeed, I was pretty cool. Her words, not mine.

    My smile got wider at her answer. It was already great that I got to y demons but looking cool while doing it? That''s double great.

    Raven tapped at my head with her small little feet again, telling me that someone was approaching me from behind so I turned back.

    "You...you really did it." Shinbu said as approached me. There was a hefty amount of surprise and awe on her face.

    "You killed the demon by yourself." she said and bit her lips. "Even though you are the same age as me."

    Then she carefully looked at me up and down before saying, "You''re hurt."

    "No I''m not." I said and a small trail of blood flowed out of my mouth,

    I blinked and then took a detailed X-ray look at my own body.

    "oh." was what came out of my mouth. I actually suffered quite the injury internally. I sat on the ground and Shinobu quickly ran up to me.

    I guess all of the shockwaves that hit my body - although not a direct hit - caused a lot of trauma internally. Coupled that with the over-abuse of Thunder Breathing, this was the result.

    "Don''t worry, I have some medicine that can help you." she said and rummaged through the small bag that she was carrying before she took out a few pills.

    "Here, this will stop the pain and this will stop the bleeding." she said and came close to me.

    Too close, too close.

    I panicked in my mind as she brought her pretty face near my face. As you would expect from someone like me, I was not good at dealing with the opposite gender my age. Especially if they were someone I find extremely attractive.

    I did not show that on my face though. Outside, I was stone cold.

    "Your face is heating up." she said, I could feel the heat in her breath. She put her hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

    "Is it a fever?"

    Luckily, raven came to my rescue as she shooed Shinobu away like a protective girlfriend. I took a deep breath and rxed my body as much as I could.

    "I''ll be fine after some sleep." I said. The constant use of my eyes in such a high-intensity fight also caused mental fatigue. Although it was getting better, the main drawback of my eyes was always mental exhaustion which caused me to need more sleep than normal.

    Iid down on the ground, "Shinobu, can you stay with me for a few hours, thanks."

    And I was out cold.

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When you have eyes as good and as sensitive as mine, you learn to truly appreciate the beauty of the sun while also loathing its ring rays.

    And this was one of those moments when I absolutely loathe the sun.

    The bright rays of the sun fell on my eyes and my lids were too thin to stop thempletely. It woke me from my slumber and its unforgiving light made sure I never returned.

    Shit.

    It was ufortable since the rays were falling right on my face yet I did not move a single muscle. I did not turn my head or cover my eyes to stop the brightness.

    Why?

    It was because of the soft supple pillow I was sleeping on. They were not actually pillows and if you''ve read as much as me, you would know instantly what they were.

    Thighs.

    No, you read that wrong. I didn''t say heaven - even though it''s pretty close.

    I said thighs.

    Or maybe you''re not wrong because aren''t they the same thing? Tomato, tomata and all that jazz.

    So as much as it was ufortable on my face, it was extremefort on the back of my head. And right now, thefort eclipsed the difort.

    So let me stay like this for a while. No, fuck that, I should stay like this forever. Should I just die like this?

    "You''re awake."

    Shit.

    Don''t move, she might just be saying stuff.

    "I know you are awake."

    You''re deaf, you''re deaf. you''re deaf.

    "I can see you peeking." she said and it was then that I realised indeed, I was looking up at her and reading her lips. I did not know when I opened my eyes but I instinctively did and now it was over.

    "....."

    "I can''t get up. My back...it hurts." I said and she stared at me with a dead face.

    "There were no injuries on your spine or back. I checked," she said with a closed eye smile.

    So it''s really the end.

    I sighed and sat up. I cracked my bones and stretched my arms before standing up and checking my surroundings.

    We were still in the same ce, the only difference was that Shinobu dragged my body somece under a tree.

    "How long was I asleep?" I asked.

    "9 hours." she said.

    I felt bad instantly, "Sorry for the inconvenience. How long did I use you as a pillow?"

    "Oh, don''t worry about that. I only let you rest on myp after the sun had risen. You were talking in your sleep and seem to be having a nightmare you see." she said.

    "You said something about demons robbing you of everything and....something about your sister." Shinobu said. I could see a hint of pity on her face. As someone who loved her sister, she felt sympathetic.

    Is that why she was giving me ap pillow?

    Well, thank god for my unresolved issue. Whoever said traumas were bad? Like all things in the universe, even trauma had good and bad.

    Iughed at my own thoughts while looking away from Shinobu. It never felt good as a man to see pity from a girl he finds attractive.

    Speaking of which, is it weird that I find her attractive? She''s like 13 and although she was more developed and mature than girls in my past life, she was still not a woman.

    Is it because I never crossed the age of 13 in both lives? Or am I just Drake?

    And this was not like a physical attraction I felt for a random beauty I saw on the street. This was more like, ''Oh, I can see us marrying and having kids'' kinda attraction.

    Whatever, let me shelf that feeling for a moment and say it''s due to my budding teenage hormones.

    This world infested with demons was not a good ce to fall in love. Especially with a character that I know is going to die in her pursuit of revenge.

    Lovees after I wiped the demons from the face of the earth, never to take my love again.

    "You never told me your name?" Shinobu said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

    "Oh." I said, feeling a tad bit embarrassed at my mistake.

    "Well, my name is Seiji Shigan. Thank you for taking care of me."

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of Shinibu]

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    Author : Top 10 and get extra Chapter!!!

 Chapter 28: To the headquarters

    <h4>Chapter 28: To the headquarters</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Well, my name is Seiji Shigan. Thank you for taking care of me." I said, finally giving a proper introduction.

    She smiled, "No worries. You barely had any injuries to begin with. It seems that it was due to fatigue or mental exhaustion that you passed out instead of an actual grave injury."

    "Yeah, I feel much better now." I said.

    Shinobu was a kind girl. She was much bolder and straightforward than I initially expected - or at least how she was shown in the anime.

    She was still not that alluring onee-san I remembered. Right now, she was simply a young girl of 13 years old.

    She was curious and showed lots of different emotions but most of all, she was still very innocent. I could see this instantly from the way she spoke and from the way she behaved.

    My best guess was that her sister was still alive. She was yet to harbour endless hatred and pain in her heart.

    We had a short talk while we gathered up the supplies and the things Shinobu had taken out to treat mest night. Although she was not yet a demon yer, she had already attained her genius in medicine.

    She asked me lots of questions due to her curious nature - which i appreciated because i could not keep a conversation. She asked me how the fight went, what my breathing style was and how strong the demon was.

    I answered her as well as I could.

    "So Seiji, what rank are you again?" she asked.

    "Hopefully after this fight, I will be a Hashira." I said and she blinked.

    She turned to look at me, her face changing to different expressions because at first she thought I was joking. But then my face and the tone of my voice told her that I was serious.

    "A Hashira? That would mean..."

    "I have already in a total of 50 demons." I nodded. "And the demon I foughtst night was one of the lower moons."

    "What!? A lower moon?" she asked in surprise.

    It was probably the first time in my life but I was secretly happy to show off. But I kept it cool because a cool guy does not freak out while showing off.

    I acted like such feats were nothing although secretly, I was extremely proud of my hard work and achievement.

    "Yes, lower moon 4 to be exact."

    "I see, no wonder." she said and her odd eyes zed in awe. I think she was impressed. "You are like, super strong then."

    I rubbed my nose, "I guess I am."

    Just then, a crow flew above our heads and started cawing. Raven immediately came down from the tree she was perching on and sat on top of my head.

    <i>"Caw!! Caw!! Seiji Shigan, go to the Demon yer Corp Headquarters!! Caw!! Caw!! Seiji Shigan, go to the Demon yer Corp Headquarters!! Caw!! Caw!! Seiji Shigan, go to the Demon yer Corp Headquarters!!"</i>

    Well, I guess that''s my promotion.

    "I don''t know where the Demon yer Corp headquarters is.." I said and the crow replied.

    <i>"Follow me!! Follow me!! Follow me!!"</i>

    The crow flew away, trying to lead me to the headquarters. I did not move yet and looked at Shinobu with a smile.

    This seems to be where we part.

    "I should return to the flower mansion as well." Shinobu said before standing up.

    "It has been pleasant knowing you, Seiji." she bowed.

    "The same goes for you, I hope we meet again Shinobu."

    "If you don''t mind, you can visit the flower mansion anytime." she said and gave me a bright innocent smile.

    I am going to assume that she enjoyed mypany as I did hers.

    "I will keep that in mind." I said and then disappeared from my ce. The crow flew ahead and I followed him right behind, chasing his tail.

    I havee a long way since the night I lost everything.

    But now, it was finally time to take another leap.

    Here Ie.

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    Shinobu watched as the boy ran after the Kusagai crow. His destination was the Demon yer Corps headquarters, a ce she herself had never visited even though her sister was a Hashira.

    She made an educated guess, Seiji was probably summoned there to affirm his rank a Hashira.

    It was still hard to wrap that fact around her head. A boy her age had not only killed 50 demons but he had sessfully yed a lower moon by himself.

    He was incredible.

    There was something special about him. His presence alone oddly calmed her heart and the more she learned about him, the more she was drawn to him.

    For example, the fact that he was able to aplish everything he did while being deaf. At first, she did not realize he was deaf and she truly panicked when he didn''t wake up no matter how much she called out to him.

    It was only when she did a thorough check of his body that she realised he was deaf.

    Speaking of checking his body, the image suddenly came to her mind and with it, red came on her cheeks. Apparently, he had an extremely attractive body even at his age.

    His body looked more sculpted than natural. The ratio, the shape and the amount of muscles and fats were just right.

    That was to be expected since Seiji built his body with the help of his eyes. As someone who loves beauty, Seiji built his body not only to be strong but to look good as well.

    And Sinobu was educated enough in human anatomy to appreciate his hard work.

    "A deaf swordsman huh." she hummed. He reminded her of the strongest person she knew - the Stone Hashira Gyomei.

    Maybe he would grow up to be as strong as him.

    Whatever the case was, Shinbu felt an odd peace in her heart. With people like him fighting alongside the Demon yer Corps, maybe this war would finally end.

    Meeting him gave her a brighter hope for the future.

    ..

    ..

    [Seiji being cool and stuff]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I asked for too 10 but I got 1. Thank you.

    500 stones and another Chapter.

 Chapter 29: Perfect Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 29: Perfect Wee</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I followed the crow for half a day. It proved to be quite a fun challenge as it flew over rivers, mountains and valleys while I had to do everything I could to catch up.

    But in the end, I never lost the crow and right at noon, I reached the Demon yer Corps headquarters.

    "This ce is nice." I said while looking at the huge mansion andpound. The ce was hidden between a range of mountains with barely any forest.

    The trees surrounding the ce were all cut down. I assumed it was to get easier view of anyone who approached the headquarters. A demon would be spotted before he got too close.

    There were also many Kusagai crows who acted as security. There were walls surrounding thepound and they perched on top of that.

    Raven flew off my head and decided to join her fellow she Kusagai crows. I shrugged and entered the headquarters through the main gate.

    I head inside and before long, I noticed six people who were kneeling down in front of a house from afar.

    My eyes could easily tell who they were so I immediately went there.

    "You are finally here Seiji, we were waiting for you." I stopped when the master addressed me.

    Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

    He was sitting on the narrow wooden strip that ran along the Japanese traditional house that served as a transition between the interior and thepound.

    He was much younger than I remembered and the scar on his face extended only to one eye. He looked quite healthy as well.

    But my eyes saw the true condition his body was in.

    He was....he was very ugly.

    Like a demon.

    "What are you doing dumbass!! Greet the master!!" screamed someone. It had no effect on me as I was deaf but his angry bodynguage made me do as I was told.

    I got on one knee and greeted Ubuyashiki.

    "It''s fine. I''m happy to see you my boy." he said. I looked up and observed the six people who were also kneeling in front of Kagaya.

    Gyomei, the Stone Hashira.

    Kanae, the Flower Hashira.

    Giyu, the Water Hashira.

    Uzui, the Sound Hashira.

    Shinjuro, the me Hashira and father of Rengoku.

    And finally, the person who just screamed at me.

    Sanemi, the Wind Hashira.

    These people were the existing Hashira today.

    The first thing I noticed about them was the sheer aura of strength oozing off them. Just one nce and I could tell that no one was inferior to me.

    I guess things were quite different at the top eh. I''m getting excited.

    "Okay, so now that everyone is here, shall we begin our meeting? It has been only three months since thest Hashira meeting so you must all be confused why I had summoned you again. I''m sure you are curious." Ubuyashiki said.

    I could not hear his voice but I assumed it must be quite lovely and charismatic because every single Hashira present listened very closely.

    "We, the Demon yer Corps finally gained a new pir today." he said and all of the Hashira were caught by surprise.

    They all turned to look at me.

    "Allow me to introduce you to the new Hashira, Seiji Shigan." Ubuyashiki said with a gentle smile that held unveiled wisdom.

    The Hashiras present eyed me up and down. I could feel their analytic eyes as they tried to gauge my strength. The more experienced ones like Shinjuro and Uzui nodded, acknowledging my stregth while the young ones continued to be incredulous.

    Especially the weakest of the bunch.

    "Him? Master, are you sure he is qualified?" Sanemi asked while ring holes at me. The guy got serious anger issues but he looked fun.

    "I am sure Sanemi. If anything, Seiji here could not have been more qualified. After all, he seeded in killing 50 demons while also ying one of the lower moons." Ubuyashiki dered, eliciting gasps from them.

    The Wind Hashira shook in his ce for a while before he looked up, eyes even angrier. "I''m sorry master but I don''t believe that. Please grant me permission to test his strength."

    The others looked at him with wide eyes. They were surprised at how daring Sanemi was to say such things in front of thier master. Does he mean to use the master of lying?

    Respect has always been a major virtue for Japanese people. So they all had ultimate respect to Ubuyashiki, who was thier benefactor and thier master. Especially since they were basically samurai and Ubuyashiki was thier lord.

    Ubuyashiki had a small frown on his face. "Sanemi, i-"

    That was when I cut in, "I ept."

    They all turned to me again. "I ept his challenge to test my strength."

    "Are you sure Seiji, you just fought a lower moonst night." he asked me, his face concerned.

    "Yes, it will be fine Lord Ubuyashiki." I said and turned towards Sanemi with my eyes releasing a purple hue.

    "Besides, I am not the only one who had a tough fightst night." I said. I could see fresh wounds, broken bones and a few other internal injuries on Sanemi.

    It seemed he had a tough fight just recently as well. But after hearing the summon, he came to the headquarters immediately.

    "Huh? Why do you ept? Are you looking down on me boy?!" Sanemi said, veins popped on his face to show his anger and agitation.

    He stood up and walked towards me with slow intimidating steps. I could almost see fire and volcano behind him.

    He stood in front of me. He was around two years older so he towered over me. While I stood at an impressive 5''5 feet, he was 5''10 feet.

    "I said, are you looking down on me?!" He repeated as he towered over me.

    I ignored him and moved my head to the side. I gave a look to Ubuyashiki and after a while, he gave a helpless smile and nodded.

    ''Yes, so it is decided.''

    I alwasy wanted to fight against a Hashira. This will be a good time to test them, especially Sanemi who was one of the strongest character in Demon yer.

    Lets see the level of my future allies.

    "I can''t let you get close!!" I said and pushed Sanemi as hard as I could. Perfect movement allowed me to push him with perfect technique so he fell on his butt.

    I created distance between us and I heard the sound of something cracking. Sanemi''s face was stiff with anger and I saw steaming out his nose.

    "You bastard!!" he yelled and pulled out his katana.

    I replied to his action by pulling out my long sword, odachi.

    "Let''s reselolve this through talking." I said and Sanemi exploded out. His body easily cut through the air, as if the atmosphere was making way from him.

    "Not a chance!!"

    Wind coated his body and he exploded out like a hurricane. Since he was only using constant breathing, I did the same.

    <i>''Steroid Breathing.''</i>

    Power flowed through my muscle, boosting the overall performance of my body. Then my eyes read every little details about my opponent.

    I learned a lot from one attack but one thing was certain, he was likely the waeknest amongst the Hashiras present and I suspect that it wasn''t even long since he became a Hashira.

    I swung my sword at him.

    Our swords shed and created saprks.

    I smiled

    A perfect wee does exist.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Thank you for all the stones. Here''s your third Chapter.

    Did anyone get the reference?

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 30: Sanemi vs Seiji

    <h4>Chapter 30: Sanemi vs Seiji</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Here''s an interesting fact.

    I was ten times better at fighting humans than I was demons. If I were to fight against Yoriichi or Muzan, I believe my chances of victory against Yoriichi would be higher.

    This was because of two reasons. Firstly, it was because humans could not use spells and they could not manipte thier flesh on whims. This limitation of humans made my eyes extremely more effective against thempared to demons.

    And also because I have spent more than five years fighting against men. It was only recently that I learned to fight against demons. This was a direct effect of not having a demon yer as a master.

    So as Sanemi rushed at me with his sword, I did not feel any pressure. My eyes saw him as less of a threat than the demon I foughtst night.

    Our swords shed and produced sparks.

    My muscles tensed at the weight of his raw strength. As someone who was older and hence bigger, he was physically stronger than me. But if someone looked closely, they would notice that I was overpowering him.

    You might ask how that was possible and the answer lies in the difference between our techniques. To put it bluntly, I was in apletely different realm of mastery over the swordpared to him.

    In Kendo, we used wooden swords so pushing against each other using our swords was one of the most important techniques. I knew exactly which muscles to engage and the location of the sword where I should apply my strength.

    Sanemi gritted his teeth as a new vein popped in his forehead. His eyes were bloodshot with anger and hatred for the world. He put more strength into his sword, reversing the situation as his overwhelming raw strength overpowered me.

    I revealed a small smile.

    Another thing I should mention is the difference in our swords. The katana is primarily used as one-handed sword in this world while the odachi is a two-handed sword.

    So I calmly put my other hand on the hilt of my sword - using two hands - and in an instant, I overwhelmed him. A small shockwave erupted and I pushed Sanemi back, sending him sliding away.

    "You bastard!!" he yelled and charged at me.

    But he was stopped on his track when the end of my de suddenly found his neck. My sword was longer than his, meaning I could cut him into pieces where he could not.

    "Hah!!" he roared and knocked down my sword and came charging at me again. I calmly took a single step back and pulled my sword.

    He tried to dodge my de by ducking but as if I could see the future, the tip of my de was already near his neck again.

    He leapt back immediately to collect his thoughts. He did not charge at me afterwards and simply stared at me from a distance.

    He slowly walked around me like a predator sizing up his prey. I also walked away from my location, not underestimating him since he was a Hashira.

    We walked around each other in a circle, we didn''t stay still because going from motion to motion was faster than going from being still to motion.

    His muscles tensed, and his grip on his sword tightened. There was also slight twitches in his quad muscles and his arms but he nevermitted to an action. Each attack hesitated until they ultimately died down before even being executed.

    He started sweating while I smiled.

    ''He has excellent instincts.'' I thought to myself. He had attempted close to a hundred attacks during the short time but all have failed.

    He could feel instinctively that each attack would be met with failure. He found no openings in me, there was no way to approach and cut me down.

    Fighting me was like fighting against your own reflection.

    With the help of my eyes, I could read every twitch of your body and predict your attacks and movements. Then I would change my own posture and position to perfectly counter those attacks.

    The closest thing I couldpare our current situation was - two boys arguing in the park, trying to find out who could count bigger than the other. One boy said a million and the other said a million plus one. Then again he said a billion and the other boy said a billion plus one. A trillion and a trillion plus one, a quadrillion and then a quadrillion plus one....and so on.

    The point was that it was impossible to beat me in this game. No matter how well you n, I would use those same ns against you. Like how the little boy used what was said to him and only added plus one.

    I did not need to n, I did not need to strategise. I would simply read you and then use your own n against you.

    It must be truly frustrating to fight against me. I wish I never had such an unfortunate fate.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////

    [3rd POV]

    "I''ve never seen anything like this before." Kanae, the Flower Hashiramented while gazing at the ongoing standstill. She may not be the one fighting but her incredible eyes allowed her to decipher exactly what was going on.

    On the other hand, Giyu remained silent and pondered on the simrity of Seiji''s fighting style with Water Breathing. Seiji couldn''t be a Water Breathing user because Giyu would know, especially if he was strong enough to be a Hashira.

    So he wondered if Seiji had a breathing style that was derived from Water Breathing.

    "That boy...." Shinjuro said and narrowed his eyes, "...is quite dangerous."

    On the other hand, Uzui merely shrugged. He was not as impressed as his fellow Hashiras were because in his opinion, "It''s not shy at all."

    ..

    "You.." Sanemi said through gritted teeth, "I''ll kill you!!"

    Then he swung his sword at Seiji even though he waspletely out of range. Seji tilted his head in confusion, he predicted the movement but didn''t know how to reply to this one.

    ''Is he stupid? Why did-'' !!!!!

    Seiji''s eyes widened and he leaned to the side, just in time to dodge the wind de that cut strands of his hair. His eyes could see the movements of the air and even the vibration, but this attack caught him off guard due to how natural it was.

    It was like a breeze, natural and not man-made.

    <i>*Woosh!*</i>

    That was the opening Sanemi had been searching for all this time. The moment he saw it, he took it and came at Seiji like the wind.

    "<i>Wind Breathing : First Form!!</i>" He took in huge volumes of air and dashed towards Seiji.

    <strong>"Dust Whirlwind Cutter!!"</strong>

    At least this time, Seiji was able to predict that he was going to use his breathing style. The expansion of his lungs, the increased flow of his blood and his heart which roared like an old engineing to life were all indicators.

    Sanemi spoke.

    But then Sanemi disappeared from his eyes and instead, what came at him was a horizontal tornado. The wind wrapped around Sanemi and he violently blew forward like a whirlwind.

    All of the winds produced were as sharp as des, ready to mince anything that crossed thier path. Seiji''s eyes locked on the Wind Hashira as he came like a green blur of sheer speed and tornado.

    "<i>me Breathing : Fifth Form</i>." Air turned into mes as they entered his mouth.

    <strong>"me Tiger."</strong>

    His long sword was wrapped in mes, and a yellow aura shed against violent green. me was not like the wind, it was not violent or rushed at the enemy to destroy them.

    Instead, a me burned bright and hot in its ce, ready to destroy anything that dared approach its flickering presence. The heat was a warning, growing more intense the closer you get.

    To charge into mes was to charge at certain death.

    ...

    Shinjro dropped his folded arms and stepped forward in shock. His eyes lingered on Seiji as he executed the textbook-perfect fifth form. Itcked the determination, rage and intensity but the movements were the epitome of excellence.

    ''Who is he?'' It was a question that stayed on his rarely sober mind.

    ...

    Sanemi appeared in front of Seiji, he swung his de horizontally, sending wind des from every direction. A green wave of energy wrapped around him and put him at the centre of a tornado.

    Seiji on the other hand brought his sword in a high guard before performing a series of shes that created the image of a fiery tiger that dashed towards the winddes.

    A shockwave erupted as the two Hashiras met in another sh, this time they both utilized thier breathing styles.

    The attacks nullified each other.

    "Take this!!" Sanemi said, pushing through his limits and he swung his de upwards.

    Seiji predicted it and took the best course of action. He blocked the de and used his body weight to resist the upward force. But the swing was powerful enough to send him flying. It looked like a powerful wind had taken him to the sky.

    <i>"Wind Breathing : Fourth Form!!"</i> Sanemi yelled and his arm turned into blurs. He released multiple whirlwind shes from below Seiji.

    <strong>"Rising Dust Storm!!"</strong>

    The ce was engulfed in dust, blocking the scene of what was happening. Green des made of wind rushed at Seiji, it was unbelievable how sharp the wind could get.

    <i>"me Breathing : Fourth Form" </i>Seiji said calmly from above. Then he performed circr shes that whizzed through the wind des.

    <strong>"Blooming me Undtion"</strong>

    He painted the image of a beautiful red flower while blocking every single wind des that came at him. His movement was elegant and each stroke served a deep purpose, directed by his purple eyes that saw through the world.

    As if they were rivals by birth, the fourth forms of both breathing styles perfectly countered each other. Amidst the rising dust, the onlookers only heard the exchange of blows as yellow de and green de met in a flurry of attacks.

    After multiple exchanges, both Sanemi and Seiji emerged from the smoke at opposite directions. Their eyes were focused as they slid to a stop.

    Then they exploded out again.

    ...

    <i>"Wind Breathing : First Form!!" </i>

    Sanemi turned into a tornado again. His form was wrapped around by a green swirling tube of violent energy and he burst forth like the wind.

    <strong>"Dust Whirlwind Cutter!!"</strong>

    Seiji also grabbed the hilt of his sword with one hand and lowered his centre of gravity. He closed his eyes - his greatest weapon - to focus and control his leg muscles. Then he burst forth with every stregth in his body.

    His step was so loud that it sounded like thunder. The force shattered the ground and he turned into lightning.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form!!"</i>

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh!!"</strong>

    No one expected the boy they thought was a me Breathing user to pull out Thunder Breathing. But no one had time to react as the two Hashiras crossed paths and exchanged powerful sh

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    ..

    ..

    It happened in the span of one second.

    The two of them found themselves in the starting ce of thier opponent.

    Seiji sheathed his sword on his back before turning to look at Sanemi who copsed right after. His de snapped in half and there was a wide cut on his chest. It was not deep but blood seeped out of the wound.

    The winner was clear.

    Seiji Shigan.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : This deserve a stone.

    Please give me reviews. I like them, the good ones of course.

 Chapter 31: Becoming a Hashira

    <h4>Chapter 31: Bing a Hashira</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    That shit was so cool.

    I mean, swinging a sword to kill demons was one thing but having a spar like real samurai? That''s another level of awesome.

    What kind of boy had not dreamt of having a cool swordfight? With my eyes, I was able to see the special effects of breathing styles as well, which made the experience even more awesome.

    For real this was a cool anime-type shit. If there are people watching me, please make a cool edit of that fight with those trending songs in the background and let the beat synch with our sh.

    "That should be enough, I hope you are satisfied." I said the tone of my voice was dead, as usual.

    Whatever it was I was feeling inside, I did not let it show. My outer appearance was stone-cold because it was cool only as long as you didn''t acknowledge it. That was the line between being cool and cringe.

    "You...!!" Sanemi said through gritted teeth but he stopped when Ubuyashiki spoke.

    "That is enough Sanemi."

    He threw his head to the side and clicked his tongue but otherwise, he obeyed the words of Ubuyashiki.

    "The oue was just as I expected." he said with a knowing smile, "Seiji here is the national champion of Kendo. He was hailed as a one-in-millennia genius and his swordsmanship is said to be unmatched."

    The Hashiras acknowledged his words and even Sanemi was forced to ept the fact. My swordsmanship was undoubtedly superior to his.

    "Well, if there is no more opposition let us officially wee our new pir" Ubuyashiki said, "Seiji?"

    I blinked, and when I noticed everyone''s eyes on me I got down on one knee.

    "Do you Seiji Shigan, ept the title of Hashira and promise to be a pir that supports the Demon yer Corps?" He asked me with a fond smile.

    "Yes."

    "The title of Hashira is proof of your strength. Do you, Seiji Shigan, promise to use your stregth to protect the weak?"

    "Yes."

    "Then rise, Hashira." he said and I rose.

    "Stand firm on your beliefs and never falter - like an unshakable pir. From now on, y the demons in front of you not only out of hatred but also to protect the people behind you." he said.

    "The title of a Hashiraes with heavy responsibilities. But I know you will do well to carry them, my dear boy." he finished with a proud smile that reminded me of my father.

    ..

    /////////////////////

    "That is all for now, I will give you time to get to know each other. And Seiji, please meet me after you are done." Ubuyashiki said weakly before he disappeared into the house.

    Now that left all of the Hashiras in the courtyard. The situation reminds me of when parents leave thier children - who never knew each other before - in a room and tell them to y with each other.

    The rest of the Hashiras started talking amongst each other.

    Uzui approached Gyomei with a friendly smile before they engaged in some kind of gossip. Giyu went to Sanemi but the Wind Hashira yelled at him to leave him alone.

    Giyu was yelled at and ignored but before things escted, Kanae got in the middle of the two. Sanamei behaved like a well-mannered kid in front of her.

    And that left me with the only remaining Hashira and the one I least wanted to interact with.

    "Tell me kid, where did you learn me Breathing?"

    It is Shinjuro Rengoku, the me Hashira. But I know him as the asshole father in my mind. I immediately did not like him jus because I was friends with his son.

    "Your son taught me."

    "Kyojiro?" He asked, his face showed surprise. "You know him?"

    "Yes, I do." I said. "We participated in the same final selection which is where we first met. He taught me the me Breathing style while I taught him swordsmanship."

    "...I see." He said and looked down, "So you are telling me that you learned Falme Breathing only recently and you are already that good with it?"

    "Yes."

    "Some people really are born with unparalleled talents people like us can''t hope to match no matter how hard we work." he said with dry chuckles.

    Yeah, I did not like him.

    He stayed silent and took a swig of alcohol from the gourd he had at his side. But then I saw something sh in his eyes and his next words came out hesitant.

    "So....how is Kyojiro." it started off low but with each question asked, it grew expectant, "How is hepared to you? How did he do in the Final Selection? What is he like when fighting a demon?"

    I did not answer instantly. My eyes carefully observed his face, trying to read his emotions and I was only met with genuine curiosity. So I replied genuinely.

    "He is incredible." my voice didn''t falter because it was the turth, "I wish my spirit could burn half as fiercely as his."

    Unexpectedly, Shinjuroughed. It was a genuineugh that came from irrepressible joy.

    "You jest." he said but my eyes could not ignore the pride on his face - pride for his son.

    "Be careful in your missions kid. We don''t want to lose a talent like you." he said with a tap on my shoulder before he took another swig of his alcohol and walked past me.

    ..

    ..

    That was weird.

    I looked at the back of the veteran Hshira. He was just a broken man barely held together by his sense of duty. But at one point, he used to be the strongest of his era.

    Maybe...I was wrong in my judgement.

    After Shinjuro was gone, the other Hashiras came up to me one by one to introduce themselves. It was quite the experience - meeting people whom I once thought of as a fictional character.

    Since it was our first time meeting, there was not much interaction. They said thier names, thier title and how they looked forward to working together with me.

    I imagined this is what it would feel like when there was a new worker in the office.

    But amongst all of them, one Hashira in particr stood out to me. And surprisingly, it was not the Flower Hashira.

    It was...

    "Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Pir. It''s a pleasure to feel your presence." he said in a voice I imagined to be as firm as a boulder.

    He was absolutely stunning. And I swear I''m not gay.

    He was easily the strongest Hashira, heck he might be the strongest human alive. His body was a sculpture, a masterpiece created by the greatest mason.

    Thick fibres of muscle wrapped around his gigantic skeletal frame. His muscles are far more than mortal flesh. If Gods were real, they would be made of the same thing as Gyomei was.

    Even demons did not have the monstrous physique that he had. Even Muzan himself could notpare to the sheer raw power emanating from his body.

    A God of War.

    If Rengoku''s body was bred to fight, Gyomei was built to demolish everything that stood in his way. Normally, I would find such a monstrosity ugly but there was a weird beauty in him. It was the charm of the pinnacle of strength.

    White eyes - blind and unseeing - stared down at me. I felt like those eyes saw more than normal eyes could ever see. I could feel his gaze into my soul.

    "If you need any help, be sure toe to me." he said before he walked away, all 8 feet of him.

    After all the introductions were done, I headed into the traditional Japanese house to meet Ubuyashiki. The moment I entered, I found him lying down on a futon and Lady Amane was beside him.

    The thing Ubuyashiki wanted to talk about was regardingst night, He wanted to know in detail about the 4th lower moon demon since the twelve kizuki were the strongest demon.

    I briefed him about how the battle went. The stregth of the demon, and the abilities he possessed. I also informed him about what the demon said to me.

    Muzan Kibutsuji was giving orders to the twelve Kizuki to kill as many Demon yers as possible. He promised his blood as a reward to the demon who did a good job.

    "That would exin the sudden loss of my children. We had more causality in the past two weeks than we ever did in a month." he said. The spike in his blood pressure disyed his grief.

    Then he asked me an unexpected question. It was regarding my encounter with Muzan in Tokyo. I was surprised he even know about it since I did not make a report.

    He said it was good that Muzan was blending with the humans instead ofmitting genocide. But he still thinks that we are not ready to face him yet so he has done nothing to provoke him. He said the information they got because of me was invaluable and so was my ability to see through his disguise.

    When he asked me what I thought of the Demon King, I said.

    "Even if all of the Hashrias here fought against him at once, we would only be ughtered like pigs. The Demon King has power beyond your expectation." I said.

    Ubuyashiki showed a mirthless smile, "So we really stand no chance ."

    ..

    ..

    "Give me five years." I said after a long stretch of silence. He looked towards me, his face coloured in surprise.

    "After five more years, I promise to be strong enough to y the demon king." I said, my heart resolute and I hoped my voice reflected it.

    Ubuyashiki simply started at me for a while before he burst out in a chuckle. But there was no ridicule or amusement in hisugh.

    "Those are strange wordsing from someone who was shaking just by mentioning Muzans''s name." he said. Was I trembling while talking about Muzan?

    "But." he said and smiled, "Its strange that I believe your words."

    "You have a unique soul Seiji, one that is capable of inspiring hope in the people around you." he said, "Did you know that Jigoro sent me letters after years of isting himself from the Demon Corp? He had been in a downward spiral since he lost his leg but meeting you had given him a brighter hope for the future. All he could talk about in his letter was you."

    "Never lose that part of yourself in the long journey that awaits you. Please keep on fighting against the evil demons as the pir of hope." Ubuyashiki said.

    He really had a way of charming people with his words. I could see why he was so respected even by the strongest people in the world.

    After our discussion ended, I headed towards the exit to leave but he said one final thing to me.

    "Oh, and happy birthday Seiji."

    I paused. Did I get that right? Was it my birthday?

    I wouldn''t know because I never celebrated my birthday since my parents died. The birthday celebration was also not a huge thing in Japan yet.

    "Thank you." I said and left.

    And so, at the age of 14, I became a Hashira of the Demon yer Corp at recorded time.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of Ubuyashiki]

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    <strong>Join my patreon to support me and read ahead!! </strong>

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

    ...

 Chapter 32: Rest

    <h4>Chapter 32: Rest</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Oh, you''re done already."

    A face without w was a rare find when you have eyes like mine, and she was one of those rare finds. Even the parts you thought were wed, when they came together on her, they made a very pretty face.

    She was beautiful.

    She greatly resembled Shinobu from the anime except she had different eyes and she was taller. Her mannerisms and behaviour were also simr.

    She was hot, in an ''onee-san'' kinda way if you know what I mean.

    And also..

    "She''s going to die."

    "Excuse me?" Kanae said.

    Shit, did I say that out loud.

    "Sorry, it''s nothing." I said before whispering, "I won''t let it happen anyway."

    The whole point of my existence was to change destiny for the better. The story of Demon yer won''t end as tragically as it did and I won''t let everyone die.

    That''s one of the reason why I fight - to create a better and brighter future.

    "Can I help you with something?" I asked Kanae.

    There was no one else in thepound as all of the Hashiras had left to continue thier missions. Well, everyone left except for Kanae who for some reason was waiting for me.

    She giggled softly, "No, not me. It''s you that needs help."

    She then walked towards me much to my nervousness, and only stopped with an inch separating us. She was so close that I could feel the aura of beauty and sexiness from her.

    She was 5''6 feet tall and that meant she was taller than me.

    She simply smiled, not only with her lips but somehow with her eyes. She was expecting me to say something, to ask for help I''d assume.

    But what came out was far more honest.

    "Step on me."

    That threw her for a loop.

    It was a bit perverse of me but honestly, who could me me? She was a beautiful onee-san and she was taller than me. Many people paid for these types of things and I was just asking, no harm done. I''m not a simp.

    Besides, she won''t get it anyway.

    "You need medical attention as soon as possible." she said, shrugging off the nonsense I have been spewing till now.

    What she said was true. I might act fine but in reality, I couldn''t be further from being okay. I still had internal injuries fromst night and my fight with Sanemi definitely did not help either.

    "How did you know?"

    "Well, first of all, I am a doctor." she said, "And I have a special set of eyes you see, just like you."

    I stared into her pale violet eyes. They shone with a dim magical light and the pattern in her eyes almost resembled a flower.

    I remembered that Flower Breathing had a lot to do with the eyes of the user. The final form of Flower Breathing even enhanced the user''s vision so that they could see the world in slow motion.

    So in a way, there was indeed a simrity between us. What I was born with, she achieve a fraction of it through her breathing style.

    Hmm, that makes me wonder how effective the Flower Breathing would be coupled with my eyes.

    "I want you to follow me back to the Flower Mansion so that I can give you treatment." she said, but her bodynguage and the way she phrased it made it seem like I didn''t have a choice.

    She seemed to be the type to take her profession seriously, not allowing to see people hurt without lending help, as a perfect doctor would do.

    Regardless, why in the world would I refuse?

    "I''d be very thankful Lady Kanae." I said with a bow.

    "Please don''t call me that, just Kanae would do. We are colleagues after all."

    "I''ll keep that in mind Kanae."

    "Well then, let''s leave immediately." She said with a smile.

    It seemed I would fulfil the promise I made to Shinbu sooner than expected. I''m sure she won''t expect to see me again so soon.

    Kanae and I left the Demon yer Corps headquarters and headed towards the Flower Mansion. The ce was not that far away from the headquarters.

    It took us only a few hours to reach the mansion. If I had to guess the distance between them, it was only around 25 km at most.

    The flower mansion, unlike the headquarters, was hidden inside the thick vegetation of the mountains. Theputed itself was also smaller but the mansion was bigger.

    The ce had a very peaceful and calming vibe to it, perfect for recovering patients. My eyes pierced through the walls of the mansion and I noticed many injured demon yers inside. I guess the mansion was like a hospital of sorts for the Demon yer Corp.

    The workers greeted her warmly, with smiles and respect, as we entered thepound. Kanae led me to the patient room of the mansion where she herself immediately gave me treatment.

    Most of my injuries were internal so I was given pills and medical herbs to help my recovery. She also applied ointments on my arms which were apparently fractured before she wrapped them up in bandages,

    She was extremely professional while she worked, prompting me to not strike up a conversation, which was not really an issue since I wouldn''t be able to start a conversation anyway.

    After all the treatments were done, Kanae told me to rest on the bed and she advised me not to be in action for a few days.

    I had no problem with that.

    I had been constantly fighting due to my speedrunning but since I finally aplished my goal, I think I deserve rest.

    Although I would like to go around thepound and search for Shinobu, I put the task for my future self. Right now, I just want to sleep and rest.

    And so I did.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    The Chapter was short but it ended with a satisfying conclusion without any cliffhanger. It would be awkward to add more content to the Chapter but it is still way shorter than the average Chapter.

    So let us take this chance to see how people thought of our boy Seiji.

    1. Ubuyashiki Kagaya :

    He thinks Seiji Shigan is a boy with a good heart who was greatly wronged by the world. His story and his disability reminded him of Gyomei and he also believed that Seiji has the potential to be as strong as the Stone Hashira, if not more.

    He had been keeping eyes on Seiji since he became popr as a Kendo Prodigy because Ubuyashiki was madly on a lookout for talents. So he also knows about his incredible feats. The fact that Seiji was able to master breathing styles in a matter of weeks made him think that they might be seeing the seconding of a genius like Yoriichi.

    If Seiji was not going to join the Demon yer Corp on his own, Ubuyashiki thought of inviting the talented swordsman after he had grown up. He knew about how his parents were killed by demons as well.

    ....

    2. Shinjuro Rengoku :

    He is jealous of geniuses such as Seiji Shigan. He thought that maybe if he was as talented as them, he could''ve saved so many more people.

    But overall, he had a good impression of Seiji since he was friends with his son Kyojiro Rengoku. He wished to see these two boys lead the Demon yer corps in the future.

    ....

    3. Gyomei Himejima :

    He is saddened to see yet another young boy bing a demon yer. He thinks it is his job to protect everyone - especially children - and he wishes to create a world where kids do not have to fight.

    He acknowledged Seiji''s talent and strength. He was the only person amongst the Hashira to realise just how special Seiji was. Gyomei noticed immediately the perfect movements Seiji had.

    His presence was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It reminded him of the vibrations of rhythmic music.

    ...

    4. Giyu Tomioka :

    He doesn''t really care much but he admires real Hashiras like Seiji. He is greatly impressed by Seiji''s fighting style and thought of inviting him to learn Water Breathing if he truly is able to learn multiple breathings. Maybe the Demon yer Corp would finally have a worthy Water Hashria then.

    Seeing someone nearly 3 years younger than him be that strong and reaching Hashira inspired him to train harder again and made him realize he couldn''t ck off while he held on to the title of Hashira.

    ...

    5. Uzui Tengen :

    He likes it better when Seiji use Thunder Breathing because it is shier. He is impressed by Seiji''s speed.

    But other than that, he thinks Seiji has darkness in his heart. He seems to have quite a lot of unresolved issues and he was running away from the past by rushing to the future, kinda like what he was doing.

    He thinks it''s too bad Seiji did not have three amazing wives to help him like he did.

    (??)

    ...

    6. Kanae Kocho :

    Sees him as a younger brother since he was around the same age as her sister. It was too soon to judge him yet but she thinks he had girts to be able to endure injuries like he did,

    She was quite shocked to learn that he was deaf and wanted to know how he managed to live so normally and even be a great warrior with such a handicap.

    She wondered if she should teach him flower breathing due to his enhanced eyes but also thought that it might not suit him since he wouldck the lightness and flexibility of a female body.

    ...

    7. Sanemi Shinazugawa :

    He really doesn''t like the dude. Seiji reminds him of Giyu with his calm demeanour and his aloof attitude as if he was above the rest of the world. He doesn''t think he could trust someone so stoic.

    But he respects Seiji''s talent and strength but also wants to beat him and humble him.

    .

    .

    .

    [IMAGE of Kanae]

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 Chapter 33: Future plans

    <h4>Chapter 33: Future ns</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The only drawback my eyes had was mental exhaustion.

    This waspletely reasonable because seeing so many things in detail and many others that normal eyes were never meant to see, any human brain would be overloaded with information.

    When I was young, I would have to sleep at least 12 hours to deal with the mental exhaustion. But as time went on, the requirements became less and less.

    Still, surviving on barely 5 hours of sleep a day would be harmful to any human body, much less a body that has a special eyes such as mine, which was exactly what I had been doing in the past two months.

    I forced myself to fight and work with only 5 hours of sleep every day.

    And clearly it had taken a toll on me because right now, I felt incredible. I did not know how long I slept but I felt so amazing and good that I hadn''t even opened my eyes yet.

    In a world ofplete silence, deep sleep was guaranteed. And even though I had woken up, as long as I did not open my eyes the world waspletely silent and still.

    It was a great time to have an internal monologue.

    The question is, how do I n to move forward from now? What was the n? What was the next goal?

    I had be a Hashira and I now held the most influence and power a demon yer could get. So, what''s next?

    Killing Muzan Kibutsuji was the main goal but thinking about that time when I encountered him in Tokyo, I knew that it was still too far away to even consider.

    I should at least be the strongest Hashira alive first to even think of ying Muzan. In the story of Demon yer, the Hashiras - even the strongest - were merely cannon fodders to the Demon King.

    It was only through sheer continuous luck, plot armour, tricks and heavy sacrifice that they finally put down Muzan Kibutsuji.

    I wanted to kill Muzan Kibutsuji without any sacrifice, and I was not the main character with plot armour. That meant I would have to be strong enough to match Muzan at the very least - which I should mention, no one other than Yoriichi ever aplished.

    ''Yeah, it is not realistic yet.''

    So let''s start with something more realistic and doable. I promised to be as strong as Muzan in five years - a promise that became more and more ridiculous with each passing thought - so what can I do to achieve it?

    Or what can I do to at least get closer to the goal?

    The first thing that came to mind was learning all of the breathing styles that exist. I was now a Hashira, meaning my colleagues were the best breath users in the present day. I could definitely learn thier breathing from them.

    It took me a week to learn me Breathing and two weeks to learn Thunder Breathing. If those feats were used as a base, it shouldn''t take me long to learn every breathing styles.

    After that, I could work on mastering each and every one of them. I should aim to be as proficient at using each unique breath as their respective Hashira users.

    I think that ispletely realistic. In fact, it would take me less than five years to aplish it - which is where the canon starts.

    Speaking of canon stories, you can be sure that I would do everything in my power to not let that happen. I won''t let Tanjiro''s family be ughtered like how it happened in the story.

    This goal was also personal.

    If you really thought about it, my backstory was eerily simr to Tanjiro''s. Both of us came home after a hard day of work only to be greeted by blood and the cold corpses of everyone we ever loved.

    A demon had killed our world while we were away.

    The simrity did not end there as we witnessed tragedy befall our sisters. I was robbed of my hearing and he was robbed of his sister''s humanity.

    I couldn''t save my own family back then, I was not strong enough.

    But god damn, I will make sure the same thing doesn''t happen twice.

    Maybe I would finally get a bit of sce - like how Andrew Garfield''s Spiderman did when he saved a different version of MJ.

    So yeah, it was personal.

    And beside it being a personal endeavour, there were many positive fruits that coulde out of it. Firstly, I could learn Hitokami Kagura - which is basically a watered-down version of Sun Breathing.

    Secondly, I could learn the location of the blue spider lily from Tanjiro''s mother. For those who don''t know, the blue spider lily is said to have the power to give demons the ability to walk under the sun and be resistant to the nichirin de. Muzan had been searching for it for centuries and the demons were created with the objective of finding the blue spider lily for him.

    There were also many other things like the possibility of saving Tanjiro''s father and convincing the absolutely broken character to join the demon yer corps, etc.

    The only problem was that I had no idea where Tanjiro''s house was located. The only thing I remembered was that he used to sell charcoal in a vige near their isted home.

    I have no other clue. But then again, Japan was a small ind, how hard could it be to find one home?

    And what else is there, ''hmmmmm...''

    It had been on my mind for quite a while but I could try asking for a bow and nichrin-tipped arrows. The smiths of the Demon yer Corps should be able to create one and hopefully, they would respect the request of a Hashira.

    I wanted to know how my eyes would affect marksmanship.

    Maybe I could develop a new breathing style for marksmanship. Who knows, I definitely won''t if I don''t try so I was going to try.

    ''Hm?''

    My world, ever so still and silent, was disturbed by vibrations felt by my skin. It was a tug of reality that threatened to bring me out of my musing.

    More aware of my surroundings than ever, I felt someone inch ever closer to my skin. I could feel thier body heat as they got closer. I held my breath, I knew I was safe and no harm would befall me, yet my body was ready to fight.

    But then, a small headnded on top of my chest.

    I could not hear, I did not see, but I could feel thier ear on my chest. They were listening to my heartbeat and strangely enough, that made me listen to my own heartbeat with them.

    *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup*

    *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup* *Thup-dup*

    My heart beats firm and consistent. Finally, I opened my eyes to see whose head was on my chest.

    The moment I saw who it was, I felt my heart stop beating.

    It was...

    ..

    ..

    ...an old man.

    !!!!

    "What the actual fuck!!" I yelled and quickly pushed the old man with a creepy smile off my chest.

    It was unlike me to raise my voice, much less straight out yell, but the situation deserved it. I was truly shocked out of my mind.

    "What do you think you''re doing?" I asked.

    "I was checking if you were still alive or if you had problems. Lady Kanae told me to check every six hours!" the old man said.

    That''s....reasonable.

    Why was I so shook anyways? And why do I feel a gigantic sense of disappointment wash over my entire soul?

    Well, the answer was obvious. I was expecting him to be Lady Kanae or even Shinobu but I guess I was wrong. I really shouldn''t get my hopes high just because I woke up on thep of a beautiful girl once.

    "That was...embarrassing."

    I noticed movement on my side so I looked towards the window to see Shinobu peeking in like a kitten. A yful smirk danced on her lips and her eyes zed with mischief.

    "Yes it was." she said.

    God, why did I say that out loud?

    "Thank you for keeping an eye on him." Shinobu said with a smile.

    The old man bowed and went away right after. I stared at Shinobu - not because of any particr reason other than just being fond of seeing her face.

    "So, you finally decided to wake up after two days of sleeping?" she asked.

    "It''s good to see you again." I said.

    "Same to you, I didn''t expect to see you again so soon." she said and then threw a sword at me. I effortlessly caught the sword with a puzzled look.

    "Why don''t you stretch those tight muscles and give me some tips, Hashira." she said, "A nice sweat before a bath is always good."

    It was weird that she asked me for such things right after waking up. Literally, no one does that, at least say good morning first.

    But sometimes, eyes can tell you more than words. From the eagerness in her eyes and the way she peek at the window as if she had done it multiple times, I could tell that she had been waiting for me to wake up for a while now.

    Likely to talk to me because she wanted to ask me for advice. There was also apetitive glint in her eyes. I saw a girl who was motivated to try her best and live up to what she believed was her sister''s expectation.

    She was honest and would go for what she wanted without hesitation like a child.

    "Sure." I said and cracked my neck. She was right, my body was indeed tight and full of knots.

    Her smile widened and she moved away from the window right as I lept out from it.

    I remembered the pattern of Wind Breathing during my fight with Sanemi, so this would be a good time to try those out.

    I was feeling refreshed and a bit weaker due to an empty stomach. But I immediately shot towards Shinobu with the sword.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : If you get the reference of *thup-dup* then you my guy, are the goat. I like you.

    Anyways, sorry for disappearing. I have a life and life happens if you know what I mean. I''ll do extra Chapters tomorrow again to make up for it.

    ...

    <strong><i>Join my patreon to read ahead and support the kawai author!!! </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 34: Destined to never win

    <h4>Chapter 34: Destined to never win</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "What were you thinking inviting him to a spar immediately after he woke up? He is our guest Shinobu, at least feed him first."

    I ate a bowl of rice while watching Kanae reprimand her sister. Shinobu had an awkward smile on her face, trying toe up with excuses but finding none.

    "Didn''t I also tell you that he needed rest for at least four days to healpletely?"

    "I know, I know. Sorry I got carried away because I was excited." she said, it was the worst excuse ever but I liked the honesty.

    "Besides, sparring with me would not even be considered an activity to him. He beats me as easy as he breathes, right Seiji?" Shinobu asked and turned to me.

    "Sure."

    It was literally true.

    She huffed, as if she was finally out of the case because I sided with her. Kanae grabbed her own face and sighed before turning to me.

    "How''s the food, Seiji?"

    "It''s good."

    "I''m d to hear that. I am confident in making healthy food but not tasty food. It''s good if you like it." she said and smiled. "And sorry if my sister was bothering you."

    "Hey!! I was not bothering him, we''re friends."

    Were we? I was not sure if people became friends that easily. But then again, the same thing happened with Rengoku.

    That means now I have two friends, a boy and a girl. That''s two more than what I thought I''d ever have.

    The sisters were fun to watch, it was crystal clear that they loved each other and got along just from seeing thier interaction. Even the way they argued was straight out of the writer''s mind when he imagined a perfect sibling rtionship.

    I invited them to eat with me and since neither of them had breakfast yet, they agreed to join. The three of us ate our food on the engawa - which was the Japanese version of the porch - while gazing out at the garden.

    The Flower Mansion was a serene ce meant for healing. The ce was filled with good-scented flowers and a small artificial stream fed the garden. It''s beauty and peace was what allowed many patients to heal faster,

    We had small talks where the sister asked where I came from, and if I had any remaining families alive.

    Yes, they legit asked me if I had any families alive because it was somon amongst demon yers to have thier families killed by a demon. It was basically the canon event for most demon yers and it was why they became who they were in the first ce.

    No one wanted to make a living by killing demons unless they had a thirst for vengeance or deep hatred towards demons- unless, of course, it''s your family tradition like Rengoku.

    Heck, being a solider was safer and better than being a demon yer.

    I told them I had an aunt and uncle back in my vige who adopted me but my parents and siblings were all killed by a demon when I was young.

    They also told me about thier past and how thier family was ughtered by a demon with only the two of them being survivors. They said it was Gyomei who saved them just in time before the demon could get to them.

    "We got lucky because we still have each other after we lost everything. But you...I couldn''t even imagine what it would be like, to lose your parents, brother and..sister." Kanae said softly. I could see the pity in her eyes and if I was being honest, I didn''t like it.

    "It''s fine, you get used to it." I lied, you never got used to it.

    You can''t.

    Losing people you love is like losing a limb or losing your hearing, you lose a part of yourself forever, and you are no longerplete. You never got used to it, you just learned to move forward in your iplete self.

    "Time heals all wounds." I said again. ''It will heal me too.''

    Then the conversation shifted towards something fun and light-hearted. They told me stories about thier training and how Kanae became a Hashira.

    It was mostly just Shinobu who talked about how Kanae became a Hashira. From the way she talked about her sister, I could see the deep admiration she had for her.

    After we finished the food, Kanae gave me another check-up on my condition and even though I could see the condition of my body perfectly with my eyes, it was nice to hear the analysis of a professional.

    I spent the rest of the dayzing around and practising the patterns of Wind Breathing whenever I felt like it.

    Actually, it did not end there. I spent the next two days doing nothing but resting and practising the different Breathing Styles.

    Kanae was a busy Hashira but she managed to share breakfast with us every day. On the other hand, Shinobu was perpetually at the Flower Mansion and taking care of the patients.

    She would also train to be a demon yer whenever she could. She was going to participate in the Final Selection next year so she was preparing for that.

    My rtionship with the two sisters grew a lot during the two days, especially with Shinobu. As two teenagers of simr age, our topics of interest aligned and there was a special chemistry between us.

    Shinobu was very different from what I remembered in the anime. In fact, Kanae resembled Shinobu in the anime more than she did.

    One of the main topics we would talk about was books and stories. Apparently, Shinobu was quite fond of stories, especially that of horror or ghost stories. I also liked stories and reading in general, having read many books in my past life.

    I liked reading different books so much that I learned how to read in 12 differentnguages. I would often tell stories I remembered from my past life to her. She thought I came up with them and she had termed me as a genius in her mind.

    Other than that, I was helping around the Mansion any way I could - which mostly consisted of helping the patients with broken bones - which was verymon. With my eyes, I was easily able to fix dislocated shoulders or joints and also help in aligning broken bones so that they healed faster.

    But after two days had passed, I was finally allowed to be in action again. And my peaceful life came to an end, it was short but sweet.

    The first thing I did after being told I could fight again was as anyone would''ve expected.

    "Let''s have a match between us, Kanae." I said.

    "It has not even been one second." She blinked.

    Well, I have been staying stagnant for too long. I needed to continue my journey towards strength and what better way than challenging strong opponents?

    I have also been curious about flower breathing so I really wanted to see it in action.

    "I guess it can''t be helped." she said and we went out to the yard to have a match.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    /////////////

    (15 minutester)

    "It''s impossible."

    Iy upon the grass like a leaf in autumn. My gaze was focused on the blue sky and the smoky cloud, yet the endless expanse of blue could not push away the image in my mind.

    I think what I saw was imprinted on my mind.

    "I can never win against her. Heck, I can''t even fight against her."

    The weight of the words fell on my chest, knocking air out of my lungs. My body felt hot and my brain did not have sufficient blood to processplicated thoughts. All of the blood in my body was rushing to somewhere else.

    So, here''s what happened.

    After the fight started, I was struck with a frightening realization.

    My style of fighting required me to look at my opponent''s body - muscles, blood flow, joint movement etc - to predict thier attacks and reply to thier actions.

    To do this, I used my X-ray vision. And what do you think happened when I finally used an x-ray on a beautiful girl like Kanae?

    Yeah, it would not be wrong to say I fought two battles at once. My mind could not focus on the fight at all as it was always distracted by other thoughts. My action was a mix of fighting and trying to hide my hard member.

    It was impossible.

    I was, by no means a degenerate. I did not react in such ways even when I peek at other beautiful women.

    So even though Kanae was by far the most attractive girl I met, I was doing fine just seeing her naked body.

    But when Kanae started fighting, it was a different matter. Flower breathing required elegant movement and flexibility so it almost looked like she was dancing. And when she danced, ''they'' danced too.

    With sweat covering her body, it was too much to take. It was too sensual. I might have superhuman strength but I was just a teenager. It was a battle I was never meant to win.

    "How embarrassing." I said in absolute defeat.

    Today, I realized a new fatal weakness of mine and honestly, I was not sure how to ovee this. I could only hope that this ends when I stopped being a hormonal (horny) teenager.

    ''Luckily, girls as beautiful as the Kocho sisters were rare.''

    "Are you okay Seiji." Kanae asked me. She was upside down in my vision as she looked down at me.

    I looked away and blushed.

    "Yeah, I''m fine." Respectfully.

    "It''s okay. You just healed, maybe you are still not feeling well."

    "Yeah, maybe." I said, knowing full well that no matter the condition I was in..

    I was destined to never win against waifus.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of what Seiji saw!! Don''t miss this!! ]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : New week. Give me stones and I give you extra Chapters.

    No set goals, I will simply match your efforts in the name of equivalent exchange.

 Chapter 35: Destroyer of Demons

    <h4>Chapter 35: Destroyer of Demons</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I''d rather watch a pig trying to climb a tree."

    "Look away then, no one is forcing you to watch me!!!" Shinobu said as she did....whatever it was that she was doing with her sword.

    She moved with the grace of a feather but it was clear that the sword was too heavy for her. The steel in her hand threw her entire posture off bnce. It was a horrible sight to see.

    "Can''t you just go back to practising with a wooden sword?" I asked, my voice was hopeful.

    Shinobu was by no means a weak girl, she was simply normal while being surrounded by freaks of nature. She had the strength you would expect a 13-year-old girl to have.

    She could pick up the sword and swing it - a civilian won''t even notice the problem. But with a trained eye, you could see that the sword was heavy for her. She was not strong enough to swing her sword, much less cut off a head.

    She was simply not meant to be a swordsman.

    "Why don''t YOU practice with a wooden sword." she said while performing movements simr to her sister''s. "STOP WATCHING ME!!"

    Honestly, I wish I could. But seeing her try to swing the sword in vain, I knew there was a big chance that she could hurt herself.

    My eyes were locked on her figure as she practised. I could predict when and where an ident was going to take ce by reading her body and the sword in her hand.

    Before long, I was proven right as the katana flew off her slender finger. I burst into action, using the concept of Thunder BReathing, I covered the distance in an instant.

    I was also moving before it actually happened so I was just in time to catch the sword before it fell on her and graze her pale leg.

    "....."

    "...."

    She blushed and looked away.

    "thank you." I knew it did not ring out from theck of air rushing out of her mouth but I could read her lips.

    "You''re wee."

    "Would you listen to me now?" I asked.

    She pursed her lips and her big round eyes looked up at me. They had no pupils and looked like the eyes of an insect, but it was beautiful.

    "No. I think this is a great chance for me to give everything I have, knowing that you will save me if I mess up." she said under my eyes full of disbelief.

    "I will take this~" she said and took the sword from my hand. She slipped past me so that she could continue practising on her own.

    I sighed.

    I watched her from a close distance, trying to advice her as best as I could while also saving her when she messed up.

    An hour passed and I couldn''t hold it anymore. I knew I should leave it to her to find her own path but it was unbearable.

    There was something triggering about seeing someone who I knew would be incredible, stray from her path. Most people wouldn''t get it since most people didn''t have eyes like mine.

    The closest thing I couldpare it to was watching someone eat a burrito from the middle. You were simply not supposed to do it like that.

    So I said, "You are trying too hard to be like your sister."

    She stopped practicing and looked towards me. Beads of sweat fell down her dolly face and trailed on her perfect skin.

    "I know you deeply admire her but you are not your sister and you never will be. You have to stop trying to imitate her." I said.

    She frowned, "But she is a Hashira, if I-"

    "Yes, but you are not blessed physically like she is." I cut her off and she clenched her fist in frustration.

    She knew that her body was not strong like her sister''s. She was small and weak. It has been her greatest insecurity.

    "You need to find areas where you are blessed as well. I can see something special in you Shinobu, you just need to learn to see that too." I said genuinely. I hoped this time, my voice did note out stoic.

    She remained standing in her ce for a long time as she contemted my words. Then she met my eyes with a question, "Tell me, what should I do?"

    I shrugged, "I don''t know. That''s for you to find out. But I do have some advice." I said and put a finger on my chin.

    Shinobu perked up, her eyes expectant.

    "Firstly, even though you suck at swinging your sword, you have no trouble stabbing so you should polish that area." I said and she knitted her eyebrows in thought.

    "But you can only kill a demon by cutting off its head."

    "Says who?" I asked, "The demon king? The almighty God? Yoriichi?"

    I shook my head, "Where there is a will, there is always a way. If you want to kill a demon enough, you should have no trouble finding ways to kill it."

    "Like using poison." I said while biting down a smile.

    "Poison? But demons have great regenerative ability, poison would not work on them unless it''s a Wi-" she paused, her round eyes widening in a silent realization

    ''Yes, what if those poison has wisteria flowers?''

    Remeber, it was not a sword that brought the downfall of Muzan and Douma.

    It was poison.

    Then silent persists as she went deep into thought. She was testing the theory that came up in her mind, arguing against it and supporting it.

    "I''ll take this." I said and slowly pulled the sword out of her hand. She was too deep in thought to even notice.

    "Seems like you figured out something, I will leave you to your thoughts." I said and walked away from her. The moment I turned around, my lips stretched into a smirk.

    This should help her figure out her fighting style sooner than she did in canon. Although it was questionable, I think I did the right thing.

    I went around thepound to enjoy the day. I was thinking of what I was going to do in the time being but my thoughts were cut short when Ravennded on my head.

    "Oh, hey there princess, how''ve you been?" I asked and pet her head as she made herselffortable in my hair.

    She nuzzled on my finger for a few seconds before she quickly collected herself. Her eyes turned dead again and she tapped on my scalp.

    I blinked, "There is someone for me?"

    Raven said that someone was waiting for me outside of the mansion. I immediately headed towards the main entrance of the Flower Mansion and that was when I met him again after a long time.

    "Hatori?"

    A quick recap for those who forgot. Hatori Kanezuka was the swordsmith who created my sword and delivered it to me.

    I ran towards him and bowed when I reached him. He had a wide smile on his face which i could see through his mask.

    It seems like I was not the only one who was happy we met again.

    "Hahahaha look at you now my boy! Already a Hashira in two month." He said proudly and surprised me by wrapping his arms around me.

    He gave me a hug.

    "Its good to see you again too." I said as he let go.

    "But what brings you here?"

    "Oh, haven''t they told you? Each Hashira gets a new sword made of the highest quality of Scarlet Ore. This sword will be exceptional, unlike the one I made you before."

    He then showed me the sword he had been carrying on his back. It was the exact replica of mine in terms of size and length but I could immediately notice the difference when I held it.

    It was perfectly bnced, without w.

    Without another word, I drew the sword from its sheath and was immediately stunned when I saw the perfection of the de.

    "This is...." words got stuck in my mouth as I fully pulled out the sword.

    The first thing I noticed was the engravings at the start of the de. The word, ''Destroyer'' was boldly written on it with Kanji

    On the opposite side, it was also written ''Evil Demons.''

    Put them both together and it meant ''Destroyer of Evil Demons''

    <strong>�� ���� �� �� �� ��� �� ����</strong>

    The perfect edge of the de reflected the light of the sun on my face. It was almost blinding.

    "A true masterpiece." I said in amazement. My eyes took in every little detail of the de and they agreed with every meaning held by the word.

    I could feel it.

    This was it...

    This was the sword that would end it all.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE (Post cool swords as well if you can) ]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I am not sure how to match number 1 effort but this extra Chapter should be a good start.

    500 stones?

 Chapter 36: Pee-pee

    <h4>Chapter 36: Pee-pee</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "She''s beautiful isn''t she?" the movement of his lips brought me back to the real world.

    "Yeah." I said and marvelled at the sword for thest time before sheathing.

    "Its one of the best works I''ve done in my whole life." he admitted with a smile, "I have been practicing on making an odachi so that should be better than the previous one in design as well, not just quality."

    "Thank you for all your hard work."

    "Bah! Its nothing. It is we who should be thanking you. You''re fighting the war for us and keeping everyone safe. I heard you even killed a lower moon so thank you." he said.

    "Oh an speaking of swords, how''s the one that I made for you? You have note to me for repairs at all and I assumed it was because you have been inactive. But that''s not true so why haven''t youe yet? Do you have another smith who repairs your sword?"

    "Actually, the sword was never in need of repair. The only damage it got so far were some chips which I was able to smoothen out with sharpening stone myself." I said.

    Due to my perfect movement and superior mastery over the sword, there had been no case where I broke my sword or damaged it heavily.

    It was not a noticeable thing but its what sets me apart from other swordsmen. If you learn how to cut perfectly at all times, you will find yourself with less damage to your sword.

    "Hah! I''d call you a liar if you were anyone else." Hatori said with a smile. He clearly knew the skill it took to not damage your sword in every fight as well.

    "Now that I''ve done what I came here for, I think its time for me to leave."

    "So soon? How about we sit down for tea first?"

    "Nah, duty calls at the moment. I still have much work to do like delivering a new sword to the Wind Hashira."

    "Well then..." I said and put away the odachi before I bowed at a right angle, "Thank you yet again.

    Hatori smiled under the mask, "I wish you all the best in your future endeavours kid."

    "You too."

    Hatori turned around and walked away from the Flower Mansion. I watched his image disappearing into the horizon and I went back into the mansion.

    Now I have received my Hashira sword.

    I guess that means its time to finally continue my journey again.

    It''s been fun.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    //////////////////////////

    (The next day)

    "Couldn''t you stay for a few more days?"

    "Stop it Shinobu, he is also a Hashira, he has his own duty to uphold now."

    I smiled as the two sisters stood in front of the Flower Mansion to bid me farewell. I was fully equipped with my Demon Salyer uniform along with my new sword - fully ready to take on all the evil of the world once more.

    "Your sister''s right Shibi. Besides, a few more days won''t make a difference, it will only make it harder to say goodbye eventually." I said and the girl had a healthy blush on her face when I called her Shibi.

    It was a nickname I gave her because Shinobu can be a mouthful. And she can do nothing about it because I earned the right fair and square in Hanafuda (Japanese card games).

    Kanae just smiled teasingly, seeing her sister blush and all.

    "Safe travels to you Seiji."

    "And you toody Kanae."

    "I told you you don''t have to call me that."

    "Sorry, it stuck to me since everyone in the mansion called you so." I said.

    "Make sure to visit us again whenever you have time." she said and I nodded.

    "I wish you safety on your journey as well." Shinobu said but then she smirks lightly, "But not too safe, maybe get some injuries now and then so that you are forced to return."

    "Shinobu!"

    "Thank you for your hospitality so far." I said and turned around before leaving the mansion.

    It was fun spending time with the Kocho sisters but now the slice of life has to end. It was time to end the vain existence of demons again.

    After a few minutes of walking, the mansion had already disappeared under the thick forest. I looked up into the sky and noticed Raven flying overhead.

    She flew down before making a nest on my head again.

    "Ready Raven?"

    tap tap pause tap

    And that was yes in morse code.

    "Then lets begin."

    .

    .

    .

    <i>"Seiji Shigan!! Seiji Shigan!! Seiji Shigan!! A demon has been sighted in a vige located to the north! A demon has been sighted in a vige located to the north beside Mount Kashmish!! Find the demon and kill it!! Caw!! Caw!!"</i>

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    Shinobu watched Seiji leave and if she was being honest in her inner monologue, she was going to miss him.

    It was understandable, the past few days had been extremely fun. Seiji was possibly the only friend she had of her age so in a way, it felt like a childhood friend moving away.

    She broke out of her thoughts when he finally disappeared on the horizon. She turned to her sister only to find her smiling teasingly at her. For some reason, Shinobu immediately got embarrassed.

    "You like him, don''t you?" Kanae said with a knowing look.

    Like was a strong word.

    It was also the perfect word.

    Yeah, she likes him, so what!!

    "..N-No." Shinobu replied. "It''s not like that."

    "Oh my, I''ve never seen you blush like that ufufufufu." Kanae teased, "You''re so adorable."

    "But at least I know my sister knows how to choose them. Seiji is quite the looker, isn''t he? Not only that, he seemed to have a good character and he is strong." Kanae said and then paused.

    "I would move fast if I was you."

    "I said it''s not like that!!" Shinobu denied it and huffed, "It''s not that serious."

    After all, she was at the age where her crush could change like the weather. A childhood crush was not that serious. What she valued more was the friendship they now had between them.

    "Besides, aren''t you also interested in him?" Shinobu asked her sister with narrowed eyes.

    "My, my, already so protective. Well, it''s true that I am interested in him but not like you though." She said, "For example, unlike you I don''t want to see his pee pee."

    "I don''t wanna see it either!!" Shinobu said, causing Kanae to giggle.

    "And don''t call it pee pee, there is a perfect medical name for it."

    "Oh, and what is that?" Kanae asked and then waited.

    "...."

    "...."

    Shinobu knew but at the moment, she was suddenly conscious about saying it. Its embarrassing.

    "I hate you."

    "Peepee it is."

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Thanks for the stones!! I see maximum effort. Next Chapter should be up in an hour again.

 Chapter 37: Death

    <h4>Chapter 37: Death</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    It was one thing to hear about death.

    And another to witness death.

    It was more horrifying than you would be willing to believe. It was like a cold grip on your heart that tightened with every movement you made. It was unreal.

    But it was there, someone was dead. That''s it.

    Thier love, thier story, thier dreams, and thier memory. All of those came to an end. It was easy to understand but impossible toprehend the absolute end.

    And for what?

    "Oooo~ I like the colour of your blood." crimson red - the fuel of life - spewed out like a fountain as the demon brutally tore through his daughter.

    He cried, he cried, he cried, he cried....he cried....and he cried some more. But none of those tears were for his torn limbs, his gaping wound, or his half-eaten neck.

    It was for his daughter. It was for the life he made, the life he loved.

    He was d that his daughter was dead. Her silence at least assured him that she was no longer suffering. Yet her silence did not silence her earlier screams. Those tragic sounds still remained in his ears.

    A question popped in his barely conscious mind. Why do humans even scream at all when they are in danger or when they are in pain?

    Humans screamed when they were in danger because it was a cry for help. It was a final struggle to call for assistance from someone else.

    If that was so, her scream must have been a call for help and since he was the only one nearby, it was directed at him.

    His own daughter was calling for help but he couldn''t do anything.

    ''Why couldn''t it just be me? Why wouldn''t he eat me instead of her?'' he thought in his mind while watching the demon devour her flesh.

    It was a cold truth but the reason was that the girl was younger and tasted better.

    "Such a pretty skull." the demon said while tearing off the scalp from the girl to feast on her brains.

    Why had he not died yet? Why was he forced to witness his daughter being dismembered like this? he wondered to himself.

    But his body moved on its own and his heart took control. He had a knife in one hand as he crawled towards the demon.

    His body moved out of pure hatred and spite alone.

    Die.

    Die.

    Die.

    He cursed with all his heart.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ..

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    Someone crashed through the walls of the house and before anyone could react, thunder rang out. It was loud enough to rupture eardrums.

    The entirety of the house itself was sliced in half as the entire foundation shook violently. After the world returned to normalcy, the demon was already headless and a silhouette was standing in front of him.

    The father could not make out the details but he saw purple eyes in the dark. It was so unnatural and eerie that it struck him with more fear than the demon''s eyes.

    Those purple eyes locked on the demon as it slowly turned into ash. The father felt his blood growing cold as he gazed more into those eyes.

    He couldn''t believe the hatred he saw in them. There was so much hatred and anger in those eyes that it even eclipsed his.

    His body grew colder as the adrenaline stopped. Now that the demon was dead, he had no reason to live. He should hurry and meet his daughter on the other side.

    As the father drew his final breath, he thanked those purple eyes for avenging him and his daughter. He also wished peace upon them.

    Because living must be hell with that much hatred.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I watched as the fire I started inside engulfed the entire house. Its raging me burned the bodies of the father and daughter inside and the house acted as a coffin for them.

    I joined my hands and gave a prayer for them.

    I silently watched the fire burning away the house as Ravennded on my head. I did not react and only spoke after minutes had passed.

    "I was toote."

    Raven tapped on my head and told me that it wasn''t my fault.

    I smiled, "It is my fault."

    If it was not my fault then whose was it? Was it the fault of the father and daughter for being too weak? Or was it the demon''s fault for being hungry?

    It was none of them. It was entirely my fault and I was not afraid to take the me.

    It will make me stronger, it will make me faster next time. I savoured the bitterness in my heart.

    "Next time, it won''t happen again." I promised.

    I saw the entire thing happen. It was times like these when I hated my eyes. I could see miles upon miles forward and observe the scene but my body was not fast enough to stop them.

    "What a bad day to have eyes. Those scenes will forever be stuck in my mind too." I said. With great eyes also came photogenic memories.

    It was not as broken as it sounds though. For example, just because I could recall the things I read perfectly doesn''t mean I can be a genius. Learning and memorizing were a different thing.

    The main way I used this ability was to remember patterns in movements. It was how I could read my opponents perfectly and predict them. It was also how I easily learned the patterns of breathing styles. If I saw it once, it''s in my mind forever.

    There were also other uses, like remembering traumatic events perfectly or recalling fond memories.

    And by fond memories, I meant times like when I sparred with Kanae.

    I smiled. Finally, my mind had found a way to escape the depressing mood - jokes and nudes.

    Peal of mirthlessughter escaped my lips as I left the house. The area around was cleared of trees so the fire should not spread

    Then I shifted my mind to another topic.

    It has been a month since I became a Hashira and I have spent most of my time going on different missions and sharpening my skills with the sword.

    The life of a demon yer was not an easy one, much less that of a Hashira. When you were the literal pir of humanity against the demons, there was no time to rx.

    You could always be doing more. So I have been learning to rx a little bit and learn that some causalities were necessary.

    ".... "

    Actually, I think being constantly surrounded by death and demons had wrapped my mind.

    <i>"Kaw!! Kaw!! Kaw!! Seiji Shigan! Seiji Shigan! Go to the vige of Noseki!! Go to the vige of Noseki in the east! Travel East to Noseki vige kaw!! kaw!!"</i>

    ''What? Already?'' I thought to myself and looked up at the Kusagai crow circling in the sky.

    Well, I guess I could rest in the vige. The message did not say anything about having to immediately y a demon so it''s probably a mission that requires investigation first.

    I think this was a way of Lord Ubuyashiki giving me a break.

    With Raven nesting on my head and guarding my back, I travelled towards the East to the Noseki vige.

    I had not been there but I''ve heard of it before.

    The sun rose up not long after and as I encountered fellow travellers on the road, I asked them for directions so I did not have trouble finding the vige.

    At the time before noon, I finally reached my destination.

    The vige itself was peaceful and after a brief scan from the horizon, I determined that there were around 300 houses. Noseki was definitely not a small vige.

    The scent of tea and herbs wafted through the vige. I was but a deaf man but I could tell that the vige was calm and peaceful. Which aligned with what I have heard about the vige.

    Apparently, the vige had multiple onsen and it was kinda of a resting ce for travellers. Many came to the vige for a vocation and the ce was also known for its herbs and tea.

    "That''s quite a marvel." I muttered to myself when I finally saw the stone bridge called ''Ishibashi'' which was a centrepiece of the vige,

    It was a bridge that connected the farnds and the main vige. It was ancient and it was a mystery how the ancestors of the vigers managed to build that.

    I crossed the river by using the stone bridge and finally entered the vige. The people in the vige immediately turned thier heads towards me.

    It was understandable since I had quite a remarkable appearance and creepy eyes as I have been told. Not only that, I was strapped with a long sword on my back.

    Surprisingly, no one approached me and just looked away after seeing my clothes and the sword behind my back, which I found odd. Normally, people in any vige were way more wary of me.

    Not that I wasining, I liked that they left me alone.

    I walked through the vige and turned my head around, scanning the ce and enjoying the view. There were kids ying and people who were going on with heir daily lives.

    I also noticed that there were proper electrical wires and towers in the vige which was neat.

    But as i walked through the vige, my eyes suddenly caught a familiar face. I stopped and stared.

    ''What is he doing here?''

    "Oh!! You''re here already. Like I expected, you are quite fast hahahaha." heughed loudly as his gems glittered.

    "But still not quite as fast as me." he shed me a bright smile.

    Well, it seemed that something else was going on. This was no standard mission because otherwise, he wouldn''t be here.

    The Sound Hashira, and the fastest/shiest Demon yer.

    Tengen Uzui.

    "Yo."

    ..

    ..

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : What a difference in mood am I right? The previous Chapter and this one.

    I just noticed it as I release them back to back.

    . .

    ..

    Join the patreon to read ahead and support the story!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 38: The Hot spring incident

    <h4>Chapter 38: The Hot spring incident</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Standing at the impressive height of 6''6 feet and filled with bulbous functional muscles, Uzui Tengen was an absolute unit.

    He was standing beside Gyomei during the Hashira meeting so he gave the impression of being normal, but now that I took a look at him up close by himself, I realized how truly monstrous he was.

    You''re telling me, this dude was even faster than me?

    A part of me would never believe it unless I saw it. A creature this big should not be allowed to move that fast.

    My eyes pierced through the very fabric of his being, analyzing from head to toe like a modern supeputer.

    Humans have two types of skeletal muscle fibres called fast twitch muscles and slow twitch muscles.

    Slow twitch muscles contract slower and were designed for long-duration activities. They produce less energy in a moment but can produce energy for a long time. This means that athletes like long-distance runners or cyclists have more of these types of muscles. They had no explosive power but had high endurance.

    Fast twitch muscles were the opposite, they contract faster. They were designed to produce a burst of speed or power but they fatigue quickly. Athletes like powerlifters and sprinters had more of these types of muscles. They had less endurance for sudden bursts of power.

    Humans have both types of muscles in their bodies. But depending on how you train, you can have more of either one of these.

    And as my eyes pierced through Tengen''s skin and analyzed his muscles, I was surprised to learn that his body was made up of mostly fast twitch muscle. The ratio between them was so far apart that it should''ve been impossible.

    It meant that he was extremely explosive but would not do well in a drawn-out battle.

    My eyes continued, studying the exceptional mind-muscle connection of his body. His fingers had insane dexterity and the proportionate muscles on both arms told me that he could use them both. He was a warrior who used two swords.

    I also noticed his freak liver and therge amount of white blood cells in his body which would exin his poison resistance. His quad muscles were ginormous but his calves were small due to his long Achilles tendon which was a tendon that helps with explosive power.

    It was always incredible toy my eyes upon such specimen. Humans who were just built different. Thier uniqueness was beautiful.

    Instinctively, my eyes glowed and searched for weakness. The body contained the history of every experience someone had so I read those.

    From his rigid thumb which was no longer as flexible as the rest of the fingers due to being constantly broken, to the small bruises on his pelvis region, my eyes searched for a weakness in his body. That was until my eyes travelled up to his face.

    Gone was his friendly and joyous expression. His face held a dangerous edge and his eyes spoke of warnings.

    Oops.

    I blinked and stopped analyzing. Tengen was not like the other Hashira, he was a shinobi who had trained since he was a child so he felt it when my eyes searched for a weakness in his body.

    He probably got serious when he saw me stare at each and every w and weakness his body held.

    "That was not very nice." he said.

    I''m sure it was not the best experience to have someone stare and pin down your weakness with their gaze. I''d imagine the feeling to be like someone staring at your insecurity.

    I looked down, apologetic. "I''m sorry."

    "..."

    "..."

    "Welp!! It''s okay. I will excuse you this time hahaha." heughed, "It''s just been a long time since someone looked at me like that, sorry if I scared you kid."

    Scared? I wasn''t scared. I just finished pinpointing every part of your giant body I should aim for, to kill you.

    Is what I would say if I was edgy like literally any main character of High school DxD fanfic on wattpad.

    "It''s nice to meet you again Mister Tengen."

    "Just Tengen is fine. I already have such a fashionable name, no need to ruin it by adding mister." he said and shed me a smile.

    "Okay then, Tengen." I said, "By the way, you said you were expecting me but I wasn''t informed anything about you. Is it a mission that requires two Hashiras?"

    A mission that demanded two Hashiras, were we clearing a hideout of demons or fighting a lower moon or something?

    "Hahaha, what do you mean a mission? Ah, you don''t know since you are new but every month, the Master will give us a few days to rest so we are doing just that."

    "Wait there are no mission?"

    Was that why the Kusagai crow only said to go to the Noseki vige and didn''t mention anything about ying a demon?

    "No missions kiddo, it''s a time to let loose!"

    "Are the other Hashriasing as well?" I asked, kind of expectantly.

    "Well, they are all invited." he said, "But it''s pretty rare that they attend. It''s usually just me and one or two other Hashrias now and then. You see, they are quite serious about thier job and very uptight so they don''t always take the chance for a break. Me on the other hand, I''ve never missed one."

    My lips curved,

    "I see." Literally because I don''t hear.

    Then someone called Tengen from a distance. He immediately turned around and I followed his line of sight to see a woman with ck curly hair with bangs and blue eyes.

    "Uzui!! We want to go to the hot springs already!"

    It was one of his wives if I remember correctly. And need I say that she was extremely hot? She was thick as hell. She was exactly what you would imagine a sexy female shinobi specializing in seduction to look like.

    "Okay, Suma! Go ahead I will be right there." Tengen said with a wave and Suma quickly left for the hot spring

    He turned back to me, his smile was a little more genuine and brighter this time.

    "Your wife?"

    "Yeah, one of them." he said, "Did you see the joy in her voice? They are the reason why I never miss any breaks. They never get to have me all for themselves with all the work so any break I can get, I spend it with them." he shed a smile.

    "You''re a lucky man." I said.

    "Sure am! hahaha." he said, "Well, I have to go now. As you saw, they are waiting for me. Stay shy kid, I will meet you again."

    !!!!

    My body tensed and I immediately created distance when I saw him inhale huge volumes of air in his body. His muscles contracted and got ready to explode with power.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    Then he did explode out. A resounding boom erupted, breaking the sound barrier and even though I was deaf, I could tell by the vibration that it was extremely loud.

    My eyes barely caught his body amidst the dust as he blitzed towards the hot spring. I was left in utter disbelief.

    ''The guy just used a breathing technique to have a shy exit.''

    I looked down at the small crater. Now there was a small crater on the dirt road of the vige. It won''t be hard to fix though.

    I sighed. It seems all of the Hashiras were a bunch of unique characters. First, there was Sanemi with his anger issues, then Shinjuro with his depression and alcoholism, and Kanae with her ''ara~ ara~'' vibe.

    Finally, there was Tengen Uzui....I don''t know how to describe him yet.

    Anyways, armed with the new information that I was not on a mission and was meant to rx, I felt my body loosen up as a sense of relief washed over me.

    If this was a break, let me enjoy it.

    "By sleeping as much as I want." I said and then I walked around the town in search of the perfect nap ce.

    It did not take me long to find a small hill near the outskirts of the vige which was perfect for a nap. It was extremely simr to the ce Eren slept when he was a child. It had a gentle patch of green grass and a small tree provided the perfect shade under the warm sun.

    Iid down at the ce and gazed upon the vast blueness of the sky.

    My thoughts went back to Tengen Uzui and his breathing style. He was the user of Sound Breathing and like I initially suspected, it would be useless for me to learn that breathing style.

    It was quite simr to Thunder Breathing in their pattern but overall, it was a personalized breathing style meant for Tengen alone. It was a perfect fit for his body but it wouldn''t be the same for me.

    I was better off using Thunder Breathing.

    I also learned that Sound Breathing would be virtually useless against me since it relied heavily on disorienting your opponent with loud sounds and vibrations.

    It took advantage of the imprinted instincts of creatures. The ear was an important organ for not only hearing but for bnce as well. That meant loud sounds could disturb the bnce of beings, even demons I''d assume.

    Another interesting fact was that humans instinctively flinch or react at sounds higher than 100 decibels even if they braced for it. I''d assume the sound breathing to take advantage of such things as well.

    And there was the main strength of sound breathing which was its sheer speed.

    ....

    Yeah, I was able to deduce all that with the things I remebered from the anime and from seeing him execute one form of sound breathing.

    With such thoughts swirling in my mind and with Raven nestling beside me - to protect me - I closed my eyes to enter a world of absolute silence and darkness.

    I was vulnerable.

    But under the feeling of the warm sun on my skin and trusting Raven, I let sleep im my consciousness.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////

    I woke up at night.

    Which was by no means a new experience for me as a demon yer. In fact, it was my new normal at this point.

    I stretched under the moon and took some time to refresh myself before I entered the vige again. The streets were softly lit up by the street lights and I head towards one of the onsen that I saw in the morning.

    I reached the onsen soon enough and paid the owner before heading to the changing room to take off my clothes. After I was done, I headed into the hot spring and after cleaning myself with the water and soap, I stepped into the hot spring.

    "Haaaa~ This is good." I said, " I can get used to breaks."

    The water, almost too hot, burned away all of the fatigue that had built up in my body during the month as I sunk deeper and deeper into the water.

    I opened my eyes and looked around the onsen - which by the way, I should''ve done before entering the hot spring.

    That was when I experienced the ssic anime ''walking in on someone at the hot spring'' troupe but with a twist.

    There was someone else in the hot spring. They were naked and with half of thier face submerged underwater as they blew bubbles.

    I stared with a nk face

    So here''s the twist.

    It was dude.

    "It''s a shock to see you here." I said, "Tomioka."

    *bubbles* (You too)

    I was disappointed that that I couldn''t learn Sound Breathing butdy luck seem to be on my side. Because a wild Water Hashira suddenly appeared!!

    it was high time I learned another Breathing Style and this was one I looked forward to the most.

    Break''s over I guess.

    Water Breathing get!!

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Stones!!!

    <strong><i>Join ma patreon to read ahead!! </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 39: Water Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 39: Water Breathing</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "It''s a shock to see you here, Tomioka."

    Tengen said that usually one or two other Hashrias would take the break with him but never in a million years would I expect Tomioka Giyu to be one of them.

    He just never really struck me as the type of guy, both in my past life and in this one. I expected other Hashiras like Kanae, Sanemi and even Gyomei. Just not him.

    Giyu replied by blowing bubbles as half his face was submerged in water. But I was able to get what he said by the contraction of his throat.

    "Well, at first I thought this was another mission but turns out it was a rest day or something like that." I said, "I ain''tining though, I really needed it."

    Ubuyashiki really was one hell of an employer.

    My eyes scanned him from head to toe in the span of one second. In that short time, I was able to learn a lot.

    His body was extremely fatigued and there were multiple torn muscles. But theck of external injuries told me that instead of being in a tough fight, Giyu was pushing himself above his limits and he was under rigorous training.

    That was a surprise. He was already so strong as he was, I wonder what pushed him to train like a shounen protagonist. Or was he always like that?

    "I can see that you painfully needed rest. You won''t see progress until you allow your body to heal." I said, which was funny. I should be thest person to advise on the topic considering I still have the habit of depriving myself of sleep and constantly overworking.

    Giyu blinked at my words before he raised his head above the water.

    "Yes, I have been training quite hard these days."

    There was a minute of silence afterwards as we both simply enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the hot spring. The hot water on our skin made every other sensation we had in our body - soreness and pain - vanish.

    After that, I said.

    "Would it be okay if I join you in your training for a few days?"

    "You want to learn Water Breathing?" Giyu asked me, instantly deducing what I wanted. It was already known that I was a user of two different styles of breathing so it was not a surprise to him that I wanted to learn a third breathing style.

    Actually fourth, since I was getting the hang of Wind Breathing.

    "Yes." I said.

    "If you want to learn Water Breathing, I can rmend you to my sensei, Urokodaki. I think he will be better suited for teaching than I." he said. I observed his face carefully so I knew he only had good intentions.

    But, "No."

    I shook my head. "You will be a better teacher than anyone else. You see, I am a visual learner so I will be able to learn better if there is someone who can show it to me rather than instruct me."

    One factor why it took me longer to learn Thunder Breathing than me breathing was my teacher. While I fought with Rengoku and he could demonstrate the techniques for me countless times, Jigoro was an old man and even executing one form was difficult for him.

    With my eyes, I learned much better if I could see and copy instead of being guided and taught.

    And if someone like Giyu - who was one of the strongest Hashira - were to act as the one I copied from, I reckoned I would not only learn but be proficient in Water Breathing quickly.

    He blinked at my words. His face was extremely stoic so I had to deduce his expression from the little things like the way he blinked his eyes.

    Good thing his blinks said a lot.

    "I heard that you have very special eyespared to us and you are deaf. I guess that is true." Giyu said. He probably heard it from Kanae or Ubuyashiki.

    I smiled, "Indeed."

    "I wouldn''t really mind it if you join me in my training." he said.

    "Thank you." I replied.

    Then silence returned.

    "..."

    "..."

    I mean, what else did you expect when two extreme introverts were in a room together?

    I looked around the hot spring as the naughty part of my brain told me to look through the walls to peek at the female side of the hot spring.

    But I resisted such temptations.

    Not because I was a person with good morals or anything like that, but because I was not alone and it would be absolutely shameful if I got a boner with another naked guy next to me.

    "So-.." Giyu said but the rest of the sentence died in his throat.

    This time, it was my time to blink in confusion. I stared at him.

    He wanted to say something, likely start a conversation so that we could be friends or something if I based his character off of what I knew from the anime.

    But at thest moment, he hesitated. Maybe his awareness of my disability was stopping him or because he did not want to disturb me, thinking that I would prefer silence.

    Don''t worry Giyu, I know the feeling way too well. You already had the script in your mind but you suddenly hesitated right before speaking out and your mind suddenly came up with logical reasons as to why you shouldn''t do it.

    Luckily for both of us, I was blessed with the ability of prediction and pattern recognition. From the contraction of his throat, our situation and the starting word of his sentence, I deduced what he was about to say.

    "You want to ask me what my first month of being a Hashira was like," I said.

    "...."

    "Hn." he nodded.

    My lips curved, "Well, it was much more rxing to be honest. But you see, around five days ago I encountered these two kids who were forced by a demon to lure in travellers. The demon had a unique blood demon art-"

    And so, I told Giyu about the extraordinary experience I had in thest month. He also added a few words and would sometimes advise what I should''ve done in the situation.

    He also told me about the significant encounters he have had during the time that he was a Demon yer. Even before we knew it, we were having a very nice conversation in the hot spring.

    Giyu was often misunderstood by many people due to his seemingly stoic face but I could read him perfectly well. The mere blink of his eyes and the tiniest movements of his brows were enough for me to see his emotions.

    He found talking to me easier than others even though he himself did not exactly know why.

    I learned new things about the Hashria that I never knew before. Like the fact that he became a Hashira at the age of 15 and has been a Hashira for well over a year now.

    I went to the hot spring with the intention of aiding my healing and to freshen up but I got much more than I bargained for.

    Throughout the conversation, I noticed a small curve on Giyu''s lips which was arching more and more as time went on. He was smiling.

    I think he likes me.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    We went out of the hot spring after an hour or so. Giyu bid me farewell and told me if I still wanted to, I could join him in his morning training.

    He himself was going to take it easy with the training since the whole reason he took the break was so that he could heal and rest. But he said he could easily show me his breathing style.

    It waste into the night and I just woke up so to keep myself busy, I went to the river of the vige and washed my uniform and haori there. The onsen had Yukata avable so I wore those in the meantime.

    Then I spent the rest of the night with a mix of meditating, ying with Raven and training my breathing patterns.

    When morning came and the sun slowly peeked out from the horizon, Giyu finally sought me out. He led me to the outskirts of the vige and when we found a good spot, we began.

    "Water Breathing is the mostmon breathing style. It is easy to learn and its adaptability makes it so that it is helpful in any type of situation." Giyu said while pulling out his sword.

    "Water Breathing is not aggressive like other breathing styles. Instead, it relies heavily on counterattacks and defensive forms," he said and took a stance.

    "Come at me."

    Say less.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First form" </i>

    Without holding back, I pushed myself off at the speed of a bullet.

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh."</strong>

    The very act of me exploding out was loud enough to shake the earth and it made the sound of thunder. I expected a reaction from him but my eyes saw that he was still calm.

    <i>"Water Breathing : First form." </i>he whispered.<strong> "Water Surface sh."</strong>

    To counter my attack, he opted to swing his sword. The world slowed down as I was left confused, the technique was clearly not strong enough to sh against mine.

    He was not going for a block either since he was swinging his sword. So what was he nning when he swung his sword?

    My arm twitched and I swung my sword at him in one deadly stroke. I saw him adjust the grip of his sword and then he returned to motion.

    But instead of swinging in a way to sh with my sword, Giyu swung from under. My eyes widened as I saw his attack flow under my weapon and instead of trying to block it, he increased the momentum.

    With the disturbance, my swing lost its aim and whizzed right past Giyu who tilted his head.

    Time resumed.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    My eyes allowed me to see the world in slow motion but in reality, everything happened in less than a second.

    I stared at my sword and reyed how Giyu dealt with my deadliest attack with ease. Instead of blocking or dodging the momentum of my attack, he changed the trajectory by applying power under my swing.

    His movement was smooth, like flowing water. It was also the first time I''ve seen someone with perfect movement.

    It was no rocket science but what I was impressed about was how calm he was. Thunder Breathing was fast, my attack happened in the span of one second.

    And he used - not a defensive form - but an attacking form to defend. At that point was there a defensive and attacking form in Water Breathing?

    Is that what is meant when he said Water Breathing was the most adaptable?

    "Incredible." I said.

    "I want it."

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 40: Learning Water Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 40: Learning Water Breathing</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Water Breathing.

    Oh boy oh boy do I like this one.

    Where should I start? It was the perfect breathing for me. It would not be wrong to im that this breathing style was handmade for me.

    In fact, the concepts of many of the forms of Water Breathing were something I actively utilize in my fighting style.

    For example, <i>the ninth form : Sshing Water Flow, Turbulent </i>was when the user reduces thending time and surface area needed when taking each step. This was something I actively did with my perfect movement but it was a whole ass form in Water Breathing.

    Then there was<i> the third form : Flowing dance </i>which is where the user predicts the movement and location of thier opponents and executes a perfect, predetermined movement which looks smooth like a dance or flowing water.

    Again, it was something I heavily incorporated in my fighting style. My eyes predicted the enemies and I moved before it even happened.

    Not only me but Giyu was also surprised to see how well Water Breathing fits me.

    The so-called monthly breaksted for two days and during those times, I was fully focused on Water Breathing. In just two days, I was nearly able to learn everything about water Breathing.

    Giyu proved himself to be a great teacher due to his unexpected enthusiasm. After he saw how well Water Breathing suited me and the speed of my learning, he became fullymitted on teaching me.

    My training also consisted of meditating near the river where I contemted the nature of water and strived to be the element. The words of Bruce Lee were valuable even in another world.

    Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it bes the cup. If you put it in a bottle it bes the bottle and if you put it in a teacup it bes the teacup.

    Absolute adaptability was the core nature of water. With my eyes, I could see the weakness of my enemies and I could change my fighting style to match thier weakness. I did not need to have a concrete style, instead, I became whatever I needed to be to kill my enemies.

    This concept not only applied to Water Breathing for me but to fighting as a whole. I did not limit myself to one breathing style, instead, I used any breathing style which best suited the situation and was the greatest weapon to the enemy.

    If a demon had great regenerative power, I used me Breathing. If they had incredible speed, I used Thunder Breathing. If they were in groups, I used Wind Breathing.

    I have no permanent shape. I was formless, yet I could instantly take the shape of my opponent''s fear.

    Fighting was a conversation, it was debate. You don''t get into a conversation with limited words, you failed as a debtor if you followed the script. Instead, I adjusted in real time depending on what the opponent said to me. I strung together words with no purpose individually and crafted sentences that would silence the enemy.

    Words were all of the things I have learned throughout my life and they were increasing day by day. I was able tobine them and create something new every single time with my understanding and my eyes.

    That was my talent.

    ...

    It went without saying that learning Water Breathing was extremely beneficial to me. It might not be a new concept like Thunder Breathing but it enlightened me.

    Unfortunately, time was limited as two days quickly passed and we had to resume our normal mission.

    My training had to stop.

    ..at least that''s what I thought but luckily.

    <i>"Caw!! Caw!! Seiji Shigan!! Giyu Tomioka!! You two are to travel together to the West and clear the newly discovered Demon Hideout!! I repeat, Seiji Shigan!! Giyu Tomioka!! You two are to travel together to the West and clear the newly discovered Demon Hideout!"</i>

    "What a pleasant surprise," I said with a huge smile and turned towards Giyu.

    He returned my look with a smile of his own. Like I said, he was unexpectedly into training me the past two days so he was happy that it could go on.

    We quickly prepared our equipment and geared up for the mission. The three wives of Tengen whom by now I had got acquainted with, came to us to bid farewell.

    "Stay safe in your mission. Lord Tenegen also wished you the best in your journey." Makio said with a smile on her face.

    "Here, we made lunch that you can enjoy on your travels." Hinatsuru said and gave us a bento. It was thoughtful of her and I hade to enjoy her food.

    "Thank you. But where is Tengen?"

    "Well....the break ends today so he was a bit..preupiedst night. He was tired so he slept in today." Sumo said with a wide glowing smile while Makio and Hinatsuri had blush on thier faces when mentioningst night.

    "Thats fine I guess. Tell him to stay safe as well." I said and gave a respectful bow to the women.

    Damn, I was both jealous and also felt kind of bad for Tengen. The guy with the most fast twitch muscle just had to have three wives, didn''t he?

    His wives were all shinobi and stronger than other women as well. But looking at their faces, they seem happy and satisfied.

    Turly a chad.

    And with that, we left the vige of Noseki, It was time for my journey to continue but this time, I had apanion.

    Truly, it was a miracle that we got such a mission at the perfect time. Maybe Lady Luck was finally smiling on me after taking my hearing and my family.

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    (Hidden location : The Ubuyashiki Mansion)

    "Are you sure that was a good decision? Wouldn''t it have been better to send Gyomei since he is closer to the demon hideout? He will also be able to clear it by himself so we won''t have to waste two Hashira." Lady Amane asked her husband who was looking out at their garden with a permanent smile.

    "We won''t win this war if we only think about the present Amane." he said with a gentle voice that came with a breeze.

    All his ancestors made the best decisions in the present and never saw victory. He had to be different, he had to look ahead into the future because that was where victory lies. Tomorrow.

    For today, survival was enough.

    "We need to give a chance for Seiji to grow to his fullest potential. Even if that meant wasting resources now, I truly believe that it will all be worth it in the end."

    "Is that really all there is to it?"

    "Well.." Ubuyashiki trailed, "I might also want to extend thier time together. It has been long since Giyu met someone he could talk to. That child needs healing, both in mind and spirit after all he has been through. I think they will both help each other move forward."

    "I see. I understand." Lady Amane said with a smile as she gazed at her husband with hidden admiration.

    "They just need to do their best. The responsibilities on thier shoulders are heavy but I believe in my children." Ubuyashiki said as his hair danced with the wind.

    His illness was getting worse.

    Yet slowly but surely, he was building a better future.

    The war and the curse will end in his lifetime.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Sorry for disappearing but real world got too real if you know what I mean.

    Anyways, here is a double Chapter even without stones.

    Although stones are still appreciated and may or may not result in triple Chapter.

 Chapter 41: The final test

    <h4>Chapter 41: The final test</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (The demon hideout)

    "Seiji! From the side!" Giyu yelled while shing the heads demons around him.

    ''Already on it.''

    <i>"Wind Breathing : First form." </i>I whipped my sword and it created a gust of wind. Then I took in huge volumes of air with my mouth before releasing it with great force.

    <strong>"Dust Whirlwind Cutter."</strong>

    I became a whirlwind of des. A green tube made of wind energy covered my body as I minced everything in my path. I did not even aim for thier heads, I merely reduced them into scraps of meat.

    Wind Breathing was the most violent Breathing Style. It had zero uracy or fitness, which was why I had a difficult time getting used to it.

    You just sh everything in your path like a tornado which ripped apart anything in its path.

    There was no targeting weak points, there was no efficiency. You just slice everything into tiny pieces so that you hit the target.

    It was very primal. the main concept was basically Nah, I''d sh. There was nothing else to it.

    The Wind Breathing itself gave you an incredible burst of energy. It allowed you to explode with extreme force but unlike Thunder Breathing where you utilize that for linear speed, Wind Breathing lets you devastate everything in your surroundings.

    It was great for ying groups of demons.

    The aftermath of my attack was blood and flesh raining down on me. I felt my eyes twitch as I was drenched in decaying blood of demons.

    "I hate this breathing style." I murmured. I hate the style, I hate what it does and I hate its Hashira.

    Then I whipped my sword to clean it from blood and looked towards the remaining demons. Although we had killed a couple dozen of them, there were at least 20 or so demons remaining.

    Demons were like animals.

    While the stronger ones with Blood Demon Art were able to survive by themselves and even have territories where they hunted, the lesser demons would form groups to survive.

    The demons in this hideout were such lesser demons. They were not strong enough to survive on thier own so they worked together.

    "Run." I said and the demons who were frozen in fear immediately scattered around to save thier horrible lives.

    I could see Giyu on the opposite side of this abandoned mansion and he was also mowing down the demons like a well-oiled machine.

    My eyes glowed purple in the dark as I scanned the environment, The position of each demon, the direction they were running to and the cement of objects in the mansion were immediately registered in my mind like a mental map.

    I took into ount all of the movements I saw around me, I determined their speed and where they would be by the time I reached them. I predicted around 4 seconds into the future.

    Then I acted on that future.

    <i>"Water Breathing : Third Form."</i>

    <strong>"Flowing Dance."</strong>

    I danced. My footsteps were perfect so it looked like I was sliding on the floor instead of taking steps. My movements were elegant and wless as I left behind afterimage wherever I went.

    I shed - not directly at them but instead at the ce where they would be in the future.

    I string together different attacks and different sets of movements into one flowing motion. To the normal eye, it looked like aic character in action where phantoms were drawn to signify movement.

    My long de left a trail of water as I cut off the demon''s head from the most random angles.

    Water could flow through a mountain, flow over the mountain, flow under the mountain or flow around the mountain. It took any path possible but in the end, it always went through. It could not be stopped.

    Simrly, my de found thier vulnerable necks no matter what they did. They could cover thier necks, move thier heads, duck under, or try to block.

    But no matter what they did, they found themselves headless.

    Time resumed and my de cutting through the air made a sound akin to flowing water. In an instant, I chopped off the heads of thirteen different demons.

    Thier world spun as thier heads fell to the ground. Thierst vision was of thier own headless bodies with my silhouette standing in the middle.

    Goodbye and go to hell.

    The world is better without you.

    ...

    "Thirteen huh." I said and smiled, "That''s a new record."

    While I bask in my new aplishment, Giyu finished off the remaining seven demons. And thus, the mission wasplete.

    /////////////////

    (A few hourster)

    The old mansion finally caught on fire. The mes ranged and consumed the building, burning the remnant shadows of the demons along with the dark history of what happened there.

    I could feel hot air blow past my cheeks, making it quite ufortable so I took a few steps back and stood beside Giyu.

    "The mission is done." he said with a stone for a face. He neither looked pleased nor mad, he was just nk. As if he he was looking at a rock in the middle of a road.

    I gazed at my reflection on my de and I had a simr expression. But if one looked closely, they would see small hints of satisfaction in my eyes.

    I stopped looking and sheath the sword on my back.

    It has been a week and a half since I met Giyu Tomioka. The mission we were given took longer than expected since the demons were very adept at hiding.

    Even I, with my cheat eyes, was having difficulties and we had to track them down for more than four days.

    Giyu said these types of missions were mostly given to Gyomei since his perception of the world was different from ours so he could easily find demon hideouts.

    But we did not do badly at all evenpared to Gyomei. The demons were spread into many viges and they had fake hideouts to cover thier tracks which was quite tricky.

    Demons were as smart as humans if not more. So what they had was a proper organisation that required to be destroyed from the root. And that took time.

    But it was a good thing for me because it meant I got to learn more about Water Breathing and spend time with Giyu - who by the way, was absolutely adorable in character.

    I wonder if this is what Rengoku felt when he was with me.

    Giyu was introverted and appeared cold on the outside but deep down, he was a very kind soul who liked thepany of others. He also had deep traumas and a massive inferiorityplex but I mean, who doesn''t have a few screws lost in thier head in our line of work?

    The past week has been fruitful. We fought a lot of demons and even though they were weak, it allowed me to study Water Breathing by watching Giyu fight. Coupled with my own training and my innate affinity with the breathing style, Water Breathing quickly became the one I was most proficient with.

    "The third form of Water Breathing that you executed back there was incredible." Giyu said suddenly, breaking the silence. Well, not really since I was deaf but you know what I mean.

    "Thank you." I said with a smug smile that I failed to hide.

    "Less than two weeks of training and you already became more proficient in it than me." Giyu admitted. To rify, he was referring to the third form only. Water Breathing as a whole, I still had a long way to go before I became as good as him.

    It was to be expected, I had a giant advantage on certain forms because of my eyes. The third form heavily relied on prediction and perfect flow of movement so I naturally excelled in it.

    Other than that, I still had a long way to go until matched his mastery over Water Breathing.

    Giyu was possibly the person who had the most mastery over thier breathing style. The only otherpetitor to that title was Shinjuro who had decades of experience

    Just think about it. Almost all of the Hashiras in the anime had something special about them ; Mitsuri and Gyomei had superior bodies, Shinobu was a medical genius, Muichiro shared a bloodline with Yoriichi, Sanemi had his unique blood and Tengen had his shinobi background.

    But then there was Giyu, who did not have such speciality other than his absolute mastery over his breathing style. But still, he was one of the strongest Hashira.

    His mastery came from his trauma, pushing him to be the best he could be because he felt the need to fill up for his friend who died to save him.

    He was so goated that he created the 11th form of Water Breathing which allowed him to tap into the selfless state without awakening his Demon yer mark.

    So there was no debate, when it came to mastering thier respective breathing styles, Giyu was on top.

    Therefore, even I would struggle topete with that level of mastery.

    ''But would you lose?''

    ''Nah, I''d surpass.''

    "Lets go. There is a vige close by where we can rest." Giyu said and I nodded.

    ..

    ...

    /////////////////

    (The next day)

    <i>"Water Breathing : First Form!!"</i>

    <strong>"Water Surface sh!"</strong>

    My eyes saw no hesitation in his muscles as he exploded into action. His sword swung at me with the finesse of a painter. His de left a trail of water in its path and I felt a cold shiver wash over me.

    He was serious.

    I moved away quickly and Giyu cut the giant tree behind me. The tree fell to the ground, sending tremors into the earth. My eyes looked at the stump of the tree and noticed its crystal smooth top. That was a show of how clean his cuts were.

    I swallowed the lump in my throat and I was forced to take a stance.

    "This is a test Seiji, don''t fail me." saying so, Giyu blurred and rushed at me.

    ...

    You must be wondering how I found myself in such a situation.

    Well...

    Find out in the next Chapter because this one is getting too long.

    .

    .

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 Chapter 42: I can fix him

    <h4>Chapter 42: I can fix him</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Sanemi is still young. He became a Hashira only a few months before you did and he worked years for it. So I can understand why he was skeptical of you at first. If you really get to know him, he is not a bad person at all." Giyu said calmly while sipping tea.

    We were currently at the house the vige had prepared for us. Since we were the ones who saved them from the demons, they were very hospitable and even provided us with a whole house where we could stay.

    "...I understand." but I still don''t like him.

    My dislike for him did not have a very concrete reason at all. I just didn''t like his character and what he did to Nezuko in the anime.

    But it was also nothing serious. It''s not like I won''t talk to him or ignore him if he needs help. The level of dislike was onlyparable to my dislike for certain foods, like ginger.

    "What I don''t understand though is why you are telling me this," I said and crossed my arms.

    "Sanemi is my friend and I don''t want you to have the wrong impression just because of one encounter. He is actually very kind at heart."

    My face scrunched up in doubt, "I don''t think you are."

    "What?" he asked and blinked once, twice. "You don''t think Sanemi is my friend?"

    "Yeah."

    "Why?"

    "Because I know he hates you."

    "What?!" Giyu eximed as if I just told him he was pregnant. He mmed his hand on the tea table and leaned forward.

    "But he didn''t say anything to me."

    "Dude, why would hee up to your face and say he hates you?"

    "Are you sure? How do you know this?"

    "My eyes." I said pointing at my eyes, "I told you before, I am very good at reading people."

    Plus, it was clearly shown in the anime that Sanemi and Obanai could not tolerate Giyu at all. It was even stated in the data book of the manga.

    He slumped back down on the floor as a gloomy aura surrounded him. "I thought we made progress after we sparred the other day," he murmured in a voice only he could hear but I saw it.

    "Who cares if he dislikes you? Me and a lot of people like you." I said trying to console him.

    "It seems I will have to work on it again. Next time, I will make friends with him for sure." he said and I could see the sh of determination in his eyes.

    Pftt, it''s kind of funny seeing him so secretly eager to make friends.

    "If you want to make more friends, why not start with someone easier? Like Kanae or Tengen." I asked.

    "Well...Tenegn is a bit older than me and Kanae is a girl. I wouldn''t know what to say to them." he said and scratched his cheeks.

    "As if you''d know what to say to Sanami either."

    "I do know what to say to him." he defended himself.

    "What else have you said to him other than correcting him on his technique or breathing forms?" I asked, it was a guess.

    "...."

    And I was correct.

    "Right. I hope you know that you might onlye across as condescending rather than being friendly when you did that."

    "What?....I didn''t know that." said the clueless Water Hashira.

    I shook my head with a slight smile on my face.

    At least he wasfortable enough to discuss these things with me. Our age gap was nearly three years but our mental maturity seemed to be of the same age so we quickly became good friends in the span of a week.

    I watched as he took the biscuit from the table and nibbled on it while deep in thought. He looked stoic and calm to everyone else but I was able to read the tiniest hints of his features.

    "So, what are we going to do now that wepleted the mission?" I asked. He stopped eating his biscuit to contemte my words before his eyebrows fell, and so did the mood.

    I could see the change in his emotion.

    "Normally, we should return to our individual missions but I was thinking of taking a break for a few more days so that you can master Water Breathing to perfection."

    "Oh." I blinked in surprise.

    "You are....truly looking forward to seeing me master Water Breathing, aren''t you? Why is that?" I finally asked.

    Since the time he saw that I had an immense affinity for Water Breathing and was able to catch the concept almost instantly, he has been verymitted to training me and making sure I mastered it. I had an idea on why he was doing so, but I wanted to confirm it.

    "Isn''t that obvious? The Demon yer Corp is still missing a Water Hashira, someone has to assume the mantle and I suppose I hope it would be you."

    ...

    ...

    Shit, that''s exactly what I expected.

    I could feel a sudden change in the air as Giyu''s face took a depressed turn. I could see hints of shame on his visage.

    "But you are the Water Hashira."

    "I am not the Water Hashira." he dered with absolute seriousness in his voice.

    Oh god. Shouldn''t this take ce in the third season, which was still around 6 years or something?

    I could not stress this enough but I was absolutely horrible in these types of emotional things. I was literally running away from my own traumas and waiting for time to heal me, how the fuck should I help someone else with thier trauma?

    Isn''t this where the main characteres in? Tanjiro! Please kindly get your ass over here!!

    "...."

    "...."

    I should say something shouldn''t I?

    "What do you mean, you are not the Water Hashira?"

    "...."

    "I never did pass the final selection Seiji." he said and clenched his fist. "I am just...an imposter who is acting as a substitute until the real Water Hashira emerges."

    Said the greatest Water Breathing user to have ever existed. Yeah right. Actually, I am also an imposter who acts as Seiji Shigan until the real one eventually wakes up.

    Ridiculous.

    "I''m sorry, but please excuse me." saying so, Giyu got up and went out of the room.

    I released a dramatic sigh and flopped on the ground. I looked at the ceiling, searching for god between the moulding wood and tiles.

    ''Please help me''

    ..

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////

    (The next day)

    The next morning, Giyu woke me up like usual and we headed out to train like we usually do. But this time, I had a different n.

    I had a lot of time to think about it yesterday and I have decided to fix Giyu and help him resolve whatever issues he had. He was no longer a stranger to me so I wouldn''t let him suffer 6 more years of self-torture just because I didn''t like dealing with emotional stuff.

    ''I can fix him.''

    We headed to an open space where we could train but when we reached there, I refused to start to train with him.

    "No."

    We were in a small clearing with a patch of grass and a small pond on the side. The forest trees surrounded us to create a natural barrier.

    The morning sun rose on the horizon, its yellow light reflected on the droplets of dew on the leaves creating magical glitters that were feast to the eyes. The chilly morning air shed with the earliest warmth of the sun on my skin , creating a pleasant sensation.

    "What do you mean no?"

    "I don''t wanna practice water breathing anymore. I''ve learned enough. I think I should practice another breathing style instead." I said and crossed my arms.

    "Stop messing around Seiji." Giyu narrowed his eyes.

    We engaged in a staring contest for some time but my eerie purple eyes easily won the match.

    He sighed, "Is this because of what I said yesterday?"

    "Absolutely." I said, brutally honest.

    "What do you want?"

    "Context please, so that I can fix whatever is wrong with you," I replied.

    "There is nothing wrong with me." he said and then muttered in a low voice, "...its fine, I think you are ready anyways."

    "Huh?"

    *Fwoosh!!*

    !!!

    Giyu was suddenly in front of me and even though I saw him, I only noticed him when it was nearly toote.

    He was not fast by any means, Sanemi or Jigoro was leagues above the speed Giyu had just disyed but he nearly got me.

    How?

    It was due to his technique. He had approached me in a perfectly linear path so my eyes didn''t notice that he was getting closer.

    When something is moving towards you in a perfect linear/straight path, the increase in size is so gradual that your eyes often miss it.

    Why do cars have red lights on thier back? It was so that you wouldn''t crash into it when the car suddenly stopped. Because when you drive on a straight road and the car in front of you suddenly stops, it''s extremely difficult to see that it stopped or that you were getting closer and closer to crashing it since you were driving towards it in a linear path.

    The same principle applies here. Giyu ran up to me in a perfectly linear line so my unprepared eyes nearly missed him.

    <i>"Water Breathing : First Form!!"</i>

    <strong>"Water Surface sh!"</strong>

    My eyes saw no hesitation in his muscles as he exploded into action. His sword swung at me with the finesse of a painter. His de left a trail of water in its path and I felt a cold shiver wash over me.

    He was serious.

    I moved away quickly and Giyu cut the giant tree behind me. The tree fell to the ground, sending tremors into the earth. My eyes looked at the stump of the tree and noticed its crystal smooth top. That was a show of how clean his cuts were.

    I swallowed the lump in my throat and I was forced to take a stance.

    What the actual fuck?

    "If you don''t want to train fine."

    He was going at his own pace and I was abandoned to pick up the pieces to make sense of what was going on. Why did he suddenly attack?

    "This is a test Seiji, don''t fail me." saying so, Giyu blurred and rushed at me.

    ..

    ..

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 Chapter 43: Seiji vs Giyu

    <h4>Chapter 43: Seiji vs Giyu</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Alright, if you wanna talk let''s talk."

    "?" Giyu titled his head in confusion but he quickly discarded what I said.

    He rushed at me as I did the same. We shed our swords in the middle and sparks ignited due to steel grinding on steel.

    We exchanged swings and engaged in a terrifying disy of swordsmanship. Our de whizzed through the air, slicing the atmosphere like butter before they met each other in an immediate halt.

    I must admit, Giyu was probably the best swordsman I have fought in the Demon yer Corps. His technique was refined and each stroke spoke of years upon years of training.

    But that amounts to nothing in front of me.

    My eyes released an eerie glow as I perceived the transparent world. My vision changed and I saw things humans were not meant to see. Different levels of X-ray ovepped in my vision, I saw the real world in slow motion, I saw Giyu stripped of his skin so that I could observe his muscles, and I also perceived even deeper and I saw Giyu with only his bones.

    All these images ovepped in my mind as I chose to focus on whatever I desired, whichever I needed. The turth of the world wasid bare in front of my eyes.

    <strong><i>*Cling!!*</i></strong>

    <strong><i>*Cling!!*</i></strong>

    With each attack exchanged, Giyu realized just how futile it was to fight me in a sword match. I blocked high-levelbinations with a simple stroke of my de.

    There is always a pattern in how people move. It''s ingrained in their body as much as memories were ingrained in their brain. I saw every action Giyu had taken and every movement he trained to take. It was written on his body, on the shape of his muscles, on the size of his tendons.

    The situation was even worse for Giyu because I had seen him fight on multiple asions. His fighting style was like a song to me, one I could follow and sing along with.

    At each passing moment, I was always five steps ahead.

    <i>"Water Breathing : Seventh Form." </i>

    Giyu stopped his futile efforts and prompted to a breathing style. He breathed in quick session and changed the grip on his sword.

    <strong>"Piercing Rain Drop."</strong>

    Out of all the breathing forms in Water Breathing, the seventh form was the fastest.

    Giyu took a single step forward and started stabbing from different ces. His arm turned into a snake and blurred as I saw the sharp end of the dee at me from different directions.

    Not only was it fast but it was based on the same concept as before. The sword came in a perfectly linear path, so you never knew when the sword got close to you or when it impaled you.

    Stabs rained on me like raindrops from the sky.

    The perfect counter was to step back and move out of range. I had the advantage when it came to reach since I had a long sword so it was the best option. But I did not take a single step back because I knew that was what Giyu wanted me to do.

    Like I said, five steps ahead. I know what he was nning, his bodynguage already told me.

    So instead, I nted my feet on the ground and held my position. The piercing de came from different ces as if Giyu suddenly grew twelve more arms. It was hypnotizing.

    Yet I did not try to dodge the iing attacks that promised to skewer me. I calmly pulled up my sword and everything just stopped.

    <strong><i>*Ting!!!*</i></strong>

    The tiniest tip of Giyu''s sword was blocked perfectly by the sharp edge of my de. It was an impossible conclusion since both had such a minuscule surface area but against all odds, they shed perfectly.

    I saw Giyu''s pupils dte in shock.

    This would not work if either of us didn''t have the perfect technique. Giyu''s perfect linear stab put all the force at the tip so I was able to stop him in an instant.

    We held the position for a while as Giyu knew the moment he pulled his sword back, I would take the opening to cut him. So he pushed forward instead.

    Sparks ignited and Giyu made the slightest change in the angle of his sword. That caused the perfect collision to copse and the stab came at me again. But I easily stopped it by twisting my sword and blocking it with the t side.

    More sparks came to life as the tip of his de grind against mine.

    Finally, Giyu leapt back and also used our sh to push himself.

    We both locked eyes and stayed still for a moment before Giyu nodded in acknowledgement of my skills.

    But then things changed as I felt the favour of the battle change in a single breath.

    A single breath that Giyu took.

    My eyes widen.

    <i>"Water Breathing : Eleventh Form."</i>

    He knew it was useless to engage in useless confrontations so he chose to move to the climax instantly. There was no built up, there was no warning. It just happened.

    ...

    A huge gush of water erupted from the ground Giyu was standing on and it spread in every direction. Suddenly, the ground became a raging ocean with violent waves surrounding us.

    I looked around, amazed and horrified at what this implied.

    I''ve never seen this before but I knew exactly what it was.

    And then the dreaded words fell.

    <strong>"Dead Calm."</strong>

    The waves under our feet stopped in an instant, reced by a still body of water. Everything grew quiet, even my deaf ears realized that.

    The moment stilled.

    I looked towards Giyu and my breath stopped.

    He was not there.

    I could see him but he was not there.

    What.

    the.

    Fuck.

    My eyes saw him, my vision did not change, I could see his lungs expand as he took in breaths. I could see his heartbeat as it pumped out blood and I could see how the air around him interacted with his physical body.

    Yet my mind was convinced that he was not there. It was convinced that he was not real.

    The bestparison was looking at a television. You could see the movement and everything else yet your mind knew that it was not real. If you saw a lion on the screen and even if the lion ran to you, you know it was not real so you won''t react.

    That was exactly what was happening. I saw Giyu but my mind deemed him to be an illusion.

    ...

    ...

    ''Selfless state.''

    It was a state of being that a person can achieve after acquiring thier demon yer mark. In this state, the userpletely erased their fighting spirit, their will to fight, hatred, anger, bloodlust, malevolence, drive and animosity. Once in this state, the user achieves the ultimate focus and tranquillity.

    Theirplete erasure of fighting spirit and emotions turned them into something akin to trees or nts themselves. It was extremely difficult to sense them.

    It was said to be only achievable after having a Demon yer Mark but Giyu was able to achieve the selfless state using the eleventh form which he created.

    "It''s over." said the image of Giyu as he came at me with such elegance and tranquillity that he did not appear moving at all.

    It was then that I noticed another aspect of the eleventh form.

    Laminar flow. It was a type of fluid flow where the liquid flowed smoothly without any disturbance and it did not look like it was moving at all. You can observe this phenomenon in water flowing out of a pipe or a tap.

    They were flowing but they flowed so smoothly that they looked like they were not moving at all.

    Giyu''s body moved in the same way. My eyes helped me see the movement but anyone else would not be able to see him through thier eyes. It would seem like they were cut by invisible des.

    How can one breathing form be so overpowered? I asked myself. It was almost like a domain expansion.

    Giyu finally reached me and swung his sword at me. My mind and my eyes shed. My eyes still told the truth but my mind refused to believe it.

    But atst, I was able to convince my body to move. I tilted my head to the side and Giyu''s sword - which was going to cut my cheek only made a small scratch.

    I lept away in an instant.

    Blood. I felt blood flowing from my cheek.

    What a strange feeling. I rarely bled.

    "You never fail to amaze me Seiji." Giyu said and without any hurry in his movement yet also without wasting any time, he ran towards me again.

    Usually, my eyes and my mind worked together in perfect synch. But this time, since my mind refused to acknowledge Giyu''s presence, there was ag in the connection.

    It was not much. It was only a few milliseconds but those moments of hesitance were vital in a battle like ours.

    I lept away again. And then again. And then again. I was running away basically.

    Giyu was as calm as ever. He was not frustrated, he was not angry, he was not anything. He was void of such things, he was literally like an object or a body of water.

    On the other hand, I felt myriad of emotions brewing inside me.

    I was going to lose.

    ..

    ..

    But then a sudden thirst to prove myself emerged in my heart. When Giyu was at his calmest, I found myself burning with passion and will.

    I suppose this was the me breathing side of me acting up.

    As Rengoku would put it, my heart was set aze.

    An idea struck me.

    I nted my feet on the ground and lowered my centre of gravity. I was done running away.

    My eyes observed Giyu''s serene self once more. He was running towards me like a perfect flowing water. I tired my best to predict his movement as far as I could. I based my prediction on his earlier attacks and on thenguage of his body.

    Then after the prediction was done...

    I closed my eyes.

    My greatest gift was gone. I found myself in a world of darkness and silence.

    In that darkness, the sh between my eyes and my mind was gone. In that darkness, i moved my body based on the prediction I''ve made.

    I attacked the future.

    <i>"Water Breathing : First Form."</i> I whispered.

    <strong>"Water Surface sh."</strong>

    This was it..

    <strong>Adapt. </strong>

    I swing my sword. I could not see but I attacked based on my prediction.

    Then I felt my sword cut through flesh and I knew I had seeded. I opened my eyes and red blood filled my vision.

    <strong><i>*Sinnngg~*</i></strong>

    Everything returned to normal.

    ..

    ..

    Eyes wide in shock, I looked at Giyu who also seemed just as surprised as me. But his expression quickly changed as he smiled softly.

    Then he fell on his back.

    "...."

    Did I just kill him?

    "Giyu!!" I yelled and immediately crouched down near him. I tore open his clothes to look at the cut I made on his chest.

    Luckily, it was not a deep cut. The sh did not even fully cut through the skin.

    I released a huge sigh. I acted on my prediction so it was a little off. I cut him a little deeper than I nned but he was still safe.

    "I''m so sorry. I got carried away." I apologized immediately.

    "It''s okay. I let my guard down thinking you wouldn''t be able to fight back." Giyu said.

    "I guess you won." he said and released a satisfied sigh. He looked like a boulder had been lifted off his shoulder.

    "Who the fuck cares, you are bleeding," I said and picked him up from the ground so that I could carry him back to the vige.

    "We are never doing that again. Never."

    ..

    ..

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    Author : So it''s double Chapter since I don''t like to leave my readers on cliff, especially on the same cliff twice.

    But for the price, you will not get Chapter tomorrow. (Stones can change mind)

    ...

    <strong>Read two weeks worth of advanced Chapter on my patreon!!</strong>

 Chapter 44: Fixing Giyu

    <h4>Chapter 44: Fixing Giyu</h4>

    Author : Double Chapter cause I''m so fucking nice.

    /////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    We went back to the house again. After cleaning Giyu''s wound and determining that it did not need stitching, I wrapped bandages around his torso.

    Then I let him rest on the futon while I leaned on the wall and stood in the corner of the room.

    There was silence in the room until it was broken by Giyu. He started giving me the context I was asking for.

    "I never did pass the final selection," Giyu confessed.

    "There was a boy, his name a Sabito. His family got killed by demons the same as me and we grew up together under the guidance of Urokodaki. We quickly became friends and after years of training, we took the final selection together." he paused and his eyes became unfocused, as if he was looking back into the past.

    "I was weak. I was pathetic. I was immediately wounded by the first demon I encountered. On the other hand, Sabito was strong and he had a heart full of justice. He saved me and everyone else who participated in the final selection. In the end, everyone passed except Sabito himself. He died that day."

    "You see, I passed out immediately after my first encounter and Sabito had to protect me throughout the week. In the end, that cost him his life. Although I survived for seven days in the mountain and therefore passed the exam, I didn''t kill a single demon. So could you really say I passed? "

    "...." I did notment and simply stared at his figure and the vulnerability of his eyes.

    "It should''ve been me who died that day. Someone like me isn''t worthy of being the Water Hashira. I don''t even deserve to stand next to the likes of you and the other Hashiras."

    They were heavy wordsing from him - someone I considered to be one of the best Hashira. It was sad how much people could hide inside themselves.

    Giyu truly believed that it would''ve been better for the world if he was the one who died that day. He felt like he robbed the world of a genius like Sabito who could truly make a difference due to his weakness.

    He also developed an inferiorityplex since that day.

    The reason why he trained so hard and why he never stopped working was topensate the world for the lives he had stolen. He tried to fill in the imaginary status of Sabito who he truly believed would''ve been a greater man if he was still alive.

    "So you see, Seiji. I want you to take the mantle of the Water Hashira." he said and a single tear fell from his eye. It made my heart ache that the first emotion I saw took over his face was not joy but raw sadness.

    "I don''t deserve it."

    ...

    ...

    Bullshit.

    If what I knew from my past life and what I''ve seen in the past two weeks were anything to go by, there was no one else more deserving of the title.

    But he didn''t believe that. What can I do to conceive him?

    I racked my brain, trying to remember what Tanjiro said when he experienced the same moment. I clearly remember him saying something to Giyu that ultimately resolved everything.

    It was just one phase. But that was enough to remind Giyu of what was important and move forward from the past.

    What was it?

    "Life is all about moving forward." I said suddenly.

    "...." Giyu looked at me in confusion, "..what?"

    Shit, that was not it.

    "I will answer your questionter but first, tell me if these lines remind you of anything or give you shbacks."

    That was what happened in the anime. Tanjiro said something to Giyu which reminded him of what Sabito said to him in the past. Then poof, things were resolved.

    The only problem was that I can''t remember what Tanjiro said.

    "Pain is a wound, and wounds heal."

    "....."

    Nope. How about this...

    "To ovee tribtions is to be stronger. "

    "..."

    Still no?

    "It''s not about the people we lost but the people we save."

    "....."

    "The deaths of ourrades have meanings because we the living refuse to forget them."

    "...."

    "The ones who die have no regrets because they entrust their will to the living."

    .. Nope that''s from attack on titan.

    "What are you doing really, Seiji?" Giyu finally asked.

    Goddanm it. I can''t remember the damn line.

    Forget it, I''ll just say what''s on my mind.

    ...

    "I''m saying that no one gives a shit about your sad story except you." I said. Was that too harsh?

    Giyu had a visible reaction as he recoiled back. Yeah, I could imagine it was not a reply you would expect after pouring your heart out to someone.

    But it must be said.

    "Do you know you are the only one who cares? Do you think Sabito would ever regret sacrificing his life for you? How can you be so selfish."

    "Sabito gave his life for you because you are worthy, Tomioka. He entrusted everything to you and it is your duty to live on and pass down thier will and memory. You can''t just escape their trust and brood about how unworthy you are. You have to live strong for them and cherish the life they sacrificed themselves for."

    There, I said it.

    I saw his eyes go wide and his hand came to hold his cheek. I was uncertain whether or not what I said was good or bad.

    But the silence was too awkward so I decided to give him some alone time.

    "I''ll make dinner." I said and went out of the room.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    <strong><i>*p!*</i></strong>

    "Don''t you ever say that you should''ve died again! The next time you say something like that, we are through. How can you even say something so selfish?"

    The stinging pain from the p Sabito gave him, Giyu could still remember it so vividly to this day.

    "Your sister knew what she was doing when she sacrificed her life to save you. So don''t you ever insult her choice or her memory again by saying something like that. You have to keep living, and pass on the future your sister gave you."

    That was a conversation he had with Sabito a long time ago and what Seiji said reminded him of it.

    ''How can I forget something like that when it was so important?''

    "I''m sorry Sabito. I''m sorry big sister Tsutako. Forgive me." Giyu said with tears falling from his eyes.

    It took two friends to get that idea inside his thick skull. But now he knows.

    It didn''t matter what he felt because this was bigger than himself. Even if he thinks he is unworthy, he must keep on fighting for them and pass down a better future just as they did for him.

    He owned them that.

    He wanted to quit being a Hashira just because he was feeling bad about himself? Oh how truly selfish he was.

    Now he knew better.

    ''Thank you, Seiji, thank you Sabito.''

    ''For being my friend.''

    ..

    The next morning, thier journey together came to an end. Giyu''s Kasugai crow flew around in the sky and informed him about his next mission.

    "Giyu Tomioka! You are to hold an investigation in the vige of Kamatsuka! Kaw!! Kaw!! Giyu Tomioka! You are to hold an investigation in the vige of Kamatsuka! Kaw!! Kaw!!"

    "Thank you for what you said yesterday. I couldn''t even put it into words how much it meant to me." Giyu said with a bow.

    "It''s okay dude, I''m d I could help." Seiji said with a t voice that sounded exactly like someone who had not heard thier voice in a long time.

    There was no emotion in his voice. It was only a cheap imitation of the contraction of the throat box.

    Giyu smiled softly and gazed at the purple eyes of Seiji. He didn''t like those eyes at first solely because it felt like they could see through everything but now he gazed upon them fondly. It was one of the only ways tomunicate with his friends. He had to make sure those eyes were looking at him before he spoke.

    "Farewell then, until we meet again."

    "Until we meet again, Water Hashira." Seiji added kindly and this time, Giyu did not feel any insecurity because he had finally epted the title.

    The Water Hashira.

    ''That''s me.'' he thought to himself.

    And then they separated. They wererades fighting for the same cause but their respective journeys led them to different paths.

    Giyu felt lighter than ever as he ran through the forests. Because for the first time in his life, he did not hate himself.

    And he swung his sword, not for the sake ofpensating but with a purpose.

    All of which were possible only because of a certain purple-haired, purple-eyed, deaf boy.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Time skip starts from the next Chapter. As you all have voted, it willst around 5 Chapters with some details about what happened in those time skips.

    Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 45: Time skip (1)

    <h4>Chapter 45: Time skip (1)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (1 month passed)

    My journey continued after I separated from Giyu. It was weird at first - not having apanion in my missions - but Raven made sure I was never lonely.

    What I did while I was on missions was training Water Breathing like crazy. I wanted to master it to perfection like Giyu does since it was a style that best suited my fighting style.

    I mostly used Water Breathing while I slew demons as well and with each passing day, I was getting better and better.

    During this time, I also ran into Rengoku again much to my absolute joy. He was as high-spirited as thest time I''d seen him and he was incredibly to see me too.

    He congratted me on my quick ascension to the rank of Hashira and expressed his admiration. My eyes saw not a hint of envy or jealousy on his face even though he clearly wanted to climb the rank as well, which made me like him more.

    Rengoku himself was making progress in climbing the ranks as he had be ''Kanoe'' rank. My eyes could see that he was getting stronger than thest time we met as well.

    We grabbed food and drink and spent the whole day chatting. We shared stories of our travels and he was especially curious about how I climbed the rank so quickly and how his father was during Hashira meetings.

    He also has had many adventures that have made him grow in both strength and character. I was d he had a rtively safe time but I also warned him about the strength of the Lower Moons and although I knew he wouldn''t take the advice, I told him to prioritize his safety if he encountered one.

    He simplyughed and did not promise anything.

    We stuck together for as long as we could and we trained a lot together. I helped him refine his sword skills and he shared his unwavering motivation with me. I was d to have met my friend again.

    In the end, we parted ways and nned to keep in touch using our Kusagai crows to send letters.

    Other than meeting Rengoku, nothing significant happened during the month.

    ..

    ////////////////

    (2 monthter)

    A Hashira meeting was called and every pir gathered in the headquarters. No one waste or absent.

    I had never attended a Hashira meeting before so I was quite excited at the prospect. The meeting basically consists of briefings and statistical reports.

    Each Hashira shared their experience in their missions and every significant encounter they have had. Some of them were,

    1. Shinjuro encountered a lower moon but it managed to escape before he could y it.

    2. Kanae reported about a demon that had a rather troublesome blood demon art, spreading diseases. She brought up the importance of medicine and vines in the Demon Salyer Corp and asked Ubuyashiki to give her resources to improve the medical teams of the Flower Mansion.

    3. Gyomei brought up an issue of the increasing groups of demons. With the emergence of four Hashiras - Kanae, Giyu, Sanemi and me - the demons were being hunted more than ever and they resorted to living more in groupspared to the past years. He said this could be dangerous for the lower rank demon yers so he proposed the idea of more group missions instead of individual missions for thier safety.

    Other than these three, the rest of the Hashiras did not have important things to share.

    Then we went over the statistics. There were a total of 21 deaths in the Demon yer Corps which was a massive loss for just three months. There had been an increase in the death rates and the cause could be directly traced back to what Gyomei had said.

    There was also a report on all of the demons yed by the Hashiras and the amount of missionspleted. Suffice it to say, I was the one with the most missionspleted while Sanemi was the one with the most kill count.

    The moment that was revealed, I immediately felt a spark of rivalry with Sanemi. We both had the advantage, he had his special blood which can attract demons and I had my eyes which allowed me to easilyplete missions by locating demons.

    Then Ubuyashiki gave us a briefing on the activities of the demon. He showed us a map with all of the demon sightings and we traced thier movement. It was there that each of the Hashira was assigned territories which we needed to keep an eye on. Plus, any lower-rank demon yers who need assistance in that area will call upon us for help.

    I was assigned the eastern regions as they had the most viges.

    Many other minor things were also discussed in the meeting and the whole thing took nearly a day.

    ..

    ///////////////

    [1 monthter]

    I returned to the Flower Mansion for this month''s break. Shinobu was in the mansion much to my delight and funnily enough, she was still not a demon yer yet as she missed thetest final selection.

    "How''ve you been Shibi?" I asked as her face lit up upon seeing me.

    "I''ve been well." she said with a barely restraint voice. She immediately grabbed my hand after that and pulled me inside.

    "Why did you not visit again sooner? Come on, I have many things to show you!!" she said excitedly.

    Apparently, she had been making great progress in her research of Demon poison. She said it was all due to my advice that she even thought of developing it.

    Then there was also her sword, which she had modified by chipping off almost the entire body of the edges, leaving only the sharp tip.

    She immediately asked me for a spar which I entertained. She asked me my opinion on her newly created fighting style which heavily relied on stabbing and she shared her vision with me. She would have a personalised sword that would allow her to apply poison to her de.

    She had lots of ideas. Just coating the sword with poison would not work as that would be almost useless and would chase away the demons with the smell of wisteria. So she had to be creative in its design.

    A sword whose tip acted as a syringe, a sword with storage for poison at the tip, and a sword that had a small pipe running along the body were some of the ideas she had.

    I also proposed some ideas like using a rapier, hoping to give her some inspiration.

    So for the next two days, we spent time together on such matters. We would also go out at night, just the two of us, under the moon.

    It would''ve been romantic if not for our reason for going out. To haunt and experiment on demons.

    To test her poison, we haunted demons together and used them asb rats.

    I spent all four days of my break doing such things before I had to leave again.

    ..

    /////////////////

    [2 monthster]

    I spent this time mastering my breathing styles. I felt like I had perfected Water Breathing so I began trying to learn the eleventh form of Water Breathing.

    For a whole two months, there was absolutely no progress in learning the eleventh form but I did not give up. I never expected learning such an overpowered skill to be easy anyway.

    I could perfectly replicate theminar flow and the breathing patterns but what I struggled with was achieving the selfless state. It was almost impossible to bear no hatred, animosity or hostility when fighting against demons.

    It was clear that I would need to face some traumas and fix myself mentally to learn the form but I believe I could find a loophole with the help of my eyes. There had to be some tricks other than having to stop myself from hating the demons.

    Because honestly, I don''t think I will ever not hate them.

    I visited Rengoku and Giyu during this time to have bro moments but other than that, it was filled with missions, training my breathing styles and trying to learn the eleventh form of Water Breathing.

    ..

    ..

    In no time, a total of 6 months have passed.

    .

    .

    .

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    Is it boring?

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 Chapter 46: Time skip (2)

    <h4>Chapter 46: Time skip (2)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (1 monthter)

    "Come on~ Literally what else can you do?" I asked as I followed behind the Wind Hashira as he angrily walked along the dirt road.

    "Anything other than what you want me to do!!" he seethed by himself as he took huge, forceful steps which were a contrast to all the elegant and probably soundless steps that other Hashrias usually take.

    "Why wouldn''t you just teach me? You have no excuse, lil bro."

    "How about this, it''s because you''re not worthy all right, How about that?" He said, "And don''t call me lil bro!! "

    "Trust me, that doesn''t sound as cool as it sounds in your head. You lost to me, remember?" I said and I could see him visibly vibrate as he marched forward, faster.

    "Speaking of which, don''t you remember the bet we made before our fight? The loser does whatever the winner says." I said and he paused.

    Then turned towards me, "Don''t fucking try to gaslight me, you little twerp!!"

    I sighed and whispered to myself, "...if you''re already this dumb, why aren''t you just dumb all the way?"

    "I fucking heard that!! Ahragahitttahhh!!!" he stomped his feet three times before turning back and walking towards our destination again with quick steps.

    He couldn''t do anything. Because right now, under the order of Lord Ubuyashiki, we werepanions on the same mission.

    I did not know if it was luck or if it was the meticulous n of some higher being but I was paired with Sanemi just when I needed. I had gotten extremely good at using all of the other breathing styles I knew except Wind Breathing so I wanted to improve on that.

    I had copied Wind Breathing from Sanemi during our fight but those were only two forms - the first form and the fourth form - along with the conceptual pattern of Wind Breathing and constant breathing.

    But there were still more than half that I needed to learn.

    It has been nearly a day since we met up but I still could not convince him to teach me Wind Breathing. We were on a mission so I didn''t expect him to slow down just to teach me but he could talk about the concept and show me the different forms now and then and it would be enough for me.

    Then we would use the demons we encountered as training dummies and I would learn the breathing style in no time. At least that''s how I learned from Giyu.

    But no, Sanemi refused to even entertain the idea.

    I would convince him eventually though.

    We continued our journey to the first destination of our mission and we reached it the next morning, around three hours away from sunrise.

    Our destination this whole time was the location of groups of demons found by one of the lower ranks.

    We cleared the hideout of demons during the three hours before sunrise but unfortunately, we were unable to y all of them as some sessfully escaped us.

    After that, we ate and rested the entire morning before we continued our journey atte noon.

    The mission we were assigned was a longsting one. It was basically to clear all of the demon hideouts that had been located so far, both by the scouts and by the lower ranks.

    The mission was assigned to us because we were both known for our ability toplete missions quickly and this particr mission needed to bepleted as quickly as possible to avoid more deaths.

    Also, it was because Sanemi knew Wind Breathing which was incredible against groups of demons and so did I, at least I was decent in Wind Breathing.

    The mission was expected tost for a few weeks at least if not a month.

    "You have to teach me Wind Breathing. It is vital for our mission and it will allow us to y all of the demons next time. This is no time to feed your ego, if I learn it, it will only be the benefit of the Demon yer Corps as a whole." I said, still following behind him because he refused to walk side by side with me.

    I think he considered walking side by side to be a show of kinship and equality, you know ''We are walk together, shoulder to shoulder'' kind of thing.

    So far, he was only letting me walk behind him.

    "You are deaf so you never heard your own voice but let me tell you, your voice is annoying as hell!! So stop talking before you piss me off!!" I saw him say by looking at the contraction of his throat.

    Well, he looks pretty pissed off already. So I refuse to stop.

    "Come on, put away your pride and I will put away mine." I said and paused a short while before saying again.

    "Please, teach me."

    "....."

    "....."

    And....he walked off.

    Honestly, how troublesome.

    "Just to let you know, I can also teach you a lot about swordsmanship because currently, your skills are shit." I said. His skills were shittier than even the weakest Hashira because most of his demon-ying life, he used different means to y demons.

    I think I''ve read somewhere that Sanemi was ying demons since before he even knew about the nichirin des of the Demon yer Corps. He would use a variety of weapons and traps to y them.

    "I don''t need to learn anything from you." was his cold reply.

    ..

    ..

    In the end, I never was able to convince Sanemi to teach me.....at least that''s what he wanted me to think to save his own stupid pride.

    But in reality, I convinced him!! He never verbally epted but that same night, he lured demons towards us using his blood and he slew every demon that appeared with breathing forms, regardless of how weak they were.

    Normally, it would only take a simple sh to kill them but he used his breathing forms to y them. And not just one form either but multiple forms of the Wind Breathing.

    He never epted it but I could see that he was giving me the chance to copy him. He knew I could copy him since I used the forms I knew to clear the first hideoutst time.

    So in the end, Sanemi became my teacher without ever bing my teacher.

    Honestly, what a fucking tsundere.

    ..

    /////////////////////////

    (1 monthter)

    A month was more than enough for me to fully learn Wind Breathing. There were lots of demons to practice on and I used mostly Wind Breathing during our mission.

    I think I managed to form a unique bond with Sanemi during this time.

    "Oh fucking finally! The mission finally ends!! That means no more sassy weird-eyed boy following me around like a shadow!" Eh, maybe not.

    Sanemi cheered as we walked away from the demon hideout. It was thest of our mission. It took us a month since more locations were discovered during the mission but we finally destroyed every known hideout.

    "I''ll miss you too buddy."

    "Deaf boy, that''s not what I said," he said while ring at me.

    We were walking side by side.

    You may already notice but he was a lot tamer than a month ago. Our rtionship grew in a weird way I never expected. I didn''t know if we could be called friends or not but...

    "I think he loves me now."

    "Don''t make me kill you right at the end." he said, his re intensified.

    Oops, but not really. I meant to say that out loud.

    Well, maybe he was yet to fall in love with me but at least he was tolerating me now. I think that''s the most you could get from a tsundere like Sanemi.

    "Let''s go get some spicy ramen to celebrate." I said, knowing full well Sanemi could not do spice at all. He may be hot-headed but he had weakness to hot food.

    "I''m not hungry." he said, refusing to admit that he couldn''t do spicy food.

    "You mean, you can''t eat spicy food?"

    "That''s not what I said!! How do you keep mishearing what I said when you are deaf!!" He yelled.

    "Oh, don''t worry. Then let''s go get red bean mochi and other sweet foods. I don''t like it but you can eat all of them like a little girl." I said.

    Interesting fact, Sanemi has a sweet tooth and his favourite food was red bean mochi. He also liked ohagi (rice ball with red bean paste) and other sweet food.

    But such was the pride of the Wind Hashria that just because Ipared liking sweet food to being a little girl, he would never eat them in my presence

    "Fine!! Let''s go get spicy ramen." he said and walked forward to lead the way, trying to act enthusiastic and pretend that he was not weak against spice.

    Heh, I''m cruel, aren''t I?

    Well, I never imed to be perfect. Seeing him force-eating spicy food was such an entertaining sight that I couldn''t miss it in this world with limited entertainment.

    Hmm, to be nice. I will grab a few red bean-paste rice balls for him.

    ..

    ..

    In a blink of an eye, two months passed,

    ..

    ..

    [Awesome Image]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : This Chapter is a two-month time skip. That means 1 year and 4 months worth of Timskip still remains.

 Chapter 47: Time skip (3)

    <h4>Chapter 47: Time skip (3)</h4>

    Author : Double Chapter.

    /////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (1 monthter)

    I went to the Flower Mansion to take a break and to have a medical check-up. While going on missions, I never sustained an injury other than asional overexertion or muscle fatigue, so this medical check-up was for my general health than anything.

    Other than my high blood pressure, there was nothing wrong with my health. Though Kanae told me to get more sleep as I was going through puberty.

    Speaking of puberty, it was finally in full force and what can I say except, it was weird as fuck.

    The most noteworthy change in my body was regarding my dick. Yes, you heard that right, my dick. What was noteworthy exactly you ask? Well...

    My dick was ginormous.

    I think.

    At least it was the biggest it had ever been in both of my lives. I thought it wouldn''t be that big, maybe even smaller than in my past life, because Japanese or Asians in general were not known to have huge cocks. At least that''s what I''ve heard.

    But I was genuinely surprised. I wouldn''t share the exact measurement because that''s only for my future wife to know but know that your boy was blessed in this regard.

    I personally thought it was really cool.

    Another thing worth mentioning was my explosion in height. I was 5''5 feet less than a year ago but today, I stood proudly at 5''9 feet. I was already taller than most people here.

    My eyes allowed me to follow the changes in my body in detail so although I couldn''t hear it, my voice got deeper along with the growth of myrynx.

    But much to my dismay, I have been having no luck in growing my hair. I couldn''t grow a moustache for the life of me so my dream of having a small beard like a goatee seemed to be moving further and further away.

    Yet I was only close to 15, so I still had hope.

    My growth also came with an increase in strength. With the right diet and careful/scientific exercise with the help of my eyes, I was growing the perfect muscles.

    And I think that''s where the positive ends. Puberty was a first for me even including my past life but everything went well. It was messy in many regards, wet dreams are a pain, hormone imbnce was a bitch and e made me want to cut my face.

    But all in all, I was managing nicely.

    I just couldn''t wait to grow my hair.

    I spent nearly a week in the Flower Mansion and this time, Shinobu was sadly not around most of the time.

    I just spent the days helping Kanae and constantly refusing her proposal for a spar and teaching me Flower Breathing.

    Please Kanae, I respect you.

    ...

    //////////////////

    (1 monthter)

    I finally mastered Wind Breathing as much as I could. Like I said before, Wind Breathing was simr to Thunder Breathing in the sense that they were opposite to my fighting style so mastering it took a while.

    During this month, I finally had the privilege of visiting the Swordsmith vige. I was blindfolded and guided - not carried - by a female scout from the Demon yer Corp.

    For the record, the blindfold did absolutely nothing as I used my eyes to see through it. Therefore, I knew exactly where the Swordsmith Vige was located.

    Travelling took a day through terrible terrains and ces not essible to normal humans but in the end, we reached the ce without a problem.

    The Swordsmith vige was located between tall mountains which were all somehow surrounded by Wisteria trees but in a way that did not make it obvious. There were also heavy guards starting from about 10 kilometres away from the vige.

    It was located near ake from which the vigers fish and ess water.

    When I came into the vige, I immediately visited my old man Hatori and he was extremely d to see me. He immediately asked me if I hade to retrieve the katana I gave him but Iughed and told him no.

    Hatori repaired any ws in my Odachi and praised me for my ability to maintain the sword. He weed me as a guest and we finally had time to have proper conversations during this time.

    At one point, I brought up my idea of having a bow and arrow and we went on a long discussion about it. How would a bow and arrow help me?

    At first, it might seem like apletely ridiculous proposal since demons required beheading to kill them fully. But with the poison Shinobu was developing, it would be more than possible to kill a demon with an arrow.

    But still, the cons might outweigh the pros.

    The only thing I knew was I definitely could kill weaker demons from kilometres away without having to run to them one after another. It can also be helpful when dealing with demons who have the ability to escape by teleporting a certain distance, like Gyyoko upper moon five.

    Also, there were times when I failed to reach demons before they killed civilians. In those times, I wish I could have some form of projectile attack.

    I spent a total of three days in the Swordsmith vige. I used the time to rest and enjoy the hot springs. I also picked up some smithing skills with my absolutely broken eyes.

    My eyes were helpful in making swords as well and I could see the best metals and also find out parts that contain impurities and adjust wrong alignments.

    All in all, my visit to the Swordsmith vige was productive and the time was well spent.

    ...

    ////////////////

    (2 monthster)

    A Hashira meeting was called again and everyone else attended like usual except for Shinjuro. The reasons for his absence were unknown but the other Hashrias were clearly upset.

    But the meetingmenced like usual. It started with a statistical report where it was said that we lost a total of only 12 members of the Demon yer Corps.

    Ubuyashiki thanked us and said it was all of our hard work that his children were safe. I and the others could not help but feel a sense of pride. We had much to improve upon but it was great knowing that we were making progress.

    They also released the performance of the Hashiras again with me being the one with the mostpleted missions and Gyomei having the most kill counts this time. Suffice it to say, Sanemi was pissed that he was not on top.

    There was also a sharing among the Hashiras again about their encounters as they reported things that they thought were important. I usually remained silent during this time because I stillcked the insight they had.

    Killing demons andpleting missions were what I was good at. Strategic thinking and proposing ideas to improve the organisation as a whole were things I was really not good at. You can''t be good at everything I guess.

    One interesting thing discussed during the meeting was the end of ''Demon Tribes''.

    Yeah, the year when demons got together into different groups as a new survival strategy to counter the emergence of multiple Hashiras was called the year of demonic tribes.

    And it has finallye to an end. The demons realized that working together was not helping them, instead, it allowed us to y them easier as they gathered in one ce. So they stopped.

    The sighting of demons in groups plummeted and we decided to allow more individual missions to the lower ranks again.

    Also, another lower moon had fallen at the might of Gyomei, the Stone Hashria. Ubuyashiki expressed his gratitude to the strongest Demon yer.

    With all of those and some more, the meeting came to an end.

    ..

    ...

    ...

    Four months have passed.

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Auhtor : 1 year timeskip left to go. I will finish them in two Chapters.

 Chapter 48: Time skip (4)

    <h4>Chapter 48: Time skip (4)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POv]

    [2 month passed]

    I have deemed it to be impossible for me to learn the eleventh form of Water Breathing. I did everything correctly, I followed the right breathing pattern, and I could perfectly imitate Giyu''s movement.

    But what I could not copy was his selfless state. I did not know how he did it, but it was impossible for me topletely erase my fighting spirit.

    There had to be at least something in you while fighting, it could be hate, it could be excitement, hostility, fear or any other emotions. It was impossible to not feel anything, at least that''s what I think.

    If you did not feel anything, what was even the point of fighting altogether? What makes you move against the enemy? How could you harm something without at least feeling anything?

    It was psychopathic behaviour.

    Eventually, I came to the conclusion that Giyu was able to fight even after erasing all his fighting spirit due to his immense sense of duty. It was a sense of duty that came from his traumas.

    It made him move and get the job done even when he was not feeling anything, like a robot that was programmed toplete a task no matter what.

    <strong>''Dead Calm.''</strong>

    That was the name of the form. I guess I had to ept that I was not the only one who was incredibly special. Giyu had something in him that I could not replicate even with my eyes and all my genius.

    Hopefully, though, I will be able to achieve the selfless state normally if I ever awaken my Demon yer mark.

    Just for the record, I had absolutely no intention of ever awakening my Demon yer mark. The reason was pretty obvious, I didn''t want to die at the young age of 25.

    So that meant I had to be significantly stronger than the rest. I would have no unreasonable powerup in the middle of the fight so I always had to be superior to my enemies.

    The training continued. My swordsmanship was impable but there were always new ways to improve.

    I changed my training style a bit and focused on one breathing style for a week, and then I focused on another in the second week and so on.

    Demons were never-ending. You truly realized that when you were ughtering them every single day.

    It really did not matter how much we kill, they would always multiply. To stop this war, we need to kill the demons from the root which was Muzan Kibutsuji.

    Then again, that seemed even more impossible.

    So I trained and train and train and train. I got stronger and stronger and stronger. My techniques got more and more refined, and my skills increased day by day.

    My experience stacked up to build me up as a warrior. Each error and mistake shaped me to be a killing machine as pain moulded me into the bane of demons.

    Not only that, I was also naturally growing stronger as I aged. I was certain that I was easily the second strongest Hashria by now, only below Gyomei because he was just built differently.

    As I grew taller, I stopped strapping my sword on my back. Instead, I constantly carried my sword in one hand. This helped me draw my de faster and also provided me with a non-lethal weapon as I used my sheathed sword as a blunt weapon.

    I gained the habit after I had to carry supplies on my back. Then I realised it was much better when I was constantly carrying my sword, sheathed or not, instead of strapping then on my back.

    So most of the time, you would see me carrying a long-ass sword in one hand, sometimes using it as a cane as I hunt down demons.

    ..

    //////////////////

    [1 month passed]

    I took it easy during this month. I spent the time travelling across Japan, constantly keeping an eye out for that one home in the forest where Tanjiro lived but still, no sess.

    I visited Rengoku in his home again and I spent some time there.

    We trained together and I also learned that Shinjuro''s depression was getting worse. He was officially a bum, a shameful shell of his former glory. All he cared about these days wereining and drinking wine, just like how he was portrayed in the anime.

    He barelypleted missions and refused to attend Hashira meetings.

    It was honestly a sad sight to see. I was considering asking him for a spar or at least asking for teachings to improve my me Breathing but as he was now, it was not possible.

    He refused to even teach his own son, telling him that he would never be as good as people like me no matter how hard Rengoku trained.

    I stayed with Rengoku for a few days. We trained together and cooked giant meals which we enjoyed after each training session. I also got to meet his cute little brother who thought I was literally the coolest guy ever.

    Hahaha, it was nice to have a young admirer. They were so innocent. It made me want to be better to not disappoint them.

    After leaving, I visited Giyu and then Sanemi. I ended up helping them in thier missions as well and asking both of them to spar with me.

    Of course, we only used thier respective breathing styles while sparring and in the end, I won both sparring sessions. Rather easily.

    I spent one whole month doing such things.

    ...

    /////////////////

    [1 monthter]

    "Gyomei Himejima, please take me under your wings." I said and did a 90-degree bow to probably the only human stronger than me.

    I''ve learned me Breathing, Thunder Breathing, Water Breathing and Wind Breathing. Now it was finally time to learn thest breathing out of the five major breathing styles which was also known as the strongest breathing style.

    If I was Thanos collecting the infinity stones, this would be the final stone.

    "I''ll be honoured, Seiji." Gyomei replied as a small stream of tears fell from his eyes.

    So, that''s it? I asked myself. It was easier than I thought.

    I was expecting some challenge like Sanemi but I didn''t know Gyomei was chill like that. Nevertheless, I smiled and thanked him.

    I had been dying learning Stone Breathing because I wanted to grow physically first so that I couldplete the training Gyomei would give me. But now I have grown enough.

    Standing at the height of 5''10 feet, my body was filled withpact muscles that made sure that I was no longer inferior to any of the Hashrias in terms of strength.

    "Take care of me." I said with a nod.

    "Same to you." Gyomei replied.

    And so, my training in Stone Breathing began as I went under the wings of Gyomei Himejima.

    ...

    /////////////////////

    [2 monthster]

    Water Breathing taught me to be formless and shapeless like water. Adapt to your enemy and find a way through them, whether it be flowing over them, around them, or under them.

    But then Stone Breathing''s like, Nah.

    Stone Breathing taught me to stay true to myself and never falter. I was not meant to change or adapt to my enemies, instead, I should crush them all with unyielding force.

    Be an unstoppable force and an immovable object.

    I could notprehend for the life of me how these two breathing styles even derived from the same Breathing.

    Stone breathing emphasised strength and endurance. But unlike Thunder breathing or Wind Breathing, it did not focus on bursts of stregth instead, it focused on continuous application of strength.

    It also emphasised on momentum - that is, utilizing the momentum of each strike so that as the battle went on, I would be stronger and stronger andst in a drawn-out battle. I should be like a boulder rolling down a mountain, gaining more force the longer I went on.

    The training started much like how it started for Tanjiro, I had to push a giant boulder - even bigger than Tanjiro''s - and learn to stay under a weight waterfall.

    The waterfall training was meant to build my endurance and also sharpen my persistence which was what Stone Breathing was all about.

    The boulder-pushing training was meant to teach me the concept of constant application of force. Basically, I did not have to have the burst of stregth to move the boulder. If I stayed persistent and applied force on the boulder, over time that would build up and naturally move the boulder.

    While pushing the boulder, I learned that it''s not about using a single burst of energy or power, but maintaining a steady and continuous exertion of force. This was akin to the idea of endurance and persistence��constantly applying pressure, rather than stopping and starting, ensures steady progress.

    This part of the training was the most tricky one and it took me nearly a month toplete them. But after that was done, the rest of the training was a breeze.

    There were no forms I could copy from Stone Breathing as it required the use of weapons other than a sword. But Gyomei took his time teaching me about the basic concept of Stone Breathing and also showed me examples of the forms that I could copy.

    He even referred to a Stone Hashira in the past who used a giant ymore to help me. In the end, other than the constant breathing of Stone Breathing, I had to recreate the forms to fit me.

    But with all my mastery over breathing styles as a whole, I was able to create forms for Stone Breathing pretty easily.

    After two months, I learned everything i could from Gyomei. Stone Breathing proved to be the hardest breathing style I''d ever learn.

    I think this one would take me years to fully master.

    But for now, I could say that I had learned all of the five major breathing styles.

    ..

    ..

    Hmm, the idea of beating Muzan Kibutsuji still felt as impossible as ever. I thought it be a little different after I learned all the breathing styles but nope.

    Well, like all the past MC''s before me had said,

    <strong>More power.</strong>

    Six months passed

    [IjoynE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Bro, I''m binging Megumi Waifu Catalog ''Potential Man'' and haven''t written shit. I don''t think I will be able to do so until I finish all existing Chapters.

    It''s been a while since I found a fanfic that caught my whole attention like this so I just wanted to share my joy.

    500 stones and get another Chapter. The next will be thest time skip, I really want to get this over with and go straight to Mitsuri arc.

    <strong>Join my patreon to read two weeks ahead. </strong>

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn. </strong>

 Chapter 49: Time skip (5)

    <h4>Chapter 49: Time skip (5)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    You know, I had been focusing on demons too much. I deemed them to be the vilest creatures in the world, the source of all evil.

    In the process, I had forgotten that humans could be just as evil if not more than demons. After all, every demon was once a human. So would it not be more correct to say...

    That humans were the source of evil?

    ...

    I was in a town located in the east. It was the ce where people from rural viges came to trade. It was the boiling point of the economy in this region.

    I watched as a little girl was dragged on a leash like a dog by a bald man. Her eyes were devoid of life. There was no sparkle of youth in her eyes although she was but a child.

    Her hair was messy and unkept, her body was small and malnutrition - she looked like she was seven even though my eyes told me she was eleven years old.

    My eyes saw everything. I saw all of the abuse the little child had endured till now. There were fractured bones that never fully healed and bruises that were still purple.

    Fuck, I did not want to describe it any more.

    I ran up to the man.

    "Hey, what do you think you are doing to the little girl." I asked, nicely. Not because of ack of anger but due to an overwhelming amount of it.

    Maybe it was something in my eyes that forced the truth out of him, or maybe it was because the drunk man couldn''t care less. But the man said.

    "She''s my ve, her parents sold her."

    A ve huh? At this age, there was still the practice of ves in the rural areas.

    "She''s not reacting to anything anymore, you see..." he said and his hand went across the child''s face with a loud smack.

    The girl''s head turned and her lips immediately started bleeding. But she did not even release the tiniest scream of pain.

    "She''s broken. I am going to sell her to the prostitution house."

    I did not move a single muscle and simply stared at the little girl. When he mentioned prostitution, I used my X-ray on the little girl again.

    The absence of her hymen made my already cold blood colder.

    I knelt down in front of the little girl. I stared at her light purple eyes which were eerily simr to mine.

    My eyes failed to read her. I could even read Giyu''s stoic face so that meant the girl was truly not feeling anything anymore. Like the guy said, she was broken.

    I untied the leash on her body and pushed her aside.

    "Hey!! What do you think you''re doing!!"

    ...and finally, something snaps.

    My sheathed sword found its way to the man''s jaw, disorienting him and dropping him to the ground. And then I started beating him in the most painful way possible.

    For the first time in my life, my eyes searched for the most painful ways I could harm a human. It was something I often did with demons but never on a human.

    I searched for soft tissues, ces where there were most nerves. I started destroying his body. I hit his thighs, I hit the soles of his foot, I crushed his testicles and beat at every possible ce where he wouldn''t pass out or die.

    The people around quickly formed a crowd around us as people who never bat an eye seeing an abused child started telling me to stop.

    But no one walked forward to stop me. I think its something about my eyes that made them freeze whenever they tried to approach.

    I looked at the humans around me as I would demons because, at that moment, I couldn''t tell the difference.

    Blood sttered, pieces of flesh flew off and bones cracked and protruded out of the skin. Yet the man was still conscious because I forced him to be.

    He squealed like a pig, incoherent because I had long since broken his jaw. I tortured him for as long as I could before I stopped.

    ...there was no longer a way I could torture him. If I continued, he would either no longer feel it or it would only free the man of his pain by killing him.

    I turned my head to look at the small girl who watched everything happen. I searched for an emotion, at least a small satisfaction or fear on her face but I found none. She was simply void.

    Then I looked around me, by now there were many people crowing around me, whispering to themselves. Were these really the people we were protecting against the demon? I don''t want to protect them.

    When I promised to take the title of Hashira and promised to protect the weak from demons, I did not mean to protect these people.

    I finally rest my eyes on the man grovelling on the ground again and I drew my de.

    "....."

    "....."

    I sheathed my de again. I took money from my pocket and threw most of it at his disfigured form.

    "Get well soon." I said.

    Because I''m going toe again. Death was too good for him.

    I grabbed the child by her hand and dragged her away from the town.

    ...

    //////////////////

    [2 monthster]

    For the next few days after I found her, I took care of the child. I dropped every mission I had and only focused on her.

    I cleaned her body, I tended to her wounds from the medical knowledge I''d learned from Shinobu and I fed her with all the foods she could eat.

    But even after days passed, the girl still remained broken. She was like a soulless flesh in the form of a girl. It would take time for her to heal from all that she''d been through.

    She also never did things without amand. She was moulded to act like a ve. Even if she was starving she wouldn''t eat until I said so. The same goes for sleeping, talking, going to the toilet etc. Unless I told her to, she wouldn''t do anything.

    She couldn''t decide anything for herself.

    I also learned many things about the girl in the past few days. Like for example, her name was Kanao and her parents sold her when she was only four years old.

    I made her retell everything that had happened to her so far. Luckily, she was not raped or sexually sold like I initially thought, her hymen probably broke during many of the beatings she had to endure.

    After caring for her for a few weeks and helping her in any way I could, I brought her to the Flower Mansion - the ce she rightfully belonged.

    If you didn''t know, she was Kanao, the student under Shinobu which we saw in the anime of Demon Salyer. She was also the love interest of the main character Tanjiro.

    She was meant to be found by Kanae but it seemed I encountered her first.

    I brought her to the Flower Mansion and entrusted her into the hands of the Kocho sisters. I was by no means someone who could take care of a child. I was constantly travelling and had no home, but the Flower Mansion always had either of the sisters due to thier job so they would be better at taking care of a child.

    So I decided to follow the canon and let her be raised by the Kocho sisters. It was for her own good.

    But when I was about to leave her, she ran up to me and grabbed my haori - just like she had done during the weeks I had been taking care of her.

    I looked at her and I saw that she did not want me to leave. It was the first emotion I saw on her face, the first thought I read off her, and itpletely melted me.

    So in the end, I stayed with her in the Flower Mansion for two months. I stayed with her until she wasfortable amongst the Kocho sisters.

    I was also able to teach her many things from then on. The progress was slow but the girl was healing, both in mind, spirit and body.

    Her small stature was slowly filled with healthy fats and muscle and after two months, she looked like a normal child.

    But after two months passed, I had to leave again. But this time, she had gotten along with the sisters and she felt safe with them.

    So I bid her farewell.

    And also, I ended up giving her myst name when we were creating documents for her.

    So she was Kanao Shigan.

    She ended up being my little sister I guess.

    (Consider it a small change. In the canon, Kanae gave her the name Kanao Kocho as the girl had no name)

    ...

    ...

    ///////////////////

    [4 monthster]

    The next four months were filled with constant training as I increased my mastery over every single breathing style.

    Not only that, but I also started creating new forms of breathing by mixing the breathing styles.

    Although some breathing styles could not be mixed due to their pr opposite nature, I was sessful in most of them.

    Technically, I was creating a new breathing style bybining them but I did not count it as such. I would develop my own breathing styleter on.

    I spent the months training, visiting the Flower Mansion and doing missions. A Hashira meeting was also called again and other than the fact that I was assigned a new territory, nothing significant happened.

    In the blink of an eye, time passed. And it had been a total of two years since I became a Hashira.

    Today, I turned 16 years old.

    At 16, I stood at 6 feet tall with a new air of maturity. Two years was a long time and I had grown in both body and character.

    Also, after developing new breathing forms which were a mix of two breathing styles, I was now the strongest among the Hashiras.

    It was not official yet but if my eyes were to be truthful, I was indeed the strongest.

    I think I grew well during these past two years.

    ...

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author: Finally, that''s the end of the time skip.

    I really wanted to explore the Kanao arc for a few Chapters but it would''ve just added useless content as her character would not have much significance in the plot. If you like to know more, I can add her POV that recounts what happened in a little detail.

    We will dive into mixed breathingter on.

    Also, note that the information given during the time skips is notplete. I may refer to something that happened in the past two years which are not mentioned in these time skip Chapters but know that just because they are not mentioned, doesn''t mean it did not happen.

    Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 50: 16th Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 50: 16th Birthday</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (The Flower Mansion)

    "I spy with my little eyes, something dirty and in the air." Seiji said to the little girl sitting between his legs.

    A small smile tugged on his face as the little girl turned her head in search of what Seiji just described. It did not take long for the girl''s moving head to stop in one direction and she pointed at something flying in the air.

    It was a fly in the distance.

    "That is correct." Seiji said and rewarded the little girl by patting her head. Kanao melted in his touch and praise, her eyes sparkled with joy even though she did not know how to smile.

    They were sitting on the veranda of the Flower Mansion while gazing at the garden outside. The ce had quickly be thier favourite ce to hang out.

    "Now, next one." Seiji hummed and then looked around at the garden.

    "Oh, you need to do this one quickly. I spy with my little eye, something with six legs."

    Kanao''s purple eyes zed over in focus before she quickly spotted something that fit the description. She pointed towards it again.

    It was the ant on a falling leaf.

    "Correct again. Amazing, you have such good eyes Kanao." he praised her and she bit her tongue in joy. She wanted to smile but years of being hit for smiling made her body incapable.

    Kanae Kocho watched all of this from a distance. She did not even realise that she had been watching for nearly an hour now.

    At first, it was the insane disy of superior eyesight that attracted her attention. But it was the wholesome moment of bonding between Seiji and Kanao that made her stay.

    They were so cute together.

    It had been six months since Seiji hade to their doorstep and asked if they could take care of the little girl, exining to them how he met her and how she needed help. He said he was not qualified to take care of her and that they would be better for the job of raising her.

    But if what she was seeing was anything to go by, she''d say he was the perfect fit for the role. They looked like father and daughter, especially with thier simr eye colour and thier incredible eyesight.

    ''He''d make a great father.'' Kanae thought to herself with a fond smile.

    Seiji Shigan, he was just a child when she first met him. But in only two years, the boy had be a handsome young man, grown and reliable.

    Was it somon for boys to change this much after going through puberty? He was only a few months older than her younger sister but he was already someone she could depend on. She frequently asked for his help whenever she was facing troubles in her mission.

    Not only her but the other Hashrias as well. Seiji was the Hashria with the quickest mission session rate. For some reason, he preferred roaming around Japan instead of staying in his territory, so he was the main ally the other Hashiras would call using thier Kusagai crows if they ever needed an extra hand in thier mission.

    In just a few years that he had been in the Demon yer Corp, he had be the single most important factor in the organisation. Even more so than Gyomei, since it was not often that they needed such firepower.

    It was his incredible efficiency that set him apart.

    There was the Water Hashira, the Wind Hashira, the Stone Hashira, the me Hashira etc. But since Seiji had no singr breathing style, he was often simply referred to as Hashira no Hashira, or ''The Pir of Pirs''

    "Sis, you are staring again." A voice suddenly snapped Kanae out of her musing. She closed her eyes and her lips tugged a teasing smile before she turned back to look at Shinobu.

    "Was I? I didn''t realise. Seeing them both together is just too sweet." she said.

    "That''s the same excuse you usedst time. You stare at him even when he is alone." Shinobu said.

    "You know, you constantly tease me about how I am in love with Seiji but aren''t you actually the one who''s in love with him?" Shinobu said, quirking a grin.

    "Ufufufu, trying to tease me? That won''t work." Kanae said and flicked her little sister on the forehead.

    "Why are you here Shinobu? Is the preparation finished?" she asked.

    Shinbu rubbed her forehead and said, "Yes. We just need to do the finishing touches and you need to distract him for a bit before leading him to the hall."

    "Won''t be hard considering how he is naturally distracted by you." Shinobu pouted and looked at her chest which was still just a budding flower before looking at her sister''s chest which had already blossomed.

    Oh, Seiji had a preference alright. And he made it painfully obvious for everyone since his eyes were his everything.

    "I''ll do my best." Kanae said and they both walked towards Seiji.

    "Okay Kanao, enough ying with big brother, it''s time to study." Shinobu called out.

    Kanao looked up to ask for confirmation and after Seiji gave a nod, she robotically stood up and ran to Shinobu. There was no whining or protest that you''d often find in a girl her age.

    Her past made it so that she followed orders naturally.

    Shinobu grabbed Kanoa by the hand and they both walked away from the veranda, leaving only Seiji and Kanae together.

    She walked towards Seiji and she sat down beside him. She was a little too close, much to his fluster and her amusement.

    "Ummm, what brings you here Lady Kanae."

    "Nothing in particr, just wanted to enjoy the view in yourpany. Also, I told you not to call me Lady." she said, "I feel like it creates an invisible wall between us. We are close enough to drop the formality, are we not? Or was that just on my part." she slightly pushed her small shoulder on his bigger frame.

    "Of course Kanae. I feel close to you as well." he said, his face stone cold. He must believe that his face didn''t give away anything.

    But after two years of knowing him, Kanae could read him well. Although his face was stoic, his ears hidden between strands of purple hair were turning red at the tip when he spoke.

    That''s his way of blushing.

    She''d never told him about it because it was adorable when he thought he didn''t give away his true emotions.

    "Anyways, what do you think about the new flowers I nted in the garden?"

    "The camellias? They are beautiful."

    "Ohh, you know about them?"

    "A little, the camellia blooms in early spring and winter. They are said to be a symbol of elegance and love." Seiji said the few things he knew, maybe hoping it would impress the onee-san.

    Which he did.

    "Wow, I didn''t expect that. Usually, boys are absolutely clueless when ites to flowers."

    "Well, I am a self-proimed admirer of beauty so I know a lot about beautiful things, which most flowers are."

    "Really? Then do you know about those?" Kanae asked and pointed towards a flowerbed beside the pond.

    "Poeeny."

    ''Peony'' she corrected him in her mind.

    Another thing she found absolutely adorable was how he was unable to pronounce certain things. Most of which were words that rely on the tone to convey the meaning.

    Even with his eyes, his deafness still made him disabled in some ways.

    "You know them! They are very rare and I was lucky enough to get them from this one vige during my missionst year."

    The two of them sat together and chatted about the flowers in the garden for a few minutes. Kanae was d to find someone knowledgeable about flowers. Although Shinobu liked flowers, she was more interested in butterflies.

    "Oh, I nearly forgot. I have something to show you." Kanae said, her main objective nearly slipped her mind during the conversation.

    Seiji stood up first and offered his hand. She stared for a bit before she took it, her smaller hand perfectly fit in his bigger hand.

    Then with ease, he pulled her entire weight off the floor. She was caught off guard and stumbled forward to his chest.

    Once a smaller boy, now he stood at 6 feet, easily towering over her.

    She quickly turned around, "Follow me." she said, hiding the red in her cheeks.

    They both walked together to the hall and they paused when they reached the front door. Seiji tilted his head, wondering why they suddenly stopped.

    And then the door was mmed open.

    "Happy Birthday!!!"

    The hall was decorated with flowers and balloons. There was a giant cake in the middle and the people inside sang happy birthday in unison.

    All of the Hashiras had gathered today along with all of the friends Seiji had made so far, including Rengoku. The people working in the Mansions were also there along with people Seiji had saved in the past.

    It was not in Japanese culture to celebrate birthdays. But it was Seiji, affected by his past life culture, who started the trend of celebrating birthdays by wishing and giving gifts to his fellow Hashiras when it was thier birthday.

    And today, everyone decided to celebrate his birthday to return the favour. He just turned 16, which was the age of adulthood in samurai culture.

    "What a beautiful day this is." Gyomei said with tears falling from his white eyes and a big birthday cone on his head.

    "Happy Birthday Seiji." Giyu said with a smile.

    "Don''t misunderstand, Giyu forced me." was Sanemi''s excuse even though he was the one who blew all the balloons used to decorate the hall.

    "Let''s set our hearts aze in celebration!!" Rengoku said, standing beside his father who came because he was promised free wine.

    "Happy Birthday!!!" naturally, Tengen was the loudest of them all. Pretty sure he used his breathing style to make his voice even louder.

    Seiji stood there, frozen for a moment before a bright smile stretched across his face. He pushed away his desire to say, ''You guys were so fucking obvious. I saw iting from a mile away''.

    Instead, he gave them the appropriate reaction of surprise for thier effort.

    But the joy he felt in his heart could not have been truer.

    .

    .

    .

    [Pretty Image of Kanae]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I think I''ve cultivated really cute readers this time around, and I''m not saying that just because you guys didn''t 1 star spam thisbook like what happened to myst two books.

    I genuinely enjoy yourments. My favorite time is now reading the Chapter and seeing your paragraphments. You guys are funny.

    It might not seem like much but it''s a great motivation for me. I really enjoy them. I enjoy the funnyments, the pictures, the questions, and the arguments you have.

    Thanks for reading and please, keep up thements. The interaction is why webovel is still today, my favourite literaturemunity.

    ..

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 51: Marriage?

    <h4>Chapter 51: Marriage?</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    So it''s been two months again since I turned 16. The Demon yer Corps decided to throw a huge party for my birthday since I was officially an adult in samurai culture. And if you didn''t know, demon yers were samurai who y demons.

    After my birthday, I immediately received a letter from Ubuyashiki, telling me that he was sorry to miss the birthday celebration. And in the same letter, he wrote that I could take a vacation for as long as I needed.

    I was confused at first because how the fuck did he know I was going to ask for a vacation?

    For those who had forgotten, let me refresh your memories. At the age of 16, I was finally permitted to im my inheritance! It was why I took the exams during the training arc remember?

    So I was nning to ask for a break so that I could settle the documents. But Ubuyashiki somehow knew it beforehand and granted me permission.

    Honestly, it was a little creepy.

    Anyway, it has been two months since then and I had finally settled everything. I was now the rightful owner of huge acres ofnd and every savings my brother and father - who were both high-ranking military officers - had was finally mine.

    I was filthy rich now. Well, I was rich before since being a Hashira andpleting as many missions as I did paid quite well.

    But now, I was not just rich, I was filthy rich.

    "Seiji, its time for breakfast!" I looked through the walls and saw my aunt call for me. In the next second, she realized how stupid she was for calling a deaf person and she came to my room.

    It has been two years, so of course that would slip her mind.

    She slid open the door to my room and said, "Its time for breakfast Seiji."

    "Coming." I said and got up. On the floor were beautiful paintings I had made just this morning alone.

    Could you have guessed that having special eyes and perfect movement allowed you to create masterpieces? I didn''t know it until I tried.

    I went out of my room and joined both my uncle and aunt on the table. We all ate the food while having a small conversation between eating.

    Things were just as it used to be.

    I had been staying with them for months now since, you know, anything involving the government officials took an extremely long time. If the inheritance did not have sentimental value or was extremely valuable, I wouldn''t even bother iming it due to the hassle.

    I never told them specifically that I was only here to im my inheritance, They must''ve thought that I was finally back.

    "Seiji, what is your thought on marriage?" I saw my uncle say.

    ''Finally talking about a topic other than politics? Sure, I can tolerate this one.''

    "Marriage is cool." I said while putting a boiled egg in my mouth.

    ''Protein!!''

    "What is your opinion on you getting married?" he asked me again.

    I nearly scoffed. Marrying? I dared not even think of that in my line of profession. I hope I don''t but I could die any fucking moment. It would only take one encounter with the top three demons of the upper moon or Muzan.

    Then I''m cooked.

    I was strong but not on their level just yet.

    But marriage? That was the dream and one I would hopefully get to experience. I was not given a family in my past life and the one I was born into in this life got taken away from me.

    So why not make a new family? After everything was over, I hope I could make a big family.

    "That''s the dream." I said with a shrug.

    My uncle and aunt both looked at each other and smiled. I did not know why but I suddenly had a bad feeling.

    "What?" I asked before putting another boiled egg in my mouth.

    "We found a girl."

    Pause.

    And then..

    I spat out the egg in my mouth and started choking on their words.

    My uncle quickly passed me water and I downed the thing in a few seconds. After that, I took a deep breath and said.

    "What do you mean you found a girl?"

    "We found a girl you can marry. The father is an old friend of mine and his daughter is exactly the same age as you and she is looking for a husband."

    "Aren''t I a little too young?" I asked with a strained face.

    "Nonsense, it''s the perfect age. She can already marry byw at the age of 15 while you will be able to marry next year. It''s the perfect time for an engagement."

    I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

    "What makes you guys even think of doing such things? That too without my consent."

    "Well, I apologize if we were being too hasty, after all, you just returned. But you are already more than capable of marrying. You have imed your inheritance so you havend and house. Not only that, you have the money and you said you also had a high-paying job. Plus, you are handsome and you are educated. There is no reason for us to think otherwise." My aunt said.

    "If you want, we can stop." my uncle said.

    ''Yes.''

    "And wait until next year."

    ''No!!''

    Well, I could understand where they wereing from. It was Japan and traditionally, if you were financially stable and had a home, itsmon sense that you would marry next. And most marriages were arranged with the parents setting up the couple.

    They were excited to take the role of my parents that way and find a good girl for me. I understand that. But sadly, I couldn''tply with thier desire. Not by a long shot.

    "I''m sorry, mother, father." I said, calling them with the name I should have been calling since they adopted me.

    "But I can''t marry yet. Heck, I don''t know if I will ever be able to marry. I can''t tell you the reason why but I am not ready to love someone like that. I''m not ready to have a family again." I said seriously and I could see that my words had effect on them.

    I couldn''t have a family again. Not until I eradicate every single one of those demons. Not until I made sure they would never rob me of my treasures again.

    Not until I made sure I could protect my love.

    "..I see. I understand my boy." my uncle said with a firm smile while my aunt wiped a tear from the emotions she felt when I called her mom.

    "And we''re sorry to push the topic suddenly on you before asking your opinion on it. Its fine, we will cancel everything." my uncle said and my heart was finally at peace again.

    After that, we continued eating our food. The atmosphere was a lot lighter than before as we all had smiles on our faces.

    "Even though we decided to cancel the engagement, we still need to meet them to show respect. It would be an insult if we suddenly told them we cancelled it. Can you do that for me?" My uncle asked and I nodded.

    "Good. Well, the girl''s name is Mitsuri Kanroji-"

    <strong><i>*m!!*</i></strong>

    I mmed my hands on the table, making all of the dishes jump from the force before they scattered and fell. I stood up in an instant.

    "Did you just say, Mitsuri?"

    "Y-Yes, her name''s Mitsuri Kanroji." my uncle replied

    "Dear respected father, please next time, start with that. You nearly made memit the biggest fumble in history." I said and wiped my lips.

    Then I turned around and headed towards the door.

    "Where are you going Seiji?"

    "Where else? To my wife''s house." I said and raised my arm like I was the luckiest man in the world.

    "I''m getting married."

    "What! But you said-"

    "Sorry, I don''t hear what I said because I''m deaf."

    My aunt ran up to me and grabbed my hand. "Let''s not get too hasty Seiji! You still need to wait a year to even legally marry."

    "Then we just have to do it illegally because I''m ready." I said, my voice had never been firmer.

    After the name of the girl dropped, the situation had taken aplete turn.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [First picture of Mitsuri!!!]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Stones, bruv.

    And check out, ''Hogwarts : Please Graduate soon'' which is third rank in powerstones. The guy use AI to get powerstones to get his tranted work high in the rankings. You can see the proof by looking at his top fans

    Report him please if you can. This is seriously disgusting work.

    <strong><i>Join my Patreon to read ahead. </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Emmanuel : Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 52: Mitsuri Kanroji

    <h4>Chapter 52: Mitsuri Kanroji</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I ain''t fumbling this one. No way. Traumas be damned.

    Do you remember that guy who rejected Mitsuri? You know, the one with circle spectacles who had the whole inteing together just to hate on him and call him an idiot?

    Yeah, I ain''t going to be like that guy. No chance I was going to fumble that badly.

    In all seriousness, Mitsuri Kanroji was my waifu even in my past life. So the chance of meeting her was already incredible but having the chance to get married to her? I will just have to crown myself with the title of a fanfiction protagonist because there is no other way I could get this lucky.

    Even if I did not end up marrying her, I wanted to see her just once. I was a deep admirer of beauty so I really wanted to see for myself just how beautiful she was and find out if she couldpare with girls like the Kocho sisters.

    Not only that, I was curious to know how her body would look like since she was known to have supernatural strength since birth.

    So all in all, I was excited to meet her.

    But...

    "They live in Tokyo?" I said while having shbacks of thest time I was in Tokyo.

    I encountered Muzan Kibutsuji thest time I was there and I promised myself to never visit the city again. The experience was unforgettable as it was the closest I had been to death.

    "In the Azusa Ward to be specific." my uncle said with a nod.

    "Is there any problem?"

    "No." I shrugged. The part of me that was a simp for Mitsuri easily won against the part of me that feared Muzan.

    "When should we go?" I asked and both my aunt and uncle looked at me weirdly.

    "You are awfully excited about this so suddenly. Fine, if you want we can go today itself."

    And so, the three of us headed towards the Azusa Ward of Tokyo after we finished our breakfast. Our visit would be a surprise for them since my uncle didn''t know I would be so enthusiastic and therefore did not tell them.

    It took us the whole morning and the early afternoon to reach the Ward. My uncle and aunt were not young anymore so the journey took some time even though we took carriages in most part of the journey.

    Late in the afternoon, we reached the Azusa Ward and came upon the Kanroji''s household. The house was decently big with a hugepound surrounding their home. It was obvious that their family was well off.

    We entered thepound and looked around at all the flowers and trees. It reminded me of the garden back in the Flower Mansion. There was also a small, artificial stream with a red bridge over it to make the whole ce authentic. I immediately recognized that as the ce where Mitsuri was rejected many times.

    The servants greeted us warmly and immediately went to inform the master. It did not take long for the head of the family - daddy Kanroji - toe out and wee us.

    "What an unexpected surprise! Thank you for epting my invitation anding so quickly." Kenji Kanroji said.

    "Sorry for intruding out of the blue but my son could not wait to meet your daughter." my uncle replied.

    "Is that so, thank you for your kindness Seiji. I''ve heard great things about you and I appreciate you going along with the arrangement of us old men." Kenji said, with a small bow and I bowed even lower to show respect.

    "Come, let me give you a proper wee my friend." Kenji said and led us to the house.

    He and my uncle engaged in small talks as we walked. He also showed us around thepound for a bit before he brought us inside.

    "I''m sure you all must be tired froming all the way here. Allow us to host you for dinner, I will tell the cook to make more portions." Kenji said as we sat down in the living room.

    "That''d be wonderful." my uncleughed kindly.

    Soon, other members of the family came to the living room and we introduced ourselves. I learned that Kenji and his wife had six children with Mitsuri being the middle child.

    Their older children were already married and were living in the samepound but at different houses. The mother of the household was an elegant olderdy with beauty marks under her eyes and oddly enough, she reminded me of my mother.

    My uncle and Kenji engaged in a conversation where I also participated as the main topic was about me. My aunt on the other hand was entertained by Kenji''s wife Junko as they left to look at the flowers in the garden.

    Junko, as the mistress of the household also had to supervise the servants cooking and working. So that left only us three dudes to talk.

    "So Seiji, I heard that you are a master of Kendo and you won even at national level Tell me, have you ever considered opening a Dojo?" Kenji asked.

    Ahh, my most feared question.

    My n for the future.

    There was no n for me. It was honestly hard to n for the future when I was not sure I would even survive past 25. It was a weird situation.

    If things went ording to the canon story, Muzan Kibutsuji would die in the final battle which would take ce when I was 19. If we win and I survive, maybe I would consider opening a Dojo.

    I could teach not only swordsmanship but also breathing styles to preserve the tradition of demon yers. I have learned all five major breathing styles so I could definitely do that.

    Also, maybe I should preserve the history of demons and demon yers so that the sacrifices everyone had made would not be forgotten. It would be better than bing fictional characters in Zenitsu''s story.

    It didn''t even have to be officially recognized, it could just be a myth with enough evidence for people to believe in. That''d be interesting.

    Anyway, to the question, I replied with an answer I had made many years ago. I was a kendo master, which was something Japanese people respected greatly due to the Samurai culture which had notpletely died out yet.

    I was also educated. And coupled with my family''s legacy as military officers, I said I nned to do the same. My achievements in kendo tournaments and my family''s connection would make it easy for me to thrive there.

    It was a great n, I would surely look like a boy with a good future ahead even though in reality, I was not sure I even had a future.

    I nned on surviving and saving everyone but I was also not delusional.

    The conversation went on as the two dudes kept zing at me, but I was bing quite impatient because I hadn''t met the person whom I hade all the way to see.

    ''Where is she?'' I asked in my mind. It had been an hour since we arrived.

    "Excuse me, but can you tell me where the toilet is?" I asked out of the blue.

    "Uhh, sure. Its that way." Kenji said and point to the left, "Go past the corridor and turn left."

    "Thank you." I said and got up before walking away.

    I allowed my head to turn and look around the house. My eyes released a glow as I used my X-ray vision to scan the entire house.

    I walked through the corridor and then I suddenly stopped when I finally saw the person I was searching for. But I saw her in a state I never expected so I paused in surprise.

    "....."

    Then I changed my path from the toilet to the room where I found her. In a few seconds, I stood in front of the dark room where she was in.

    I slid open the door.

    "Wah!~" I heard a yelp of surprise.

    I looked at the young woman with ck hair and beauty marks under both her eyes. I was not really focused on her appearance, instead, my attention was on her expression and the situation.

    "What are you doing?'' I asked.

    My usual stoic voice might have sounded colder to her because she flinched back like a criminal being caughtmitting a crime.

    "I-I.." she stuttered as she looked at her own hands which were ck from dye.

    What I saw was not the bubbly perfect waifu that we saw in the anime. It was not the sweet and confident girl that I expected.

    It should''ve been obvious. That girl did not exist yet. That was four years in the future.

    What I got was something much more raw and real.

    A girl trying to be something she''s not because that''s the only way she thought she''d fit in.

    "Hello. I''m your future husband and I want to know..." I said and walked closer to her.

    "What are you doing?"

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Join my patreon to read ahead.

    Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 53: Is this love?

    <h4>Chapter 53: Is this love?</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    She was different. She was always different from the others.

    But she didn''t know how scary that was until she turned 15 when she faced her first rejection. That day, she learned that to be different was to be not normal.

    And to not be normal was to not fit in.

    "I don''t think this can work, you are just too strange. You have no softness or gentleness ady should possess. You are like a gori. My hand hurts when you hold it." was what her first fiance said to her before cancelling the arranged engagement.

    He said a lot, but maybe he wouldn''t have said so much if he knew how much each word hurt her. Her heart bled behind a brittle smile and that was when she realized the deep sorrow that came with rejection.

    He didn''t want her.

    But who could me him? After all, men wanted a weak woman they could protect and provide for. They wanted a woman with a healing touch of love and care. They wanted a woman who was modest. They wanted a dignified nobledy.

    All of which she was not.

    She was a woman stronger than any man she had ever encountered. Her touch could crush rocks, they were not soft or healing. She was not modest, her generous bosoms and butt made her look like a shameless seductress. She was loud and ate a lot, the opposite of what a nobledy should be.

    She was everything she shouldn''t be and that made her sad.

    Mitsuri had been intrigued by romance and love ever since she was little. She had read many books and listened to stories about love and romance. Her dream was to find love someday and be a wife.

    She wanted to dedicate herself to a man she loved who would treasure her like the most precious jewel. She wanted to fall in love with a man who was stronger than her, someone who could protect her from anything in the world. That was the dream of her youthful self.

    But as she got older, she learned that her fantasy would nevere true, all because she was different. But that''s okay, she told herself. She could still find love.

    But s she was apparently not fit for the love she was searching for.

    From a young age, Mitsuri learned that love was the most important thing in the world. To love was to be human. It was the meaning behind everything in life. It could be love for an art, love for a concept or love for other people. She thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

    Yet even amongst all else, romantic love, the love between husband and wife was what she wanted the most. After all, familial love made sense, friendship also made sense.

    But two strangers loving each other to the point of being able to sacrifice everything they had? Two unrted people deciding to forever be together because they thought they couldn''t live without the other person? That sounded so silly. It was illogical. It was beautiful and Mitsuri wanted it.

    But..

    "Mother, do you think I will ever be able to find a husband?" she asked after her fifth rejection.

    "Oh sweetie, I''m sure you will meet a man one day who would love you just as you are. Like me and your father do." her mother assured her.

    Misturi stayed silent as if epting her mother''s words but deep down, she didn''t believe her.

    So she decided to do everything she could to fit into the idealdy. She started dyeing her hair ck and wore unttering clothes. She also started starving herself, both to weaken her body and to behave like a properdy.

    She changed herself to be a girl men would like. She was willing to kill her true self if it meant finding love.

    It might sound stupid to others but it was not stupid for the future love Hashira. Everyone was born with a purpose, hers just happened to be love.

    But even after she changed herself, she was still getting rejected. Her suitors were still able to see past her mask.

    ''Be normal. Fit in.'' was what she told herself daily.

    She was chasing the wrong thing in her youthful nativity. It was not love that she was pursuing, at most, it was merely approval.

    Love was true. So even if she was epted, it would only be a cheap imitation of love.

    ...

    That day, Mitsuri had another guest. It was a new suitor, one that her father talked highly about. The boy was her age and ording to her father, he was the perfect fit for her.

    But there was one problem. They came to the house unannounced so Mitsuri had no time to dye her hair ck or to change her clothes.

    She had to hide in her room as she quickly changed her clothes and started smearing ck paint on her bright hair. At one point she used to love her pink and green hair, they were happy and colourful but no suitors liked it. They didn''t want a wife that stood out too much. They wanted a girl with the beauty of the moon, not the big bright sun.

    But while she was busy dyeing her hair, the door to her room suddenly slid open and she was caught red-handed, or should she say ck-handed?

    There he was, her next suitor. One that would reject her soon enough with how things were going.

    He was handsome, remarkably so. It was something she noticed immediately when she spied on him as they came to her house.

    But at the moment, her mind did not even register that. Her eyes froze when they greeted his bright purple ones.

    Those eyes saw everything.

    Everyone felt ufortable when those eyes - which seemingly felt like they could see through every secret - fell upon them. It was especially severe for Mitusri who was full of secret insecurities.

    She felt like all of her ws wereid bare to him. She couldn''t hide anything, her mask crumbled.

    Fear started creeping up her heart. It was a fear that a criminal would experience if they were caughtmitting a crime.

    "What are you doing?" he asked and she fliched back.

    His voice was cold, he was mean. She supposed it was natural since she was trying to catfish him.

    "I-I.." words got stuck in her throat. There was a clot of nervousness stopping them froming out.

    How could she possibly speak under the gaze of those eyes? They saw through everything. He had seen her true self.

    "Hello. I''m your future husband and I want to know what you are doing." he said and walked close to her.

    ''Wait what?'' her breath hitched. That was when she noticed that there was no repulsion in his eyes even though he had seen through her.

    They were just really mean but there was nothing else. No disappointment, no repulsion.

    There was no rejection.

    "I was just....dyeing my hair." she said, the nervousness melting like ice in summer.

    "But why would you do that?" he asked, "Your hair is pink and green, it''s an exotic colour."

    Then his lips curved ever so slightly, "It''s beautiful."

    What? Her hair was beautiful? That''s the first time someone said that to her. Her cheeks couldn''t help but burn for some reason.

    Her heart started racing. It was racing due to fear and embarrassment. Her stomach was doing summersaults in her belly.

    ''Is this...love?'' she thought to herself. What she was feeling was awfully simr to what she had read in the past.

    Just then, her father and another man came to the scene. She looked at her father and saw his face fall as if realizing the situation. His expression showed that he thought they were done for.

    "What is the meaning of this?" the man asked.

    "Oh, nothing uncle. It''s just that Mitusuri has something on her hair. It should be fine after she washes it off." the boy said and turned around.

    "Sorry to disturb you, we will wait in the living room." the boy said before he pushed at the man and they both returned to the living room.

    Mitsuri and her father watched them leave with wide eyes before they both looked at each other. They were both equally surprised as the anticipated rejection never came.

    A realization struck them in the silence. Their guests were okay with Mitsuri''s appearance.

    Kenji smiled at his daughter, "Go clean your hair quickly ande to the living room." he said in excitement.

    Mitsuri nodded and ran to the bathroom to clean her hair. After which she went to the living room to greet the guests and her suitor.

    During all this, Mitsuri''s heart just won''t stop beating like an engine. Her cheeks blushed and her eyes sparkled.

    Had she finally found someone who wouldn''t reject her?

    Would she find love this time?

    .

    .

    .

    [THE image]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : It''s really hard to capture her character. This is the same problem I faced with Shinobu. They are different from how we saw them in the anime as they had not gone through thier respective character development.

    Tell me your thoughts while stoning me.

 Chapter 54: New objective

    <h4>Chapter 54: New objective</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Pink.

    It was pink.

    Not just any pink, it was bubble gum pink, the colour you would expect on Barbies and angels.

    Obviously, I was talking about her muscles, I don''t know where your dirty little mind had gone but I was referring to every fibre of muscles in her body.

    Although, I could assure you that she was pink there as well, considering how her body was mostly the colour of pink.

    There are two types of muscles in the human body. I''ve said this before, they are fast twitch muscles and slow twitch muscles.

    Fast twitch muscles were white and slow twitch muscles were red. But there was also another muscle type which was the colour of pink. Normally, you would never find this in the human body or mammals in general.

    The only creatures I knew had pink muscles were fishes. They require incredible strength to swim with the heavy resistance of water so they have pink muscles.

    Pink muscle was thebination of red and white muscle - slow twitch and fast twitch muscle. They were a mix of the two, the best of both worlds.

    And apparently, Mitsuri''s muscles were made entirely of said pink muscles because obviously she was just built differently.

    Not only that, her muscles were eight times denser than normal.

    Her body was different from the extraordinary bodies I had encountered. Rengoku whose body was bred to be a swordsman, Tengen''s body was built for speed, Gyomei was simply a superior human.

    But Mitsuri was even more extraordinary than that. It was simply alien, something which I never even thought was possible.

    It was simply divine.

    I shifted my focus to her outer appearance and my X-ray stopped. Her facial features were delicate and cute. Much to my surprise, her beauty wasparable to that of Kanae''s.

    I saidparable because thier beauty was fundamentally different from the other so there was no way to tell who was prettier. Kanae possessed an elegant beauty with sharp features that effortlessly exuded sensuality. She was like the moon.

    On the other hand, Mitsuri had delicate features with adorable shapes. She gave off the feeling that she should be protected. Her beauty was blinding, noticeable to anyone who looked at her general direction, unlike Kanae who got more beautiful as you looked at the detail of her face. She was like the sun.

    Suffice to say, I was not disappointed.

    The only thing left to do was try and tear my eyes away from her because I think I''ve been staring for too long.

    My thoughts were cut short when I felt my uncle pinch me on my thighs. I blinked and returned to reality. It was then that I noticed Mitsuri shifting ufortably in her ce.

    I understood my mistake immediately. Although the subject of my analysis never realised the abilities of my eyes, humans felt instinctively ufortable when they were so thoroughly observed.

    They couldn''t pinpoint why but most people had told me I have creepy eyes.

    And it was really not smart to stare too much at the girl who had many insecurities.

    Which was incredibly stupid by the way, how the fuck was a beauty like her insecure? I never thought I would see the expression she currently had on her face.

    It was one of the downsides of meeting these beloved characters too soon. They had not gone through the things they were meant to go through so they had not grown yet.

    "I''m sorry. I was just enchanted by your beauty." I said with a straight face. I didn''t mince my words.

    Much to my amusement, Mitsuri started getting extremely red. I could see steam rising from her head.

    She was adorable.

    "Are you sure it''s not because of the unusual hair colour that you were staring at her? Don''t be afraid to be honest, many of the previous suitors hadined about her hair." Kenji said, causing her daughter to stop blushing as she remembered some bad memories.

    Way to ruin my rizz daddy Kanroji. My rizz was already horrible but you ruined even that.

    "No, I have no problem with her hair and instead find them pretty. I actually have a friend with hair just as colourful as hers." I said, the image of Rengoku shed in my mind.

    "Oh, is that so? Good to hear." Kenji said with a smile.

    After that, silence fell between us. Mitsuri was way too shy while my social skill level was not high enough to start a conversation with a pretty girl like her. Our respective parents were all too amused as they watched us.

    "Now that Mitsuri is finally here, why don''t you two get to know each other?" Kenji said, "Mitsuri dear, why don''t you show Seiji around the garden?"

    "Okay." she squeaked out before standing up. She gestured to follow me and I did.

    We walked out of the house, leaving the two men to themselves. I followed Mitsuri to their garden and we slowly walked beside each other.

    That was until we walked across the red bridge above the stream. She suddenly stopped and when I noticed, I turned back to look at her.

    "I want to apologize for what happened back there." she said and bowed down so low that I was impressed by her flexibility.

    "It was nothing worth apologizing for."

    "No!" she shook her head, "Although you were okay with my unusual hair, I tried to deceive you by dyeing my hair. I''m so sorry."

    It was really not a big deal considering people dye their hair all the time. Even older women did it to hide their silver hair or because they didn''t like their natural hair colour. It was why dye existed in the first ce.

    But I guess it was the intention that counts.

    I nodded, "I ept your apology."

    She wore a blue kimono with flower patterns on it. The setting sun cast a warm orange hue over us but the world was as bright as day when I looked at her.

    Her exotic pink and green hair danced to the tune of the breeze and when she gave me a bright smile, it was almost a bit too much - like someone suddenly injecting honey and syrup into your bloodstream.

    Too sweet.

    I looked away.

    Let''s see. I need an objective here, don''t I? Or else I would not be able to interact with her properly. I''ve already done it for Giyu so let''s do this again.

    Let me change Mitsuri earlier than in canon and speed up her character development.

    The objective was to make her realize that she was enough and she didn''t need to change. There were people who would ept her as she was and even treasure her because of her uniqueness.

    Honestly, that sounded like a problem every teenager had faced at least once in their life. Mitsuri really was the most normal one among the Demon yer cast, wasn''t she?

    "Are you hungry Mitsuri?"

    "Eh?"

    It was a question I already knew the answer to. My eyes told me that she was starving herself. Her body was not getting the appropriate nutrients that it needed.

    Her body needed food even more than the few beggars we encountered whileing here.

    "Why don''t we go to a restaurant to get something to eat?" I asked her again.

    "But we are going to have dinner soon," she said with a puzzled look.

    I shook my head. If my uncle and aunt were present, they might judge her. I wanted her to eat as much as she could so it was better to take her to a restaurant.

    "I want to eat with you. Only the two of us." I said and she blinked cutely before blushing.

    "Okay," she said and then we both left the Kanrojipound and headed to a restaurant in the town.

    ...

    ...

    ///////////////////

    <strong><i>*m!*</i></strong>

    "And that is all your order, sir. Thank you foring to us." the chef said with a tired smile. Sweats travelled down his aged face.

    Omurice, pork cutlets, miso soup, rice, fish, onigiri, sakura mochi etc, All kinds of foods were on the table which were meant for a family.

    All the foods looked like they were meant for 20 people while only Mitsuri and I sat opposite each other.

    "...are you going to eat all of this?" Mitsuri asked me with a gulp. I was deaf but I felt like I could hear her stomach growling.

    "We are going to eat all this," I said.

    "We?"

    "Yes, ''we''. I have special eyes that can see things, so I know you are hungry and your body needs the food." I said.

    "....." she did not say anything, just looking at the food on the table.

    "Why are you hesitating? The reason you were holding back was because you were afraid that your suitor wouldn''t like it right?" I said, "Well worry not, I am actually really attracted to girls who can eat lots of food."

    "Really?" she asked.

    "Really," I said and picked up a Sakura mochi with my chopsticks and brought it close to her mouth.

    I remember in the anime that the reason why her hair turned pink and green was because she was eating too many Sakura mochi. It was her favourite food.

    Finally, she took the food in her mouth and she never stopped after that.

    Meanwhile, I simply enjoyed the incredible sight of a rather small girl eating food meant for 20 men. It was astonishing, especially with my eyes that could see everything that happened inside.

    I was going to teach her that it was okay to be herself. She didn''t need to change, the world can change instead.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Extra Chapter if we reach 500 chaptees today.

 Chapter 55: Helping a Waifu

    <h4>Chapter 55: Helping a Waifu</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Holy shit it''s all gone.

    Call me dramatic but I know you would react the same way after witnessing a girl finishing the amount of food meant for 20 people all by herself.

    It was bullshit, like many other things in this world of Shounen anime.

    How the fuck did she weigh 56 kg with muscles 8 times denser than normal?(All canon btw) How the fuck did her body digest all those food so quickly? Where the fuck did those energy go?

    Honestly, I got over such illogical observations a long time ago. This world was different from my past life, their logic could not bepared. That much should be obvious when there was a demon king who looked like Michael Jackson and got his power from a flower.

    But still, this was one of the rare asions when I was shocked.

    Her body was just a fucking mystery even with my eyes. It did not followmon logic. How the fuck can it do that, why the fuck was it so beautiful?

    I wanted to explore it.

    Mitsuri blushed a deep shade of red while looking down at the ground. She had finallye to her senses after finishing all the food.

    She released a cute little burp after which she immediately covered her lips. Even though I told her she could eat as much as she wanted, there was guilt and shame on her face.

    You know what, maybe the gods gave me all the wealth I had just so that I could provide for this little glutton wrapped in a fluff of cuteness.(AN : I am always two steps ahead)

    "You finished it all," I said, maybe my voice came out more bewildered than expected because she shrunk even smaller and nodded.

    "That''s amazing. You ate it all." I said as genuineughter rolled off my throat. It was rare that I wouldugh.

    Mitsuri seemed to realize that too even though she''d only known me for a few hours. Her big round eyes gawked at me like they were looking at the strangest sight.

    "I didn''t even get to eat anything."

    "!!!" she inclined her head, "I am so sorry!!!"

    "Don''t sweat it. We still have dinner waiting for us anyway." I said. I couldn''t even order more because the shop literally served us everything they had.

    This was also why there were no onlookers to gawk at Mitsuri like she was an animal in the zoo. I made sure to send all possible distractions away before letting her indulge in her food.

    "Let''s return," I said and we both left the restaurant.

    We returned to the Kanrojipound just in time for dinner and believe it or not, Mitsuri was still able to eat a normal portion of food after all that.

    Dinner was a joyous affair. My uncle and Kenji were old friends and that was evident. With the two men of the family getting along, the rest of the members did too.

    Stories about when Mitsuri and I were young were shared. Misturi''s parents especially had a lot of things to talk about and many tales to tell. She was kind of like the odd one in the family (in a good way). Her parents said she was nothing like her other siblings so she had plenty of fun stories.

    My uncle and aunt also shared stories of how I grew up. Mine were not as humorous or fun as Mitsuri''s but they were remarkable achievements. As a reincarnated person and a prodigy, I was extremely mature for my age when I was young and achieved many impressive feats.

    I was a little sad that my uncle and aunt did not have a funny story to share about me. At that time, I wasser-focused on getting stronger so I sacrificed my childhood. I barely even spent time with them.

    But even with all that, they were always so kind and understanding. They didn''t ask anything in return - while I was suspicious of them and chalked their kindness to them wanting my inheritance - they never stopped loving me.

    But here I was, still calling them uncle and aunt even in my mind. Forget addressing them as mother and father, I haven''t even acknowledged their names.

    I was bitter. My suspicions, thinking I was smarter than everyone else and the barrier I erected around me were just a way for me to cope because truthfully, I never wanted to love again at that time.

    I didn''t want to have a family again, because the pain I felt when it was taken from me was too much, too unbearable.

    I didn''t want heaven if it meant risking hell. I just wanted, to be fine.

    But those fears were slowly dying as strength grew in its ce. As I was gaining the power to protect my family and ensure it was not taken from me again, the barriers slowly crumbled away.

    So I hoped in the future, we could get even closer.

    ....

    Anyway, after dinner, we stayed for a little while longer and the important question was imposed upon me.

    "So Seiji, what do you think of my daughter? Did you get along well?" Kenji asked the question.

    Although my parents had arranged the meeting, it was still ultimately my decision whether I was engaged with Mitsuri or not. Kenji was asking for an answer to that.

    If I didn''t like her, I would say something like praising her daughter or say things like how I wanted to get to know her better. I shouldn''t outright say that I didn''t want to marry her as that would be a great insult.

    Basically, if I didn''t say I wanted her as a wife, it would be the same as rejection. Anything other than confirmation would be taken as rejection.

    So what did I say?

    "She''d make a lovely wife."

    I was not sure where I was going with this or whether I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with Mitsuri, but I left that for 20-year-old me - who by that time would have probably ended the demon war or died trying.

    But the reactions I got from Mitsuri and her parents made me d I epted. Mitsuri herself had a small and earnest smile with tears of joy while her parents were truly d to find someone who did not reject thier daughter instantly.

    After that, we left the Kanroji household. Since it was toote to go home, we went to an inn nearby where we all spent the night.

    The next morning we went home. Although the engagement was seemingly done, we were not rushing it. I was not even legally able to marry yet, so marriage was still a thing in the far future.

    All in all, it was a great experience.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    (The next day)

    I think this was the first time I had ever been on a proper date.

    Shinobu and I would go out at night to hunt and experiment on demons while Kanae and I had gone on a joint mission on more than one asion but those were not dates.

    Mitsuri and I were currently walking around thepound. We had just returned from the market and now we were taking a peaceful stroll in the garden.

    She had gotten noticeablyfortable around me but she was still guarded and hesitant to be her true cheery self. I was able to get a glimpse of it but at the moment she was still hiding in fear of rejection.

    While we were walking past the huge stacking boulders near the stream, an idea suddenly struck me. I stopped walking and looked at the stones.

    "Seiji?"

    "Mitsuri, do you think you are stronger than me?" I asked suddenly and she blinked in surprise.

    "What makes you say that?"

    "No reason. I was just curious." I said.

    "You are a man...of course, you''d be stronger than me," she said but my eyes see through her lies easily.

    Now it was not just a matter of helping her. The fact that she thought I was weaker genuinely rubbed my ego the wrong way. Let''s show her that she was not the only one with special talent.

    I went ahead to one of the smaller boulders. It was around the size of a car wheel and would probably weigh around close to a hundred kilograms. I picked it up with ease and put it over my head.

    "ahh." Mitsuri gasped softly in surprise.

    I put down the stone in front of her and said, "Now you try."

    She was hesitant at first but seeing how I easily picked the stone up, she thought it would not be a problem if she did the same. She didn''t know that the stone was already heavy enough that no normal man would even be able to lift it.

    She picked it up and also put it above her head. I was genuinely surprised at the ease with which she threw the weight up. My eyes glowed purple as I watched her pink muscles produce raw strength like it was thier sole purpose.

    "That was good. But how about this one." I said before grabbing another boulder, a bigger one this time and lifting it up again with no effort.

    Muscles trained with the eyes of the transparent world since when I was a child were nothing less of perfection. It won''t lose to her pink muscles.

    ...

    ''Or maybe it will.'' I thought to myself when I saw her easily throw up the weight again.

    For some reason, I found that extremely hot. Did I have a thing for strong women? I couldn''t help but imagine a child between us, what if he inherited my eyes and talent with her body? Wouldn''t he basically be the seconding of Yoriichi?

    If I didn''t end Muzan, he probably would.

    Anyway, Mitsuri and I entered a contest of strength. Although hesitant at first, Mitsuri became increasinglypetitive as I was able to match her strength with no real struggle on my part.

    In the end, I was the winner. Although she had an incredible body, she had never trained in her life while I had trained for more than half my life. Plus I did a lot of training with boulders during my training with Gyomei.

    I was not exactly normal either so it was natural for her to lose.

    "Haaa...haa....haaa...." Mitsuri''sboured breath came with smoke. Her cheeks were flushed red and sweat covered her body.

    Although part of it was because she was tired from all the lifting, most of it was because oddly enough, she was very turned on at the moment. Her eyes shone with lust as she looked up at me from the ground she sat on.

    I don''t think she even realised what she was feeling. And I probably wouldn''t too if not for my eyes that saw everything.

    ''So she has a strength fetish?'' I made a mental note in my head while scratching my cheeks helplessly.

    I sat down beside her and waited for her to calm down, which she eventually did after ten minutes.

    ...

    "You are very different from other girls, you know that right?" I said suddenly. The mind was clear after a good workout so she immediately perked up, her brain processed my words quickly.

    "...Yes."

    "Do you know how you are different?" I asked.

    She stayed silent for a few seconds before she confessed with eyes looking down, "No other girls are as strong as me nor do they eat as much as I do."

    "Unlike them, I am not elegant. I am notdylike," she said with sad eyes.

    "Are you sad about that?" I asked and she nodded.

    "Well, you shouldn''t be." I said, "It means that you are special and all of the people who rejected you are merely envious."

    "You don''t have to change and pretend to be someone you are not Mitsuri. Do you want to live your whole life as someone you are not?"

    "No. I don''t want that." she said after a thoughtful silence.

    "Then stop pretending." I said, "You know, I was told that I would meet you two days ago, but I don''t think I''ve really met you."

    "I promise you, after you start being true to yourself, you will find that there are people in this world who will not only ept you but love you for who you really are."

    "Really?" her voice was shaky and I could see tears forming in her eyes.

    "Yes. There are your parents and also.." I said and pointed at myself, "..there is this guy."

    It was not a lie. Although I met her only a few days ago, I have known her since my past life. I absolutely loved her character when I watched the anime. Her bright personality and bubbly attitude were a huge contrast to the tragic themes of the anime.

    Even in an intense fight against the upper moons, she was unapologetically being herself. While everyone fought out of hatred and revenge, she was the only one fighting because of her love for her friends and the demon yer corps.

    I was always attracted to that, probably because I was so hateful.

    "Thank you," she whispered softly as her tears finally flowed down her eyes like a dam. Then she lunged at me and her arms tightly wrapped around my torso, knocking the breath out of me.

    "Thank you so much!!" she said and cried in my chest.

    It was easier than I expected. I wonder how much she needed to hear those words.

    "No problem Mitsuri." I said and patted her head.

    She continued bawling her eyes out and she hugged me even tighter. But her giant balloon breast acted as a cushion so I was not hurt even with her insane squeezing strength.

    It felt amazing.

    I''ll take this as my reward.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author: Although I would''ve loved to stretch this development for around three Chapters or so, I''m afraid it would be boring to some people so I did it in a single Chapter.

    In the end, I find no reason to stretch something the canon covered in a few pages too much. After all, it''s not even the main plot.

    Thanks for reading

    <strong><i>Join my patreon to read ahead : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 56: End of vacation

    <h4>Chapter 56: End of vacation</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (1 monthter)

    "Seiji!!!"

    Mitsuri called out while she ran up to me with the smilest smile on her face. Her eyes met mine but I didn''t meet hers.

    Instead, my eyes were locked on something else.

    Ever heard of jiggle physics? Well, that shit was even more magnificent in an anime world. My eyes could not focus anywhere else.

    God, I love gravity.

    But you know what''s even better? When it was in slow motion.

    God, I love my eyes.

    She reached me after a few seconds because I refused to move from my spot. Forget running up to her, I had to resist the urge to create distance so that I could enjoy the sight a little longer.

    "Did I keep you waiting for long?" she was able to ask without missing a breath even after running up to me.

    "Nope, you are right on time. As always."

    I said and she tilted her head to the side before pushing out her chest, making them jiggle again and appear bigger.

    I think she knew I liked them.

    There she stood in front of me, Mitsuri Kanroji, in all her glory. Without a mask, without a lie. It took a month but atst, I got to meet her.

    And she was beautiful.

    She wore a long ck skirt with a white top and a haori over her dress. She was dressed in a very modern fashion, which was a trend these days in cities like Tokyo. But she wore it because it was easier to movepared to a kimono and it felt morefortable.

    Her hair was bright exotic pink with green ends that seemed to shine alongside the sun. Coupled with her bubbly attitude and her dress, she attracted many eyes. But she did not shrink under those gazes and only smiled at mine.

    "What are we going to do today Seiji?" she asked with excitement in her eyes.

    We have been going on many dates this month to get to know each other better so there was not much that we haven''t done. Be it going to parks, trying out different restaurants or riding a train, we''ve done most of the things that could be done in the city.

    So today, I thought of something unique.

    "We are going to the mountains," I said and Mitsuri blinked her emerald eyes, unsure if that was exciting or not.

    In the end, she seemed toe to the conclusion that anything with me would be fun so she grinned. "Let''s go then!!"

    She said before pulling me forward and leading me somewhere as if she knew where we would be going. I kept myself from telling her that we were going in the opposite direction.

    In the bustling city of Tokyo, Mitsuri led me through the streets for a while until she eventually stopped and turned back with a blushing face.

    "Um...the mountain is this way...right?"

    I chuckled which only made her more embarrassed.

    ...

    We left the city of Tokyo and went to the mountains. I have been there before and I cleared a small path through the forest when I nned this date.

    The only problem was the hiking which was not really a problem for us with our superior physique. We didn''t even break a sweat.

    I led her to beautiful ces in the forest like a flower garden, a small pond or ces with beautiful sceneries. All of which I knew because I liked beautiful ces.

    It was a great experience for Mitsuri who was a city girl and spent her life in urban areas. We even encountered a few animals while we hiked up the mountain; a friendly deer, timid rabbits and a cute little fox.

    She was enjoying the date. The only time I saw her smile wider was when we were on a food tour where we tried every bakery in the city of Tokyo.

    We spent the entire afternoon in the mountains, enjoying the istion and peace that the city could not provide. It was just the two of us, and Mitsuri seemed to be very conscious about that considering she blushed a lot today than other days.

    In the end, we finally reached the peak of the highest mountain where a pic basket awaited us. There were food and other things that I left yesterday and were protected by yours truly Raven from other animals while I was away.

    Then Mitsuri proceeded to flex her cooking skills by making food with the items and ingredients. As someone who liked eating, she was great at making food.

    We sat down in afortable spot and enjoyed our time while eating. We stayed like that for nearly an hour before the sun finally began to set. It was the end of the day and the beginning of my favourite time.

    Sunset.

    We enjoyed the sunset together. The sun sank into the horizon, giving thest warmth of sunshine in the colour of thick honey and the promise of rising once more.

    The sun which had shone so brightly finally rested behind the mountains, signifying the end of another day which can never be reimed.

    Darkness descended to the world but only for a moment as countless stars took the ce of the sun in the sky. They glittered like gems in the sky, finally getting the time to shine after being outshined by the sun.

    They seemed to bepeting for the spotlight as they spread infinitely in the endless expanse above. The moon hung in the air, its gentle ray recing the sun''s.

    The transition between day and night, the blue sky and the ck sky, was an incredible scene that I never got tired of witnessing.

    "It''s beautiful," Mitsuri said, her green eyes were able to reflect the beauty of the sky.

    "it is." I agreed.

    "Thank you for bringing me here."

    I smiled. She was always so grateful for every good thing that happened to her. It was one of her greatest traits.

    We peacefully sat under the night until Raven suddenly flew towards me and sat on my head. I was surprised since she had not done this ever since I was on vacation.

    But then what she told me shifted my entire mood in an instant.

    ''Demon.''

    ...

    "Seiji?" Mitsuri instantly called my name when she felt the sudden shift in my mood but I did not respond.

    My eyes started glowing purple as I turned my neck to look in the direction where the demon wasing from. My eyes pierced through the thick jungle and skipped the distance before locking on the body of the disgusting creature.

    The demon did not know why but he flinched when my eyesnded on him. A foreboding emerged in his vile heart but he was too stupid to heed the warning his instincts were no doubt giving him.

    He continued making his way towards us.

    "Seiji? What happened?" she asked while nudging my shoulder, "You''re making me scared."

    She was a very emphatic girl so even though she did not know what was happening, she could feel it through me.

    "It''s nothing, don''t worry," I said and got up from the nket on the floor. Then I made my way to a tree and grabbed my sword which was propped against it.

    I knew something like this could happen so I left my sword here yesterday.

    I felt moreplete when I had the sword in my hand than when I did not. By then Mitsuri hade up to me so I told her to stay behind me.

    Even before a minute passed, the demon reached us. He walked out of the forest and came to the clearing.

    "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the demon said while licking his lips.

    The demon was around 7 feet tall with a very muscr body. His eyes werepletely red and demonic and he had three horns on his head.

    I could tell at a nce that he was stronger than ordinary demons. If I had to guess, he was the demon that ruled over the territory of Tokyo. Strong demons had their own hunting grounds and territories after all, just like top predators.

    "If it is not a couple having a romantic time in the mountains alone..." the demon said in evil amusement, "..not knowing that they just served themselves on a silver tter."

    "Seiji.."Mitsuri whispered, her body trembled and she lightly tugged at my haori. "...what is that?"

    She was scared and understandably so. She had never seen a demon in her life and the one before us was especially intimidating with his hulking stature.

    "That''s a demon." I said, "Don''t worry, it won''t hurt you while I''m here."

    Her body stopped trembling and I could see her heart calming down after my words. Whatever it was that stood before us, my words were enough tofort her.

    That was incredibly adorable. I thought in my mind and I couldn''t help but smile.

    I never smiled genuinely in the presence of a demon before. She always made me do the most shocking things with no effort whatsoever.

    "Oh~ you know about demons. That makes me wonder.." he started and his voice got incredibly low. I could see the vibration, "...why you are not running away?''

    Silence hung in the air after his words fell. A chilling breeze blew upon us.

    Then I broke the silence, "I pity you."

    "Huh?" he mumbled, confused.

    Then I grabbed the hilt of my sword and stepped one foot forward to get into a stance. I did not exin my sentence but I thought in my mind, how unfortunate he was to encounter a Hashira while he was on vacation.

    He truly had bad luck. But I suppose that''s karma.

    "Wait, that sword.." he said and his eyes shook with rage and veins popped around his eyes, "Are you a demon yer?!"

    I took a breath as insane volumes of air filled my lungs. Then I exhaled in a pattern that was unlike any singr style of the five major breathing styles that I have learned.

    The pattern was a mix between two breathing styles.

    My body cut through the air, faster than the speed of sound. My attack had no sound because it could not catch up to me. I was too fast for the demon to notice me.

    Wind Breahting and Thunder Breathing were the fastest breathing styles. When mixed together, I was able to attain speed, unlike anything the demon had ever seen. I was easily faster than even the Sound Hashira.

    My de swung at an even faster speed. Discarding air resistance, my de bit into the demon before it could even think.

    In the next instant, I was behind the demon and time resumed like normal.

    A loud explosion of sound followed but the sound was so high-pitched that it was impossible to hear with the human ears. But the animals living in the mountain all reacted to the sound.

    The demon''s face split into three before his entire head slid off his neck. Soon after, his body also started falling apart as it was cut into a hundred pieces by the wind des.

    It was the speed of Thunder Breathing First Form : Thunderp and sh mixed with the violent waves of Wind Breathing Seventh Form : Gale, Sudden wave.

    The result was a catastrophe that happened in less than a second.

    "Haaaa...." I released a sigh and sheathed my sword after the demon was reduced to dust.

    It has been three months since I took the vacation after my 16th birthday. I guess this was the universe''s way of telling me that I needed to return.

    It''s time to end my vacation.

    And...

    "I guess I have a little exining to do." I said and turned to Mitsuri who was....not terrified at all. Her cheeks were flushed red and her breath was haggard and she was..excited?

    But most importantly...

    ''Why is she looking at me like that?''

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 57: Breaking the news to Mitsuri

    <h4>Chapter 57: Breaking the news to Mitsuri</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I guess I have a little exining to do." I said but then I stopped when I saw the state she was in. Her eyes had a primal glint in them, her cheeks flushed and her breath came out needy.

    A quick nce at her with the transparent world and I saw her womb throbbing and her walls clenched.

    Is she...

    No..

    ''She is fucking turned on right now. Holy shit, like girl, I know you have a fetish for strong men but what the hell is this?'' I thought while looking at her.

    But then again, maybe it''s not so strange considering one of her main reasons for joining the Demon yer Corp was to find a husband - a man stronger than her.

    And what was in front of her was the strongest Hashira so I couldn''t fault her.

    "Are you okay?" I asked,cing fake concern in my voice. I like her hot and bothered to be honest since it was due to me anyway.

    "Ah." she gasped and came back to reality. A massive blush found her cheeks and her innocence won over her fetish.

    "I''m okay," she muttered, gathering her bearings. She shook her head and thest thought of indecency left her head as questions reced them.

    "Seiji, what was that?"

    "That was a demon," I answered.

    "A demon? Like from folktales and books?"

    "They are simr, except demons are real, as you just saw," I said and gave aforting smile when I saw fear emerge on her face.

    "Don''t be afraid, there are people like me - the Demon yers - who protect society from these demons."

    Her pretty eyes locked with mine and I could see thoughts swirling behind them as she processed my words.

    She tore her eyes away and looked at the ce where the demon previouslyy - sliced into many pieces - but it was no longer there.

    She gulped, "I trust you." was her final reply.

    Adorable. Why is she so adorable?

    I walked forward and gave her a hug. She was surprised at first before she melted in my embrace and her arms snaked around my body to hug me back.

    "Let''s return, your parents would be worried by now." I said. And it was not really appropriate for a woman to stay with a man after the sun was down, even if they were engaged. It could even destroy their reputation.

    If we suddenly broke the engagement, she would have a harder time finding a suitor just because she was with a man even after the sun fell. It''s just the culture. Japanese put purity in high regard, especially for women, it was the greatest virtue she could have.

    We walked down the mountain and I used the time to answer her question and exin the hidden war that had been ongoing for hundreds of years now.

    The war between demons and demon yers.

    I exined to her what demons were, how the sun''s rays were deadly to them and how they needed the flesh of humans to survive.

    "Why human flesh though? Can''t they just eat animals like us?" she asked. It was a genuine question that made me hum in thought.

    Probably because they are still part human and thier body need human flesh in particr for sustenance. Thier stomachs could also be only attuned to digesting human flesh.

    Or most likely, humans just taste better than any other meat and it could increase thier strength as well.

    She was intrigued by the demon yers as well.

    "Demons can regenerate and heal from most weapons except ones that are made from a special ore called Scarlet ore, which is found on the top of mountains absorbing sunlight.

    "You want to see it?" I said and put my sword forward. She became flustered instantly.

    "No..no..I-Its okay." she said.

    It was considered a show of great respect and trust if a Samurai allowed you to touch and see his sword. It was considered a part of thier soul and it meant the Samurai allowed you to see thier soul. It was an act that showed a close rtion, an intimate one especially if it was to a woman.

    I didn''t really care about those though. After the Meiji restoration, such traditions were stopped but since that was recent, it still exists today.

    "Here, it''s okay, I don''t mind." I said with a smile and shoved it in her hand so she could take a look. It was not that I took the culture seriously but she did, and I wanted to see her blush more.

    She carefully examined my odachi in her hand. Even with her limited knowledge, she could feel that it was a masterpiece, a weapon above the rest.

    "It''s heavy," shemented.

    Was it? I''ve been using it since I was 13 years old so I go used to the weight. The muscle structure of my body also developed to carry and swing the long de so at this point, it felt like normal katana to me.

    After that, she carefully returned the sword to me.

    "So this demon yer...are they strong?" she asked me.

    "Yes, they are strong. Extremely so whenpared to normal people, the Hashiras are able to do feats no ordinary man would believe in thier life." I said.

    "Increadible." she said, "...are they even stronger than you?"

    I paused my steps and Mitsuri did too after she noticed. She looked back, a little worried that I might not like her question for whatever reason. I only shed her a smile.

    I always wanted to do this.

    "No. Afterall..." I said,

    "I am the strongest."

    "...."

    "Pftt, that sounds sillier than I thought." I said with a chuckle. She seemed to be impressed though, and she believed me.

    Not that it was a lie. With my mixed breathing, I could now speedbliz even the likes of Gyomei.

    "Let''s hurry." I said.

    "Coming!!"

    ..

    /////////////////

    I''m a coward. Did you ever notice?

    Almost all of the connections and bonds I have formed in this life was with characters I have known in the past. I was not brave enough to form deep connections with people I was not aware of, real people whom I never knew as a character.

    Because thest time I bonded with random people - my family - I lost them and I had never mourn harder for a loss.

    That''s why I''m afraid now.

    The characters I knew from my past life - I was aware of their future somewhat. I knew when they would die, when they would be in danger and I also knew they were strong (most of them being Hashrias or future Hashiras). This decreased the risk of me losing them significantly.

    It was one of the reasons why I never formed a close rtionship with my aunt and uncle. They were weak and I had no clue about what would happen to them in the future. There was too much risk in loving them too much.

    On the flip side, this was why I easily formed a connection with Mitsuri. She was strong, and a future Hashira. She only died at the end of the canon story so there was a low risk for loving her. She shouldn''t die randomly. She was strong, I was here and fate was on her side.

    But now I found myself questioning this mindset.

    What if my existence had changed the future too much at this point? What if her survival was not certain anymore?

    ...

    I''m not sure I want Mitsuri to be a Demon yer.

    It was a strange change in my mindset because I had every intention of being the one to introduce her to the Demon yer Corp. She viewed it as a family in the canon, a ce that epts and values her. The thought of bringing her with me after I returned even crossed my mind.

    But now I was against it.

    It was strange because I had no problem with Rengoku being a Demon yer and a Hashiras even knowing it would lead to his death, and I consider him my best friend.

    Did this overprotectiveness stem from the fact that I viewed her as a wife already and wanted to protect her? I''m not sure.

    But all thoughts aside, I think it''s time to end all this.

    I need to leave now, I have duties to fulfil.

    So I broke the news to my uncle and aunt first. They were initially surprised but it did not take them long to ept the fact that I was not done with my travels.

    I was sure that Mitsuri''s parents wouldn''t have a problem as well since I couldn''t even marry legally yet. But the main problem lies in Mitsuri.

    How would she take the news?

    So today, I called her to a restaurant that had great dessert.

    Let''s see how this goes.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________

    Author : No, I was not on a vacation. I''m a workaholic that won''t rest until the doctor literally prescribed him to. At least 6 hours of sleep, he said.

    If you are curious, I''m in the drama club as the leader and the main director/scriptwriter and we just had apetition, which we nailed btw.

    I was busy with that for three whole days.

    Anyway, triple update to make up to you guys. Thank you for worrying about me.

 Chapter 58: A hopeless romantic

    <h4>Chapter 58: A hopeless romantic</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (Mitsuri)

    Mitsuri was a hopeless romantic all her life.

    She dreamed of love, she hoped for love and so she had a great expectation for love and how it would feel like.

    So would you believe me if I said it was better than she ever expected?

    Because it was.

    To love someone romantically was vastly different and exactly how she imagined it would be.

    Love was not butterflies in her stomach, it was her stomach doing summersaults.

    Love was not being wless to earn it, it was being loved despite the ws.

    Love was not about looking perfect, it was the perfect way she was seen.

    Love was not about who is stronger, it''s the safety she found in his arms.

    It was not a soft caress like she hoped but a violent pull, one that left her breathless but alive despite theck of air.

    Love was...beautiful. More than she''d ever hoped it would be.

    A month ago, she wouldn''t believe it. She wouldn''t believe that she would be so fulfilled, she wouldn''t believe how perfect she felt now even when she was far from it.

    She tried to be like other girls. She tried to fit in. She was dyeing her hair ck and ate less to be weaker and appear more elegant. She was trying to hide all the aspects he loved about her.

    Such a silly thing.

    He liked her. No like he really really likes her. Not the horrible disguise that she was putting on, just her.

    And that was more liberating than she could put into words.

    It was different from her family''s love. Her father and mother loved her as a daughter, her siblings loved her as a sister. Even if someone else had taken her ce, and another was born instead of her, they would still love that person the same because she would still be their daughter and sister.

    But his love was different.

    He loved her because she was herself.

    Knowing that, she felt enough. Knowing that, she realised she didn''t need to fit in.

    Who cares about other people? Who cares about other men? Only he was everything and more.

    This mindset was quite different from her canon counterpart where she wasfortable with her own skin and found a ce in the demon yer corps. But the oue was the same - her being true to herself - so Seiji did not even notice.

    ...

    "Or does he even love me back?" her legs which had been kicking came to a stop and her jolly mood suddenly shattered like ss with that single question.

    She had the habit of getting ahead of herself and living in her own delusions. So, did Seiji love her back or not?

    "At least, he must love me a little right?" she said while looking up at the ceiling as shey on her bed (futon).

    It had been a month and he had not rejected her yet. He had also invited her more frequently to dates and from what he said, he was happy with the engagement.

    That should imply that he definitely loves her back, right? At least he must love her a little.

    She was delusional sometimes but she was not so out of touch with reality that she would expect him to love her as much as she did or as quickly as she did.

    Because as it was already said, Mitsuri was a hopeless romantic all her life. Falling for him was about the easiest thing she''d ever done - as if she was born to do so.

    But she hoped he loved her back even just a little, Like how he loves a puppy, or is that too much because he really loves puppies - she noticed.

    "I don''t know! I don''t know!" she said, rolling around the bed, the emotions in her heart demanded action.

    She looked like she''d gone mad. But I guess that''s what happens when a girl experiences her first love. It was like the first seed on a fertile, virgin soil.

    Right then, Mitsuri heard something knock at her door. She was surprised at first, and a little scared. But when she heard repeated knocking/pecking sounds, she left her bed and slid open the door.

    "Eh, Raven?" she was surprised to see the ck sparrow in the middle of the night.

    The bird gave her a dead stare as if it was not too amused at her existence. Mitsuri felt like she had wronged the bird somehow by her mere presence in this world.

    Then she noticed the letter the bird had on her feet. She beamed a smile, it was probably Seiji. There was ack ofmunication in this world so he would often send Raven to give letters.

    Usually, the letter would contain the time and ce where they would meet for a date so Mitsuri took the letter and eagerly opened it.

    She was not disappointed as she saw a time and ce for a meeting tomorrow.

    "Tomorrow, but we had a date today?" she said in surprise before a wide smile took over her face.

    They only went on dates for two to three times a week. This was the first time they would meet two days in a row.

    Did he really miss her that much already? Did he want to see her again so soon? Such thoughts swirled in her mind.

    The bird''s eyes got more dead when it saw Mitsuri''s smile. She turned around and quickly flew away from the happy girl.

    "Oh~ he really loves me." she said and held the letter near her heart.

    Now she had to sleep quickly so that tomorrow coulde sooner.

    ..

    //////////////////

    (The next day)

    "I have to leave."

    "eh?''

    "I know this is sudden but there is no better way to say it."

    ''Chotto fucking matte, please!!

    "I''ll miss you."

    Miss her? She''ll probably die.

    "I n on leaving today so this will probably be thest time we see each other for a while."

    "EHHHHHH!!!"

    .

    .

    .

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : This is a small chap but update will being up again soon. Stay tuned.

    Really hard to write female characters so this take the same effort as other Chapters.

    You know writing action is way easier.

    I miss my ''ALWTA'' days.

    I was absolutely unhinged back then, only knowing how to write yandere. LOL

 Chapter 59: Last date

    <h4>Chapter 59: Last date</h4>

    Author : Double Chapter and this one will be thest of Mitsuri arc so enjoy.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    We were in a cafe, or ''kissaten'' as it was called here. Many cafes were emerging all around Japan due to the Western influence and this was just one of them.

    Mitsuri sat across from me and she was enjoying her caste. She cupped her cheek with one hand while using a fork to feed herself with the other.

    She would also give me a melodious hum of satisfaction which I truly wished I could hear, but I could tell it was pretty just from the vibrations.

    Caste was expensive as hell for no reason and she wanted ten. But seeing her eat like that was worth every yen.

    "Is it good?"

    "Hmmm, Hmmm!!" she replied with a nod as her mouth was stuffed with the sponge cake but she gave me a radiant smile that was just as loud as any yell of affirmation would be.

    I returned a small smile and sipped my tea. I enjoyed watching her eat because she was beautiful but she didn''t show any difort because she had gotten used to my staring.

    We enjoyed the early rays of the morning sun in the cafe. But by the time the sun had fully risen, it was time to drop the bad news to her.

    "Mitsuri, the reason why I called you here was because I wanted to tell you something." I began and I watched every movement of her face to read her reaction.

    "Hmm?"

    "I have to leave."

    "Eh."

    Her face just froze. I could not read her at all because all her facial expressions just froze like ice.

    "I know this is sudden but there is no better way to say it," I said but still, I saw no reaction from her. Even her heartpletely halted its beat.

    "I''ll miss you."

    "..."

    "I n on leaving today so this will probably be thest time we see each other for a while," I said and finally, she exploded.

    "EHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    I was deaf but even I knew that was loud.

    "What? Leaving? Why? W-Where-" She mmed against the table and stood up before bombarding questions at me but I put a finger on her lips to silence her.

    I also pushed her boobs to stop them from jiggling because I did not want to be distracted by them while we were on a serious topic.

    "Settle down please, it won''t make much of a difference if you scream," I said. She took a deep breath and settled back into her seat.

    She leaned forward, using her boobs as a pillow while she brought her face close to mine. Maybe she hoped to seek answers behind my eyes with how intently she was looking at me.

    "Why?"

    That was the most important question to her. I could see cracks of vulnerability on her face when she asked. She probably wondered if she did something wrong or if I was fed up with her.

    It was nothing like that, I made sure to show that with gentle eyes.

    "Remember what I told you yesterday?" she nodded, "I am a Demon yer and the strongest amongst them, which means I am important."

    "I have been taking a break for three months now. It is time for me to return to my duty." I said.

    "....I see." she said and withdrew from my face.

    A silence settled between us and I allowed her to process what was said, the little that was said.

    In only just a month, our rtionship had seen much growth. Her because I was the one who helped her get over her issues and me because I knew her and liked her from my previous life.

    Our time together was unlike the time I spent with Kanae, Shinobu or any other person because when we hung out, we did it solely to get to know each other and to enjoy the other''spany. There were no jobs or missions in between.

    "When will youe back?" she finally asked after some time.

    "I''ll visit frequently." I replied, "It''s not like we won''t see each other again, only that the time between our meetings will be longer."

    The area around the city was under my territory anyway so it wouldn''t be much trouble to visit her monthly when we get breaks.

    "..there isn''t anything much I can do is there?" she finally said with a helpless smile. It saddens me to see her so down.

    "I''m afraid not," I said and reached out to pat her head. Her hair was soft and fluffy like a weird mix between silk and cotton.

    "It''s okay. Like you said, we''ll meet again," she said, more to herself than to me.

    I knew she had a lot more things to say which she pushed down because she was not brave enough to say it. Her beating heart, her throat contraction and her breath told me so.

    But she was afraid of annoying me by being too clingy and she felt that it was not in her ce to tell me what to do when we were just fiance.

    A part of me wanted to bring her with me, but more of me wanted her to stay and be safe. I was here now and I could work to cover everything she would''ve contributed if she became a Hashira. She didn''t need to be in danger, she didn''t need to fight when she didn''t like fighting.

    "Enough of this heavy mood. This will be ourst date for a while so let''s enjoy it." I said and she joined my enthusiasm not long after.

    "Yeah!! Let''s go have the best time ever!"

    And so, we left the cafe to start the date. Since we wanted to enjoy ourselves as much as possible, we did what both of us liked.

    Cloth shopping!!

    And I''ll cut anyone who says it''s gay. If you remember, I was quite a fashion enthusiast since I appreciated appearance and beauty.

    This was also not just any cloth shopping, it was kimono shopping.

    We went to the most popr shopping district which was known for its kimono, both handmade and machine-made. They had everything from in colours to the most colourful ones, ranging from dirt cheap ones to noble luxurious ones.

    We both tried many different kimonos and asked each other for opinions. Mitsuri was into the colourful ones with patterns while I preferred in ones with nifty designs and the right measurements.

    Because in my opinion, no matter how beautiful it was, as long as it did not fit you perfectly andpliment your shape, it was only a disappointment. A rainbow vomit if I were honest.

    To my eyes, such imperfection was triggering and the opposite of beauty and elegance.

    "Why don''t you try this?" I said, showing her a pink kimono with could patterns, "Pink suits you."

    "Okay!" she said before taking it and running to the changing room. When she came out again, I had a thoughtful look.

    I was facing a problem.

    She looked good in absolutely everything. It didn''t matter what kimono she wore, she looked extremely beautiful.

    Clothes were meant to make you beautiful, but she made clothes beautiful instead.

    Her body had the perfect proportions, she was built like a hentai heroine. Small shoulders, generous breasts, and then she had a small waist and wide child-bearing hips that created the famous hourss figure.

    That''s not all, as your gaze lowered, you would be met with thick supple thighs and a perfect rear the shape of a heart. It makes me want to write a wish fulfilment fanfiction ''That time I got reincarnated as Mitsuri''s favourite chair''

    "We''ll take that too," I said to the owner of the store.

    "That too? Why don''t you just buy the whole store at this point hahaha!!" sheughed while she held a mountain of kimono.

    I simply stared at her, contemting.

    "Wait, seriously?"

    In the end, Mitsuri convinced me not to buy the store. She picked two kimonos that she liked and said she didn''t need more.

    I ended up buying one for myself as well, plus a new haori which was not fully white but had purple cubic patterns for decoration.

    After we were done shopping we went to a Kabuki theatre to watch a y. I proposed to watch a normal y but Mitsuri, being the sweetheart that she was said she preferred to watch a shadow y.

    She chose this while keeping my deafness in mind. There was no dialogue in shadow y and it relied on visual storytelling so she thought it would be a better experience for me.

    We watched the shadow y, enjoying ourselves with the story of two couples who got separated by the horrors of war. I was worried that it might have a tragic ending and make her not only sad butpare our situation with the story but luckily, they both survived and married and lived happily after the war.

    Finally, we ended the date with how we began, food. We visited a total of six restaurants where we both ordered a normal quantity of food.

    We created this perfect strategy in our earlier dates. We get to try the foods of different restaurants while not attracting any unwanted attention from the sheer amount of food we consume. Well, mostly Mitsuri but I ate well above the standard as well.

    After the end, I walked Mitsuri to her home. We also indulged in the absolute debauchery of unprotected hand-holding as we walked.

    "Why are you looking at me so intently silly?" Miitsuri asked while we walked in the calm of the evening.

    "I was just wondering...where all the food went. Your stomach remainspletely t." I said while looking at her belly.

    She blushed deep red much to my amusement but then her eyes shone with a hint of mischief and the desire to get back at me.

    "I don''t know, maybe here?" she said and suddenly shoved her boobs up. But much to her disappointment, my face was stone cold, call me Alex Pierra.

    ...or maybe not because she had a teasing smile on her face, much like Kanae. Impossible!! My face would never betray me!

    "You''re so cute when you blush," she said and I was genuinely caught off guard. Was she, verbally teasing me back? She never did that. Was it because we won''t see each other for a while?

    Nevertheless, "Who''s blushing? I''m not blushing."

    The proof was in her eyes. When I looked at my reflection in her emerald eyes, my face was absolutely stoic.

    She smiled wider and pinched my ear. Only when her fingers touched my ears did I notice how cold her fingers were. Or were my ears heating up? They are, aren''t they?

    Don''t tell me people could see me blush from my ears all this time? What am I, a fucking tsundere waifu?

    I covered my ears instantly, causing her to giggle.

    "Har har, very funny," I said, keeping my hands on my ears. Maybe I should grow my hair just to hide it?

    A few minutes passed and we reached the Kanrojipound. God, why did her house have to be so close? I wouldn''t mind if it was still a couple hundred miles away.

    "Well, this is it," she said and folded her arms behind her back. She turned around and faced me.

    "Goodbye, Seiji."

    "Goodbye Mitsuri."

    She smiled and waited for a few seconds longer than necessary as if she were waiting for something.

    I knew what she was waiting for, and I was hoping for it too. But my dumbass remained rooted in ce like a whole tree.

    She released a breath she didn''t know she was holding...nothing happened.

    ''Come on, aren''t you gonna do it?'' my mind questioned me.

    "Byee.." she whispered and turned around. Then she walked away.

    "...."

    Before she left an arm''s reach, I grabbed her hand and gave a small tug. She released a cute yelp and spun around tond on my chest.

    The moment she looked up, I leaned down and gave her a small peck on her lips.

    It was brief, it was soft and a little wet. It was perfect.

    ''I fucking did it!! ''

    Mitsuri quickly turned beet red in my arms and I know this was out of the script but I leaned in and gave her another peck on her lips.

    This time, I felt it more clearly. Her lips were warm and they were like the most tender petal of a flower.

    Finally, I released her.

    "I''ll see you again soon," I said and my shamelessness suddenly ran out. I had used up all of my courage and the few I borrowed from God knows where.

    So with the speed of the fastest Hashira, I fled the scene like a criminal who had justmitted a crime.

    It was my first kiss.

    ..

    I would regret running away yearster because that was not cool at all. But we all had our first kiss at some point, right? So you guys should understand me.

    It was nerve-wracking, on par with peeking at Muzan Kibutsuji.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [MUST SEE IMAGE!!!!]

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    Important note : The reason Seiji''s romantic development with Mitsuri is much quicker than Kanae and Shinobu is that the Kocho sisters never made any advances on him. Shinobu liked thier friendship and never really made a move other than secretly crushing on him. Kanae is at the stage of denial where she holds herself back from loving her sister''s crush/ best friend.

    On the other hand, Mitsuri is all in on it. Sheid her feelings bare for Seiji to see, without holding back. She knows what she wants, she wants to love and to be loved. In the anime too, we see her trying everything she could to change just so she would find love and a husband. It is also both thier first love and experience so things develop quickly.

    Mitsuri is the Love Hashira for a reason. The Kocho sisters would need to up their game if they don''t want him to be snatched by Mitsuri.

 Chapter 60: The return of the Main Character

    <h4>Chapter 60: The return of the Main Character</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    At the crack of dawn, I left the city of Tokyo with a small smile and a heavy heart. I thought I would never say this but I was going to miss the city, even with the high possibility of Muzan Kitbutsuji living in it.

    Because I had people I was going to miss.

    After gaining enough power and bing the strongest Demon yer, my rtionship with my aunt and uncle became deeper on my part as I finally had the courage to do so.

    Not only that, I had a fiance, and it was not just any girl but Mitsuri fucking Kanroji.

    Suffice it to say, I would be returning after a month or two.

    I took my time travelling through the thick temperate forest of Japan. I did not want to tire myself because I needed to adjust my body to a new sleeping schedule where night was day and day was night. If I tire myself too much, I''ll be sleepy at night.

    Raven was on top of my head, she seemed to be in a good mood due to the fact that it was just the two of us again. I swear she acts more like a cat than a bird sometimes.

    After I was miles away from the city, a kasugai crow finally flew above me. I had a small smile on my face, I was itching to slice some demon up after the long vacation.

    When you describe me as a character, I hope you remember the deep passion I have for my job. A really really deep passion.

    I read the movement of the crow''s throat to understand the mission. Raven also tranted it to me with morse code and I made sure there was no mimunication.

    "No individual mission? That''s unfortunate." I said while processing the retail of the mission.

    The North huh, that ce was wet and had leeches this time around. Ew.

    "Wait, Kanae is going after a lower moon?" I said, trying to push down the chilling premonition that immediately invaded my mind.

    Nothing bad would happen. I warned her so.

    It seems like the Demon yer Corps was having a rough time with their most important pir going on a break. So much so that they would send their healer on an investigation mission - which normally takes very long. I could imagine the amount of missions piling up since I was no longer speedrunning through them.

    ''Well, it''s good to disappear like this sometimes. It makes people appreciate your presence when they see the consequences of your absence.'' I thought to myself as I changed the direction of my travel to the far north.

    ''Am I allowed to think like that when said consequence could mean the loss of many lives?'' I thought while humming.

    "How much of what I do is due to my job/duty, how much of it is a product of hate? How much of me is a genuinely good person who wants people to stop dying?" I asked myself in silence.

    One thing about being an adolescent was that you started to ask questions with no answers in an attempt to find your identity and know yourself. Am I a good person or am I a bad person?

    I entertained such thoughts while travelling to the north. It has been some time since Ist saw Kanae, I hope she is doing okay. That woman is a ticking time bomb but I don''t want to worry too much and raise red gs.

    Unconsciously, I quickened my steps, breaking my perfect movement to cover the distance faster and more efficiently.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////////

    After travelling for more than half a day, I finally reached the Aomori region. By that time, the sun had long since set and demons began crawling out of their hell hole.

    I stood atop a ridge and observed the horizon. I was not enjoying the scenery, instead, my eyes carefully observed every little thing in the forest. My vision zoomed in and zoomed out through different areas.

    I could see squirrels fighting for nuts on the right side of the forest, I saw a mother bird vomiting worms and feeding her chicks in the centre, I saw a snake stalking its prey on the ground, I saw leaves falling due to the wind and I saw fishes dancing in a small pond.

    My eyes were many times more powerful than the eyes of hawks and eagles. Although processing all the information from such a wide range could be exhausting, I pushed myself.

    After ten or so minutes standing on that ridge, I finally saw a Kasugai crow in the furthest part of the horizon. The small flower decorating its head was all I needed to realize whom that crow belonged to.

    "Kanae." I said. The crow was flying around in search of assistance. It was not an emergency, but it showed that Kanae needed help.

    How many times had it been like this? I asked myself while readying myself to take action.

    I had been getting Kanae out of a sticky situation more times than I could count. This mainly had to do with the fact that she was supposed to die around this year. I was more focused on her, making sure she was safe.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form." </i>I crouched down and loaded my leg like a spring.

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh, twenty percent output, fifty fold."</strong>

    I burst out like a terrible hurricane and used my modified first form for a total of fifty steps. My speed was not at maximum but my muscles were less strained as a result.

    It was a new application of the first form I invented. I could cover up to 30 kilometres at incredible speed using this technique.

    I used the branches of the trees to propel myself forward, my feet never touched the ground. After talking fifty steps with Thunder Breathing, I found myself in apletely different area altogether.

    The kasugai crow was much closer on the horizon and with my eyes, I could finally see the situation that needed assistance.

    My eyes narrowed, ignoring the distance while I looked upon the scene kilometres away as if I was there myself.

    I sighed in relief when I saw Kanae struggling to fight against a group of demons led by a lower moon. The situation was grave but it was nothingpared to what I feared the most.

    "Flower Breathing is horrible against a group of enemies," I said while shaking my head. Although her life was not in danger, I suppose I should help her.

    I pulled out my sword from the sheath and grabbed at the long hilt. I brought my sword above my shoulder which waspletely different from how it was meant to be held.

    I was holding the odachi like a spear.

    Why?

    Because I was going to use it as such.

    My pupils shrank as I stopped focusing on one area. It was like a mix between unblurring the background and zooming out in a camera.

    Instead of zooming in on one area and seeing the details, my eyes started calcting the distance, the movement of the wind and the exact angle which I needed to hit my target.

    My brain processed the information andmanded my body to execute a calcted action. I did not even do this intentionally, it was all unconscious. Like how you unconsciously calcte the trajectory, speed and other factors of an object before you catch it.

    It was what any human could do, but I pushed the limit to a frightening degree.

    <i>"Esoteric Art : Breathing Styles."</i>

    <strong>"Thunder Wind Breathing : Unerring Lance."</strong>

    The muscles in my arm exploded, producing the sound of thunder due to the sheer release of sudden force. I threw my de like a spear, its edge sliced through the atmosphere and travelled to the target with incredible uracy.

    It took a few seconds before my sword plunged itself right between the groups of demons and Kanae. They all paused for a moment to observe the strange sword that came out of nowhere.

    Oops. I was aiming for the boss. I guess no matter how overpowered my eyes were, it was not enough to hit a target from kilometres away with a sword thrown like a Lance.

    But that was enough because I saw Kanae''s lips curve in a small smile and the demons shrunk when they took a closer look at the sword.

    I used Thunder Breathing to reach them as quickly as possible.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : No one seemed to like the idea of Seiji using arrows even though I thought it''d be cool asf. But still, he will throw his sword.

    ..

    Join my patreon to support the book and read ahead!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 61: Main Character’s Aura

    <h4>Chapter 61: Main Character''s Aura</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (Kanae Kocho)

    "Fuck!"

    Such profanity rarely left the pretty lips of Kanae Kocho. But if one looked at the situation she was in, they would no doubt understand her and say her curse was justified.

    And what exactly was the situation she found herself in?

    Well, she was surrounded by a few dozen or so high-level demons. That alone would give any Hashira a run for their money but to make matters worse, there was a lower moon leading them.

    Fortunately for her, the lower moon was ranked fifth, which meant that the demon was one of the weakest even among the lower moon demons. She knew this from the kanji number 5 (��) etched in his left eye.

    Nevertheless, it was a very problematic situation that she found herself in.

    "You have no hope of getting out of this alive. You will die and I will feast on your corpse before I bring your head to ''him''." the lower moon said while watching from a safe distance. The demon was a coward.

    "And he will reward me with his blood for a job well done." the lower moon said with ecstasy. Was it normal for demons to get hard when revealing their evil n? she thought to herself when she saw the tent in his pants.

    She wanted to bleach her eyes when she saw that.

    She moved with the grace of a dancer and the elegance of a painter while dodging the attacksing from all the demons around her. The sound of her sword fending them off was the only thing rining in the surroundings other than the nasty growls of the demons.

    She was tired.

    She had been investigating the demon for almost a week now and it was filled with exhausting work because the demon was smart and deliberately destroying her mentally before ambushing her.

    Honestly, Kanae wondered how Seiji did all those investigation missions so easily. When he was active, they never had to worry about such jobs.

    "Stop moving damnit!!" one demon screamed and lunged at her with reckless abandon. She smiled seeing that.

    Finally, it was the opening she was waiting for. It was a mistake from the enemy which she nned to take full advantage of.

    <i>"Flower Breathing : Fourth Form." </i>the world turned pink and flowers starteding to life.

    <strong>"Crimson Hanagoromo." </strong>her de became a beautiful flower that curved and twisted in itself. The demon tried to block her sh but it simply curved into the opening and sliced his head off.

    The ssh of demonic blood and the trail of her de creates the image of a blooming flower. The demons nearby paused as a sweet smell assaulted their senses. They were momentarily awed by the scene, Kanae at that moment looked like an angel.

    She smiled. She can manage this.

    <i>"Flower Breathing : Fifth Form."</i> her arm became loose, dangling like a new nt, a young flower. That was until it burst into action and painted beautiful curves of nine shes.

    Flowers bloomed, and her movement was poetry in motion, the best of grace. In one single instance when demons drew breath, nine heads fell. Blood sttered violently but strangely enough, not a drop touched her, as if the world was careful to not stain her beauty.

    It was violence at its most beautiful.

    Beauty at its most cruel.

    <strong>"Peonies of futility." </strong>she whispered before the demons dissipated.

    ..

    ..

    "What the hell are you guys doing!! Go!! Attack her before she kills anyone else!!" The lower moon was the first to escape from the trance.

    Kanae exhaled sharply, blowing her bangs up before she engaged against the demons once more. After that, there was no more opening she could take advantage of.

    Flower Breathing relied a lot on the eyes of the user. In a sense, it was basically Seiji''s normal fighting style but watered down.

    The user fought best when they could focus on one enemy instead of multiple since they didn''t have special eyes like Seiji who could process and focus on multiple opponents at once.

    A pair of eyes could only focus on one enemy at a time.

    So with no more openings, Kanae was slowly pushed back.

    The lower moon also joined the fight a few times which made her defeat even quicker. But the lower moon never engaged in a long fight, fearing that she might have a trump card.

    ...which she did.

    ''Do I really need to use that?'' she thought to herself. She was referring to the final form of Flower Breathing that could enhance the user''s eyes so that they could see in slow motion.

    However, the technique could cause the rupture of blood vessels in the eyes and cause partial blindness so it was a risky technique that she preferred not to use.

    If she used it, she would no doubt win this confrontation or at least assure her survival. But she was still hesitant to do so, hoping she would find a better way out of this.

    ''Seiji...'' the image of a purple boy appeared in her mind and she immediately became flustered and embarrassed. She almost lost focus and allowed a demon to sh at her.

    It was understandable, after all, it was shameful that she was hoping for help from him even though she was supposed to be his senior.

    She couldn''t help it. If someone was always there to have your back for so many times, you would naturally start relying on it.

    And Seiji had always been there for her. Every single time some trouble emerged in her life, he was there to save her.

    This was because Seiji - knowing that Kanae would be in danger soon ording to canon - was fully focused on her. Whenever she was on a mission, he would also remain close to her and immediately rush to her when she was in need, fearing that it would be her end.

    He did this to other Hashiras too but he gave his everything when it came to her.

    This had been happening for almost a year now, ever since she turned 17. Which was the year when she would encounter Douma and die ording to the canon timeline.

    It was this exact care that Seiji showed which made her eventually fall for him. Which by the way, she still hadn''t epted yet.

    It was impossible for a virgin girl to not fall in love when a man showed her such care and attention. For no particr reason as well from Kanae''s perspective. She was fine till the fourth time he helped her but from then on, he slowly grew in her heart.

    Such protectiveness really tickled her femininity. There was no way else to put it.

    ...

    She shook her head, dispersing all thoughts because the ws of one demon came too close to her liking. It was lucky that they didn''t have tricky blood demon art.

    She took a sharp breath and leapt back to create distance. She brought her sword close to her chest and her posture changed.

    A sudden stillness fell in the air and even the demons stopped.

    Every instinct collectively screamed out, danger.

    Kanae blinked. She was just about to use the final form of Flower Breathing but was left confused, the breathing technique never had such weight before. Was it really her?

    No. It couldn''t be her because she felt the danger too, like something stronger than all of thembined was watching them.

    ..

    It was then that they heard a sharp whistle. It was the sound of a de cutting through the atmosphere like butter. Unbothered by thews of physics, it flew straight at them.

    Thunder followed.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!!!*</i></strong>

    Then a long sword, the colour of purple nted itself on the ground, separating Kanae from the groups of demons.

    The ground shook and the force stirred up a cloud of smoke. But even when the dust settled, no one moved an inch. Even the demons stopped.

    It was as if the de had created an invisible line separating Kanae from the demon. The two groups were in different dimensions entirely.

    The demons were evil and violent, yet even they didn''t dare cross the invisible line. They stared at the sword which was nted on the ground.

    ''Evil Demon'' the demon''s read the kanji on the sword. The letters seem to call out to them.

    ''Destroyer.''

    "...."

    "That''s...another Hashira!" the lower moon gasped and looked in every direction rapidly, afraid that someone would ambush him too.

    "It''s a long sword. It''s purple." one of the demons said and shrunk back in fear.

    Demons were as smart as any human. The only difference was that they were more aggressive and they had supernatural powers.

    So like any human society, rumours also spread amongst the demons. Everyone knew whose de that was. The long katana and the purple colour made it unique from every other sword.

    Seiji Shigan. He was the most dangerous Hashira because he had no weakness, unlike the others. He also had the ability to pinpoint any ticks used by demons.

    Terrorizing a vige used to be the most efficient way to live for a demon and only the very top demons were able to enjoy this privilege. But now, no one ever wanted to do it. No one wanted to control or terrorize a vige.

    Because if you did, the purple Hashira woulde to your vige, find out instantly any tricks or maniption you used and he would hunt you in the daylight. You cannot hide.

    Hiding was not the best way to survive anymore, running was. Your best survival was trying to run from the now fastest Hashria.

    Because you couldn''t hide from the purple Hashira.

    And it was said that the Hashira was the most brutal demon yer of all. They said it was because he was deaf and he couldn''t hear you begging, screaming, or crying. He was absolutely ruthless.

    The cruellest one is the Deaf Hashira.

    Beware of the Deaf Hashira.

    Run from the Purple.

    The Sun is kinder than the long sword.

    At least, that''s how the rumours went.

    So they knew him, they knew Seiji Shigan. Of course, they would know him, after all, he hadpleted more missions than most of the Hahsiras that ever existed in just two years. Such a massacre would not go unnoticed by the demons.

    "He is still far away. He is kilometres away!!" the lower moon suddenly eximed after checking the scent in the air.

    "Kill that btich quickly!!" the lower moonmanded.

    After hesitating once more, the demons attacked Kanae again but this time, they were not able to push her back anymore.

    Their spirit was already beaten and they fought with eyes on their back, fearing that the purple one would reach them by now. Their main concern was on escape routes instead of the Kanae.

    On the other hand, Kanae fought with everything she could, without conserving energy to prolong the fight because she knew Seiji would reach her soon.

    Half a minute passed.

    "Wait!! How is he already this close!" the lower moon suddenly said after catching a scent in the air again. Seiji used Thunder Breathing so he easily covered the distance.

    Now the lower moon was panicked, "Run!!"

    They turned around and were about to run and escape from different directions but it was all toote.

    Because by the time they decided to run...

    ...the hilt of the long sword already found a hand.

    <i>"Esoteric Art : Breathing Styles." </i>a cold whisper. The only sound.

    <strong><i>"Storm Breathing (Water+Wind+Thunder) : First Form."</i></strong>

    <strong>"Tempest Fury."</strong>

    ...

    Maybe it would''ve been better to die by the beautiful flower breathing because what came next was the most violent way a demon could die.

    Their body sttered throughout the forest, torn apart, blown apart before everything else was ripped and minced.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [Demon Image and please add waifu image JONTY]

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    Author : Although it''s monday, I can''t do extra Chapter because I have been doing double update for thest two days. But I still want stones andUGLIf we somehow reach 1000 stones I will do the impossible and cough out extra Chapter.

    <strong><i>Join my patreon to read ahead : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 62: Master of Breathing Styles

    <h4>Chapter 62: Master of Breathing Styles</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    My arm stung after throwing my sword. You could imagine how taxing it would be, to use Thunder Breathing and Wind Breathing simultaneously when Thunder Breathing alone strained the body.

    If I were not such a bullshit character then it would''ve been impossible for anyone.

    You have to remember that no one could learn sun breathing because it was really stressful for the body, so Yoriichi had to teach the early Hashiras a watered-down version of sun breathing and help them shape their style.

    In a way, one breathing style was all the human body should be able to take.

    But I was an anomaly due to my body which was trained perfectly since I was young and because of my impable mastery over breathing styles - mixing breathing styles was like using twonguages in one sentence.

    Still, even I had limits. My current limit was using two breathing styles at once. Of course, this was still more taxing to the body than normal breathing so I mostly used it to finish my opponents instantly.

    Fortunately, I was constantly improving my technique and my body was also growing stronger so I pushed this limit day by day. Eventually, I hope to be able to use all breathing styles at once.

    "Still won''t stop after being warned huh?" I said with mirthless chuckles while looking at the scene kilometres away.

    I inhaled sharply

    Raven flew off my head and I lowered my body, locking my joints like a spring. Purple lighting crackled around my body, and the ground caved in due to the weight of my raw strength.

    Then I exploded out with the speed of lighting and the intensi<strong>ty of Thunder.</strong>

    <strong>"Thunder p and sh, ten fold."</strong>

    Although I just spammed the technique before, I forced my body to do it once more. I would count this as my monthly leg day.

    In just half a minute, I reached the ce where the fighting took ce. The demons immediately turned around to flee but it was all toote.

    Should''ve taken the warning when they had the chance.

    The world was in slow motion from my perspective as I carefully inspected the situation. The lower moon was ranked 5 and with a nce, I could tell that he was weak - much weaker than the one I yed before I became Hashira.

    The rest of the demons were also nothing in my eyes. They could be a threat to middle to lower-ranked Demon yers but in front of a Hashria, they were canon fodders.

    They were ants.

    Seeing that, I deemed it to be safe enough to train myself. If they posed a real threat, I would''ve been more cautious but they did not.

    So let''s do this, let''s use three breathing styles all at once.

    An important lesson I learned about mixed breathing was that there were some breathing styles that were impossible to mix. This was because of their opposite nature.

    For example, if you tried to use two breathing styles at once, you could use; Thunder Breathing and Wind Breathing, Thunder Breathing and me Breathing, Wind Breathing and me Breathing.

    But you could not use me Breathing and Water Breathing or Water Breathing and Wind Breathing. They just hadpletely different concepts behind them.

    So you could say there were some breathing styles you could use together and some others that you could not, no matter how skilled you were.

    But, this changed when you use three breathing styles at once. At this point, you could use any breathing styles you want and mix them together.

    So it was possible to use Water Breathing, WInd Breathing and Thunder Breathing together even though Wind Breathing and Water Breathing opposed each other.

    This was because Thunder Breathing acted as a bridge that connected them.

    Wind Breathing was explosive, violent and chaotic.

    Water Breathing was about precision, adaptability and uracy. Then there was Thunder Breathing which was a mix between both, it was an explosion but also controlled and precise. If you remember, what made Thunder Breathing so fast was that you explode out but concentrating on a single point and linear path.

    Therefore it acted as a bridge between the twopletely opposite breathing styles.

    <i>"Esoteric Art : Breathing Styles."</i> I whispered while the demons fled.

    I actually had a name for this. Water Breathing, Wind Breathing and Thunder Breathing all together.

    <strong><i>"Storm Breathing : First Form."</i></strong>

    <strong>"Tempest Fury."</strong>

    My arm exploded to action as every fibre of the muscles in my arm worked together to produce raw strength in a single instance - Thunder Breathing.

    A shockwave erupted and a small hurricane formed from my swing. Wind des came to life and ripped apart flesh and bones - Wind Breathing.

    My arm did not lose uracy even when it moved with such force. The kic energy of my swing was controlled and I hit only what I wanted, the demons. Even the wind des only hit the demons, nothing else, not even a mosquito was not harmed in my attack - Water Breathing.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    A violent gust of wind turned the demons into mashed flesh and they sttered around the forest. But none of the mess came to my direction.

    "...."

    "...."

    I remained silent and stood in my ce. Not because I was trying to act cool but because my body was genuinely stuck. I kid you not, using three breathing at once was not kind to the body.

    I only used one attack and I felt like I just worked out the entire day. This was why I would never use it against a serious opponent yet, it was too ineffective and cripplled my body.

    The human body has limits.

    I exhaled all of the air in my lungs and finally, I could feel my body again. Although fatigued, I could move.

    I turned around to lock eyes with Kanae who had awe and wonder in her eyes. My male ego was pleased to impress a pretty girl like her, which by the way was one of the reasons why I did what I did. Training myself was the main reason though.

    "Long time no see," I said.

    But she did not respond and shifted her eyes to somewhere else. Rude!!

    "Behind you." she said, I read the movement of herrynx so I moved before her words fully left her mouth.

    I drew my de, sharp and in perfect condition, and sliced behind me. I could see behind me from the reflection of my de so my de easily found the neck of the lower moon.

    The sharp edge of my sword bit into his flesh. I did not even put much force as his own momentum pushed against the de and sliced off his head.

    His body crashed on my back, blood stained my clothes before he fell. But his decapitated head fell in front of me andnded near my foot.

    It gave me the chance to stare down at his pathetic state before he disappeared. Luckily, his blood stain also turned into dust.

    Heh, if Giyu could one-shot lower moon five, so can I.

    ...

    "How did you do that? Do you have eyes behind your back?" Kanae asked me.

    She just saw me use three breathing styles all at once and wanted to know how I was aware of what was happening behind me. She has priorities all right. Like some of you,ining about the logic behind my deafness when literally there are much stranger things that define logic here.

    "There is a reason why I always kept my de in pristine condition." I said, "I could see him from the reflection when I drew my de."

    "Oh." she nodded with a realisation. Then she fully stood up and gave me a beautiful smile that was just enough.

    "Wee back Seiji. Please don''t leave us for so long again, things were difficult without you," she said.

    "Next time I go on a vacation, I''ll have already killed the demon king." I said, causing her tough, not knowing that I was dead serious.

    "You saved me again huh, how many times did that make?"

    I shrugged, "I''m not counting but a few times."

    "I can''t thank you enough. I''m not sure if there even is anything I can do to repay you." she said while tilting her head.

    "You don''t need to repay me anything, you give me free healthcare. That is more than enough." I said. If only she knew how much that meant to me.

    "But.." I said and crossed my arms and said sternly like a father scolding his daughter.

    "You took an investigation mission by yourself huh? I thought I told you not to do that."

    "Uh,,,,," she was lost for words, "Sorry?"

    How do I exin to someone that they will die soon so they need to be careful and take my words seriously?

    "Wait, can you even do that? Why should I follow your words like a little girl? What are you, my husband?" she asked me in return but soon lost her heat under my narrowed eyes.

    ''Is that what it would take to make her listen to me?''

    "In my defence, the Demon yer Corps was short on manpower. Although I''m ashamed we found out this way, you were doing three Hashira''s worth of missions so your absence meant the same as the absence of three Hashiras suddenly. I needed to step up or people would continue dying" she said.

    That was reasonable. If not for the fact that she would die andst time I checked, the dead helps no one.

    Well, now that I was back, hopefully, nothing bad would happen. I have done so much that the butterfly effect would probably change the future of Kanae by now.

    It''s just that I wanted to make sure, at least until she turned 18. Maybe then I would rx a bit.

    I sighed, "That''s fine, now that I''m back please avoid dangerous missions okay?" I said. Investigation missions were dangerous specifically because you had no information beforehand. You could be tracking a random demon or the Demon King himself without even knowing.

    A normal ying mission where the demon was already identified was much saferpared to it.

    A short silence followed (actually it is always silent for me but ykwim) before I broke the silence by asking..

    "Wanna catch a bite?"

    It''s literally midnight. What a dumbass question.

    "Sure!" she said and shed a smile.

    Okay, maybe it was not a dumbass question. She seemed happy with the idea, enthusiastic even.

    "Let''s go."

    And so we did.

    Soon after, the fact that there would be no restaurant open during the night hit me so we literally had to catch a bite.

    At first, I hunted and tried to kill a rabbit for food but Kanae stopped me, saying that it was too cute to eat. Then I went after a wild pig but she said it was too dirty and ugly to be eaten. Talk about being spoiled.

    Finally, we found a deer and it was eptable to the Flower Hashira.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Read advanced Chapter on my patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 63: The Love Hashira

    <h4>Chapter 63: The Love Hashira</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (Mitsuri Kanroji)

    A day without him felt wrong, like a meal without salt if she had to describe the feeling.

    It was truly odd she felt that way when she had been living 16 years without him. It was only a month ago when they met but she felt like she''d known him her whole life.

    And she missed him, as if she had known him her whole life.

    "It''s been years..." she whispered while gazing up at the blue sky, like she saw him do often. She imagined that anywhere he was, he would look up at the sky too and at this moment, they would be seeing the same scene.

    "There you go again, lost in thought. It''s only been a week." her mother said while stitching patterns on a nket.

    ''A week that feels like years.'' she thought in her mind.

    "He said he would return after a month did he not? Stop thinking about him and he will be back in no time." her mother said.

    "...."

    How the heck was she supposed to not think about him? Trying not to think about him in itself was thinking about him.

    "Come, help me with this." her mother finally said and Mitsuri dragged herself up from the veranda and sat down beside her mother.

    "Hold this for me, and cut the threads." her mother said and Mitsuri moved absentmindedly. Her body was doing the task but her mind was not on the same task.

    She couldn''t help but worry.

    Demons. Those nasty beings that feed on humans and lurk in the night. Seiji told her that they were stronger than humans and the Demon yer Corp was the only shield protecting innocent lives from the demons.

    Seiji himself was in the Demon yer Corps. No one knew but he was fighting battles to protect everyone.

    He was not like those soldiers who killed other humans in wars, he was genuinely protecting humanity. Even though he was not rewarded with medals or fame, he did it for his family who were killed by demons. He fought to make sure no one would face the same tragedy that he did.

    Mitsuri really admired him.

    But she couldn''t help but worry at the same time. What if he got hurt while fighting against those demons? What if he....she didn''t even want to finish that line of thought.

    ''I should be with him.'' the thought suddenly invaded her mind and wouldn''t leave.

    She was supposed to be his wife, was she not? And the duty of a wife was to always support their husband. Should she really be staying still like this?

    .....

    "You are gifted Mitsuri, you are incredible." Seiji once told her while he was teaching her some fighting moves so that she could protect herself.

    He said that all her life, she was forced to hide her strength so he wanted her to release all those shackles and freely use them.

    He said she should know the limits of her body. He said it was a crime for her to not know what her body was capable of.

    "You always say that...do you really think so?" she said while looking at herself. Seiji was strong, many times stronger than herself especially when he used his strange breathing, so she did not have to hold back when she was with him.

    That also made her feel that she might not be that special.

    "Absolutely. I am certain that you can be stronger than most people with a little bit of training," he said with a are smile.

    ....

    She remembers this interaction. Does that not mean that she could be a Demon yer and fight alongside him if she trained?

    Maybe then she would be more helpful than just staying here.

    ''But he told me to wait for hi..'' she thought in her mind. Her mind was telling her that Seiji did not want her to do it. Maybe because he was so protective of her and did not want her to ever be in danger.

    Yet her heart was telling her to do it. There was a strange calling to the idea of being a Demon yer as if she was born for it.

    In the end, Mitsuri was one to follow her heart instead of her mind.

    She suddenly stood up, spooking her mother, and she yelled out.

    "I have decided!!" she said with sparkling eyes.

    "What is it Mitsuri?"

    "I have decided to go to him and always stay by his side!"

    "What? You don''t mean-" her mother asked but Mitsuri was already gone. She ran around the house and into her room.

    She quickly packed everything she would need. Her mother could only watch in confusion before her father joined.

    "What''s going on dear?"

    "I''m not sure myself. I''m still figuring it out." the mother replied.

    The old couple stood still and watched as their daughter ran around the house, collecting odd things and packing a bag. A few minutester, she stopped in front of them.

    "Mother! Father! I have decided to go to Seiji." Mitsuri said with determination.

    "Calm down dear, are you sure this is a good idea? Do you even know where he is?" her father asked. All they knew was that Seiji would travel around Japan due to things rted to his job.

    "Yes!" She lied. But she could figure that outter.

    "That still doesn''t mean that you should just leave so suddenly." her mother said sternly.

    "I''m sorry mother and father but I need to do this. My heart is telling me so," she said and quickly fasten her bag behind her.

    "Goodbye! Love you!" she said and ran out of the house. She was too fast for her parents to say anything.

    "That girl...honestly.." her mother said with a helpless shake of her head.

    "Hahaha, this reminds me of when she was young." her fatherughed. It was not the first time Mitsuri tried to run away from home. But that was only when she was a child and during her early teens when she was getting rejected.

    "Aren''t you going to run after her?" her mother asked to which they both looked down at his belly. He had been putting weights in his older years, he was not as fast as he used to be so there was no way he would catch up to her.

    "Don''t worry, what''s the worse that could happen?" the father asked.

    "Are you insane? What if she encountered bad men?" her mother said, leaving the father confused.

    "I don''t want us to pay for other''s medical bills again." she rified and the father nodded. Last time Mitsuri was bullied for her hair and cat called, a single swing sent a man flying and he broke many bones.

    "I''ll send a servant to follow her." the father said and immediately left for the courtyard.

    ...

    ////////////////

    Mitsuri stood on the outskirts of the city. She looked at all of the different roads leading to different ces and she did not know which one to chose.

    Maybe she should''ve nned better before she ran off. Now she did not know what to do.

    "Should I just return? Maybe I should ask Seiji''s parents and try again tomorrow." she said with a sigh. A blush appeared on her cheeks due to embarrassment as well.

    She was not really the type to think things through. She was a bit of a muscle head.

    She was about to return when a crow suddenlynded on the branch of a tree nearby. And much to her shock, the crow started speaking in a very deep andmanding voice.

    "Miss Kanroji. I was going to respect Seiji''s wishes and not intrude in your life but I see that you havee to a decision." the crow said while staring straight into her soul.

    Honestly, Misturi wanted to scream. But a part of her was fascinated.

    "How do you know me?" she asked.

    "We know a lot of people, miss Kanroji. My master is constantly in search of new talents, there was no way we would''ve missed someone as special as you." the crow said.

    "Let me ask you one thing Miss Kanroji. Do you want to be a Demon yer and fight beside your fiance Seiji Shigan?"

    Mitsuri blinked, equally creeped out and impressed that the crow knew so much. But the answer was obvious, it came from the heart.

    "Yes!"

    She felt like the crow smiled at her answer

    "Then follow me." saying so, the crow took to the sky and Mitsuri followed after him

    And so, Mitsuri set off to chase after her love.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [MUST SEE IMAGE!!!!!! ]

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    Stones.

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    <strong><i>Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 64: Fighting the Kocho sisters

    <h4>Chapter 64: Fighting the Kocho sisters</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    ''This is ridiculous.''

    <strong><i>*Thud!*</i></strong>

    My back hit the ground in a thud of humiliation and defeat. I looked up and saw Kanae looking down on me with sweat falling down her fair face which was glowing pink due to her body temperature.

    I thought I would be able to win against her since I now had a fiance and someone I like. With the newmitment, I thought I would fare better and seeing her bare body would no longer throw me off.

    But no, a horny man was still a horny man, no matter if he was engaged or had a wife. It''s just how we were created, how we evolved.

    At the age of 16, I discovered that I might be a scumbag.

    "Are you okay?" she asked, concern on her face.

    ''The strongest Hashira, losing due to the allure of a woman. Just great.'' I thought and pushed myself off the ground.

    Simr to me, Kanae was stronger when fighting against humans and in one on one. Even if she was weaker than other Hashiras, in a duel she was just as strong so I could not quite beat her without using my eyes.

    Well, I could but without my eyes, my attacks would lose their uracy and I could harm her. Imagine I use mixed breathing without my eyes, I would obliterate her without even intending to do so.

    And God forbid I won''t harm a single strand of her hair.

    "Thank you for the spar, I think I''m fine now," I said. I challenged her to a spar, saying that I needed to wash off the sluggish stain on my skills due to the long vacation.

    "It''s the least I can do," Kanae replied with a small smile.

    "You know, you are losing a ton of aura whenever you lose to her." a voice suddenly came from the veranda of the flower mansion. I turned my head and saw Shinobu sitting there.

    My eyes did not immediately go to her face though, they firstnded on her chest as I thought about how much things could change in just a few months.

    Thest time I saw them, they were humble B-cup. But now they were proud and confident D-cup. They were not as big as Kanae''s but her small stature made them more pronounced.

    Still, both of them lose to Mitsuri in this aspect. My future wife was the final boss of tits.

    "Not sigma at all," Shinobu said while shaking her head as I contemted if it really was a good idea to teach her about brain rot words.

    "Don''t say it like that Shinobu, he is clearly holding back against me. If he really wanted to, he can defeat me anytime." Kanae replied in my stead.

    "That''s what I''m saying, it''s a simp activity."

    "Shibi, are you still mad that I didn''t get you anything from Tokyo?" I asked and she turned her head with a pout.

    "Not really,"

    She was definitely still upset about that. I mean, I totally forgot that she asked for something when I left. It was my bad.

    Just then, Kanao ran up to me with water in her hand. Her face was still stoic and she remained silent but I could read the emotions on her face now because she had them.

    "Thank you Kanao," I said with a smile and took the water from her before taking huge gulps.

    After I was done, I wiped my lips and said, "Now that that is done, how about you show me your new insect-breathing style Shibi? I heard that you are quickly climbing up the ranks with it."

    "Only if you let me coat the tip of my sword with a paralysis poison," she said with a closed-eyed smile that looked extremely gentle.

    I was going to ask why but I was confident that she wouldn''t be able to evennd a single scratch on me, so I said.

    "Sure,"

    She beamed a harmless smile beforeing up to me on the open ground. Meanwhile, Kanae picked up the silent Kanao like a teddy bear and went to the veranda. She plopped Kanao on herp and they both watched us from a safe distance.

    "Ready?" I asked with a smile. My eyes glowed purple as I took a quick nce at every single inch of her being.

    All truths were revealed. The information I got from a nce was akin to someone who spent weeks studying her.

    The change in her fighting and breathing style resulted in a change in her body. Her new techniques were imprinted on her.

    Her frontal delts (shoulders) were incredibly developed, and so was her triceps. They were denser and many times more powerful than two years ago which hints at her fighting style heavily relying on stabbing.

    Her hamstrings and the tendons in her legs were strong as well, telling me that she could lunge at me with incredible speed or she could jump extremely high.

    Her forearms were a little different from other swordsmen. They were more attuned to gripping a sword than being dexterous in handling a sword.

    All these unique features of her body told me how she was different from the average swordsman. They also told me her full capacity, how strong she could stab, how much force she could produce and how long she should be able tost in an all-out battle. I still did not know how she was going to put together these stats but I was now aware of the overall capability of her body.

    I could also see how she trained, and the history of her physique. My mind was already predicting how she would move and fight.

    My ears turned red and I blushed due to other things I had seen. Ahem, but it was not time to delve into that.

    Another thing that caught my attention was her sword which was the exact replica of her canon counterpart. Even with my influence, it seemed that remained the same.

    I could see that her sword was crafted by a master and had a unique design. There was a small tube inside her sword that could inject poison into the enemy. So she was not just coating the tip of her sword with poison.

    Even though I saw it, I was not fully aware of how that worked.

    "Here Ie!!" Shinobu said before she disappeared.

    She was actually faster than I expected. I realized that I had not taken into ount how truly small and light she was.

    But such speed was not enough to even quicken my heartbeat.

    She lunged at me while stabbing her sword. I mirrored her movement and stabbed my odachi forward and in a split second, the tip of my sword connected with the tip of her sword.

    A shockwave exploded and her movement paused in an instant.

    <strong><i>*Boom!!*</i></strong>

    It was the same block I used against Giyu but unlike him, Shinobu did not seem shocked. She expected such incredible feats from me so she was not surprised.

    She quickly pulled back her sword and then her arm blurred. Multiple stabs came at me, aiming at different vital points in my body. The sheer speed made the air sing a chilling tune.

    ''Impressive.''

    <i>"Water Breathing : Seventh form,"</i> I said and my body moved with grace and ease. My mastery over Water Breathing was such that movement flowed through my body without even much intention. Almost like pressing a button and my body automatically moving on its own.

    <strong>"Piercing Rain Drop,"</strong>

    I matched every stab that came my way. Water not only adapts but it often mirrors. It had the capacity to be anything. As the saying goes, if you put water into a cup it bes the cup.

    Sparks flew as the tiniest tips of our de connected multiple times in a show of superhuman precision. We were more precise and urate than even any machine invented.

    <i>"Insect Breathing : First form," </i>she whispered and the exchange stopped.

    <strong>"Butterfly dance!"</strong>

    I saw butterflies emerge from her long haori. She pushed herself off the ground and leapt above me.

    She looked like a fairy with the butterflies around her.

    I followed her until the sun blinded me. When she saw that I was blinded and her position was in line with the sun, she delivered a stab but this time, she twisted her de.

    I tried to block her with the t side of my sword but the tip of her de twisted and changed trajectory. Without much effort, I tilted my head and the sword flushed past my ear. It was close enough to even cut parts of my purple hair.

    Shended behind me and pulled back her sword with extreme force. I was confused at first until the tip of her de - which was like a hook due to the thinner body - hooked against my de and she pulled my sword down.

    !!!!

    She created an opening. I didn''t use my eyes so I was pleasantly surprised.

    Then her sword came at me, faster than ever before. It aimed straight at my chest for arger target. She didn''t need to leave a fatal wound, a scratch was all she needed due to her poison.

    My eyes allowed me to naturally perceive the action in slow motion but with my sword being pulled down, I could not block. I had no time to dodge either due to the speed of her stab.

    Was I going to lose?

    ..

    ..

    Absolutely not.

    I was not like those MCs in anime who got beaten by waifus no matter how strong they were. Being reincarnated and living the fanfiction life was all about destroying the tradition. I already lost to Kanae so ain''t no way I was going to lose against Shinobu too.

    My hand moved at the speed of sound - like a whip - and I caught her de. The body of her sword was thin and had no sharp edges so I could grab it with no problem.

    "I''m d to see that you finally found your own path," I said with a genuine smile.

    She pushed and pulled at her sword to get it out of my iron grip but she failed. So she returned my smile with a harmless one.

    "It was only possible due to your help," she said before tapping her foot on the ground. A sharp de emerged from the top of her sandals and she kicked at me.

    But I easily stopped it with my foot. I already saw all her hidden weapons when I took a nce at her before the fight.

    "That''s dangerous, and adorable at the same time," I said and I could see veins popping on her forehead.

    She didn''t like it when I treated her like a little girl. She was a very small girl so naturally, she hated being treated like so.

    In the end, she sighed and admitted defeat.

    I heard Kanao pping for me and I looked at her with a fond smile. Her face was void of expression but I saw her eyes shining.

    "You did well Shinobu. You have improved a lot." Kanae said to which Shinobu nodded, proud of herself.

    Just then, a Kasugai crow flew above us andnded on the roof of the house.

    <i>"Kanae Kocho, Seiji Shigan. Master Ubuyashiki summons you for a Hashira meeting!!"</i>

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [With this treasure, I summon the fellow goat reader, divine illustrator JONTY_]

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    <strong>Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

 Chapter 65: Hashira meeting rhymes with drama

    <h4>Chapter 65: Hashira meeting rhymes with drama</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I am happy to see you all safe and healthy today." Kagaya Ubuyashiki said while all of us knelt down in front of his veranda.

    He was barely sitting up on his futon, clearly the disease was getting worse.

    "We are d to see you healthy as well!!" All of them said in unison except me of course, because I was the main edgy character who bowed down to no one.

    ...

    Kidding. It''s just because of my ears and I still had trouble matching the intensity of these samurai traditions. Not to mention Ubuyashi was not actually healthy, I know with my eyes.

    "Rise up my children, it is unsightly to see the pirs kneel to a sick man like me. I told you, you don''t need to do so." Ubuyashiki said softly.

    That just made us want to do it even more though. The man really deserved some respect, especially after giving me that long vacation, (Yeah, I''m that easy to bribe).

    We all rose and stood in front of him. He looked at all of us with a fond smile, like a father gazing proudly at his children.

    All of the Hashiras were here except for the Fire Hashira, Shinjuro Kyojiro. But it was not a surprise since he had been missing the Hashira meetings frequently.

    "Seiji," he called me and I responded.

    "It''s good to have you back my boy," he said with a smile. I knew how hard it was for him to talk so I was happy that he spared me a few words personally.

    "Thank you, I''m happy to be back as well." I said.

    "I was d to hear that you were able to settle your inheritance and spend time with your family." he said. He knew all these things because I would send him letters monthly while I was away, asking how the Demon yer Corp was doing and reporting on what I encountered or what I''d aplished.

    Like that demon I yed in Tokyo for example.

    "And congrattions on your engagement."

    "Thank you."

    "...."

    "...."

    That got a few raised eyebrows from my fellow Hashiras but most of them just shrugged it off. After all, it was not rare for a boy my age (with parents) to be engaged to a girl. It was one of the privileges of having a good family and not being an orphan.

    Well most of them at least, because one person absolutely exploded in shock.

    "WHAT!!!!"

    It was Kanae.

    I was deaf but I could hear the surprise in her voice. I turned to look at her and saw the absolute shock - and horror? - on her face.

    "What do you mean engagement?"

    "Ah, Seiji''s parents arranged an engagement for him while he stayed with them." Ubuyashiki exined.

    "You mean like, like...with a girl?" she asked.

    Now what the fuck does that mean? Do I not look straight? Why would I be engaged with a man?

    "I suppose." Ubuyashiki chuckled.

    Then her head snapped towards me, I was caught off guard by the intensity of her eyes.

    "And you epted?"

    Why did I feel like Imitted a crime?

    "Yes?"

    "So, you are going to get married with this girl?"

    "...Hopefully? If I live long enough for that."

    I had absolutely no clue why but a hurt look painted her pretty face. It was not like when she got hit during training or by a demon. It was like someone stabbed her in the chest.

    "Why.." she said, I could hear her voice quiver almost, "Why didn''t you tell me?"

    Okay, hold the fuck on. I need to do a very deep analysis of my life to understand the context of this situation.

    Because the way she was reacting almost made it seem like she was in love with me. There was no other way to exin such a reaction.

    But that waspletely insane!!

    Was she in love with me?

    It was impossible to tell because of her teasing nature. It was hard to tell when she was flirting or when she was teasing me. Because of this, even if she actually had feelings for me I would''ve chalked it up to her messing with me.

    Or, was she not teasing me all this time?

    Was I being like those dense main characters even though I despised them? I thought I was different, especially with my eyes.

    I knew Mitsuri loved me, I knew Shinobu had a small crush on me. I was aware of these things because I could see deeper with my eyes.

    But what about Kanae? Did I also notice her feelings but I just ignored them thinking she was just teasing me?

    Now I waspletely confused. My mind went into a loop as thoughts buzzed in my head like bees.

    "I''m sorry," I was not sure what I was apologizing for. But the look in her eyes made my heart feel like it should apologize.

    After my words fell, I finally noticed that all eyes were on us two. Every Hashira present was silent as they observed the small drama with rapt attention.

    Kanae too quickly took notice of this and she quickly hid her feelings, shelving them away behind her closed eyed smile that looked yful.

    "Ara~ What are you apologizing for? I was just surprised that''s all," she said and covered her mouth with her haori while she giggled.

    "I always thought of you as my little brother. It felt like yesterday when you became a Hashira as a child. Itpletely caught me off guard to hear you take such a drastic step in life." she said.

    "I guess you are all grown now."

    "...."

    Okay....now I feel dumb.

    But my eyes saw it so clearly. Was this just an act? Did I misunderstand it? Or was my misunderstanding a misunderstanding?

    Come on, I was an absolute amateur in love. I did not have experience in both lives. It was unfair to give me such aplicated situation.

    After she said that, the others nodded their head, finding it reasonable why she was so surprised. But strangely enough, tears started falling from Gyomei and he sobbed silently.

    "Why are you suddenly crying again!?" Sanemi asked.

    "Nothing." Gyomie answered and looked up to the sky, "Nothing at all."

    But he just cried harder. He definitely knew something we didn''t.

    "Okay everyone, let us begin today''s Hashira meeting," Ubuyashiki said and the meeting started.

    The Hashira meeting proceeded like usual. There were no strange things happening, even Kanae actedpletely normal.

    The only difference was that the statistics this time were horriblepared to other times. It was a direct consequence of my absence.

    It couldn''t be stressed enough how valuable I was inpleting missions. With my eyes, I could do an investigation mission that would take other Hashiras weeks, in less than a day.

    That meant that no other Hashrias had to do an investigation mission and waste their time. They could focus their efforts on other things.

    It could be seen that I really lived up to my title of the ''Pir of Pirs.''

    The meeting took less time than usual as we were able toplete it at noon. One of the main reason was that Ubuyashiki was sick and could not talk for too long.

    In the end, he had to end the meeting to take his medicine and rest up. He told us to spend the remaining time with each other as it was not often that we would gather in one ce.

    And all of us were happy to be given the time as well. Giyu immediately came up to me after the meeting, asking me about how my vacation was and about my engagement.

    Tengen soon joined in, calling himself the master in the way of being a good husband. He presented the fact that he could keep three wives happy as proof of his qualifications.

    He offered to teach me some tricks and advice which I seriously considered.

    I was not sure but I think Gyomei was listening to our conversation from far away. He had crazy good hearing so he need note close to hear us.

    But all that came to an end when Sanemi walked up to me and yelled.

    "Seiji!! I challenge you to a duel!"

    There he goes.

    "Let''s fight!!"

    He always challenged me to duels and he lost worse with each time. I sighed, a little tired of constantly beating him up at this point.

    I tried to discourage him by beating him really badly once (I only used Wind Breathing) but Sanemi was anything but a quitter. He was like David Goggins if he had anger issues and Asian.

    But seeing him walk up to me, I suddenly had an idea.

    I did not want to fight him but there was someone I wanted to fight.

    All this time, I had called myself the strongest Hashira but it was not official yet. So let''s make that official

    "I will deal with youter." I said, Hashirama style, before turning towards Gyomei.

    "Big Brother Gyomei!! I challenge you to a duel!!"

    "Hey, asshole!! I challenged you first!" Sanemi raged behind me.

    Gyomei turned his body to face me. His crying face had now grown firm like a stone and he said.

    "We shouldn''t be fighting amongst ourselves. One of us could get hurt," he joined his hands in prayer.

    By ''one of us could get hurt'', he meant I could get hurt. He was aware of how strong he was and for the longest part of his life, he had lived in fear of his own strength.

    I would never get him to ept officially.

    So I pulled out my sword and held it in a way that the blunt side was facing forward. Then in a gust of wind, I disappeared from my ce which was in the middle of Tengen and Giyu.

    Their eyes widen in surprise but I ammitted to my decision.

    In the blink of an eye, I was in front of Gyomei. Not only that, my feet were above the ground and I swung the blunt side of my de down at him in a perfect arc.

    His hand moved in a blur and he stopped my de with his n. Veins popped out in his hand as the weight of my attack pushed down on him.

    The ground he stood on caved in. A cobweb of cracks formed around his feet and a violent shockwave followed.

    "Please ept my request. I insist." I said with a grin, eyes glowing purple.

    ...

    "...If you say so."

    Raw stregth exploded.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    ..

    ..

    [IMG]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : For some reason, many reviews are not appearing. Maybe because you use cursenguage or just Webnovel glitching again. I go the profiles of my top fans to stalk them like usual and I saw them review my book, which I never appeared to me.

    So apologies if you don''t see your reviews on the book. Just know I never delete reviews.

    <strong><i>Don''t join my patreon, it still sucks and it''s a scam. Hopefully though, it would be good to join tomorrow. </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 66: Seiji vs Gyomei

    <h4>Chapter 66: Seiji vs Gyomei</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Imagine seeing a disastering from a mile away.

    Imagine having all the time in the world to think of a way to fight against said disaster.

    Imagine preparing a n and acting perfectly on it.

    Imagine the disaster holding back.

    But then.

    Imagine being sent flying away after all that.

    Imagine all your efforts being crushed by overwhelming strength.

    Imagine seeing a disaster from a mile away and still being absolutely crushed by it.

    It did not matter if you saw iting from a mile away. It did not matter if you could predict it perfectly or if the world was in slow motion.

    You still got sted away to kingdome.

    Might makes it right and raw strength bends logic.

    ...

    ...

    If you were still imagining all these in your head, then lucky you. Because truthfully, I was not as lucky.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    ''Holy shit!!'' I thought in my mind while being sent flying away like a ragdoll by a simple palm strike from Gyomei.

    It was one thing to know strength, and another to feel strength.

    I knew how strong Gyomei was, I trained with him and my eyes told me exactly how strong he was. But to feel that strength being used against me was like being sent to a new dimension.

    I knew he could push boulders weighing 10 tons. But that was starkly different when you were pushed with the force of 10 tons.

    The difference between knowledge and experience had never been clearer to me.

    ''But would you lose?'' a voice asked me in my head.

    ''Nah, this meme is seriously overused at this point.'' I replied while doing flips in the air to disperse the sheer kic energy flowing through my body.

    Then Inded with a soft thud.

    The shockwave caused by his strike was noticed by everyone as they all moved back and gave us room for the uing battle.

    "I understand Seiji. You are at that age where you want to test your strength and see how you stand against someone you consider the strongest. But you have to understand that this is meaningless. We are all allies and we are equally strong in our own ways." Gyomei said while joining his hands in prayer. He also spoke like a monk.

    I smiled.

    Although the way he spoke was humble, there was an underlying pride and confidence you would expect from the strongest human alive.

    You can''t lie to me, I''m deaf and I see the truth.

    He was still treating me like a kid who merely wanted to test myself against him. The thought that I could have surpassed him never really crossed his mind.

    This was exactly why I wanted to do this.

    My eyes can see the truth of the world and the truth is, I was already stronger than Gyomei. So this was not fighting to me.

    There was no such thing as fighting to me in the first ce. This was not a fight, this was not a battle or a duel.

    This was just me, speaking the truth to everyone and telling them that I was the strongest.

    This was not a conversation, this was not a debate. It was an announcement.

    <i>"Esoteric Art : Breathing Styles."</i>

    <strong>"me Wind Breathing : Inferno."</strong>

    My whole body was encased in raging mes and green des of wind wrapped around me. Fire and wind went together like bread and butter.

    The intensity of me Breathing and the violent nature of Wind Breathing. A mix between these two resulted in a catastrophic style of fighting.

    It was a breathing style with the greatest destructive ability.

    Gyomei was the mountain I wanted to crush.

    My body exploded out, ferocious and violent. The air seemed to vibrate due to sheer potency as I drilled through the atmosphere.

    There was no need to aim, no use for uracy. I was going to shred everything that was in front of me. I was going to raze the mountain to the ground.

    Gyomei nted his feet firmly on the ground when he heard the unstoppable force behind me. Then he took a deep breath that stripped the air around him.

    <i>"Stone Breathing : Third Form,"</i>

    Gyomei, a mountain in my eyes suddenly became something else. He no longer gave off the feeling of a mountain that was giant with no purpose.

    I saw the image of a great fortress behind him that stood with the sole purpose of stopping any attack. He had be an immovable object.

    <strong>"Stone Skin!!"</strong>

    He tugged at the chain of his weapon with great force. The il and the axe at both ends of his chain moved at the speed of sound and rotated around him.

    They were so fast that the human eye wouldn''t be able to see them. Such heavy objects moving at such speed simply did not make sense.

    But I pushed forward with more intensity, the mes around me wrapped into bright red mes as I crashed into the living fortress.

    And thus, an unstoppable force met an immovable object.

    Have you ever wondered what would happen in such a case?

    Well...

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    There was a loud explosion that shook the entire vicinity,

    Then everything except the two suffered the consequences of the sh. The pavement of the Demon yer Headquater ripped apart like a new asphalt road.

    Cobweb of cracks scarred the earth, imprinting a literal image of power that the earth couldn''t hold. The air exploded and the wind fled from the sh in the form of a hurricane.

    Gyomei''s white eyes widened and I could see surprise in those blind orbs.

    It was not a single sh. My arm blurred and with incredible speed, I shed at Gyomei from different directions. The Stone Hashira was not as fast but with the help of his axe and i, he was able to keep up with me.

    A cloud of dust and pebbles rose and our weapons created bright sparks with every connection they made. We remained at a standstill for a few seconds until Gyomei took a step back.

    The fortress faltered.

    But that single step gave a new footing to him. Bulbous veins popped out from his body and raw strength flooded out from each of his swings.

    The attacks forced me to stop my attack because I saw that the force behind them was enough to bend my sword.

    ...

    Gyomei heaved a huge sigh while his clothes fell apart. They were ripped by the wind des produced by my sword.

    His clothes came off to reveal his godly physique. His huge muscles looked like they were carved from stone.

    But on his body, you could see cuts. They were not enough to prate his skin but enough to leave a mark, a scratch.

    "You manage to use two breathings at once," Gyomei said with a heavy voice. The other Hashiras let out a collective gasp and they turned towards me.

    They could not see the effects of breathing styles and they did not have eyes to see the pattern of my breathing. So all this time, they were not aware of my ability.

    But Gyomei could hear my breath and he saw the world with a different perspective that allowed him to observe things on a deeper level.

    "Indeed. It''s nice no?" I asked with a smile.

    "It is truly an impressive feat. And what you used just now was..." he questioned.

    "me Breathing and Wind Breathing," I answered.

    He nodded.

    "You have be a master of breathing style itself." he dered, "But that won''t be enough to move me. I had stood against fiercer force, I had burdened worse."

    Then he took the initiative this time. He took a powerful step forward, sending shockwaves which I assumed helped him feel the world around him.

    Like a bat using echolocation.

    He was slow, the slowest amongst us Hashiras. But one didn''t need to be fast when they had such weight behind every move. They would crush anything regardless.

    Inevitable need not hurry.

    <i>"Stone Breathing : Second Form,"</i> he dered loudly and boldly. He tossed his spiky ball into the air before stepping on the chain to bring it down with the speed of a meteorite.

    <strong>"Upper Smash!"</strong>

    He might be slow but his weapon was anything but. They moved like a whip, easily breaking the sound barrier.

    I moved away just enough that the il missed me and left a crater on the ground. He did the same with his axe, throwing it in the air before stepping on the chain to bring it down with incredible speed.

    The ground broke under his attack.

    But I remained unharmed.

    Even if I was weaker than him, I wouldn''t lose. I could predict his attacks, he would never be able to catch me.

    I shot forward at the speed of sound, I hoped the sonic boom messed with his hearing even if just for a bit.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : Third Form." </i>I unleashed multiple shes at him from all directions. Lighting crackled around me with each swing I took.

    <strong>"Thunder Swarm."</strong>

    The Stone Hashira met me head-on. He was more than capable of matching one breathing style at a time. My incredible speed was matched by his overwhelming strength as we shed in different ces.

    My eyes observed his joints and muscles to predict his movement, giving me enough time to deal with his attacks even if each of them weighed a ton.

    But with each sh, I noticed that he was slowly overpowering me, like a boulder rolling off a mountain, he was gaining strength and momentum.

    It was repetitive action, the main concept behind Gyomei''s strength. By applying persistent force against an object, you could move mountains. I learned it so I knew it.

    I would lose my advantage in a drawn-out battle.

    So with a great leap, I created distance.

    <i>"Thunder Stone Breathing : Arc of Ruin."</i>

    I dered and the muscles on my arm erged visibly, ready to produce inhumane stregth even at the cost of great fatigue.

    The sheer strength of Stone Breathing mixed with the explosive power of Thunder Breathing.

    I pulled back my de as far as I could and when Inded on the ground, I swung my sword. The force behind my swing was so strong that it sliced anything that was in front of me.

    My long de sliced through the air, and not a single noise sounded. But the strength behind my de was such that Gyomei could feel the attacking.

    He brought up his chain to block the attack but it might as well be paper in front of my de. His iron chain was cut into two and he was forced to bend down his gigantic frame to escape the wind de that followed.

    <strong><i>*FWOOOSH!!!*</i></strong>

    The ground cracked, ripped apart by the sheer potency of my wind de that went on until it left a giant sh mark on one of the houses.

    That was supposed to end this fight but I suppose Gyomei was too experienced to be taken out just like that.

    But still, forcing him to dodge was an aplishment.

    He shed me a smile with beads of sweat falling from the side of his face.

    He was not shocked, humiliated or angry when he was forced to dodge. He simply had a proud smile on his face. The kind of smile my big brother would have when I beat him in a board game.

    <i>"Stone Breathing : Fourth From." </i>He said and the suction of air was strong enough to move my hair.

    <strong>"Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest,"</strong>

    I said this before, but Gyomei was a mountain.

    And that mountain just exploded like a volcanic eruption. My eyes widened as every fibre of his body pulled themselves together until I thought they would snap due to the strain.

    Humans could not use 100% of their muscle mass. Their body could not take it. Their bones would break and their tendons would snap.

    Even I could only use 100% of my muscle power briefly with the help of Thunder Breathing.

    But right now, Gyomei was doing just that. Yet his bones were not crushed, and his tendons did not snap. He was fine.

    His body was heating up to a ridiculous degree and his sweat evaporated, producing steam. He was like a real volcano that was erupting.

    The sheer power and energy around him seem to shake the air itself.

    That..I was not expecting that at all. Even my eyes could not have predicted this oue because it was just impossible.

    He grabbed the broken chains with both hands. I could barely predict his movement because all of his muscles were working and tensing up.

    I knew I had to end this in an instant.

    <i>"Esoteric Art : Breathing Styles!!"</i> I prepared my body to surpass its limit as well.

    <strong>"Storm Breathing : Lighting Wave,"</strong>

    The speed of Thunder Breathing. The uracy of Water Breathing. The force of Wind Breathing.

    All of these boiled down into a single move. My body left an afterimage and before anything could react, I blitzed past Gyomei and stopped at the other side.

    The sound created by the attack was so high-pitched that no one except Gyomei could hear it. The frequency of the vibration from the sound caused every ss nearly to shatter in an instant.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Gyomei halted in his ce and after a single second, the prayer beads he wore on his neck broke and fell off.

    The prayer beads hit the ground one by one but other than that, he was unharmed. I made sure he was so.

    I remained in my ce. Not to look cool - even though it was - but because I literally could not move after using three breathings at once. My body still could not handle it.

    On the other hand, Gyomei stood up straight and he dered.

    "I lost."

    If I wanted to, I could''ve cut off his head at that moment.

    And thus, at the age of 16, I officially became the strongest Hashira.

    To be honest, it took more effort than I thought it would.

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Alternative title : Blind man vs Deaf man : The battle of disability.

    Gyomei : This Stone Hashira humbly demand stones for his fight, amithaba.

    [IMAGE]

    ..

    <i>Author: Yeah, there is no way to list out all of Seiji''s special movements. Fighting is like a conversation, he could literally adapt to anything he faced so all these forms are too many to list out.</i>

    <i>And even if we did, he could create a new form on the fly because he is just that OP.</i>

    <i>And regarding his power level. He is already at the samebat power as Upper Moon 3 but he would lose because of the demon OP regeneration.</i>

    <i>But with Combat powers alone, he can even overwhelm them except Muzan and Kokushibo.</i>

    <strong><i>It''s finally the perfect time to join my patreon!! Join today!!</i></strong>

    <strong><i>Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 68: Two girls that love the same heart

    <h4>Chapter 68: Two girls that love the same heart</h4>

    Author : Double Chapter but you ain''t getting tomorrow.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    It can''t be.

    How can this be?

    Kanae Kocho pressed her heart which was beating wildly in the confines of her chest. It felt like it wanted to break out of its prison and run away from her.

    Because it was hurting.

    Why was it hurting?

    "Congrattions on your engagement."

    Ah, was it really because of that? Was her heart really hurting because he was engaged with another girl?

    She told herself she didn''t have feelings for him. Her mind convinced her heart that it was not in love.

    But now, her heart was in pain and it called her mind a liar.

    Liar, you love him. Liar, you want him.

    Why did you lie?

    It was because her sister was also in love with him. She thought it wouldn''t do good if she loved the same man as Shinobu.

    She also thought it was inappropriate to have feelings for someone younger than her, someone she first knew as a young boy.

    But people rarely have a choice in who they love, do they? And the heart wants what the heart can''t have.

    She loves him, it''s clear now.

    She just couldn''t believe that it took losing him to finally realise that. It was like realising how much you needed the sun after night came.

    She realised it toote and that''s why it hurts.

    Everything that happened next was a blur. Her whole being was upied with the emotions she had been ignoring all this time.

    She was barely aware even when the fight between Seiji and Gyomei took ce. She only snapped out of her daze when she saw him hurt with her sharp and medically trained eyes.

    She immediately ran up to him and analysed his body. He was bruised in some ces and his final attack had managed to cause damage to his own body.

    But there were no other injuries.

    ''Thank God.''

    "Thank you," he said and gave her a small smile.

    She did not know whether she liked him stoic or expressive. When he didn''t smile, it nagged at her heart but when he did, it increased her blood pressure.

    She simply mirrored his smile and ran off as quickly as possible.

    When did she start loving him? Was it when he hit puberty and grew into a handsome young man? Was it when he helped her save patients with his special eyes? Was it when he saved Kanao and she saw his kindness?

    Or was it during the many times he saved her, when he was always there when she needed someone?

    She didn''t know. She had been ignoring any feelings that emerged. Only now when those feelings burst out did she even realise she had feelings for him.

    Honestly, it was stupid of her. How immature.

    It was her mistake.

    ..

    ..

    ...

    ....Or was it?

    That was a question that appeared in her mind as she was waiting for him outside of the house while Seiji met Ubuyashiki.

    Why was she acting like everything was over? She just realised that she loved him and at the very next moment, she was supposed to destroy her love?

    Who decided that?

    A random girl whom he met a couple of months ago? She didn''t think so.

    Kanae had dedicated herself to others all her life. She dedicated herself to her sister, she sacrificed all her time and effort to save others as a doctor and risked her life every day to protect the weak.

    So this time, she thinks she deserves to be selfish just a little.

    She made the mistake of following her mind and staying passive with her feelings. Now she was going to follow her heart and act upon her feelings.

    Seiji was engaged, sure, but it couldn''t be that serious yet, there was not enough time to be so. That meant she still had time to show her feelings, a simple engagement could alwasy be broken again.

    She also apologised to her sister. If she did not act on it, Seiji was going to fall into another girl''s hand anyway.

    So she decided to no longer ignore her feelings anymore.

    She loves him. She wants him.

    And she sure as hell was going to try and make him feel the same way.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (In another location)

    Mitsuri suddenly stopped eating her food as her womanly instincts felt a threat.

    "Hmmm? Do you not like the food?" asked a woman who wore the standard Demon yer uniform with a katana strapped on her waist.

    "Eh?" Mitsuri snapped out of it and immediately said, "Nonono, It''s nothing like that, the food is delicious."

    "I know I''m not nearly as good at cookingpared to ying demons. So by all means, don''t be shy to say if you don''t like it."

    "I told you, it''s not like that." Mitsuri said, "I just suddenly had a weird feeling."

    It was logical. After all, the threat of an onee-san with maximum ara ara~ vibe going after your man was a threat, even to the likes of Mitsuri Kanroji.

    She was currently under the wings of a female demon yer at the rank of Hinoe. She had been staying with her for a day, waiting for further instructions from the master of the Demon yer Corps.

    During this time, Mitsuri had learned much about demon yers and the ongoing war between humans and demons.

    She also got to see first-hand how incredible Demon yers actually were. The girl beside her, Satsuki, was one of the strongest female demon yers who was a Water Breath user.

    Mitsuri got to see her in battle first-hand and was surprised to find out that Satsuki was many times stronger than she was when she fought.

    That truly opened Mitsuri''s eyes. She never thought she''d see a woman stronger than her before. She thought it was impossible.

    ..

    "Satsuki, what did you say your rank was again?" Mitsuri asked after a long stretch of silence.

    The middle-aged woman thought about it for a while before saying with pride, "I am at the rank of Hinoe. The only ranks above me are Kinoto and Kinoe."

    There were only a handful of people who were at the rank of Hinoe so she had every reason to be proud of her rank.

    "I see, that''s incredible," Mitsuri said while looking up at the sky. She was not used to camping outside as a city girl but one thing she liked about it was the perpetual incredible views.

    "Do you know a Demon yer by the name of Seiji Shigan?" Mitsuri asked. Her fiance was always on her mind but she suddenly missed him even more with the weird premonition in her heart.

    "!!!!!"

    "I thought you were new to the Demon yer Corps, so how did you know his name?" Satsuki asked before she answered her own question, "Oh, did he save you once?"

    "Eh, yes, kinda," Mitsuri answered. He indeed saved her from a demon that night in the mountains. She did not want to borate more because she was still a bit shy.

    "So, what rank will he bepared to you?"

    "People like Seiji Shigan are notparable to me. They are called the Hashiras," she answered.

    Mitsuri creased her eyebrows. She said there were only two ranks above her, Knoto and Kinoe, so does that mean Seiji was a rank below her?

    "Does that mean he is ranked below you?"

    Satsuki blinked before sheughed, "Hahaha, no, not like that. It''s quite the opposite, Seiji Shigan is too strong to be in the Demon yer ranks."

    "?"

    "People like him are called Hashira, otherwise known as pirs. They are the pirs that support the Demon yer Corp as a whole, currently, there are only six active pirs," she exined.

    "The person who saved you, Seiji Shigan is especially special even among the pirs. He is said to be the single most important factor in the organisation due to his sheer efficiency, often referred to as the ''pir of pirs''."

    Mitsuri was left speechless.

    "Does that mean he is strong?"

    "Of course. He is probably the strongest." she answered, "Each of the Hashria is different from us normal human beings. They are the people who deal with the strongest demons."

    Mitsuri remembered the night when Seiji told her he was the strongest. She blushed when she realized that there was no bluff in his words.

    It was not that she didn''t believe him then but this was anotheryer of proof of his words.

    But in the midst of the admiration she felt, there was also a bubbling nervousness. She would have to work extremely hard to be able to fight alongside him.

    He was at the very top and to always be beside him, she would need to reach there too.

    Whatever the case may be, Mitsuri was determined. And she believed that with her love, everything was possible.

    "Can you tell me, how can I be a Hashria like him?"

    "Aiming tall aren''t we?" Satsuki chuckled but thought none of it. But she continued the conversation anyway while they ate the food.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [I need help with this one. JONTY_ I choose you!!! Post IMAGE!! ]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I will make a habit of doing it like this. Bigger Chapters give immersion to the story than uploading in chops.

 Chapter 68: Two girls that love the same heart

    <h4>Chapter 68: Two girls that love the same heart</h4>

    Author : Double Chapter but you ain''t getting tomorrow.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    It can''t be.

    How can this be?

    Kanae Kocho pressed her heart which was beating wildly in the confines of her chest. It felt like it wanted to break out of its prison and run away from her.

    Because it was hurting.

    Why was it hurting?

    "Congrattions on your engagement."

    Ah, was it really because of that? Was her heart really hurting because he was engaged with another girl?

    She told herself she didn''t have feelings for him. Her mind convinced her heart that it was not in love.

    But now, her heart was in pain and it called her mind a liar.

    Liar, you love him. Liar, you want him.

    Why did you lie?

    It was because her sister was also in love with him. She thought it wouldn''t do good if she loved the same man as Shinobu.

    She also thought it was inappropriate to have feelings for someone younger than her, someone she first knew as a young boy.

    But people rarely have a choice in who they love, do they? And the heart wants what the heart can''t have.

    She loves him, it''s clear now.

    She just couldn''t believe that it took losing him to finally realise that. It was like realising how much you needed the sun after night came.

    She realised it toote and that''s why it hurts.

    Everything that happened next was a blur. Her whole being was upied with the emotions she had been ignoring all this time.

    She was barely aware even when the fight between Seiji and Gyomei took ce. She only snapped out of her daze when she saw him hurt with her sharp and medically trained eyes.

    She immediately ran up to him and analysed his body. He was bruised in some ces and his final attack had managed to cause damage to his own body.

    But there were no other injuries.

    ''Thank God.''

    "Thank you," he said and gave her a small smile.

    She did not know whether she liked him stoic or expressive. When he didn''t smile, it nagged at her heart but when he did, it increased her blood pressure.

    She simply mirrored his smile and ran off as quickly as possible.

    When did she start loving him? Was it when he hit puberty and grew into a handsome young man? Was it when he helped her save patients with his special eyes? Was it when he saved Kanao and she saw his kindness?

    Or was it during the many times he saved her, when he was always there when she needed someone?

    She didn''t know. She had been ignoring any feelings that emerged. Only now when those feelings burst out did she even realise she had feelings for him.

    Honestly, it was stupid of her. How immature.

    It was her mistake.

    ..

    ..

    ...

    ....Or was it?

    That was a question that appeared in her mind as she was waiting for him outside of the house while Seiji met Ubuyashiki.

    Why was she acting like everything was over? She just realised that she loved him and at the very next moment, she was supposed to destroy her love?

    Who decided that?

    A random girl whom he met a couple of months ago? She didn''t think so.

    Kanae had dedicated herself to others all her life. She dedicated herself to her sister, she sacrificed all her time and effort to save others as a doctor and risked her life every day to protect the weak.

    So this time, she thinks she deserves to be selfish just a little.

    She made the mistake of following her mind and staying passive with her feelings. Now she was going to follow her heart and act upon her feelings.

    Seiji was engaged, sure, but it couldn''t be that serious yet, there was not enough time to be so. That meant she still had time to show her feelings, a simple engagement could alwasy be broken again.

    She also apologised to her sister. If she did not act on it, Seiji was going to fall into another girl''s hand anyway.

    So she decided to no longer ignore her feelings anymore.

    She loves him. She wants him.

    And she sure as hell was going to try and make him feel the same way.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (In another location)

    Mitsuri suddenly stopped eating her food as her womanly instincts felt a threat.

    "Hmmm? Do you not like the food?" asked a woman who wore the standard Demon yer uniform with a katana strapped on her waist.

    "Eh?" Mitsuri snapped out of it and immediately said, "Nonono, It''s nothing like that, the food is delicious."

    "I know I''m not nearly as good at cookingpared to ying demons. So by all means, don''t be shy to say if you don''t like it."

    "I told you, it''s not like that." Mitsuri said, "I just suddenly had a weird feeling."

    It was logical. After all, the threat of an onee-san with maximum ara ara~ vibe going after your man was a threat, even to the likes of Mitsuri Kanroji.

    She was currently under the wings of a female demon yer at the rank of Hinoe. She had been staying with her for a day, waiting for further instructions from the master of the Demon yer Corps.

    During this time, Mitsuri had learned much about demon yers and the ongoing war between humans and demons.

    She also got to see first-hand how incredible Demon yers actually were. The girl beside her, Satsuki, was one of the strongest female demon yers who was a Water Breath user.

    Mitsuri got to see her in battle first-hand and was surprised to find out that Satsuki was many times stronger than she was when she fought.

    That truly opened Mitsuri''s eyes. She never thought she''d see a woman stronger than her before. She thought it was impossible.

    ..

    "Satsuki, what did you say your rank was again?" Mitsuri asked after a long stretch of silence.

    The middle-aged woman thought about it for a while before saying with pride, "I am at the rank of Hinoe. The only ranks above me are Kinoto and Kinoe."

    There were only a handful of people who were at the rank of Hinoe so she had every reason to be proud of her rank.

    "I see, that''s incredible," Mitsuri said while looking up at the sky. She was not used to camping outside as a city girl but one thing she liked about it was the perpetual incredible views.

    "Do you know a Demon yer by the name of Seiji Shigan?" Mitsuri asked. Her fiance was always on her mind but she suddenly missed him even more with the weird premonition in her heart.

    "!!!!!"

    "I thought you were new to the Demon yer Corps, so how did you know his name?" Satsuki asked before she answered her own question, "Oh, did he save you once?"

    "Eh, yes, kinda," Mitsuri answered. He indeed saved her from a demon that night in the mountains. She did not want to borate more because she was still a bit shy.

    "So, what rank will he bepared to you?"

    "People like Seiji Shigan are notparable to me. They are called the Hashiras," she answered.

    Mitsuri creased her eyebrows. She said there were only two ranks above her, Knoto and Kinoe, so does that mean Seiji was a rank below her?

    "Does that mean he is ranked below you?"

    Satsuki blinked before sheughed, "Hahaha, no, not like that. It''s quite the opposite, Seiji Shigan is too strong to be in the Demon yer ranks."

    "?"

    "People like him are called Hashira, otherwise known as pirs. They are the pirs that support the Demon yer Corp as a whole, currently, there are only six active pirs," she exined.

    "The person who saved you, Seiji Shigan is especially special even among the pirs. He is said to be the single most important factor in the organisation due to his sheer efficiency, often referred to as the ''pir of pirs''."

    Mitsuri was left speechless.

    "Does that mean he is strong?"

    "Of course. He is probably the strongest." she answered, "Each of the Hashria is different from us normal human beings. They are the people who deal with the strongest demons."

    Mitsuri remembered the night when Seiji told her he was the strongest. She blushed when she realized that there was no bluff in his words.

    It was not that she didn''t believe him then but this was anotheryer of proof of his words.

    But in the midst of the admiration she felt, there was also a bubbling nervousness. She would have to work extremely hard to be able to fight alongside him.

    He was at the very top and to always be beside him, she would need to reach there too.

    Whatever the case may be, Mitsuri was determined. And she believed that with her love, everything was possible.

    "Can you tell me, how can I be a Hashria like him?"

    "Aiming tall aren''t we?" Satsuki chuckled but thought none of it. But she continued the conversation anyway while they ate the food.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [I need help with this one. JONTY_ I choose you!!! Post IMAGE!! ]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I will make a habit of doing it like this. Bigger Chapters give immersion to the story than uploading in chops.

 Chapter 69: Emergency!!

    <h4>Chapter 69: Emergency!!</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Okay, guys, it''s an emergency.

    I repeat it''s a fucking emergency.

    What''s the emergency you asked?

    "Here, let me feed you," Kanae said, taking my bowl of rice before she extended her hand to feed me.

    ''It is her, she is the emergency.''

    "You know, I can feed myself now," I said with a strained smile and she gave me a no-nonsense look.

    "I insist," she said like a mother.

    Mommy?

    What else could I do except open my mouth obediently? After that, a small smile crept on her face.

    I swallowed the rice with an audible gulp before moving a bit away from her. But then she mirrored my movement and hopped closer to me like a small rabbit.

    "How is it?"

    It''s fucking rice. How the fuck else would it taste like?

    "It''s good," I said.

    Yeah, well, the suspicion was true.

    Kanae was in love with me. Or at least, she was acting like a high school girl in love and she was trying to make me fall for her.

    And she was horrible at it.

    You''d expect an onee-san like her to be extremely experienced and well-versed in the battles of love but nope, Kanae Kocho was horrible in trying to make me fall for her.

    Obviously, it was because she had never been in love before. It was her first time as much as it was mine.

    This was aplete contrast with her ara ara~ vibe and you know what...

    It was absolutely fucking adorable.

    Like Oh. Ma. Gawd. did you really put red camellia on the table and say you put them there for me? (Red camellia symbolizes love and longing in flowernguage)

    I was aware of her feelings and knew what she was trying to do. She was so bad at it that even a dense harem isekai MC would be able to get the hint.

    But it was more effective than simply following the tradition and woo me very expertly. I couldn''t help but gush inwardly how adorable she was.

    It has only been a day since we had the Hashira meeting and I think she changed when she heard about my engagement with Mitsuri.

    Whatever feelings she had for me seemed to be dragged out to the surface when she heard about the engagement and realize that she was going to lose me.

    To be honest, I was still in the process of digesting that information.

    Kanae was in love with him?

    You mean the girl who always treated me as a younger brother and constantly teased me as if I was a little kid, was in love with me?

    You mean the girl whom I had been peeking at for over two years in every spar we had was trying to earn my affection?

    When? How? Why?

    To say that I was sad and conflicted because I was already engaged with Mitsuri would be a big fat lie. Instead, I could only feel ttered and happy with the situation.

    Does that make me a scumbag?

    "You are zoning out Seiji, focus on the food." Kanae snapped me out of my thoughts. "Here, say ahhhh,"

    I didn''t say ahhh like she asked.

    Instead, I opened my mouth widely in a hippopotamus ahh way to assert dominance.

    She just giggled and continued feeding me.

    Did you notice that I was more unhinged than usual? Yeah, that was because I did not know how to react to her feelings.

    I''ll be the first one to admit that I didn''t get bitches in my past life. I was not ugly or a loser by any means but I was 13 years old and no woman wanted to take the risk of loving me.

    So this was the first time I had the affection of two girls at once. And I did not want to reject either of them and they meant a lot to me.

    On another hand, I was not a believer of harem like Tengen Uzui. I believe in true love. I think true love was special and could only happen once with one person in your life.

    So I was in this weird dilemma where I focused only on the positive side and ignored the drama for the future me to face.

    "You are pampering me a lot today. Is there something you want to ask?" I yed the dense main character role. I hid the fact that my eyes could see everything she wanted to hide.

    "No reason. Is it really so strange that I care for my patient?" she asked.

    When there were literally patients with broken limbs in the infirmary and you chose to feed me, then yes, it was a little strange.

    "I guess not," I said and let her continue to do as she liked.

    She continued feeding me until I finished my meal and I felt like my stomach couldn''t hold any more.

    Would it be wrong for me to y dumb and simply enjoy her affection?

    Actually, don''t answer that because I was going to do just that anyways.

    "Can I get ap pillow?"

    "....."

    A wise man once said you miss a 100% of the shots you don''t take.

    So I will take a shot at every opportunity I have.

    "..."

    "..."

    "Sure, "

    Fortune indeed favours the brave.

    ///////////////

    The soft sensation of her flesh against my cheek was everything I thought I needed in life. It was warm and I could smell her, she smelled like flowers.

    "Seiji, what kind of woman do you like?" Kanae asked while nudging me to look at her.

    I looked up at her and her face was almost entirely hidden by her melons even though she was leaning forward. Her eyes seemed genuinely curious to know the answer so I thought about it for a few seconds.

    "The kind of woman that loves me," I said in the end.

    She smiled, "Of course, she will love you. But I meant more in terms of physical attributes,"

    Is she really asking me the legendary boobs or butt question which was a vital question always asked between middle school boys?

    Well, there were many physical attributes of women that attracted men. There was the pretty face, the boobs, the ass, the thighs, the legs, the feet etc.

    I could say any of them and Kanae Kocho should be happy because she was blessed in every single aspect of them. Such was the stunning beauty of the flower Hashira.

    But personally, my favourite was the one thing that raised men.

    Boobs.

    So yes, I was a boob-man.

    "I like them cute and with a nice pair of boobs." I said.

    "Boobs huh," She said thoughtfully while looking at hers before her lips curved in self-satisfaction.

    "What about you? What type of man do you like Kanae, both physically and in terms of character." I asked her in return.

    She hummed and thought about my question for a while before she said.

    "I would prefer someone taller than me, not too scary looking and with kind eyes. And in terms of character...." she trailed off before casting a nce at me.

    Then she covered my eyes with both hands and said, "You,"

    My X-ray eyes froze and I felt my ears start to heat up so I hid them. She took her soft hands away and with a smile, she said.

    "Someone strong, reliable and loves flowers I guess."

    ",,,okay."

    We spent another hour just staying like that and having small talk which ranged from what happened while I was away to how Kanao was progressing in her life. She said she was busy following Shinobu around and helping the patients.

    She never asked me about what happened in Tokyo or about my engagement though. I wonder if she was not interested or too afraid to ask.

    But in the end, all great things muste to a bitter end.

    And mine came in the form of Raven and a Kusagai crow.

    Raven flew towards me andnded on my chest and a Kusagai crow flew overhead, dictating a mission for me. Although I loved my job, I think I loveying on Kanae''sp more.

    <i>"Seiji Shigan!! Seiji Shigan!! You must travel to Mizuhara vige which was recently visited by a demon!! Investigate and hunt down this demon."</i>

    Duty calls I guess.

    "I guess you have to go now," Kanae whispered softly. "Stay safe in your mission Seiji."

    "You too Kanae. And remember what I tell you, please only take normal ying missions and be extremely careful."

    "I''ll keep that in mind,"

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Don''t forget the stones.

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 Chapter 70: Karma

    <h4>Chapter 70: Karma</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I left the Flower Mansion the next morning after spending more time with Kanae and Kanao. Unfortunately, Shinobu was in her grinding phase so we rarely had time to interact these days. The spar we had a few days ago was a rare asion.

    I travelled towards the Mizuhara Vige. The vige was known for its huge production of rice and I went there to take rations for the Demon yer Corp before.

    I had eidetic memory so I was able to trace my way to the vige without being guided by a Kasugai crow.

    The vige was not far away and with my incredible speed, I was able to reach it before the afternoon rolled around.

    When I entered the vige, I was immediately met with a gloomy atmosphere. The ce was quiet as if it was abandoned.

    A quick scan of the whole vige told me that most people had locked themselves inside their houses and they were mourning for the people they lost.

    I walked around the vige and I talked to the first person I met and asked him in detail about what happened to the vige.

    "A total of three families, including the head of the town had been brutally annihted. It could not have been a criminal because nothing was stolen and we found no corpse of the dead. Many of us assume that it was an attack from a monster or a wild animal but..."

    "But what?" I asked.

    "But the only two survivors of the massacre, twin kids, they keep screaming it was a demon, an oni." the man said and from his face, I could tell that he believed them.

    "Have they not asked for more details?"

    "That''s the thing. Both of them had gone deaf after the attack,"

    The world stilled. My heart turned into lead in my chest and it weighs heavy and cold.

    ...

    ...

    "Where can I meet them?"

    "I don''t think you should meet them but they are in the vige hospital." the man said and I nodded my head in thanks.

    I walked away and headed towards the hospital immediately which was quite neat. Most viges didn''t have hospitals but I guess Mizuhara was not just any vige with its rice production.

    "Calm down," I said out loud while gripping my chest.

    This was familiar. It was all too familiar.

    ...

    /////////////////

    It was not only familiar.

    It was exactly the same.

    "A demon with the appearance of an old man. He had a hunched back and his body was full of wrinkles like it was dposing. There was a mark in his left eye, Kanji and his scream robbed me of my hearing."

    The image of the demon brought out my darkest memories. A demon with the appearance of an old man, holding down my naked sister as he devoured her.

    "A Kanji in his eyes?" I asked before writing my question down on a piece of paper and letting the boy read it.

    "Yes!! There was a mark on his left eye,"

    A lower moon huh, that was surprising but at the same time not. It was stated in the anime that the ranks of the lower moon kept on changing while the upper moon remained constant.

    So it was logical that the demon who attacked my family that night had now be a lower moon.

    "Thank you for your help kid," I said and gave a pat to the eight-year-old child.

    Just like he spared me, the old demon spared him and his twin brother too. I did not know why but that demon seemed to spare children, maybe in a weird twisted way that was beyond his moral code.

    It had been a total of three days since the attack. The memory must still be new to the kid, I did not want to make him remember but it couldn''t be helped. I remember being pissed that everyone kept asking me about it when it happened to me.

    "Are you going to fight that demon mister?" the kid asked me with his big eyes with dark bags.

    I paused. Then I smiled.

    I took up the notebook and pencil again and wrote my answer.

    Fighting was not the right word. He was not worth fighting.

    Instead, I will do something far crueller.

    "I am just going to talk to him. I will let him know all of the pain he has caused to you and everyone he has ever encountered,"

    After that, I got up from the bed and left the room.

    Everything was quiet as I walked out of the hospital and out of the vige. The people looked at me but they only saw a stoic face which they could not read.

    But after I left the vige, when I was all alone in the forest. My facade broke and bloodlust rolled off my body, chasing away the insects, birds and any other being with sentience.

    "Well, well, well, it all came back full circle." I chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all.

    I thought the old demon was some small fry and that he would''ve probably died at this point. But it seemed not only was he alive, but he had gotten even stronger.

    "Thank god you are alive. Thank you," I said and the emotions in my chest forced tears out of my eyes.

    Then the purple orbs in my eyes started giving off a deep glow as I activated the transparent world at its full capacity and more.

    I gazed upon the forest and the world bore her naked truth to me. I could see visions of the past with the help of the sheer details my eyes were able to see.

    I saw a footprint of a deer and from the depth alone, I was able to deduce the size and weight of said animal and how it stepped on it.

    The scene yed in my mind as if reality rewinded.

    I could tell the speed at which it moved, where it stopped and sniffed the air, which de of grass he ate and so on.

    It was like in the movies when a detective checked a crime scene and constructed what happened in his mind.

    But unlike them, what was happening to me was not limited to one ce but to the whole world around me.

    I felt a buzz in my brain and my eyes worked like never before. This was the first time I had aplished such feats.

    My eyes really were more than the transparent world at this point, I was sure. It was evolving as I aged and gained experience.

    Maybe it was simr to the sharingan with how they were responding to my hate. I thought to myself.

    But I did not spare any time to linger on such thoughts. I walked around the forest, looking at the smallest detail of everything as my mind constructed scenes of what happened an hour before, three hours before, a day before...

    Three days before.

    Until eventually, I found a clue.

    Dried blood on the leaves. It could''ve been the blood of any animal, impossible to distinguish but my eyes were able to do so. I looked closely at the blood, focusing my entire being on it.

    From the dryness and the mix of water, I could tell that it was a few days old. Then from the size and shape of the red blood cells, I could tell that it was the blood of a human.

    Most animals hadrger cells than humans and those cells had nuclei. Human red blood cells were circr and without a nucleus. So it was not difficult for my eyes to differentiate them.

    Then I changed my gaze to the direction of the blood and I saw broken twigs and nts, making a trail. From those things, I deduced the size of the creature passing through and it fit the size of the old demon I remembered.

    I could vividly imagine the demon going through this forest after it had a good meal. His white hair drenched in blood left droplets of blood.

    "Found you," I said and my eyes glowed brighter and my tears had turned red due to the overuse of my eyes.

    It was going to be a wonderful reunion after 9 years.

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    Lower Moon demon ranked second.

    Onryoku.

    He has the appearance of an old man with a hunched back. He had a balding head with sparse white hair falling from his head and skin that was wrinkled more than an old rag.

    He was a demon who travelled around Japan, always moving. He would sneak into viges and ughter whoever he wanted and eat them before continuing his journey.

    Well, to call it a journey would be incorrect because he had no destination. Instead, he felt safer when he never stayed in the same ce. He was at ease when he was always running away.

    Running from who exactly?

    He was running away from his Karma.

    ..

    He was one of the oldest demons in existence. It could be said that from his travels, he knew thendscapes of Japan like the back of his hand.

    That was why he never even had to hide, no one could find him.

    But today, it was different.

    Someone finally found him.

    "Hummmmmm~ Hummmmmm~" A rhythmic humming noise left his mouth. He sent out sound waves that the human ears couldn''t hear, they were ultrasound.

    Then from the sound waves that reflected back to his ears, he could make a mental map of the surroundings in his head. It was echolocation, a special ability that animals like bats and dolphins could use.

    And just like before, everything was fine except the human that was following his tail a little while way back was still there.

    The demon had been changing his direction and tried his best to escape because he did not want conflict unless he was hungry.

    But the human kept on following him. The man did not try to catch up to him and was seemingly satisfied with just following his trail.

    Onryoku has had enough of ying cat and mouse.

    ''It''s been four days since I ate myst meal anyways, I could use a snack.'' he thought to himself, not taking the human as a threat.

    He should''ve been more afraid and took the human seriously. Maybe then he would realize that he was being hunted.

    Onryoku looked at the moon and determined that sunrise was still hours away. He could kill the follower and enjoy eating the human for as long as he wanted.

    He picked up the best ambush ce and hid behind arge rock with deep cover. He stayed hidden and waited for his prey.

    ...

    A few minutester, the human finally stopped. The man was a few meters away from the boulder where he was hiding.

    "Finally, I caught you." the man said as if he could see through the boulder.

    Realizing that he had been discovered, Onryoku jumped out from his hiding spot andnded on top of the boulder. He took a look at the human and he was shocked, to say the least.

    Purple eyes locked on him immediately. They had blood flowing out of them which the man quickly wiped away.

    ''I''ve seen those eyes before but where?'' Onryoku asked himself thoughtfully.

    Then he saw the long sword carried by the young man in his left hand. He had already expected the human to be a Demon yer from the way he was being tracked so it was no surprise.

    The man slowly pulled out his sword and Onryoku was finally hit with a surprise.

    <i>''Evil Demon.''</i>

    <i>''Destroyer''</i>

    A Hashira?

    No, that longsword and the colour purple.

    It was him.

    "I have so many things to tell you.."

    And so, Karma finally caught up to the demon who always ran.

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Next Chaptering soon so throw stones!!

 Chapter 71: Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 71: Vengeance</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I have so many things to tell you..." my breath hitched, there were so many things I wanted to say so they clogged my throat.

    In the end, the biggest and most honest sentence came out of my lips.

    <strong>"I hate you so much,"</strong>

    My hatred was so intense that it felt like swallowingva. His mere existence - the fact that he stood in the same reality as me, incited so much resentment that I wanted to tear this reality like a child throwing a tantrum.

    ''This is not me. This cannot be me.'' the sanest part of me screamed in the corner of my mind.

    I was not funny, I was not nice, I was not good. I was nothing I thought I was at the moment. It felt like all the challenges I had gone through, all the character development I had, they were all meaningless.

    At that moment when he was in my direct line of sight, I still felt like the little boy who just lost everything.

    I was so petty, I was so bitter and so hateful. I wanted to burn this world of fiction to ashes just for having someone like him. In my mind, I did not want to live in a world stained by this vermin.

    Words couldn''t describe my feelings, and I seethed.

    I hate that he made me this hateful so I hated him more. It became this endless cycle where my spite and hate doubled infinitely, again and again and again.

    Confronted by traumas I had been ignoring all this time, I was surprised to see what I had turned into. Was this really me? Was I this cynical and malevolent deep down?

    I thought I was a better person. I thought I was kinder.

    "It''s all because of you," I said with a face void of emotion. My voice was even more hollow.

    Because at this point, facial expressions could not mirror the emotions in my heart and they just gave up. But my eyes were a window to my soul so they were glowing in ominous light.

    The old demon narrowed his nasty eyes at me. He had seemed toe to the conclusion that I waspletely insane.

    "I know you," he said, "They say to be wary of you,"

    Then he opened his mouth and released a sonic scream that shook the earth. The vibrations washed over me, rattling my bones but it did no other damage.

    "...."

    "...."

    His attack had no effect on me.

    "You are deaf," he said. "That''s fine."

    He opened his mouth again and I predicated his next action. He was going to release a sonic scream again but this time, it would produce intense shockwaves that could rip apart the ground and destroy boulders.

    But he never got to that part because....

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh,"</strong>

    I appeared in front of him in an instant. Instant was too quick for him to react. Instant was too fast for him to think of counterattacks. But it was also enough for him to despair and just enough for fear to engulf his whole body as I plunged my sword into his mouth.

    I drove my long de down his throat and sliced open his voice box and his vocal chords which was where the shrilling screams were produced.

    Then I pushed my knee against his chest, driving all of the momentum I had into his ribs. His chest caved in and air was knocked out of his lungs.

    A sonic boom exploded and he was sent flying away.

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    His body crashed and shattered against many trees. His bones bent in the wrong ways and tendons snapped when he crashed so violently against the ground.

    I''ve said it before but I was not here to fight.

    This was not a moment where the main character faced his trauma and fought bravely against the enemy who hurt him in the past. It was not an inspiring moment where he overcame challenges and finally grew as a person.

    This was just me, hating on someone with my entire being like the little child I am deep inside.

    I have not moved an inch. I haven''t grown a single day.

    <i>"Wind Breathing : First form," </i>I dashed forward with the violence of a storm.

    <strong>"Whirldwind Cutter,"</strong>

    I shed continuously in a horizontal cyclonic pattern. Sharp wind des encased my body and I shot forward like a tornado.

    Everything was cut in my path. The trees were cut down and so were the rocks and the bushes. I literally carved out a path leading to the demon.

    Even with his regeneration, he had no time to healpletely. By the time he was about to get up, his body was finely minced into tiny little pieces.

    But I sliced him only with the wind des so they did not inflict the damage a direct cut from the nichirin de would have. So he slowly came together again under me.

    When his face fully formed, I could finally see the terror in his demonic eyes. Yet he was nowhere near as terrified as I was that night.

    They said an eye for an eye, I disagree. For an eye, I wanted everything.

    It was not about letting him experience the same pain I did. It was about letting him experience worse.

    "You don''t remember, do you?" I said while waiting for him to fully regenerate. "That night when you ughtered my family right before my eyes and left me with their remains - your leftover meal,"

    It was understandable. What was the saying again? A hammer doesn''t remember the nails but the nail remembers the hammer.

    After his legs regenerated, he immediately pushed himself off the ground to flee. He was fast - he was as fast as you would expect a demon running for his life to be.

    I watched him run like I watched him leave my house back then.

    The two different scenes merged in my mind.

    I lept into the air, jumping high above even the tallest trees.

    <strong><i>"Thunder Wind Breathing : Unerring Lance,"</i></strong> I threw my sword with speed far surpassing sound. A sonic boom erupted and it nailed the demon on the ground with a terrible explosion.

    Inded on the ground and made my way towards the demon. He was trying to take out my sword which pinned him to the ground but his hand burnt when he grabbed my nichirin de.

    The ores which were used to make the nichirin swords were like sr batteries. They absorbed sunlight.

    When I reached him, I took a moment to appreciate his helplessness. The memories of when I tried to crawl helplessly to my sister merged with the scene.

    He was screaming helplessly too. I wished I could hear his screams. I really wished I could.

    I grabbed the hilt of my sword and pulled it out.

    Immediately the demon jumped at me. He realized he couldn''t run so he decided to attack me with everything he had.

    I saw everything he tried to do as if I could see the future. But before anything happened, I cut off both his arms with a swift stroke of my de.

    <i>"Water Breathing : First Form," </i>his nned attacks were stopped before they could happen<strong>, "Water Surface sh,"</strong>

    He staggered back, blood spurting out of the stump of his limbs.

    ..

    I hated how easily I was able to cut him. It did not hurt enough.

    I looked at my pristine sword and after a single second of hesitation, I smashed my sword against a stone nearby. I hit the rock with my de in such a way that the sharp edge was chipped away.

    I cringed while doing so. Due to my eyes, I always wanted things to be perfect and beautiful.

    But all that was discarded as I chipped my sword like how Inosuke did. By then, the demon had already healed and he was just standing still.

    Running doesn''t work, and fighting doesn''t work. So he did nothing.

    <i>"Fire Breathing : Second Form,"</i>

    I picked what I thought would hurt the most.

    <strong>"Scorching Sun."</strong>

    ..

    ..

    Words couldn''t describe how much I hated him. So I let my actions describe my hate. After all, they said actions speak louder than words.

    I wanted him to know. I wanted to feel.

    What that child felt on that night.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [Must see image (The child)]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I''m thinking one more Chapter. I wanna tie up this part in one ho.

 Chapter 72: Professional hater

    <h4>Chapter 72: Professional hater</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Hatred was bitter.

    Like medicine.

    And like medicine, although bitter, it makes you feel better afterwards.

    I didn''t know who it was that propagated the idea that hate was a way to destroy oneself and revenge only left a person more hollow than before, but I knew that they were liars.

    Or maybe they were notpletely true because that statement didn''t apply to me.

    "Please....n-no moree-ee~" a slushy mess of flesh and bone said to me.

    "What is love?~ Baby don''t hurt me, don''t hurt me, no more~" I sang in return, with a smile that showed the weight that had been lifted off my chest.

    Did you know that I was never fond of songs because I was deaf? I had to put my hand on a speaker and feel the vibration to get close to appreciating songs, like Miles from Baby Driver. But obviously, I knew about songs like ''Rick Roll'' and ''Baby Don''t Hurt Me'' because of the memes.

    The sun had already begun peeking out from the mountains at this point but I put the old demon in a shade to keep him from disintegrating.

    "Why are you being so dramatic? You act as if you have been exposed to the cruellest torture for a whole night." I said with a chuckle. I extended my hand and allowed a few drops of blood to fall from the cut in my palm.

    "Come on, drink up and heal, I think I nearly got the hang of Beast Breathing by repeatedly grinding you into a paste," I said but the spoiled fruit-looking ahh demon remained unresponsive.

    At this point, I was not really annoyed. I had my fill of violence. I could not imagine a way to inflict more pain on him.

    My hatred by no means had run out. It was just that I no longer had beef with this specific demon. I knew that although he was the one who killed my parents, he was just a pawn of the ultimate cause of their deaths.

    For example, an earthquake happened and a b of concrete crushed a man. It was the b of concrete that directly killed him but the main reason behind it was the earthquake.

    Simrly, it was demons in general and Muzan Kibutsuji that were the main cause.

    I kept on poking the demon with my sword while deep in thought until the sun had risen high enough to finally put an end to the demon. After the existence of the vermin was finally removed from the world, I took a deep breath.

    A breath of fresh air that I did not share with that stain. It felt more refreshing than usual - like the world suddenly had an AC.

    For a long time, I used to think that hate led a man nowhere but self-destruction. As I said, we''ve all seen Naruto and we all know where hatred led the Uchihas.

    But you know what? My 16-year-old self believes that hate can indeed lead a man where he wants and give him fulfilment, the same as love does.

    And revenge was sweet, it was not empty. If you felt empty after enacting revenge, you probably didn''t do it enough.

    So I''ll keep on being a hater without an once of apology.

    I didn''t have to be a kind-hearted soul who healed with the power of love and forgiveness. I would heal my trauma with the bitterness of hate and revenge.

    If I realized that my belief was stupid and wrong by the time I matured more in my 30s. Then.....I''ll leave that to future me. Sucks to be him.

    But then again, what 30-year-old man did not have to deal with the consequences of their younger self? You do stupid things in your teenage years and deal with the consequences as a middle-aged man, that''s how it usually goes for most people.

    Well, enough about justifying how I was going to be a professional hater. I think it would do me good to finally check up on Mitsuri and visit Rengoku while doing so.

    I need my love Hashira to dilute all the spite and hate in me.

    ...

    ////////////////////

    ...

    "Seiji!!!"

    Her pink hair was dancing to the tunes of the wind while she ran up to me with the enthusiasm of a child on a Christmas morning.

    She wore a Keigoki - a white long-sleeved shirt with ck pants - which told me that she was in the middle of training.

    Her signature big tits were bobbing up and down when she ran up to me as if they were happily greeting me.

    Yet no matter how much her sexy body attracted a perverted man like me, my gaze was glued to her smile. Was it strange that her smile was the one that made my heart skip a beat?

    She looked so happy. It was a privilege, I told myself, that someone was that happy for my mere existence. It made me appreciate life.

    The rest of the world fades away and my incredible eyesight only saw her.

    ....that was probably why I didn''t see himing.

    "Seiji!!" a voice with more vibrations - which meant that it was deeper and more masculine - called out to me and the fact that I could see the vibrations meant that it was close.

    I felt a rush of wind on my skin and a hard chest (obviously not Mitsuri''s) smashed on my stomach and tackled me to the ground.

    We fell.

    "Hahahahahaha!!" I opened my eyes to see Rengokuughing above me.

    "You disappeared for three months and suddenly sent your fiance to train under me? You sure are a character, my friend," he eximed.

    Not the waifu I was expecting but okay.

    Then Mitsuri finally reached me with tears of joy running down her face. She threw herself on top of me, pressing her whole body against mine.

    My arms immediately wrapped around her as if that was their natural state. Finally, a soft chest pressed against mine and I closed my eyes to feel her warmth.

    She was saying things but I didn''t see them. I only said.

    "I miss you too,"

    ....

    After the heartfelt reunion, we went inside Rengoku''s house. For the record, this was not his father''s house. He had his own home which he bought due to my suggestion, I admitted that I might beat up his father in one of his drunken episodes.

    If we fought, he wouldn''t know whose side to take so he bought the house.

    Now Mitsuri was sitting beside me, her head leaning on my shoulder while I sipped tea. Rengoku was in the kitchen for a while before he came out with some snacks and a tea of his own.

    "So, how have you been?" he asked me while settling down opposite to me.

    "Better than ever before," I said and paused, thinking about what happenedst night.

    Finally, I gave a genuine smile, "I killed the demon that ate my family,"

    Rengoku nearly choked on his tea and Mitsuri froze.

    "Pardon?"

    "I killed the old demon who attacked and devoured my family that night. Well, technically he died from the sun but I tortured him the entire night," I repeated myself calmly like I wasmenting on the weather.

    "That is...quite a heavy statement," he said thoughtfully and rubbed his chin, "I''m lost for words,"

    "There''s no need for words, I''m okay," I said and Mitsuri held my hand with concern. "I thought I would never see him again so it was a pleasant surprise. My experience actually made me face my past and allowed me to have a new perspective so everything turned out for the better, "

    From now on, when I wake up in the middle of the night due to having a nightmare, I will findfort. When the scene of my sister getting devoured alive yed in my mind, the scene of the same demon grovelling like a worm under me would also y alongside it.

    It was not a cure but it soothe the pain.

    Not only that, I epted the fact that I was spiteful and that revenge satisfied me. I was a professional hater.

    I looked between Rengoku and Mitsuri with a hidden smile. Maybe it was because they were opposites to me that I liked them so much. They were everything I was not. If they were in my shoes, they would probably forgive and fight to make sure nothing like that happened to anyone else.

    "What about you Rengoku, anything happened in these three months?"

    "Nothing noteworthy like yours. I trained a lot andpleted some assignments,"

    "What rank are you now?" I asked.

    "Kinoto,"

    "Oh," I blinked. "So you are only one rank away from being a Hashira now,"

    Rengoku was not speedrunning being a Hashira like me nor was he a genius with overpowered eyes. So his growth was more steady and slow. But it still came as a surprise that he moved up the ranks so quickly.

    "Yeah. I hope to fight alongside you soon, shoulder to shoulder!" he said with a wide grin.

    "I never consider you to be below me Rengoku, you were always my equal," I said and heughed, not wanting to argue.

    "What about you Mitsuri? You''ve been awfully quiet?" I said and she lowered her head when I looked at her.

    What''s with her?

    "A-are you mad at me?" she suddenly asked under my gaze.

    It took me a while to even realize why she would think I would be mad at her - that''s how much I was not mad.

    "You told me to stay at home and wait for you. But I disobeyed your words and came after you," she said in a soft tone that was not her at all.

    "Would I make for a bad wife?" she looked up at me, big emerald eyes glittering with tears.

    I nearly forgot that this was the 1920s in Japan. Wives were expected to listen to their husbands and not go against their words. Even though I assumed that she could make her own decisions, she might think that I would be mad at her for it.

    My arms immediately wrapped around her small waist which was seemingly shaped to be held by a man and pulled her even closer to me. She blushed, and I liked that her guilty face was reced with a bashful one.

    "Of course, I''m not mad silly," I kissed her forehead, "Instead, I''m deeply d that you wanted to help me and remain by my side,"

    She gave me a smile full of relief.

    "Now tell me what happened to you so far," I said and moved away from her because I saw that Rengoku was looking away,

    It was not appropriate to be too intimate in thepany of others, Japanese culture.

    "Well...it happened one day when I decided to run away from home toe to you. Then I realized I didn''t know where you were but that was when this ck crow with a scary voice came..." Mitsuri started and retold her experience so far.

    I listened to her with great attention. For a deaf man, you''d be surprised that I made for a good listener.

    We also discussed about how she was going to train. I told them my n of making her learn fire breathing with Rengoku first and then her bing my tsuguko after she became a Demon yer.

    I enjoyed thepany of two of the most positive people in the whole world. You couldn''t help but feel like the world was sunshine and rainbow when you were with them.

    Not that they were naive or delusional by any means.

    Rengoku just gave off this reliable aura that nothing bad would happen when I was around him. Even though I knew he was many levels weaker than me, his bravery and courage made me feel at ease.

    Then there was Mitsuri. My eyes saw the naked truth of the world, in all its cruelty and tragedy. But when I was with her, I would look at the world through the reflection of her emerald eyes and it was beautiful.

    The world she saw was beautiful and when I was with her, she allowed me to see glimpses of her world.

    It inspired me to make the world as beautiful as she saw it.

    And it goes without mentioning, we ate a lot of food as well. Rengoku and Mitsuri were great cooks so I ate a week''s worth.

    It was fun and precious time - every second I spent with the people I love.

    It was also another reason to hate the demons.

    I won''t let them take this away from me.

    Like that one ghost said, hatred was born in order to protect love.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author :That will be all for the week. Thanks for reading.

    And please everyone, keep sending me AI generated pic of Seiji if you can.

 Chapter 73: Forebonding

    <h4>Chapter 73: Forebonding</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    "Seiji is WHAT!!!!"

    Even Kanao who was a few rooms away studying showed a reaction. She hopped in her ce like a timid rabbit and her face was genuinely shocked.

    "Keep it down will you," Kanae said and put a hand on Shinobu''s mouth. "Shhhh."

    Shinobu kept eye contact with her sister and she took long and controlled breaths before she finally calmed down. Kanae removed her hand and then Shinobu immediately asked her the biggest question in her mind.

    "Seiji is engaged?! With who?"

    "That''s the thing, I don''t know."

    "Wait, when did you even learn about this?"

    "In the Hashira meeting we had four days ago. Master Ubuyashiki congratted him on his engagement and it was only then that I found out," Kanae said.

    "So that means it''s true," Shinobu said, her voiceced with emotions, "That bastard, why didn''t he tell me?"

    "I was initially upset about it as well but then I realised that he had no reason to tell us," Kanae said brutally, slightly offending Shinobu who thought they were close enough with Seiji to be informed of these things.

    "It''s his private affairs and from what I observed, it seemed like he did not have much attachment to the person he is engaged to," Kanae said thoughtfully.

    "You mean, he only epted it to honour his parents or something?"

    "Exactly,"

    "But how can you be sure? You don''t even know who he is engaged to,"

    "I don''t."

    "Why didn''t you ask him about the details?" Shinobu asked with eyes narrowed in confusion.

    Kanae remained silent for a while before she released a sigh, "Because I was afraid."

    That only made Shinobu confused.

    "The thing is Shinobu..."

    There was a dramatic pause. The two sisters were alone in their shared room and there was no other sound disturbing them. The silence was loud.

    "I''m in love with Seiji as well,"

    "....."

    "....."

    There was an awkward moment where the two sisters just stared at each other. Kanae was scanning her younger sister''s face to find any reaction but Shinbu''s face was just deadpan.

    Then Shinbu finally closed her eyes and gave a harmless smile. It was her signature smile we saw in the anime.

    "Don''t tell me that''s the punch line after all the build-up,"

    "Eh?" Kanae blinked dumbly.

    "Seriously? Did you only realise that you loved him four days ago?"

    "Ehhhh!!! Wait a minute, you knew?!" Kanae asked, now she was the one who lostposure.

    It was a justified thought. Imagine seeing someone who was more aware of your feelings than you. How out of touch with your emotions do you have to be for such a thing to happen?

    It was embarrassing, very much so because she was the older sister.

    "H-How did you know?"

    Kanae had been ignoring her feelings for Seiji all this time due to her morals. But just because she ignored them doesn''t mean that those feelings were not there. In fact, they were always there and people could see it in her behaviour even though she herself was unaware of it.

    "I wouldn''t say I knew it but I kind of expected it, so it came as no surprise," Shinobu shrugged. It was like seeing dark clouds in the sky, you were not surprised it rained.

    "I also have feelings for him so it was easy enough to notice how you looked at him. You see him in the same light as I saw him. You would stare at him for a long time without even realising it and often times when he was away on a mission, you would look at the traces he left in the mansion and smile fondly, remembering him." Shinobu said and Kanae at this point was too embarrassed so she stopped her.

    "But love huh," Shinobu smiled, "Gezz, big sis, that''s a heavy word,"

    Even she would not be so bold as to im she loved Seiji. She knew that she liked him but there was a big difference between simply liking someone and loving them.

    Kanae remained silent after thement. There was not a doubt in her mind even after that. She loved him, it was beyond just liking someone.

    The difference in their feelings came from the fact that Kanae was given much more attention and saved many times by Seiji. Meanwhile, he would only train and spend time hunting demons with Shinobu.

    "This sucks. I feel like I''m losing something even though it was never mine," Shinobu said and flopped on her futon.

    Kanae remained in her ce and watched her sister in silence. Shinobu took a pillow and covered her face but otherwise, she made no furtherments.

    Seeing that, she silently made her way outside of the room and when she slid the door closed she released a sigh of relief.

    ...

    She was relieved that Shinobu''s feelings for Seiji seemed to be way lesser than hers. Her sister already seemed to be giving up and was in the process of getting over him.

    That was good.

    She always thought that her sister''s feelings were the same or even more than hers but she learned today that it was not true, amongst other things she learned.

    Now thest thread of hesitance snapped.

    She smiled a knowing smile, a hopeful smile.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    "Hey, I heard from some lower demons that there is a beautiful girl in the demon yer corps who uses flower breathing," a white-haired demon with blood on his lips said to another demon who was kneeling before him.

    The white-haired demon had rainbow-coloured eyes that seemed to see everything in this world as amusement, something he could toy with. He was lying on his side and his right hand held the ample thigh of a beautiful woman.

    "They say she has the beauty of a fairy, moving with grace and elegance while she yed demons,"

    "Lord Doma, you must be talking about Kanae Kocho, the flower Hashira," the demon kneeling down said. He was a demon yer who chose to be a demon due to his greed for immortality.

    The Upper Moon 2, Doma, had kept him around him at his whims. He would ask trivial questions he had about the Demon yer Corps and humans in general.

    Which vige had the most beautiful girls, how life as a Demon yer was, where and how the nichirin des were made and like the question he asked now, who was the beautiful woman in the Demon yer corp?

    "She is the greatest healer of the Demon yer Corp and she is indeed a beautiful woman, the best I''ve seen myself," the demon said.

    Doma hummed and looked at the human leg he was holding. It had the soft flesh of a beautiful woman, it was a delicacy.

    "I wonder, what she tastes like..." he whispered.

    He thought about it for a moment and his desire seemed to mix well with their master''s wish which was the eradication of the Demon yer Corp. Killing their healer should dramatically weaken them right?

    "Can you get her to me?" Doma asked with an innocent smile like a close friend asking you to treat them to food.

    "Ah," the demon gulped, "Well, she rarely leaves the Flower mansion since she is the main doctor. But often times she would go to viges that have been infected by diseases that spread naturally or due to the blood demon art of a demon,"

    Domu tilted his head to the side, his smile was still the same but it suddenly looked less friendly.

    "Why are you talking so much, can you do it or not?" a killing intent so chilling washed over the lower demon.

    "I-I can! I can!!" the demon yelled as the killing intent faded.

    "It will take some time but I can do it with my blood demon art."

    "That''s great then!!" Doma said with a friendly grin, "But don''t make me wait too long, lest I kill you in my boredom,"

    The demon was lost for words. After a long silence, he simply said.

    "I understand."

    ....

    Seiji had thought all this time that Kanae encountered Doma due to a weird twist of fate and misfortune.

    He thought that his existence alone and the fact that he warned Kanae many times would be able to change this fate.

    But turns out, that it was never an encounter of chance that Kanae met Doma.

    She was targeted.

    "Huh, I am oddly excited about this," Domamented while looking at his arm which trembled slightly.

    But was it really excitement that he felt? Doma who was so detached from emotions and often said to be emotionless did not know better.

    Was it excitement or was it fear that stemmed from the bad premonition in his heart?

    Every supernatural part of him, instincts, spells, and each individual cell, yelling, SCREAMING at him.

    Don''t do it.

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Double release

 Chapter 74: Steroid Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 74: Steroid Breathing</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    After we had a nice conversation while drinking tea, Rengoku decided to resume his training. He left me and Mitsuri alone so that we could spend time together but instead of doing so, I brought Mitsuri outside to train her.

    If she was going to be a demon yer, I would make sure that she was the strongest that she could be. It would not only be a huge help to humanity but most importantly, it would keep her safe.

    "I''m going to teach you a breathing style I created myself. It is not aplete breathing style so think of it as training wheels," I said. She had stars in her eyes that told me that she was excited to learn whatever it was I was going to teach her.

    She was excited but she raised her hand in question.

    I smiled seeing her that, "It''s only the two of us Mitsuri, you don''t have to raise your hand," I told her, "What is it?"

    "Umm, what is a breathing style?"

    A realization struck me like lightning and I robotically turned my head to Rengoku who was engrossed in his own physical training.

    That guy had not even told her what breathing styles were. Was it really a good idea to leave her with him?

    I helplessly shook my head and exined, "Breathing styles are the main tools of a demon yer. By mastering certain breathing patterns and training your lungs to maximize your intake of oxygen, you can achieve supernatural strength,"

    I paused, "Do you understand?"

    "...Yes," she tilted her head.

    She didn''t understand.

    Well, I guess we would have to start with the very basic of the basics. Not that I wasining, teaching her was not a chore at all. She was mine after all, it was the same as training myself.

    "Well, let''s sit down and practice first shall we," I said and we both sat down in a lotus position. We were facing each other and I grabbed her hand with one hand and I pushed my other hand on her chest.

    At first, my hand sank into her soft bosom and she blushed but they stopped when I pressed on her ribs. I acted professionally even though it demanded great self-control.

    I felt the rhythmic expansion and contraction of her chest.

    My eyes glow purple and I used an X-ray to see her pink healthy lungs. Like the rest of her body, her lungs were exceptionallyrge and powerful.

    With my eyes and her already insane body, it would not be hard to teach her the basics at all. In fact, it would not be hard to get her to the level of a Hashira.

    "What I''m about to teach you - like I said - is a breathing style that I created a long time ago. It is the easiest breathing to learn and also the most effective constant breathing," I said and started guiding her through the breathing patterns.

    "It''s called, steroid breathing,"

    Steroid breathing allows your body to fully utilize your muscle capacity and also promotes quick regeneration and growth of the muscles. It was a breathing style that depended heavily on the user''s body.

    If your body was strong and you were gically blessed, steroid breathing would work better on you. Like the substance it was named after, it was an enhancement to your body.

    So the stronger your body, the stronger the enhancement.

    Now imagine the enhancement on someone as special as Mitsuri who had pink muscles that were also 8 times denser than regr humans.

    That would be a female version of Gyomei.

    And so, I started cooking up a monster in the form of a cute waifu. The result of my effort would not be visible so soon but it was the beginning.

    Also, I could rest easy knowing that Steroid Breathing would live on.

    ....

    We spent the entire day training together. Mitsuri was not acting spoiled or anything with me, instead she was quite the opposite.

    She was trying her hardest, she put more effort into training with me than she had ever done while she was training with Rengoku - he told me. She did not want to disappoint me so she tried her very best.

    That meant progress was quick.

    I could see her lungs with my eyes and I could guide her in detail to learn the breathing pattern. When she faced problems or had trouble learning, I would help her by pushing at her chest and forcing the air out of her lungs in the correct pattern.

    That was a great help to her as she could feel what the correct way was - she only had to imitate.

    She learned Steroid Breathing in no time. Now if she just learned constant breathing, it would greatly aid her in her training and recovery.

    Hopefully, she doesn''t grow a beard or something.

    I would only be able to coach her for a day so I wrote manuals that she could follow and gifted them to her. At the end of our training, it was already dark and we went inside the house, cleaned ourselves and quickly went to bed.

    I slept with Mitsuri, much to her giddy joy and embarrassment. I did nothing lewd to her or anything even though she would offer not an ounce of resistance if I pushed myself on her.

    I didn''t know why or how I did that either.

    I guess when you were certain that something was yours, you did not immediately devour it. Instead, you cherish it because you are certain that no one will take it away from you.

    But I remember just holding her tightly in my arms and I had one of the best sleep I''d ever had.

    I woke up early the next morning before the sun had even risen. Rengoku had also already woken up but Mitsuri was still sleeping peacefully.

    I silently got all of my gear and clothes together and with a final kiss on the sleeping Mitsuri, I decided to leave. My next destination was the swordsmith vige where I would fix my sword.

    "You''re leaving? Don''t you think you should say goodbye to her?" Rengoku asked when I was about to open the door.

    "No, she''s better off sleeping," besides, she said she hated goodbyes because it gave her the feeling that we wouldn''t see each other again.

    "Where are you headed to? Another mission?"

    "I will go to the swordsmith vige to get my sword fixed," I said and pulled out my chipped sword for him to see. His face immediately turned into shock.

    I internally cringed as well when I saw the wed state of my sword. I always kept it in a pristine and perfect condition, just like myself and my clothes.

    Perfect movement also allowed me to make sure I never chipped my sword or damaged it so this was a shocking sight indeed.

    "What happened?" he asked.

    "It''s from the other night when I ran into that demon," I answered, looking away from the ugly sword.

    "....."

    "You look like you have something to say," I said when I saw the look on his face. I was great at reading people so I knew.

    ".. It''s just, my friend," Rengoku started, his vibrant yellow eyes - like raging fire - locked on mine with concern.

    "Please take care of yourself. And make sure no matter what you feel, never let your emotions change you," he said.

    "I will keep that in mind,"

    "Don''t be like my father," he said and that finally pierced his words to my heart.

    His father was a man who was controlled and changed by the deep sorrow and sadness he had inside. He became hateful, he became a victim of his trauma and emotions.

    I took another look at my sword - a by-product of my hate for that old demon. My rage and hatred had made me do things that I would never do otherwise.

    "..."

    "Thank you," I shed a smile at Rengoku. "You are a great friend,"

    "Hahahaha!!" heughed, but making sure it was not too loud. "I try to be,"

    He seemed proud that I appreciated his advice, unlike his father who would throw hands for it. Of course, seeing that, he had to add more.

    "Keep your heart aze Seiji, be warm to your friends and burn your enemies. And make sure you don''t burn yourself,"

    "Ya ya ya, too much and it''s corny. You can keep your ancestors'' motto to yourself," I said, slid open the door and left. It was not the first time that he said those phrases, those were written in the me Breathing manual.

    I could imagine himughing behind me as I left with a new light in my eyes.

    Heh, I still had a lot to learn huh?

    The journey was just starting.

    ..

    ..

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    [Seiji''s POV]

    I reached the swordsmith vige in under a day. The terrain was rough and since it was meant to be in a hidden location, there were many secret routes that I had to tread but I was able to reach the swordsmith vige with zero trouble.

    I did not waste time and gave my sword to Hanzo who was absolutely shocked when he saw the state it was in. But since it was my first time and I had a good record of maintaining my sword, he did not scold me.

    Instead, he gave me my old Odachi and said to wait a few days for my sword to be repaired. It was the sword of a Hashira which was made with the best of the best quality, so even repairing it would take some time.

    "I''m sorry for the inconvenience," I said with a bow.

    "Don''t worry about it, these things happen. But make sure you be careful next time," he said and immediately went to his workshop to fix my sword.

    Having aplished my task, I left the swordsmith vige. Although I regret not enjoying the hot springs, I had no time to waste anymore.

    With Raven sitting on top of my head, I immediately started getting assignments. I travelled towards the east and cleared any mission that popped up in that direction.

    In just two nights, I was able to y a total of eight demons andplete five assignments. I was not called the most efficient Hashira for nothing.

    My eyes which underwent an upgrade while I was tracking the old demon were now even more effective inpleting missions. A single nce around the forest and I could easily track any demon.

    But on the third day, I slept in the morning and when noon arrived, I continued my travel. I was in the territory of the Water Hashira and just like I hoped, I ran into Giyu while he was on patrol.

    A day patrol mostly consisted of the Hashira checking the surroundings to see if there were any traces of a demon left the previous night.

    I met with Giyu and we decided to go to a restaurant nearby to have lunch. We ordered miso ramen and enjoyed the meal together.

    "I heard that you killed a lower moon again. Thank you for your work," Giyu said before slurping on his noodles.

    By the way, it was good manners to slurp the noodles loudly in Japan because it told the chef that you were enjoying them.

    I could not hear it but I imagined this to be an annoying tradition for most people.

    "It was my pleasure to ughter them, " I admitted with a shrug while enjoying the soup, "What about you? I heard that you took a new Tsuguko again,"

    One difference my existence made was that Giyu was nowfortable in his identity as a Hashira. So he had taken quite a number of Tsukugo even though he had taken none in the anime.

    Giyu gave me a nod.

    "How long?" I asked with knowing eyes.

    "He spent two months with me before he created his own breathing style and left," Giyu said, trying to remain stoic but I could see that he was depressed.

    He had been taking many Tsuguko and tried to train them to be his sessor but they all left one way or another. Most of them just created their own breathing style instead of mastering Water Breathing.

    That was the problem with Water Breathing. It was so versatile that many ended up creating a different variation. Most of the unique breathing styles were derived from water breathing like, flower breathing, insect breathing, oil breathing, ice breathing etc.

    "I was hopeful this time because the candidate was very talented. But in the end, he branched out from the Water Breathing line," Giyu said.

    "Really? What was his name?"

    "Obanai Iguro. He created the Serpent breathing,"

    I paused for a second before swallowing my soup loudly, "Obanai? Like the kid with two eye colours?"

    "Yes, and don''t call him a kid Seiji, he is older than you," he replied.

    "How did you know him anyway?" he asked.

    "Met him in one of my missions," I said and he nodded, epting my answer.

    That was an interesting piece of news. I never thought that Obanai would be a Tsuguko of Giyu at any point in his life.

    I remember in the anime that they had some beef.

    "Wait, did you two even get along?" I asked and Giyu was hesitant to answer at first before he said.

    "I got along with him,"

    Iughed, that was such a sad sentence, Why would nobody be friends with my good boy Giyu? He was so nice!!

    Well, maybe his facial expression needed some work. He was too aloof, no one other than me could read him at all.

    "So, what rank is he in now?"

    "Tsuchinoe," Giyu answered.

    Interesting, he should need at least one more year before bing Hashira. But I couldn''t wait to meet him, hopefully, he didn''t crush on Mitsuri as he did in canon, lest I crush him.

    We enjoyed the rest of our lunch before we separated again. A friend we may be but we had our own duties and responsibility.

    The next day, my sword was finally finished and Hanzo came to deliver it to me.

    And so the life of the Steroid Hashira continued.

    Two months passed

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Don''t forget to give me stones. I got a whole cold so this week updates are uncertain but I''ll try my best.

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn. We got Seiji video edits and shits now so check it out.</i></strong>

 Chapter 75: Scumbags

    <h4>Chapter 75: Scumbags</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (2 monthster)

    "That looks good on you,"

    Hello, I am a scumbag. You can beat me anytime if you are capable and make sure to tell your daughters to stay away from me.

    "Does it? I was not sure dark blue would suit me." Kanae said with a small smile that looked more genuine than wider smiles.

    Her dark hair fell gracefully from her head, they reflected the silver light of the moon. They had a curly nature, unique in thier own right and luscious.

    She wore a dark blue Yukata that perfectly entuated her curves, revealing her wless shape. Yet she did not look slutty, she looked divine, like no man was deserving of her.

    The scent of flowers would hit my nose whenever the breeze came. It was not any perfume, it was just her natural scent. She was so pristine and her beauty almost seemed fantastical.

    As a person who perceived much of the world with sight alone, I could only stare at her like a fool. She had the beauty of a thousand sunsets.

    She twirled around to give me a good look, she basked under my eyes. She was a flower and my gaze was water, she grew more confident and beautiful the longer she got my attention.

    "I was right, you look stunning," I said again.

    In the two months that have passed, Kanae continued to pursue me. I knew what she doing, and I knew what she wanted, but I didn''t stop her. I allowed her to work her magic on me and now I was enchanted.

    I continued ying the dense protagonist because I didn''t want to lose that feeling. The feeling of being loved and needed.

    And now, we were on a date. Well, none of us had acknowledged that it was a date or courtship but we were going to a festival together. There was no other way to describe what was happening between us.

    "You look handsome too," she said, returning mypliment and I looked at the reflection in her eyes and saw what she was seeing.

    A man with purple hair that covered his ears. He looked more mature than his age due to rigorous training and the hardship he had been through.

    A handsome face framed two remarkable purple eyes that looked godly. He stood at the height of six feet and he wore a purple Yukata with flower patterns.

    That was me.

    ...

    Only me.

    That was the only thing her eyes saw, they did not reflect anything else.

    "Let''s go, we want to reach the festival before it gets too crowded,"

    It was early August and we were celebrating the Summer Festivals. We gave the excuse that we were on a joint mission to guard the people at the festival so we had nothing to distract us at the moment.

    It was just me and her.

    Kanae grabbed my hand with her soft hands. It was strange for a swordman to have such soft hands but I didn''t question it.

    I let her drag me to where she wanted. I let her do as she pleased like I had been letting her do these past two months.

    We went to the town which was decorated with many lights andnterns. The ce was full of life as the residents and many others from neighbouring viges hade to celebrate the Summer Festivals.

    Some came to set up food stalls and games while others just came to enjoy the festivals. Familiesughed and yed games while couples walked around hand in hand.

    We were amongst the couples.

    We enjoyed the evening as much as we could. The festival was already beautiful and memorable but what made it even more precious was that we had each other to share the moment.

    I was able to fulfil my duty as a man and bought anything Kanae could ever want. I bought her apple candies and we tried many of the foods that were on the food stall.

    We also yed the games there.

    "How are you so good at this?" Kanae asked me with a giggle when she saw me scooping out four goldfish in a row with the paper spoon.

    It was the result of Water Breathing and perfect movement.

    But I said, "It''s because you are watching me and I have to impress you,"

    Sheughed. It made me happy that I could make herugh. Seeing herugh made me feel better than if I were the oneughing.

    "That makes no sense," she said to herself.

    I could read everything that came out of her lips and even the words that only reached her throat. Because since the beginning, I had never truly looked away from her. My eyes were addicted to her.

    "You have no idea what a man can do to impress a beautiful woman," I said, "And I''m with the most beautiful woman,"

    She smiled with red on her cheeks.

    Did you think that was corny? Well, I''d probably think that too but here''s a secret, there was nothing corny in love.

    Whatever you said, even if it was the most recycled flirting sentence on the inte would sound like the most romantic thing ever.

    Because a woman in love makes everything perfect. Even if you said the corniest shit ever, her mind would perceive that on the same level as Shakespeare''s masterpiece.

    People often misunderstood and called love blind but it was not. Instead, it just made everything seem perfect. It fixed all ws.

    It did not matter to her the words I said. It was me who said it and she loved me. And that just made her love every word I said.

    "Do you want to try it?" I asked and she said yes.

    She took a new paper spoon and tried to catch but she failed miserably. She tried many more times but she failed each time. In the end, I had to hold her hand and guide her so that she could catch some for herself as well.

    I didn''t know if she was pretending to be bad for this specific situation but I didn''t think about it. I let her guide me in every situation.

    We caught fourteen fish, leaving the stall owner depressed. She said they would be perfect to live in the pond of the flower mansion.

    As we left, I tossed some money to the owner topensate for his loss. He seemed to appreciate that.

    We moved from stall to stall, the night was all ours and we spent it together.

    "Do you want to buy the masks?" she asked.

    And hide your pretty face? "No," I replied.

    Atst, when midnight came we went to the top of a hill. The main event of the Summer Festival was always the fireworks and we decided to pick a quiet and peaceful ce to enjoy it.

    We were in high elevation and the colourful town could be seen below. When midnight struck, the first and most powerful firework took to the sky and exploded in a mesmerizing burst of colour.

    Then the rest of the fireworks followed.

    On that night, even the moon and the stars did not have the spotlight as the bright fireworks overshadowed them with their bright explosion and beauty. But still, it was the woman sitting next to me that made my heart skip a beat.

    Kanae put her hand on top of mine and we enjoyed the moment until the end.

    When thest firework died in the sky, Kanae turned towards me. Her face was tense and her palm felt a little sweaty on mine.

    The time hase.

    I knew she would not invite me to the festival just to go on a date. The n in her mind was always to confess to me by the end of the festival.

    Sadly, it would also be the end for us.

    Because when she directly confessed to me, I would no longer be able to y the dense protagonist. I would have to confront her feelings and give my answer.

    My rejection.

    ...

    I told you right, I was a scumbag.

    I acted dumb for as long as I could because I wanted to enjoy her love longer without having toplicate things.

    I was taking advantage of her. I was giving her false hope. It would''ve been better to just reject her feelings from the start.

    But I let her try her best only to reject her in the end.

    "Seiji..." she began and my eyes released a glow due to nervousness. I slowed down my perception as much as I could to dy the inevitable.

    Because I really really like her too. I have known her for three years now and she is one of the most important people in my life.

    But her love came toote. Maybe if she loved me before I met Mitsuri, I would dly fall for her. I would love her with all my heart.

    That was not possible now. It was all toote for that.

    The idea of having a harem constantly gued my mind during these two months but I threw away the idea. These girls were special, they deserved to be loved wholeheartedly by someone.

    They deserve a man who would love them with all his heart. A man who would only love them.

    They didn''t deserve to be one of two.

    They did not deserve half a heart, half the love.

    Neither Mitsuri nor Kanae.

    "Seiji, I- I- " she hesitated for a long time.

    ...

    ...

    In the end, she just gave up, she stopped. A tear fell down her eyes and she smiled. I just stared at beauty in pain, a sunset hidden by clouds.

    "I think it''s time to leave now," she said instead.

    She knew it. She felt it.

    The rejection that she was going to get. Maybe it was my eyes or something about my body which was trembling in nervousness. But she knew I was going to reject her so she didn''t''t confess.

    She stood up first and offered her hand. I stared at her in wonder before I reached for her hand.

    She pulled me up but she put too much strength. I stumbled forward and her face was buried on my chest. She closed her eyes and took in my scent.

    It was then that a single firework exploded in the sky again. It was the brightest firework of the night. I turned my head to look and that was when she said it.

    "I love you,"

    She didn''t mean for me to see it. But I did.

    Because like I said, my eyes had never left her. I saw what she said in the furthest corner of my vision.

    Why? The question rang in my mind.

    She hugged my arm and buried it between her boobs. It was an act she realised I liked very much during the past two months.

    Yet I couldn''t even enjoy the sensation. She leaned her head on my shoulder and acted like nothing had ever happened. She returned right back to a girl trying to win a man''s heart.

    Why Kanae...

    Why did you allow me to y dumb again? Because I am not going to admit I saw that.

    Why are you so stubborn? You know now that I would reject you in the end.

    Why do you keep loving me? It''s starting to hurt me too.

    Why are you making this difficult for both of us?

    ..

    ..

    A scumbag.

    Kanae was a scumbag too, just like me.

    She knew she was hurting her sister, she knew that I was in an engagement. She knew that she was making it difficult for me too.

    But she wanted to keep on loving me, just like I wanted her to keep on being loved.

    I guess we were both.

    Scumbags.

    .

    .

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : This Chapter has a little more drama than usual. Teenagers in love always lead to drama, Seiji is 16 and Kanae is 18 and neither has experience.

    But don''t worry, I know what I''m doing with the romance and harem. I won''t mess up, 87% sure.

    500 stones for extra Chapter. Don''t forget to vote

 Chapter 76: Canon start

    <h4>Chapter 76: Canon start</h4>

    Author : I just wanted to mention that the timelines are a little different. Even though I tried to follow cannon as much as possible, I had to make some changes.

    For example, Mitsuri should have justpleted her final selection in the canon timeline but in this one, she is still just training.

    And obviously Kanae is still alive.

    /////////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    In the end, she couldn''t go through with it.

    After all that effort, a single ce at him evaporated all the courage she had built up for months.

    He was preparing a rejection, she realized halfway into her confession. She hated that he was a nk sheet and any emotion that was strong enough to surface on his face was so obvious to read.

    And what did she do?

    She never confessed. You could not reject someone when they didn''t even confess.

    But why would she do that? Why would she continue pursuing a heart that was ready to reject her? That was a foolish decision, she was smarter than that.

    Well....she didn''t know either. Just ask her heart why it loved him. She was just a victim of her heart like many girls were.

    During the past two months, she came to learn about his engagement in a little more detail. You wouldn''t be able to imagine how heavy her heart was when she learned that not only did Seiji like this fiance, but he was more than okay with the engagement.

    Maybe she should''ve given up then. Instead of acting like a bitch that tried to seduce an engaged man, instead of trying to steal a heart that was already owned.

    But a voice in her heart said, ''A little more.''

    ''A little more effort.''

    ''A little more time.''

    ''A little more love.''

    After a little more, she would finally confess her feelings even if her reward would be rejection. Then she would let the world move on. Personally, she might never move on but at least she would let him go then.

    She knew the danger her job presented, people die all the time while doing missions. So if she were ever to face such an end, she wanted to go out without regret.

    And she wanted to squeeze everything out of her life.

    "Heh~ I thought they would die but look who is alive and swimming," Seiji said while crouching beside the pond of the Flower Mansion. He was looking at the goldfish they had caughtst night like a small excited child.

    Kanae looked at the goldfish swimming around in their new home with sad eyes.

    ''A little more.'' a voice in her heart sounded again.

    ''I want a little more of his scent.''

    ''I want a little more of his touch,''

    ''I want a little more of his love.''

    For a woman who spent all her life helping people and giving without asking for anything in return, it was okay if she was a little greedy this time right?

    She couldn''t have the whole thing but...

    Please.

    Just a little more.

    "Whaaaaa!!" *Ssh!!*

    Seiji fell into the small pond because he was trying to follow a certain goldfish swimming in the pond.

    ...

    Actually, the strongest Hashira would never slip like that and make a mistake. But Kanae realized that she must''ve looked sad while she was deep in thought.

    He was doing that silly thing to cheer her up and distract her from the sorrow of her own thoughts.

    Honestly, he was so obvious when you knew him well. That was one of her favourite things about him. He was so obvious even though he believed that he was clever.

    His eyes never missed anything, but the eyes of a woman in love didn''t either.

    To reward his effort, she allowed herself to release a peal of giggles. She was not actuallyughing at his wet self but at his cute attempt to cheer her.

    And he just sat there, half his body submerged and stared at her smile.

    ''A little more Seiji.''

    ''Let''s y dumb for a little more.''

    ..

    ..

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    [Seiji''s POV]

    (A week after the festival date)

    Enough of this sad and K-drama bullshit!! Look at this cool shit instead!!

    "Storm Breathing : Second Form,"

    Could you imagine, how fucked the demon in front of me was? He was probably as weak as Tanjiro''s first demon whom he killed with an axe too.

    Talk about going overboard.

    But I had absolutely zero remorse for the battle looking ahh demon. I was racist like that.

    It was his karma that he met Seiji ''The Steroid Hashira - professional hater - racist - too deaf to hear you beg'' Shigan.

    There was absolutely no sound while I dashed past the demon. Only when the technique was done and I had obliterated my opponent did sound gather up the courage to scream.

    *BOOOOM!!!!*

    "Lightning Wave," I said out loud while standing still in my ce due to fatigue.

    I admit it was a little goofy that I became a statue whenever I used Storm Breathing but I was spamming it exactly for that reason. After using it enough, my body would grow stronger and adapt to my strength.

    There was no one to disturb me because I made sure there were no threats before pulling off this move. After a few seconds, my body came out of its locked state and I breathed a sigh of relief.

    Then raven flew down from the tree andnded on my head.

    "Thank you for looking out for me," I said with a smile. She was in charge of protecting me while I was in my vulnerable state after using Storm breathing.

    How would she protect me you ask?

    "Well, her job is to fly in front of the enemy and present herself as a quick snack before they attack me-OW!" Raven pecked me on my head and it hurt like you wouldn''t believe.

    "Alright, I was joking," I said, "You are the main course meal before they attack - ow ow ow OW!!"

    And she bestows my joke with multiple pecks on the head. I swear a lower demon could die from this thing.

    Just then, a Kasugai crow appeared overhead and delivered a message. That put a stop to my punishment of dao pecks so I sighed in relief.

    "Seiji Shigan!! Seiji Shigan!! You are called for an emergency Hashira meeting!! You are called for an emergency Hashira meeting!!"

    Well, that didn''t sound good at all.

    It had only been a few days since west had the Hashira meeting. But now an emergency meeting was called. I hope nothing bad has happened and it was only just about to happen.

    Because I would rather take an iing disaster than a disaster that already struck.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////

    When I reached the Demon yer Corp headquarters, everyone had already gathered. I was the furthest away and also thest one to be informed because of my speed.

    I was pleasantly surprised when I reached the meeting ground though. There was someone extra today, someone who was not a Hashira yet.

    "Rengoku?" the name spilled out of my mouth and everyone turned to look at me.

    "Ah, Seiji," Ubuyashiki gave me a gentle smile, "You''re finally here, we''ve been waiting for you,"

    I went to my fellow Hashira and stood beside them. Rengoku was on his knee a few meters away from us. I posed a question.

    "What''s going on?"

    "We will get to that in a minute my boy," Ubuyashiki replied, "With the pir of pirs here, let us finally start the emergency Hashira meeting,"

    After that, a pregnant silence fell over the headquarters.

    "We have discovered many bombs nted in Tokyo and it is also highly possible that one of the twelve Kizuki is in the city,"

    Oh, that sounded bad.

    Wait, this feels familiar.

    I racked my brain for a few seconds before the answer finally came to mind. My suspicion was correct, I have read this before.

    It was the start of Rengoku''s manga.

    I smiled, I guess it was finally time for my friend to cross the threshold and be a Hashira.

    ..

    [IMAGE : JONTY is having trouble irl and won''t be on the inte for a while. But he asked everyone to continue posting image in his stead. Let us not forget the legend of this book]

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    <strong>Perfect time to join the pstreon. I am going to do mass release tomorrow and Seiji vs Doma is in full force!!! </strong>

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricron</strong>

 Chapter 77: Be Careful

    <h4>Chapter 77: Be Careful</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The sun was sailing towards the middle of the sky, it waste in the morning. Under the heat of the sun, a gentle breeze would frequently blow at us, giving us respite.

    The smell of flowers lingered in the wind, summer was when most flowers bloomed.

    The headquarters was also full of greens and flowers that gave the scene a natural beauty. All the Hashiras stood in front of the house while Ubuyashiki sat on the veranda and informed us of the main reason why we had gathered.

    To summarize, there was a high possibility that one of the twelve Kizuki was in Tokyo and from the nted bombs people had discovered (the police actually), it seemed the demon was nning something devious.

    Like they always did, that''s why I would drive them to extinction.

    Anyways, he also told us that Rengoku was stepping up in ce of his father Shinjuro. The me Pir would rarely attend Hashira meetings or take missions, and his behaviour was no longer eptable.

    Which was why Rengoku had stepped up in his father''s ce.

    Ubuyashiki dered that Shinjuro was finally removed from the Pirs. Shinjuro had retired, or more like he was fired.

    And the seat of the me Hashria was open for the taking.

    Unlike what happened in the manga, Sanemi did not start a fight with Rengoku because they had met before through me. And even if they hadn''t met before, Sanemi would not bully him knowing that Rengoku was my friend.

    We followed everything Ubuyashilki was saying until he said.

    "Which is why I decided to give the mission to Rengoku. It will be a chance for him to prove whether he is worthy of bing a Hashira,"

    That left every Hashira speechless, except me of course.

    They were wondering if their Master had gone crazy. The mission of ying one of the twelve kizuki was hard enough but it was said that he nted bombs all around Tokyo and was nning something.

    The mission involved many risks and put the lives of the civilians at risk. These types of missions would only be handed to the top Hashiras like Gyomei, me or Tengen.

    But Ubuyashiki wanted to give the mission to Rengoku. Someone who was not even a Hashira. It was insanity!!

    "What!! But master, what if he is incapable ofpleting the mission!!" Sanemi yelled out everyone''s thoughts.

    "I understand your concern Sanemi, and if he failed, it would be a great misjudgement on my part," Ubuyashiki said, shutting down all other arguments by taking the responsibility.

    No one (except me) trusted Rengoku toplete the mission, but they trusted Ubuyashiki with all their heart.

    "So you believe that he is already at the level of a Hashira? Or is it an intuition master?" Gyomei asked seriously.

    "Indeed, Rengoku is already at the level of a Hashira. This will merely be a confirmation," he answered with a soft nod.

    "Then I trust your decision,"

    Meanwhile, Rengoku was looking at Ubuyashiki like an idol. I could almost read his mind. It would go something like, ''Oh my god, he trusts me with all his heart even when everyone is doubting me. I can''t fail him!!''

    Then that would add to his shounen protagonist aura and his plot armour would thicken.

    "Besides, I can''t have anyone leave their patrolling territory. Tokyo had always been under the protection of the me Hashira so Rengoku will be fulfilling his duty," Ubuyashiki said.

    "I swear I will not fail you Lord Ubuyashiki!!" Rengoku said and bowed gratefully.

    That dictated the end of the meeting and everyone dispersed with varying degrees of emotions about the whole thing.

    I, however, remained in my ce and after everyone left, I went near Ubuyashiki.

    "Do you have anything to ask, Seiji?"

    "I was just wondering what made you so confident that Rengoku can pull this off," I said. I was honestly trying to verify if he really had the ability of foresight or not.

    My eyes could see the truth of the world. And I knew that when he said that it would be fine if Rengoku took the mission, there was no hint of doubt in his mind. He truly believed that.

    Someone could say the sun will rise tomorrow and even that would be less confident.

    Ubuyashiki was either absolutely insane or he was hiding something big.

    "Oh, and you want to know why?" he asked and I nodded.

    "You should know the answer to that right?" he said again and I froze.

    Yes, I knew that Rengoiku would pull this off too. But I knew it because I read the manga in my past life.

    My eyes widen, ''Don''t tell me that all this time, he is also a...''

    "You are going to be there after all" he said and that put my crazy mind at a standstill.

    "Ah," I opened my mouth but no words came out.

    Indeed, I was going to be there in Tokyo because no matter how clearly I remembered the manga, there was a chance that Rengoku could die due to the butterfly effect.

    So I would definitely be there to make sure he was safe.

    And most importantly...

    I had to make sure that Mitsuri was safe because she was going to fight there too and finally invent the love breathing.

    "That''s how I know that everything will be fine," he said.

    I see, so he was not a reincarnation but he was just extremely smart. It would be an insane plot twist though, if he was also a reincarnator. A plot twist many people would not appreciate I''m sure.

    "I see. Thank you," I said, and I finally left the headquarters.

    After I left thepound, I ran behind Rengoku to wish him luck on his mission. I was not good at giving motivational speeches but I said I believed in him.

    At least, that should add to the length of his shback - that every Shounen protagonist had - making him a little stronger.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ////////////////////////

    (One dayter)

    I stood atop the highest building in Tokyo which was a tower. I looked down at the city and my purple eyes released a smoky glow as I scanned the entire visible part of the city.

    "And that makes it seveny four," I said and finally stopped focusing on my eyes too much, it was quite taxing.

    There were 74 bombs nted all around Tokyo and I had located them all in just a few minutes. I was the most efficient Demon yer for a reason. Whatever tricks the demons had, I could see through them all.

    My gaze travelled to the centre of the city where Rengoku was, surrounded by a couple dozen other demon yers whom he was leading. One of them was my cute and bubbly Mitsuri.

    From the looks of it, they were discussing their n.

    "Okay, I''ll have you move in groups of two, as nned. If you find the demon, call me by crow and prioritize evacuation and the safety of the citizens!" I read Rengoku''s lips from afar, and then I stopped.

    I turned my head to the left and looked at the building a few hundred feet away from them. On top of the roof was a demon-wearing western styled sleek ck jacket and pants with a sailor captain hat.

    He was holding a rifle, aiming carefully at Rengoku and his team. My eyes glowed purple as I tracked the direction his rifle was aiming at.

    "...."

    He was aiming right at Mitsuri.

    I was nning on not interfering and letting Rengoku and the rest have their moment to shine and grow but not at the risk of their safety. It seemed I had to do something.

    <i>"Thunder Wind Breathing,"</i>

    The fastest breathing styles in the worldbined to create something even faster. I easily travelled faster than the speed of sound for a moment so there was no sound that foretold my approach.

    The demon aimed his rifle carefully for a few more seconds before he pulled the trigger.

    But I had timed my appearance perfectly so when he took the shot, I put my feet on the rifle and pushed it away slightly. The literal centimetre disruption at the aim caused the bullet to miss Mitsuri.

    <strong><i>*Shoot!!*</i></strong>

    The demon was startled.

    "!!!!!"

    But he did not make a move. It knew instinctively that I could end him on my whims. Nothing he did would matter.

    "Be careful, you nearly hit someone important," I said and he trembled slightly.

    My feet remained on his rifle but he made no attempt to move it away. I stared at him for a long time, debating on what I should do next.

    "You are lucky that you have use." I told him, "You can have your revenge but never aim at the girl again,"

    Then my body turned into an afterimage and I quickly left. Just then, Rengoku had reached the location of the demon and a fight broke out between the lower moon and him.

    ..

    Oh, this will be fun.

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Double Update.

    I suggest reading the Rengoku manga. It is literally only two Chapters.

 Chapter 78: Contagious main character aura

    <h4>Chapter 78: Contagious main character aura</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    Hairo, the new lower moon demon ranked two.

    A long time ago, when he had just be a demon, he was unfortunate enough to encounter the me Pir Shinjuro Rengoku in one of his drunk patrol.

    On that night, he was stripped of his pride and honour. The me Hashira not only cut him down with ease even in his intoxicated state but he humiliated him.

    "You, pathetic creature," the voice of the drunk man still echoed in his mind.

    That night, the me Hashira cut apart his body and spirit. His physical body healed because of his demonic nature but his spirit never did.

    So for years, he had been umting strength, waiting for the day he would enact his revenge.

    And now it was time.

    Hairo aimed his rifle at the man who traumatized him that day, or at least that''s what he thought. In actuality, he mistook Rengoku Kyojiro to be Shinjuro, thinking the son was the father.

    But even if he knew, it wouldn''t matter. The demon was out for blood.

    "But killing him now would be too easy. I want to see him suffer," Hairo said and changed his aim to the pink haired girl beside him.

    From both Rengoku and Mitsuir''s bright and unique hair, he assumed that they must be close. So he decides to kill her first.

    Grave mistake.

    Because the moment he pulled the trigger, something appeared beside him. It came without sound, without warning.

    *Shoot!!*

    He missed.

    ...

    Hairo didn''t move a single inch after that. He couldn''t, and even if he could, he wouldn''t dare.

    Purple eyes looked down at him, and the intensity of those eyes dwarfed every bit of hatred the demon had inside him.

    It was like a fire being swallowed by a bigger fire. The hatred those eyes had for him easily swallowed the hatred Hairo had for the me Hashira.

    The killing intent and dangering from those eyes were so great that he had already imagined himself dying a thousand times over.

    No, those eyes killed him a thousand times. There was no action but the thing had already seen through every weakness of his existence and found infinite ways to exploit them.

    "Be careful, you nearly hit someone important," It talked.

    No.

    He talked.

    It was a man.

    But even with the new information he got, Hairo dared not even take a single breath. Those purple eyes reminded him of the demon he met when he was made the second rank of the lower moon.

    The first rank of the upper moon.

    Those eyes gave off the same feeling. The way they seemed to pierce his very soul, the way they seemed to pick out each w in his existence and judged him like a God.

    The human beside him was eerily simr to that demon.

    "You are lucky that you have use," the man said, "You can have your revenge but never aim at the girl again,"

    The killing intent subsided and Hairo finally had the courage to look. But when he did, his left eye started trembling before endless tear streamed down.

    ''Huh?'' he was confused. It was not him.

    The eye cried on its own, the left eye that bore the mark of the lower moon 2. A hazy memory shed in his mind, the memory of a purple swordsman standing above him while he cried for mercy on deaf ears.

    ....

    That was not him.

    It was the memory of the previous lower moon 2. The man in front of him was the same Demon yer that killed the previous Lower Moon 2, Onryoku.

    His left eye continued crying until the tears turned to blood. But by then, the man was already gone. He immediately felt a heavy weight lifted off his shoulder.

    But he could not put down his guard because the fight was just beginning.

    <i>"me Breathing : FIrst Form,"</i>

    Rengoku who located the demon by tracing the direction of the bullet finally reached him. His mouth sucked in the air around as his de burned like fire.

    <strong>"Unkowing Fire!!"</strong>

    Hairo shifted his focus to Rengoku. He would have this revenge for now. But he would also remember this night like he remembered the night he met Shinjuro.

    He will have his revenge against those purple eyes someday too.

    "Pathetic!!" Hario screamed and lunged at Rengoku with his guns and bombs.

    ..

    ..

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Making sure that no civilians were near the bombs? Check.

    Making sure I had a good view of the demon so I could kill him anytime? Check.

    Seeing that there was no threat around Mitsuri? Check.

    Making sure Rengoku could handle the situation? Also Check.

    Now its time to bring out the popcorn and enjoy the show. It was one thing to see the characters butpletely another to witness the story unfolding in real life.

    The attack on Tokyo was dumb if you really thought about it. It was nned and done by a demon with mental issues who was blinded by anger and had an unhealthy thirst for revenge. So it was far from perfect.

    For example, the fact that the demon was acting alone was incredibly stupid. Lower Moon usually had underlings working for them but this one worked alone.

    It might have to do with the fact that his blood demon art was Umbrakinesis and he could create shadow wolves using that. The shadow wolves were the only thing that posed a threat to the people because the demon himself was upied with Rengoku.

    I watched the fight between Rengoku and Hairo from afar but close enough to act right away. Things were quite different from how it went in the manga.

    In this fight, Rengoku was overpowering the lower moon with ease. Rengoku was a lot stronger than his canon counterpart due to my existence. Having me as a friend had given him motivation the original Rengoku never had.

    I also helped him get stronger by pointing out the ws in his techniques with my eyes whenever we trained together. Those simple things went a mile in refining his techniques as well.

    "What''s going ON!! How are you doing this!! A swordsman can''t beat a gun!!" I saw Hairo scream while Rengoku pursued him like a possessed man.

    "You will harm no one, no more," Rengoku dered.

    Then the demon released multiple hand grenades from his shadow. That caused a giant explosion that not only knocked away Rengoku but blew up the demon himself.

    The demon quickly regenerated but Rengoku was faster to get up on his feet.

    <i>"me Breathing : Esoteric Art," </i>

    My eyes saw a burst of fighting spirit erupt from Rengoku like an active volcano. The fire spread all around and shimmered in an intense glow.

    Then he burst forward with unstoppable momentum, the ground quaked with each step. My eyes could see Rengoku turning into a raging fire dragon that came like a meteorite to the enemy.

    <strong>"Ninth Form : Purgatory!!"</strong>

    The lower moon never really stood a chance. He did not even have time to pull out his ultimate move like he did in the manga.

    My eyes glowed purple as I imprinted Rengoku''s Esoteric art in my mind. That would make a fine addition to my collection.

    You know, there''s a reason why me and Thanos were purple.

    A wide smile stretched my face while looking at that scene. No one, not even you, would be able to imagine the euphoric joy I felt at that moment.

    Why?

    Because my existence had indeed changed the course of fate. I did not even have to interfere directly, my influence and my action had caused a ripple effect that made Rengoku easily defeat Hairo, Lower Moon 2.

    And that would keep on repeating itself.

    Even when facing against Akazan or Muzan, we would not win due to a twist of luck. I would deny all the sacrifices that were made.

    I would give this story a happy ending.

    I was hopeful.

    And hope was the first step to sess.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : You guys are entitled to three Chapters but I want to use the opportunity to ask for stones.

    400 stones and I upload the next Chapter.

 Chapter 79: Love Breathing

    <h4>Chapter 79: Love Breathing</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (Mitsuri Kanroki)

    It''s been nearly three months since she started training to be a Demon yer.

    She was trained by Rengoku and Seiji with as much care and attention as possible. So her progress had been incredibly fast.

    In the canon story, it took her 6 months toplete the final selection but this time, she could''ve done it in three months.

    Seiji had even been thoughtful enough to take her out to hunt weak demons so she was not totally inexperienced in the regards to demon ying. But this was the first time she had witnessed such a scene.

    "HELP ME!!!!"

    "RUN!!! RUN!!!! EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE EXPLOSIONS!!!"

    "Go to the West side of the city!! Just leave everything behind!!"

    People screamed in terror. They pushed each other and ran to protect their own safety. In times of danger, people often showed their true nature and she learned today that most people were selfish.

    Her heart shrunk in her chest. It felt heavier, it felt denser,

    She turned her head towards the top of the building where she had just heard a massive explosion. Her superior body could instinctively sense the demon on top of that.

    The enemy was strong. She had not encountered few demons but this was the first time she saw a lower moon. So she was a little shaken.

    Demons are the predators of human beings. She was prey, so of course her heart was filled with fear. It was like a deer in the presence of a lion.

    "Mister Rengoku," She whispered, in concern.

    Rengoku was strong, but she feared that he would get hurt in the face of the inhumane creature. She tried to bury her concern at the deepest part of her heart and turned towards somece else.

    To the direction that was screaming for help.

    "I''ming!!" she yelled loudly before running towards the voice.

    When she reached there, she saw a mother and a child being surrounded by three shadow wolves. The first thing that came to her mind was saving them.

    And so she moved.

    <i>"me Breathing : Third Form,"</i> she said out loud because it helped her concentrate.

    <strong>"Balzing Universe!!"</strong> She yelled and dashed towards one of the shadow wolves before it could notice her.

    Her sword caught on a small yellowish fire and she delivered a vertical sh at the wolf but...

    "What?!"

    It did nothing. Her sword was stopped by the dark body of the shadow wolf, all the impact had been absorbed and the creature remained unharmed.

    That was not all, she could not pull away. Her sword was stuck - being sucked in by the shadow of the wolves like a ck hole.

    <strong><i>*Grrrrrr!!!*</i></strong>

    The wolf growled and shifted its focus on her. The other two shadow wolves on the other hand were still focused on the mother and child.

    "You are a dog but.." Mitsuri cried out, "You are not cute at all!!" And she used to think that all dogs were cute because they were Seiji''s favourite animal.

    ..

    She couldn''t do it after all.

    At the beginning of her training, she was hopeful that she would be able to cultivate her stregth as long as she put in effort.

    Her body was special and talented, it could absorb sword techniques like a sponge and her sharp instincts made her a scary opponent in battle, fighting was almost second nature. She also had enough strength and endurance to rival any of the top ranks in the Demon yer Corps.

    But there was one problem, a very vital problem.

    It had something to do with her greatest advantage which was her body. It was both a blessing and a curse.

    She said it before but she was incredibly strong since birth, but due to her special body, breathing styles did not work well with her.

    She had a problem learning Breathing Styles because her body was too special. Breathing Styles at the end of the day were made for a normal human body, not for someone like her whose body was eight times denser and only had pink muscles.

    Maybe Sun Breathing would''ve been good for her powerful body but normal breathing styles tailored for mortal men? It did not work well.

    They were created to help normal human being to achieve supernatural strength but she already had that, so you could see where the problem lies.

    It was almost limiting instead.

    The only breathing style that helped her was Steroid Breathing which Seiji had taught her. me Breathing, no matter how much she tried, was just not suitable for her.

    "NOOO!! DON''T TAKE MY SON!!" the mother cried while hugging her child. Mitsuri watched all this with wide eyes that was shaking with worry and helplessness.

    She had to do something. No.

    She had to save them.

    In her most desperate time, Seiji suddenly appeared in her mind. The conversation she had with him a month prior shed before her.

    //////////////

    "Maybe I am not suited to be a Demon yer after all," Mitsuri said in a defeated tone after failing to execute the first technique of me breathing for the hundredth time.

    Seiji only huffed and chuckled, "Yeah right." he said sarcastically.

    "You have only been training for a month, don''t give up too easily. Remember it took me almost seven years to be a Demon yer,"

    "But I don''t know what I''m doing wrong," Mitsuri whined, "I see myself making progress in every other aspect other than the most important one!!" which was breathing style.

    "Well.." he exined patiently, "You are unique Mitsuri, special even. Of course, the conventional style would not suit you."

    "Then what should I do?"

    "Other than trying a few more years?" Seiji said and she pouted. She wanted to fight alongside him as soon as possible. He told her that she would be his Tsugoku after she became a Demon yer. She couldn''t wait a year!!

    "When you learn how to fight the battles yourself, you will ovee all your problems," he said and she tilted her head in confusion. So he continued.

    "Don''t fight with the sword, don''t fight with your breathing style, fight with what you have been blessed with. Like I did," he said and got close to her.

    He whispered, "The thing is, we both are specialpared to other people. To fight with a sword, to fight with a breathing style are for the mundane,"

    Then he suddenly pulled back with a mischievous grin, "When you realize that, you will find out that you can trust your gift. You will learn that all these are just shackles and you will make your own path,"

    Mitsuri just sat there, not fullyprehending his words but remembering them nheless because she knew Seiji rarely spoke nonsense.

    ..

    /////////////

    Mitsuri closed her eyes, remembering his words. Then she threw away all of the techniques and the breathing styles she had learned until now.

    ''I want to help them!!'' she screamed in her mind.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    Her body moved to fulfil her desire, her powerful body, her blessing.

    What she could not cut using me breathing, she was easily able to destroy using the sheer strength of her body. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in front of the mother and child,

    "I was able to cut it." she said, awed with what she had achieved in the heat of the moment, "But why though?"

    She tired to remember how she was able to be so much stronger. Then she realized that her heart was beating rapidly in her chest before it happened.

    ''My heart,'' she grabbed her chest.

    ''And my body,'' she released a huge breath.

    ....

    "Stay back kid, big sister will drive these bad dogs away!!" she eximed and her heartbeat increased sharply.

    The wolves growled at her for a few seconds before lunging forward.

    ''Fight with yourself, not with the sword,'' she told herself. Then she exploded out with raw strength. Her body moved with great flexibility as she sliced through the wolves like cake.

    Her heart pounded in her chest.

    She stood up straight while the two wolves disintegrated after being cut. "Thank you Seiji," she mouthed with a smile.

    Her body, her gift. When her heart pounded in her chest, she was able to utilize her powerful body to its utmost potential. This was the blessing that was better than any sword.

    She did not need further enhancement or techniques to be powerful, she just needed to learn how to utilize her gift as best as she could, like how Seiji utilized his eyes.

    "Rapid heartbeats huh." she said to herself while wondering how she could increase her heartbeat even more.

    In a few seconds, she smiled because she found the answer.

    What was it that would get her heart racing like an engine every single time? The answer was Seiji. The thought of him made her heart pound rapidly in her chest.

    *Grrrrr!!!*

    More shadow wolves surrounded her but she just closed her eyes, put her hand on her heart and recalled the first time she met Seiji.

    She remembered how he caught her while she was dying her hair and most importantly, she recalled how he epted the engagement. Her heart felt like they were about to burst at that moment.

    He had changed her so much. Love had changed her so much.

    He taught her how to ept herself, his love for her showed her how to love herself. He had made her stronger, he made her happier.

    ...

    The shadow wolves lunghed at her from all direction.

    Her lips curved in a smile, <i>"Love Breathing : First Form,"</i>

    She fought with her heart. In the end, that was her greatest blessing, even more so then her strong body.

    Because it was with her heart that she was able to love him, it was her heart that he loved. That, was the most important thing in the world.

    More than anything else.

    <strong>"First Love,"</strong>

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : I''m not sure what I cooked here either. I follow the canon.

    I can''t wait for you guys to read the next Chapter. Patreon members should know why. ????

    <strong>Speaking of which, check out my Patreon. There are cool Seiji esits there for public, meaning it''s free. </strong>

    <strong>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</strong>

 Chapter 80: Upper Moon

    <h4>Chapter 80: Upper Moon</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The whole thing came to an end.

    It was easy and it was safe.

    It was a direct consequence of my existence.

    <strong><i>*Woosh!!*</i></strong>

    I immediately disappeared in a gust of wind after everything was over and each character had gone through their respective character development.

    My arms scooped up the surprised Mitsuri and held her tight. I twirled around while she tired to make sense of what just happened.

    "You did it!!!" I yelled andughed, simr to how Rengoku would often do.

    "WHaaa~!"

    I smushed her with love like the adorable creature she was - she always activated my cute aggression. I had seen everything that transpired today and I was filled with immense pride for her.

    After realizing it was me, Mitsuri did not question anything else andughed alongside me, my joy seemingly infecting her. How I was suddenly here, why I was so happy or anything else was not a priority in her mind, I was happy so she was happy. It couldn''t get simpler than that.

    "You did it!" I said with a smile.

    "I did? I did!!" she yelled, matching my energy,

    Finally, I stopped spinning around and put her down on the ground. The surrounding people looked at us oddly. After all, an attack just happened with multiple explosions going off everywhere yet here we were, like a happy couple.

    I couldn''t care less about them but I did scan the surroundings while I spun. There was still chaos and people were still panicked but they should calm down soon.

    "Good job Mitsuri, for finding your own path and saving everyone," Iplimented her. She smiled and melted under my approval.

    "It is your uniqueness that saved everyone. So next time, be proud for being different, not ashamed," I said and she nodded again, now with tears in her eyes.

    She came up and hugged me again for a second time, her face buried deeply in my chest. I smoothened the back of her hair and have a kiss on her head.

    "Thank you," she said and I could hear her through the vibrations on my chest.

    She would''ve found herself anyway even without my help, I knew that from the anime. So although I was d, I did not feel like I deserved the gratitude.

    We stayed like that for a long time while the city settled into calm. The firefighters and the police took care of the aftermath of the attack. My eye still remained vignt though, observing everything closely,

    I saw Rengokue up to me, and by the time he reached us, I had already noted down every injury he sustained better than any modern machinery would have done.

    Unlike in the manga, he did not pass out after the fight because it was not really a tough fight for him. He was already strong enough to take care of the lower moons without much difficulty or risk.

    "Good job ying that Demon," I said.

    "Hahahahahahaha!!! No demons can withstand the fire of righteousness!!" he said, "And you don''t have to worry about me! Other than bursting my eardrums, I suffered no fatal injuries!"

    "I can see that," I said. He seemed to be even louder than before, and he was attracting the eyes of every civilian in the vicinity, probably due to his damaged eardrums.

    "I guess you are finally one of us now," I said, "Hashira," I gave him a small bow of respect.

    His eyes turned wide for a moment before a happy realisation hit his face. He smiled widely and looked to the sky, taking in the moment of his victory.

    "I guess I am," he said and looked at me, "Comrade,"

    He had never called me arade since I became a Hashira. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw his lips move to produce that word. What else could I do except nod in acknowledgement?

    Mitusri pushed herself away from me but when she noticed that my shirt was wet from her tears, she panicked, saying she was sorry for ruining my clothes and tried to wipe them away.

    "Don''t worry about it," I said and stopped her.

    "Now that the fight is over, shall we all get food to celebrate our victory?" I said, "My treat!"

    "You read my thoughts Seiji!" Rengoku eximed while Misturi nodded with stars in her eyes and a watering mouth.

    "Wait! What about us!!" one of the Demon yers who fought under Rengoku asked. There were a few other swordsmen behind him too.

    "You all can join us," I said and they cheered.

    The rest of the evening was spent on a good note. Except it was hard as fuck to find a restaurant that opened after the attack had happened.

    ...

    ////////////////////

    (The Next Day)

    "Do you Rengoku Kyojiro, ept the title of Hashira and promise to be a pir that supports the Demon yer Corps?"

    Every Hashira witnessed Ubuyashiki crowning Rengoku with the title of Hashira, Most of us were d to wee a new ally but some were more than just d, they were happy and proud, like me.

    The sun was zing in the sky with a new hope, humanity had found yet another protector, a pir.

    "I do," Rengoku replied while kneeling down in front of Ubuyashiki.

    "The title of Hashira is proof of your stregth. Do you promise to use this strength to protect the weak?"

    "I promise,"

    "Then rise, me Hashira," Ubuyashiki dered and after taking a breath, Rengoku stood up, tall and proud, strong and brave.

    "Stand strong, and never falter," Ubuyashiki ordered.

    With that, the other Hashiras started cheering for Rengoku who turned around, now donning a new Haori, the one we saw in the anime.

    A white Haori with me patterns at the end. It was the haori passed down in their family, inherited by every me Hashira.

    And so, at the age of 17, Rengoku Kyojiro became the me Hashira and reced his father. It was the rise of a warrior who would change the course of the Demon War, an inspiration to all.

    ..

    ..

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    You know, things have been going well for a long time now.

    Maybe it was going too well.

    And you know what they said, life was a cruel mistress, ites at you when you were least prepared.

    Happiness and good times eventuallye to an end.

    After the celebration of Rengoku''s promotion was over, we all attended to our duties again. We got our assignments and this time, even Kanae got an assignment.

    It was about helping a certain vige that was infected by a strange disease.

    "Don''t be such a worrywart Seiji, this is not even a ying mission. I just have to go to the vige and provide medical help, that''s all," she said with an amused smile when I asked her what her assignment was.

    Maybe I should''ve stopped her then....

    Heh, who am I kidding? I never saw iting.

    When all things are going well, life finds a way to stab you. And it stabs you in the most painful ce.

    ....

    "That is....." the words escaped my mouth as my eyes - wide with shock and fear - saw the Kasugai crow of Kanae flying towards me.

    It was covered in blood that was not its own.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    Thunder roared in the darkness of the night as I blitzed through the forest like a natural cmity. It never crossed my mind that Kane''s encounter with Douma was not just an encounter of chance.

    It was because of my blind faith in what I knew from my past life. A false confidence that came from things always going ording to my n.

    The words I read from the kasugai crow rang in my mind like a chilling breeze in winter.

    ''Upper Moon''

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Don''t worry, I cooked.... well at least the patreon members assured me I did.

    <strong><i>Join my patreon to read two weeks ahead. This arc is already done eating very there so check it out. </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 81: Right on time

    <h4>Chapter 81: Right on time</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    (Kanae Kocho)

    It hurts.

    It hurts so much.

    "Shall I save you from your pain and suffering?" a disgustingly chippy voice said to her while she was on her knees.

    "Breathing alone hurts, doesn''t it? Your lungs arepletely frozen and ruptured," the demon had a wide smile on his face while looking down at her.

    "Come on, beg me," the demon with rainbow eyes said and pulled her hair. He forced her to look at him while he smiled a religious smile, "Beg me to send you to paradise,"

    <i>"Worship me,"</i>

    It hurts.

    Everything hurts.

    Kanae felt her consciousness slipping away and she recalled the series of events that led to this. It was like her life shing before her eyes.

    At first, it was like any other assignment. A vige needed help as many people died from an unknown disease. These kinds of things were moremon than you would expect in the rural areas of Japan during the 1900s. A vige with a hospital or a doctor was rare.

    So as a medical expert, Kanae set out to the vige to help them. It took her only a day and a deep inspection of the patients to realize that the disease was the work of a demon.

    At that moment, she realized that she should leave. Seiji had warned her too many times to continue the mission recklessly and she wanted to respect the worries of the man she loved.

    She would return home, report her findings and maybe set out again with more help to kill the demon.

    But all ns died soon after. It was toote.

    It was not only the disease that gued the vige. There was a deep mind controlling in the vige as well. And this was no ordinary work of a blood demon art, instead, it was a mind control on a deeper scale.

    A cult.

    The whole vige was a cult. They called themselves the Eternal Paradise Faith.

    It was a cult led by the demon who now tortured her for his amusement.

    She could not escape the vige anymore and that brought her face to face with the demon who seemed to orchestrate the whole thing just to capture her.

    ....

    The air was cold and heavy, an ordinary civilian would not be able to take even one breath with such heavy air. Kanae looked upon the rainbow eyes of the demon and the number ''2'' written on the demon''s face inflicted endless despair in her heart, despair heavier than the air.

    "Come on, pray to me~" the demon looked so kind. There was no guilt or self-awareness on his face, he genuinely believed that he was a god and that he was being benevolent.

    Kanae spat at the demon, or at least that''s what she tried to do. But what came out was crimson blood that sttered on the demon''s face.

    The smile on the demon froze like ice before he violently pushed Kanae''s head, smashing her face on the floor. Then he pulled her hair and threw her to the other side of the room.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    Numb.

    Everything was numb, there was no longer pain.

    And that scared Kanae more than when she was in pain. Because as much as pain was ufortable, it was a sign that you are still hanging onto life. Feeling pain means that your body is still fighting and working to keep on surviving.

    But numbness means your body is not working as it should be anymore. It was giving up in front of the threat it deemed to be impossible to escape.

    She was dying from theck of air.

    She crawled away from the ce, searching for air that was fit to inhale. Luckily, she found venttion and she crawled under it.

    She took in a deep breath and her body came back to life. She felt agonizing pain once more but she was d to wee the old friend.

    Yes, she was still alive.

    "You truly are an admirable creature. Your desire to survive makes me want to shed a tear," the demon said.

    The room they were in was the main room of the cult. It was marred with many sh marks and spiky icicles that spoke of the battle that just took ce.

    Kanae fought, for a long time she fought against the demon that yed with her like a toy. But as the battle went on, the cold air froze her lungs and made her incapable of fighting.

    "Then how about letting me go?~" she said with a shaky smile. She wouldn''t allow to show her weakness to the demon and give him the satisfaction.

    "No, I don''t think so. I want you to be part of my paradise," he said and raised his hand. Then he gestured to one of the walls that had a cupboard.

    On it, you could see the skulls of the women he had devoured. They were stunning beauties while they were living and captured Doma''s attention. Now he put their skulls on the cupboard as some kind of trophy. He even maintained them neatly.

    "You are the most twisted demon I ever encountered," Kanae remarked while looking at the skulls.

    "I prefer the word benevolent," he said and before he could finish, Kanae blurred towards him. She thrust her sword as hard as she could and as fast as she could, but the demon stepped to the side with ease.

    When Kane stopped a few metres away, she copsed on the ground with many cut marks on her body. The demon not only dodged but manage to cut her in the exchange,

    She didn''t even see him move.

    "I''m sorry, I was not through with those cuts," Doma said and unfurled his fan made of des, his weapon of choice.

    "You are still living and hence, suffering,"

    ...

    Maybe this was where she was going to die. She hoped it was not but the situation seemed impossible to survive.

    She was going to die here.

    Even if her Kasugai crow found a Demon yer nearby, what could they do? It was the upper moon that she was up against. It would only increase the number of causalities.

    Tears started falling from her eyes but they only worked to hurt her eyes. Her tears froze due to the freezing temperatures of the air.

    The best thing she could do now was go out fighting with all she had.

    And so, she took in a huge breath that forced her frozen lungs to work. The adrenalin in her veins caused the temperature of her body to rise and fight against the biting cold.

    <i>"Flower Breathing : Final Form,"</i>

    Kanae fought with all her might for the final time.

    ...

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I ran.

    I ran.

    And I ran some more.

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    The earth quaked with each step I took.

    <i>"Thunder Breathing : First Form!!"</i>

    More. More.

    Faster.

    Even faster.

    <i>"Thunderp and sh : Two hundred fold!!"</i>

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    I ran until my leg waspletely destroyed. The muscles in my left leg had been exhausted and torn beyond belief. Yet I kept on running.

    Even the Kasugai crow flying overhead couldn''t catch up with me. Even Raven wasgging far behind. It was fortunate that I was curious enough to ask where Kanae would be heading for the mission. With my eidetic memory, it was not hard to find my way around the thick jungles and run towards where she was.

    I used Thunderp and sh two hundred times. With it, I was able to cover nearly 10 kilometres. The forest was ravaged and I left a trail of destruction in my wake.

    I did not use my right leg however as I would need that for the uing fight. But my left leg, I destroyedpletely. I was not sure if it would be able to healter on.

    But that did not bother me in the slightest when survival was not certain. I was going straight towards Doma who was upper moon 2, I didn''t have the privilege to worry about how my legs would heal when I could die in this fight.

    The only thing I was certain of was that Kanae was not going to die.

    I''d tear down the sky before she died.

    Finally, I reached the vige in the middle of the night. It was eerily quiet with the vigers gathering near the entrance of the vige.

    I did a quick scan of the surroundings and also located Kanae. My eyes saw her fighting against the upper moon and with a quick calction, I determined that I had enough time to reach her before the fight ended.

    Doma was ying with her, and although that made me burn with rage, it meant I had time. So I stopped.

    "Haaa....Haaaa.....Haaaa..." The air around me churned as I used Constant Breathing, healing breath. I also looked down at my left leg and scanned the injury.

    It was bad. Just by looking at it, a surgeon might give up.

    I cut off two branches from a tree and swiftly chipped them down to be straight. I took off my haori and cut it into ropes before tying the sticks on my left leg to support my weight and straighten it. Like a makeshift cast.

    Could you believe that? One of my legs waspletely fucked up right before the most important battle of my life. If my life was a story, I wouldin to the author and give him hell for nerfing me like this.

    "I put my faith in you, shounen powerup," I said aloud, trying to calm my roaring heart. I was doing my best to calm down before rushing in.

    Being blinded by my rage would not do me good in this situation. It would only tire me more and cloud my thought process. So I did everything I could to calm myself down, controlling my thoughts.

    Cracking jokes.

    But inside, my heart fell due to the sheer emotions weighing it down.

    "Let''s go," I quickly made my way into the vige.

    Luckily, I spent weeks training with Jigoro (Former Thunder Hashira) and he had lost a leg in battle. So I could copy his movements and implement them to my own.

    When I entered the vige, I was immediately stopped by a mob.

    Many of the vigers had gathered around, holding weapons like a sickle, axe, machete etc. They seemed to be guarding the ce to make sure no one entered the vige.

    My eyes saw a demon amongst them as well.

    "Look!! He is an intruder trying to disturb our lord while he is busy with his apostle!! Stop him!"

    The vigers screamed in unison.

    ...

    ...

    It was a small group gathered to stop any help from reaching Kanae. They did it after a Kasugai crow escaped from them to call reinforcement.

    I was trying so hard to remain calm.

    But my emotions got the better of me. Anger, desperation, immense frustration and then hate.

    They were cultist under Doma, they had no sin except being brainwashed since they were born. They probably didn''t deserve it.

    But I killed them all.

    I''m sorry. I couldn''t waste any more time to knock them out.

    I ran out of kindness.

    <i>"Thunder Stone Breathing : Arc of Ruin,"</i>

    My de mowed them all down with a single sh, the demons hiding between the mob included. The wind de produced from my sword cleaved everything.

    Bisected bodies decorated the ground, crimson blood hid the natural brown of the earth. Their death was swift and merciless.

    It''d probably haunt me for the rest of my life, but I''d rather that than Kanae''s death haunt me for the rest of my life.

    They were unimportant.

    So I burst towards the centre of the vige where there was a temple. My eyes locked on the smiling demon who made me do all these things.

    Oh, how I hate him.

    But on the bright side...

    <strong><i>*BOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    ..

    I got there just in time.

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    <i>Author : 500 stones and extra Chapter</i>

    <i>Good luck</i>

    <strong><i>Or join my patreon to read ahead!! </i></strong>

    <strong><i>Patreon : Emmamuel_Capricorn</i></strong>

 Chapter 82: Doma vs Seiji, begin

    <h4>Chapter 82: Doma vs Seiji, begin</h4>

    Author : You know what? Forget the stones. I made a promise to a certain Brazilian so here is a mass release of the whole arc.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    She was losing strength. She knows.

    She was getting weaker and weaker. He knows it.

    This fight was merely a y done for the amusement of the demon. They both knew it.

    ''I am going to die here.'' Kanae concluded in her mind when she felt her body starting to get slower and her adrenaline ran out.

    The chilling cold returned to her, weighing down on her body and making her go numb once more. They were slowly dragging her closer and closer to the brink of death.

    "What a sad sight this is, your own body is failing you~" Domamented and parried any attacks that came his way with one hand.

    "Why not just ept your fate and give in to my kindness? I assure you, there will no longer be a pain in paradise," the demon said before swinging his war fan to create a gust of cold air that sent her flying to the opposite of the room.

    When the fact that she was really going to die now sank in, her life shed before her eyes. It started with her dear little sister, Shinobu, then it shifted to Kanao, then her friends at the Flower Mansion, her fellow Hashira, Gyomei who saved her and then Master Ubuyashiki etc.

    All of those people shed in her mind. Time seemed to wait for her as she relieved the memories of a lifetime in an instant.

    And then finally, he appeared in her mind. She shed a tear for this one because it came with regret. That was why he was thest one.

    Seiji appeared in her mind and never left.

    She felt immense regret in her heart. She should''ve confessed to him on that night, and now she was never going to get the chance again.

    That was her only regret.

    ''I love you.'' three words that she wished to could say to the deaf man. How silly.

    She propped up her body with thest of her strength and leaned on the wall. Now, she could only watch as Doma slowly approached her with an ecstatic smile. A drug addict smiles.

    The demon waspletely insane.

    "Seijiiii.." his name left her lips and the sound of his name brought a smile to her face even in such a situation.

    He must be busy with his mission now, located directly opposite to hers. She wished he was here somehow, not to save her like he had done a million times but to see him onest time.

    And confess.

    ....

    <strong><i>*Bzzzzzz*</i></strong>

    Doma stoppeding forward and Kanae froze when they saw a spark of lighting between them. It was the weirdest thing, Kanae wondered if it was a hallucination.

    A chilling sensation washed over them as well, much more for Doma. It was like a deep foreboding. The spark of lighting was a prophet that foretold aing disaster.

    Not three secondster, Thunder erupted and tore through the building. Everything was ripped apart due to the violent force.

    At that moment, Kanae saw hope and Doma saw a powerful threat.

    The foundation of the building shook violently with the appearance of the Purple Swordsman. Hisck of reaction due to the loud sound hints at his deafness and his pristine sword was a signature that all demons were now familiar with.

    Not a secondter, Seiji brought up his sword and his robotic voice dered.

    <i>"Wind Breathing : Fourth Form."</i>

    He swung his long de towards the roof of the building. The rush of wind and hurricanes produced by his attack ripped apart the building.

    <strong>"Rising Storm Dust,"</strong>

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    A loud shockwave oppressed the area. The Temple of the Eternal Paradise Faith waspletely ripped apart and shredded under the power of the wind. The full moon in the sky was revealed as the roof copsed.

    Seiji ran towards Kanae and stopped any debris from hitting her.

    After another shockwave, the building was destroyedpletely.

    Kanae felt life return to her body and she also took in a deep and needed breath. Her previous injuries seemed not too grave anymore with him around.

    It was because of this that she fell so deeply in love with him.

    The demon king could stand in front of her but under his protective presence, all fears were dispelled.

    She knew she was saved once more.

    ...

    ...

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Lighting Breathing to split the building in half so that it could copse more easily.

    Then Wind Breathing not only destroys the building but blows all of the cold air away and allows the air to be breathable once more.

    I brought the battle into the open because Doma''s blood demon art worked better in tight spaces. His ability to freeze the surrounding temperature would be harder to use in the open air, especially with a Wind Breath user.

    And theck of a roof would allow the sun to shine upon the demon the moment it rose. Even if I could not defeat him, I needed to keep him upied until sunrise and I would win.

    These actions were nned in a few seconds before I reached them so it was not perfect. But I hoped this would turn the battle in my favour.

    ...

    "My my my~ What do we have here? If it isn''t the famous Hashira?" Doma slowly walked out from the smoke with a shit-eating grin on his face.

    The situation seemed to amuse him even more.

    "I hate your face more than I thought I would," I spat out. I cursed my eyes because they would remember his face forever.

    I looked away from the disgusting living flesh and turned to Kanae. I quickly scanned her body and the injury she sustained.

    She had many wounds and she was beyond exhaustion but there was nothing fatal. Her lungs were the ones that were most damaged.

    "Maybe being so pretty is not ideal, you even attract demons," I joked. Maybe it was a bad attempt but I only had a second to make it so please don''t judge me.

    She smiled, if she was not so injured she''d giggle sweetly like she always did with my bad jokes.

    But at least she was not scared, and that was all that mattered.

    !!!!!

    Right then, I quickly turned around and shed two spikes made of ice before they could skewer me. I saw theming from the reflection of her eyes.

    "Eh~ You dodge that? I thought you were deaf?" Doma asked aloud before he struck a thinking pose. "Are you like Lord Kokushibo? Do you have a 360-degree vision?"

    I remained silent and simply observed every cell in his body. From his bodynguage, the contents of his stomach, his muscle construction, from the pattern of his breath and heartbeat, I used every single piece of information to expose his weakness.

    My eyes saw his stregth, his weakness.

    "Your eyes," hemented, a bit serious this time.

    "You think you can beat me," he smiled widely after that, "How interesting. I''m so d you decided toe here, you make things a whole lot more interesting,"

    "....."

    "Tell me, how do you n to beat me?"

    And so I did.

    I told him.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

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 Chapter 83: Doma vs Seiji (1)

    <h4>Chapter 83: Doma vs Seiji (1)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I moved faster than the speed of sound. A statement that would be iprehensible to the ordinary because it was an impossible feat, a shore to fantasy.

    To normal eyes, I literally disappeared from my position and appeared behind the demon in the span of an instant. My movement was graceful and soft so there was no explosion of force. It was a consequence of perfect movement.

    There was no shockwave, every newton of force worked to propel me forward at incredible speed. No wasted energy, no nothing.

    My damaged leg dragged me down but only for the briefest millisecond.

    ...

    Blood spilled out from Doma''s neck and he grabbed it with his pale hand. His face showed no amount of surprise because the feats he witnessed were beyond expectation.

    "You are..." he started when his neck healed. "..awfully fast,"

    Now it was my time to bleed. A small cut appeared on my forehead and a drop of crimson blood bleed out. He actually aimed for my eyes but I moved my head in time so he only left a scratch on my forehead.

    I turned my body to face him fully once more and we both took a moment to observe each other strength.

    Kanae was left defenseless at the moment but she was safe. The brief exchange made it clear to us both that the battle was closer than anticipated. The moment he went after Kanae would make an opening for me to end him forever.

    I almost wanted him to go after her.

    "I guess there are all those stories about you for a reason, purple one," hemented and unfurled his war fan.

    Then he disappeared.

    I followed the next moment.

    A loud vibration - akin to a firing machine gun - resounded in the middle, followed by bright sparks that indicate metal hitting metal.

    Then we returned to our previous position. I stood in front of Kanae and he stopped opposite us, meters away.

    In this sh, I remained unharmed.

    But it was a different case for Doma. The half portion of his neck was cut and his hand swiftly slid off his arm. A copious amount of blood decorated the floor.

    "My my..." he said and blood came out from his lips, "I better take you seriously if I don''t want to die,"

    I took a deep breath after that, my instincts screaming at me louder than ever. Would you believe me if I told you that he was as fast as me? I wouldn''t believe it if I didn''t experience it myself.

    The only reason I had the advantage in our brief sh was my eyes. I could predict his attacks and movements even before he himself thought of them. And with each sh, I got to know more and more about him.

    That was why I allowed him to dictate the pace of the battle. The longer we fight, the better for me. I was not only learning more about his battle pattern and fighting style. Dragging the fight meant that sunrise was getting closer.

    "Tell me more," I said and pointed my long sword at him. My eyes released a purple glow and I read him like a book.

    What attacks was his body most used to? Where was his weakness? Which foot did he move first before he moved? Did he inhale or exhale before an attack? How many times did he blink in our sh? Which side was he better at protecting? What did his eyes reflect? How long was his reach? How dangerous was each move?.....

    I went to the very basics of fighting once more.

    Fighting was not fighting, To me, it was a conversation.

    Make him talk, listen, and reply perfectly.

    Listen to his actions, do not aim for his weakness, instead, you should adapt and be his weakness.

    <strong><i>*WHOOSH!!!*</i></strong>

    A swing of his war fan made the air scream. My eyes saw the particles of ice in the air that would no doubt freeze my lungs if I inhaled them. The temperature around us plummeted, it became so cold that I could feel it in my joints.

    His shit-eating smile returned once more.

    I quickly took the remaining of my haori and threw it to Kanae. She used it not only to cover her body but to cover her nose so that she could breathe amid the cold air.

    "Let''s y," he invited me.

    I saw it, I saw our simrities. We were both simr in the sense that fighting was not fighting to us.

    For him, fighting was more like ying. After all what kind of God fight with mortals?

    To him, fighting was a fun game to y. A game where he could not lose.

    A game that I quickly adapted to.

    <i>"me Wind Breathing," </i>I became his weakness.

    My leg hurts when I put bodyweight on it but through sheer will and adrenaline, I moved perfectly. A gust of hot air revolved around me, my body heat rose rapidly due to fire breathing.

    We blurred.

    <strong>"Inferno!!"</strong>

    I saw mes folding around me, battling the cold air with me. Doma lunged at me, matching the intensity of my charge. His golden war fan shone with a dangerous light.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Barren Hanging Garden"</i></strong>

    A series of 10 sessive fan attacks generated ice shards that came at me mercilessly. They shed with my sword and the sound produced a piercing shockwave that sent goosebumps through my body.

    They were heavy, his attacks were so damn heavy, An elegant swing of those fans had the weight of a ton. The vibration of my sword rattles my bones, numbing my arms.

    Yet I was not in trouble.

    My sword wrapped in golden mes sliced at his head. Doma leaned back his head to the limit, breaking the bones of his neck but ultimately dodging a direct hit. But the whirlwind in my swing ripped his face off, exposing muscle and bone.

    No matter how dangerous his attacks were. They lost a lot of their danger when he told me before he attacked.

    I saw it.

    I saw the moisture collecting and freezing in the air. I saw the quick draw of his breath with each swing, and I saw the wiggle of every muscle fibre in his body. They told me everything he was going to do.

    His eyes widened, and I allowed that information to stay in my mind a little longer than every other information processed.

    He lept.

    Or at least his body told me he was going to.

    So I did a half spit to lower my body and I cut off his legs clean off. Then I sted past him in a rush of wind that inflicted massive pressure on his body, almost tearing away at his skin.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Freezing Cloud!"</i></strong>

    He bent his body in an impossible manner. You''d have to be boneless to make such a manoeuvre when you had no legs but that was what the demon did. Then he swung his fan and sent a gust of cold winds at me.

    To be more specific, he was aiming to freeze my eyes. He tried to same thing with Kanao in the manga.

    The freezing air with many frozen particles came at me.

    I smiled.

    <i>"Wind Breathing : Fourth Form," </i>I slid to a stop and turned my body to face the iing clouds.

    <strong>"Rising Storm!!"</strong>

    I swung my giant sword as hard as I could. The air was forcefully turned into a whirlwind and I unleashed chaos in the atmosphere. The hurricane fought against the iing cold winds, sting them away.

    That was not all, the wind des continued their journey to Doma, ripping everything else in their way. The demon healed his limbs and his face in but one instant and he lunged at me.

    I also did the same and blitzed towards him.

    Our arms blurred and we entered into a battle of skills. He was a genius, his techniques with his war fans were far more refined than I would otherwise expect.

    Yet when it came to techniques, I had no rival. I was technique God.

    My eyes read each attack before it happened. My predictions and visions of the present collided and my brain worked overtime to keep up with all the information.

    Each time his fan connected with my sword, they made a puncture in the atmosphere, releasing a shockwave that worked to destroy the cold air in the atmosphere.

    Our movements became faster and faster, he tried to overpower me and wait for the time my humanity would catch up to me. Humans get tired, demons don''t.

    But years of training and perfect movement allowed me to go toe to toe with his endurance. There was no wasted energy in my movement and the momentum of each sh was used perfectly to set up the other.

    My eyes saw the transfer of kic energy between us and manipted that transfer so efficiently that I moved like a machine, and not human.

    "You are by far, the strongest human I''ve ever fought!!" Doma dered as he tried to close the distance between us but I didn''t allow it.

    My long sword served its purpose and kept the distance between myself and my enemy. He was far enough that I could see his whole body.

    "Yo-Blerh"

    As I said before, he tried to close the distance between us and that cost him his jaw. Every angle that he tried to take, every opening he sought, he only met the sharp end of my de.

    I was winning. If we were both human then I could say I was many times superior to him. But demons had advantages that more than made up for our difference in skill.

    He regenerated his jaw instantly and this time, he backed away.

    ...

    He thought I would follow him and take advantage of the opening by plunging my de into his heart. Then he would use his fan to chip away at my sword. The length of my reach was bing too annoying for him so he wanted to take it away.

    But his n never came to reality. They died a n.

    His body told me what he was trying to do already. The way he moved his arms apart to reveal an opening in his chest, the way he changed the grip on his fan to attack close ranged.

    Too obvious.

    Instead, I gave the perfect reply.

    <i>"Thunder Stone Breathing : </i><strong>Arc of Ruin,"</strong>

    I held my sword with both hands and swung with all the strength my arms could muster. The air vibrated and a high-pitched sound ruptured the ice particles.

    Explode like Thunder. Be strong like Stone.

    Employ all the muscle fibres in your arm, generating every drop of raw strength. And do that again and again and again with every second of your swing, stacking up your power through the concept of repetitive action.

    I did not even have to hit my opponent. My de was able to cut everything standing in its direction,

    Doma tried to block the iing attack with his two Golden War fans but they were sliced through with ease. No resistance evolved from an attempt, all was cut.

    Doma''s body was chopped in half. In his futile attempt to destroy my weapon, I destroyed his and turned him into a kit-kat.

    His body fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes wide.

    The exchange came to a stop. I remained standing and he fell, not once, but twice.

    I heaved my sword on my shoulder. My arms felt like jelly so such a minor action felt difficult at the moment. I gave a smile, a shit-eating grin that was like his.

    "White hair, pretty eyes, yful and cut into two. The simrity is too much, is that you Gojo?" I joked in amusement.

    He had done that to my Kanae right? y around while she was writhing on the floor.

    His upper body looked at me. His smile was no longer to be seen.

    ..

    "Maa, maaa, how unbefitting of an upper moon," he said with a sigh. In a burst of flesh, he regenerated his lower half and all the clothes with it.

    That''s fucking weird. How the fuck did he regenerate clothes?

    Even more weird, his lower body also regenerated but with ice. The bisected body turned into a puppet as they both rose together.

    I guess things are getting serious now.

    I took in a deep breath and ready myself to talk once more.

    ..

    ..

    ...

    [IMAGE]

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    Next Chapter iing

 Chapter 84: Doma vs Seiji (2)

    <h4>Chapter 84: Doma vs Seiji (2)</h4>

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Doma was a powerful demon by himself.

    But by no means was that his greatest strength. His true power lies in his blood demon art - his ability to create clones of himself to be specific.

    In the manga, it was shown that he could create at least six ice clones of himself. And each one of these clones was as powerful as him.

    That means he could increased his overall power six times, anytime he wants.

    "Do you like it? It''s an ice clone of myself," Doma said, but there was no smile on his face. "And it can use all of the techniques I use,"

    I allowed my eyes to observe the ice clone carefully and the discovery I made caused me to frown deeply. It was made entirely of ice, which meant that I would have a much harder time predicting it''s movement since it was not made of flesh and bone.

    These things had always been one of my weaknesses, blood demon art, spells that did not even try to follow the logic of this world.

    "You''re eyes are powerful, I''ll admit. But you can''t see everything, can you?" Doma said and the ice clone lept into the air. It sent a barrage of ice spikes towards me which I destroyed with my sword.

    But the fragments of the ice were still sharp enough to leave scratches on my skin. The ice clone thennded behind me. I shifted my position to see him but then Doma blitzed towards me.

    <strong><i>*Cling!!*</i></strong>

    My de met his demonic ws and they created sparks when Doma pushed against me. My injuired leg faltered and I was pushed back.

    "No matter how simr you are to him, you are only a human. Your vision is limited to 180��," he said, his lips began curving once more.

    He was right.

    I saw the ice clone rushing at me from the shiny reflection of my de. I used Thunder Breathing to explode in raw stregth. I forced Doma away with a swing of my sword and I barely had enough time to duck under the horizontal attack of the ice clone. His arms had a sharp edge - like a de.

    Then it started.

    A battle where I was constantly on the edge of dying. Doma with the help of his ice clone yook full advantage of my limited vision and attacked me from different directions at once.

    This was a weakness I always knew I had yet couldn''t find a solution to. My enemy was exploiting it to the fullest.

    I was always stronger in a one vs one fight but when two entities attacked me at the same time and it became two vs one, I learned the limit of my eyes real quick.

    I had two eyes yet I could only focus on one thing. The fight was a blur of speed even from my perspective. I took turns fighting against the two.

    I predicted the attacks of Doma like before while giving more attention to the ice clone which I had trouble predicting. Perfect movement allowed me to fight efficiently and barely keep up with theing onught.

    The air vibrated due to the exchange of blows. On long sword blurred to fend off four attacks. Doma use both his hands and the clone used both arms to attack

    Sometimes I would use my elbow or kicks to continue. I would kick at Doma''s knees when he was going to step forward, I elbowed the ice holem at the blunt part of it''s arm before swining again at Doma.

    Everything happened in a sh yet the calcted moves I made in the gap between instances could only be described as a miracle.

    But even that was not enough.

    <strong><i>*SWOOSH!!*</i></strong>

    I did a flip in the air to create distance and dodge four attacksing at me. I realized then that when I was in the air, looking down, I could see them both.

    In an instant, I came up with a strategy. I started leaping in the air, the moment my feet made contact with the ground was the only one time when my feet touched the ground. That way, I was able to fend off attakcsing at me easier.

    Although it aerial fight was limiting, as long as I could see the attacksing, I thought I would able to manage it.

    I used their attacksing up to split me ad a way to remain in the air as well. Doing my best to survive the onught.

    But that strategy did notst long.

    <i>"Blood Demon Art" x2</i>

    My eyes saw the gathering of moisture in the air. The water froze and formed an ice lotus that had intricate details. If I were not in the middle of battle, I would pause to admire its beauty.

    Then those lotus started spinning and grew sharp vines that easily moved at the speed of sound - like a whip. My eyes saw the way they sliced through the frigid air, one strike was enough to tear through flesh.

    <strong>"Lotus Vines!!" x2</strong>

    To make matters worse, his clone - the one I could hardly predict - used the exact same technique. Two upper moon-level attacks came at me while I was in the air. Time slowed down to a crawl and I saw the vines along with the sharp petals spinning my way.

    They were a spinning razor of cmity, spiralling towards me with the cold intent of murder.

    For the first time in my life, I was lost for words.

    There was no reply from me.

    The only thing I did was minimize the attack.

    The vines came at me, the air disced from their sheer speed created vibrations in the atmosphere. When they made contact with my flesh, it looked like I was made of cake. They sliced me up, leaving wounds from which blood splurt out like a waterfall.

    But that was the best oue. The other productions I made all tell a scene where I was chopped into pieces.

    I saw everything in slow motion, therefore the pain I felt was also slow and agonizing. The attacks left multiple sh marks on my body but none of them were enough to cut through bone.

    When Inded on the ground, I nearly slipped on my own blood. But I remained calm and strong, for I finally had the ability to fight back. I gripped my sword with both hands and with the strength of a dying man, I unleashed it.

    <i>"Storm Breathing : First Form,"</i>

    My body screamed at me, protesting against using such a tiring technique at the situation. They did not want to move, they wanted to run away and heal from the injuries I had sustained.

    But the will of my heart forced them to move and move they did. In a fight-or-flight situation, my body fought with everything it had.

    <strong>"Tempest Fury,"</strong>

    My arm exploded to action as every fibre of the muscles in my arm worked together to produce raw strength in a single instance - Thunder Breathing.

    A shockwave erupted and a small hurricane formed from my swing. Wind des came to life and ripped apart flesh, bones and ice - Wind Breathing.

    My arm did not lose uracy even when it moved with such force. The kic energy of my swing was controlled and I hit only what I wanted, Doma and his ice doll. There was no wasted force on anything else - Water Breathing.

    The end result was the highest calibre of man-made catastrophe. Everything in front of me was minced into pieces. The ice lotus and its vines were shredded, leaving no fragments and the same thing goes for the ice doll.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    Doma himself was ripped into pieces. But the thud of something falling made my heart waver - that did not finish him off.

    It was a risk, but one I thought it best to take. The fact that he was winning and even inflicted grave injuries upon me caused him to let his guard down. I took that chance and attacked with the best I had.

    Yet it was not enough.

    "Heh," I mouthed in despair.

    Doma''s eyes were demonic red. He was able to save his upper body from the attack - from his shoulder up. They were covered with imprable ice that shielded him from the wind des.

    But still, he took a while to regenerate. Yet I couldn''t take advantage of it because I was stuck in my ce. My body ached all over and refused to move.

    "You really are dangerous. Lord Muzan should be d that I end you today," Doma said while his body reconstracted itself, cell by cell.

    It was not fair. It was not fair that he could regenerate from such an injury so easily while I could not even move a muscle.

    I hate it. I hate it with every fibre of my being.

    Right then, a blur came at Doma while he was regenerating. But even though he was not fully healed, he was able to block the iing sh that came his way.

    "You are not forgetting about me, are you? I was the one you targeted in the first ce!" Kanae said, her eyes crying blood, a consequence of overusing the final form of flower breathing.

    "No, not at all. Quite the opposite," Doma said and with half legs, they started fighting once more.

    I couldn''t do anything else but watch as my body recovered from the aftermath of Storm Breathing. They engaged in a short exchange but as Doma regenerated, he quickly overpowered Kanae.

    She moved with the same calcting manner as I did. Her eyes working like mine but on smaller scale. She was like a weaker version of me to be honest.

    <strong><i>*BOOOM*</i></strong>

    So how could she possibly stand a chance?

    She was doing everything she could to hold on for longer, to give me a chance to recover. Her body was pushed beyond its limits and her eyes were slowly losing their light the longer she used her technique.

    "I''m done ying, its not fun anymore," Doma said and kicked Kanae at her abdomen, sending her flying away like a ragdoll. She manage to catch herself in the air and slid to a stop right beside me.

    "Kanae.." I called her.

    "I''m fine, don''t worry," she replied softly, with ragged breath.

    She was not fine. My eyes saw the extent of her injuries, I saw her lungs tearing at themselves with each breath she took, I saw her shattered bones, her torn muscles and ligaments.

    And I saw her blinding eyes. I don''t think she would be able to see normally after this battle.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Ice Dolls,"</i></strong>

    Chilling words fell upon the battlefield. The wind picked up speed as moisture froze up, leaving the air so dry and cold that it was difficult to get even one breath.

    That was only the beginning of our despair as six ice clones started being constructed around us. In a matter of seconds, we were surrounded by the six ice dolls along with Doma who spread his arms dramatically.

    Like a God.

    This was it, this was the might of the upper moon 2. I was still not strong enough to take him, not nearly strong enough.

    "You will die here today, and I will take both of you to paradise," Doma said and smiled widely.

    A demon ying God. How revolting.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Freezing Cloud," </i></strong>the moment those words left his lips. he and his six clones swung their arms, releasing cold winds that could freeze our bodies.

    Since we werepletely surrounded, there was nowhere to run.the fact that I made the battlefield an open ground no longer mattered with the clones present.

    The cold winds hit us like a blizzard, it was a blue smoke of chilling death. Our body temperature fell rapidly and each breath we took froze our lungs.

    We could not even see clearly anymore due to the blizzard, eyes felt like they were freezing up. Kanae fell against my body, my arms moved to grab her and I immediately covered her mouth and nose.

    The demon''sughter echoed at that moment. It felt like i could hear it, deep in my mind. Was it the delusion of a dying man, I was not sure.

    It was cold. Too cold to even form thoughts.

    ''I guess this is how I die, unable to even save one girl,'' the sane part of my mind said.

    Yet, there was also something else. Something in me was protesting with everything, it hated the demons and the situation to the very core.

    Nine years ago, I was helpless. And now, I was helpless once more.

    Was all my effort for useless? Was winning against the demons reserved for the main character alone?

    The frustration in my heart was enough to overshadow the cold air.

    I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

    I hate it more than anything else. I hate it even more than I loved myself.

    ....

    Suddenly, I felt my body temperature increase rapidly and my heart came alive like an engine in my chest. It felt like it was expanding the size of my chest cavity with how wildly it was beating.

    I felt a surge of strength and energy throughout my body, it turned all my previous injuries and limits into an illusion. I felt stronger than I ever felt before.

    My eyes started glowing and I could finally see past the blizzard again. I locked eyes with Doma and I knew what was going on.

    I did not even have to look at myself to notice a mark appearing on my face.

    Fuck.

    Was this the only way to win? I did not want this. But what other choice did I have when I was pushed to the brink of death? It was either this or dying now.

    So I epted it. But with a promise that I would obliterate the creature that pushed me to such an extent.

    No. Not just him.

    I''ll drive them to extinction.

    "Kanae.." I called her name and hugged her close to my body. My eyes saw the effect of hypothermia and I started panicking. I started hating even more.

    How dare they try to take from me again?

    i wouldn''t allow it to happen again even at the cost of my life.

    With the newfound strength and demon yer mark, I could form coherent thoughts once more. And at that moment - when I was at the edge of life and death - enlightenment came.

    It was when man is left with no other choice that he came up with the best innovations.

    ...

    Adapt.

    Fighting was a conversation. My skills are my words andnguage, it was impossible to run out of options.

    The things I knew and the techniques I have learned so far were all copied from others. The best thing I had done wasbine them.

    But at that moment, I moved past thag threshold. I did not copy, I did not simplybine.

    I started creating somethingpletely new. Something that was not just abination of the techniques I''ve learned

    Or should I say I was re-creating it?

    Stone Breathing. Water Breathing. Thunder Breathing. me Breathing. Wind Breathing and even Steroid Breathing.

    I used the meanings and the concepts of each breathing styles to create something new. They were like words with different meanings and I started constructing an entirely new sentence from them.

    I did not splybine them. I broke them down to their most primitive state and built up the best version of them.

    And you know what? It fits like a puzzle.

    Somehow, the core concepts of all these breathing styles led to one beginning.

    <i>"Esoteric Art..." </i>

    No.

    <strong>"Sun Breathing,"</strong>

    It was the perfect beginning, the perfectnguage and the ultimate truth. It did not matter who you were, where you were from or when you lived.

    Across different identities, different continents, or different eras, the moment you reach perfection, you will find Sun Breathing.

    It did not matter how cold the air was anymore. My lungs sucked in the frigid air and I took a full breath. It did not hurt my lungs anymore, it not freeze anymore, it felt fine.

    I could see fireing from my mouth as I took in each breath. They were different from me Breathing, they were more intense and red.

    But even then, it was only a simple breath. I did not know enough to re-create the different forms of Sun Breathing. I only figured out the constant breathing of Sun Breathing.

    It was how Yoriichi would''ve inhaled.

    But as the foundation of all breathing styles, the breath I inhaled supported every style of breathing I knew. As I mentioned before, each breathing style has unique patterns to the way you breathe. But Sun Breathing could apply to all of them.

    I carried Kanae in my arms and using my right leg, I propelled myself forward.

    <strong>"Thunderp and sh!"</strong>

    I blitz past the ice clones and Doma. The demon''s shokced face was thest image I saw.

    In just a few seconds, I was many meters away from the battlefield. But ultimately, I stopped.

    Running away at my condition was a foolish decision. I was too injured to run far and Doma would inevitably catch up to me. So the better option was to end this fight now while I still had energy.

    I gentlyid Kanae on the ground underneath a tree. Raven flew towards me and I told her to protect her. I took another second to look at her face.

    She was the reason I was fighting. My love for her was the reason I hate.

    Then I stood up, turned around, and ran towards Doma again.

    With my sword shining under the moon, I inhaled a huge breath using Sun Breathing. The pattern of the breath fits every technique I had.

    <i>"Storm Breathing : Second Form,"</i>

    My body did not protest, instead, it roared with anticipation.At the cost of only living 25 years old, my body was able to achieve inhuman strength. I knew instinctively that I could use Storm Breathing as much as I wanted.

    ''Let me curse you.''

    <strong>"Lightning Wave!!"</strong> I yelled and I blitz towards Doma st the fastest speed I had moved yet.

    For a moment I let my body forget it''s injured state and fight with everything it had.

    ....

    ....

    [IMAGE]

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    Next Chapter iing

 Chapter 85: Doma vs Seiji (Final)

    <h4>Chapter 85: Doma vs Seiji (Final)</h4>

    [3rd POV]

    ''This can''t be human.''

    That was the only line of thought Doma was able to fit between calm and disaster. One moment the human was walking towards him and then he turned into a violent storm in the same stretch of moment.

    The ground shook due to the sheer force exploding on it. The air quivered and fled as the human storm-incarnate obliterated everything in an instant.

    ''I didn''t see it.''

    It was a scary thought for the Upper Moon 2. With the strength he now possessed, no entity should be able to move faster than he could see. Not Kokushiibo, and not even Muzan Kibutsuji.

    It was impossible.

    ...

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOM!!!*</i></strong>

    And so, with his entire body other than his headpletely obliterated, Doma stared at the aftermath of the impossible. Purple lighting razed the ground and shed in a brilliant light that stunted the world.

    A violent wind ravaged the atmosphere, turning every molecule of air into a deadly de. Doma was not even able to witness how his ice clones were reduced to ice dust. It happened too fast.

    Yet all that violence and all that super speed were guided by perfect uracy. They were stitched together by a wave, a flow of water. Doma deduced that from the afterimage left by the human.

    No, he was no longer just a human to Doma.

    A Hashira.

    For the first time in his long life, Doma felt the weight of the title Hashira. He knew now, that he was facing against the pir of humanity.

    Finally, sound returned to the battlefield after seemingly gathering enough courage. The shockwaves that erupted from shattering sound barrierspletely ripped the topmostyer of the ground, exposing deeper earth.

    <strong><i>*Thud*</i></strong>

    Doma - currently only a head - fell to the ground with a thud. His head fell in the perfect position to stare at the back of the Hashira.

    His eyes told him that the enemy was only a human who was broken beyond belief. From all of the injuries Doma saw on the man, he should have fallen with a single touch. The enemy was weak and fragile, already past his breaking point.

    Yet Doma''s heart saw a different entity. His heart saw a fellow monster who had the capacity to end him - an equal. There was also a certain feeling in his heart which he could not describe. But that feeling stood out for Doma who usually never felt a tinge of emotion.

    ''What is it?'' he wondered.

    The feeling only intensified when the Hashira turned his head, eyes glowing purple - somehow looking even more demonic than his.

    It froze him for a moment.

    ...

    Speaking of heart, he should regenerate quickly. It was not fitting for someone like him to remain only a head.

    Being beheaded was fatal to most demons but for the top three of the upper moon, it was no longer enough to kill them.

    Doma unleashed his full potential and rapidly reconstructed his body in all its majestic glory from only a head. The Hashira simply watched while Doma fully regenerated.

    "Ah, thank you for waiting," Doma said with a yful smile, unfitting of the situation.

    "Stop doing that," A cold robotic voice came from the Hashira. Doma hated the way he talked, some words had the wrong pitch and tone. It sounded like an AI voice, an imitation.

    "Doing what?"

    "Stop acting like you have emotions," the Hashira said and his piercing eyes focused on Doma. "You feel nothing, you are no different than the ice dolls you create,"

    With the help of his purple eyes, he was able to see how Doma was imitating yful emotions even though he never really felt a thing.

    Doma was born apathetic. Ever since his birth, he had never experienced proper emotions. The best he could do was imagine the emotions and imitate what he had seen.

    ''The next emotion I should feel is anger, right? He is hitting a sore spot after all.'' Doma thought to himself. He had be immacte in acting emotions after centuries of studies.

    But weirdly enough, he did not feel like faking anger. There was this burning sensation in his heart which was the very first time Doma was feeling anything.

    "You living dead, you should''ve never existed," the Hashira spat out with a thick amount of hate in his awkward voice, "I''ll fix that,"

    Doma talked no more and started using his blood Demon Art. The feeling in his heart increased when he saw the enemy get into a stance, he was not sure but he suspected it was an emotion.

    He thinks it''s excitement!!

    <i>"Blood Demon Art!!" </i>

    The temperature in the air plummeted and the white smoke of frosty ice overwhelmed the surroundings. The world became numbing cold and on a summer night, winter came.

    <strong>"Rime �� Water Lily Bodhisattva"</strong>

    A gigantic icy Buddha materialized amidst the frigid air. The space around the statue seemed to distort due to the depressive cold. The winds were still, frozen at the moment as the Buddha was erected to its full glory.

    From the mouth of the Buddha came chilling white clouds that froze everything in its path. Spinning lotuses with sharp vines also came to life around the Buddha and they towered over the human.

    The Hashira watched all of it happen from a distance. Each breath he took released smoke in the arctic air, yet he remained unharmed. He was like an undying me, with the heat of a star in his lungs.

    His purple eyes pierced right through the frozen air.

    Doma grabbed the space in front of him and the Buddha followed his action. Then he took the action of tearing down space - the Buddha followed.

    The icy statue of a God, standing almost ten meters tall, came crashing towards the human with the weight of a mountain. The lotuses spun forward at incredible speed, aiming to rip him apart.

    In return, the Hashira only observed him with eyes colder than ice. Its calcting depth gave a terrifying chill to anyone who gazed upon them.

    At that moment, he created a new breathing style to perfectly counter against Doma. It was the same thing he had done for Sun Breathing

    The ice Buddha would require incredible raw strength to destroy so he took that aspect from Stone Breathing. The chilling clouds from the Buddha''s mouth demanded Wind Breathing to fight against them. And finally, he took the intensity of me Breathing to fight against the frigid temperature.

    These three styles were broken apart and rebuilt to create a new breathing style.

    <i>"Volcanic Breathing : First Form," </i>said the human before moving straight towards the giant Buddha.

    He lept in the air, higher than the ice buddha. The lotuses spun and changed trajectory to follow him but he paid them no heed. He brought his long sword high above his head and you could see an intense red cover his body and sword.

    <strong>"Molten Divide,"</strong>

    Under the stunned eyes of Doma, the ice Buddha instantly split into two and the shockwave from the sh destroyed every individual lotusing his way.

    That was not the end. Soon after, the earth split into two.

    <strong><i>*BOOOOOOOM!!*</i></strong>

    It was a ground-splitting attack with the intensity of an erupting volcano. The ground quaked as if the tectonic tes had shifted. Then an overwhelming wave of pressure crushed the vicinity mercilessly.

    It was not only an attack that equalled the Ice Buddha. It was an attack carefully crafted by someone to counter Doma''s attack perfectly.

    The Upper Moon never stood.a chance.

    The aftermath of the sh was a scene of broken ice and scarred earth. There was an oppressive silence in the air that seemed to choke Doma.

    The emotion in his heart increased.

    <strong><i>"Blood Demon Art : Crystalline Divine Child,"</i></strong>

    Doma immediately continued the battle. Something inside was urging him to attack even more intensely. He created miniature clones of himself once more and they attacked the Hashira all at once.

    But this time, it was no longer effective.

    The Hashira was way faster than the clones so they were never able to surround him to take advantage of his blind spot. He moved from one ce to another as they blurred around the battlefield and the vige.

    The exchange went on for quite some time. The sound of ice shing and breaking against steel filled the Vige. The houses in the vige were destroyed in loud destructive explosions. A cmity had struck the settlement.

    After this battle, the vige would not be habitable anymore.

    But through all this, Doma could not process anything anymore. It was all a blur of information.

    He remembered creating more ice clones every time they were destroyed. But he remained in his ce, aware of the battle yet not joining for some reason.

    There was something choking him from the inside. It stopped him from moving an inch towards the human.

    How odd, how very odd.

    Then in a loud ear-splitting explosion, the Hashira destroyed all six clones at once. He razed a path through the vige and immediately reached Doma.

    "Let''s end this now," he said, the imperfection of his speech still remained.

    Doma remained in his ce, he did not even try to make clones anymore since they were ineffective. With every intention of ending the battle himself, they stood opposite to each other.

    <i>"Blood Demon Art," </i>Doma readied his spell.

    In return, the Hashira said...

    <i>"Esoteric Art,"</i>

    <strong><i>"Water Breathing : Eleventh Form,"</i></strong>

    Water surged out from the Hashira and covered the entire surrounding. Doma felt like he was pulled into another dimension as he found himself in the middle of a waging ocean.

    But even after a while, the Water never calmed down. Instead, the waves became more and more violent.

    <strong>"Living''s Malice,"</strong>

    Right then, killing intent floods out like a raging tsunami. The intent of the malice and hatred was so strong that it transcended the psychic ne and manifested itself to the world. Not only could Doma feel it but he could experience his death multiple times.

    It froze him in his spot.

    The burning feeling in his heart, the emotion he felt finally became known at that moment. Since he never felt emotions before, he did not know what it was but now, he realized.

    It was not excitement.

    It was fear.

    He was afraid.

    Doma could not move at all. Every second he experienced his own death. The killing intent was so strong that even the breeze upon his skin felt like a deadly attack and he waspletely stunned.

    He was scared. He knew he should not be scared of the blowing wind or the sound of crickets but like a child with an irrational fear of ghosts, he trembled.

    Therefore, he never even saw the real attacking. When everything felt like they were trying to kill him, the real attack that was made to kill him waspletely hidden.

    This technique was theplete opposite of Giyu''s ''Dead Calm'' and his selfless state, yet they aplished the same task. Instead of erasing one''s presence by eliminating all hatred and intention, this technique amplified it.

    The killing intent and the hatred of the user were so powerful that theypletely corrupted the surroundings. Like conquerors haki, the intent materialized on the world and the victim felt like everything in the world was out to harm them.

    So they could never see the real attacking. They could not differentiate between a blowing wind and the shing of a sword.

    ...

    Even without his knowledge, Doma''s head was chopped off. His body fell to the ground and his bisected head soon followed.

    Doma was too stunned to even react.

    His eyes were wide, too overwhelmed by the emotion in his heart. In the following second, his head started turning into ash.

    He could''ve regenerated, an Upper Moon like him would not die by simply beheading. And yet he was dying.

    Why?

    It was because he dared not regenerate when those eyes were looking down at him. Being erased seemed to be the better alternative than continuing the battle.

    And so, Doma died not because of any de or attack but because he didn''t do anything.

    He was too overwhelmed by the first and thest emotion he ever felt in his long existence.

    <strong>Fear.</strong>

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [Colder than ice]

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    Author : Sorry, I had to re-write this Chapter because I killed Doma in a very dumb way. In all honesty, Seiji had no way of killing Doma other than waiting for sunrise. Remember it took wisteria poison 400 times stronger the amount to kill normal demons to bring down Doma.

    I don''t see anything other than sun breathing that can kill Doma.

    It felt off at first, how Seiji killed Doma. But I re-wrote the Chapter and this time, in Doma''s perspective to mention that he died not because he was killed, but literally because he was too afraid to heal.

    He killed himself basically. And this became realistic when we learned that Doma could not feel emotion so he did not know how else to react to the first emotion he felt which was fear.

    So, that''s how you kill Upper Moon 2 I guess.

    ..

    Also, Kudos to the reader whom I did not remember. He said something about selfish state which would be the opposite fo selfless state under the Chapter that said Seiji could never enter selfless state.

    I took his advice and created Living''s Malice, absolutely opposite of Dead Calm lol.

    So, that''s the end of the Doma arc. I hope I cooked up an eptable product.

    Thanks for reading and supporting me.

 Chapter 86 Its over

    Chapter 86 It''s over

    [Seiji''s POV]

    How do you kill the unkible?

    That was a question that gued my mind throughout the battle because I truly had no way to kill the Upper Moon 2. I didn''t have a red nichirin sword, I hadn''t learned the forms of Sun Breathing and I didn''t have wisteria poison.

    I could win the fight, I could win the battle, but I could not kill the enemy. I didn''t have the weapons to do so.

    So in every sense of the word, the Upper Moon 2 was unkible for me.

    How do you kill the unkible?

    In the end, the answer was childishly simple.

    You don''t.

    But here''s the twist. I could not kill him, but I could cause his death.

    It''s funny to you, isn''t it? But my adrenaline-pumped brain and my bloodthirsty mind thought it was absolutely genius at the time.

    So my eyes started searching for weakness. It did not find weakness in his demonic body that could regenerate infinitely. But they found a major w in his mind. His mind could not process emotions properly, itcked empathy.

    That''s where the idea came from. To attack the mind of the enemy instead of simply cutting his body again and again.

    I created ''Living''s Malice'', a unique version of Dead Calm - Selflessness State - to attack the psyche of my enemy. The result was just as I predicted.

    I pushed Doma''s mind into a state of absolute fear. The most ancient emotion that has been in living beings since the beginning of life.

    To put it simply, I made Domamit suicide.

    Like I said, I couldn''t kill the unkible but I could cause their death.

    To put it in an even more simpler term, I am just built different.

    ...

    "It''s over," I muttered out on the battlefield that had gonepletely silent.

    Doma was dead, and the fight was over.

    The moment those thoughts finally settled in my mind, my body gave in to the injuries. The great delusion of stregth I had been working withpletely shattered, leaving only pain and agony.

    I felt the Demon yer Mark on my face fade away and the heat in my body also turned lukewarm and then cold.

    I had never felt so drained and weak before. The sudden change from the absolute peak of power to the vulnerability of a baby caused my knees to falter and then bend.

    I fell to the ground.

    Forget about the wounds inflicted on me, the damage I inflicted upon myself from going beyond my limit hadpletely broken my body. It was phenomenal that I was alive, a miracle that I was still conscious.

    I gasped like a fish trying to breathe onnd. I tried to follow the pattern of Sun Breathing as urately as I could because I believed that was the only thing keeping me conscious.

    Then I started crawling towards the ce where I put Kanae. I struggled along every inch of the long journey but after a while, I reached her.

    I put arms around her and gathering every street I umted with during my journey, I pulled her on myp and held her close.

    I was in immense pain which made death attractive. But the feeble pounding of a heartbeat and weak breathing I felt from Kanae made every second of the pain worth it.

    I did it. I saved her.

    My vision was red and blurry from all the blood. I did not even have enough stregth to use my eyes on her to check her injuries so I simply held her tighter.

    But I knew I saved her.

    I was able to protect my treasure this time.

    After staying like that for a few minutes or so, the sun started rising on the horizon, casting a warm golden shine on the world. Under the protective brightness of the sun, I knew I was safe.

    So I pulled my head back and rested my body on the tree. I saw many Kasugai crows in the sky, I couldn''t hear them so I didn''t know, but they seemed to have been there for a while now.

    I closed my eyes, knowing that help was on its way.

    That was the finalfort and security I needed.

    I passed out into a death-like sleep, never to awaken again. The only way to wake me up would be a true love kiss.

    Kidding.

    A nice pair of boobs pressed against my body would also do.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Officially the shortest chapter I''ve written. Imagine I make my return with only this lol.

    Next chaptering soon.

    You can throw stones at me for disappearing longer than promised. Don''t worry I don''t mind.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 87: Hope

    Chapter 87: Hope[3rd POV]

    "Is what you are saying true?"

    Ubuyashiki moved his body forward to hear the Kasugai crow better. A small trail of blood flowed from his lips due to the sudden increase in his heartbeat and because of the way his body tensed.

    "Kanae Kocho encountered an Upper Moon during one of her missions, she was nearly killed but the Hashira Seiji Shigan immediately came to her rescue. In the following battle, Seiji Shigan emerged victorious and successfully slew the Upper Moon 2,"

    "Is that so.." Ubuyashiki''s face split into a rare smile of unbridled joy. "Is that really what happened,"

    The relief and the myriads of emotions going through his heart couldn''t be expressed in words, but Ubuyashiki felt more alive than he ever did in a decade. After all, this was proof that they were on the right path to ending this war, it was also an assurance that all the work his clan had done was not a waste.

    "For 110 years, the Upper Moons have remained unchanged. They stood as an absolute evil that could not be brought down. But all of that changed today," he said before he started coughing out blood due to the excitement. His wife immediately came to his side to support him.

    "Amane, can you feel it? The war had taken a new turn. It is the start of a new era where the demons would not only be the hunter but also the hunted," Ubuyashiki expressed his feelings.

    "Thank you, Seiji, thank you Kanae,"

    ...

    "Send all of the Kasugai crows out, spread the news to every Demon Slayer fighting for humanity. Tell them that their sacrifices were not meaningless, tell them that we are not simply surviving against the demons anymore,"

    "Go forth at once, tell them we are fighting back. Muzan Kibutsuji will be killed in our generation,"

    All of the crows who were in the Demon Slayer Headquarters took flight, guided by the Ubuyashiki''s crow. Their sheer number cast a show in the morning sky.

    They flew fast and carried good news. Their numbers spread across all of Japan, to every samurai working as a Demon Slayer.

    "Go on," Ubuyashiki looked out from the Veranda and at the rising sun.

    "Give them hope,"

    ...

    /////////////////

    That day, all of the crows went to their assigned Demon Slayer, telling them how the Upper Moon 2, a being that was thought to be unkillable, was cut down by a pillar.

    The other Hashiras who got the news smiled at the feat achieved by the strongest amongst them. The news had lit up a fire in their heart.

    A chain of oppression and despair that had been unbroken for over a century was finally broken. That inspired them to work harder than ever before.

    They were already at the pinnacle of strength but they started training again, following the example of the strongest.

    They didn''t want to be left behind.

    But the effects of the news was even more impactful to the average Demon Slayers. They fell to their knees, crying tears of joy upon hearing that an Upper Moon was killed.

    All this time, they thought they were fighting an impossible war. Everyone knew that the Upper Moon Six and the Demon Lord were completely untouchable. The best they could do was survive and protect the innocents from the lower rank demons.

    But the news broke their perspective. They had a chance, to not only survive but to win.

    That gave them purpose once more, a reason to keep fighting, a reason to keep on being strong. They now knew that their pillars were capable of fighting against even the demons who worked directly under the Demon Lord.

    The impossible was proven to be possible.

    It was a victory in a constant losing war that stretched since the death of Yoriichi.

    "Hashira, thank you," Satsuki and many other Demon Slayers said in their mind. They all took their swords out in the morning when there was no enemy to fight.

    A sword was not only a weapon to a Samurai, It was also a symbol of their pride and honour. Some even went as far as saying that the sword was a part of them, a part of their very soul.

    On that auspicious morning, they sharpened their nichrin sword and cleaned them under the sun. A traditional behaviour, of a samurai who just won battle.

    To all of them, Seiji Shigan was the pillar of hope.

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    In a dimension of infinite castle, a meeting was called after 110 years. All of the Upper Moon who were still alive were gathered by the Demon Lord.

    "We have all been summoned here, that could only mean..." Akaza said and then his eyes suddenly went wide in realisation.

    "An Upper Moon was killed,"

    He looked around at the dimension. He was standing on top of a moving platform while many buildings folded and shifted like clockwork around him. They moved in a chaotic pattern with perfect order, making houses and creating castles before tearing them down again, piece by piece.

    Like a continuous puzzle, solved and then unsolved.

    "Upper Moon six, here," suddenly, Akaza heard a voice from behind him. Upper Moon six, Daki stood on top of a different platform that soon joined with his to form a bigger platform.

    Akaza almost sneered because the woman was too weak to call herself that. But the other demon - her brother Gyotaro - who laid dormant in her shadow made him stop.

    Her brother was only slightly weaker than Akaza. If not for her, he should be Upper Moon 4.

    "Upper Moon five, here," said a pot that suddenly appeared beside Akaza. From said pot, a demon slowly came out like a genie in a lamp.

    The demon had baby arms, mouths for eyes and a single eye instead of a mouth. He was an abomination, a grotesque construct of flesh and soul.

    Akaza glanced at the demon briefly before looking in another direction where an old demon was crying and shivering on a staircase.

    "U-Upper Moon Four, here," the demon managed to form the sentence before he started cowering in fear again under Akaza''s glare.

    "Upper Moon Three, here," he said afterwards.

    And then, silence.

    The only sound was the folding of constructs, buildings and the moving of space. The world around them was like a kaleidoscope of buildings that was constantly moving, creating and destroying rooms.

    The longer the silence went, the bigger the feeling of foreboding in their heart.

    ''It couldn''t be?'' Akaza thought to himself, his eyes turned red and his fist clenched.

    "Upper Moon One, here,"a voice suddenly echoed in the dimension. The source of the sound was not seen but his presence was felt with his words.

    That was all the confirmation needed.

    Upper Moon 2, Doma was killed.

    ''That bastard, that bastard!! How dare he die before I killed him,'' Akaza gritted his teeth and his fingers drew blood due to clenching too hard.

    {I guess you now know, which one amongst you was the failure,} A voice suddenly said and with the sound came immense pressure that made them all kneel.

    {I don''t even know why I bother keeping you around.}

    The pressure of unadulterated power and the killing intent of the vilest creature in the world fell upon their shoulders. Even Akaza himself started sweating under such pressure.

    {You have failed to kill the Ubuyashiki family, you have failed to find my flower, you failed to weaken the Demon Slayer Corp and now, the second strongest amongst you died at the hands of a mere human.}

    The wood cracked under the pressure and Muzan slammed his hands on a table. As every demon had a part of his blood, they could feel his boiling rage.

    {Why should I keep you alive when all you prove to be are disappointments? You all are absolutely worthless.}

    ....

    {I''d like to advice you all to move with a sense of urgency because my rage nearly reached its boiling point. Destroy the Demon Slayer Corp and start hunting this human who killed Doma.} Muzan said.

    {Seiji Shigan. He has grown rapidly in power and is becoming a genuine threat among the Demon Slayers. I want his head.}

    ..

    And suddenly, the pressure was lifted from them. All the killing intent was withdrawn and you could not even feel malice from the Demon Lord anymore.

    "Do I make myself clear?"

    "Yes my lord," all of them answered in unison.

    With the sound of a single strum, Muzan disappeared, leaving all the Upper Moon by themselves and discussing on their own.

    "Lord Muzan is magnificent as always. All that malice, all that bloodlust, how wonderful!!" Upper Moon 5, Gyokko said with a giant blush on his grotesque face.

    Daki followed soon after. She fell on her knees completely and started touching her breasts and crotch. She was so aroused by what happened, she could hardly hold herself back.

    On the other hand, the Upper Moon 4, Hangtengu was crying pools lo tears. He mumbled apology after apology while grovelling on the ground.

    Looking around at his fellow Upper Moon, Akaza felt like vomiting. Their character and behaviour were completely revolting to him. How they were able to rise the ranks, he did not know.

    ...

    But then, another sound befell his ears. It was not Muzan''s voice but held the same weight.

    "Akaza,"

    As a warrior of the highest degree, Akaza could feel the strength of Kokushibo in his voice. Upper Moon 1 usually completely erased his presence but when he appeared, the weight of his presence could not be ignored.

    "Do you think you can kill this human?"

    Akaza gritted his teeth and veins popped all over his body. He stared right in the direction where the voice was coming from and he saw Kokushibo sitting in another section of the infinity castle.

    He was insulted. sea??h th�� n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, he could kill a mere human!!

    "Are you questioning my strength?" Akaza spat out in barely hidden rage.

    "..."

    "It is as you say," Kokushibo admitted, adding fuel to Akaza''s anger.

    "I was just thinking of how if you prove to be incapable...."

    "I''ll have to do it myself,"

    Six eyes opened after years of being closed and laying dormant. A being no weaker than Muzan himself was thinking about fighting once more.

    "Don''t worry, I will kill him," Akaza said, "And I will kill you too."

    Right after, Akaza took a giant leap and went away from the place. He felt that if he had stayed a second longer, he wouldn''t be able to hold himself back anymore.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : That''s two Chapter already but 700 stones today will get you extra Chapter again.

    Join my patreon to support me and read two weeks worth of Chapters ahead!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

    Thanks for reading!!

 Chapter 88: Victory had a cost

    Chapter 88: Victory had a costAuthor : Bruh I didn''t expect this much stones. You guys were dehydrated I see.

    /////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Existence hurts literally for me.

    I was in a deep numbing silence and complete darkness. It took me a while to realize that I had just woken up.

    I opened my eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the Flower Mansion. I flared my nose and took in the scent around me, I could smell the summer air, the pollen flowers and the artificial smell of medicine.

    I could also smell the familiar scent of sweets and love.

    Yeah, love had a smell.

    I moved my head to look at the beautiful face of Mitsuri sleeping in her folded arms. She sat on a chair right next to me but her upper body lay on the bed to fall asleep.

    Her fair skin had a healthy pink hue on it, showing how sensitive she was. Pink locks of hair, slightly curly due to being braided fell from her head. They were a little unkept, hinting that she had not taken care of them for a few days now.

    I took a closer look at her and my eyes noticed the line of dryness on her face, tracing the journey of tears. It seemed I had made her worried.

    I did not immediately wake her though, I kept staring at her with my purple eyes for a long time, imprinting her image in my mind, like a tattoo that would never fade.

    Was it weird that I found her incredibly beautiful? Others would think that she was not in her most attractive state. But knowing that her dishevelled state came from the fact that she was worried sick for me made all her flaws perfect.

    I tried and reach out to her but then I realized I couldn''t move. My body was still too exhausted even after all the rest it had gotten.

    So I tried again, and this time I put more effort - the same effort I would put in when I swing a sword and not simply move a hand. I rest my palm on top of her fluffy hair and caress her head for a while.

    Her eyes quivered shut before they slowly opened. Her green orbs got caught in a spell cast by my purple ones. She stayed frozen, for a while before she exploded in shock.

    "Seiji!!"

    My eyes read her body language and told me that she was going to pounce at me. I could''ve stopped but I didn''t. She threw herself on top of me, without even a second thought about my injuries. Some may criticize her carelessness but I simply loved that I could make her forget everything.

    I braced myself, expecting the warmth of an embrace mixed with pain. But the pain never came, her gigantic squishy melons acted as a pillow to cushion her and I only felt warmth and softness.

    I guess those things had their use other than just distracting me.

    "You''re awake, you''re awake, you''re awake!!" she chanted while hugging me tightly.

    I allowed myself to melt into her soft embrace and bask in her sweet scent. Why the fuck would I want to die and go to heaven when I had her?

    And so, the reunion started.

    I said reunion because I learned later on that I had been sleeping for two weeks. Normally, I should''ve woken up a couple of days later but Shinobu thought it best that they gave me sleeping medication and forced me to rest for many more days.

    The people of the mansion who knew me all came when they heard I woke up. It was not only because we knew each other but also because of the feat I had accomplished.

    Slaying an Upper Moon. Apparently, the reaction of the people was bigger than I''d even expected.

    Shinobu herself remained in the Flower Mansion so she was there when I woke up. She immediately came rushing to the private room where I was saying to greet me.

    "Thank you. You couldn''t imagine how grateful I am that you saved my sister," Shinobu said and gave me a deep bow.

    I told her it was fine, that we were friends and there was no need for such a thing.

    I also felt immense relief when I heard that she was safe. Things felt a little blurry after two weeks of sleep but I remembered noticing her faint breaths and heartbeat when I last held Kanae. So hearing that she was indeed alive was much needed.

    The whole thing took nearly an hour before I was left alone again. The people in the mansion returned to their work and seeing that I had woken up, Mitsuri also left with the promise that she''d return quickly.

    She was probably going to get some food and refresh herself. I learned that she had been the one nursing me all this time, giving me injections and taking care of my body while I passed out.

    Hmm, I wonder how my dick was when I passed out. Luckily it did not shrink like a shrimp while I was out cold. It''d be embarrassing if when Mitsuri cleaned my body, apply medication to the wounds etc she saw my dick and it was only the size of a juvenile mushroom.

    Now that I thought about it, that was a genuine concern.

    It''s summer and hot so hopefully it did not shrivel up. But even if that was the case, instead of a negative reaction Mitsuri would probably say it''s cute.

    Wait..

    What''s with these weird drug-induced thoughts?

    Just then, I felt a hand touch my shoulder and when I turned to look, I saw Shinobu with a tray of food. I was at peace and tired at the moment so I did not even notice her when she came close to me.

    "You need to eat this," she said.

    My eyes remained stuck on her face for a long time. I was not sure why I kept on staring, maybe I was expecting to see the usual smile on her face or that childish blink in her eyes.

    In the span of two weeks, she looked like she had matured for two years. I guess seeing and taking care of two of the most important people in your life while they were at death''s door inevitably changed her.

    I finally tore my eyes off her face to look at the food she was carrying on a tray.

    My heart dropped.

    "That''s not food," I said.

    "It is. It''s food but more digestible and with more nutrients," she said and handed the tray to me. "We can''t have you eating normally yet,"

    This thing looked like fucking oatmeal.

    "I understand, thank you," I said.

    And then we both became silent.

    "...."

    "...."

    "Are you not gonna leave?" I asked finally.

    "I will, right after you finish that. I need to take back the dirty plates,"

    "You don''t need to, I will bring it out myself later,"

    "It''s okay, please eat,"

    "..."

    "..."

    I didn''t want to eat it. Due to my deafness, my other senses were better than average. Nothing that is superhuman but enough to make me a picky eater.

    Appearance also had a lot to do with whether I liked the food or not. Even if they taste literally the same, to me, the better-looking one always tasted better.

    The food I had in my hands was neither good-looking nor did it taste good.

    But alas, Shinobu knew me too well. I couldn''t avoid eating it.

    So I did, under her watchful eyes I ate the food in a matter of seconds. Not because it tasted good by all means but because of the opposite, it tasted horrible.

    Ew.

    I did not vomit physically but mentally I did.

    "Done," I said and showed her the empty plate with a huge sigh.

    "That''s good, we don''t have time to act childish Seiji, you need to take care of your health," said the same girl who wanted to take poison in small doses daily so that in the case a demon ate her, they would die.

    I stopped her from doing that of course.

    "Has Kanae, not woken up yet? I haven''t seen her," I said before Shinobu could leave. I thought that since I was more injured, she would wake up before me.

    Strangely, Shinobu froze when I asked the question. At that moment, I immediately knew something was wrong. I did not need an answer.

    "I want to see her,"

    ... S��arch* The N??eFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    //////////////////

    And so, I stared at the woman sleeping on the bed. She was pale like a corpse and she had many bandages even on the visible skin.

    But most notably, there was a bandage around her eyes.

    I looked around at the room, which was filled with medical instruments - Oxygen tanks, IVs, chemical boxes, etc. Unlike the room I was staying in, the room Kanae was kept looked like a proper Hospital ward.

    I also saw many flowers and gifts on the side of her bed. They were put by her friends and fellow Hashiras, as a way to wish her good health soon.

    "Shinobu..." I asked and looked at her for an answer, "Why is she like that?"

    "The after-effects of hypothermia," Shinbu answered, "She is still in a state of coma and would remain like so for a month or more,"

    Ah, how could I be so dumb?

    She may suffer less physical injury than me but she had no way to guard herself from the cold which was the real danger in that scenario. I activated my demon slayer mark and had sun breathing but she had no such protection.

    So the cold consumed her.

    "And regarding her physical state, she is just as she is supposed to be. She is healing but at a normal speed," she said and then turned to look at me.

    "You are the strange one here. I still cannot comprehend how you healed so quickly. You should be in bed for at least 6 months,"

    I blinked twice at her answer before I caught the rhythm of my breath.

    Sun Breathing.

    "Ah," that makes sense.

    The sun was the source of all energy in this world. Sun Breathing allows you to utilize that energy directly to nourish your body and acquire exceptional strength. In comparison, I was almost like a plant.

    Also, the demon slayer mark was supposed to unlock the limits of my body. Therefore, that probably played a major role in why I healed so quickly.

    "Not only did you heal quickly but you heal impossible injuries as well, like your left leg," Shinobu continued, "I was certain that you would be crippled for life when I first saw the extent of the damage,"

    "But here you are, still standing on two legs, in less than a month,"

    "What happened?" she asked me curiously "And is there a way you could help my sister too?"

    "I wish I knew, Shibi," I answered, "I''m just as surprised as you, now that you mention it,"

    I walked up the the side of the bed and stared down at the sleeping Kanae. She looked so fragile and vulnerable at this moment even though I knew she was going to be fine.

    "Are you sure she is going to wake up?" I asked as my heart dropped at the thought that she could be in a coma for years.

    "Yes, she suffered no lethal brain injury. It''s just that her blood had frozen up in battle and the supply of oxygen and blood was cut off to the brain. It would''ve been lethal if the duration was more than a minute but whatever you did, you did it fast enough that there should be no irreversible damage,"

    I took a few seconds to digest her words and allow my heart to crawl up into my chest. But I still have one question.

    "What about memory loss?"

    That would''ve been a shitty twist that you would see in Japanese books. The memory of one couple was lost before they could confess to each other. That type of shit.

    "That should not happen," Shinobu said with a shake of her head.

    I swallowed the ball clogging my throat and I put my hand on her eyes. I did not need Shinobu''s help on this one, my eyes could see the truth.

    My body shook as I tried to cope with the situation. I told myself it was fine, we could find a solution to this. I guess this was what Shinobu was trying to hide from me and what was bothering her so much.

    Kanae, she was blind.

    The demons had taken my hearing from me a long time ago, and now they took her sight. I didn''t know how she would react after she woke up but I knew that it would be a massive hit to her.

    She and I shared enhanced eyes and we loved to appreciate the beauty of the world. It was one of the things that bonded us, the same goes for our shared love for flowers. So the loss of vision would affect her tremendously.

    I felt anger bubbling up in my heart. It was them again, like always. Demons. It was Doma who forced Kanae to use the final form of Flower Breathing which permanently caused damage to her eyes. It was also his technique that froze her eyes.

    My body continued shaking as I clenched my fist. The tension in my body caused new wounds to open up, showing red on my clothes but I stopped when I felt Shinobu hug me from the side.

    "It''s okay," she said, a voice of reason for me.

    "Right,"

    I''ll never forgive them.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : To be honest, the memory loss route and permanent coma route were things I considered. We are in the middle of the story and plot so we need a new drive for the story. But then I settled with this.

    For your information, all issues will be resolved. Kanae wouldn''t be blind forever and she will wake up soon.

    Seiji himself did not have a permanent injury but Kanae''s new loss affected him as if it happened to him. So that should light up a new spark of hatred and motivation.

    I also had to do a few researches on how the cold could affect brains and stuff so that took quite a bit of my time as well.

    Anyways, thank you for reading.

 Chapter 89: To be the strongest but not enough

    Chapter 89: To be the strongest but not enough[Seiji''s POV]

    It''s not enough.

    I am not doing enough.

    I am not enough.

    I hated the demons for all the bad things that happened. I despised them to the very core.

    But close second, I hated myself for allowing all the bad things to happen.

    I believed for a moment that I was enough. I let the fact that I was the strongest Hashira and the fact that I never faced a challenge in a fight, get to my head.

    Strongest Hashira? Really? Did I really take comfort in that title?

    Hashiras, those people combined wouldn''t be able to take down Muzan in a fair confrontation. And I was satisfied with being the strongest amongst them?

    Give me a break.

    I was happy when I saw the events of Rengoku manga unfold. I was happy to see him stronger than he was in canon, I was happy that Mitsuri was also stronger and safer.

    I said I was hopeful.

    I was a stupid stupid stupid pathetic fool.

    Hopeful? Really? Was that the best I could do with all the gifts and the knowledge that I possess?

    Being hopeful was not nearly enough. Being hopeful made me do things I did not want to do, hope allowed the people I love to suffer.

    I shouldn''t have been hopeful. Instead, I should''ve been certain.

    Maybe then, Kanae would not be lying in bed. Maybe then, she would not have lost her eyes.

    I see now all of my shortcomings. I couldn''t even protect the girl I love, how pathetic could a man be?

    I knew that she would be killed by Doma for the longest time. But the best I did was take precautions, the best I did was prepare when I should''ve gotten rid of the problem in the first place.

    So there, that was the problem with my mentality.

    I was only reacting.

    Even with all the gifts that I had, even with all the opportunities, I was still only reacting to the course of fate.

    I shouldn''t be reacting, I should be the one who dictates the course of my life.

    Instead of preparing and trying to prevent Kanae from meeting Doma, I should''ve gotten stronger and find that motherfucker, kill him before he ever laid a hand on her.

    That''s what I should''ve done instead of training and hoping I was strong enough to save Kanae when she met Doma.

    You see, that''s where I got it all wrong.

    I shouldn''t be protecting them, I shouldn''t be saving them.

    Rather, I should kill all of the demons instead so that they wouldn''t harm anyone in the first place.

    ...

    Not enough.

    If I continued like this, if I was only reacting, I put them at risk.

    I should be the one dictating and they should be the one reacting. And I need more power to be able to do so.

    That was the case when Yoriichi was alive. He was the one dictating the course of the war, he invented breathing styles, traumatised the Demon Lord and forced him to go into hiding.

    The demons were hunted during his era.

    I need to do the same.

    *Ting*

    *Ting*

    *Ting*

    I was sitting beside Kanae''s bed and I looked at the alarm on the table near the pillow. I was not sure why I even bothered setting that up when I was literally deaf. But the vibration it produced reminded me of the time so I guess that was helpful.

    I got up from the chair I was sitting on and changed the IV which was now empty. It took me only a minute to change it and I was back on my seat, watching my sleeping beauty.

    To be honest, I did not want her to wake up. I hoped she remained like this for a while.

    I didn''t want her to wake up in a world of darkness.

    I could imagine how terrifying that would be. After all, I woke up in a world of silence every day.

    "Don''t worry, I will find you a cure," I said and my hand snaked to grab her hand. I allowed my fingers to intertwine with her dainty ones and I held it tight.

    "I will not allow you to live in darkness forever," I told her and kissed her hands.

    I was doing these quite often, talking I mean. If she woke up before I could cure her, then her hearing would be how she perceive the world.

    I definitely did not want to be someone who rarely talked when that happened. I would need to talk a lot, to make sure she never felt lonely and was always aware of my presence.

    I also made sure to speak correctly, without the weirdness that people often point out. When she woke up, she wouldn''t be able to see my absolutely attractive face anymore, but I still had to be attractive in her new world of darkness.

    So I need to have the smoothest, loveliest, manliest voice ever.

    "While we are on that, let''s talk about how we are going to fix your blindness," I said to her as if she was conscious and she could hear me.

    "Eye donation was the first plan that came to my mind. It should not be possible to transplant eyes in this era but it''s Shinobu we are talking about here, she might find a way to do it," I said.

    "Or maybe if the eye transplanted on you was extremely special, then maybe it can succeed. A pair of special eyes like mine for example. But I am only willing to give you one eye because I would be a vegetable if I lost my vision too whilst being deaf. And that will also have to wait until I kill Muzan Kibutsuji since I need both my eyes to fight," I said.

    It was a very shabby plan. One that had a bigger chance of failure than success but who knows?

    "The next is that we find a way to let your eyes heal naturally with surgeries and medication. I am not too hopeful of this one though,"

    "Another possibility is that I find a demon that can heal. Nezuko can heal impurities caused by demons so anything is possible when it comes to blood demon art. We can even get that demon lady Tamayo to help us, she should be more well-versed," I said and allowed a few minutes of silence.

    "Well, there isn''t much opinion is there.." I chuckled mirthlessly, "But there is one more option that I absolutely hate but one that has the greatest chance"

    "We turn you into a demon," I said and even I could not believe the word that was coming out of my mouth. "After you get your eyes back, we will turn you back into a human. There is an example of Nezuko turning back into a human so it''s possible. But I will need your thoughts on this one," I said.

    "This plan would also require me to do quite a lot of things. First I will have to find Lady Tamayo and make the same deal that Tanjiro did, she will make the potion to turn demons into humans and in return, I will have to work for her and get the blood of the 12 Kizukis. Then I will need to find the Kamado family to locate the blue spider lily. It was due to their connection with the flower that Nezuko and even Tanjiro were able to conquer the sun and resist Muzan''s control, you see." I said and laughed. Of course, she doesn''t see.

    "Finally, I will need Muzan''s blood to turn you into a demon."

    "That sounds feasible, doesn''t it?" I asked and moved a hair from her face.

    I did not have an issue with her being a demon. It will only be temporary and I was not stupid enough to deny the advantage of being a demon just because of the absolute hate I had for them. sea??h th�� N?velFire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tanjiro''s family was killed by a demon but he still loved his sister when she became a demon. Its because love was stronger than hate.

    I was a racist against demons, sure, that remains true. But even a racist can''t deny the advantage of having a black team to win a basketball match.

    "Obviously, I will keep on trying to find better alternatives. Just give me time, will you?" I said.

    Silence.

    "I love you,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Interesting ways to heal her eyes right? And please take what he said with a grain of salt, he is confused but I already know exactly how to heal her.

    PS : I got the idea of Kanae turning into a demon from that one photo and short story JONTY posted. Anyone remember that evil yandere Kanae that locked Seiji in the basement?

    Thanks for reading.

    Join my patreon to read ahead.

    Emmanuel_Capricorn

    Don''t forget the stones.

 Chapter 90: A new Hashira

    Chapter 90: A new Hashira[Seiji''s POV]

    (A week later)

    I allowed myself to heal for a week longer.

    I would spend most of my time beside Kanae and caring for her, but at other times, I would take care of the garden and do some soft training regarding my Demon Slayer mark and Sun Breathing.

    With the conscious use of constant Sun Breathing, I was able to heal better than expected. It seemed after a while, I would suffer no permanent injuries - no limp, no weakened organs, muscle deformation etc.

    The only reminder of the battle would be the numerous scars that now marred my body. And when I said numerous, I was really pushing the quantitative definition of the word.

    The scars I had, especially on my body were almost freaky rather than being hot. They were a result of the ice shards that cut my body during the fight. I also had two scars on my face, one was on my forehead where Doma missed my eyes and another was down the middle of my eye, running across my nose.

    The scars bothered me more than I would''ve liked. After all, I was a perfectionist especially when it came to appearance and the scars were permanent flaws.

    They stole my perfect Chinese protagonist''s looks with jade-like skin and sword eyebrows.

    The horror.

    Wait till I find another demon. It won''t have a good time.

    If Mitsuri had not assured me that they looked cool - I would''ve worn a mask to cover them while they were still prominent. Bless her sweet heart.

    In the passing week, Kanae also recovered well with no trouble whatsoever. Shinobu told me she was hopeful that Kanae would wake up next month.

    So, that''s about what happened in the past week since I woke up.

    Now, Shinobu and I were standing in front of the entrance to the Demon Slayer headquarters. It was still early in the morning and the scent of grass and dew filled the air. I imagined there to be birds greeting the sunrise with a song as well.

    "Are you ready?" I asked the girl beside me.

    "Absolutely not," she replied but her words did not match her chirpy face.

    "Shibi?"

    "I feel like I am not ready yet. I don''t deserve this title and the only reason I got it is because of the state my sister is in," she answered without missing a beat.

    "That''s true," I agreed with a nod and she gave me the stink eyes.

    The reason we were standing in front of the Demon Slayer Headquarters was that a Hashira meeting was called and because we would have a new Hashira today.

    Shinobu Kocho.

    She was going to become a Hashira today. She had not completed the requirements to become one but more manpower was needed after the fall of one Hashira. Plus, her skills and qualifications were approved so it was decided that she would become a Hashira.

    Kanae was likely to never fully recover her abilities so a new Hashira was needed. That was where Shinobu stepped in, she was the perfect replacement with similar skills.

    It was similar to Rengoku''s situation where he was given the chance to become a Hashira on a silver platter after his father quit.

    "You don''t need to be nervous, trust me, you are more than ready to be amongst us," I said and tried to give a smile.

    My statement seemed to release the tension in her body a little. After all, if the strongest Hashira who was able to slay an Upper Moon said that you were qualified, then you better believe that you were qualified.

    We entered the headquarters and since it was her first time being there, Shinobu looked around curiously. I led her to the main house where Ubuyashiki stayed and we saw other Hashiras in the courtyard.

    "Seiji!!!" I did not need ears to know whose voice that was.

    Rengoku launched himself at me with the speed of a meteorite and gave me a bro hug. He wrapped his arms around the midsection of my body and he raised me up like a child.

    "Hahahaha!! And the hero lives to fight another day!!" He exclaimed and spun me around in joy.

    "Put me down right the fuck now Rengoku!!" I screamed but he chose to ignore my words in a very Kyojiro way and started running around while holding me up.

    It was only after he was satisfied that he put me down on the ground. He released a hearty laugh once more seeing me glare at him.

    "You really showed those demons who the boss is!!" he said with fiery passion.

    In the end, I couldn''t be mad and my frown flipped into a small smile. "I really did, he died shitting himself,"

    "He was an Upper Moon, truly he did not?" Rengoku said. sea??h th�� Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "He did, he died like a dog," I said, quoting meme man.

    Rengoku just gave me a laughter filled with amusement.

    "You guys seem to be having fun," Giyu suddenly pat my shoulder and said. I did not see him coming.

    "Don''t include me, he is the one having too much fun," I replied.

    "Regardless, he is right to be happy. What you did was incredible Seiji, you are an inspiration to us all," Giyu said in his usual soft-spoken/polite way.

    In times like these, I try to stay humble.

    "Hahaha, of course, it''s incredible. Did you expect anything less from this generational genius?" I said while rubbing my upper lips.

    And I usually fail to be humble in times like these.

    Giyu smiled with a nod.

    "Oye, flashy guy!!" Tengen yelled as he came close to me. He was the type of person to scream louder when the deaf man didn''t hear him.

    "Let me see," he said and suddenly undid the white Yukata I wore to reveal my scared torso with bandages.

    At that moment, the place got a little quiet as they stared at my scars. It clicked in their mind that although I won, it was not an easy fight. It came with a lot of hardships and sacrifices.

    And they were a little surprised to know that there was an entity that could inflict such scars on me. Finally, a sense of dread settled as they were reminded that there were even stronger demons.

    "Auuuuu. Maiii. Gawwdooo!!" Tengen exclaimed in English, "That''s so rad,"

    "It''s only been three weeks, are you really okay?" Giyu asked in concern.

    "I can see the proof of your blazing heart! Respect!!" Rengoku commented.

    Their respective response perfectly sums up their personality. I shook my head with a sigh and covered my body again.

    "It''s not nice to strip people suddenly like that Tengen. Although you are handsome, not everyone is interested," I said.

    "Sorry, sorry, I saw the scars running along your arm and I couldn''t help myself from checking it out." he said, "Although I wonder why you hide it with those baggy clothes, you should show them off proudly like mine,"

    He showed off the scars on his arms and chest which was visible in his sleeveless uniform.

    "They are proof of the hardships you have overcome as a man and a badge of survival," he said and flashed a smile.

    I contemplated his words for a few moments before I shook my head in disagreement. Although scars were cool, having no scars was cooler with a job like ours.

    To me, they were imperfections, proof that I was not able to dodge an attack, they were marks of my mistakes. Like how a teacher circled your mistake with a red pen, it brought shame.

    "Though if you are truly insecure, don''t worry, they fade over time," Tengen said in the end.

    I gave a nod.

    Gyomei came as well and he towered over all of us. He prayed with one hand and used the other to pat me on the head.

    "Amitabha, I should''ve been there, you shouldn''t have to fight such tough battles," he said and his giant hand on my head seemed to transfer warmth.

    "But thank you for protecting little Kanae," he said sincerely.

    "Of course, she is important to me just as she is to you. I''d have fought stronger foes," I said.

    Then tears started flowing out of his eyes and he looked to the sky. "How beautiful, love truly is victory."

    I couldn''t read his lips properly since he was so frickin tall and looking at the sky. But I read something about how love shoulders all storms and ship sailing.

    Gyomei is hella weird sometimes.

    We continued chatting for a few more minutes but as that went on, I noticed the absence of someone. I looked around at the courtyard and I saw Sanemi at a distance.

    He seemed to be brooding in the corner.

    A smile instinctively appeared on my face and I snuck up on him.

    "Aren''t you gonna congratulate me?" I whispered suddenly in his ear. He jumped up like a surprised cat before he turned around angrily.

    "What the hell are you doing!! I didn''t hear you coming!!"

    "I didn''t hear it either," I joked.

    "Hey!! Don''t try to act like a smartass just because you slay an upper moon. If I encountered one, I could do it too!"

    So that''s what it was about. His competitive nature was stopping him from recognizing my achievement.

    "Sure you can," I smiled.

    "You smug bastard just watch me!!" he said and stormed away.

    "Haaaa, same old Sanemi," I said with a shake of my head.

    "Regardless of what he said, he was the first one to reach you after the battle and he was also the one to carry you to the Butterfly Mansion," Giyu said when he reached beside me.

    "He is just too competitive to admit you did well. He trained very hard after he heard the news," he added.

    "I can see that," I said and it was true, I could literally see how his body was injured from all the training.

    ...

    "Good morning everyone," Ubuyashiki''s voice rang out in the surroundings softly like a gentle summer breeze. But something about that voice made everyone stop what they were doing and we assembled in front of him.

    "Good Morning Lord Ubuyashiki!" We said in unison while kneeling on one leg.

    "Thank you all for gathering today," Ubuyashiki said, "I''d like to spend time and hear your stories but we must start the meeting quickly before the medication wears off and I become a vegetable again."

    That actually got a chuckle out of me while the rest remained serious.

    Ubuyashiki seemed to appreciate that I laughed at his joke and that I was not as formal and uptight around him as the rest of the Hashiras.

    "First things first, Seiji," he started.

    "I offer you my deepest gratitude for your bravery and accomplishment. You have given a new hope to the Demon Slayers. From the first time you became a Demon Slayer, to becoming the most efficient Hashira and finally to slaying the Upper Mooin 2, you are an irreplaceable child. This generation is fortunate to have you,"

    In times like these, I always try to be humble.

    "What can I say except, you''re welcome,"

    But usually, I fail.

    In the corner of my eyes, I saw veins pop on Sanemi''s forehead.

    Ubuyashiki just smiled at my antics.

    "Although it is tragic that all the villagers lost their lives at the hands of the demon,"

    That froze me on the spot as memories of how I mowed down the cult members appeared in my mind.

    Yeah, there was that as well.

    Although as much as I would like to pretend that it bothered me to the core, I was fine. I did what I had to do, I had no regrets.

    Well, except I would occasionally have nightmares about it but nightmares were normal to me at this point. I''d feel weird if I didn''t have nightmares.

    I also had the demons to blame everything on. They were good outlets for negative emotions.

    "Yes, I''m sorry I didn''t save them," I said without having the courage to meet his eyes.

    I think he knew I killed them all but was understanding of my situation. He just gave me this gentle smile.

    "I''m sure you did everything you could,"

    ...

    "And now, onto the next topic. We are welcoming a new comrade today, a new Hashira," Ubuyashiki said and everyone turned to Shinobu.

    "Rise, Shinobu Kocho,"

    The crowning of the title Hashira proceeded like always. The only difference was that Shinobu was immediately given the title of Insect Hashira.

    After the short ceremony was done, it was time to get into business.

    "After the battle of an Upper Moon and Seiji Shigan, the activities of the demons had spiked like never before. Lower Moon who usually stays hidden emerged as if given the order to cause chaos and many Demon Slayers are being hunted,"

    "It is easy to deduce that the demons are trying to get back at us for the massive defeat they experienced,"

    "We need to find a way to counter all these attacks or we will have at our hands, the largest casualty ever seen in the last five centuries,"

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : What do you think of the scars? Is it cool? Patreons were in the support of scars but I want to know what you guys think. I can always let the scars heal with the explanation of Sun Breathing if you guys really hate it.

    And no one visted our boi because as is stated, they were busy as hell with the new activity.

    This was a long Chapter so don''t forget the stones.

 Chapter 91: Demon Slayer Mark

    Chapter 91: Demon Slayer Mark[Seiji''s POV]

    We all received the reports of the casualty and that was when we realised how truly bad the situation was. I could finally understand why Shinobu was made a Hashira so quickly.

    The deaths of Demon Slayers this month alone were nearly double that of the rest of the months this year. They were found dead in their missions while some of them would just disappear completely.

    There were even discoveries made of a vase made from the corpses of other demon slayers. I knew immediately whose work that was.

    Not only ordinary demons but the Upper Moons were on a constant hunt for demon slayers. It seemed Muzan was thoroughly pissed at losing one of his greatest pawns.

    Also, I just showed him the potential of this generation of humans so his newfound motivation to annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps was understandable.

    ...

    I needed to do something. This was the consequence of my actions so I had to take responsibility.

    "Seiji, could you give us a little detail of your fight with the Upper Moon? If other Upper Moons are truly on the move, each of us needs to be prepared to face them anytime," Ubuyashiki asked.

    The topic of our discussion eventually led us to this question.

    I remained silent after the question was asked. Every eye was on me, studying my reaction and waiting impatiently for an answer. Everyone was vexed due to the situation.

    I contemplated how much I should share with them. They didn''t need to know everything but...

    I met every eye that was on me. I studied the depth of their eyes one by one and eventually, I stopped and locked eyes with Rengoku. The determination I saw in those red and yellow orbs gave me an answer.

    ...

    Who was I kidding? I was nearly not strong enough to keep things all to myself. I was not strong enough to fight and win this war alone.

    I was not alone. I had friends who were eager to share this burden with me.

    "In the face of absolute power, I learned the limits of humanity," I started and my voice rang like an explosion in their hearts.

    "When I fought against the Upper Moon 2, I learned how weak I truly was. To tell you the truth, the Upper Moon 2 was more than six times stronger than me. Even now, I admit that he is still stronger," I said.

    No need to sugar coat it. Just let them know where we stand. So maybe then, they would have a sense of urgency and need for more power.

    "If all of you were to fight against Upper Moon 2 without me, you would lose," I said and immediately, I got a reaction.

    "Bullshits!!! Do you really think so highly of yourselves just because you killed one Upper Moon? Huh?! Seiji!!" Sanemi stood up and screamed at me.

    He was the only one screaming but I could feel that everyone shared his words. He spoke for every Hashira present in the courtyard. I was the strongest amongst them but they were also the peak of humanity, they had their pride and well-earned confidence.

    "Sanemi, please sit down and hear what your comrade has to say." Ubuyashiki quickly abolished Sanemi and he was forced to sit back down begrudgingly.

    "Then tell us, Seiji, how were you able to defeat the Upper Moon?" Ubuyashiki asked after there was silence.

    "Through my adaptive fighting style, and because of the new discovery I made during the fight," I answered but it only gave more questions to them.

    "New discovery?"

    "Yes, let me show you," I said and stood up. Under the curious eyes of everyone, I went to the side where there was free space.

    I stopped, turned towards them and stood still.

    ...

    Nothing.

    ...

    And just when they were about to question what the fuck I was doing, they felt a sudden shift in the air. Every instincts that they have honed through countless battles and those instincts which they had since birth, all of them screamed out at the danger.

    Black markings started appearing on my face and covered the area around my eyes. They were straight lines that looked like a circuit board of a computer, giving a very machine-like look.

    They could feel the danger and pressure emanating from me. They did not have to experience it to know that my strength just increased exponentially.

    "What. the. fuck." Sanemi gritted out.

    "What is that?" Giyu exclaimed.

    Tengen and Gyomei being the oldest were calm but there was a serious look in their eyes. They had never seen anything like it before.

    I stopped after a few more seconds. I released a deep sigh and looked at the shocked faces of everyone.

    "What you just witnessed now was..."

    "The Demon Slayer mark," Ubuyashiki completed my sentence while looking at me with awe. "Incredible, you managed to awaken your mark Seiji,"

    "Wait, master, you know what it is?" Gyomei was the first one to ask. S~ea??h the ��ov��lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I do," he said, "That''s why I was surprised. I guess it makes sense now, how he was able to defeat a demon stronger than him,"

    With that, I went back to my place in the courtyard and sat down. We could''ve had the meeting inside but most of us preferred to enjoy the nice atmosphere in the courtyard beneath the shade.

    "Master, please tell us what that was," asked Gyomei again, his curiosity piqued because he never felt such pressure in a long time since he gained strength.

    "The Demon Slayer mark. In the days of the Sengoku period, when the first breathing user appeared, many of the Samurais would awaken a demonic mark that allowed them to achieve incredible feats of strength. But as time went on and the first breath users died, the technique was not passed on, likely because no one else could achieve it. It remained as kind of a myth ever since," Ubuyashiki said.

    "What? I''ve never heard of such a thing before," Sanemi commented.

    "Indeed, this technique had not appeared in over five hundred years, so it''s natural that you haven''t heard about it." Ubuyashiki explained, "But the founder of breathing style said in his personal diary and I quote, ''When someone awakens the Demon Slayer mark, the people around him will begin awakening them as well as if resonating with that person,''."

    "It seems in our generation, Seiji was the first one to awaken it,"

    "Was that the reason why you were able to beat the Upper Moon whom you claimed to be stronger than all of us combined?" Sanemi asked.

    "Yes, part of it,"

    "Master, the first breath user said that after the first person awakened the Demon Slayer mark, the people around him awakened their marks as well. Does that mean we can awaken our own marks?" Giyu asked.

    "Yes, that should be the case. Which is why I want to ask Seiji, what did you do to awaken your mark? Please do enlighten us," Ubuyashiki asked me.

    "I don''t particularly remember what I did to awaken the mark but I could describe the situation that led to it." I said, "The demon I fought, Doma had a blood demon art that allowed him to control ice. He made these ice puppets that completely surrounded me and Kanae and they started suffocating us with the freezing clouds that were like blizzards,"

    "We were helpless. I put my arms around Kanae, holding her tight so that we could share our body heat but it was no use, we were about to freeze to death. At that moment, I remembered being filled with rage and hatred that completely consumed my body. My heart pounded in my chest rapidly and then my body started heating up unnaturally to fight against the cold," I said and closed my eyes to remember that feeling.

    "Then unimaginable stregth filled my body. I believed my heart was beating over 200 times per minute and my body heat surpassed 40 degrees Celsius. it felt like my heart was expanding the cavity of my chest and my body was burning despite the cold,"

    I opened my eyes after describing the feeling. I saw Shinobu affected by the scene I was describing since it included her sister nearly dying but the others digested my words.

    "I see, so that''s what happened," Tengen commented thoughtfully.

    "Sounds to me like you set your heart ablaze!" Rengoku said with humor.

    "I believe that each one of you will awaken the mark when the situation demands it. It''s all about the determination you have." I said.

    A discussion soon followed. Most of which were how they could try and awaken the Demon Slayer mark. I wanted to mention how whoever awakened it will have their lifespan cut short to 25 but I didn''t.

    Because first of all, that was not going to stop them from trying to awaken the mark and save everyone. Secondly, it would be hard to explain how I kew it and finally, that would make them worried about me.

    In the end, I told them to not try to awaken their marks manually and instead they should allow the situation to shape them. They agreed to this since trying to get your heart beating that fast and your body temperature that high could be harmful to the body.

    "If you ever encounter an Upper Moon or find some clues on them, do not engage alone. Seek help immediately, there is a reason why the Upper ranks have not been killed in over a century, these demons are superior in ever way. It is safer if we fought together," I said and everyone agreed.

    Although confident in their own strength, when someone stronger than them nearly died after fighting an Upper Moon, they knew to take it seriously.

    After the discussion of the Demon Slayer mark was over, we went to other topics like how to stop the lower-rank demon slayers from being killed like helpless chickens.

    It was decided that no mission should be assigned to any lower rank demon slayers until things calmed down. They would be ordered to stay and protect a village and not travel around to kill demons.

    That kind of mission would only be assigned to Hashiras and higher rank demon slayers - but even they would have to do it in groups.

    We need to avoid the loss of manpower.

    Then it was time to talk about missions and the duty of the Hashira. It was then that I raised my hand to speak up.

    "I request that I am not given any assignment and I am allowed to roam around Japan and fight as I see fit," I said.

    It was a tall request, but I was the golden son, the genius and the one who slayed an Upper Moon. I could request such dramatic privilege.

    "Before I grant your request, can you tell me why you want such freedom?" Ubuyashiki asked.

    So he was going to grant my request, nice.

    "I want to hunt down the Upper Moons and there are personal things that I had to take care of, the last battle had asked me to sacrifice many things," I said.

    I needed to find a way to heal Kanae''s eyes and I also had to find a way to stop the effects of the Demon Slayer marks.

    Not only that, I had to be serious on finding the home of the Kamado. Since I already recreated Sun Breathing, I need to copy the Hinokami Kagura to learn the forms.

    I have much to do on my own.

    "And not to misunderstand, I will not stop my contribution to the Demon Slayer Corps. I merely ask that I am not given orders on where I should go. Wherever I decide to go, I will kill the demons I encounter," I clarified.

    "I trust you Seiji, and I will grant your request," he said.

    "Thank you,"

    "What can I say except your welcome," he shot back the same sentence I said before. Classy.

    After that, the rest of the Hashiras were assigned missions and the territories they had to protect. It took a few more hours to coordinate ourselves all over Japan before the meeting finally came to an end.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    "Call it my curious nature, but may I ask where you will be heading to, Seiji?" Ubuyashiki asked me after the meeting was over and everyone started to leave.

    I remained silent for a while before saying.

    "Well, I will be letting off some of my repressed anger and finally do what I was supposed to do a long time ago," I answered.

    Protecting others was cool, but it was more efficient to kill the enemies. The best defense was often the best offence

    I was done reacting.

    Fuck the plot and fuck the demons.

    No more playing, no more waiting.

    "I will be heading to Tokyo, specifically..."

    "To the entertainment district,"

    Let''s hit them where it hurts.

    It''s not an eye for an eye, I said it before.

    For an eye, I want everything.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Stones.

    There is currently only 5 Chapters ahead but consider joining my patreon.

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 Chapter 92: Date in Tokyo

    Chapter 92: Date in Tokyo[Seiji''s POV]

    She was beautiful.

    "Love Breathing : Second Form,"

    "Shivers of Love!"

    Her body moved with the elegance of a dancer and the strength of a Rishiki. It was one of those moments when logic made no sense.

    Her almost gentle-looking movements never told about the force of a ton they had behind them. Vision and touch could not have been further apart.

    She dashed towards the dummies and with an effortless slash of her sword, she ripped all of them apart. They broke as if they were made of feathers when in reality, they were made of tough wood.

    I did not know how long I had been standing here, hiding behind a tree in the training ground of the Rengoku family.

    It was evening and on this rare occasion, I did not spare a glimpse at the setting sun. Instead, my eyes were only focused on her.

    Her incredible body - superior to every other human since birth, her exotic hair that stood out like a beautiful flower in a barren land, the youthful determination etched on her flawless face, the sparkle in her eye that saw a more beautiful world than the rest, and so on.

    If the sky turned into endless sheets of paper and if the oceans turned into ink, I still wouldn''t be able to write down all of the beautiful things I saw in her. She was worth a thousand sunsets.

    I continued watching her train until the sun finally set behind the mountains and darkness consumed the world. By then, Mitsuri was covered in a sprinkle of sweat and she looked tired from all the training she did.

    I shifted from my statue-like state and made a move.

    Maybe I stepped on dry leaves or a stick, Mitsuri became alerted and immediately turned her head to me.

    Oops, I should''ve looked where I was going instead of staring at her like an idiot.

    "Who''s there....." she started strong and serious but when her eyes landed on me, they died down. She became a doll for a moment, eyes blinking dumbly while she just stared.

    "Seiji!" then her brain finally processed my existence and she came running at me.

    I opened my arms and before I knew it, her body was already clinging to me. She fit so perfectly in my embrace that I hardly noticed.

    Even though she just trained, she did not smell bad at all. My nose only caught the scent of love and supple flesh. If feminity had a smell, this would be it.

    I walked out of the bushes with her body in my arms and I put her down only when we reached the veranda.

    "Wait, you are here," she said, more to herself than me. She quickly checked my body with her hands and eyes to see where all the injuries had gone.

    Then her eyes returned to mine and she asked, "How long have you been standing there?"

    "I don''t know, around the time when your sword slipped out of your hand and almost cut the well in half," I said with a smile.

    Love Breathing was meant to be used with her whip-like sword, but since she had not used that yet, the normal sword she had would frequently slip out of her hand due to the rigid force.

    "What? That''s like two hours ago silly. Were you spying on me for two whole hours?" she asked.

    "I guess so...is that creepy?" I said thoughtfully. I never considered it but wasn''t that a stalker behavior that I just displayed?

    "Not at all, it''s just that.." she said, "That was two hours more I could''ve spent with you,"

    Oh my god, she can get even more beautiful.

    I laughed, "Is that how you see it? If so I have good news for you,"

    "I''m here to invite you on a date tomorrow, back in Tokyo," I said.

    Then stars immediately shone in her emerald eyes. The wide smile that decorated her face made me question why I had not invited her sooner and more frequently.

    "Really? Like we used to before?"

    "Yes, exactly like we used to. I have some business to take care of in Tokyo and I thought it''d be a good time to have a date and also for you to visit your parents." I said.

    It has been quite a while since she had seen her family as well. Although they were close to the city, Rengoku wouldn''t allow her to go home frequently and skip training.

    "Yes!!" she raised her hand and hopped a couple of times in joy.

    "Finally, a day off," she added.

    "What day off!!" Rengoku suddenly slid open the door with a loud bang and yelled loudly, spooking Mitsuri out of her wits.

    "Oh.." his tone changed when he saw me, "Hello Seiji, what brings you here?"

    I held back a laugh seeing the bandana and the apron he was wearing. It was a ridiculous dress compared to his usual Hashira uniform.

    "Just asking my fiance out on a date, hope you don''t mind,"

    "Not at all!!" he answered enthusiastically.

    "Thank you,"

    "What are you two doing outside for so long? Come on in, it''s time for dinner!!" Rengoku said and gestured for us to come in with the hand holding a giant food. S��arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I came unannounced so-"

    "Nonsense!! Come join us," Rengoku cut me off before I could even finish my sentence.

    "Are you sure you have enough food?" I asked and Mitsuri giggled.

    "My friend.." Rengoku said proudly, "We always have enough food,"

    And so, I joined them for supper and ended up spending the night as well. Early in the morning, Mitsuri and I headed out for Tokyo with high spirits.

    The positive aura she had was contagious. No matter how tough life gets, Mitsuri remained my sweet ball of love and positivity.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    Tokyo was the busiest city in all of Japan with many people coming and going about in the streets during both daytime and nighttime.

    The city was also slowly changing from a traditional to a more modern city. You could see small trains, automobiles, street lights etc in the city. The people were also dressed in a more Western style of fashion rather than with traditional Japanese clothes.

    The Industrial Revolution was at its most prominent during these years.

    Mitsuri and I stood out like a sore thumb in such a place. We wore our demon slayer clothes which were more traditional than any other clothes the people in the city wear. People would assume that we were rural pumpkins.

    We also stood out because of our appearances. Mitsuri''s beauty and her pink hair shone brighter than the sun above our heads and my good looks along with my scars also attracted attention.

    "Make sure no one sees your sword," I whispered near her ear which for some reason got red on her cheeks. She gave me a nod for an answer while making sure her sword was hidden by her haori.

    Carrying weapons were not allowed in the city and I wanted to avoid trouble at all cost.

    I turned my focus away from her and I looked around at the city. I wore sunglasses and my purple eyes shone with an eerie light, hidden by the dark shades.

    I scanned the city in its entirety.

    I found many things while I did so but I paid no mind to them. I saw too much that if I acted on them, it would take me forever and I had no time to waste. Instead, I continue my search.

    I was looking for signs of a blood demon art, any demons hidden in the dark alley and I was also on the lookout for Muzan Kibutsuji. Basically, I was searching for anything related to my profession.

    ''I also need to find Lady Tamayo, she should be somewhere in Tokyo right?'' I thought to myself while looking around. Most people would assume I was a village boy who came to the city for the first time due to how much I was looking around.

    I was holding Mitsuri with one hand and we were walking together. I felt a little bad that I was not completely focused on her during our date but it couldn''t be helped.

    "Cafe?" I asked after I scanned the entire vicinity but did not find anything.

    It was like saying ''treats?'' to a puppy, she immediately perked up.

    "Come follow me, I know a good place there!" she said enthusiastically and dragged me to the cafe she wanted to visit.

    I followed her with a smile.

    .....

    "mmmmmm, sweets are like my second favourite thing in the world," Mitsuri declared while eating her cake.

    It was the middle of the week and around 10 am, so there was no one else in the cafe except the two of us - others were either working or just had breakfast.

    We sat on the table furthest away from the counter and enjoyed the chaos of the city. It was a contrast to the peaceful rural areas where I beheld the beauty of nature, but I liked looking at all the activities as well, it was a good change of pace.

    "What''s your favourite thing in the world?" I asked while drinking my coffee.

    "It''s a secret," she answered with a playful grin.

    "Come on, just say it. We all know it''s me," I shot back but she shook her head.

    "Wait, then what is it?" I asked, a little concerned this time. If her favourite thing was not me, then what do I need to kill?

    "Not telling~" she said before stuffing more desserts in her mouth.

    I chuckled and looked down at my coffee, feeling a little thoughtful when I saw the beverage I was drinking.

    "I don''t know how you can drink that bitter thing, it tastes awful," Mitsuri said in a cutesy manner with a finger on her chin.

    I smiled and turned to get a better look at her, but not meet her eyes.

    "I used to think the same before. I never understood how people could enjoy something so bitter. I like the smell and I wanted to enjoy it, but I could never do it." I said, "That is until I learn something,"

    "??" Mitsuri tilted her head with a spoon in her mouth.

    "I learned that it was not the coffee that was the problem but me. I drank it with the expectation of tasting something sweet, trying to make the coffee abide by the rules of what I deemed was tasty." I said and took a sip of my coffee.

    Then I continued, "It was only when I learned to stop expecting sweetness from it that I enjoyed coffee. When I accepted the bitterness for what it is, I learned that it was not so bad. There was a very powerful aftertaste and something soothing about it which I never noticed before,"

    "Sometimes, you need to learn and accept things for what they truly are, without expectation or delusion," I said.

    Mitsuri listened closely, I was not sure if she understood my musing or not but she asked, "Can I get a sip?"

    "Sure," I said and gave her my coffee. She picked the cup up and took a few sniffs before she drank the coffee once.

    "....."

    "Bleh," she stuck out her tongue, " I still don''t like it. It makes my tongue heavy," she said.

    I laughed, "At least now you know,"

    We stayed in the cafe for a couple of hours, trying everything they had on the menu while spending time with each other. We played board games which - mind you - Mitsuri was quite good at.

    Sometimes we would talk about the things that happened to us while we weren''t together. She told me how her training progressed, and in return, I told her how I spent my time in the flower mansion during my recovery.

    Everything was going perfectly, at least I thought they were going perfectly.

    But Mitsuri suddenly touched my cheeks and made me look into her eyes.

    It was only when I saw the emotions in her eyes that I realized I had been avoiding looking at them.

    God, sometimes I hate that I could see so much.

    "Tell me Seiji, what''s wrong?" she asked. I did not know what gave it away or how she came to that conclusion.

    "For some reason, I''m scared," she said.

    ...

    ...

    "I want to try it," I said after a long stretch of silence.

    "Try what?" she asked.

    "Coffee," I asnwered.

    I wanted to try it for what it really was, without expectation and without lies.

    "I have important things to tell you Mitsuri," I said and grabbed both her hands.

    "Go on, I''m always listening,"

    And so I told her.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Wish me luck!! I''m battling some things rn

 Chapter 93: Love rhymes with Drama

    Chapter 93: Love rhymes with Drama[Seiji''s POV]

    "....."

    "....."

    There are people in this world who are so innocent and happy that you do not want anything to upset them, for me, Mitsuri was at the very top of that list.

    So it was hard for me to give her the truth when I knew the truth would hurt her.

    ''I''m going to die at the age of 25 years old,'' I repeated that sentence again and again in my mind without saying it out, hoping that if I repeated it enough, I would eventually find a way to phrase it better.

    A hundred times, A thousand times, a million times...I couldn''t find it, words change, meanings don''t and neither does the truth.

    After I used up all of the silence Mitsuri generously gave me, I came to the conclusion that I did not want to tell her that.

    So I said...

    "What do you think about breaking our engagement?"

    The way her smile literally fell into a heartbroken frown was the saddest sight I had ever seen. It was a tragedy that ripped my heart into a million pieces.

    "Don''t misunderstand though, I still want to be with you, It''s just that the whole engagement thing was arranged by our parents, it''s kind of silly. If we truly love each other, we should marry by our own free will," I was not sure what I said next either, I just remember trying to make her feel better.

    I laughed to make her feel better, but it didn''t work.

    I saw her green eyes break out into tears and her shaking hands reached for her heart. She was holding herself back because she thought it was not reasonable to react so emotionally. It was frightening to see how impactful a sentence could be.

    "What do you mean? I thought you were okay with the engagement," she was not able to say that properly but my eyes read them perfectly.

    "Of course I am," I paused, "Of course I was,"

    When I thought I had a future, I was okay with marrying you. When I was not faced with certain death in the future, I had the courage to want you all to myself.

    "But...." I ran out of air, the master of breathing styles ran out of air.

    "Things change, okay," I said after taking another breath.

    Her body shook in what I could not believe but what my eyes told me were fear and regret. She bit her lips, looked me meekly in the eyes and asked.

    "Did I do something wrong? Why do you not want me anymore?" she said and I was too stunned to speak at how she took my words.

    She looked like the first time I saw her, vulnerable and sorry for being herself.

    "I can change,"

    "NO. FUCK!!" I yelled, too shaken up, "That''s not what I mean.."

    My hands went to grab her face and pulled her close to me. I stood up too so that I could be right in front of her face. Seeing was how I communicate and at this moment, I wanted her to see exactly what I had to say.

    "I love you," It was a powerful sentence but nearly not enough to express the emotions in my heart.

    "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOUUU!!!" I said until, again, I ran out of breath.

    I did not want her to think she was the problem because she was not.

    It was me. Blame me, blame the world.

    We stared at each other for a long time until I let her go and we both settled back to our seats. I took a deep breath and Mitsuri was calmer now and blushing a bit after my explosive confession.

    "And that''s why...I don''t want you to be engaged with me," I said after a moment.

    I recalled the time when I heard that I was engaged with Mitsuri, it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

    I was filled with joy so immense that nobody in this world would be able to understand it. To me, it was greater than being engaged with the queen of England.

    I felt like the luckiest man in the world.

    That still hadn''t changed one bit. Even now, I still feel like the luckiest man in the world. The only difference was that Mitsuri was now the most unfortunate girl to be engaged with me.

    Although all my selfishness as an entity wanted to be engaged with Mitsuri, the part of me that loved her more than myself wanted to break off the engagement.

    Because I know, marrying me would be like jumping on a sinking ship.

    Have you ever talked to a cancer patient or people who knew their death was soon and inevitable? They would tell you, how much that knowledge of certain death changed them.

    In a way, it changed me too. sea??h th�� NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    25 years. That''s only 9 years from now. That was when I would die.

    At that time, I would leave Mitsuri a widow. I would leave her completely heartbroken and in pain.

    I could not stress enough how young it was to die at 25, that''s about the time when life truly began. And marrying me would curse Mitsuri to a life of loneliness from then on. I did not want to give her such a fickle love that would soon turn into pain.

    The truth was, ever since I awakened my Demon Slayer Mark, I could not no longer be truly happy whenever I was with Mitsuri. She noticed this too.

    It was because when I saw her smile, I also saw a future where that smile turned into a perpetual frown. When I took her on dates and made her happy, I only felt guilt, thinking of how I was giving her memories that would one day make her cry.

    "You don''t deserve my love, it''s hell," I said to her and my vision turned blurry.

    It was a strange experience for me, I could barely see even though I possessed the greatest pair of eyes in the world.

    Tears, that was what made my vision blurry.

    "Let''s break this engagement so that you can be free to discover the love that you deserve," I said.

    I was not trying to push her away, I was merely freeing her - like freeing a bird from a cage. Being engaged with me was forcing her to love me and expect a future with me.

    She could continue staying and loving me if she wanted, but I wanted her to be free to also leave me.

    It would mean the world if she were to continue loving me but I couldn''t bear the guilt of making her.

    "There''s someone out there, I''m sure..who has the love you deserve. He will love you perfectly for what you are, and you will be happier with them," I said and it was the most humiliating sentence I had ever uttered.

    But my mind recalled the time when I talked to Giyu in a restaurant. He told me about Obanai, who left him after creating his own Breathing Style. The future Snake Hashira was quickly climbing the ranks and would become a Hashira in less than a year.

    I couldn''t deny that he would love her better than me. I remember in the manga that when they died, they held each other so tightly that they had to be buried together.

    How romantic. My love was nothing compared to that.

    Mitsuri was unquestionably the one I loved the most in this world, even more than my family, my friends or Kanae.

    Yet that love was not enough.

    That''s why it hurt me so much and why it was humiliating.

    ...

    If only I had not been influenced by my desires and broken the engagement before ever meeting her - her story would probably have followed the canon plot and she would have found someone better than me. She would find true love.

    And I would make sure that no one died like in the canon and she would have a happy ending. I just had to interfere and mess everything up.

    I''m sorry.

    "I''m so sorry," I said. I apologized for making her fall for me.

    Breaking the engagement would be a way for her to have a chance, to finally discover the love she deserved.

    "....."

    I was looking down at the ground, tears falling in droplets like a lonely rain. But the falling and breaking of cups and plates on the ground took my attention.

    I looked back up to see Mitsuri crawling on the table, pushing everything off the edge before she lunged at me and took me by surprise with a warm embrace.

    "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!! Why are you crying? I don''t want anyone else, I don''t want any other love! I want you," she told me while bawling her eyes out.

    I did not say a lot. But as someone who always felt that they were not enough and unworthy, she could understand me only by the look of my eyes. Her heart was able to understand mine without needing words.

    So she cried.

    "No, no, no," I denied, and tried to push her away so that she could not only hear and see what I was saying.

    She was too nice, she was too forgiving. She would be able to ignore all the pain and flaws and still love me. I needed to tell her the turth.

    "I''m going to die soon!!" I confessed, "You get it now? Loving me will only bring you pain in the end,"

    "I don''t care!!" she yelled stubbornly.

    "I care! I don''t want you to be a grieving widow only at 25. You are love, don''t waste your whole life on me," I said.

    "That''s 9 more years! I rather love you for nine years than someone else for a lifetime," was her rebuttal.

    "You don''t get it because you don''t know the things I know. You will find another love that is better and stronger than mine. You''ll be happy," I said in painful frustration.

    "No! You don''t know anything either! The only time when I find someone else would be in a world without you," she said and with her inhumane strength, she moved my arms that were pushing her away and she hugged me.

    She pressed my face on her chest, suffocating me and successfully stopping me from talking anymore.

    How stubborn can someone be?

    You know it''s not easy trying to push her away when every part of me other than my heart wanted to have her all to myself.

    "Kanae," I said after finally escaping her embrace again. "She needs me, and I love her too,"

    Another imperfection of my love. I couldn''t focus on Mitsuri alone. I promised myself that I would give Kanae her vision back and I would do everything to keep my promise.

    I would dedicate my whole life to helping her if I must, I could not ignore it.

    It''d be best if the dying man loved the girl who was meant to be dead right? I saved her so she was my responsibility.

    "I won''t be sad if you leave me, " I lied, "I have her,"

    "You are so cruel," her body trembled, "How can you say that?"

    Yes, I am cruel. My love promised nothing but cruelty and that''s why I''m trying to give you a chance to leave.

    "That''s why.."

    "But it''s fine," Mitsuri insisted and stopped me from speaking yet again by suffocating me in her chest, "You also want to help her get her eyes back right? I will help you as much as I can, I promise."

    Those are things you don''t say to someone like me, Mitsuri.

    If you won''t leave, then fine, I will really have you.

    I pulled myself away from her, but this time, it was not to create distance but to get even closer. I pressed my lips against hers.

    This time it was not just a peck, it was a long kiss.

    I love you. she said.

    I love you with all my heart. She said. I love you more than you will ever know.

    She did not speak words as I still closed her lips with mine but that was what she said, in the language of her body.

    Action spoke louder than words.

    The way her thighs destroyed and pushed all her beloved cakes to the side, the way she tried to kiss me deeper even with no experience, the way her arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer to her, as if she was afraid I''d leave.

    I read all of them. I heard all of them.

    She gladly jumped on the sinking ship. What else could I do except make sure that she''d have the best experience before we sank?

    If you still want me, I''ll give you my best.

    ...

    Sometimes, that''s the only thing that mattered.

    /////////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    After things calmed down and we ended the kiss due to lack of air, I looked around the cafe to see the staff staring at us with various expressions.

    The younger bunch were seemly offended at the shameless display, while the older ones looked at us fondly with an understanding smile.

    Mitsuri had a small rope of saliva falling from her lips while she breathed heavily. I quickly wiped that away and snapped her back to reality.

    "I''m sorry about this," I said and carried Mitsuri in a princess carry and stood up.

    I threw all the money I had on the table which was more than enough to pay for the broken dishes and the cost of our food.

    Then I ran out of the cafe as fast as I could while carrying Mitsuri in her arms.

    "That was embarrassing," she said while wiping the remnants of tears from her eyes.

    "Tell me about it," I agreed.

    "Sooo....no breaking the engagement?" she asked while I ran through the streets, trying to find someplace private in the busy city.

    "Forget I said anything. You''re all mine," I said with a huff.

    "That''s good," she smiled briefly before she stopped and turned serious.

    "And please, do give me an explanation for all the dying and Kanae thing," she said.

    All this time, I barely said anything before I broke down into tears. She did not have much context for what I was saying. She mostly just empathized with my feelings and her replies were all emotional even though they were true and came from the heart.

    It was like your best friend saying, I''ll be there when you said you needed them. They did not know whether you needed help burying a corpse or attended a birthday party, they would be there, simply.

    And Mitsuri said she loved me and would stay with me no matter how my life was.

    I love her to death for that.

    "I''ll tell you everything, just let me find someplace private," I said and finally said fuck it and lept on top of the buildings under the eyes of the civilians.

    They were shocked.

    They could go ahead and tell others for all I care. Who''s gonna believe that someone jumped on top of a building bro?

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : As they say, drama is part of love. It either breaks it or strengthens it.

 Chapter 94: End of Drama : Entertainment District!!

    Chapter 94: End of Drama : Entertainment District!!Author : I didn''t want to stop right at the middle of the drama before things get resolved so here you go.

    //////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I see, so that''s how it was..." Mitsuri said thoughtfully while looking at her reflection in the small pond.

    We were at the Kanroji compound, sitting on the bridge that went across a small pond in the garden. Our legs dangled down from the edge and barely touched the water below.

    It was afternoon now and the sun was starting its descent to the western horizon. It took me a little more than an hour to explain everything she wanted to understand.

    "So following what is known from the previous mark bearers, you will die by the age of 25," Mitsuri repeated what I said and I nodded in response.

    "That''s right,"

    "Isn''t there anything you can do? Maybe there is a medicine out there that can cure you. Miss Shinobu is a genius doctor, right? Maybe she can help.." Mitsuri said hopefully.

    "No. I have checked ever single cell of my body, there is nothing out of the ordinary with me physically. I believe that the mark is more spiritual than it is physical, like shortening my lifespan or spiritual essence," I said, brushing off her hope.

    If the Demon Slayer mark had a visible negative impact on my body, my eyes would see it and curing would be much easier. But after many days of research and pondering, I came to the conclusion that it was more spiritual and magical, like the spells used by the demons through their blood demon art.

    I saw Mitsuri biting her lips and she stayed in silence. It would be hard for her to accept the reality. I myself still had a hard time accepting it.

    ...

    "But just because others die at 25, doesn''t mean you will too," she said and turned to look at me.

    Her emerald eyes were boldly locked with mine and without a flicker of doubt, she said, "You are different - like me - you said it yourself. So just because they die, doesn''t mean you will,"

    My throat closed up, my body froze at her words and confrontation. It might sound like a futile hope of a lover to other people but I saw the meaning behind her words.

    I opened my mouth to reply, to give the poor girl another rebuttal but something stopped me from saying anything. In the end, my eyes went soft and I smiled.

    "That''s right, you are right," I said and she beamed me a smile of relief.

    A part of me always knew that. It''s just that the confidence I used to have in myself has wavered ever since I let Kanae down.

    But now that Mitsuri had said it with such intensity in her eyes, I found myself believing again. The lack of faith I had in myself was replaced by the faith she had in me.

    I laughed, "Hahahahahaha!!"

    When have I ever put myself on the same level as others? When they spent their entire life mastering one breathing style, I mastered all of them. When they took years to sharpen their skills, I did it with a glance. When they despaired, I found reason to hate.

    And when they died at 25 due to the mark, suddenly, I was going to follow them and die too? Ridiculous.

    There was even someone, Yoriichi, who was able to live a full life while having the mark. Did I think of myself as inferior and incapable of accomplishing the same feat?

    No.

    Even if I was not born with the ability to overcome this challenge like he did, I will find a way.

    "Now I feel stupid," I said and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. She looked down slightly with red on her face and I took the chance to kiss her on the head.

    "Thank you,"

    I really needed that nudge to believe in myself again.

    I stayed with her for a long time on that bridge, waiting for the sun set into the horizon. There was silence and warmth between us.

    But as the sun nearly dipped into the mountain and the sunlight had turned weak orange, I knew it was time for me to leave.

    "I have to go now," I said.

    I saw how she tried hard to not ask me where I was going but in the end, curiosity got the better of her.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Yashiwara," I said without much care, "To the entertainment district,"

    I saw with the corner of my eyes how her entire body froze like ice. She stilled like a statue for a while before she erupted into a blushing mess. I could almost see steam coming off her head.

    "I-I see," she said and fiddled with her fingers cutely.

    I knew then that she had a completely different idea of the situation. Yet I didn''t correct her because I enjoyed her reaction.

    She thought I was going there to enjoy my time with a prostitute.

    An interesting fact about that, the Japanese people especially during this era did not consider a man buying a prostitute to be cheating. They saw it more as the man relieving himself in a massage or something and not a betrayal of his marriage. If it was business with no emotional attachment, it was not considered cheating.

    Then again, this was due to the prominence of arranged marriage. People rarely marry for love and would marry those chosen by their parents in name only. So usually, the wives didn''t really love their husbands and couldn''t care less if they have sex with a prostitute or not.

    It was all just duty and responsibility. And as time went on, it turned into a culture thing.

    Which was why Mitsuri''s first reaction was to be shy and embarrassed before getting mad instantly like you would expect.

    "But why would you go there?" finally, she asked and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

    "If you want..that kind of thing, I can-"

    I put a finger on her lips to stop her. Please, don''t tempt me.

    "Relax, there is a demon hiding there so I am going slay it," I said with a chuckle.

    I didn''t tell her to that it was an Upper Moon though, with what happened the last time I fought an Upper Moon she would be worried.

    "Oh," she blinked her round eyes.

    "I''ll return before sunrise," I said and after a few seconds, I disappeared from my spot with a blur of speed.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////// sea??h th�� N??eFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    (The entertainment district)

    The place was silent in the day but at night, it came to life. The whole district was filled with bright lights and lanterns that made the night as bright as day.

    Even the stars in the sky were not visible due to light pollution.

    The smell of alcohol and women''s perfume filled the streets. Many drunk men were walking alongside women, some even fondling with their breasts to which the ladies giggled sweetly.

    But alcohol and women were not the only things you could find here. It was the entertainment district after all, you could also see musicians and performers in every corner of the street.

    There were different gambling places where you could bet on cards, a battleground where you could bet on fights and a place to bet on upcoming sports matches etc.

    Basically, everything that could entertain a man was found in the Yashiwara district.

    I stood on top of one of the buildings and scanned the entire layout of the city. The whole place spanned over five kilometres and I made sure to go through every inch of the city.

    Which was hard, not because of how big it was but because...you could imagine why.

    "Found you," I said out loud while my glowing eyes looked at the centre of the district.

    My eyes ignored the distance and even the solid ground. I saw through everything else and my eyes fell on Daki who was underground with a new victim she just caught.

    There were tunnels connecting the whole district and all those tunnels met at the centre where the demon was currently staying.

    Time to do god''s work.

    ..

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    [IMAGE]

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    Author : Things are very complicated during the past few days. So updates will be inconsistent at best this week.

    Will try to go full theottle again next week. Sorry for the inconvenience but life getting too real these days.

    For those wanting to read ahead and support me you can join my patreon.

    Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 95: Upper Moon 6 rhymes with Victim

    Chapter 95: Upper Moon 6 rhymes with Victim[Seiji''s POV]

    The thought of attacking them during the daytime crossed my mind at one point. After all, if I was certain of where they were, why should I play by their rules and fight during the night?

    But I scrapped the idea because of two reasons. First, the police and the officials were active and would react quickly to the scene during the day. Second, I did not want the Upper Moon 6 to fear me and run away.

    It was not like they posed a threat either. No, not at all - not after I already slay Upper Moon 2.

    What I needed was for them to fight me so that I could dispose of them. And rid the world of their unnecessary existence.

    "Hey young man~ You look tense, how about I help you relax?" One of the ladies asked me with a coy smile on her face.

    I wore my Demon Slayer uniform with a white and purple haori. They were made of the best materials and well kept so I gave off a rich vibe. I was also not bad looking even with the two scars that now flawed my face.

    I was the perfect target for these ladies.

    "Fuck no," I shrugged off coldly. Not only was I not in the mood but I literally saw semen flowing down her thighs from a recent customer, it was disgusting.

    I would recommend going for the Oiran instead of going with cheap prostitutes in the street for anyone who decided to visit the entertainment district.

    "Aw~ too bad," as if accustomed to rejection, the lady moved on quickly.

    I was approached by many vendors, businessmen, and other prostitutes while I walked through the streets.

    "Young man, why don''t you try your luck in the game? Life is about risk and reward,"

    "Customer, we have a virgin in our brothel tonight!!"

    "Sake from the capital Hyogo district!! Get one before we run out of stock!!"

    It was annoying while being deaf, I couldn''t imagine how crazy it would be for a normal person.

    I ignored everything else and walked through the crowded road. My destination was the centre of the district under which Daki and her brother Gyotaro stayed. S��ar?h the ��ovelFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Eventually, I reached the centre of the city. I looked around at the plaza and immediately knew that the people around would pose a problem. The battle that would soon take place would wipe them out completely if they stayed.

    I reached for my back and took out the sword which I had hidden beneath my haori. I slowly took off the sheath of my sword and when the sharp blade was fully revealed, the people around me noticed instantly.

    I held the sheath with one hand and my sword with the other.

    "Everyone," I yelled.

    "Run away," I spun with my sword and the people gasped and immediately made space for me.

    But still, none of them leave.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing, you could''ve hurt someone!!" the men yelled back in anger amplified by intoxicants.

    I didn''t repeat my sentence, instead, I brought my long sword above my head and used the only form I could learn from Tengen. He taught me this in exchange for my help in increasing his speed.

    "Sound Breathing: First Form,"

    I swung my sword down, faster than sound, before I slammed into the earth with the force of an earthquake. A portion of the ground sank and an ear-splitting shockwave echoed.

    "Roar,"

    *BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!*

    The technique was extremely loud, it was meant to disorient the enemy and throw them off their balance with sheer vibration alone. I was deaf so I had the advantage when using this particular form, I could make shockwaves as loud as I wanted and it didn''t bother me.

    "Roar,"

    *BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!*

    I did it again and I paused to look around. The people were pushing each other, stumbling on fallen bodies as they fled as fast as they could.

    The shockwave spread far and wide so even the people who were on the outskirts of the district ran away, thinking that there were explosions or bombs were dropped.

    The incident in Tokyo where many bombs were detonated was still fresh on the minds of the people. So they ran immediately, thinking a similar disaster was taking place.

    My eyes returned to the ground and looked through solid earth. I saw my target still in the underground base, they were still unaware of what was happening.

    I brought my sword up once more, veins popped in my hand and I ignored the soreness that still exist in my body.

    "Stone Breathing : Second Form,"

    My muscles exploded in strength and I swung down my sword with the same speed. But this time, the main objective was no longer to produce shockwaves but to crush the earth.

    "Upper Smash!!"

    The solid earth cried and opened up like soft water. With sheer strength, I created a deep depression on the ground.

    *BOOOOOOOM!!!*

    I did not take a single second of respite. I brought my sword up, grasping the handle with both hands while discarding the sheath to the side.

    Then I slammed my sword on the earth once more. I used the concept of repetitive action and each attack was stronger than the last.

    "Upper Smash!!"

    *BOOOOOOOM!!!*

    "Upper Smash!!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

    "Upper Smash!!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

    "Upper Smash!!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!*

    "Upper Smash!!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!*

    //////////////////

    A deep crater that looked like the consequence of the galactic might of an asteroid marred the centre of the entertainment district.

    At the centre, I continued swinging my sword with endless abandon. I put a lot of strength and anger into every individual swing. I moulded the rigid earth to my liking, traumatizing nature with my power.

    I reshaped what was meant to be unchanging.

    "That''s right, panic," I said and took a few seconds to recover my breath. My eyes glowed deep purple and I saw how Daki was sweating bullets in the underground base.

    The shockwave and depression had already blocked every small tunnel that she could use to escape and now she was trapped.

    For the final swing, I brought my sword high above with both hands. The atmosphere made a screaming sound as I inhaled a violent wave of air.

    "Volcanic Breathing : First Form,"

    The demon slayer mark briefly materialized on the side of my face and my body was filled with supernatural strength. Purple circuit lines came alive and glowed along with my eyes.

    "Molten Divide,"

    And so, the earth was split into two. I had been making my way down to the underground cave so with a single swing, I was able to cut open a path and in the same action, I cut Daki who was standing still like a statue vertically in half.

    CRASH!!!!

    The earth collapsed and filled the stagnant space of the cave. My foothold disappeared and I fell to the new sunken ground.

    I landed elegantly on the ground and I took a moment to catch my breath as my mark disappeared. I look upon Daki who was slipped perfectly in half from head to toe, her eyes were wide in shock and she was in the middle of processing what just happened.

    "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" she screamed a shilling scream when she felt unimaginable pain strike her soul.

    Volcanic Breathing was a mix of three breathing styles, one of them being Flame Breathing. An important aspect of Flame Breathing was its burning effect which made it more potent than other breathing styles.

    Fire was closest to the Sun, so the demons usually felt searing pain upon contact.

    "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!" Dake fell on her back. Her body somehow stitched itself together but a red mark was still visible on her body.

    She kicked her feet, grovelling on the ground like a small kid throwing a tantrum.

    "It hurts, IT HURTSSS!!"

    "BIG BROTHER!!!" she cried.

    My eyes glowed and time crawled. I saw Gyotaro emerge from his sister''s shadow and he blurred towards me in an instant.

    Crimson sickle cut towards me with deadly precision and speed. He was fast, not nearly as fast as Doma but he was faster than Tengen for sure.

    I studied every inch of my new opponent''s body and after what felt like an eternity of research, I allowed time to move at normal speed.

    ....

    *FWOOOS*

    A sharp vibration cut the air, his blood-red sickle clashed against my nichrin blade. It was too fast and almost seemed instantaneous - like someone skipped a cutscene in a video game.

    A violent gust and a bright spark came alive as proof of our clash and then it was over.

    "Huh?" Gyotaro said in confusion before his arm exploded in a waterfall of blood. A cut began from the gap between his finger and went on to scale until his shoulder. It perfectly bisected his hand in half.

    With shaky eyes, he turned his head behind, looking towards me. I could see fear and panic in his droopy eyes.

    Despair.

    "Help me," Daki cried as I held her head up with one hand, cut off from her body.

    "Save me big brotherrrr...." she sobbed.

    "Ume..." Gyotar mumbled the real name of her sister while watching me hold her like a piece of ornament.

    Even though they were evil incarnate and demons, the love between them as siblings was strong. It was what won the hearts of many fans back in my previous life as well.

    But looking at the girl''s pitiful cry and the helplessness in her brother''s eyes, I found no pity. I ran out of mercy.

    Instead, I found an odd smile on my face.

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    [IMAGE]

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    Author : 300 stones for next Chapter. Thank you

 Chapter 96: To be helpless

    Chapter 96: To be helpless[Seiji''s POV]

    "Waaaaah! Whaaaah~" Daki sobbed like a little girl, "Why did you let him cut my head? It hurts it hurts~"

    Gyutaro looked at the head of his little sister and his droopy eyes trembled with emotions. His love bred anger and hate in his heart as endless malice oozed out of his body.

    Yet he didn''t move.

    His love and duty as a brother called for immediate action but his instincts as a warrior told him to stand down.

    He knew instantly from one exchange that he stood no chance against me. He was strong, but only strong enough to know his helplessness against me.

    "Ume...." he muttered as I grasped her hair tighter, causing her to moan in pain.

    "Ume!!!!" he yelled and exploded in action.

    In the end, love triumphs over everything - even fear and logic. My eyes narrowed and released an eerie glow while I watched him blitz towards me, both at the speed of a bullet and a turtle.

    He was panicked and distressed so his movement did not have the finesse it usually had. He was madly running towards me, his action revealing more than it should upon my preying eyes.

    I saw his weakness.

    And I exploited it mercilessly.

    I brought my sword out, without swinging it. I simply placed it at the level of his neck, so that if he continued without ducking, he would run into the blade and slice his own head off.

    Then I waited - yes he was fast but I waited - until he appeared in front of me. His crimson sickle pulsed with a strange energy that corroded the air itself. The sharp end nearly found my head but my other arm reached up, bringing the head of Daki between me and the weapon.

    !!!!!

    I saw Gyutaro''s eyes widen and he forced his own momentum to a stop. His body was crushed due to his own suppressed force and the ground opened up as a shockwave echoed.

    *BOOOOM!!*

    My blade bit an inch deep into Gyutaro''s neck. His posture was in the middle of a swinging, stopping just a centimetre shy away from stabbing Daki.

    In a contest of speed, Gyutaro was a coughing baby against a hydrogen bomb.

    Both of them had wide eyes, they didn''t look demonic, instead, they looked humane. They looked helpless.

    The siblings met each other''s gazes and they shared a silent moment of helplessness.

    "This is too easy," I said, catching the attention of both siblings.

    ....

    "Blood Demon art,"

    I raised my eyebrow before my pupils dilated and I had to move my head to the side. A thin arc of sickly red blood came at me like a blade, aiming to nick at my neck. I knew they contained poison so I dodged it without letting it touch me.

    Then I felt my arm went lighter. Gyutaro cut his sister''s hair to release her from my grasp. All of it happened in a split second.

    I could''ve easily stopped them but my lack of effort allowed them to escape.

    Honestly, I thought they would stop a few distance away to recover and then they would both attack me. I thought we would continue the battle.

    But nope.

    Gyutaro held Daiki''s head in his arms, leapt out of the deep crater and ran without even looking back.

    "Oh," was the only thing that left my mouth as I watched them disappear.

    It made sense to be honest. I had proven myself to be capable of slaying Upper Moon 2, and they just witnessed the proof of my achievements as well, so there was no way they would be willing to fight me.

    Their ego as demons were not big enough to fill the power gap between us. There was no room for delusion and arrogance in front of my eyes.

    I rubbed the back of my head with a wary smile before I jumped out of the crater as well. When I was on even ground, I crouched down low and loaded my body like a bow.

    Sun Breathing.

    I was still not able to use the forms but it was a huge boost in my overall strength. If I had used normal breathing styles, Gyutaro would''ve at least stood a chance against me.

    If I had to explain it, I was halfway to being a Sun Breathing user. Imagine the Sun Breathing to be a working oven, I still only had the electricity to operate the oven but not the oven itself.

    But that same electricity was strong and potent enough to operate the other appliances I had like the forms of different breathing styles.

    And not only that, they worked better when they were fueled with Sun Breathing.

    So I took a deep breath as the air I inhaled turned into yellow flames when they went into my lungs. Soon after, my eyes fully turned purple and purple lighting came alive around my body.

    "Thunder Breathing : First Form,"

    I turned into an afterimage and I shot towards the direction of Gyutaro and his sister. I moved at such incredible speed that I looked like a bolt of lightning to the naked eye.

    In less than a second, I caught up to Gyutaro and I blitzed past him in a line of crackling purple.

    He gritted his teeth when he saw me and then he stumbled.

    No.

    He looked down at his legs to realize that they had been cut clean off. He had no legs to step on, no feet to propel him forward. He immediately wrapped his arm around Daki to protect her and he fell.

    His body grinds against the hard ground before he rolls to a stop. He gently laid his sister on the ground and he glared at me.

    "You!!!" Gyutaro growled like a feral beast. His leg regenerated in an instant and he lunged at me.

    "Leave us alone!!" he roared and then his arms blurred. His fight or flight instinct was switched to fight mode as fleeing was a failure. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I pulled my sword in front of me and got into a flowing stance. Gyutaro''s arm blurred as he released multiple slashes towards me in all directions.

    Not only that, a thin blade of blood flew at me at the speed of sound, trying to leave even the slightest scratch on my body because that would be enough.

    The air cried and the friction from such a speed caused a flash of light, like fireworks.

    "Water Breathing : Third Form,"

    I made a move without flaw. I swung my sword in a fluid motion, each stroke of my blade was writing an essay of perfection. My eyes already showed me what was, what is and what will be.

    I already saw the end of this clash - actions told me. So I moved with deep purpose and meaning, like tracing dotted lines to paint a perfect picture.

    *VWOOOOOOOM*

    Gytaro unleashed a continuous chain of attacks that was so quick that it could be stitched into one long attack. On the other hand, I flowed like a river following a predetermined line.

    I did not strike back but I blocked every single attack that came my way. I was bending and filling up any openings like water.

    The following sequence of action was so quick and Gyutaro''s blood and sickle met my sword so frequently that the vibration made a roaring sound of metal hitting metal. It was the literal sound of the battle.

    His rough sickle clashed against my perfect sword and the air ignited, creating endless sparks that lit up the surroundings.

    The atmosphere churned as action after action faster than the speed of sound met in a relentless dance of violence.

    "HAAAH!!" Gyutaro screamed, extending his arm too far in hopes of leaving a scratch.

    That was all I needed. My blade hit the side of his sickle, pushing it away while he tried to pull back. That separated his arms, leaving his midsection wide open.

    I bit down on my teeth and inhaled new volumes of air, the trail of water following every swing of my blade turned red and yellow before they became flames.

    "Flame Breathing : Esoteric art,"

    "Setting sun,"

    I swing my blade in a downward arc that perfectly cuts Gyutaro''s chest diagonally. A deep red mark appeared on his body before they burst into a bloody wound.

    He paused, his arms were spread like a cross while his eyes were stubborn and angry. He took three steps back to catch himself from falling.

    "Storm Breathing : Third Form,"

    "Rain of Ruin,"

    Before he could blink, Gyutaro was forced to bear endless attacks that came from different directions like rain in a violent storm.

    The next thing he knew, more than half of his body was shredded into pieces. His arms were gone and so was every part of his body from chest down.

    *Thund*

    The remaining part of his body fell on the ground which was littered with a bloody paste that used to be his body.

    .....

    "Haaaa...haaaa.....haaaa...." Gyutaro breathed heavily while looking at the sky before he finally released a scream of pure hatred and frustration.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

    Helpless.

    After centuries, Gyutaro finally remembered the feeling of helplessness. It was the same thing countless of their victims felt, but now they were on the receiving end.

    "Why, Why, Why, Why, WHY!!!" Gytaro screamed to the dark sky, as if angry with the Gods themselves.

    I silently walked up to his fallen body before I grabbed him by his hair. Then I tossed him towards his sister who was still just a head and had witnessed everything.

    "Stay like that, don''t try anything or I will kill you both for real," I said.

    To be completely honest, even I was surprised at how easy the fight was. It seemed that Sun Breathing and the Demon Slayer mark were not the only ways in which I grew from my battle with Doma.

    My skills, my instincts and my combat power in general, had all taken a huge leap after the fight. I was leagues above what I was before the fight, even without the Demon Slayer mark and Sun Breathing.

    Gyutaro''s power was also not too great. Even Tengen who was poisoned and lost an arm was able to stand toe to toe with him. Naturally, as someone who was leagues above Tengen, it made sense why I had such an easy time.

    The main danger Gyutaro posed was his poison. It was nigh impossible for anyone to fight him without suffering a scratch and that was all he needed to win.

    Unfortunately, he met someone whom he could never hope to touch due to my eyes.

    The siblings lay side by side, the one was just a head and the other only had his body from above the chest. They looked at each other and started arguing.

    I was not Tanjiro so I couldn''t care less.

    Instead, I looked around in search of something. I had not beheaded them for a reason.

    It took nearly a minute but my eyes finally saw the person I was searching for.

    To the East, around 6 kilometres away was Lady Tamayo and her subordinate, they were running towards us with breakneck speed. They both had a talisman on their body to hide themselves but my eyes saw them with ease.

    I knew they had their base in Tokyo so I was expecting them to come when they heard the commotion in the Entertainment district.

    After all, it was kind of an open secret that there was a powerful demon that killed many Hashira in the past living in the entertainment district.

    I appeared in front of the two demon siblings and I plunged my sword at the heart of Gyutaro, pinning him down on the ground. He was trying to get up and regenerate.

    "Stay. Down."

    His eyes became bloodshot red and he glared at me with endless malice. But ultimately, he stopped.

    I would kill them after I made a deal with Tamayo. I wouldn''t be able to harvest their blood otherwise because every part of a demon disintegrated after their death.

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    [IMAGE]

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    Author : If you can reach 700 stones get another Chapter.

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 Chapter 97: New partner

    Chapter 97: New partner[Seiji''s POV]

    "Finally you''re here," I said while my purple eyes locked on the invisible figure of Lady Tamayo and Yushiro (the servant demon boy).

    They had a talisman on their chest and they were supposed to be perfectly concealed from the world, so well hidden in fact that even the Demon King himself would not be able to see them.

    Yet the world bore her naked truth for my eyes, I saw them clear as day.

    For the price of sacrificing the melody of the world, I was granted the right to see everything.

    "I thought Christmas would''ve come quicker," I joked, it was a summer night. "The demons also attempt an escape numerous times, it was rather tiring forcing them down without killing them,"

    They were caught completely surprised, not only because I was able to see them with ease but also because the demons beneath my feet were Upper Moon, yet I was treating them like low-level demons.

    Lady Tamayo herself did not know how to react, only sweating at the sight.

    Speaking of which, there was a stubborn and primal instinct roaring at me to stop whatever I was planning and kill everyone in the vicinity. They were all demons, a stain on this world.

    Yet the conscience that made me humane stopped me from doing so. I was a hater, not a dumb fuck.

    While I was in the middle of talking, Gyutaro whom I pinned on the ground with my sword, tried his luck once more. He manipulated the flesh on his neck, elongating them like a snake and he opened his mouth in an attempt to tear my foot.

    But all he got was the wooden base of my sandal as I shoved my foot on his open mouth, breaking his jaw, crushing his teeth and planting his head on the ground, making a crater.

    He had tried to escape multiple times but each plan he formed, I was able to read them before they even came into action and immediately put a stop.

    "You may be at ease, although you are a demon, I wouldn''t kill you," I said but that did not convince her. I saw from the way her body tensed and muscles pulled, that she was ready to leave at any time.

    "I have use for your skills," I said bluntly. It was better to give logical reasons to these smart types, she wouldn''t trust my words but she trusted my need.

    "Isn''t this rather odd, I didn''t come here expecting this," Lady Tamayo spoke, effectively revealing her presence - at least that''s what she thought. It didn''t make a difference in my deaf ears.

    She then proceeded to take off her talisman, making her visible to the outside world. The boy beside her followed right after, he looked shocked and concerned.

    "Lady Tamyao, we shouldn''t!! What if he means harm?" the boy advised the woman who probably could be his great-great grandmother.

    "It''s okay Yushiro, if he wanted to he would''ve killed us a long time ago," she said, "He is a Demon Slayer, and from the writings on his sword, he is not just a normal slayer,"

    "You are a Hashira, aren''t you?" she asked rhetorically.

    "Strongest," I added, tooting my own horn to try and get my mind off the thoughts of killing her.

    "Seiji Shigan, the strongest Hashira at your service," I introduced myself.

    "My name is Tamayo, and this here is my apprentice Yushiro," she introduced herself with a noble bow that you would expect from a noble Japanese lady.

    "Well, if you don''t mind Lady Tamayo," I said and reached out my hand.

    She paused and stared at me for some time. She wondered what I was asking for and when she speculated the answer, she questioned once more how I knew it or what my objective was.

    She cautiously reached under her Yukata and took out a vial. It was a cylindrical shape made of glass and had a needle at the end which could be used to take a demon''s blood and preserve it even after the rest of their body turned to ash.

    I smiled, a little impressed that she knew what I was talking about.

    It seemed that she came here not only to see to the situation but was also ready to reap every research material she could get form the powerful demon.

    "Thank you," I said before bending down and smashing the vial on Gytaro''s chest. I did not have to do anything else as the vial extracted the blood automatically.

    Neat.

    I pulled out my sword and finally moved away from Gytaro. The demon immediately took the opportunity to roll and escape as his body immediately started healing.

    I threw the vial at Lady Tamayo, causing her to look at it for a while before she met my eyes again. Her eyes were curious and wary.

    "Its the blood of an Upper Moon," I said and at that point, Gyutaro was already done healing and instead of attacking me, he cradled his sister in his arms.

    He did not run away though as he just earned that that was not effective against the fastest Hashira.

    I turned around to look.

    "Even if you kill me, please spare my sister, she is innocent," Gyutaro said.

    ''And I love demons,'' I said in my mind. These two sentences had around the same amount of truth.

    "No," was my reply.

    "Then GO TO HELL!!" Gytaro said, hiding Daki in his shadow like he used to hide in her''s before he lunged at me with two sickles in hand.

    His speed was blurring, cleanly slicing through the atmosphere at godspeed. It seemed like he was aiming for me but I saw otherwise.

    The direction of his momentum, the gaze in his eyes and even the posture of his body told me that he was not aiming for me but the two demons behind me. He just wanted me to think that he was aiming for me.

    The fact that he screamed ''GO TO HELL'' at me was also an obvious giveaway that he waned me to think he was aiming for me.

    Kill the two people behind me and try to escape in my confusion.

    Nice plan, keep it to yourself.

    I inhaled sharply and blurred even faster than him. The world skipped a moment in time as I delivered multiple slashes during a moment that could only be described as instant.

    The next thing you knew, the world rumbled like thunder and the shape of wind blades scarred the ground. There was not even a corpse of the demon as I minced him into tiny pieces.

    "Strom Breathing," I said right after I executed the move but the world had not caught up.

    "Tempest Fury,"

    *BOOOOOOOOM!!!*

    I regret that I could not inflict more pain before their death. But I guess that would have to do.

    I just slayed an Upper Moon once more.

    "With that done," I said and turned around to look at Lady Tamayo and Yushiro who looked at me with astonishment at the display of power.

    "Shall we talk somewhere private?"

    ....

    ....

    "Wait before that.." I said and quickly went to the deep depression I craved out in the centre of the district to retrieve my sheathe.

    After I was done, I sheathed my sword and held it in one hand. Then I returned to the two demons who were patiently waiting for me while talking to themselves.

    I didn''t hear what they were saying of course

    "Okay, I''m ready," I said.

    ..

    ///////////////////////

    "On an entirely different note, how is my speech, Lady Tamayo?" I asked while she and Yushiro led me towards their hidden hideout.

    I also had the talisman on my body to hide from the police and other people who started coming to the district to check what was going on.

    "You sound weird," Yushiro was the one who answered me instead, "You are trying to put emotion in your voice only to fail miserably and make people uncomfortable,"

    "That''s unfortunate," I said and grabbed my chin. Of course, if you could not hear your own voice, or others for a long time, you would be unable to produce the correct tone for corresponding emotion.

    I have been talking a lot more to improve my voice and speech. It was a bummer to learn that I still had a long way to go.

    We continued walking along the streets of Tokyo, hidden from the eyes of the people. We eventually came upon an empty alley where we walked some more before we stopped in front of a wall.

    The wall was an illusion and in reality, there was a large compound and a small manor behind.

    We broke through the illusion and walked into the manor. My eyes immediately map the layout of the entire structure, peering into secrets and hidden pathways as Lady Tamayo led me to the living room.

    God I love my eyes, it was so damn OP.

    "Yushiro, would you mind making tea for our guest?" Lady Tamayo said while we both sat down on the floor with a table between us.

    Yushiro paused for a second, before he nodded, "Of course,"

    It''s not that Lady Tamayo was eager to serve me tea but it was an indirect order for him to stay away while we talked in private.

    "So, Mister Shigan, what is it that you wish to talk to me about?" Lady Tamayo started immediately after we settled into our seats.

    I did not give her an answer immediately, instead, I looked around at the interior of the house. There were no other residents besides her and Yushiro but everything in the house looked clean and well kept.

    The design of the room was as you would expect a normal Japanese house, except everything was a bit luxurious and there was a chandelier at the ceiling, lighting the room with a yellowish glow.

    There was no furniture like a chair, sofa etc other than the table we were sitting on. The corner of the room was filled with shelves that contained books and floating shelves with few decorations like a beautiful vase decorated the walls.

    "I want us to be partners," I said, returning my eyes to hers.

    "Partners? I thought I''d made it clear to Ubuyashiki that I have no interest in working with the Demon Slayer Corps," was her reply. sea??h th�� N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    First of all, of course, that sick guy already contacted her. He seemed to know everything and more. Secondly, I could understand why she did not want to work with the Demon Slayer Corps.

    Even putting aside the fact that she was literally a demon, thier motivation and priority were fundamentally different. She sought revenge while the slayers sought peace, she prioritised killing Muzan over anything while protecting others was of equal importance for the slayers.

    Also, she was hiding from Muzan, the less contact she had the better for her.

    "That''s not what I am asking," I said, "I want us to be partners, as in only you and me, nothing else,"

    Her face turned thoughtful as I continued, "The truth is, I am going to kill Muzan Kibutsuji and I want your assistance,"

    "Kill Muzan?" she said, she hid it well but I knew my words pissed her off. She had been trying to do the same thing for a thousand year, and here comes a youngster boldly claiming that he was going top do what she could not achieve in centuries.

    "Do tell me how you plan to kill the literally Demon Lord, I''m curious," she said with a closed-eyed smile, her head tilted to accentuate her question.

    "I was thinking of cutting off his head," was my simple reply, as if it couldn''t get easier.

    "...."

    "...."

    Her smile widened but my eyes saw through the mask.

    "On second thought, maybe we can cut off his limbs and strap him on the top of a mountain and leave him to burn dry in the sun," I said.

    "....."

    "I think this partnership will end before it even begins if you keep joking, mister Shigan,"

    I chuckled, "You really think I''m joking?" because I was not.

    "You just saw what happened right? The ease at which I was able to slay an Upper Moon," I said.

    "Upper Moon 6, the weakest amongst them. Although impressive, the difference between that and Muzan is bigger than the soles of my feet and heaven," she replied.

    "Do you get news in here, Lady Tamayo? Or are you unaware of what happened a month ago?" I asked in return.

    She stayed silent for a while, deciphering what I meant by my words until she came to a realisation. She opened her eyes, her smile dropped and she gripped a handful of fabrics on her thighs.

    "Doma, Upper Moon 2," she said, " You are the one who killed him?"

    "Yes,"

    She took a minute to study my body and expression. What truly stood out to her was the fact that I was in good health, even capable of fighting another Upper Moon after clashing with Doma only a month prior.

    One could imagine how difficult that fight was for me.

    Although most would be wrong as it was at death''s door that I defeated Doma, but I was not going to correct anyone who thought otherwise.

    "I see, if you have such power at that age then," she did not complete her words, merely sucking in a breath as her eyes gained a new light.

    Hope.

    "So what do you need my help for?" she asked but I put a finger up to correct her.

    "Want, I want your help, I do not need it,"

    "Muzan Kibutsuji will die by my blade with or without you." I declared with more intensity than I would''ve liked.

    My eyes pierced through her and her nails grew on instinct, ready to fight. The killing intent I was releasing was directed at her a little as she too was a demon, causing her to shrink under me.

    I instantly reeled back such killing intent and gave a smile.

    "Your help will just be.." I trailed off, searching for the right word, "A convenience,"

    "But on the other hand, I know you cannot just sit still and watch Muzan get defeated by me. After all, you wouldn''t get your revenge otherwise," I said.

    "...."

    "How do you know all these things?"

    I didn''t answer her question and even she didn''t expect me to answer. There were ways in which everyone got their information and we kept that to ourselves.

    She shook her head helplessly.

    "You are right, if you are truly going to kill Muzan, I need to be a part of it," she admitted in the end.

    Just then, the door opened up and Yushiro came in with a tray. He served us tea and a few snacks to enjoy.

    Tamayo gave a gentle smile at Yushiro and helped him set the table. She took a sip of the hot tea.

    Normally, demons were not able to consume human foods anymore after becoming demons but with her medical knowledge, Lady Tamayo had modified her body to be more humane than demon.

    That was why I could tolerate her rather easily. She didn''t look as ugly as others.

    "So, what do you want from me?" she finally asked, tapping the bottom of the cup on the table.

    ..

    ..

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    Author : I know I said extra chatpter at 700 but I didn''t think you guys would really reach the goal. ????

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 Chapter 98: The second coming of Yoriichi?

    Chapter 98: The second coming of Yoriichi?[3rd POV]

    (Tamayo''s hideout)

    ''There is something seriously wrong with him,'' Tamayo thought while tensing her whole body so as to not tremble.

    Deep down, she wanted to run away as far as possible and stay out of sight of those purple eyes.

    Purple eyes. She couldn''t describe how uncomfortable she felt under them. She felt like she was naked, bare of all masks and clothes. The eyes seemed to strip her away, piece by piece, seeing things she did not even know about herself.

    They were judging her.

    And that was not to mention the fact that she felt like someone was holding her at gunpoint whenever those eyes gazed at her.

    Maybe Yushiro in his naivety did not feel it but she could feel it clearly.

    The hidden malice.

    "So, what do you want from me?" she asked, sipping her tea. She felt the hot liquid calm her wrecking nerves with its warmth.

    "I want you to make a potion for me, one that could turn demons back into humans. In return, I will give you the necessary research material that you want," he said with a voice that was trying too hard to sound normal that it failed miserably.

    "Your demand is rather difficult I''m afraid. It''s almost impossible to reverse the effect of Muzan''s blood," she replied.

    "But you can do it," he said, it was not a question.

    His purple eyes released a faint glow once more as she felt a prickling sensation all over her body. She felt so vulnerable and naked under his gaze.

    "I can see that you are on the brink of achieving what I ask," he said in a simple tone.

    That sent a chill down her spine. The feeling was true, she couldn''t hide anything from him. He was able to see right through her.

    She could tell that he saw all the modifications she had made to her own body, turning herself into a creature closer to a human than a demon.

    It looked like they were negotiating but she felt that she had no power in this discussion.

    it felt like she was sitting across Muzan himself, there was simply no room for her.

    "Blood," she said, "I will need the blood of Upper Moons, as they are the closest to Muzan,"

    But from what happened earlier and what he gave her, he already knew that she needed the blood of an Upper Moon.

    How? She doesn''t know.

    "And also..." he trailed off and the atmosphere in the room stilled.

    Tamayo''s body literally stopped functioning - there was no heartbeat, no breath, no blood circulation - as she looked at the young man in front of her like a deer caught in headlights.

    She saw marks appearing on his face as the weight of his presence doubled, tripled, even quadrupled!!

    ...

    ...

    "The Demon Slayer mark," she said after freezing for a long time.

    It was a mark born solely to kill demons, so of course she would freeze up when she saw it. All demonic instincts in her body told her to either run or fight.

    ''So it has appeared again in this generation. He revived the forbidden art,'' she thought to herself. Now his bold claim that he was going to kill the Demon Lord held even more weight.

    With the appearance of the first Demon Slayer Mark, many more would inevitably follow, resonating with the first mark, making humanity stronger than ever.

    She could also predict now, what he wanted from her.

    The Demon Slayer mark granted incredible power but at a grave cost.

    "Am I scaring you?" He asked and immediately dropped his power.

    "Sorry, you are like the first demon I ever met which I do not want to kill. It feels weird," he apologized.

    That was rather genuine, she thought to herself.

    The more time she spent with him, the more she humanizes him in her mind. That calmed her a little bit.

    "No, it''s fine. I understand that demons are not liked, especially for someone with a profession like yours. I can imagine the conflict in your heart," she said.

    He blinked his eyes dramatically, and with each blink, she felt the intensity decrease. They were no longer piercing her. S��arch* The n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I see. That makes you many times more reasonable and understanding than I am," he said with a shake of his head and a diplomatic smile.

    Tamayo did not know why but she felt tension leaving her body with that smile.

    Maybe it would prove to be the greatest move to ally with someone like him. Someone who could easily ragdoll Upper Moon 6 and also had the legendary Demon Slayer Mark.

    ''If anyone can put an end to Muzan...'' she thought while looking at him.

    She was starting to believe that he could be the key to ending this war.

    The second coming of Yoriichi, the first breath user.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    (2 hours later)

    I left the manor after a lengthy discussion on different topics with Lady Tamayo.

    Surprisingly, she was not too well versed with the happenings of the world, especially on the Demon Slayer side. I shared much of my knowledge with her, ranging from the recent activities of the demons, the current force of the Demon Slayer Corps and their Hashiras, the state of Ubuyashiki etc.

    In return she also told me about her plans - much of which I already knew due to my future knowledge - and whatever she knew about Demon Slayer Marks in general.

    "Sun Breathing huh," I muttered to myself thoughtfully while looking at the dark sky.

    Lady Tamayo did not have much knowledge regarding the Demon Slayer Marks, especially not about the solution to the curse branded on the user.

    But she came to the conclusion that the answer to figuring out how to undo the curse could be found by looking at the only person in history to survive the Demon Slayer Mark.

    There were many things that made Yoriichi special but what truly stoodd out amongst his uniqueness which no one could copy was his ability to use Sun Breathing.

    So Lady Tamayo told me that the best chance I had to finding a way to reselove the curse would be to learn Sun Breathing...

    Whcih I kinda already did. But I guess I could master it.

    "So in the end, it all leads back to the Kamado family huh," I said thoughtfully in the loneliness of the night,

    I guess my next objective was clear with this one.

    Find the Kamado family at all cost. That was the main priority.

    A wide smile found itself on my face as I said, "I actually have a great idea on how to find them,"

    Suffice it to say, I wouldn''t need to worry about it any longer. I should be able to locate them in no time.

    But first, there is still a few hours left until the sun rises. So that means...

    "A chance to cuddle with my wife," I declared and blurred from my place.

    I moved at a speed surpassing that of sound. In no time, i was able to return to the Kanroji''s compound. I sneaked into the place and silently made my way to Mitsuri''s room.

    Ninja style.

    I wanted to spend even more time with her after all the drama I had put her through.

    "!!!" she jerked awake when she felt my touch.

    "It''s me, I''ve returned," I said and her body relaxed.

    "That was quicker than I thought," she mubled, her voice laced with drowsiness.

    "Yeah, they were weaker than I thought," I replied and I took off my haori before I slipped inside the futon that Mitsuri was sleeping.

    It would be beyond disrespectful to do lewd things in my in-laws house - breaking every Japanese honor.

    So I settled with cuddeling with her, respectfully of course.

    ..

    ..

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    Author : 2000 stones and get extra Chapter. I''m serious this time

 Chapter 99: Mission : Find the Kamado

    Chapter 99: Mission : Find the Kamado[Seiji''s POV]

    Now this is weird.

    I woke up to the sight of Mitsuri looking at me with her piercing emerald eyes. The sun was shining brightly outside, its golden warmth cascading inside the room and lit half of Mitsuri''s face, framing it like a masterpiece of artwork.

    From that small tell, I realized that I''d probably slept longer than I should have. Being deaf, it was easy to get into a deep sleep and nothing other than touch rarely woke us up. So sleeping in was a common occurrence.

    I made no move, I did not even allow my eyelids to tremble. I saw through my thin eyelid and stared back at Mitsuri''s eyes.

    I spied on the spy who had been spying on me for who knows how long.

    The look she had in her eyes made my heart flutter. She seemed to see me in a light that no one ever saw me. The love and longing in her eyes made me feel enough.

    If someone could look at me with such loving eyes, if someone could desire me so deeply, maybe I was not all that worthless. Maybe I had some value in me. Through her eyes, I saw myself in perfection.

    Did she feel the same way whenever I looked at her?

    Those kinds of thoughts swirled in my mind, making the world seem like sunshine and a rainbow.

    God, love was so weird.

    And nice.

    I finally opened my eyes, and I met her emerald orbs without faltering, like a brave soldier.

    "What are you looking at?" I asked.

    She was lying on top of me, her boobs squished against my abdomen while she kicked her feet like the adorable girl that she was.

    She blushed a healthy red when confronted but she did not shy away like she used to, no she was bolder.

    "I''m looking at you," she said, the tone she used was giddy like when she would say, ''I''m eating sweets,''

    Like she was doing something she truly liked doing.

    "Looking at my ugly morning face, you mean," I said playfully to which she said.

    "Not ugly at all. The spiky bed hair, crooked eyebrows and bent eyelashes, coupled with your lose expression made you look adorable,"

    I was taken aback by the detail, "How long have you been watching me?"

    "Two short hours," was her reply. Maybe it was a joke from the time I was stalking her or maybe it was the turth, but I laughed all the same.

    "You mean two whole hours," I said, "You''re crazy,"

    "Not when you are so cute," she really said that. She learned that from me.

    "Now who do you think you are to call anyone else cute," I said and I wrapped my arms around the ball of cuteness. She giggled and allowed me to pull her closer.

    "And don''t I look cute while I am awake?" I asked.

    She shook her head, much to my heartbreak. " You look more like..handsome while you are awake. And to be honest, your face looks too mean to be cute when you are awake, "

    "My face doesn''t look mean," I defended myself.

    She laughed, " Yes it does, you are like..*stareee~*"

    She used her fingers to make her eyes sharper and stare at me while making a mean face.

    Her face took me the fuck out, I couldn''t stop laughing.

    ''It''s a little different.'' I thought to myself while enjoying her laughter as she joined me. She used to be more shy and reserved before, but now she was a little different.

    It probably had to do with what happened yesterday at the cafe. I poured my heart out at that time, showing vulnerability after putting away my mask of perfect competence.

    People find it hard to love someone so perfect. Love was of a healing nature, it was a fixing force. But perfect couldn''t be fixed.

    So love burns the brightest when you have flaws. Because then, it has things to fix. A chance to love despite.

    That''s why humans love humans. We are imperfect. And we love ourselves to perfection.

    All those times I acted like the perfect husband, the perfect partner, the perfect teacher in front of Mitsuri. So her love only grew more when she saw the not-so-perfect side of me.

    The side of me that felt incompetent, the side of me that was driven to insanity each day due to all the pressure I had to bear.

    And the part of me that loved her more than myself, surpassing all my selfishness.

    Now she was a little less intimidated. My confession also proved to her that I loved her just as much as she did me.

    I think that was what brought this pleasant shift in the dynamic of our relationship.

    We laughed together, our bodies trembled in our laughter and that caused them to rub against each other.

    That was when I noticed that I had a morning wood. I didn''t even feel it earlier because I was too caught up with her pretty face and because my hardened length was snuggly sinking on her soft abdomen.

    Her flesh was so soft that the uncomfortable feeling of having a hard-on was lacking, making me unaware.

    "Ah! Mitsuri," I gasped in surprise and stopped moving. I held her shoulder to stop her.

    She tilted her head in confusion too, before she also realized the source of my reaction. But instead of looking shocked, a coy smile spread her lips and her cheeks turned a little redder.

    "What?~," she asked but from the way she pressed herself on me even harder, I knew she knew exactly what I was talking about.

    "It''s okay, it happens," she said simply with a giggle.

    "Happens?" I asked in absolute horror mixed with confusion.

    "Well.." she started with a smile, too excited to reveal something, "I was the one who took care of you during the two weeks that you passed out. And it''s not the first time that we shared a bed together,"

    "//// ////"

    A peal of laughter left her lips while I literally boiled with embarrassment. She reached out her hand and grabbed my ears, I shivered at her touch because her hands were cold.

    No, it was my ear that was red and hot instead.

    "Please excuse me," I said and pushed her off before I quickly left the room.

    Holy shit, she was evolving.

    And I''m not sure if I like it, don''t like it, or if should get harder.

    ...

    ...

    //////////////////

    Mitsuri and I spent the morning like that together. Her parents served us breakfast as well much to our delight but when the afternoon rolled around, I had to leave once more.

    Sadly time was not on my side. If I didn''t find the Kamado house quickly, they would be fated to be slaughtered by Muzan.

    It was supposed to happen this year.

    Mitsuri on the other hand would stay and spend time with her parents for today. I took up all of her time yesterday with a date so she was going to be with her parents.

    She would return to the Rengoku compound tomorrow. It was close to Tokyo so I was not too worried for her.

    I walked through the busy streets of Tokyo with a destination in mind. It was not effective trying to find the Kamado house while travelling, I''ve done that for two years and remained unsuccessful.

    So what I was going to do next was find a modern solution.

    Finally, I would use my (Parent''s) connection and money to do God''s work.

    ...

    ...

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    (A few hours later)

    (In the sky of Japan)

    .. S��ar?h the N??elFir��.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "WOOOOOOOOOA!!!!" I released a loud scream while I enjoyed the feeling of air rushing past my skin.

    I didn''t know why I never thought of this earlier. Probably because I never needed to find the Kamado family as badly as I need to find them now.

    If you did not guess already, I was on a plane. It was a biplane used for training pilots to be exact.

    I went to the Aviation Battalion on the outskirts of Tokyo, the person working there was a friend of my father who came to the the funeral of my parents and introduced himself to me.

    At that time, he told me to come to him whenever I needed help.

    So, 9 years later, I went there and requested to be on the plane during one of their many training flights over Japan.

    The Airforce in Japan was at its early stage at this time - 1921 - and the main purpose of this battalion was basically to train pilots and to test the aircraft for further military use.

    It was not that difficult to be on board one of those training flights when you had a shit ton of money to donate.

    Well-connected families and rich people often do so for entertainment. Flying was a very huge flex during this time after all.

    I shook myself out of the euphoric feeling of flying when we were outside the Tokyo region. Instead, I focused on the blurring scenery below.

    My eyes glowed purple as I looked at the landscape while flying in the sky. I was able to see everything with vivid detail even on the moving plane.

    During my years of travelling through Japan, I was able to familiarize myself with many places due to my photogenic memory. So I directed the pilot to fly over difficult terrains or places I had not visited due to the lack of proper roadways.

    The areas which I had not explored were not vast so in no time, my eyes found a house in the middle of the forest. It was around ten kilometres away from the nearest town and hidden between two valleys.

    Time seemed to slow down as my eyes pierced through the distance to look inside the house. There, I saw them.

    It was easier than I thought.

    "Found them,"

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE of Seiji]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 100: Is it a bird? A plane? It’s Seiji Shigan!!!

    Chapter 100: Is it a bird? A plane? It''s Seiji Shigan!!![Seiji''s POV]

    "Hey, man!! Can you tell me your post address?" I screamed at the pilot sitting in front of me.

    He turned his head as much as he could to the side and answered. It should be impossible to hear him but by a simple glance at his throat movement, I was able to read what he said.

    I memorized it.

    I got up from my seat and grabbed his neck so that I could talk to his ear. I didn''t want the rushing air to silence my voice.

    "I''m sorry to do this to you man, but don''t tell anyone. Not like anyone would believe you anyways..." I started and laughed, much to his confusion.

    "I will send you a letter as proof that I''m alive. Just tell Mr Hashinaka that you dropped me off in another place or something," I said before I let him go.

    The air whipped around me, the plane was not fast by any means but the sky was windy as hell. I removed all of the safety belts strapped on my waist before I did what a madman would.

    I jumped off the plane.

    Yeah, I know I could''ve returned without any issue and went to the Kamado house on foot again, but I didn''t want that. There was really no other logical explanation.

    I always wanted to go skydiving, and I had the chance.

    It couldn''t get simpler.

    "Holy smokes," I said as I felt my body flipping in the air, my momentum started off wrong due to jumping off the plane.

    But with my experience as a fighter and mastery over my body, I spread my limbs and steadied myself to a peaceful fall.

    My dead ears could hear the air whipping by as I descended faster and faster towards the ground. But at one point, I reached the limit and stayed at a consistent speed.

    With the help of my four limbs and a quick calculation of my current trajectory with my eyes, I fell towards my destination.

    My eyes felt very dry from the rushing air so that was uncomfortable, but other than that the skydiving experience was incredible.

    I hope the pilot is not too traumatized.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    (3rd POV)

    "Huh?!" a young girl the age of 12 straightened up and craned her neck to look at the strange thing she saw falling from the sky.

    She was in the middle of harvesting vegetables from their garden when she heard the sound of a plane flying over them. She looked up but instead of seeing the plane, she saw something strange.

    What she saw took her whole attention as she dropped her basket.

    Maybe it was the summer heat messing with her head or maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her.

    But she just saw a man drop from the sky.

    ..

    ..

    *BOOOM*

    A small explosion came from the direction of the forest shortly after. it was proof that what she saw might not just be an illusion. Maybe it was not a man, but there was something falling from the sky.

    She left her basket behind and ran towards the explosion in the forest. Juvenile curiosity filled her mind, was it an asteroid? A bird? A monster?

    Or was it the Omnitrix?

    Anyway, she ran through the forest as quickly as her feet could take her. Then she finally came upon the crash site. She stopped on her track and looked on with wide eyes.

    It was a man.

    She was stumped to find out that what she saw was true. There really was a man falling from the sky.

    "...."

    Wavy purple hair framed a handsome face. His healthy skin made him look quite young but his expression and eyes betrayed that observation, they looked like they had experienced quite a lot.

    The scars on his forehead and cheeks were prominent flaws on his otherwise handsome face. They gave off a scary vibe as if those scars were nothing like others.

    He was dressed in a dark uniform - standard demon slayer uniform - and a white and purple haori.

    But the most unique feature he had was his purple eyes which seemed to have a different source of light other than the sun. They were currently looking above, seeing something more than what the little girl thought she would ever see.

    ''He doesn''t notice me,'' the girl observed curiously. The man was looking up and did not seem to notice her coming here.

    She simply observed the man curiously until he moved his head and his eyes landed on her. They seem to widen slightly in shock upon seeing her.

    Now that she was finally noticed, the girl gave a bright smile and introduced herself, like how her mother had taught her to do.

    "Hi mister, my name is Nezuko Kamado-"

    That was all she was able to say before the man suddenly appeared in front of her. He scooped her up from the ground and put her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

    Nezuko was shocked and alarmed. Was she going to get kidnapped?

    "Run!! Bees!!" the man said and bolted off. He ran fast, but not too fast as to hurt the small girl on his shoulder.

    That was when the girl noticed many bees flying at them, one could tell they were pissed off from the sound they were making.

    The man had destroyed a bee hive on one of the trees he fell on.

    With Nezuko on his shoulder, the man continued running until the bees eventually gave up on chasing them. They ran out of the forest and only stopped when they reached a clearing - the Kamado compound.

    "Haaa....that was scary. You only realized how freaky insects look when you see them up close," the man uttered with a sigh.

    Then his attention turned to Nezuko again and he gently put her down on the ground.

    "Oh, hello there, Nezuko-chan," the man said, looking at the girl with a look of familiarity as if he knew her.

    "Wow, you look even cuter in person....You have a cute forehead," he said, more to himself than her. He started stroking her hair before he reached down and pinched her cheeks.

    Nezuko, being a big girl of 12 now, did not appreciate being treated like a little kid. So she removed his hand from her face and looked at him with a new glint in her eyes.

    One that was more cautious.

    "You have a sword mister, who are you?" she asked.

    She noticed the hidden sword under his haori while they were running away from the bees.

    The man laughed, seeing her put her guard up. But he respected her wish and introduced himself in kind.

    "My name is Seiji, Seiji Shigan," he said and paused.

    "And I am....your cousin from Tokyo,"

    "Eh?" Nezuko was left stunned. Her family didn''t have relatives as far as she knew.

    "Cousin?"

    "That''s right," Seiji said, lying to the young girl as naturally as he breathed.

    "Is that your house?" he said, looking behind her and at the house in the distance.

    "Yes,"

    "Then let''s go," he said and walked past her and towards the house.

    Nezuko was left dumbfounded. She had endless questions like how did he fell from the sky. How did he find them? Was he really her cousin?

    But the man who had the answer was already getting away.

    "Wait a minute!!" she exclaimed before turning around and running after him.

    ... Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    ...

    ////////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Who are you?" Kie Kamado, the mother of the protagonist duo Tanjiro and Nezuku stood in front of me with caution and alarm all over her eyes.

    I guess that was the normal reaction when you see a mean-looking man with scars, carrying a sword taller than you.

    Nezuko was just a kid, not knowing the dangers and suspicion of the situation.

    "Nezuko. Come here," Kie did not scream, trying to hide her emotion from leaking from her voice. But that was a futile effort because I could see everything and couldn''t hear at the same time.

    Unlike her daughter, the mother knew to be cautious of a stranger.

    Not realizing what was going on but heeding her mother''s words anyway, Nezuko ran up to her mother and stood beside her. Kie grabbed her daughter''s shoulder to calm down.

    She still had a polite smile even though she was wary.

    "Please sir, can you tell me who you are or why you are here?" she asked again, still polite and modest.

    I did not have anything on me other than the sword which was why she was very alarmed. I couldn''t be a traveller, nor a trader going around to sell his product. The high-quality haori and uniform I had also indicated that I was no farmer or ordinary man.

    I guess she would suspect that I was in the military or something. And at this age, no one liked the army.

    "No need to be so unease, Miss Kie," I said.

    "You know my name?" she asked me.

    Yes, I had an incredible memory since I was young. I knew the names of all the family members of the Kamado family.

    "Of course, I know you," I said and smiled, "I also know about Tanjiro, Takeo, Hanako, Rokuta, and Nezuko. Your husband mentioned you all in his letters,"

    "My husband?" Kie questioned, confused.

    "Yes, your husband Tanjuro," I said, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Seiji Shigan, you can consider me a distant relative. You see your husband and my mother are siblings,"

    Yeah, that was the bullshit I was going with. I didn''t know if it would fly but it was better than not trying.

    In Japan, blood relations were greatly valued. Even if it was the first time we met, if they knew I was somehow related to them then that meant I would be immediately treated with hospitality.

    I needed to get close to them to get what I wanted. So this was the fastest way I could think of. It would take too long for them to trust a complete stranger.

    "I see," she said and I saw that she did not buy my words.

    "I heard about Tanjuro''s passing, and I wanted to visit his family and see how you were doing," I said.

    We were standing in front of the house and after doing a quick scan with my eyes, I concluded that Tanjuro was already dead at this point.

    "My husband died two years ago," she said with narrowed eyes.

    "And I''m sorry I couldn''t visit sooner," I said without missing a beat. My brain was good enough to process the world in slow motion, I could come up with lies like premium chatgbt.

    She was a widow with lots of children living alone in the woods. I could understand her nervousness.

    "Here, take it," I said and put my sword forward. Kie stared at it for a long time before she took my sword. It was heavier than she expected but she still managed to hold it.

    I said this before but the sword was a big part of a samurai. They would rarely let others touch their sword much less give their weapon up.

    So she took that as a sign that I meant no harm.

    "My mother is worried about the family her bother left behind. I just came here to see if everything is going well," I said.

    Kie continued staring at me for some time before she smiled again, this time more genuine.

    "Well come in," she invited me.

    I released a sigh of relief.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : It''s the hundred Chapter mileatone of the fanfic. What a short and eventful journey!!

    Thank you all for reading this far.

    ..

    ..

    Join my patreon to support the author and read a week worth of Chapters ahead.

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 101: Long lost cousin?

    Chapter 101: Long lost cousin?Author : Double Chapters.

    ///////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    The Kamado family lived in a modest house that was not too big yet not too small. The size seemed to be just right for a family of seven.

    There was this very homey vibe to it that made me feel welcomed. The children all hid in the other room, peeking out curiously from the corner of a door and such.

    "Please, do tell me more about my husband and his letters," Kie asked as we sat in the living room.

    She was a beautiful woman with long silky black hair tied in the back and kind eyes the shade of purple. She wore a white kimono with subtle patterns that gave off the feeling of an earnest mother and wife.

    I replied, "Since my mother married to another family, she and her blood-related family did not have much contact with each other. We were living in the city of Tokyo while most of her relatives lived in rural areas,"

    "Your husband, Tanjuro rarely made contact with her but three or so years ago, letters started coming from him to my mother. In those letters, he stated how he was plagued with an incurable disease and would like to meet her again before he passed," I said while she listened carefully.

    "Unfortunately, my mother passed a year ago as well due to an accident. So I came here in her stead," I said with a slight bow.

    "I see. I''m truly sorry for your loss," Kie said, bowing lower than me.

    "Although you already knew them beforehand, let me introduce my children," Kie said before turning towards the small kids who were peeking from the far corner.

    "Tanjiro, Nezuko, please would you and your siblings come here," Kie asked gently and all of the Kamado children came to me shyly.

    I smiled seeing them, especially Tanjiro and Nezuko who were not shy, unlike their siblings.

    "My name is Tanjiro Kamado," said the main character of this world. He looked exactly like I expected him to be, kind and good.

    I tried not to stare too much at him and looked at the other children also.

    "And these are my siblings, Nezuko, Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru and that little one is Rokuta," he introduced his siblings with a bright smile.

    "Nice to meet you!!" they said in unison with a bow.

    "Nice to meet you too. My name is Seiji Shigan, and I am your cousin from your father''s side. I guess that makes me kind of like a big brother to all of you," I said and with the mention of blood relation, they seemed more comfortable.

    They had stars in their eyes while looking up at me.

    Cute. Who doesn''t like well-behaved kids?

    "Seiji-san, please do spend the night with us for today," Kie invited me. It was tradition for a relative who came visiting from another town or village to spend the night since things like hotels or inns were not available in most rural areas so I did not find her invitation to be weird.

    "I''d be happy if you are willing,"

    "That''s great then," Kie smiled. Then she turned to her children "And kids, do behave well in front of Seiji-san,"

    "I will leave you for now as I need to start preparing dinner," she bowed and left for the kitchen with Nezuko.

    And that left me with the main character of the world and his four siblings. I took another look at the boy with a scar on his forehead.

    ...he was so weak and innocent. I couldn''t imagine him fighting against the likes of Upper Moon as he was now.

    Well, with my existence this time, he shouldn''t need to do that.

    "I-Is it true that you are a Samurai, Seiji-san?" was the first question Tanjiro asked.

    I guess whatever time you may be in, Samurai were always cool.

    "Of course. I am a Samurai working directly under the head of the Ubuyashiki family," I said, much to their giddy excitement.

    "See this sword?" I said and took my sword which Kie had laid down beside the small table in the living room.

    "It was forged for me by a great blacksmith when I reached the highest rank a samurai can reach," I said as they oohed and awwed in amazement.

    "But why is your katana so long?" Takeo asked, the eldest brother beside Tanjiro. He had a buzz-cut hair with brown eyes. He looked to be around 8 or 9.

    "Not a katana, my sword is called an odachi," I said, "A two-handed sword that can only be wielded by exceptionally strong samurai," I boasted.

    "Can I touch it?" the little girl, Hanako asked.

    "Sure." I said, why the hell not?

    And they soon gathered round me, wanting to get a look at the sword. I was no master at handling kids but I could easily play the cool uncle and entertain them.

    The children had a lot of questions, their immense curiosity barely contained by thier manners. They asked me about the city, about my family back there, what we do for a living, and how I got my scars. If I had clashed with another samurai and so on.

    After an hour of spending time with the children, my eyes noticed a conversation between Nezuko and Kie cooking in the kitchen.

    I wouldn''t go into detail about the exact conversation but basically, the Kamado family were poor. They no longer had a father to provide for them and their only source of income was selling charcoal - which was not too good of a business in summer.

    There was no meat or expensive food that they could offer me. That was their main concern.

    "Tanjiro," I called and stood up with my sword. S��ar?h the n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Yes?" the young protagonist beckoned with a tilt of his head.

    "Let''s go for a walk shall we," I said but I was already walking towards the door.

    "Seiji-nii where are you going?" little Hanako asked us.

    "Doing some samurai things," I joked, "We''ll be back soon,"

    I walked out of the house and slowly made my way toward the thick forestation nearby. Before long, Tanjiro also ran out of the house and caught up to me.

    The reason why I asked Tanjiro to follow me was mainly because I wanted him to get familiar with me - which by the way seemed to be an easy task with his good nature.

    "Do you know if there is a hill nearby?" I asked.

    "A hill?" he tilted his head in confusion but in the end, he did not ask why I wanted to know such things.

    He simply flashed a smile, "Of course, it''s this way, follow me!!"

    He ran past me and started leading me to where I asked.

    I wonder, would it be bad if I got attached to this family? I would do everything in my power to protect them from the fate that awaits them but it seemed stupid to get attached to people specifically targeted by the Demon Lord himself.

    ...

    Heh, who am I kidding?

    The answer was obvious.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////////////

    (A few minutes later: On top of a nearby hill)

    "Seiji-san, what are you doing?" Tanjiro asked me with his innocent questioning face.

    "Infinite food glitch," I answered, "Tell me Tanjiro, when was the last time you had meat?"

    "I actually caught a green pheasant recently in one of my bird traps. So the last time I had meat was like only two weeks ago," he said.

    Meat was quite a luxurious food during this time. Animal husbandry was not too prominent and even if people had animals, they usually do it for their own sustenance and not for profit.

    So eating meat was rare if you couldn''t hunt.

    I hummed at his answer while looking around at the thick forest. My vision was undisturbed by distance or coverage. I could see everything perfectly and more.

    "What kind of meat do you prefer? Pig, deer, rabbit or birds?" I asked.

    "Well, I personally like rabbits but since my sisters don''t like eating them for being too cute, I''d want a deer," he answered without much thought.

    "I see," I said with a smile. I ignored all other animals in the forest and focused on the three deers within my field of vision.

    In the end, I picked the second nearest one. The closest one was a stage - male deer - and those had a very intense smell, especially during their mating season which was coming soon.

    So I picked the female deer. My eyes locked on it.

    "Step away a little," I said and Tanjrio took a step back.

    "A little more," I said and he took three steps back.

    He had a smile on his face and seemed to not want to get too far away from me/

    "A little more," I said again and he took two more steps back.

    That was still too close but fine, I hope he doesn''t get blown away.

    I was going to unsheath my sword but then I stopped mid-action. Throwing around my sword like that was a horrible way to destroy it. Instead, I looked at Tanjiro and the small dagger he had on his belt.

    "Pass me your dagger," I said and Tanjiro threw it at me.

    After I caught the dagger, I got myself familiar with the balance and weight before I nodded in satisfaction. This would do.

    I grabbed the weapon at the blade and fixed my posture to throw the blade. I pulled my arm back and inhaled copious amounts of air.

    "Thunder Wind Breathing,"

    The world stilled.

    "Unerring Lance!"

    Then it exploded at the command of my action. The atmosphere seemed to rupture as hurricanes came alive on the spot.

    I threw the small dagger towards the female deer I saw in the distance.

    The sound barrier was broken two times, by my arm and by the projectile. My arm created a whip-like sound while the dagger exploded like a jet, piercing through the layers of air.

    Objects in my vicinity, and even Tanjrio himself were blown away by the shockwave while I remained on the spot.

    The world moved in slow motion as I watched the dagger hit the deer in the ribs and pierce right through it. The animal died without even having the chance to feel pain.

    "Nice," I said.

    "Seiji-sani!!!" Tanjiro screamed while getting up after he was blown off. He came back running to me.

    "What was that?!" he questioned in astonishment.

    "Hmmm? You saw it right? I just threw the dagger," I said like it was obvious but inside I was holding back a laugh.

    He stared at me with a dumbfounded face, "Is that what happened? How?"

    I shrugged.

    "And my dagger..that was my father''s,"

    "Don''t worry, we''ll retrieve it," I said. It logged itself perfectly on the dirt so I knew I had not broken it.

    "Let''s go," I said and we both went towards my kill.

    ..

    We reached the place in a few minutes and Tanjiro froze when we came upon the scene.

    "This...how is this possible.." he asked when he saw the deer beside the dagger.

    "You have no idea what''s possible," I said with a hidden smile.

    There was a reason why I showed this to Tanjiro. He was the main character, which was synonymous with trouble magnet.

    Even though I did not want him to fight against Upper Moons, Muzan, or bear the burden of ending this war, I was still going to train him so that he would be able to protect himself and his loved ones.

    "Are you even human?" he turned to me and asked with nervous sweat dripping from his cheeks.

    *Bam!*

    I karate chop his head, "That''s rude. Of course, I''m human,"

    He winced in pain while rubbing his head, "But humans can''t do this,"

    "They most definitely can. Your father could do it, and so can you," I said.

    "Me?''

    "No, I''m talking about ''Yu'', an acquaintance,"

    "Oh,"

    "I''m kidding, Yes, you," I said and pointed at him.

    I walked away from him and collected the dagger and deer. Tanjiro just stood in his place, watching me while thinking over my words.

    "Let''s return," I said, "And don''t tell anyone about this,"

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    "What is this?" Kie was waiting outside the house, worried that I suddenly brought Tanjiro out so she was waiting for us to return.

    She was shocked upon seeing the deer I was carrying on my shoulder.

    "Sorry for borrowing Tanjiro without your permission," I said, "I just couldn''t take advantage of your hospitality without contributing anything."

    I said and dropped the deer on the ground.

    It will need proper skinning and butchering but I knew how to do that, so I immediately started getting to it.

    The family simply watched me while I did my work.

    ..

    ..

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 102: The ugly side of the night

    Chapter 102: The ugly side of the night[3rd POV]

    Seiji butchered the deer like an expert hunter, cutting off the best part of the meat to make for dinner while also making sure to preserve the rest of the parts so that the family could enjoy it even in his absence.

    With the help of his eyes, such things as slicing the skin off the meat, gutting the intestines or slicing meat off the bone was an easy skill to mimic.

    After that was done, Kie and Nezuko took the meat back to the kitchen to make a stew out of it. From the small smiles Seiji saw on their faces, the girls really appreciated his effort.

    The delicious smell of food soon permeated the house, making the children grow hungry while Seiji entertained them with a made-up story of how he caught the deer.

    The other dishes were already done and after another half an hour, the deer stew was also done. Everyone gathered at the table in the living room and enjoyed dinner together.

    Much to his surprise, Seiji was sat in the place where Tanjuro used to sit. That was a great show of appreciation for him.

    The family were quite lively even during meals, the children were young so even though well-mannered, they couldn''t help speaking and playing while they had food. The children seemed to already accept him as a part of their family, there was no awkward atmosphere.

    Seiji was smart and with his ability to read people, he was quite adept in social interaction even though he was unaware. So the children got along with him easily.

    By the time the eventful ordeal of having dinner was over, the sun had already sunk into the horizon.

    There was nothing much to do after the sun had fallen so the younger kids quickly fell asleep after dinner with full bellies.

    Seiji and Kie stayed up for a few more hours before they too decided to rest. Seiji was given a futon and was told he could sleep anywhere he liked, whether that be in the living room, the guest room, or - since it was summer - outside on the balcony in the cool air.

    In the end, Seiji laid his futon in the corner of the living room where he had a clear view of both the family and the entrance door.

    Still, Seiji did not sleep just yet. He was used to staying up the whole night, fighting demons so his body had adapted throughout the years. He found it difficult to fall asleep.

    So he went outside and sat on the balcony. He allowed the cool breeze of summer night to caress his skin while deep in thought.

    That was until a young boy around the age of 13 came out of the balcony. It was Tanjiro, he peeked out from the door and looked at the back of Seiji who was sitting peacefully while gazing at the stars.

    Tanjiro couldn''t sleep. Well, how could he, after the thing he witnessed just that afternoon?

    The scene of Seiji throwing the dagger and killing a deer kilometres away played vividly in his mind while his words also lingered in his ears, like a catchy song that wouldn''t leave.

    ''Your father could do it, and so can you,''

    That sentence in specific, left the young boy with endless questions. He was introduced to a world of the supernatural now, with what Seiji had shown and what he said to him.

    There was this one question in particular that he just couldn''t get out of his head.

    His father once told him, ''Where there is strength, there is also an adversary. One cannot rise without the other.''

    So if Seiji had all that strength, he wondered...what was the adversary?

    "Seiji-san," he called out from behind yet the man did not heed to his voice. It was like he did not hear him at all.

    "Seiji-san," he called again, yet still no response.

    "Seiji-san?" he slowly sneaked up to Seiji from behind and that was when the man finally noticed his presence.

    Seiji felt the vibration in the wooden floor and he could vividly smell Tanjiro with the breeze. He turned around to look at the young boy with a smile.

    "Tanjiro, please don''t sneak up on me next time, or else I might slice off your head on accident," he said in his uneven tone and smile that made the statement extremely unnerving.

    Tanjrio froze on his spot before gulping loudly, "Okay."

    The instincts of a trained warrior were not to be tested. Tanjiro could feel that it was true.

    "Can''t sleep?" Seiji asked.

    "No, not after what I saw today," he answered.

    "Oh? So it is that surprising, haha," Seiji laughed.

    "Come, sit with me," Seiji said and pat the floor beside him. Tanjiro cautiously came up to him and sat down on the floor.

    "Look at that.." Seiji started and pointed towards the stars, "...aren''t they beautiful?"

    Tanjiro did not have special eyes that worked like a telescope so he could not comprehend the true beauty of the galaxies. But what he could see with normal eyes was also breathtakingly beautiful.

    In a world that was still not destroyed by air pollution or light pollution, the starry night sky was a beauty like no other. It made one feel both small and big to be living in such a gigantic existence.

    "They are almost equally as beautiful as the day, or the rising sun. It''s just that there are still some things tainting this wonderful time of the day, after I wipe those away, the night will be perfectly beautiful." Seiji said, more to himself than the boy next to him.

    "Yes, they are indeed beautiful," Tanjiro said with a sigh. His heavy mind plagued with questions, felt relief for a moment.

    "You know, my father told me that our ancestors turned into stars so that they can look down at us - their descendants - and guide us," Tanjiro said. It was not actually a real belief but a story his father used to tell him when he was young.

    "Pftt-hahahaha," Seiji laughed out loud much to Tanjiro''s embarrassment. "Whatever you say Simba, but it seems like your father obviously doesn''t know his stars,"

    He then pointed towards the western sky and Tanjiro followed the direction of his finger.

    "Those two giant stars are; Arcturs the orange star and Spica the white star," Seiji named them with a smile before moving his finger elsewhere.

    He points towards the eastern part of the sky.

    "There, that is the red star Antares," he said. He moved his hand once more and showed the centre of the sky. Tanjiro followed the movement and saw three stars making a triangle shape.

    "Those are the Summer Triangle, Vega, Altair and Deneb," he said and finally opened his hand.

    "Then we have the the galaxy, Milky Way,"

    The two of them spent some time like that in peace. Seiji was happy to name each of the beautiful stars he knew. Stars were beautiful, especially with eyes that had an inbuilt telescope so he knew a lot of them.

    Tanjiro sat beside him, listening very carefully as if to memorize them, one by one.

    After a while of stargazing, the two sat in silence once more and that was when Tanjiro finally asked his question.

    "Seiji-san, why are you so strong?"

    "Hmmm," Seiji raised an eyebrow, "Why? You are not asking me how?"

    "Is that strange?" Tanjiro said. He was more curious about why Seiji needed to be so strong instead of how he got that strong. An obvious hint that Tanjiro was not a power-hungry person.

    "I figured you wouldn''t be that strong for no reason, so there must be a reason why you need to be so strong," Tanjiro said, "It''s kind of scary, to be honest,"

    It was like seeing a giant wall, at first you marvelled at its might and magnificence but at the same time, you wondered what the wall was keeping away.

    "I see, you really something huh" Seiji said with a curve of his lips but not a smile.

    "Come, I will show you something," Seiji said and suddenly lept off the balcony.

    Tanjiro gulped, the last time he followed him, he saw something that completely broke his worldview. he wondered what it would be this time.

    "I''ve shown you the beauty of the night, now let me show you the ugly side," Seiji said ominously while his eyes glowed purple, a sign that he was looking at everything and more.

    Searching for demons.

    Or a more fitting word...Victims.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Exam is nearly over and we can return to normal schedule after that. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Join my patreon. There''s is currently 6 advanced Chapter but will put 10 Chapters immediately after exam is over.

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 103: Hinokami Kagura

    Chapter 103: Hinokami Kagura[Seiji''s POV]

    "PLEASEEE!!! HELP MEEEEE!!!!!!" the demon shrieked in absolute agony. Even the damned in the deepest pits of hell wouldn''t release a louder scream.

    She was screaming as if I just lodged my blade through his liver or something.

    ''Am I doing it too much?'' I asked myself while turning to look at Tanjiro who was absolutely mortified at the scene he was witnessing.

    I was trying to show him the hidden dangers of this world. My main goal was to show him the threat of demons so that he would have the determination to train himself and get stronger.

    ...but demons didn''t really seem like a threat right now, did they? Not when it was grovelling on the ground like a helpless insect.

    Maybe I approached this in the wrong way.

    "Shut up," I said coldly to the half-demon, half-spider demon.

    My long sword impaled her through her liver and pinned her down on the ground. All eight limbs thrashed around wildly, in a futile attempt to escape. She would sometimes try to slice me with her spider legs but I had cut off all the sharp ends.

    At my command, she screamed louder., like a banshee.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

    The demon wanted nothing more than to die. She hoped that if she went against my order, I would get angry and expediently kill her instead of torturing her further.

    The fact that I used to torture demons or experiment with them was apparently a known knowledge amongst the demons. When facing the purple Hashira, its better to kill yourself.

    "You''re scaring the poor kid," I said and stepped on her throat. With a violent twist, I broke her vocal cords. The screams turned into a rush of air, too helpless to even make a sound.

    The demon hiding behind the mask of a pretty girl opened her mouth and fountains of blood gushed out. Her eyes became big and perfectly round before they popped like a balloon. She cried streams of blood.

    I immediately turned my head to look at Tanjiro again but he was already bending down while emptying his stomach. The gore was too much for him to handle.

    "I swear, this one in particular is being dramatic. It''s never this messy," I said helplessly before turning back to the demon.

    Finally, I granted her the wish she so desired. I grabbed the handle of my sword and twisted it before I swung my blade right through her body. The ground was cut into two and so was her demonic body.

    Not long after, she turned into ash.

    I released a sigh, that didn''t go down exactly as I planned. I was hoping to encounter some demon who was in the middle of killing a human or something to make a point to Tanjiro.

    Instead, I found a spider demon who tried to use her charms to lure us into her webs Such a pain.

    "Are you okay?" I asked Tanjiro as he breathed heavily with spit and tears on his face. I could see that he completely emptied the contents of his stomach.

    Such a waste of meat.

    You find reasons to hate demons more every day haha.

    "No, actually I''m not okay," Tanjiro said and looked up at me. "What was even that?"

    "Demons," I answered. "You must''ve heard about them in stories or folktales before. Hunt in the night, feast on the flesh of humans and all that. Except in reality, they are a hundred times worse."

    "They...are real," Tanjiro said with a shaky breath.

    "Exactly. And that is the reason why I am strong," I said and Tanjiro stayed silent, looking at the place where the demon used to be. But now there was nothing.

    "Why are you showing me this?" he asked, biting his own teeth.

    I stayed silent for some time before I said, "I am a demon slayer from the Demon Slayer corps. Our job is to protect the innocents from the demons and kill the Demon Lord Muzan,"

    "Your father was special, Tanjiro. No, your family is special," I said. "Your ancestors are closely tied to the demons and demon slayers since the very beginning of the war. They will come for you, it is inevitable,"

    "While your father was alive, he protected you from the demons even without your knowledge. But now it''s time for you to replace him and fulfil your duty as the heir of the Kamado family," I said, mixing lies with truth so seamlessly that you couldn''t tell the difference.

    I was not ashamed because I knew I was doing it for thier own good.

    Tanjiro was lost for words. He looked at me with these uncertain eyes. Too young to bear such responsibilities. He was but a child and he did not have trauma to push him to maturity.

    "Your family, your brothers, your sisters, and your mother. If you want to keep them safe, you need to be strong like me too Tanjiro," I said.

    "That''s the real reason I came here,"

    ..

    ..

    After telling him that, we both returned. I allowed him to get his thoughts together through our journey and I no longer disturbed him.

    There were other demons in the forest as well but I simply flashed my killing intent to drive them away quickly. I would deal with them at a later date.

    When we finally returned, I could see determination slowly being etched on his juvenile face. He seemed a lot more cool-headed than before.

    "I want to do it," Tanjiro said.

    "Do what?" I asked.

    "I want to get strong too. Please teach me so that I can protect my family from the demons,"

    Almost too easy.

    "Okay," I said with a smile. He smiled back too.

    "But first, I need you to do something for me," I said.

    "Yes! I''m willing to do anything!!" he responded like a soldier almost.

    "A dance that your father used to perform, Hinokami Kagura," I said and paused.

    "Show it to me," I said and my eyes glowed in excitement.

    "Ahh, umm, I''m not sure if I know how to do it. I''ve only seen him do it a few times, and it was not like he taught it to me," he said but I cut him off.

    "It doesn''t matter, you know enough. Just show me anything you know, everything you remember," I said.

    He looked unsure, but in the end, he nodded, "Okay, I''ll try my best,"

    My body stilled at that moment and I felt a lump in my throat. Finally, it was going to happen.

    I was going to complete Sun Breathing.

    "Okay..." I said and slowly stepped back from Tanjiro so that I could get a clear undisturbed look at his movement.

    It was midnight, the moon shone in half in the starry night. We were in the Kamado compound, on the clearing that was lit by a dull lamp.

    My eyes shone like jewels inside my skull as I gestured at Tanjiro to start his dance.

    "Seiji-san, is this important to getting stronger?" he asked again before he started performing.

    "More than you would believe. It is a secret technique, hidden in the form of a dance," I said.

    "I see, then I''ll begin,"

    ... S��arch* The N?velFire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    And so Tanjiro started performing the Hnokami Kagura, otherwise known as the different forms of Sun Breathing.

    My eyes saw everything.

    ..

    ..

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Auhtor : Double update

 Chapter 104: The second Sun Breathing user

    Chapter 104: The second Sun Breathing user[Seiji''s POV]

    I watched with bathed breath, I didn''t even blink my eyes once. There was a sense of anticipation in the air and I couldn''t stop my heart from beating wildly.

    "....."

    "Umm...I kinda need a stick," Tanjiro relaxed his body and said with an awkward smile.

    Without wasting any moment, I disappeared from my place and went in front of a random tree. With the blurring stroke of my sword, I cut a branch off the tree and turned it into a stick.

    Then I threw the stick at Tanjiro who barely caught it.

    He collected himself with a couple of coughs. I tilted my head to the side, wondering if what I saw was real.

    The boy was having stage fright when I was literally the only one watching.

    ''In his defence, my eyes are more intense than a thousand gazes I guess.'' I defended the young boy in my mind.

    But soon after that, Tanjiro started performing the Hinokami Kagura. It started off slow and choppy at first but as the dance went on, I finally caught on to the unique aspect of the dance.

    It was similar to the time I had enlightenment when I fought against Doma. Only this time, I was safe and had enough time to ponder upon my discovery.

    Sun Breathing was perfection and turth.

    Even if the art were lost in time, there would come a day, maybe in a thousand years or a million years. Someone would eventually reach the pinnacle of breathing techniques and he would reinvent the Sun Breathing, with absolutely zero change.

    The pattern of inhalation, the abrupt stop and holding of breath and the intensity of swallowing air. Breathing - an action that seemed so simple and could be done by anyone unconsciously - no one would believe how such a simple action could hold such complexity.

    I saw blood rushing to vital organs and muscles, carrying abundant oxygen that made the body move at its fullest potential. All parts of the body that could fight, fought at that moment.

    Tanjiro did not realise it since he was so focused but the temperature of his body rose and the longer he danced - instead of slowing down - he was getting faster and stronger.

    That was Sun Breathing.

    But the forms - in particular - the actions that utilized such an incredible state of the human body, it was not perfect.

    As my eyes pierced through the techniques hidden behind the illusion of a dance, I saw not a perfect technique but imperfection.

    That meant Sun Breathing itself was perfection but the forms were not.

    In those forms, I could vividly see Yoriichi in his prime. I could determine how he would''ve fought, which side he would have preferred, which leg was stronger, which arm was his favourite etc.

    Like a scholar who deciphered ancient inscriptions and gazed upon history, I could see it. It was not perfection, but it was beautiful.

    Action had never been so beautiful.

    It made sense, Yoriichi not only created Sun Breathing but he was also a genius swordsman who trained since his childhood. It was rumoured that he became the strongest swordsman the moment he picked up a sword as a young boy.

    So even five centuries later, I can admire the skill he possessed through the imperfect reflection known as Hinokami Kagura.

    I did not completely rely on Tanjiro''s dance obviously, as that would be ineffective. Instead, I removed all the flaws in Tanjiro''s dance and Hinokami Kagura itself, to get a true glimpse at the forms of Sun Breathing.

    It was like reading very bad handwriting and rewriting it with a better one. It was not that difficult as the meaning behind the action remained the same.

    In no time, Tanjiro finished his dance but I didn''t allow him to stop.

    "Do it again," I told him and he did.

    I watched the dance again and again, picking out the forms hidden in that dance and absorbing the meaning of the action. My knowledge became increasingly deeper.

    There were six directions that encompassed our third-dimensional reality. They were up, down, left, right, forward and backwards. The forms of Sun Breathing utilize these fundamental directions to their greatest limit.

    Yoriichi was a master of these directions, having seemingly complete domain over them like a God. Some forms attacked from opposite directions simultaneously, some attacked only one with unbearable intensity, and some even attacked from all directions at once.

    I could imagine, how he would look like someone with six arms to his opponents. I guess that was the reason behind Kokushibo having six eyes and why the Yoriichi robot needed to have six arms to imitate Yoriichi''s fighting style.

    How could someone attack from two opposite directions at once? Right and left, up and down, forward and backwards?

    Well, the answer was in front of me, almost begging me like to take it, copy it, learn it and finally own it.

    It might not be perfection but the forms of Sun Breathing were by far the greatest techniques of any breathing style. Well, maybe only Water Breathing could rival it with its 13th form.

    I also realised why the first Hashiras were unable to learn the forms of Sun Breathing. But I would explore that at another time.

    For now, I simply watched on repeat as Tanjrio danced again and again and again. I think he even got better with each dance he did.

    That went on until dawn was upon us. By then, I realized I might have gotten a little overboard so I went to Tanjiro and stopped him.

    "Okay, that''s enough," I said and he finally paused his movement.

    He was bathed in salty sweat and his facial expression hung in exhaustion. But he had a small smile on his face, as if dancing for so long was also joy for him.

    "Thank you, " I said with a curt bow.

    "It''s fine." Tanjiro smiled and finally, he collapsed. The moment he stopped the dance, exhaustion which had been held off by the shadows of Sun Breathing came crashing down, swallowing his consciousness.

    I marvelled at the determination and earnest nature of the boy before I went inside the house and laid him on his futon. He was covered in sweat but I was not about to strip him and give him a bath like a baby.

    Then I went outside once more and sat in the same exact place on the balcony where I sat before Tanjiro came to me. There, I watched the sun, rise and disperse the darkness of the night.

    The stars disappeared in the brightening sky, the limelight was now completely stolen by the sun once more.

    "I guess I won''t even get to use my futon," I said to myself and watched as the sun rose in a world that had a perfect Sun Breathing user.

    ..

    ...

    //////////////////////

    [3rd POV] S��arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On the other side of the horizon, blood-red eyes pierced through the darkness and gazed at the rising sun, just like Seiji did.

    Muzan Kibutsuji, upon seeing the sun concluded that his time to roam the earth was over. Now it was time to hide once more, in the shadows, like the imperfect creature he still was.

    He had begun roaming around at night once more, instead of just sending his servants to do everything for him.

    Because recently, there was a sense of urgency in his heart. He did not have a logical explanation as to why, but he felt vulnerable.

    It all started when Doma was first killed.

    Muzan could share memories with his demons and he witnessed from Doma''s perspective, the fight that ultimately led to his death.

    Seiji Shigan.

    It was amusing, at first, he''ll admit. The humans or the Demon Slayer Corps never posed much threat to him, that was why they were allowed to exist for so long. They were not threatening enough for Muzsan to make the effort of wiping them out. They were nothing without ''that'' man.

    So the appearance of a new talented Demon Slayer was, quite intriguing.

    Seiji was only able to kill Doma because of luck, he was still not even at that level yet. So there was no need to take it to the extreme. It doesn''t mean that Muzan took the insolence lying down though as he commanded the Upper Moons to start making big moves.

    But that all changed when the same man killed Upper Moon 6, in less than a month since killing Doma. He favoured Gytaro as well so the fact annoyed him to no end.

    That was until he looked through the memories of Gytaro.

    Seiji Shigan.

    The boy had improved at an impossible rate. He had grown significantly stronger in just a month. And after careful observation, Muzan realised why.

    Sun Breathing. Well, it was not exactly the Sun Breathing Yoriichi used but the breathing pattern was similar. Muzan could never forget it.

    Then there was his newfound ability to use Demon Slayer Mark and most importantly, the boy met with one of Muzan''s greatest enemies.

    Tamayo.

    ..

    He was not petty enough to deny it. The threat was growing bigger.

    A man who had a genius talent, an incomplete Sun Breathing, a Demon Slayer Mark, and finally, had contact with Tamayo. That was an entity he could not look over.

    He was petty enough to deny that he was a little afraid. He was not.

    But there was something that urged him to take action, to hurry before the board was completely flipped.

    Find Seiji Shigan, find the blue spider lily, find the family that had relations with Yoriichi, and find the Demon Slayer headquarters.

    He was wandering around in the darkness of the night to find at least one of those.

    ..

    *BOOOOOOM!!!*

    Muzan''s hand changed its shape and blurred so quickly that it looked like a phantom. And in that single movement, the forest at his side was completely obliterated.

    Muzan released a sigh and grabbed his face, he was extremely pissed off this morning. He felt that the sun was brighter than usual.

    "How infuriating," Muzan said, and then a door appeared under him and he sank into the infinite castle.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Exam is finally over so there will be consistent update again.

    Even extra Chapters for stones maybe.

    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 105: Leaving the Kamado family

    Chapter 105: Leaving the Kamado family[Seiji''s POV]

    (Morning)

    "3...2....1,"

    ...

    ...

    "Ready or not, here I come!!" I yelled out before turning around sharply.

    The yard which was once filled with the Kamado siblings was empty, every one of them had hidden during my countdown from 100.

    Now there was only empty space, leaving one to wonder where the little children had gone. Where could they possibly hide?

    In all seriousness, challenging me to a game of hide and seek was about the stupidest thing someone could ever do.

    But they are kids, right? They don''t know better, Surely i wouldn''t completely obliterate them in this game just to teach them a lesson? Surely I''m not that petty.

    ..

    Wrong.

    Those kids are going to learn the hard way.

    I did a quick scan of the entire Kamado compound and even inside the house before I smiled a victorious smile.

    They never stood a chance. It was like Goku vs Megumi (Potential man)

    I brought my arms up and started pointing out everyone hiding in the yard. I called them one by one, pointing at different places each time as they moaned in annoyance.

    "Nezuko, hiding behind the banyan tree. Your plan of not hiding in the same place and going around the giant tree depending on my position was great, but unfortunately, I am your opponent,"

    "Takeo, you are not slick. We said not going inside the house and yes, that includes the balcony and under the house,"

    "Hanako, you will never find a good hiding spot unless you get dirty. Come out from the flower bed,"

    "Shigeru, come out of the charcoal storage before you turn completely black,"

    Then I paused. i eyed the small bucket that was lying near the well and I walked up to it. If you looked closely, you would see a small kid who had his entire head inside the bucket and is trying his bed to hide inside it.

    "Found you as well Rokuta," I said and tickled his side, causing him to giggle and wail his arms.

    "You are a big boy now, you can''t hide in that small bucket," I said to the baby barely three years old. He was still at the age where he believed as long as he could see someone, they couldn''t see him either.

    "And finally, Tanjiro," I said and turned around to look at the kid who was trying to take advantage of my deafness and stay behind me.

    "Hiding in plain sight huh, I applause you for your creativity but you have to do better than that. You would have to stop sparing the good spots for your siblings if you want to give me a challenge," I said.

    "I was sure I had you," he sighed.

    "In your dreams," I said and stood up, tall and proud like the day Idefeated Gyomei.

    "It''s not fair Seiji-nii, you are older now so naturally you will be better," was the complaint made by Hanako.

    "No, Seiji-nii is cheating. He was obviously peeking during the countdown or else its impossible to locate all of us that quickly without searching," Nezuko accused me with a pout.

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you don''t know the limit of the sky child. I am just that good," I said.

    "I believe him, he was not able to notice me when I ran past him," Tanjiro came to my defence.

    "How do you find us so quickly then?"

    "Well..." I said, "I have an incredibly good hearing. I could hear all the noise you made so it was rather easy." I said.

    Everyone opened their eyes wide in realisation, except for Tanjiro who was the only one who knew I was deaf. I told him sometime last night, during our demon hunting.

    But the rest believed me.

    "Okay, you lose. It''s time for punishment. Drink a cup of water, all of you," I said as the children reluctantly drank one cup of water each.

    In total, they had drank around five cups now due to constantly losing. The sight of thier little kidneys working overtime brought joy to my sadistic side (I''m kidding)

    "Let''s play it again, but this time we cover your ears to make sure you can''t hear anything," Nezuko proposed.

    A wide smile crossed my inner face while I acted hesitant on the outside.

    "But if I do that..." I said and to convince me, Nezuko said, "We will double the punishment if you still win,"

    "Deal," I smirked and the game started again.

    They covered my years with cotton so that I wouldn''t hear them anymore. But still, I proceeded to absolutely destroy them once more.

    It took me one second.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////// S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    (Afternoon)

    "I can''t thank you enough for everything you have done for us," Kie said while bringing me tea in a cup and serving it on the stool.

    We were at the workplace at the back of the house. This was where Tanjiro would chop wood since he could swing an axe and those woods would later on be used to make charcoal.

    ''It was not a problem," I said and took another wood from the small pile and placed it to that I could cut it.

    Kie blinked seeing the small pile. She clearly remembered there to be huge pile when came earlier.

    "Where are the rest?" she asked..

    "Oh, you mean those?" I said and pointed to the side. She followed my finger to see a huge pile of splintered wood that had already been cut at the perfect size.

    Her eyes were wide.

    "How did you manage to do all these!! It should''ve taken us the whole summer to split them all," she said with no small amount of surprise in her voice.

    When the greatest living swordsman used his skill to chop wood, let''s just say that the wood nearly split itself.

    I just shrugged at her surprise.

    Surprisingly, she did question me further than necessary. I think her husband in his prime would''ve shown more impressive feats. He was truly a hidden beast.

    So she would just think, ''I guess they are family,'' or something in her mind.

    With all this work down, I hope Tanjiro will have more free time to train himself. I have given him a routine he had to follow every day to strengthen his body, nothing too serious.

    And I was going to teach him Sun Breathing. It was his birthright.

    "Please, do tell me if you feel thirsty," kie said with a bow and I gave a thumbs up.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    (Evening)

    The sun was beginning to set on the western horizon. I stood in front of the Kamado house with all my equipment and full uniform.

    "Thank you for your hospitality," I said with a respectful bow.

    "No, please. We should be the ones thanking you for all that you have done for us. We don;t know how to repay you," Kie said.

    "Seiji-nii, do you really have to leave? Can''t you stay a few days more?" Rokuta asked me while Nezuku carried him in her arms.

    "Sorry Rokuta, I said. I had to return tot he flower mansion and stay beside Kanae before she woke up. I also had to fully train in the way of using Sun Breathing.

    "Are you going to come back?" Hanako, the girl asked.

    "Of course. Now that I know where you live, I will visit often," i said.

    "Please do, you are alway welcomed here," Kie added.

    I took a final look at the family and stared a bit longer at Tanjiro. he simply nods at me.

    I had given him him the task of strengthening his body before Ic same back to teach him sword technique and breathing style. He was a late bloomer, needing two yers of training to become a Demon Slayer but I was going to try to cut that down significantly.

    He knew what to do.

    i was not going to rely on my canon knowledge too much but the family was killed during the winter when there was snow. It was near the end fo summer so there was still plenty of time left.

    "Okay then, goodby every," i said and turned around before walking away.

    "Bye!!" they waved at me in unison.

    Heh, what a lovely family.

    It makes me want to start a family of my own.

    And if I ever start one, i wanted to have a big family just like them.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 106: Training arc

    Chapter 106: Training arc[3rd POV]

    The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, casting a green glow on the vegetation. On this day, the Demon Slayer headquarters was bustling with activities as servants moved around from one place to another.

    All of the Hashiras, except Shinobu Kocho and Seiji Shigan, were gathered in a meeting. They all stood in front of the main building, their presence worthy of the finest warriors humanity could offer.

    They had just received rather shocking news so there was silence. Until a voice exploded and broke the serenity.

    "Upper Moon 6?! What the HELL!!!" Sanemi screamed with veins popping all over his face.

    "He just got out from the hospital!! How did he manage to slay another Upper Moon!!"

    Every Hashira present looked at Sanemi with varying degrees of amusement. In truth, they also had a reaction to the news and Sanemi freaking out was a good distraction.

    "Apparently, Seiji encountered them while he was on a date with his fiance Mitsuri. We knew there was a strong demon lurking in that area but didn''t know it was an Upper Moon," Lady Amane, who had come to deliver the news in place of Ubuyashiki said with a measured tone.

    "Did he come back to report?" Giyu asked, his face unreadable to everyone other than Seiji.

    "No, his Kasugai crow came back in his stead and reported the news. He himself seemed to be preoccupied with other important things ''I am finding the final puzzle,'' or so he describes what he is doing,"

    "Although he said he was coming back in a few days," she added.

    If one looked closely, you could see that Giyu was disappointed. He was someone who missed his friends, well, in his case a friend, as Seiji was really the only one he was close with.

    But the last part put a microscopic smile on his face.

    "I see. That means he was not injured much during the fight like last time, I''m glad," Giyu said with a satisfied nod. Even though he couldn''t see him, the knowledge that Seiji was okay put him at ease.

    It was rarely mentioned but for someone who was used to losing the people he cared for, the safety of a friend meant much.

    Well, that includes almost everyone in the Demon Slayer Corp really. They were just a bunch of broken people trying to fix the world because they didn''t know how to fix themselves.

    Everyone had lost people they loved.

    "Why is he the only one who gets lucky damn it!! I am the one with special blood, Upper Moons should flock around me instead!" Sanemi said with gritted teeth.

    It might look like he was being petty and too competitive with Seiji. But deep down, he was frustrated that demons were targeting Seiji. Sanemi didn''t want him to bear the burden alone.

    If there was anyone who deserved the burden, it should be him. The boy who killed his own mother.

    ''So why do you keep going after Seiji!! Come to me!'' Sanemi thought to himself.

    Rengoku nodded once, twice, and acknowledged the fire burning in Sanemi''s heart. Although Sanemi was bad at expressing himself, he understood Sanemi''s feelings.

    "I think it''s better this way. It''s much safer that the strongest among us was the one who encountered them, if not there may have been causality and we may even lose a Hashira," Giyu said.

    The others also seemed to agree with that statement but that was only the logical part of them. Another part of them was not satisfied either.

    "Your words hold truth. But it is also frustrating for me, as someone who is the oldest amongst the Hashira. I''d rather risk my life fighting an Upper Moon too, instead of leaving everything to young Seiji," Gyomi said, his hands bulging as he prayed.

    "Indeed, Seiji is the strongest of us but first and foremost, he is our friend. We can''t let him do everything on his own, we have to catch up!!" Rengoku declared with a raised fist.

    Everyone agreed with that statement. They shared the same title and duty, therefore they couldn''t let Seiji do everything himself. Otherwise, how would they dare rub shoulders with him?

    Seiji had now set a standard that they had to meet. His mere existence in this world was causing changes.

    It was like being at the peak of a mountain. The Hashiras were at that peak, they didn''t know how else to climb higher, so they stagnated.

    But then Seiji came in, climbing even higher and reaching higher peaks which they didn''t know were possible.

    With that example, they now had a higher goal to strive for. Sometimes, it was not just a strong enemy that force you to grow, but also a strong ally.

    "My husband proposed a new arrangement, where everyone will have the chance to learn from each other. That way, you can help one another in growing stronger," Lady Amane said.

    "You will all be partnered with another Hashira in your missions and your goal will be to push each other to new heights. I understand your competitive nature to grow stronger but you also have a bigger reason to do so."

    Every gaze hardened at that and they knew what it was.

    "Demons." Lady Amane said, "They are getting more active and higher-rank demons are also increasing in number. With the movement of the twelve kizukis, humanity needs you all to be stronger than ever. This generation is now officially the most dangerous one, "

    Every heart burned with new intensity.

    In the canon timeline, it would''ve taken the attack on the swordsmith village and the looming threat of the demon king for the Hashrias to start a new training. But this time, due to the influence of Seiji, it was already here.

    As demons sharpen their claws in the dead of the night, the demon slayers also sharpen their swords.

    The final battle was on the horizon.

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    (Training ground of the Demon Slayer Headquarters)

    A flash of violent green, a rope of calm blue, and then a chain of bright yellow.

    These colours clashed amid the giant cloud of dust that came alive due to the ongoing battle. The incredible forces of nature battled for dominance.

    The winds were not winds, they were blades that sliced everything in the atmosphere. You could hear the bizarre sound of a river flowing and crashing on the battlefield.

    A constant shockwave spread through the surroundings. One would feel their skin burning with each wave of the air, there was an explosive roar at the centre of chaos.

    *BOOOOOM!!*

    Giyu was violently sent out from the smoke like a ragdoll and a blur of green and yellow followed right after.

    Giyu planted his feet on the ground and used his momentum to slide across the ground as if it were liquid. He easily changes direction with incredible mobility. The green blur that was on his tail exploded in his previous location as Giyu dodged, one second late and it would''ve hit him.

    But Giyu had a serene expression on his face as if he was just hit by a gentle breeze. He adjusted the way he held his sword and clashed against the yellow blur that came instantly.

    Steel ground against steel and produced a bright spark. Giyu''s hand shook as he barely stopped the intensity behind every swing of Rengoku''s sword.

    "Hey, do you think maybe we shouldn''t use our real swords?" Giyu asked.

    "I don''t know, either way, I won''t hurt you!!" Rengoku beamed a smile and contrasting to his smile, he put more force behind his sword, causing Giyu''s arm to shudder under the weight.

    "Dumbass, if we used wooden swords we won''t be able to go all out." the smoke cleared up and the green blur was revealed to be Sanemi.

    "And how can we get stronger without even going all out?" Sanemi finished with a broad smile on his face.

    Giyu pivoted on his heels and redirected the linear force pressing on him to the side. Rengoku fell forward due to momentum but with a quick spin of his sword which was blocked again by Giyu, he repositioned himself.

    "Actually, we can practice our techniques instead of trying to kill each other," Giyu said.

    "Oh, and how has that been going for you? Can you claim to be stronger than me?" Sanemi asked with a growl to which Giyu could not answer.

    Because he was not stronger than Sanemi.

    "And I am not trying to kill you," Sanemi added, or more like ordered him to acknowledge that fact. Giyu still remained silent.

    Because he was doubtful of that claim.

    "Stop nerding over techniques, we need to sharpen our battle instincts. That''s the only way we can grow stronger," Sanmei said.

    Amongst the Hashiras, Gyomei and Tengen had already teamed up and went out for missions. Shinobu was a medic so she was exempted from the training programme.

    That left Sanemi, Giyu and Rengoku. It was an odd number so they couldn''t pair up, they needed Seiji.

    And since Seiji was absent, the three decided to spend a day or two sparring against each other while they waited for his return. They even slept in the Demon Slayer headquarters last night.

    "Enough chit-chat, why don''t you two come together at me?" Sanemi said while flashing a smile that should belong to a demon instead of a demon slayer.

    "If that''s what you want, comrade," Rengoku was the first one to respond and he matched Sanemi''s smile with his own heroic grin.

    Although he did not say it, he was extremely fired up training with the two swordsmen whom he still looked upon as superior to him. He was going to take advantage of this sparring session to the fullest.

    With a blur of speed and scorching force, he exploded towards Sanemi. The Wind Hashira never dropped his smile and welcomed Rengoku with a hurricane made to dismember body parts.

    "I still think we should use wooden swords..." Giyu muttered to himself while looking at the ongoing battle. It looked dangerous.

    "...." sea??h th�� n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    *BOOM*

    *CLASH!!*

    SHING!! SHING!!

    KREEEH!!

    "Why don''t you try harder newbie!!"

    "Of course, my passionate comrade!!"

    *BOOOOOM!!*

    "You are pissing me off!!"

    "I see, but it seems to be working. The flame in your heart is blazing brighter and brighter!!"

    *BOOOOOM!!!*

    ''I think that''s just his anger Sengoku,'' Giyu continued watching the battle with flat eyes.

    ''They are really going at it,'' he thought to himself.

    In the end, he decided to drop all guards and join in. They seemed to be having fun and for once, he wanted to join.

    Maybe this was what they called hanging out with friends.

    "Water Breathing : Eleventh Form," Giyu muttered to himself and as soon as those words fell, the world stilled.

    Rengoku and Sanemi immediately stopped their clash and turned towards Giyu, or at least to the place where they thought Giyu was.

    He was not there anymore.

    What abruptly shifted their attention to Giyu was not a sense of danger. The sudden explosion of someone''s bloodlust and presence could be scary, like Seiji''s. But what was even scarier was the complete erasure of it.

    Yes.

    Giyu had suddenly gone completely out of their sense and that shook them completely.

    "Dead Calm," Giyu appeared in front of them.

    There he was, in front of them. But Sanemi and Rengoku could not move. Their mind and body refused to believe in the existence of Giyu at that moment.

    Even when they saw the danger, their body refused to acknowledge it.

    Giyu continued his attack, slow and steady. In the chaotic battle, there was calm and that was the most dangerous thing.

    It seemed the fight was going to be over until Sanemi''s body suddenly exploded into action. His arms whipped, faster than sound and blocked Giyu''s sword.

    He forced his body - which was trained only to react when necessary - to react to what his body deemed to be nothing.

    *BOOOM!!*

    "Finally decided to get serious huh? You sure are dangerous," Sanemi said as they pushed against each other.

    Rengoku was blasted away by the shockwave a few meters away and he watched everything with wide, focused eyes. He was learning, rapidly at that.

    "You are the one who said to give you everything," Giyu said, "So here you go,"

    The Water Hashria disappeared again, leaving Sanemi to react to nothing. This time, he reacted to the wrong nothing by slashing at his right side, but Giyu appeared on his left side.

    Right then, a blur of yellow crashed against Giyu and sent him flying away. It was Rengoku. His eyes were wide and shone bright, there was also a wide smile on his face.

    There was no need to exchange words, Sanem and Rengoku blitz at Giyu together.

    The sparring session continued after that, growing more and more intense with each second.

    The Hashrias all had incredible endure so fighting for an hour was nothing to them. But after the hour mark, something suddenly changed again.

    This time, the change was more drastic than when Giyu first revealed his eleventh form.

    A new colour appeared on the battlefield.

    A blur of purple.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGES]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 107: Living myth

    Chapter 107: Living myth[3rd POV]

    The Hashiras saw a new colour flash in the battlefield. If that was not enough to tell them someone had entered the battle, their instincts immediately came alive, their bodies knew that they had to perform their best against the new entity.

    "There you are!! We have been waiting!!" Sanemi screamed and his arm blurred in an arc that created a wave of typhoon that ripped the ground to shreds.

    Rengoku barely caught a glimpse, he only saw a streak of purple rushing at Sanemi which completely disappeared right before meeting against Sanemi''s attack. It was like a ghost, an illusion.

    In the very next instant, purple appeared behind Sanemi. This time, the colour was not in motion so he could see the full body.

    It was the silhouette of a man with two glowing orbs in place of an eye. During battles, Seiji utilized his eyes to fight which made them glow an eerie purple and gave him a very distinctive feature.

    Yet before Seiji could do anything, a swing of a blue sword came from his right side. The sword left a trail of blue and Giyu flashed a visible smile seeing Seiji.

    "Welcome back," Giyu muttered.

    Untrained eyes would believe that the sword successfully cut Seij, but the result would prove them wrong. There was not a single scratch on him, his flawless skin remained the same.

    Seiji had dodged the swing with a mere centimetre away from cutting him. Such a close dodge seemed like pure luck, yet it was not.

    Although it looked close, the distance between Seiji and the sword might as well be measured in lightyears. It was not luck, simply absolute mastery over swordsmanship.

    ...

    Right then, Rengoku also took action. He exploded with the intensity of an inferno and swung at the left side of Seiji.

    The sword came swiftly, slicing through the air with such precision that it produced a whistling sound.

    Seiji''s eyes never blinked and saw the world in its most simplistic state. He did not even pull out his sword yet, he merely sifted his entire weight on one leg and hit Rengoku''s sword at the side with his finger.

    The attack was precise, but it had only linear force. So when Seiji lightly tapped at the side of the sword, it changed trajectory and arc towards Giyu.

    !!!

    *CLING!!*

    In the end, Rengoku and Giyu clashed instead.

    "Stop playing with us!!" Sanemi bellowed and threw an upward slash that forced Seiji to leap high in the air. The force of the swing created a gust of wind that pushed him further than he expected.

    "Okay.." Seiji muttered to himself, checking his body to make sure no wind blades left a scratch on him.

    Finally, he pulled out his sword fully from the sheath. He held the sheath on his left hand and the sword on the right. He was using the weapon with only one hand.

    There were three Hashiras in front of him, which would be Akaza level in terms of demons. But Seiji always did find human opponents to be easier to deal with.

    "Aren''t we going to stop? He just got here, maybe we should say hi or something?" Rengoku asked but the other two did not heed his words.

    They only flashed a small knowing smile, as someone who had gone on long missions with Seiji, they knew action was the same as talking to him.

    And even if they say their greetings, their; words would fall on deaf years anyway. Hence it was better this way.

    Rengoku released a sigh before he pulled up his sword and got into position.

    Then in a sudden action akin to lightning, the three shot towards him. They inhaled sharply and used their respective breathing styles.

    "Wind Breathing : Third form,"

    "Water Breathing : Fifth form,"

    "Flame Breathing : Esoteric Art,"

    Seiji was taken aback when he saw the intensity at which they came. His eyes saw the forms they were going to use before they even executed them. So by the time they came, he was already ready for a reply.

    ''Let''s test this out,'' Seiji thought to himself and a wide grin came upon his usually stoic face.

    "Sun Breathing : Ninth form,"

    The air turned into intense flames as Seiji burst forth with endless momentum. He was almost as fast as when he used Thunder Breathing.

    But unlike thunder breathing, his movement was not only fast but also fluid and precise, like Water Breathing.

    They also release an intense force that disrupts the air in the atmosphere, producing violent hurricanes, like Wind Breathing.

    Each step he took was firm and unyielding. He didn''t look like a feather that was moving fast, but a heavy boulder that was moving fast despite its immense weight. It was like Stone Breathing.

    There was an unending heat in his movement, one that caused goosebumps to appear to those who faced him. It was burning, like Flame Breathing.

    Yet it was unlike his unusual mixed breathing. Mix Breathing combines the best of breathing styles to their utmost limit.

    But this was just a single style of breathing that happen to have the attributes of all breathing styles. It was not quite as fast as Thunder Breathing, not quite as precise as Water Breathing, nor as powerfullas Stone Breathing.

    But it had everything.

    That was the forms of Sun Breathing.

    "Clean Storm Wind Tree,"

    "Blessed Rain After Drougth,"

    "Purgatory!" S��arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The three Hashrias, the pinnacle of humanity, launched a consecutive attack on Seiji. Their fierce attacks turned cataclysmic upon combining.

    Seiji replied to the attacks.

    "Dragon Head Dance,"

    A trail of brilliant red and yellow traced the hypnotic movement of Seiji. It was fast like Thunder Breathing but with the precision and finess of Water Breathing. So although it was moving so quickly, it looked like the attack was flowing slowly while the world stilled.

    The three Hashiras looked upon the scene with wide eyes.

    Seiji fully predicted every action they were going to take and had countered every attack before they even happened. It was like a cut scene in a video game, they followed the script while Seiji manoeuvred between them, like water, yet with the strength of a mountain.

    The sound of scorching flame could be heard as the trail of of yellow morphed into a Dragon Head at the end.

    All ended in an instant.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    "What the hell was that?" Sanemi was the first to ask as he looked up. His eyes were shaking with veins popping in them.

    "I don''t know, I''ve never seen anything like it before," Giyu remarked,

    "....I think I know what that was," Rengoku said and they all turned around to look at Seiji who was not even looking at them but was gazing at his own sword.

    They just had their attacks cancelled and suppressed before they could bloom into action but they had not time to linger on that thought. They stood up straight in silent awe.

    "Sun Breathing," Rengoku said. He had read about it in the book his ancestors left behind. It didn''t have the exact details but all the forms of Sun Breathing were described in vivid detail so Rengoku could recognize it immediately.

    "...."

    "So that''s the ''key'' huh," Giyu said in realisation.

    They all looked upon the myth that came to life.

    A Sun Breathing user.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Stones, please.

    And stop joining my patreon! It''s not ready!! I''ll tell you when it''s good to join.

 Chapter 108: Strong Comrades

    Chapter 108: Strong Comrades[Seiji''s POV]

    "Well, that''s that.." I said, trying to stay calm after I just pulled off that cool shit.

    Like I always said, it was cool only until you acknowledge it.

    "It''s good to see you all training so hard to improve, you will surely need more strength for the upcoming battles," I said while gazing upon the three Hashiras.

    The sun was hung in the middle of the sky, lighting up the endless expanse with a colour of serene blue. There was hardly any cloud in the sky, it was a clear summer day.

    The Demon Slayer headquarters was a small compound hidden between mountains. The place had many traditional houses for the servants and the Kasugai crows living here, while the main headquarters stood as the biggest structure in the middle of the compound.

    The headquarters training ground was located at the back of the compound in the south. The entrance held the Kasugai crows so intruders could be spotted instantly, therefore it was the back that needed the most protection.

    The training gourd was rather simple, with a huge open space made of cobblestones and you could see wooden dummies and weapons one could use for training. tall trees stood tall occasionally, providing shade where people could rest.

    "Although I am not keen to use sparring to greet each other, I''m glad it shows you are safe and healthy," Giyu was the first one to greet me back with a sentence.

    "Bastard, you got stronger again," was what Sanemi said next.

    I flashed a small smile at both of them before my eyes met with Rengoku. I could see that he was still shocked and had many questions going through his mind.

    He slowly came up after a short silence and asked.

    "Is what I said true?" he stopped in front of me, "Was that the lost technique of Sun Breathing, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

    I did not reply instantly, and instead cast a serious look at him. Then my mask slowly cracked as I smiled a childish smile of excitement.

    Like a child showing off his new toy to his best friend.

    "You are right," I said and I saw his breathing stop.

    "I''ve reinvented the Sun Breathing,"

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" a loud laugh soon filled the training ground as Rengoku let out a hysterical laugh.

    It was a mix of pride, relief and awe.

    "My father said no one would use sun breathing again and that it was lost in time. Therefore, the demons would never be truly defeated. But here you are,"

    "You did the impossible again, Seiji," Rengoku said and flashed his usual smile, albeit a bit brighter.

    "Can you tell me what this Sun Breathing is and why it''s so important again?" Sanemi asked as he and Giyu walked up to me.

    "Here you are, a demon slayer of the highest rank yet you don''t even know what Sun Breathing is," Giyu said with a flat face, he did not even look at Sanmei while he talked.

    "What? Am I supposed to know what that is?" Sanmei said.

    "No, it''s just that I would expect a Hashira to be aware of this>I was just surprised you made it this far without even knowing the roots of breathing styles,"

    "Shut up!!" Sanmei snarked back, he did not fully understand the situation but he knew that Giyu was calling him dumb again in that elaborate way of his.

    "You wanna go again?!" He fumed.

    "It''s not the time anymore, Sanemi. And don''t worry, I can explain it to you," Rengoku said to calm him down.

    Fire calming down the wind was kind of funny. You would think that the Flame Hashira would be the short-tempered one and the Wind Hashira would be gentle, like Airbending monks.

    But in reality, it was the opposite.

    "You see, 500 years ago, the demon slayers did not have breathing styles. They would fight the demons with their limited strength and as one would guess, they were losing really really badly against the demons. That was until a powerful swordsman emerged, his name was Yoriichi. Yoriichi created the first breathing style, Sun Breathing, to fight against demons and give humans the ability to fight against demons on equal grounds. But no one was able to learn Sun Breathing, not even the first Hahsiras. Yorrichi had to help each of them create thier own breathing styles, an inferior version of the Sun Breathing. These breathing styles are what we now know as the five major breathing styles," Rengoku explained.

    "Since no one was able to learn Sun Breathing itself and only a variation of it, the legendary Sun Breathing was thought to have died with Yoriichi," Rengoku added, "Well, that was until Seiji here reinvented it I guess,"

    Both Giyu and Sanemi were left speechless for a moment.

    "How did you learn it?" Giyu asked and they turned to me curiously.

    I explained, "You all know that I have mastered all five breathing styles right?"

    They nodded.

    "After I mastered all of them, I began seeing the similarity amid the drastic difference in each breathing style. At the end of the day, although they were different, they had the same origin and they all led me to it," I said.

    "And one day, it just clinked," I said.

    "Do you happen to fight an Upper Moon on that day?" Rengoku asked.

    "Yes," I smiled. They were all warriors and knew that the greatest innovations often came at the gravest moment. sea??h th�� ��ov��lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I see, so it''s like fitting back a puzzle," Rengoku said thoughtfully.

    "Do you think we can learn it too?" Sanemi asked quickly.

    "Of course. But I believe that would not be a good idea. You have trained your body and instincts to fit the Widn Breathing, it will be like trying to unlearn a habit and learning a new one," I said.

    "Or like destroying a building to build a bigger one," Giyu added a better comparison.

    "Exactly, so even if I were to teach Sun Breathing, it would be better to find someone who has not trained at all," I finished my point.

    "Have you folded this to Lord Ubuyashiki?" Rengoku asked.

    "No," I said, "I was trying to do that actually, which is why I came here first instead of the Flower Mansion. But I see that Lord Ubuyashiki is not here," I said.

    "His condition is getting worse, he didn''t even show his face yesterday and Lady Amane came in his place," Giyu said.

    "I see," I said, a phrase which I found fitting to me and have been using it constantly recently.

    "Where''s Tengen and Gyomei?" I asked next.

    "They went on a mission together. Speaking of which, I should probably tell you about the new programme that we have," Giyu said and informed me about what they discussed yesterday.

    Apparently, it was a form os training for the Hashiras. The news that I killed another Upper Moon had bred a sense of need for improvement amongst the Hashiras.

    The news that I killed the Upper Moon was not as impactful since - obviously someone who killed the Upper Moon 2 can kill a lower rank one - but ti still was quite a shock to the Hashrias who had never even encountered an Upper Moon.

    So they decided to pair two Hashrias on a mission and let them learn from each other. I was sure Ubuyashiki got this form me, where whenever I went on a joint mission with a Hashria, I learned their techniques and breathing styles.

    He was trying to replicate that.

    Although it might not be as progressive as mine, the strategy was still good. If they did not get stronger, at least they would have better teamwork and connection which could turn the tides of a hundred battles.

    ....

    "How was it? The Upper Moon you killed," Sanemi asked me.

    We were already sitting under the shade of one of the trees beside the training ground. We all sat in the four directions of the tree, surrounding it.

    "Weak," I blurted out while recalling my fight with Gyutaro and Daki. Or could that even be called a fight?

    "I''m sure, you can all match its combat strength alone. Luckily, not all Upper Moon are monsters like Doma," I said.

    "But fighting an Upper Moon is always tricky, so it will be necessary to have two Hashiras if you want to slay it properly," I said.

    "How so?" they asked.

    "First of all, the Upper Moon were two in one demon. They were brothers and sisters. They can die only if you cut both of thier heads at the same time, " I said, "Or make sure the other has no time to heal while you cut off the head of the other,

    "But most importantly, thier blood demon art. The demon had a poison blood spells, one scratch is enough to kill you," I said.

    "So even if you match in combat strength, you will probably die in a fight," I said. After all, you can''t fight someone your equal or someone slightly weaker than you and come out unscratch.

    To not sustain any injury in a fight would require you to be overwhelmingly stronger. That was why although Gytaro''s combat power was not too high, he could bring down warriors stronger than him.

    "I understand, that do seem like trouble," Giyu said thoughtfully.

    At that moment, Rengoku burst out laughing, "Not for Tengen though!! He has poison resistance,"

    "You really believe it when he said that?" Sanemi scoffed.

    "What? He told me that he was from a Shinobi family, so they trained from a young age to be immune to poison," Rengoku said.

    "Wait, when did he tell you this?" Giyu asked.

    "A while ago, while drinking in a restaurant. He said I was his friend so he shared his past with me," Rengoku said.

    "But how come he never told me..."Giyu became depressed.

    "What do you think, eyes?" Sanemi asked me.

    "It''s probably true. Tengen did have abundant white blood cells and a stronger immune system," I said to confirm and Sanemi nodded, trusting my words.

    We sat under the tree, taking about random things and sharing stories of ou travels. It was a nice and quite moment as we let our body recover from the spar.

    "Oh, and please be ready, I''m going to call a Hashira meeting as soon as possible if the Master allows it. I have important information to share," I said.

    "Sure thing. So I guess that means no mission even tomorrow,"

    "Really? Then wanna go for some more rounds?" Rengoky, being the training freak he was, asked. Since he had no mission tomorrow, it was okay to be tired.

    "Who do you think you are talking to a newbie? I was born ready!!" Sanemi said and jumped from his seat.

    The two of them waste no time as they blur towards the centre of the training ground to fight against each other.

    "Do they ever get tired?" I said with a helpless shake of my head. I had a small smile at their antics.

    Different personalities may be different, but they have the same intensity that matches perfectly.

    "You too?" I asked when I saw Giyu also getting up and walking towards the training ground.

    "Of course, we can''t let you get too far ahead", He said and joined the training.

    I could only smile wider and release a sigh, internally grateful to have comrades like them. The stronger they are, the more certain victory.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : A Chapter of the Hashrais spending time together. Do you like these kinds of Chapters?

    I think it is necessary to do more slice of life because the next major arc and fight would be quite big and would dictate the final stretch of the story.

 Chapter 109: Surprise

    Chapter 109: Surprise[Seiji''s : POV]

    "You''ve returned," Shinobu said when she saw me enter the Flower Mansion through the small entrance at the back.

    It was not the main entrance so only a few would use it to enter the mansion. I was already quite famous among the demon slayer corps so I did not want to bother with the people I would meet if I took the front gate.

    I responded to her call by stopping in my place and looking at her - as if I had the capacity to hear whatever she was saying.

    If one were to compare how Shinobu looked right now with how she was a few months ago, they would surely be perplexed at the drastic change. It was not just a change in her appearance or fashion, it was a metamorphosis of her vibe altogether.

    She was much more mature now, and her emotions couldn''t be noticed without eyes like mine. She had a permanent smile on her face, a great mask, that hid every other real emotion she might have had.

    Or was it a change? Maybe it''s just growth.

    A growth which came, when her older sister was bound to the bed and all the responsibility of the medical team fell on her shoulder. The kind of growth that came when she became a Hashira and now had to bear the responsibility of countless lives.

    A year ago, she would''ve lept at me before I even crossed the door and asked me to experiment or spar with her while telling me endless information about what happened while I was gone.

    But now she sat on the veranda of the back of the mansion, her legs dangling in the air because she was too short to reach the ground. Her haori was the exact replica of her sister''s, it had a beautiful butterfly pattern.

    Her eyes were not only exotic in thier colour but also thier shape. She had no pupils and her eyes looked like that of an insect. It was unnatural, but attractive at the same time.

    I took a moment to take in the view of her, etching it into my memory.

    "Welcome back," she said, a small smile on her tilted face. She used a smile as a mask but my eyes saw that this one was genuine. There was a smile behind the smile.

    "And here I thought you''d be busy since they said you were exempted from the training programme," I said, walking inside the compound.

    "What do you mean? I was awfully busy until five minutes before you arrived," she said and her smile showed a toothy grin.

    "Is that so?" I said and I turned my head around the compound. My eyes perceived through the walls as I observed the mansion deeply, checking on the residents and even the patients.

    I smiled, "Thank you for your hard work,"

    I bowed my head slightly when I stood in front of her. She let out a deep sigh and took in a greedy breath afterwards, trying to take in my scent. It was an instinctive action that came from the relief of seeing me - a way for the brain to prove my existence in front of her.

    "How have you been?" I asked.

    "Good, and like I said busy. I''m more curious about what was so important that you couldn''t even return to enjoy the reward of slaying another Upper Moon," she said.

    "You''ll know soon enough, in the upcoming Hashira meeting," I said.

    "Soon?" she questioned.

    "Yes, I sent Raven to Lord Ubuyashiki and requested another Hashira meeting," I said. I have not received a reply or a confirmation but I knew he would surely allow my small request.

    "I see," she said. She copied that phrase from me.

    "So..." I began, and immediately I felt my heartbeat go off rhythm. My throat clogged up for reasons not of logical nature as I asked.

    "How is she?"

    Shinobu allowed a place for silence after my words fell. Silence for me was inaction, and Shinobu was simply staring at me without doing anything.

    In the end, she smiled again.

    "Why don''t you see for yourself," she said, there was this knowing look in her eyes that warned me to expect something.

    Whether to expect something good or something bad, I did not know. So I stepped up on the veranda while Shinobu stood up, and then we went towards Kanae''s room.

    The smell of medicine and cold steel was the first thing I noticed when the door was opened. Then I was greeted with the sight of a room, which actually looked like a normal room this time instead of a hospital ward.

    There were books neatly arranged on the table with other things like flowers and decorations. The medical equipment was all gone now and only the IV stand was left behind.

    I slowly walked towards the only bed in the room and I saw the girl lying on it.

    Kanae.

    She looked much healthier now. Her cheeks were flushed and each breath looked to go in and out with ease now. Her lung injuries were significantly better.

    The bruises on her face and the bandages were gone as well, her elegant features had regained their beauty. She looked like a sleeping beauty on that bed.

    My eyes glowed a little as I examined her body. She was fine, in fact, it looked like she was not in a coma anymore and was just simply sleeping.

    I went even closer to her, I was already standing right beside her bed. I snaked my hand inside the blanket and took hold of her hand, they were warm and soft.

    Shinobu came with a chair in her hand and placed it next to me. I sat on it while still gripping Kanae''s hand.

    "I''m glad," I said with a relieved chuckle. I finally closed my eyes and rested my forehead on her unmoving body.

    She''s okay.

    She''s fine.

    I stayed like that for a while, appreciating the fact that Kanae was making a recovery and that I had not failed in my endeavour, at least not fully.

    I only looked up when I felt the slightest movement of her body.

    "What was that?" I asked.

    Then I felt it again, there was a twitch in her hand and I could feel it. I could also feel at that exact moment, my heart beating like a drum.

    Was she...waking up?

    I know it was cliche, sleeping beauty waking up when the prince was beside her. But the shallowness of her breath and the twitch of her muscles told me that she was all but awake.

    Did she really wake up at the perfect time when I visited her?

    I inch my face ever so slowly closer to hers. My eyes narrowed utile they turned into slits as I peered at her face.

    I found no flaws. I was not looking at them but I thought I should mention it. She was beautiful.

    I was only a few inches away from her face when my eyes caught the movement of her face. She turned her head slightly in my direction and puckered her lips. My eyes saw everything in slow motion but I was too surprised to react.

    She blew at my eyes.

    The rush of air caused my eyes to blink instinctively. It was only a millisecond of darkness but when I opened my eyes again, I saw Kanae''s lips were no longer puckered.

    It was curving. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She was smiling.

    "....."

    "BOOOOH!!" she yelled suddenly after that.

    "...."

    "Ah, right, you are deaf. No use yelling to scare you," she said to herself afterwards.

    "...."

    "Ummm, what is he doing? Is he still here?" she then asked while turning her head to the side where Shinobu was standing.

    "Yeah," Shinobu let out a peal of laughter, "I think he is too shocked. He had the same face as when Kanao called him father,"

    "Does he?" Kanae said and turned back to me. Actually, the angle was a bit off, proof that she was not seeing me.

    "I can imagine that," she said and her smile turned even wider.

    ...

    "You''re awake..." my voice must''ve come out low and unsure.

    Damn it, I wanted to sound confident and charming when I talked to her again.

    "..and you are smiling," I said and my breath hitched,

    Her amused smile turned softer and gentler as the hand I had been holding all this time, held me back.

    "Of course, I''m smiling," she said, "You are here and you saved me,"

    Heh..it was phenomenal what those sentences did to me. I finally released the breath I had been holding and my body relaxed.

    I knew it was a ridiculous speculation, but I was expecting her to be sadder and even blame me for her blindness.

    Like how I have been blaming myself.

    But the first thing she did was wrap me in a hug. I could feel her warmth which had returned after enduring the frigid coldness of demonic ice.

    "Thank you, Seiji," she said sincerely. But the next sentence that followed was uttered with her whole heart.

    "I love you,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Auhtor : Extra Chapter if we reach 500 stones!!

 Chapter 110: Sleeping beauty

    Chapter 110: Sleeping beauty[3rd POV]

    The last thing she remebered was the hazy whiteness of a frigid cloud as she desperately tried to feel the warmth of his embrace.

    Against the demon who seemed impossible to overcome, she did her best, honouring her title as a Hashira.

    But the cold consumed everything so quickly. She felt her mind slipping into an endless pit that swallowed her whole. By all means she thought she was dead. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    it would''ve been a good way to die too, fighting against the evil being that took her family until her last breath. It was the death dreamt by many warriors.

    Her sister was already grown and strong, and although she would miss her dearly, she knew her sister could take her place and bear the responsibilities.

    Kanao was also already smiling and had healed from all her trauma. Her patients would be fine, her friends and fellow Hashira were also there to continue the war she gave her life to.

    The only regret she would have had was Seiji, she never properly got to confess her feelings to him. She was too scared and didn''t want to bear the tragic consequence of her mistake.

    That was only it.

    So as she felt her consciousness slipping away, she was expecting the cold grasp of death. And she welcomed it with open arms.

    ..

    ..

    But then she woke up, she was not dead.

    But she might as well be because although she was conscious, she couldn''t move even a single muscle in her body. It was like her body was already dead but her mind lingered in the realm of the living.

    It was lonely inside her body, it was dark and numb. She couldn''t feel anything else except the silence of her thoughts.

    It was horror.

    She did not know how long she stayed like that because oftentimes she would pass out, only to for her consciousness to return to the body that was not ready to host it. Again and again.

    But after what she could only speculate to be a day or two, she felt the sensation of touch. That feeling of sesation was soon followed by the breaking of silence as well.

    She could now hear and feel the touch. They were two of her sense she would ever truly need because of the people she felt beside her immediately.

    Her sister Shinobu and Seiji.

    ..

    "Are you sure she is going to feel comfortable with that?" it was a distinct voice which she recognized instantly due to the weird donation and perfect pronunciation.

    "I''m positive she can''t feel anything either way," she knew that voice as well, it was Shinobu.

    "Doesn''t mean we should let her be..." Seiji said before he adjusted her head nd took away the double pillow so she could lay more relaxed.

    "See? Look how more relax she is," Seiji made a point.

    "Yes, it does look that way, to us at least," Shinobu said.

    Kanae was still living in a world of darkness but she could clearly feel the presence of these two. They were the two most important people in her lives. They were like the sun in the dark and unmoving space.

    She felt less lonely with that.

    She then felt someone grab her hand. From the size of the hand and roughness, she could tell that it was Seiji''s.

    "And we are going to use this, as my own pillow," Seiji said and she could feel a weight on her side. She imagined him to lay his head on her side.

    "Are you going to spend the night like that again?" Shinobu asked.

    "I guess so. I don''t want her to feel lonely,"

    "She is not waking up anytime soon Seiji, she is not aware that she is lonely. Besides, I will frequently visit her to check and replace her IV''s," Shinobu said.

    "But still..."

    "You know you should rest on your own bed to recover," Shinobu said.

    "I wouldn''t get a wink of sleep there anyways, but I can sleep peacefully here," was Seiji''s reply.

    "I guess it can''t be helped then. Would you like me to get a futon? Or maybe I can ask the servants to put another bed beside her,"

    "No, this is fine Shibi,"

    "Okay. Then have a good night Seiji, I''m going to patrol through the wards to check on the other patients," Shinobu said before leaving the room.

    Kanae could now hear everything around her so she was aware of what was happening.

    "Good night,"

    And soon after that, there was silence, and Kanae also allowed her consciousness to rest once more.

    ....

    Days went by after that she could hear and feel but not move just yet. She would occasionally awaken in her unresponding body and in the world of darkness. But at those times, she no longer felt lonely because there was a constant presence beside her.

    "Arise,"

    "Arisee~"

    "Arise!!"

    "....."

    There was never a lonely moment with Seiji and his antics. He was alwasy talking to her and treating her as if he knew she was conscious. Maybe he knew.

    "I wonder which would you prefer? Maybe an innocent voice, or maybe a voice that is deep like a villain''s,"

    The time her consciousness was awake was often times because his talks had woke her up. Most of it was filled with him practicing his speech to sound better so that when she finally wakes up, she would still find him charming.

    It was a ridiculous goal with an even more ridiculous speculation. She did not fall in love with him just because of his appearance. It was much deeper than that.

    But she found it adorable nonetheless.

    She couldn''t wait for her body to recover fully so that she could move around again and react to all his hard works.

    She''d be sure to compliment his manly voice after she woke up.

    Besides that, in some other times, he would confess the most embarrassing things to her as well. On second thought, she was pretty sure he did not know that she was aware.

    "You want to know the reason why I did not want to spar with you in the beginning? And why I lose every single time even when I agreed to spar?" Seiji once asked her.

    "Well, its embarrassing so I will tell you now when you can''t hear me," he said and she could feel the blush in his voice.

    "It''s because my eyes are special. I''ve hidden it all these years but I am capable of seeing through things, like the walls, the ground, the ceiling and other things - including your clothes," he confessed.

    At first, she was amazed that his eyes could do such a thing. She alreays knew he had powerful eyes but seeing through objects, was that even possible? Was it like demonic spells?

    But then the latter part threw all curioustiy out of the way as she became extremely bashful.

    "Yeah, its impossible to fight you with your tits bouncing around so enticingly." he said, causing her to want to scream.

    "Also, I wonder why Flower Breathing has so many attack patterns where you have to do splits," he said.

    The embarrassment was too much that she nearly broke her human limits and jump off the bed to run away or hide behind the blankets.

    "Anyways, yes, that''s how it is. Although I never use my x-ray vision to check out girls, I swear on Muzan''s name. I only had to use it on you because you were powerful and it is the only way I can defeat you," he added.

    ...

    She discovered many things in these talks that Seiji had with her. Sometimes they were embarrassing, and other times, they were cute too.

    Another day, he said.

    "I seriously used to have a big crush on you,"

    "I mean, how could I not? Every boy at one point alwasy have a thing for older ladies. And you were the perfect, textbook, manifestation of an older girl, an onee-san," he laughed while she felt a bit giddy inside.

    ..

    "You always talk about how much I helped you, how I always cared for your safety or how I saved you. But those are not true, I know that even without my existence you would''ve done fine," Seiji said. "Well, maybe except for Doma,"

    "It has alwasy been you who helped me instead. Forget about the big ways that you helped me, its the little things that made you dear to me. How you always swed my torn clothes after every messy mission, cut my hair despite my picky nature of wanting things to be perfect, patiently help me learn how to sing songs and how you secretly picked up ontology, in hopes of finding a cure for my deafness," Seiji said and his usually robotic voice held a quiver of emotion.

    "The only reason why i didn''t fall in love was because of my cowardly nature. I didn''t have the bravery to love you because I knew the risk, I knew your fate. And I was afraid to love you until we escape that. Its cowardly, isn''t it? But I just don''t want to feel the pain of losing again. Its the same thing I did to my parents, get close to them while putting certain barriers to ensure my safety," he said.

    "I know, I''m pathetic,"

    ....

    And sometimes, she wished she could get out of the bed and give him a hug.

    "It''s another beautiful day isn''t?" he said to her one morning.

    "You''ll probably hate me after you wake up, because you won''t be able to see a beautiful morning,"

    "I''m sorry I was not enough, I should''ve tried harder, I should''ve done more,"

    She wanted to tell him that it was fine and that she could never hate him. He was doing the thing again, where he blames himself for everything that was wrong in this world.

    He felt that he was some special chosen one or something that was responsible to make the world better. She was not sure how he got that idea either, but that''s just how he was.

    "I promise I will get your eyes back. There many ways we can do that, would you like to hear it?" he asked.

    And he would go on a long rant on how he could help her get her eyes back. Sometimes, he went into such details that she couldn''t understand what he was saying or how he knew the many things that he knew.

    But what she understood from all was that he was doing his best to find a way to heal her.

    She wanted so badly to let him know that it was fine, that she didn''t mind losing her eyes because at that moment, she was able to save him by sacrificing those eyes.

    She could live with that consequence with a smile for the rest of her life.

    He didn''t have to blame himself. He did not have to feel like he had not done enough.

    Because he had done everything.

    ....

    "I love you,"

    She wanted to say it back.

    I love you too.

    //////////////////

    After a few weeks or so, Kanae was finally able to move her body again. It happened while Seiji himself was away.

    At first, she moved her fingers, her hands and then her entire arm. When she felt control return to every part of her body, she pulled away the bandage in her eyes.

    She opened her eyes.

    Nothing.

    It was not even darkness, it was nothing.

    She saw nothing.

    But that was okay, she expected it. So she opened her mouth and swallowed hard to wet her parched throat.

    "Shinobu," she called out.

    "Shinobu!!"

    And in no time, she heard her sister slam open the door.

    "You''re awake,"

    And then a hug she did not see coming.

    "I missed you, I''m so glad,"

    Kanae could no longer see her sister but she could still feel her. She could still feel the love, the relief and the tears that fell from her eyes.

    She hugged her sister back after a long time.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Long extra Chapter.

 Chapter 111 - : 111

    Chapter 111: Chapter : 111Note : This is Chapter 111, right after Kanae woke up. I missed this post and skippee it. My fault. This is not the extra Chapter by the way, I will adjust the sequence later

    ///////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "How long have you been awake?"

    It took me a while to get over the shock of seeing her awake and smiling so brightly, but after a few minutes of pause during which the two sisters constantly laughed at me, I was finally functioning like a normal human being again.

    Whatever that was.

    But I still couldn''t get the red off my ears though. I did not see them but they were like burning coal at the side of my head. It was the lingering effect of her confession.

    I mean, who wakes up after months of being in a coma and says they love you?

    "Not long. Actually, it has not even been a day since I was first able to move my body," she said, "We haven''t even informed Lord Ubuyashiki yet, nor most of the residents of the Flower Mansion,"

    She was half-sitting on the bed in the room while I sat on the side of the bed and directly faced her. The sun had fully set on the horizon, so the room was lit up by yellowish electrical lights.

    She did not have a bandage around her eyes anymore, instead, her eyes were closed. She also had her signature small smile on her face, which was lit up by the golden light. It was permanent and it looked more like a facial feature than an expression.

    You couldn''t imagine Kanae without smiling.

    "Why is that?" I asked, speaking very well in my deaf opinion.

    "Me waking up is kind of a big thing for everyone, I''m lucky so many people cared about me. But Shinobu wanted to make sure I was fully rested and healthy again before revealing it to others," she said.

    She was a little thinner and paler than the I remembered. It was proof that although she had woken up, she had not fully recovered.

    I could understand that a big fuzz and endless visitors were the last thing she needed right now.

    "Shibi probably still wanted to nurse you peacefully too," I said.

    Speaking of which, Shinobu had immediately excused herself after the laughter was over. She was sensible enough to know that we would like privacy since we both went through the battle together.

    But maybe such privacy was not a good idea. A beat of silence descended between us. I seemed to be the only one who felt awkward with that because Kanae tilted her head and showed an expression of amusement.

    Like she knew a joke that I didn''t know.

    "You know, I''ve never noticed it before but you have a really nice voice," she said suddenly. The impact of her words was enhanced by the preluding silence.

    My ears which felt like burning coal changed and became the sun on both sides of my face. It was fortunate for me that Kanae couldn''t see because I was blushing hard.

    Yes, all the hard work paid off.

    I coughed a few times after that, both to collect myself and to stop myself from laughing out loud like a creepy villain who just succeeded in his plan.

    "It has a nice depth, like dark chocolate," she said, her smile turning wider. You would think that she could see my reaction from her smile.

    "Thank you for the compliment," I said.

    She finally giggled out loud after my graceful acceptance of praise. Her hand snaked on top of the blanket, searching for mine. I put my hand in front of hers and allowed her to find me.

    Her fingers wrapped around my hand immediately after that.

    "Seiji, do tell me how things have been while I was asleep," she said.

    The moments that followed were no longer awkward even from my point of view. We started talking about all the things that happened while she was asleep.

    She got clues about all the things that happened so far as she and her Shinobu already had a talk. But she wanted to hear them from my perspective.

    Especially when it came to things like when Shinobu became a Hashira.

    Kanae deeply regrets missing her sister''s moment. It was like missing a graduation. But I told her everything in vivid detail so it was like she was there.

    From what Shinobu said to me in the beginning, what her reactions were when Ubuyashiki crowned her with the title and so on. I told her everything.

    I even told her about the announcement that followed��how I awakened the Demon Slayer mark during my fight with Douma.

    It was nice to have a conversation with her again, see her smile, feel her touch and bask in her presence. It was reassuring to finally see that she was alive and that I succeeded in saving her.

    "Demon activities have been rising ever since that day. The Demon Lord was angered by the fact that we killed his second strongest servant," I said to her, causing her to tense up and her grip became tighter.

    "Yes, Shinobu has told me how the patients tripled and she has been busy to no ends," she said, her expression dropping.

    Yeah, this was how our world is. We couldn''t even celebrate the joy of her waking up for an hour before some bad news had to be heard. For every life saved, two perished.

    And we were responsible for stopping this once and for all. S��arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I have to stop it all.

    "But don''t worry, I''ve gotten even stronger than before," I said to ease her, "Like I said, my fight with Douma taught me a lot of things and allowed me to awaken the demon slayer make,"

    "Seiji..." she said, maybe she was not convinced.

    "And not only that, recently I found a way. I''ve mastered it, the art of slaying demons. They won''t stand a chance next time," I said, referring to the Sun Breathing which finally finished reinventing.

    From the breathing concept don''t he the smallest form, I knew them now.

    "Seiji..."

    "It''s okay. I''ll protect everyone next time, " I said, looking at her closed eyes.

    "And I''ll do it perfectly,"

    "Seiji" she said, more strongly this time. Her hand reached out to my face, likely to close my mouth but her hand landed on my cheek instead.

    She froze after she touched my face. There was silence.

    She ever so slowly moved her fingers around my face, tracing the scars that now ran across my forehand and down the middle of my eyes. They were flaws, a mark of imperfection in my ability to save others and myself.

    She looked sadder and sadder the more she felt my face. But it did not stop there, her hands moved down, feeling my neck and my chest. She was searching for scars on me and she did not have to put an effort because I still had scars everywhere.

    Most of them were healing and would disappear soon enough with the constant use of Sun Breathing, but for now, they still remained and could be felt.

    "You''ve done plenty, Seiji," she told me, her hand stopped feeling my body and returned to the top of mine.

    "But not enough obviously," I argued.

    "You saved me," she replied.

    "But not perfectly, you lost your eyes," I said, causing her to perk at my words.

    She couldn''t argue with that, because it was true. She was living it. And I still feel guilty to this day for failing like that.

    "You still think that I will hate you for losing my eyes," she said, "But no," she shook her head.

    "I love you more for saving me,"

    "....."

    I felt my breath hitched at her words. The insecurity and self-hate I have had ever since my failure slowly melted away under her warm touch and warmer words.

    You wouldn''t truly understand it until you were in the situation, but if you were anything close to a decent human, power naturally comes with responsibility.

    And I was lucky enough to have that power since birth. I did not mean my talent with the sword or my special eyes alone with this but most importantly, my knowledge of the demon slayer world.

    So I was responsible. I was the only one who knew and who could save everyone. Others can''t, no matter how willing they may be. It was not even about being a good person, rather being accountable for the power I had obtained.

    It was like a curse really, one I would never share with anyone in this world.

    I was not like this when I first decided to kill the demons. I did it out of spite and hatred alone. But the longer I bore the title of the Hashira, the more achievements I obtained and the more friends I made, the more slowly I changed.

    What started out personal and selfish slowly became a responsibility and selflessness.

    My hate too. At the start, I only hated the demons for what they did to me. But now, I also hated them for the things that could do and because of the people I love.

    I set off my journey with a fleeting hope and now that had bloomed and become a solid determination.

    "You can be strong, but you don''t have to be the only one who is strong. Remember, we are all in this together,"

    I smiled. She couldn''t see it so I grabbed her hand and put it on my lips so that she could feel the arch.

    She smiled back.

    "I''m glad you woke up," I said.

    "Me too," she said.

    Even if she woke up in darkness, she was glad.

    That eased me.

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 112: Practicing Sun Breathing

    Chapter 112: Practicing Sun Breathing[Seiji''s POV]

    (The next day)

    Now I really wanted to stay beside Kanae for a longer period of time but that was a privilege I could not have just yet.

    Shinobu told me that her sister needed sleep and she couldn''t do that while I was constantly beside her. So to fix that, Shinobu made a timetable where I could be beside Kanae only for a limited amount of time.

    It was like visiting hours in a hospital. I guess every hospital did that for a reason.

    And although I liked to believe that my presence helped Kanae to relax- I wasn''t going to argue with Shinobu who was a professional and also probably loved and cared for Kanae more than I did.

    In the meantime, I wasn''t idle as I decided to train in the open ground of the Flower mansion.

    "Sun Breathing : Clear Blue Sky,"

    The movements flow with the elegance of water. The action took place at the speed of thunder. The attack had the intensity of a raging flame with the violence of the wind. And the force it held could pulverize stone.

    I spun my body swiftly and unleashed a circular slash that left a trail of bright yellow flames, the colour of the sun.

    My deaf ears could almost hear the crisp sound of space burning with each stroke of my blade. It was thrilling and intoxicating.

    "Sun Breathing : Raging Sun,"

    I gripped my long sword with both hands and released two opposite horizontal slashes that were too fast that it looked like they happened at the same time. A burning arc of yellow carved a mark on the ground.

    "Sun Breathing : Beneficient Radiance,"

    I lept into the air. My limbs spiralled as if my body had gone out of control. But unlike how it looked, each movement was deliberate and meaningful. It was a lot like a dance.

    It was a beautiful attack that unleashed ribbons of yellow flame in the sky. A final show of kindness before my blade took the head of my enemies.

    "Sun Breathing : Fire Wheel,"

    My dance in the air swiftly changed its pattern, Now I moved in one direction with all the force I had. I spun in the air, creating a wheel of fire with my blade.

    I landed on the ground with a soft thud before I continued practising Sun Breathing until I mastered them to perfection.

    My movement looked like a dance, an exact replica of Hinokami Kagura but that slowly changed as my attacks differed from just a simple dance. It soon became a set of attacks I had, ready to be unleashed upon any deserving demon that I encountered.

    I started early in the morning, right after Shinobu allowed me to have breakfast with Kanae where I fed her her foods - like she often did to me while I was younger. The healthy blush on her face throughout started my morning perfectly.

    But by the time I decided to stop my training, the sun was already past its highest point. It was afternoon. I had trained continuously for at least 6 hours.

    And when I say continuously, I mean it literally. There was no water break, no pause or a moment of respite. It was a constant movement. Different forms of Sun Breathing left me like a waterfall and I never stopped until now.

    Sun Breathing was vastly different from my version of mixed breathing in this aspect. It was literally impossible to get tired while using Sun Breathing because it followed the same concept as Stone Breathing. You get stronger and stronger the longer you fight.

    It was a continuous application of power that snowballed into what seemed like infinite power. Obviously, it had limits but you''d never find that out because the enemy would have been dead.

    And also, it was because Sun Breathing was not as intense as mixed breathing.

    You see, every breathing style originated from Sun Breathing but that doesn''t mean that Sun Breathing was a combination of all the breathing styles.

    Well, it kind of is but at the same time, it was not.

    It''s tricky.

    Sun Breathing was the ''jack of all trades master of none'' of breathing styles. It could not compare to Water Breathing in precision, Thunder Breathing in speed, or Stone Breathing in raw power.

    But it had all of them, just on a minor scale. That meant it had more speed and power than Water Breathing, more precision and power than Thunder Breathing, and more speed and precision than Stone breathing.

    Truly a jack of all trades and master of none.

    Upon this discovery, I questioned the statement that no one could learn Sun Breathing. I thought, maybe everyone could learn it but Yoriichi back then did not want to share his exact techniques.

    But further use of Sun Breathing taught me something that cleared my misunderstanding.

    It was not that no one was strong enough, fast enough, precise enough, explosive enough or courageous enough to learn Sun Breathing.

    They were.

    But no one was all of this at the same time.

    Some people are born strong, and precise but not fast. Some were born explosive but not fast. Every warrior that ever lived had one of these attributes that they excelled at but they also always lacked one of them.

    Sun Breathing requires a person to be multi-talented in all these aspects at the same time.

    They have to be fast, strong, precise etc, at the same time. While most people are only either fast, strong, precise and so on.

    Due to this reason, people couldn''t learn Sun Breathing and it was much better for them to master one of the attributes they had - sharpen their limited talent - instead of focusing on all of them.

    But Yoriichi was a genius unlike everyone else, so he could easily learn Sun Breatgthing. He had the best talent in every imaginable way.

    The same applied to me. The fact that I could master all five major breathing styles was proof that I was talented in every aspect, much like Yoriichi.

    It was a skill issue that others couldn''t learn Sun Breathing. It was not that Yoriichi was a superhuman, although he was, it was not the reason why others couldn''t learn Sun Breathing.

    But in the unique aspect that each sub-breathing style decided to focus on, they all surpassed Sun Breathing. It was an obvious result since the forms of Sun Breathing were created by one person 500 years ago but other breathing styles had centuries to improve, by different users through the generations.

    Sun Breathing was overpowered only as a Breathing Style and not as a technique. The techniques were outdated.

    My version of mixed breathing, if I were to successfully mix all the five breathing styles together, would be the superior version of the Sun Breathing that Yoriichi used.

    In the end, I learned that the Sun Breathing was not what made Yoriichi overpowered. He was the one that made Sun Breathing overpowered instead.

    He could''ve used Minor Spark Breathing and he''d still whoop the asses of everyone in the verse. He was just built different. The Sun Breathing was undeniably powerful, but it was not what made the legendary figure.

    "???"

    I stopped my flow of movement when I noticed a small girl running up to me. Her purple eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun and there was a smile on her face. A smile so precious that it made me feel sorry that it existed in this demon-infested world.

    "Big brother, I finished making lunch," the girl said when she reached me.

    Kanao Shigan. She was my adoptive little sister.

    "Come, let''s eat," she invited me.

    I released my breath, halting the pattern of Sun Breathing and I felt a small fatigue on my body. The early breeze of Spring caressed my body, cooling my sweat as I felt a chill all over my body.

    "Thank you, Kanao," I said and couldn''t resist patting her head. I was careful not to stain her with the sweat covering my body.

    Kanao silently enjoyed my touch for a moment before she grabbed my hand and removed it from her head. She was a big girl now (in her words) so I shouldn''t treat her like a baby.

    She did not release my hand afterwards and pulled me towards the mansion.

    "When are you going to allow me to train with you?" she asked me while we walked to the mansion.

    I have noticed her gaze when I was training. She wanted to train with me seriously now, instead of getting guidance from Shinobu.

    I promised to train her when she got older but she kept pestering me with this question. I don''t know why.

    "You said you''d train me personally when I get older, I''m already 13," she said.

    Wait..

    Hold the fuck up. No way my baby Kanao is a teenager already.

    "Who''s 13?" I asked.

    Kanao stopped in her tracks and looked back at me with a stoic face.

    "I turned 13 in May. It was during the time you were in bed so you missed my birthday," she said, so confidently that I almost believed her.

    Ain''t no way she is 13. I thought to myself.

    Until the realization slowly sank into my heart while I looked at her unamused purple eyes. Tanjiro was already around 13 when I saw him.

    He and Kanao are in the same generation. Heck, I suddenly remembered Kanao was slightly older than Tanjiro.

    What the fuck.

    I thought there was at least five more years between 12 and 13. Why was the age of 13 such a big leap from 12? Was it due to the fact that 13 is the beginning of the teenage years?

    "I heard you were already a Hashira at my age," she commented.

    Right.

    Holy shit, when did she grow so fast? She still looked like the same little girl to me. Please stop growing and remain my cute little loli sister I can spoil endlessly.

    In the end, I sighed.

    "Okay, we will start your training soon too," I said. S��ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I was already planning on training Tanjiro, so I guess I could add Kanao as a disciple. They were also of the same generation and everything.

    Kanae gave me a bright smile after that and we continued towards the mansion.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Merry Christmas everyone.

    I would''ve liked to give more Chapters but I''ve been occupied with the celebrations and stuff.

    I didn''t think it would be like this either. I thought it would be quieter this year but Christmas has this way of brining people together.

    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 113: The Upper Moons

    Chapter 113: The Upper Moons[Seiji''s POV]

    Two days have passed since I returned to the Flower Mansion and the Hashira meeting which I requested to be held was granted.

    This time, even Shinobu was not exempted, she had to attend the meeting whether she liked it or not.

    "Don''t worry Shinobu, I''ll be fine. I spend most of my time sleeping anyway," Kanae said with a thin smile while looking at her sister.

    She was still on her bed, only ever leaving it to go to the bathroom. She was starting to eat normal food again but that too only in a few quantities. Her body couldn''t digest normal food just yet.

    "I know that, but..." said the girl who forbade me from staying beside her at all times. Now she understood what it felt like, justice was served.

    "You''re acting like here and the headquarters is not two hours away," I said with a shrug while observing the sisters.

    "He is right, I''ll be fine. I''m not made of glass you know," Kanae agreed, causing Shinobu to release a defeated sigh.

    "Okay then, I''ll be back soon," she said before turning around and walking toward the door.

    "Let''s go quickly," she said right before walking past me.

    "....."

    "Make sure to tell me everything that happened in detail when you get back," Kanae said while giving me the final wave.

    "Of course," I said before I left the room too.

    Shinobu and I immediately made our way to the Demon Slayer headquarters. The journey was swift and we reached our destination in a little over an hour.

    When we arrived there, I was pleasantly greeted by my old partner whom I hadn''t seen in a while.

    "....." It did not even let out chirps like the rest of the birds around it. No, it refused to release a sound.

    "Raven," I called out her name while she gently floated above. I lowered my head slightly and she immediately made herself comfortable on top of my head.

    My purple hair acted like a natural nest for her as she anchored her little feet on my scalp. After a few more nuzzles, she fit perfectly on my head.

    "Thank you for delivering my message," I said.

    "The bond you have with your bird always strikes me as odd. Nonetheless, it''s adorable," Shinobu commented beside me.

    "Well, not every demon slayer had to trust their Kasugai crow with their life as I did," I said, recalling all the times I got good sleep, knowing that Raven was keeping an eye out for me.

    There were also a few moments where she saved me from demons sneaking up from behind.

    "Let''s hurry. everyone else is already there," I said and we went past the entrance gate of the headquarters.

    There were guards and servants when we entered but none of them stopped us. They knew who we were. Instead, they inclined their head slightly when we passed them. It was a sign of respect for the warriors that were protecting them.

    We made a beeline to the main building without exchanging more words. When we reached there, all of the Hashiras were present and this time, even Ubuyahsiki was there.

    "Seiji, Shinobu, you''re here," Ubuyashiki heard us before he saw us. He turned his head to us with a smile.

    His white pupils could not see us clearly anymore, he was turning blind. That was why he heard us first.

    "Sorry for making you wait," Shinobu bowed to the master and also to her fellow Hashiras.

    "It''s fine. We know your sister''s condition and how busy the medical corps is these days. There is no need to apologize for anything," Gyomei said, his hands joined in prayer.

    He and Tengen were there too. I could feel their aura from miles away-ehem, I mean I could see them from miles away.

    Gyomei stood in the middle, towering over everyone else like the absolute unit he was. Tengen''s height followed, slightly shorter but still taller than the rest. And then Giyu, Rengoku, and Sanemi were relatively similar in height.

    Shinobu and I joined them in the line they had assailed in, facing the veranda of the main building where Ubuyashiki sat with his wife.

    After that, we all went to one knee in unison.

    "The Hashiras have gathered as you ordered!!" we said altogether.

    Ubuyashiki threw his usual kind smile on his face. It was not an arrogant smile that was glad to see so many powerful warriors kneel before him, no, it was similar to how a father would smile at his children. They were warm and proud.

    "It may seem like I was the one who called the meeting today but in actuality, this time, the emergency Hashira meeting has nothing to do with me," Ubuyashiki explained in his weak voice that was barely making vibrations as they left his mouth.

    His head turned to me, although I was not sure if he could see me, "It was Seiji, who called the meeting today,"

    Everyone turned their head towards me after that, expecting me to explain why I had called them here.

    "Seiji, if you will...."Ubuyashiki nudged.

    I stood up and walked towards the side where everyone could see me without craning their neck too much.

    Then I started, "Thank you for coming together despite all your duties. I called you all here because I have information of utmost importance to discuss with you all,"

    No one interjected so I continued.

    "During my short travel which was granted to me by Lord Ubuyashiki, I''ve discovered many things. And I wanted to share these with you as I believe they could ensure everyone''s safety. "

    "Starting with...the information I had on every single Upper Moon, including all of their powers and weaknesses," I said and immediately, I saw the expression on their faces change.

    Information about the Upper Moons was invaluable. After all, to know your enemy is the most important thing in war.

    "Although I am infinitely curious about how you got information that we weren''t able to get in centuries, I will trust you, Seiji," Ubuyashiki said and I nodded to show appreciation.

    He was not asking me any questions on whether the information was really true or how I got it when he was probably trying to do this same thing for years. Instead, he was putting his trust in me. His logical mind gave me a rare pass.

    He had faith in what was supposed to be the pillar of pillars. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I thought he would be harder to convince. I expected with all my heart for him to be more incredulous. It was why I didn''t reveal what I knew back when we had the Hashira meeting after my fight with Doma. I needed to create an excuse as to how I got the information.

    It was kind of flattering actually.

    I continued, "Everyone already knows about Upper Moon 2 and Upper Moon 6, so I won''t get into detail about them. I''ve slayed them as well so it''s irrelevant,"

    "So I''ll start with Upper Moon 5," I said and took a pause.

    I looked at each of them, one by one, studying the varying degrees of emotions shown on their faces. I made sure they were all paying attention to what I was about to say next. Even the hotheaded Sanemi was quiet as he looked at me with rapt attention.

    "Gyokko," I said, "The Upper Moon 5 is a demon called Gyokko,"

    "Out of all the demons you would have encountered, he probably has one of the most grotesque appearances. He has a torso without limbs and his body is covered in scales like a fish. He has multiple baby arms growing from his back and his body is like a statue that extends from a pot, like the djinn in myths. His face is even more disturbing with a single eye in the place where he should have a mouth and two mouths located in where he is supposed to have eyes. He is an abomination," I said, recalling what the demon looked like from the manga.

    I went into details about their appearance because I wanted them to recognize him immediately if they ever saw him.

    "His power includes teleportation using his pots and exceptional flesh manipulation. He also has an unknown amount of other abilities but they are all related to his pots. He can summon demonic fish, the tentacles of an octopus and can use water-based attacks. You should avoid getting hit by him at all costs as he has poison as well," I said.

    I allowed silence to settle amongst us as they digested my words. Then i continued.

    "Overall, he is as strong as any of you. Luckily, he is the weakest amongst the Upper Moon and two Hashiras should be enough to slay him safely,"

    After I said that, I could almost see question marks forming above their heads. Everyone had their own sets of questions they wanted to ask.

    They raised their hands.

    "I will answer all your questions after I say everything so please wait," I said.

    The answers to their question might be answered automatically as I discuss more about the Upper Moons. Therefore I should finish everything I had to say first before taking questions.

    "The Upper Moon 4 is a demon called Hantengu," I said, "This one is a bit tricky and it should require multiple Hashiras to slay him without causality. Or, powerful demon slayers led by a Hashira,"

    "Hantengu''s blood demon art allows him to separate himself into seven demons, each representing one of the seven negative emotions he had as a human. So although he is one demon, fighting him will be like fighting against seven different demons, each having enough strength to rival a Lower Moon," I said.

    "That''s not all, each entity he splits into, they all have their own unique blood demon art," I finished.

    "Man, that''s some bullshit ability," Sanemi couldn''t help but comment with a grumble. They were not completely new to demons making clones or splitting themselves but this one was different in the sense that every single one is like its own individual demon with its own blood demon art.

    "Indeed," Ubuyashiki mused thoughtfully, "It''s always harder to fight against these types of demons than demons that are just strong,"

    "But here''s the trick to defeating him. Hantengu has a main body that represents the emotion of fear. This body is an absolute coward and won''t fight back. Instead, he would shrink himself to the size of a needle and hide away so that no one can kill him." I said.

    "Kill the main body, the demon that represents fear and you kill the demon completely," I said.

    "So it''s not like Upper Moon 6 where you have to slice thier head off at the same time," Giyu asked.

    I nodded, "Correct,"

    But that was not enough. I wanted them to know every important information there is to know. So that they could have the best chance of survival and hence victory.

    "Hantengu usually multiply when you chop off his head so beware of that. Then I''ll explain the abilities of each of the representation clones," I said and paused to take a breath.

    I started explaining the abilities of each clone one by one. It took quite a lot of time as they all had individual demon art that did not co-relate with each other. But I tired my best and I shared enough for them to be able to fight against the Upper Moon 4 with no surprises.

    "So in summary, these are their abilities; Anger is lightning, Pleasure is wind, Sorrow can use spears, Joy can fly and has sound-based attacks, Hatred can manipulate wooden dragons and Resentment can increase his size," I said.

    "Everyone got that?" I asked and they all nodded, but with varying degrees of sureness. The likes of Ubuyashiki and Tengen were certain but Sanemi and Gyomei were not too sure.

    I smiled. I should give them a pamphlet where I note down the important details.

    "Okay, with those out of the way, let''s discuss the truly dangerous ones. I would like to remind you that the gap in strength between the 3rd and 4th Upper Moon is very big. The top 3 are in another realm of their own. They cannot be compared to the lower ranks," I said and took another pause to let my words sink in.

    "If you encountered either one of the remaining two of the Top 3 Upper Moon, then please run for your own safety. Try to save others but forget the idea of slaying them," I said, "They all possessed power beyond even mine,"

    I could see them gulp at my last words. I was in front of them, they could feel my strength and they had something to comapre the demons to. If the two demons were stronger than me, how absurdly strong were they?

    In truth, I was already stronger than Akaza I was sure. But they haven''t really seen my fight at my full power. So in their respective, what i said was true.

    "Let''s start with Upper Moon 3...." I said and took a deep breath before I even uttered the name.

    I shot a glance at Rengoku.

    "Akaza,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 114: Upper-Upper Moon

    Chapter 114: Upper-Upper Moon[Seiji''s POV]

    "Akaza,"

    A demon whom I needed to kill as quickly as possible, I thought to myself.

    I wasn''t going to make the same mistake as I did with Kanae and wait for him and Rengoku to clash. I would end the demon''s life before they ever had the chance to clash.

    I tore my eyes off Rengoku and continued.

    "Akaza is unlike the rest of the demons. He is probably the most humane demon amongst the Upper Moon," I said.

    "He looks like any ordinary young man of medium height. He has pink hair and blue tattoos covering his body like the criminal tattoos he had as a human." I said. I could not remember any other distinctive feature he had.

    "His strength is one that could rival mine. The scary part about this demon is that, unlike others, he does not heavily rely on his blood demon art. Instead, he is a warrior and a martial artist, the pinnacle of hand-to-hand combat," I said.

    "His blood demon art allows him to create destructive shockwaves from any part of his body and this unique ability makes his martial arts even more devastating,"

    "....."

    Everyone was busy with their own thought after hearing about Upper Moon 3. It was truly odd for a demon to not rely on their spells and have their own strength and techniques that are very similar to humans.

    Although Akaza had no tricks or complex abilities, he was strong enough to the point that those simply did not matter. He would square up with you and beat you fairly.

    "Like I said before, Akaza is much more humane than the rest of the demons. If you ever encountered him, he would look for a good fight instead of immediately aiming for your life," I said. "He is a battle junkie basically,"

    "Like Sanemi?" Giyu asked.

    "Yes, but even more passionate. Like Rengoku''s passion for training," I said and they all hummed in understanding.

    "So in a fight, he won''t end you right away and would prefer to savour the fight instead. He considered himself a warrior before a demon so he might even give you the advantage for the sake of a fair duel," I said.

    I put a finger on my chin and thought more about what I knew of Akaza. The others waited for me to continue while digesting the informations.

    Then my eyes fell on Shinobu.

    "Oh and..." I said, "He refuses to kill or eat women for whatever reason. So if you are a girl, you''re probably safe from him unless the Demon king himself gave direct order,"

    "....."

    They all looked at me in disbelief. It was quite hard to wrap their heads around that an Upper Moon wouldn''t kill women.

    "Do you know why that is?" Shinobu was the one who asked. "Maybe he umm eats them in other ways?"

    I shrugged, "Quite the opposite. I think he is just a gentleman,"

    "....."

    "Regardless, don''t put your faith in that fact. If you see him, just run. If you can''t run, then stall him," I waved it off.

    After that, I went into a little more details about what I know. I tired to replicate the techniques he used in his fight against Rengoku from the manga and made sure they knew what to expect.

    I also described him a few more times with more vivid detail. Like his exact height, his clothes and his hairstyle.

    I didn''t think Akaza was the sneaky or trickster type. He would probably introduce himself as an Upper Moon but it was better be safe then not.

    "And lastly, one of the first demons in existence and the most powerful right after the Demon King himself," I began and closed my eyes to dive into my memories

    "He has been the Upper Moon 1 ever since he became a demon. His strength is unmatched because even while he was a human, he was one of the strongest entities in the world, His immense threat is unquestionable,"

    "It is said that the Demon Lord himself never looked at him like a servant, he was too strong. It was more like a partnership since the start," I said.

    ....

    "Kokushibo,"

    "The twin brother of the creator of breathing styles, Yoriichi," I said.

    !!!!!!!

    Just like I predicted, everyone was shocked to hear the revelation. Ubuyashiki was the most surprised out of all. I could see his heart pounding rapidly in his chest as his blood pressure rose sharply.

    "No..." he mouthed without a voice.

    "He is a fallen Demon Slayer who became a demon out of sheer envy for his brother," I said.

    "What! He was a demon slayer?" the others asked in unison. You could see how their expression tightened in disbelief.

    The Japanese culture, especially at this age, believed in honour and integrity. Although it took place many centuries ago and they never knew him personally, they couldn''t help but feel a sense of betrayal and anger.

    Like the unreasonable camaraderie they had for every demon slayer - past, present or future - they also felt anger at the act of betrayal long ago.

    "Not just any demon slayer, he was the strongest right after his brother Yoriichi, the user of Sun Breathing. Kokushibo was the creator of Moon Breathing, the perfect opposite of Sun Breathing," I said.

    "But no matter what he did, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t surpass his brother. Therefore he became a demon, in hopes of getting more power,"

    The place fell into silence as each of them tried to understand what I said. It was almost incomprehensible for them. How can someone do such things just for power?

    There was also the fact that Kokushibo became a demon because he didn''t want to die young from the curse of the demon slayer mark but I left that detail out.

    "He never fought for others in the first place," Gyomei said and veins popped on his joint hands, "He only fought for himself, he was never one of us,"

    All of the Hashiras present, one way or another, fought for something more than themselves. They did not care for power, they only cared about what they could protect with that power.

    So in a way, although someone like Sanemi wanted to surpass me, he was never envious of my power. It was not a desire born from selfishness. Instead, it came from selflessness, the desire that he should be the strongest and should do the most for others.

    "He is a demon with six eyes on his face. You should be able to figure out his identity the moment you meet, his sheer presence and danger would drive your instincts haywire," I said.

    "If you ever meet him, run on sight. There is no beating him. It would take the combined force of all the Hashiras if we even want to stand a chance against him,"

    As my words fell on their ears, I could see their muscles tense and their fists clench. A feeling of weakness and vulnerability that they thought they would never feel again returned and gripped their hearts.

    In the canon timeline, they never knew how lacking they were. The only demons they fought were Lower Moons and they thought they were strong enough and that the demons were the ones hiding.

    They wouldn''t find out their own weakness until they came face to face with the truly powerful demons.

    But now, that changed.

    I told them how lacking they were and I could see the desire and the need to grow stronger in their heart.

    Especially Gyomei, you could feel a powerful aura emanating from him, like a volcano getting closer and closer to erupting.

    He would definitely go on to be many times stronger than his canon counterpart.

    ''Good,'' I thought to myself.

    One of my main goals was to motivate them to get stronger, in addition to ensuring their safety with the information on the Upper Moon.

    "And that is all the information which I was able to gather so far," I finished and released a deep sigh.

    "You have my utmost gratitude, Seiji. You would not believe how invaluable this is for humanity as a whole," Ubuyashiki said.

    And for the first time since I had met him and to the shock of everyone present, he bowed his head to me.

    A master bowing to his samurai. That was rarely seen.

    I could assume that with all the things he now knew, he would be able to come up with better plans on how to win this war.

    The other Hashiras soon followed as they all gave me a bow of respect and gratitude.

    "Thank you!"

    "Why are you all thanking me, as if I am another entity? We are all in this together, fighting for the same cause. Helping you is the same as helping me. There is no need for such gratitude," I said.

    "Just make sure you all stay alive to see the end of this war and live in a world void of demon," I finished and bowed even lower than them.

    Ubuyashiki looked at us, bowing at each other with a fond smile on his face before he turned his gaze to the sky.

    His blind eyes were not unseeing at that moment.

    They saw hope.

    .... Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ....

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Happy New year.

    If you read this, hope you close NovelFire for a moment and say goodbye to the year of 2024.

    Call a friend or family. Hope no one is alone at this time and the only reason you read this Chapter at New Year is because you love the book such.

    Best wishes.

 Chapter 115: Muichiro Tokito

    Chapter 115: Muichiro Tokito[Seiji''s POV]

    "I''ve already told this to Sanemi, Giyu and Rengoku," I began as the three gave me a knowing look at my words.

    "I''ve reinvented Sun Breathing," I said.

    "....."

    "....."

    "I beg your mightiest pardon," Ubuyashiki said, "But what did you just say?"

    "I''ve re-created Sun Breathing," I said, putting it into different words.

    "Hmmm," Ubuyashiki did not show much reaction other than his initial surprise. He merely rubbed his chin while taking a good look at me. He also released a thoughtful hum.

    "I see. Naturally, if you''ve mastered all the five major breathing styles that were directly derived from Sun Breathing, you could find a way to retrace the source," he said, more to himself but I nodded.

    "Yes,"

    "But that would require genius talent and exceptional understanding of breathing styles and swordsmanship," he said, "All qualities you possess in spades,"

    I did not need to explain it to him, he understood it immediately. Although he was not a warrior due to his body condition, he was above everyone else in theory.

    "I''d assume the mixed breathing - as you called it - were a prelude to this discovery," he said.

    "Indeed. But I never expected the path to lead to this either," I replied.

    "A well-earned coincidence then," he smiled, and shook his head, "Sucess is but talent and hard work meeting on the ground of opportunity,"

    "You really surprise me once more Seiji," he said with a smile that barely contained his joy.

    "Was that what you were practising in the training grounds? I knew those techniques were different but I thought you were creating new ones, not recreating the first breathing style," Shinobu asked with a helpless sigh.

    "Is there a way you can teach this to your fellow Hashiras?" Ubuyashki asked. Being the leader of the organisation, his mind immediately went on about how to best utilize the new weapon obtained against the demons.

    "Teaching a completely new breathing style to a Hashira would be counterproductive. If we do try and teach the Sun Breathing to others, we should focus on the new generation instead, they are blank sheets," I said.

    "And that is considering the person can learn Sun Breathing in the first place. There is a reason why the breathing style was forgotten at one point, it requires a genius to learn Sun Breathing," I said honestly. Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

    "Regardless," Ubuyashiki said after a moment of silence, "I guess you finally have an official title now. For the longest time, we refer to you as ''The pillar of pillars'' due to your unique nature. But now, you can be a named pillar,"

    ...

    "The Sun Pillar,"

    For some reason, that goes kinda hard.

    "Sounds cool, I like it," Tengen said what was on my mind with a glittering grin on his face.

    "I appreciate the title, but I''d prefer that no one other than he people present here know about this. If others know that I can use Sun Breathing, it can attract unwanted attention," I said.

    "I understand," Ubuyashiki said.

    A secret weapon was most lethal. Besides, if Muzsan learned that I have Sun Breathing so soon, he would bring the whole demon race to my doorstep just to kill me.

    Although that sounded like a great opportunity to end the demon as a whole, I was not strong enough to take them on just yet.

    After all of that, I had finished saying all the things I wanted to say. The reason why I called the Hashira meeting was over and now, even if my friends go on joint missions, I would be able to be more relaxed, knowing that I''d prepared them with my future knowledge.

    Knowing that I''ve done more.

    The meeting continued as Ubuyashiki took advantage of all the Hashira gather to give us direct orders and speech which he wasn''t able to give previously.

    There was a lot of talk about strategies again and how to combat the increase in demon activities. Shinobu also spoke up and revealed the news that Kanae Kocho had woken up from her coma.

    "...so little Kanae is completely fine now, praise the Gods," Gyomei said as tears fell from his eyes like a waterfall. We gathered around him, sharing his relief as our friend had fully escaped death from a demon.

    The meeting lasted a total of 5 hours. I took the first hour with my information and news while the rest was spent on discussing other important matters.

    After the meeting was over, Gyomei and Tengen came up to me, requesting a spar. The others have seen Sun Breathing but they haven''t, so they wanted to experience the first breathing style themsvles.

    Not only out of curiosity but hoping that there might be a chance for them to progress in their respective technquues and breathing styles.

    I was about to accept their proposal but Ubuyashiki called me.

    "I''m sorry to call you privately when the others also wanted to have time with you, but I have something of utmost important to show you," Ubuyashiki said.

    "Of course, what is it?"

    "I want you to come back to the Ubuyashiki mansion with me. There is someone I''d like you to meet," he said.

    I was caught off guard at first, because no one else except Gyomei knew where the Ubuyashiki mansion was located. It was such a hidden place guarded more heavily than anywhere else in the Demon Slayer Corp.

    And so, I followed Ubuyashiki and his wife as they went to the Ubuyashiki mansion.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    (The Ubuyashiki Mansion)

    "He is outside," ubuyashiki said, exhaustion evident on his face from he travels.

    I gave a curt bow before I returned to looking around at the mansion. I was curiously searching for explosives for obvious reason but I was disappointed to find none.

    I guess ubuyashiki planted the bombs right before Muzan found him.

    I walked through the quiet hallway of the mansion and made my way towards the courtyard. When I came to the veranda and looked outside, i saw someone, likely the person whom Ubuyashiki wanted me to meet.

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    My eyes were glued at the scene.

    A young boy with long black hair and cyan color at the end. He looked to be no older than nine years old.

    He was swinging a wooden sword with the restless abandon of a madman.

    I knew who that was immediately and I couldn''t help but chuckle.

    ..

    The future Mist Hashira. sea??h th�� N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Muichiro Tokito.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I''m back!! And extra Chapter coming up in a few minutes.

    Throw stones please!! Lets have a great week this time.

 Chapter 116: Schooling the genius

    Chapter 116: Schooling the genius[Seiji''s POV]

    It was disgusting. It was revolting.

    It was horrible.

    His small frame did not match the wooden sword he was holding; it was made for adults, while he was a young boy, small for his age.

    His body moved with the elegance of an elephant. It looked like he was lagging in real life. The burden of injury yet to be healed was evident in each motion of his body.

    But the main reason was that he had absolutely no experience. His skills with the sword could be described as non-existent.

    And yet....I stared in amazement.

    My eyes could see that every action was made of flaws, they looked at perfect imperfection. But my eyes also noticed the incredible improvement that came with every repetition.

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    It was kind of scary.

    My eyes had never beheld such talent.

    Muichiro did not make a single sound, his eyes were a pool of void that sucked in the vibrance of the world, I think that was why it felt more silent than usual.

    Everything that anchored him to the world was gone, and now he teetered between the boundaries of death and existence. He had died while living.

    I felt a sense of familiarity when looking at him. I had the exact look long ago when my parents were killed. I no longer had the family that once anchored me to this reality where I felt like a foreigner.

    Muichiro must also feel the same way. His memories were lost, and he did not know who he was. Yet there was an ache in his heart.

    How sad, how fortunate.

    What''s worse than grieving is to be unable to grieve. He knew he lost something important but couldn''t remember it, leaving him hollow inside.

    With no memories buzzing in his mind and no face to grieve for, the only thing he had was the wooden sword in his hand and the thirst for power in his heart.

    No wonder he was improving so rapidly. There was no distraction; there was nothing in him.

    The demons stole it all.

    "Still, your skills are atrocious," I said, making him turn towards me as he stopped swinging his wooden sword.

    He tilted his head in wonder while I slowly approached him in the yard. The sun was bright orange, it was late afternoon but it wasn''t dark just yet. I expected an hour or two more before sunset.

    "Pardon?"

    "How long have you been practising?" I asked. He had no memories, it was no use trying to talk to him about other topics except the sword he was holding.

    He paused, gazing at me with questioning eyes bordering on bafflement. The only thing absent in his eyes was fear, good.

    Or not. The reason for his lack of fear was because he had nothing to lose if he died. That''s kind of depressing.

    Remember the times when I frequently consider suicide? Good times.

    "I woke up yesterday," he said after the initial pause.

    "So you''ve practised for a day," I said thoughtfully. His rate of improvement was seriously incredible if he had only practised for a day.

    But he shook his head.

    "I was not allowed to do anything yesterday. I''ve practised for an hour," he replied, emotions never reaching his eyes.

    I blinked at his words. Then I made the sigma face to show that I was impressed. You know, the Patrick Bateman sigma face.

    "....." he deadpanned.

    Okay, maybe that was not funny without context.

    I cleared my throat and I think I saved some dignity with that action. "Believe it or not, I''m something of a swordsman myself,"

    "....."

    "Okay, good for you," he said and finally turned away from me. He straightened his posture and resumed his training by swinging his sword. He had deemed me to be a clown unworthy of his time.

    He had no guidance, he had no example to strive for. But instinctively, his body knew how a sword was to be swung and how to improve his skills.

    It was probably the Yoriichi blood in him.

    In the face of being ignored, I was not discouraged. I''ve dealt with more stubborn individuals with bigger traumas, like Sanemi and Giyu.

    So I went to the tree at the corner of the yard. The tree had a few training dummies and extra wooden swords for practice. I picked up one of the swords and made my way back to Muichiro.

    When we stood side by side, the difference in our height was evident. I was six foot tall with peerless lean muscle mass, I was not big like Tengen or Gyomei but I was still more muscular than the likes of Giyu.

    On the other hand, Muichiro was a kid of around 10 years old, but he looked smaller due to his injuries and the lack of nutrition.

    "..." he only gave me a side glace but otherwise continued his action.

    *swish*

    *swish*

    *swish*

    I hid a smirk and took a similar posture to his. They were only similar because while his posture was made of flaws, mine was flawless.

    It was perfection manifested in a stance. The way my muscles tightened, the weight distribution on each of my legs and the way my toes curled just right to grip the ground while also allowing instant mobility. Everything was just right.

    Muichiro seemed to have noticed such a flawless stance instinctively because his eyes widened and he turned his head towards me.

    Then I swung the wooden sword down in a perfect arc. My action was smooth like water flowing over a perfect surface, it barely made a disturbance in the air. But at the exact angle I was aiming for, my swing stopped. It was not a centimetre too deep or shallow, just perfect.

    The sudden stop caused a burst of air, the only sound produced by the swing and it came only after the attack was over.

    His eyes could no longer look at something else as I pulled back the wooden sword in a neutral stance.

    Then my body burst into action once more, I swung the sword horizontally and it cleanly sliced through the air. The shrill vibration of a whistle was left at the trail of my attack.

    My sword did not fight against gravity and instead used the fundamental force to strengthen my swing. It should be impossible, to utilize gravity that way unless it was a vertical slash but my crisp slash did that.

    Muichiro continued gazing at me in silent awe as I performed attack after attack, each honed to perfection. It was deemed perfect by my supernatural eyes so to a pair of ordinary ones, it looked almost unreal.

    It was like an illusion. I have attained such mastery over the sword that each swing felt natural like the stars in the sky or the rocks on the ground. It felt natural, made by God instead of looking artificial and made by a man.

    Muichiro, a boy who had an incredible affinity for swords could comprehend everything so it was even more impactful.

    "How are you doing that?" Muichiro blurted out after a long stretch of silent gazing.

    I quirked my lips into a small smirk and ignored him, just like he did to me. My limbs and my sword moved as if one, and I continued performing my attacks against the shadow opponent.

    After a while of futile waiting, Muichiro decided to take a page out of my book and picked up his wooden sword again. He did his best trying to imitate my posture.

    He failed horribly of course. My forms were created just right taking into account my measurement - the length of my arm, fingers, ligaments etc. A perfect posture for him would be different from mine.

    Not only that, his body was too untrained, it was too injured and unskilled to even come close to imitating me. But carried by sheer talent and determination, he took a stance that was acceptable.

    After he got that down, his eyebrows relaxed and he started copying my movement down to the last detail. He now had an example in front of him, so his improvement soared exponentially.

    I allowed him to copy me, slowing down more than once and repeating the patterns that he found difficult. We did not exchange words and let the action do the talking, just the way I liked it.

    We did not notice the passing time as we continued our training. I performed the five fundamental swings of a sword, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. Upward and a stab. I did it again and again.

    Muichiro was a mirror as he copied my movement down to the last detail. But as time went on, he slowly realized that blindly copying me was not the answer, we had drastically different bodies. So instead of trying to replicate what I was doing, he started learning the fundamentals hidden behind my attacks.

    Anyone else would be left stumped but with his natural instincts and talent, Muichiro was able to benefit from what I was doing.

    ...

    The sun was setting on the horizon, the deep orange rays of the last sunlight wrapped the world in an intense hue of red and yellow.

    It was at this moment, minutes from complete sunset that Muichiro was finally able to execute a somewhat decent vertical slash.

    *swing*

    I stopped abruptly after I saw that decent swing.

    The line of my lips curved into a smile as I finally turned to him, acknowledging his presence to the fullest. I placed my hand on top of his head and ruffled his long wavy black hair.

    "That one was pretty good," I said.

    He looked at me with wide eyes that glazed over with the final ray of the sun. He seemed to be caught in a trace at that moment.

    The perfection he was imitating for hours finally acknowledged him. That approval brought the first hints of real emotion in his mind blank of substantial memories.

    "What''s your name?" I finally asked, although I already knew. sea??h th�� n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He opened his mouth as if to answer instinctively but then he paused, unsure. He had no memories of the past but he thought he knew his name.

    But he was not sure.

    "So?" I nudged at him again.

    Finally, he released the breath he was holding and said.

    "Muichiro," it seemed like the first time he heard his lown name as well. His sentence started unsure but by the end, it was certain.

    "I am....my name is Muichiro Tokito,"

    I smiled, "My name is Seiji Shigan, nice to meet you Muichiro,"

    "Would you like to learn more of swordsmanship from me?" I asked and the nod came in a heartbeat.

    "Yes,"

    "Well.." I said, "That''s good to see because I would love to teach you more too,"

    After hearing my reply, my eyes saw the briefest smile on his face.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Stone for next Chapter ????

 Chapter 117: Notice

    Chapter 117: NoticeSo I did not upload Chapter 111 on the book. It has character development and all so it''s kinda important.

    For those who missed it, aive put it back in the normal sequence. you can read it at Chapter no 111 and the title is also literally that. S��arch* The N??elFir��.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sorry for the mistake

 Chapter 118: Hentai boy

    Chapter 118: Hentai boy[Seiji''s POV]

    "So...what do you think of the boy?"

    "He''ll become strong very very quickly. I''ve never seen talent like that before, it''s like the way of the sword is in his blood," I replied.

    I was in Ubuyashiki''s official room. It was bigger than you expected and even hollower than you''d believe. There was only a single futon in the giant room and nothing else. The room was so empty you could smell the wood from which it was made.

    Ubuyashiki who was sleeping on a futon gave me a thin smile at my reply, as if that was not the answer to his question.

    "I meant in another aspect...his character, and his mental and physical health," he said.

    "Oh," I blinked. I just assumed that was what he was interested in since he let me meet Muichiro while he was training.

    "He is a broken boy who doesn''t even know he is broken," I said, "We will need to wait for him to recover his memory first before we can even help him heal mentally. Physically, he is healthy and will only get stronger from here on out,"

    "That''s good to hear," Ubuyashiki said, his white eyes closed as if my sentence had truly brought peace to his mind.

    "He is currently sleeping in the other room. I suggest you don''t wake him up tomorrow and let him sleep as long as he wants," I said.

    "Were you genuine when you promised to teach him?" Ubuyashiki asked from his sleeping state.

    I took a moment to consider that. I had planned to teach Tanjiro and Kanae already, so I figured I''d better make it a proper Naruto team by adding one more. Besides, I reckoned it wouldn''t take much to teach Muichiro.

    In the manga, he was able to reach the Hashira level in two months by training alone. And with my help, it should even be more remarkable,

    "Sure, why not," I said, "I''ll be leaving now,"

    "Thank you for your time, Seiji. When the time is right, I will send Muichiro to the Flower Mansion," he said.

    "Okay," I replied while leaving the room.

    I was free from getting missions because of the request I made a few weeks ago. But now I had other duties to attend to, something far more important than merely taking missions.

    Training the next generation.

    ''Although....'' I thought to myself, ''I wonder if the new generation would truly need to fight again,''

    I wanted to end Muzan even earlier than he was fated to die. If we went by the original timeline, Muzan would die in four years time.

    There was nothing much I could do with myself to get stronger. My skills had reached nigh perfection. The only way I would grow is through natural growth or by fighting stronger opponents.

    What I needed now was the perfect opportunity.

    And I was hopeful that that would come this winter.

    When Muzan came for the Kamado family under the cold blizzard of winter, I would be there, waiting.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I returned to the Flower Mansion after that. It was already night by then and while I was travelling through the thick jungle, I swiftly killed any demons I came across. S��arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Two of them to be more specific.

    One of them was like a centaur, except he was a demonic donkey. The other was a man with a Scorpio stinger at his back. I killed them without even stopping my travels, they weren''t worth the effort,

    I sliced their head clean off from behind. I used Sun Breathing to slay them so although it was a single slash, they writhed in agony as they turned into ash faster than any other breathing style could do.

    It took a few hours, but before it was late into the night, I had reached the Flower Mansion.

    I entered the mansion from the back entrance like I did before and made a beeline to Kanae''s room. I minded my steps as I quietly entered the room.

    "Hmmm?" but even with my best effort to imitate a ninja, Kanae was able to sense my presence immediately with her heightened senses obtained from to the loss of her sight.

    She took a few sniff in the air like a dog, "Seiji?" she called.

    "Don''t tell me I smell that bad," I said, flustered at the fact that she could tell it was me from my scent.

    "You don''t," she giggled.

    She was half sitting on the bed, her back resting on the bedframe and there was a book on her lap.

    "???"

    I stopped my approach and took a moment to stare at the sad scene. I felt my heart twisting inside my ribs when I saw her dainty fingers feeling the writings on the page.

    "Seiji?" she questioned with a tilt of her head.

    I took in a deep breath to widen the cavity of my chest, hoping the feeling would diminish amidst the air. Then I released it in a long sigh that made my knees go weak.

    "Yes," I responded gently and went to her side. I grabbed her shoulder as soft as I could, with both hands so that she knew I was not holding anything else with the other. She instinctively felt more secure at my touch.

    "What were you doing?" I asked.

    She perked up at the question and realized that she was holding a book in her hand. Her body language became timid as she closed the book with a small thud.

    "err....testing," she said.

    "Testing what?"

    "My new senses," she said, "I realized that ever since I lost my eyes, my other senses were enhanced. I''ve heard stories, Seiji, so I was wondering if I could read by feeling the ink on the paper,"

    I hummed softly, "And how''d that go?"

    "I couldn''t feel anything. It feels blank, the ink is too thin," she said, her head falling by an inch.

    "Would you like me to read it for you?" I offered with a smile.

    "It''s a very lengthy book, you''d really do that for me?" she asked.

    As if she wasn''t aware that I''d do almost anything for her. I thought to myself.

    "Here, let me see," I said and took the book from her hands. I took a glance at the cover to read the title.

    ''Echoes of Spring'' was the title of the book.

    "Interesting," I said while opening the book and going through it as fast as I could. From an outside perspective, it looked like I was mindlessly flipping the pages of the book.

    But in reality, my eyes caught every page like a camera and breezed through the contents. In less than a minute, I was able to get the summary of the story by piecing obvious information like the titles, the Chapter name etc.

    "Hmm," I said thoughtfully, a blush crawling on my cheeks.

    Normally, I blushed from my ears so you could imagine how flustered I was for the blush to reach my cheeks. Good thing Kanae couldn''t see it.

    "This is a very intense read," I commented.

    The book was actually a novel about a mix of romance, drama and smut. To summarise it, it was about how a young teacher in a music school fell in love with her genius student. The female lead was the teacher so it was an older girl falling for a talented young guy.

    Maybe reading this out loud for her would be tougher than expected. I''d feel pretty awkward to read out the spicy bits.

    "Are you sure you want me to read this?" I asked.

    "Hmm?" she tilted her head, "I don''t know. What''s the title of the book?"

    "It says Echoes of Spring," I said and she froze.

    People had varying reactions when faced with absolutely horrible situations. Kanae was the type of person to silently freak out within herself.

    Too bad my eyes could see everything.

    Her heart almost stopped beating as her vocal cords vibrated without making a sound. A healthy hur of red immediately flushed her cheeks as she shyly took the book from my hands.

    "Maybe we shouldn''t do this. I''d prefer if you tell me about what happened today, like you promised," she said with fake chuckles that did not hide her nervousness.

    She didn''t know that I had already gone through the story. She thought she was slick and that I wouldn''t notice what I was holding.

    "Why the sudden change of heart?" I began and a shit-eating grin spread on my lips, unseen.

    "Are you afraid I''d discover that you read smuts?" I teased and much to my amusement, red finally consumed her face fully.

    "W-What?" she asked, covering her whole face with her hands.

    "A smut about an older lady and her young lover boy, is that why you fell for me? I guess you have a type," I said, teasing the poor girl more.

    There was only around two year gap between us but I was doing it for the sake of teasing her. She became extremely shy and embarrassed that she took to the sheets, covering herself with the blanket.

    I released a peal of laughter at the sake of her embarrassment. I could see her perfectly, she couldn''t hide.

    "It''s not because of that," she said suddenly under the blanket after a while.

    "Hmm?"

    "I said, its not because of that. I like those type of things because of you, not the other way around," she admitted.

    Adorable.

    ..

    ..

    But I made a mistake. I showed my capabilities to read her lips even under the blanket and that seem to suddenly give her an idea.

    She pulled the blaket off her and she emerged, sweaty and still blushing.

    "And don''t play that game with me, when you are actually a closet pervert," she said and her words caused her to blush deeper. But this time, not for herself.

    "What? Where does this come from?"

    "I know," she said, determined.

    "Know what?" I asked.

    She thinned her lips and looked at me with giant eyes sparking with shyness but also a resolute rebellion. She wanted to tease me back.

    "That you...you...you..." she stuttered, "You have been peeping at me for years!"

    !!!!

    I felt the air change as Kanae pulled an Uno reverse from somehwere. Now I was the one caught red handed.

    I was not sure what happened either. But she called me out on my most embarrassing habit which I would never tell anyone.

    In Japanese she called me.

    ''Hentai boy,''

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : We will return to actions again soon. Hope you enjoyed the slow pace.

    Stone

 Chapter 119: When love meets love

    Chapter 119: When love meets love[Seiji''s POV]

    The first ray of sunlight shone upon me, making the sweat on my body glitter like diamonds. I stopped my training for a brief moment to stare back at the sun that was staring at me.

    "Already huh?" I said out loud as I glared at the sun directly without flinching.

    I woke up early today, so early in fact that it was still dark like the night when I got out of bed. I thought I''d get some training instead of trying to force myself to sleep again after I woke up from a nightmare.

    Yeah, I still had nightmares. A little childish I know but it was not like I could help it.

    It''d only ever stop after slicing Muzan into a million pieces.

    The temperature of my body dropped rapidly after I stopped all movement. A chilling morning breeze blew on me, shaking me out of my musing.

    I always loved sunrise and sunset. In my opinion, the transition between night and day was when the world was at its most beautiful.

    As the warm sunlight passed over my body and lit up everything else, I stopped my gaze and continued my training once more.

    However, I didn''t train for too long after that as people were waking up. I was not wearing a shirt so I quickly wore one. I was still a little insecure about the myriad of scars covering my body and I didn''t want to make anyone uncomfortable by being naked.

    "Aww~ You should''ve let the clothes stay off," I saw Shinobu say from the Veranda. I was not sure how long she had been peeking on me but she had just now walked out.

    I deadpanned at her, "I didn''t know you were that type of girl Shibi,"

    "Whatever do you mean? Can''t a doctor appreciate a unique body constitution? Fufufu," she said teasingly.

    Yeah, she couldn''t pull off the onee-san allure on me because I knew her when she was young and always treated her like a little sister. There was also Kanae, so she only looked cute instead of looking mature.

    I shrugged, "Thank you for the compliment,"

    However, I was not sure if being called unique was a compliment. Couldn''t she just call me sexy instead?

    Because believe it or not, I was pretty sexy!! I think.

    "Well anyhow, I will leave now since the show is over. Remember to clean up properly, she should be here soon," Shinobu said with a wave.

    "Wait, who''s going to be here?" I asked but she was already gone, leaving my question unanswered.

    I stayed in place for a few seconds before I shrugged and sat down under the rising sun. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes to start meditating.

    One of the greatest training to do after you''ve maxed out your physical state is to train the mind. In battle, the mind and body fought as one so you had to sharpen both.

    Taking a page from Baki, I imagined myself fighting many demons in my mind. From demons I''ve faced before to demons I haven''t faced yet but was aware of their abilities.

    My sharp mind, which was able to process everything my eyes saw, could put more effort into my imagination when I closed my eyes. My vivid memory helped me too as I began simulating fights in my mind.

    I imagined how the fight would go but most importantly, I imagined how the demons were going to fight. I put myself in their shoes, controlling their bodies and having their abilities. Then I used my own creativity to find a way to attack those and also how to defeat myself.

    After I got my answer and found a way to hurt myself while in their shoes, I made sure to erase that weakness, I repeated this process again and again.

    Against Gytaro, against Akaza, against Douma and even against Yoriichi. I ran those simulations again and again.

    I spent more than an hour meditating like that. From my hunger, my body instinctively knew what time it was. It also realized that it was time for breakfast.

    I opened my eyes and did an instinctive scan around the surroundings which I had left unseen for an hour.

    Closing my eyes like that was dangerous but I felt safe doing so in the mansion.

    "Oh, you''re done!!" I could not hear her voice but with sight alone, I could tell how cheery those words sounded.

    "???"

    "So you''re the one Shibi said would come," I said and my lips curved like it was the most natural thing to do around her, like holding your breath underwater.

    "Mitsuri," I said while gazing at her pink hair that was dancing to the tune of the wind. They looked like the beauty of Sakura trees made into locks.

    I stood up, dusting my butt off the dirt before I opened my arms. That was the permission she was looking for and she immediately jumped on me.

    "Hehehe~ I missed you," she said as I did a small twirl and put her back on the ground.

    "Me too," I said.

    Copying her action unknowingly, I took in her scent, just like she did mine. She smelled like summer and love. A harmonious blend of warmth and strength. Sear?h the N??eFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "But why are you here?" I asked in confusion.

    She gave a small pout, "You never brought this up again but I didn''t think you would actually forget about it,"

    "Uhhhh..." I said, still unsure.

    "Did you see my haori?" she said and stood sideways so that I could see her fluttering haori. It was pink and white.

    "It''s proof that I am a Demon Slayer," she said.

    She''d told me that before. She had become a Demon Slayer while I was still unconscious from my fight with Douma.

    ''Oh..'' I internally realized what I was missing.

    "You said I would become your Tsuguko after I passed the exam," she said, proving my suspicion.

    "I did, didn''t I?" I said, more to myself as I scratched my cheek.

    I remembered being very excited about that prospect sometime ago. But I have been so busy these recent days that I''ve completely forgotten.

    "Wait.." I said, "That means you are obligated to stay beside me every time other than while you are on a mission,"

    I smiled.

    She matched my smile, although hers was more shy.

    Well isn''t that just lovely news?

    I didn''t have a home of my own though. I spent most of my time travelling around, compelling missions rapidly until I became known as the pillar of pillars. The only times I was not travelling were times when I had to train or recover from a fight, so I would stay in the Flower Mansion.

    So in a way, the Flower Mansion has been my home after all these years.

    That means the Flower Mansion just got a new member.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////

    "WHAT!!! You are already awake!" Mitsuri exclaimed in surprise when she saw Kanae sitting at the dining table for breakfast.

    Actually, even I was quite surprised to see her out of bed. This was the first time that she''d join us for breakfast.

    The place we were in was the living room in the private section of the Flower Mansion. It was mostly just me, Kanae, Kanao and Shinobu who lived here.

    "Seiji, why don''t you tell me!" Mitsuri whined at my side.

    "Don''t blame me, I was told not to spread the news," I replied.

    "Seiji, who are you with?" Kanae who was being guided by Kanao asked while turning to us. She couldn''t see but knew where we were from our voice.

    "Oh, sorry, I''m Mitsuri Kanroji," she said before bowing respectfully, "Nice to meet you,"

    "Oh," Kanae mouthed and I saw her freeze up.

    "You''re...the girl,"

    ..

    ..

    The atmosphere then got really weird for some reason.

    But it didn''t take me long to realize why..

    ''They haven''t met each other officially,''

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Auhtor : Finally, two of the female leads meet as I curse myself for making this a harem. Either one would be a good love interest alone.

    Wish me luck as I write the next Chapter.

    I hate this honestly.

    ..

    It''s a great time to join my patreon again. New year, first month, and tons of polls. Consider supporting your favorite story!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 120: ummmm.... Stuff

    Chapter 120: ummmm.... Stuff[Seiji''s POV]

    "Hi, it''s nice to meet you. I''ve heard about you many times and even seen you a couple of times, but I''ve never introduced myself properly," Mitsuri started, her words coming out rapidly in a mix of nervousness and excitement.

    "My name is Mitsuri Kanroji. It''s an honour to meet you, Miss Kanae," Mitsuri said and bowed at a right angle. Kanae was higher ranked and older than her, so she was immediately entitled to respect from Mitsuri.

    Kanae let out a whiffy chuckle that matched Mitsuri''s energy. "I would say it''s nice to meet you as well but actually, it''s not,"

    "Huh?!" Mitsuri was flustered at what she perceived as rejection.

    "Of course, that''s only because I can''t see you," she said, "It''s nice to make your acquaintance, Mitsuri. My name is Kanae Kanroji and likewise, I''ve heard a lot of good things about you,"

    "Really?" Mitsuri asked, excited before she deflated, "I hope they are only good things,"

    "Great things actually. I''ve heard from Rengoku how talented you were and from Seiji, more than I would''ve liked," she said.

    Mitsuri smiled brightly hearing that.

    Kanae secretly poked her sister and Shinobu who was standing beside her leaned down to present an ear.

    "Shinobu, is she as cute as she sounds?" Kanae whispered, unknown to everyone else except my eyes.

    "Yes," Shoinobu said and then she paused, hesitating to say the next part, "And I don''t know how but her heavies are also bigger than ours,"

    "Damn," Kanae bit out.

    Then they returned to their normal state as if nothing transpired between them. I had to do my best to hold back my laughter.

    "Why don''t you join us for breakfast? I made a portion for you as well since I heard from Master that you would be coming," Kanae said with her closed-eyed smile.

    Mitsuri and I looked at the containers that held the food in synch and we smiled a brittle smile. Mitsuri could eat all the food, including the containers and the tables and she wouldn''t be satisfied.

    Shinobu made extra but that was only a portion enough to feed one ordinary person. Mitsuri''s appetite was anything but ordinary.

    "I think..I''ll pass," Mitsuri said.

    "Join them," I said.

    She turned towards me quizzically, "Make sure you eat slowly, I''ll fetch more food for you,"

    "Thank you!" Mitsuri beamed at me. Now I was willing to dig through thirteen layers of famine to get enough food for her.

    "You girls wait for me," I said and left the house to get more food. I was not sure what I was going to do yet. Would I blitz towards the nearest village and buy out a restaurant or steal from the normal residents of the mansion?

    In the end, I decided to follow the initial plan as I blitzed towards the nearest village like the fastest Hashira I was. I came back with a huge sack on my shoulder.

    When I entered the room again, I was met with the lovely scene of four girls, Kanae, Mitsuri, Kanao and Shinobu chatting while they had breakfast together.

    When good-hearted people met, harmony was the inevitable result no matter the issue. I took a moment to enjoy the scene and imprint it in my mind.

    They were all important people in my life, and they were happy. The scene also brought out a very protective nature in me that wouldn''t have happened while looking at my male friends.

    Kanao and Shinobu were like my little sister while Kanae and Mitsuri were the closest thing I had to a wife. Men go to war for this, I thought to myself with a chuckle.

    "You''re back," Shinobu said, "Thanks for covering for me. I wasn''t expecting Mitsuri to be like you,"

    She meant in terms of appetite when she said that. Heh, if only she knew Mitsuri was in another league. She''d learn soon enough.

    We had a lively breakfast after that.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    (Two days later)

    "Are you sure you have the permission from Ubuyashiki?" I asked the little boy who came to my room in the middle of the night.

    "Hn," Muichiro nodded.

    I took a close look at him. The way his chest shrunk and expanded rapidly as if he had been running the whole way. The dirt and leaves on his hair as if he had run through the forest to get here instead of going along the road.

    Finally, the nervousness he hid behind a perfect stoic face and the fact that he came in the middle of the night. They all point towards the conclusion that he had sneaked out and came to me in secret.

    Without permission.

    I looked towards the direction he was coming from and I could see the path he took to come here. It was through the forest, hidden from the main road.

    If I had to take a guess, Ubuyashiki still intended to keep him a few more days to make sure that he recovered fully before sending him off to train with me. But Muichiro could not wait any longer to come to me, desperate to learn.

    "Are you sure?" I asked again, narrowing my eyes. S��ar?h the ��ovelFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Hn," he nodded again.

    "Are you lying,"

    "Hn," he nodded again, only to realize what he did and he shook his head.

    So obvious. His lying skills were as good as you would expect from a nine-year-old.

    "Okay, we will train in the morning. But now it''s time to sleep," I said and walked back to my futon.

    "Continue walking in the hallway and turn right, you should find the guest room there," I said and snuck inside my warm fabric and returned to sleep.

    Muihciro kept standing there, watching me intently.

    "Go," I said again and finally, he went out of my room.

    He could find my room amidst all the the giant mansion, I was not sure how. But he could find the guest room the same way.

    I went back to sleep.

    ..

    ..

    The instinct clock in my body woke me up before dawn. When I opened my eyes and regained full consciousness, I felt a weight beside me that I hadn''t felt a few hours ago.

    My eyes snapped open to see a small boy lying beside me all curled up. He was not even in the futon and under the sheets. He was on top, like a small cat that slept on top of you in the morning.

    "Good thing I opened my eyes first instead of cuddling with him immediately, thinking it was Mitsuri," I said to myself.

    I didn''t want to be Pillar of Diddy, P. Diddy.

    I stared at the young boy for a while, observing the peaceful rhythm of his sleep. My first thought was to wake him up since he was so excited to train but I decided against it.

    Because it looked like this was the first peaceful sleep he had in a while.

    He was a child that went through a traumatic event. He didn''t remember what happened in detail but his body was never in peace since.

    The body had memories of its own, you could call it muscle memory of instinct. His sleep after that event was filled with nightmares and irrational stress.

    But those disappeared when he was beside me. Just like how the body knew instinctively that it could be in danger and stayed alert, it knew instinctively how strong I was and that I would protect him.

    So finally, the body granted the boy peace after the trauma.

    Mitsuri told me this before as well, she felt safe and peaceful when she was around me and she swore that it was not only due to her affection. I guess being the strongest unlocked some aura in me.

    I allowed Muichiro to sleep as long as he wanted. The lazy part of me was glad to have an excuse to sleep in.

    ..

    ..

    [Image]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 121: Two girls, one love

    Chapter 121: Two girls, one love[3rd POV]

    It was the same night as when Muichiro came to Seiji. In the room of Kanae Kocho, two girls were facing each other while sitting on the bed.

    "Now that we finally have private time to talk, I want to start by apologizing to you, Mitsusri," Kanae said, bowing as deeply as she could.

    "I have wronged you deeply by going after Seiji while knowing about your engagement. I am truly sorry," she said so sincerely that her voice quivered like a guitar string.

    She met the girl not too long ago but after only knowing her for two days, Kanae found herself guilty.

    For the longest time, she had been believing speculations that suited her. Seiji''s fiance probably did not love him, it was arranged by their parents. Seiji was likely the only one truly in love, the girl is only after his money and looks. They only met recently, surely the girl would not love him as much as she did.

    She had been telling herself these excuses to reduce the guilt she felt whenever she went after Seiji. But after meeting the girl and getting to know her personally, she realized how wrong she was.

    She had been so selfish as to get in between two couples that loved each other perfectly, just because she was too unwilling to accept her own mistakes.

    Mitsuri stayed silent and gazed at Kanae who still remained in a bowing position. She was upset when she learned this, but that was a long time ago.

    "It''s okay," she said, her voice kind, "I understand,"

    Who better to understand what Kanae was going through than Mitsuri? Both girls were in love and even that with the same person.

    Mitsuri was well aware of what love did to a person. How it could make them selfish like thieves and sacrifice like saints. When love comes to you, it becomes everything.

    She felt wronged, sure. And she did not appreciate that someone was trying to take a portion of, probably what she loved the most in the world.

    But..

    "You loved him first, didn''t you," Mitsuri said.

    Kanae felt her breath go deeper into her stomach instead of coming out of her throat. Her mind briefly played the memories she had of the past, the time when she first met Seiji, the time when they sparred together, the time he brought home her favourite flower and in return she fixed his haori which got torn from climbing a mountain to fetch said flower.

    The memories played so fast yet everything fit in that short span of time. She didn''t know how. Maybe because all those memories, years in time, could be summarized into one feeling, one emotion, one word.

    That was happiness.

    Or love. They''re the same thing really.

    "I guess I did," Kanae said and straightened her back with a bitter smile, a ridiculous smile. How come happiness brought a bitter smile?

    Mitsuri observed Kanae closely and she too, felt guilty.

    Wasn''t she the one who got lucky and was engaged to Seiji through their parents? She was the one that came between a love that bloomed first.

    Was that really fair?

    Kanae chased after her love, a little late maybe, but she was brave and determined enough to chase after the love she found. Beyond selfishness, beyond morals, she gave it all.

    That was something Mitsuri couldn''t relate to because she never had to chase after love. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Love found her on the day Seiji found her in that room while she secretly was dyeing her hair. She never had to fight or run after love, desperately asking to love her back.

    The most she had to do was accept the love that found her, in all its truth.

    Was that really okay? She didn''t know.

    "Do you hate me?" Mitsuri asked, rather timidly.

    Kanae was caught off guard but soon caught on to what Mitsuri meant by her words. She tilted her head, the faintest smile on her lips.

    "No," she said, she didn''t hate her.

    She wanted to, but she didn''t.

    "Why not?"

    "Because he''ll be happier with you," Kanae admitted. It was like stabbing at her own heart to admit that because she always thought no one would ever love Seiji as much as she did and so he would be the happiest with her.

    But that has been proven wrong in recent days. She had witnessed what they were like together, Mitsuri and Seiji. It was almost like a scene out of the romantic book she used to read.

    She witnessed how he laughed and she giggled, two sounds mixing into a melodious vibration of joy. The way he talked to her, the way she replied. His hand, on a constant search to find her and she melts in every embrace.

    Kanae, for the first time, was glad to be blind. Because she feels that the scene might kill her if she saw it.

    She did notice very cleary due to her blindness though, how his voice naturally turned softer, gentler and a little silly when he spoke to Mitsuri. It was a natural change in the frequency, love manifestation in sound. It was stark difference to how he talked to her. with the intent of trying to impress.

    "Look at me," Kanae said and leaned back so that Mitsuri may take in the full sight of her.

    "I have nothing to even offer anymore," a single tear left one of her eyes. The other eye could not even cry.

    "I will likely never be the same anymore," she said, "I can''t see and I can''t enjoy the wonders of the world with him anymore. My body would recover but I won''t be able to fight by his side, the best I could do is stay in bed and pray, have a smile on my face and be happy, like I am supposed to be. I have no future for him, I''ll only hear and he''ll only see,"

    "But that''s okay," she said. Because in that battle, she was able buy him a few seconds when he needed it the most.

    "I''m not saying this for your pity, I am fine," she insisted, "I''m telling you to stop caring how I feel or whether you did something wrong, you didn''t."

    "You are perfect for him,"

    "Just make sure he continues to be happy like he deserves to be," she said, "He saved me already, that''s enough for me,"

    The love between her and Seiji was always awkward even at its best. It never fit perfectly like it did between Mitsuri and Seiji.

    "Oh and make sure you give him lots of children, he always wanted a big family," she said, a small chuckle came out even when tears fell.

    "....."

    "Nuh uh,"

    "....hm?" Kanae blinked in confusion.

    "Nuh uh," Mitsuri said again, "I can''t do this anymore, waaaah,"

    Mitsuri embraced Kanae in a big hug with tears falling down like a waterfall. Mitsuri was always one to be overly emotional and can''t control herself so of course she would cry when she saw Kanae like that.

    "This is so saaad, don''t give up Kanae!!" Mitsuri encouraged her, regardless of how weird that was.

    "You don''t know how much he loves you. He was prepared to end everything with me just so that he could remain by your side. Your love isn''t bad at all," Mitsuri said amidst tears.

    "In fact, no love is bad. Everyone deserves to be loved,"

    Kanae''s eye widen in surprise before they closed in relief. She hugged back the girl who hugged her so tightly that she could barely breathe. She is really strong, Kanae thought to herself.

    "Seiji loves you too and will continue to do so, there is nothing even I can do about it, I''ve promised to love him despite everything," she said.

    "And after meeting you, I am not upset or jealous, not even one bit," Mitsuri reassured Kanae.

    "Everything will be fine, your eyes will be healed soon, Seiji promised and he always keeps his promise,"

    Kanae could not help but feel the warmth in her embrace. She could not comprehend how such a kind hearted girl could exist.

    To say all that to someone like her..

    "Thank you," was all she could say.

    The two girls spent that night together. Thet talked and got to know each other, not to get close but to get familiar with the soul that they already got so close with.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Easy, now everyone is happy, as it should be in a fanfic.

    Double update!!

    Stones!!

 Chapter 122: Training pupils

    Chapter 122: Training pupils[Seiji''s POV]

    The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that it was not so early anymore. In fact, it was nearly noon.

    "Okay, let''s do this then," I said and rubbed my palms together.

    On this fine day, you could see that I was in the training area of the Flower Mansion. You could also see the little boy Muichiro glaring at me as he stood a few meters away, facing me.

    He was upset I didn''t wake him up early in the morning and let him sleep however long he wanted.

    Although he was glaring at me as much as he could with that stoic face of his, I saw this as an absolute win. Not only did I let him rest, but I also made an expression show on his face. It was hitting two birds with one stone.

    There was also a young girl standing next to him. She was a few inches taller than Muichiro, and she too, had a very stoic face except for the slightest curve in her lips. With her porcelain skin and neutral face, she looked more like a doll than a human girl.

    It was, of courses, my sweet little Kanao whom I promised to train too,

    "Muichiro, you wanted to learn how to wield a sword, didn''t you? I wouldn''t ask you why considering you lost your memories and it''s pretty obvious from what happened to you," I said.

    "And you..." I said, pointing a finger at Kanao, "It doesn''t matter because I will do anything for you,"

    Her slight smile bloomed into a full smile. She was just the cutest thing.

    Her bright smile made me add passionately, "Literally,"

    "So let''s get right into it!"

    The Flower Mansion was pretty quiet this morning, mainly because Mitsuri was still sleeping with Kanae. I haven''t the faintest clue why they slept so much, maybe they didn''t sleep well last night.

    The training started, and at first, it went well. I showed both children how to hold a sword properly, correct their forms and guide them through every stroke of the blade.

    My eyes could see imperfections and could pinpoint exactly where their movement went wrong, which made it incredibly easier for me to correct them and teach them where they went wrong.

    But as the training continued, the stark difference between Kanao and Muichiro''s talents became evident. Teaching them at the same pace was no longer possible, as Muichiro learned in an instant what Kanao took an hour to learn.

    I was a little worried that Kanao would be disheartened to see someone so young learning things so efficiently. Maybe it would be better not to train them together.

    Phooow!

    Phooow!

    *Swish!!*

    Kanao and I stared at Muichiro, baffled as he learned a combination I was teaching him in just a few tries.

    And it was not just on performance either. Normally, even when you could execute an attack perfectly in training, you would need years to imprint that in your body and use it in battle. But Muichiro was doing that in real-time, he was imprinting all my teaching into his body, soaking up the skills I was trying to share like a sponge soaking up water.

    I could see it, the way his muscles literally rearranged with every new skill taught, ready to perform the attacks instantly like they had been honed for years. It was kind of gross and weird.

    "Huuu..." Muichiro released his breath and then turned to me, "I''ve mastered it Seiji-san, what''s next,"

    I could see the stars in his eyes. He was enjoying it.

    Kanao looked at me curiously and I nodded my head, "He is right. Literally no imperfection,"

    Forget about Kanao being disheartened, I was feeling disheartened.

    "Go sit under that tree," I said while pointing at the giant tree in the corner, "Meditate as I taught you and simulate fighting an opponent with what you''ve learned,"

    Muichiro simply nodded and did as instructed.

    "Are you okay Kanao?" I asked after Muichiro left.

    "No, I''m feeling complicated. I feel sad and discouraged, and I have lost all my motivation, plus determination," she said and paused for a moment.

    She hummed thoughtfully, trying to name what she was feeling, "I also feel jealous,"

    "That''s fair," I said, wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to my body. I rubbed her shoulder to console her.

    I was glad she was honest. I taught her to always be completely honest with Seiji-nii, I can see all lies anyway so lying was meaningless.

    "He is a special case that boy," I said, "He''s similar to me,"

    "!!!!!" Kanao was surprised. She looked at me and back at Muichiro who was sitting under a tree in the distance.

    "Are you sure?" she asked.

    Well, I was clearly not as talented as he was in training, but with all my other gifts, "Yes,"

    "....That makes me feel a little better," she said and her tensed shoulder relaxed.

    "It does?"

    "Hn," she looked at me, straight into my eyes and said, "I''ve classified you completely different from the rest of the humans,"

    "...." I did not know how to respond to that. Should I be offended? But I could see she thought of that as a compliment.

    "So Muichiro is like you, entities that can''t be measured with human terms and logic," she said. Sear?h the Nov��l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I could see that she was not feeling complicated or disheartened anymore. That''s one way to deal with that I guess. If it works, it works.

    Although it meant Kanao put the likes of me and Muichiro in a different realm than humans.

    "If that is so, let''s continue with your training," I said with a smile and we continued.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    "Awesome job, both of you," I said and gave them head pats, their hair wet from all the sweat.

    "You both surprised me today. Although there is an obvious difference in talent, I can see you both have equally great potential," I said and gave them a smile.

    I hoped my smile looked okay. I have been trying to be more expressive instead of being robotic like I used to be. This is because I realized that I would have many people under me who looked up to me like an idol.

    If I remained stoic and aloof like I used to, it would set a bad example for Muichiro and Kanao who were both like me, stoic.

    "Talent and potential," Muichiro asked with a tilt of his head "Isn''t that the same thing?"

    "They are not. Think of it this way, your potential refers to your cup, the amount of strength and power your body can hold. Whereas talent refers to a spoon which you would use to fill the cup," I explained it in a very simple way, like I was explaining it to a ten-year-old because I was.

    "So that means even if people have different talents, they would eventually attain the same level of power if they have similar potential?" Kanao asked.

    "Correct," I nodded, "Although there are people with very little talent, or spoon, that they would never fill their cup even if they worked their entire life,"

    "Muichiro probably has a smaller cup instead of a spoon to fill his cup," I joked.

    That was why although Muichiro was more talented than me, I would always be stronger due to the sole fact that I had higher potential.

    Forget about my eyes, we''ve established that I had as much potential as Yoriichi. Learning Sun breathing alone required you to have the potential to be a master of everything, speed, strength, precision etc.

    It was like comparing Itachi and Naruto. Itachi was way more talented and if you compare them at young ages, Itachi was much stronger. But if you compare a 17-year-old Itachi and 17-year-old Naruto, the latter would be stronger by a mile. Naruto was fighting a God at that point.

    That''s the difference between talent and potential. I''d argue that although Tanjiro was not so talented, he had the greatest potential among the Demon Slayer cast.

    "Any other question?" I asked and Muichiro raised a hand. "Yes?"

    "Do you think I have the potential to be as strong as you, Seiji-san," Muichiro asked earnestly.

    I did not answer immediately and thought about it. The answer was no but I didn''t want to say that, even I was not so sure since Muichiro was only 14 years old when the story ended.

    So who knows?

    The only thing I knew for certain was that he would never surpass me while it mattered.

    "Tell you what, I was able to become a Hashira after 1 month and 3 weeks since I became a Demon Slayer," I said, "Try and beat that and you will know the answer,"

    Muichiro nodded seriously, a challenging glint in his eyes.

    The progress I made after I became a Demon Slayer was immense. I was talented in a way that grew rapidly after each battle. My eyes helped me memorize moves and copy attacks. I was like Luffy who is always stronger even though Zoror trained way harder.

    In that way, talents are not only different in quantity but also different in type. There are people who can grow fast with training, those who grow during a fight and those that grew strong after.

    "That ends our training today, go and clean up before dinner," I said and they both bowed at me.

    "Thank you,"

    Heh, having pupils was not so bad.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : There is going to be a four-month time skip after this. I will do it like usual and give brief summaries. It will be two Chapters covering the events that happen in two months respectively.

    Finally, the next arc will be Muzan Kibutsuji who will try and kill the Tanjiro family like the canon story.

 Chapter 123: Time skip (1)

    Chapter 123: Time skip (1)[Seiji''s POV]

    It was the end of the most eventful Summer in my life. I killed two Upper Moons this season, reinvented and mastered Sun Breathing, found the Kamado family, affirmed my relationship with Kanae and Mitsuri, formed an alliance with Lady Tamayo etc.

    That was only some of the things that happened this summer. It was funny how so many events could build up and happen in the span of one short season.

    But as the heat of Summer resided and a calm autumn breeze blew, I was hopeful that my life would slow down for a short while.

    I just wanted a few months of peace until my eventual return to the Kamado family where I would be waiting for Muzan Kibutsujoi to show his face.

    I was certain that I wouldn''t be able to end everything at that time but I was hopeful. Not only that, saving the Kamado family was of great importance to me.

    Fortunately, the great Buddha or whatever God was up there seemed to listen to my prayers. The next two months rolled out in peace and serenity.

    My days consisted of training my two new pupils, Muichiro and Kanao, while I also trained myself. Although I could no longer improve much, a blade needs constant polishing to remain sharp.

    Mitsuri would join us when she was off mission. On other days she was usually busy taking missions like a madman, determined to climb the rank as quickly as she could and finally stand on my level. I did my best to support her.

    On the other hand, Kanae had fully healed from her injury. She would spend most days wandering around the Mansion, helping the patients in any way she could. Her favourite pastime though was to sit on the veranda overlooking the training ground and listen to our training, the small gasp of exhaustion and the frequent clashing of steel seemed to bring her peace.

    Mitsuri and Kanae were also getting along exceptionally well. So well in fact that I was left speechless whenever I saw them behaving like sisters.

    The expected drama of me loving both of them also never occurred. The two girls seemed to have come to a secret agreement somehow.

    Then again, maybe it''s not so surprising. Mitsuri was the type of girl to be extremely vulnerable to the one she loved. You know, she is the type to keep staying with her abusive husband even if she knew full well she should leave. She''d remain just because she loved him and hoped he would change someday.

    If I were to cheat on her constantly she would voice her complaints and even rebel but she would never leave me. Which is why I felt scummier for doing this to her. She is so precious, she should be protected forever.

    Then there was Kanae who was exposed to things like harem from her comrade Tenegn and was a very traditional girl who thought it was not forbidden for strong men to have more than one wife.

    And finally, both of them were kind-hearted girls with barely anything but goodness in their hearts. Them finding a peaceful way to settle the drama was a forgone conclusion.

    Although, I liked to pretend that my sheer aura made them get along and okay with the idea of me having two lovers haha.

    One noteworthy event that happened during the span of these two months was the Hashira meeting.

    "Everyone, we have a new Hashira," Ubuyashiki himself had announced with a bright smile that was too happy to get another monster on his side.

    "Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Pillar," we all looked at the young boy not a day older than 10 reaching the same rank as us.

    "He became eligible to be a Hashira by slaying two Lower Moons. He is also a pupil of the Sun Pillar Seiji Shigan and he broke the record set by his master by becoming a Hashira only after one and half months of becoming a Demon Slayer," Ubuyashiki said.

    "Great, the genius made a genius. They are multiplying," Sanemi grumbled under his breath.

    "This is a good outcome for us, I don''t understand why you are upset," Giyu said beside him.

    "I''m not upset, you are the one brooding all this time!!" Sanemi replied.

    Giyu immediately became depressed again, his head hanging down low, "It''s because another one has strayed from the path of Water Breathing and derived a new Breathing from it. Even my Tsuguko kept leaving to create new styles,"

    "Hah! Good thing I don''t take any students! I wouldn''t wanna deal with those kinds of things," Sanemi said and laughed. In truth, he couldn''t take students even if he wanted to. His personality chased away all candidates after one meeting.

    "Speaking of.." Sanemi said and turned his head to me, "Oi scarface!! Are you sure he is good enough to be a Hashira!!"

    I felt a tickmark on my forehead, how shameless must you be to tease someone for their scar when you yourself were filled with scars?

    "I am certain he can whoop your ass even now sweet tooth," I said back.

    Sanemi too grew a tickmark, "Are you trying to make me fight a child? No way I will lower myself to that standard no matter how you taunt me,"

    Thirteen was when you normally consider someone an adult and even eligible for marriage. So even by traditional Japanese standards, Muichiro was but a child.

    The Hashira meeting was quite chaotic but otherwise, the mood was good. We not only got a new Hashira but the demon activities were also dwindling rapidly.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////

    (Evening dinner : Flower Mansion}

    "The demon goes, ''If you don''t put down your sword, I will kill this woman who was nice enough to cook you rice and fish!!''. So I had no choice but to put down my weapon. Then the demon took my sword by the hilt and threw it far away where I couldn''t take it anymore," Mitsuri said rather passionately.

    All of us, Mitsuri, Kanae, Kanao, Shinobu and me were in the kitchen as we had our dinner. Mitsuri had returned from one of her missions and was eagerly retelling what happened.

    There were already plenty of empty bowls beside her. She always ate a lot but she ate even more after missions.

    "But luckily, the demon let go of the woman and she ran away immediately. But then I was alone without a weapon to defend myself, surrounded by the demon and his demonic centipede underlings," she said dramatically.

    I didn''t like it when she was in danger. I could barely endure when she was retelling what happened. Sometimes, I wanted to lock all the people I loved in my basement while I fought the world alone.

    "But luckily, the woman was Umaoi (Animal harder) so she left her whip behind on the ground. I quickly picked up the whip and started fighting the demons with it since it was the only weapon I had and the centipede had poison skin so I couldn''t touch them."

    At this point, everyone was listening to her with rapt attention. She was quite the storyteller, her sheer enthusiasm carried her story. She was adorable.

    "But then magic happened. The whip felt natural in my hand! It was like I was not using a weapon at all but was fighting with my own body!! I fought the demons for a long time since I was not able to slay them. But it was enough to keep them away from me while slowly dragging the fight to the place where my sword had fallen," she said and we all gave a low cheer.

    "During the long confrontation, I was able to invent three whole new breathing forms relating to the whip!! It was incredible. And after I got my sword back, I was able to finish them off," she finished and we all clapped. S��ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ''I see, so that''s how she came to learn that she is adept at using a whip,'' I thought to myself. I was glad that she followed the canon, if she did not, I was going to introduce the whip to her after she became a Hashira.

    "That''s remarkable Mitsuri. I encountered something like that once and had to use a sickle to fight against one demon since my sword got broken in the fight," Kanae added and also gave some advice. She had vast experience, even vaster than mine so she was helping Mitsuri as much as she could.

    We continued having varying conversations while we had dinner. I couldn''t help but look at them fondly while all of this was happening.

    It felt nice to be surrounded by people I love. This was the family I found.

    It was everything I hoped for when I was in the pits of despair.

    I realized at that moment, I did not feel foreign to this world. I knew belonged here, among them. They want me and they need me. And being needed was all the reason a man could need to keep fighting.

    That same night, I got busy scribbling on a paper. I was writing a letter and designing a new sword to send to Hatori in the swordsmith village.

    It was of course for Mitsuri. I was designing her whip sword and giving vivid details so that it could be made.

    Then I sent Raven to deliver my letter.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////

    {1 week later)

    "Here you go," I said, handing a gift to Mitsuri.

    The setting sun was barely peeking on the horizon. I had already sent Muichiro and Kanae inside to clean up but I told Mitsuri to remain.

    "What is this?" she asked while taking the giant gift. Her face was flushed, showing sensual sensitivity due to the intense training and her hair was sticking on the edge of her face.

    "Open it," I said.

    She opened the gift to see a sheathed sword inside. It was pink in colour, similar to how her sword was in the canon but the shape was a little different as I added some things of my own.

    "A new sword!!" she exclaimed, ecstatic even though she had not realized it was unlike any ordinary sword.

    It was telling that she would be this happy and grateful even if I had given her a normal sword.

    "Thank you!" she smiled. Her gratitude was overwhelming.

    "Try it," I said and she did after a nod.

    She pulled the sword out from the sheath slowly and she was shocked when she realized the whip-like shape. It came out curving from the sheath.

    "This is...." she looked at me quizzically but I just gave a smile, letting her discover what it was on her own.

    I watched with a soft smile as she tried her new sword, getting accustomed to it. I saw that it felt natural in her hand like she was always meant to use that type of sword.

    In the end, after she was done trying, she dropped the sword on the ground. Her hand gave up holding her precious gift because she wanted to hold something even more valuable.

    She threw herself at me, fully confident in my ability to catch her. She wrapped her arms around my waist as she chanted.

    "Thank you thank you thank you!!"

    "I''m glad you liked it," I said, holding her tight and kissing her head.

    She continued embracing me even when the moment had passed. After a few minutes or so, I couldn''t help but notice the heat of her body, the softness and the lovely scent of her sweat.

    The passionate moment was gone, leaving my mind to search for other stimulation. And as any man, when my first head was not occupied, the job immediately went to my second head.

    Mitsuri on the other hand seemed to have no intention of letting me go so easy. Her arms remained tight and she hugged me in a way that we made the most contact.

    Her boobs were also smashing against my body. I could feel their shape if I thought about it, even the little bean that slowly grew harder.

    "Mitsuri?" I called as it was getting out of hand.

    I looked down and I saw a sly smirk on her lips. She hid her face on my body and pushed her chest even stronger on mine.

    ''This girl.'' I thought helplessly.

    It was not only me, she was also leading me on to think what I thought, She was getting quite naughty these days.

    If she kept this on, I won''t hold back.

    I embraced her too. Two could play that game. I for one didn''t mind staying like this forever.

    "Thank you," it was my turn.

    "What for?" she asked after a beat of silence.

    "For loving me," I said, "Despite all shortcomings, despite all my flaws,"

    The fact that I had another lover and my job put her at risk was only one of the few flaws I had.

    She released a sound that was a weird mix of sobbing and a chuckle.

    "Silly boy,"

    ...

    ...

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    How about a stone?

 Chapter 124: Timeskip (2)

    Chapter 124: Timeskip (2)[Seiji''s POV]

    I watched with bathed breath as Kanae stood over Kanao while the little girl was stumped on the ground. I was sweating bullets as Kanae stood there, menacingly with a wooden stick in her hand.

    Kanao too was still in fear, I saw that she even halted breathing altogether. I knew then that as her guardian I had to do something.

    So I slowly reached for a piece of rock beside me and threw it towards my left, Kanae''s head snapped towards the sound immediately and she shifted her attention from Kanao.

    Kanae could not see anything, so she used her ears to guide her to the direction of the sound. Luckily, she walked away from Kanao, but the direction she was walking to��the place where I threw the sound��was where Muichiro was standing.

    He glared at me when Kanae came his way, and I gave him a thumbs-up with a mischievous smirk.

    Kanae carefully made her way towards Muichior. Her steps were steady to ensure she didn''t trip over herself. Her ears were always listening for any sound.

    Muichiro quickly realized he had to change his position to make sure Kanae didn''t catch him, so he carefully moved away from his place. But that proved to be difficult as there was the tiniest crunch with each of his steps.

    It was late autumn, many trees had shed their leaves to prepare for the coming winter. As a result, the training ground was filled with dry leaves that had fallen.

    The leaves were where I had the idea of playing hide and seek like this in the first place. At first, I thought it would be insensitive of me but turns out, Kanae enjoyed being included in games and activities again instead of just sitting around like a doll.

    Kanae changed the direction she was going with each crunch that Muichiuro made. She was slowly getting closer and closer to Muichiro until the boy crouched down and took a deep breath.

    "Mist Breathing : Fourth Form," I could see it from the pattern of his breath.

    "Shifting Flow," Muichiro turned into a white mist and dashed to the other side of the training ground in an instant.

    There was no sound in his movement as if he was as light as a feather. The dry leaves scattered, blown up by the wind of his movement.

    I cursed under my breath, unknowingly.

    "That''s cheating," sea??h th�� ��ov��lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Immediately, Kanae snapped her head in my direction like a killer robot. I realised how fucked I was when she marched towards me, way faster than she approached Muichiro.

    Because this time, she was sure it was me and not just any other sound.

    I tried my best to move away while being as quiet as possible. But maybe being sneaky was not meant for the deaf. I could not hear if I did a good job or not.

    In the end, Kanae reached me and she smashed her wooden stick on my head.

    *BONK!!*

    "And he loses again, blowing the minds of the audience with his seventh losing streak!" Shinobu said when the game was over.

    It was me, Kanae, Muichiro, Kanao, Rengoku and Shinobu who were playing the game. Mitsuri had gone out on a mission, more determined to become a Hashira as quickly as possible when she saw Muichiro surpassing her.

    Rengoku was here from the injuries he suffered when fighting the Upper Moon Five, Gyokko.

    It was one of the biggest things that happened in the two months that have passed. Rengoku encountered Gyokko in one of his missions and he quickly called upon another Hashira like I told them to.

    The fight went on between the Flame Hashira and the Vase demon for some time before Sanemi came as reinforcement and they both ended the demon.

    Rengoku was not gravely injured but the poisons inflicted by the demon would take a longer time to flush out of his system.

    My thought was cut off when I felt two arms wrapped around me and my face was forced into two soft globes of flesh.

    "I''m sorry, does it hurt? I don''t mean to target you or anything," Kanae explained herself fearing that I might be upset that this was my seventh consecutive loss.

    "You''re just so bad at it," she said with a chuckle.

    "It''s fine," I said. I didn''t take the game seriously anyway, I would''ve utilized my eyes otherwise.

    "I''m sure I will lose the next round Seiji, don''t worry!!" Rengoku also offered nicely with that giant grin.

    He was wearing hospital clothes instead of his Hashira uniform and it was quite odd seeing him without his signature haori.

    "Are you having fun?" I asked Kanae. I took ahold of her hands and unwrapped her arm around me.

    I gave a chaste kiss on her hand.

    "More than you would believe," she said and that was all I needed to prepare myself for my 8th loss.

    Maybe I should use my eyes next round since Muichiro cheated by using his breathing style?

    It was one of those beautiful mornings. The little things that made life worth living.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////////

    [Demon Slayer Headquarters]

    ..

    In the Hashira meeting of Autumn, you could feel a positive energy in the air. Every Hashira couldn''t help the small smile on their faces. There were many things to be happy about this month, there was zero casualty in the Demon Slayer Corp, and the activities of demons had plummeted, with every new Lower Moon being killed off like flies.

    And there was the fact that we were going to have a newHashira and an Upper Moon was felled the same month.

    The war was slowly going in favour of humans. It was everything we slayers could hope for and more.

    Even Ubuyashiji seemed to have grown younger. I could see it clearly how he was filled with the unique vitality of a victor.

    "We have a new Hashira with us today," Ubuyashiki started. His wife propped him up in a sitting position and he looked at us with his white unseeing eyes.

    "We just had a new Hashira in the last Hashira meeting so this is an unbelievable moment. But what is even more surprising is that I have two Hashiras to introduce this morning,"

    It felt surreal even for me who knew about the story. From another perspective, it would seem like the qualification for being a Hashira was lowered in favour of quantity,

    But I knew it was not. It was just that talents were rising, as if the world was preparing the humans for the impending war, and the surge in demon activities had given opportunity for said talents.

    All of the Hashiras had attended the meeting. We stood in a horizontal line facing Ubuyashiki who was sitting on the veranda of the main building. There were the two new recruits standing in front of him.

    "Let me introduce our new comrades, the two of them will be joining the ranks to fight alongside you," he said and gestured to the two people standing in front of him.

    The two new recruits were facing us, one hid his lower face in bandages but you only really needed half his face to tell that he did not give a fuck about the situation. On the other hand, the girl next to him wore her heart out. You could see the nervousness, the joy and the pride on her face.

    "Iguro Obanai, the new Serpent Pillar or Snake Hashira," Ubuyashiki said and the boy stepped forward.

    Well, not really a boy since he seemed even older than me but he was quite short. He was even shorter than Mitsuri who stood beside him.

    "And..." Ubuyashiki took a pause and turned his head towards me with a knowing smile.

    "Mitsuri Kanroji, the tsugoku of Seiji Shigan. The new Love Hashira," he said and Mitsuri stepped forward and bowed to us.

    She was nervous for sure but she was already introduced to most of the Hashiras so she was not tense. On the other hand, Obanai had a calm facade but my eyes saw that he was anything but.

    It was not anything he could help with either. This was the first time he had been surrounded by this many powerful individuals. Most of us were even stronger than him.

    The tension in the air alone was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

    His body instinctively felt that and it was tense and ready to explode into fight or flight. He carefully examined each of us with his heterochromatic eyes, his snake hissing softly in his ear.

    Looking at it from an outsider''s perspective, it was understandable that he was nervous.

    The Hashira meeting was and always is, the gathering of the strongest humans. This was a gathering of the pinnacle of humanity, strong enough to hold up the whole world as pillars.

    A wall that stood between innocent humans and the evil demons.

    Even with our human nature and seemingly innocent interactions, all of us were killers of the highest order.

    I only observed Obanai for a few more seconds before my eye shifted again to Mitsuri and they never left. I was content with gazing at her happy smile for the whole meeting.

    I was so unbelievably proud. Even more than when Muichiro became a Hashira. It was difficult to feel proud when he did it so easily and effortlessly.

    But Mitsuri? I have seen her efforts and the hard work that she put into getting where she is now.

    "Tch, what are you looking at?" Sanemi barked sharply when Obanai observed him, maybe a bit too closely.

    I made the same mistake with Tengen before. No one liked being observed too closely, especially when it was the type of observation that search for weaknesses or a way to beat them.

    We were all seasoned warriors, we could feel it.

    Obanai refused to look away and engaged in a staredown with Sanemi.

    He never changed, always picking at the newcomers every single time.

    "Serpent Breathing? Is that even a real thing?" Sanmei asked. I could see that it was a normal question but his face made it mean. It was like an insult now.

    "And how the fuck did that come from Water Breathing?" he side-eyed Giyu.

    Hmm, Love Breathing sounded way more ridiculous but I think Sanemi thought himself bigger than harassing women and children. Or maybe Obanai pissed him off from his vibe which was eerily similar to Giyu and me.

    "You''re funny," Obanai declared instead of answering and he finally looked away to observe the other Hashiras.

    That thoroughly pissed off Sanemi but he was held down by Giyu.

    Honestly, our new dynamics would be fun.

    At one point Obanai''s eyes fell on me. He stilled, rather dramatically before he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

    Anyway, I was really not interested in what he thought of me. But with this, the Hashira was finally complete like the original story.

    Everyone was here now. It was all ten of us.

    We were ready.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : This is the end of the timeskip.

    ????

 Chapter 125: The Snake Hashira

    Chapter 125: The Snake Hashira[3rd POV]

    The Hashiras.

    They were a bunch of monsters if Obanai had ever seen one. The mere act of standing in the same space as they were was like having a blade at his neck.

    It did not help that Kabumaru (his snake) kept whispering in his ear. The snake did not differentiate between demons and humans and only told him how much of a threat they were to him.

    It told him to run.

    It whispered helplessness.

    He had not been told that for a long time now. He was subjected to cruelty ever since he was a child so he got as strong as he could, never to be overpowered again.

    If not for most of the Hashiras smiling, he might even feel more nervous.

    He eyed the pink-haired girl beside him once more, wondering for the nth time how she could be so at ease around these monsters. She looked like no one here could harm her and she possessed something none of them did.

    Her only reactions were towards her new title.

    Obanai observed the Hashiras one by one. He could tell that each one of them was a master of their own aspects.

    Obanai possessed something akin to a sixth sense, an intuition that had accompanied him all throughout his journey. And he referred to that once more while he examined the Hashiras.

    His eyes fell on the biggest man first, a mountain dressed up as a human. Obanai could not even imagine moving him, that was how powerful the blind Hashira was.

    His presence was giant, almost overwhelming. It seemed to press down on everyone present even without any intention to do so. Obanai seemed to be the only one affected though as others were used to it.

    He was like a mountain that you could not ignore. The only way to deal with him seemed to be to find a way around him. There was no moving him or going through him. S��arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Obanai noted before he looked at the young child beside the giant. Their height alone was comically different. Obanai would''ve mistaken him for the child of one of the Hashira if not for the child''s uniform that showed his rank.

    Obanai could not feel much from the boy, and that was concerning. The presence of the boy was light and fluctuating - as if reality was in a perpetual decision on whether he existed or not.

    It felt like he was looking at a mist, something that he couldn''t touch yet he had to be wary of it because he could get lost in it.

    The next Hashira was in one word, intense. The smiling man gave off a powerful aura that seemed to burn the air around him. He was like a campfire in the coldest winter. It could either warm you or burn you, and it was ultimately dangerous.

    An unyielding fighting spirit summed up his presence.

    The next Hashira was someone Obanai was familiar with, Giyu. It was the Water Hashira and like always, he gave off the feeling of a calm ocean.

    There was always a sharp look in his eyes. In his depth was an endless expanse that made you feel forever small.

    The man beside him on the other hand was anything but calm. The Hashira with scars covering his body looked exactly like how he felt.

    He was chaotic and had endured countless battles that tested his storm. He was like a whirling tornado, a sleeping storm.

    The next one was a woman and Obanai was glad to say that she was the weakness amongst them. She had a smile for a mask and Kabumaru could smell potent poison on her. It warned him to stay away from the woman.

    Obanai''s eyes travelled to the man built like a wall next to the woman. The guy flexed his biceps and gave a sparkling wink at him.

    He was.... probably the most dangerous among them. Not because he was the strongest but because he seemed like the most willing to kill.

    If the others were a sharp sword in a sheath, he was a sword that was drawn and in mid-swing. His presence told Obanai that he wouldn''t require much to kill him.

    Other than that, his snake friend told him that the man was annoying. He was loud and released unpleasant vibrations.

    And finally....

    Obanai observed the last Hashira. The one that inflicted a chill down his spine when those purple eyes looked at him.

    .....

    There was nothing.

    No, maybe it was everything instead. There was no unique characteristic to him and that seemed to be, not because he had none but because he had them all.

    His presence told one thing, the strongest.

    The man with purple hair and a scar running down his forehead was the strongest among the monsters that had gathered. The closer he looked, the closer Obanai was convinced of that fact.

    It was not just him, everyone was admitting that he was the strongest from their body language.

    The way they were standing, it was not one made by an order. The purple Hashira stood wherever he wanted and the rest lined up to match his position.

    The body language of the other Hashiras also changed when they turned to him. It was not noticeable to everyone else but Obanai''s kneen senses and his resourceful friend told him everything.

    He was the strongest there was.

    Obanai wondered though, just how strong he was.

    And in the following introduction where every Hashira introduced themselves in return, he learned of his name.

    Seiji Shigan.

    A familiar name. He was known by everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira to slay the first Upper Moon, the master of all Breathing styles.

    And today, Obanai finally had a face to put that name on.

    ..

    ..

    In the end, Obanai felt a great relief come over him. They were comrades now.

    All of these monsters were going to work together to fight the creatures he hated all his life. The demons were in for a cruel awakening.

    Obanai was glad

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "I think he fell in love with you," Tengen whispered in my ears when Obanai continued staring at me, lost in his own thoughts.

    "For the infinite time Tengen, I''m deaf," I said with a sigh. It has been how many years? The Sound Hashira still refused to acknowledge my deafness.

    "Never stopped you from hearing me," Tenegn said, moving his face away from my ear and folding his ripped arms under his chest.

    He was right. I had virtually almost no trouble except for only being able to know what the people I could see were saying.

    Eventually, Obanao looked away from me and the ceremonial oath began. It went like always, where Ubuyashiki asked questions like if they were prepared to protect and be the pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, bla bla bla.

    It was almost too repetitive for me but for the new Hashiras, I could see that it was a magical moment.

    After the oath-taking was done, we had an introduction. We introduced ourselves to the newcomers, one by one. We said our names and attached titles after it.

    We welcomed them with grace, I for one was trying my best to be nice to Obanai no matter the mixed feelings I had for him. Giyu was also glad to see his previous tsugoku again whereas Sanemi was trying his best to not lash out at him.

    The real Hashira meeting started after a few minutes. The newcomers were included in the meeting immediately. There was no official ranking amongst the Hashira but Gymoei was the unspoken leader so he began the meeting.

    He was the oldest and most experienced amongst us. The fact that he gave off a serious big brother aura was also a factor. Must have to do with the orphans he used to take care of.

    The meeting went better than usual and we finished everything quickly. The main issue of discussion was the demon activities and the recent Upper Moon which was slayed.

    Sanemi and Rengoku got the praise and credit they deserved while they shared about what took place during the fight and what they learned from it.

    It was not an intense battle at all, nothing noteworthy as Sanemi put it. Gyokko was a fairly weak demon which Muichiro who was caught off guard had no trouble slaying by himself.

    Against two Hashiras who knew what to expect from him, Gyokko had no chance,

    Regardless, it was an amazing achievement.

    "We should expect a rise in their activities," Ubuyashiki said. This was the third time an Upper Moon was killed and we were more accustomed to dealing with the aftermath.

    Usually, demon activities would spike after the fall of every Upper Moon. At first, we thought that it was the Demon King being angry and ordering his demons to go wild as a form of revenge but we realized it was not just that.

    The demons would compete for the vacant position left by the fallen Upper Moon. This leads to ambitious demons with great power taking risks and attacking humans, even demon slayers, in order to impress the demon lord.

    It was usually quite a messy situation.

    So to deal with this, each Hashira was assigned a new territory they should guard. There will be no taking mission for us for a while to keep everyone safe.

    We were already 10 in number and each Hashira guarding a territory was more effective than ever before. A Hashira now had just the right amount of territory they could maintain.

    I took the chance to raise my hand and demand which part of the territory I wanted to take care of. My request was not denied and I got assigned to the region of Gifu.

    It was a mountainous region with remote villages. Normally, it was best to assign me to populated regions but since it was my request, I was not denied.

    And why did I ask to be assigned to this region?

    The answer was obvious. It was the region where the Kamado family lived. I was meant to spend the winter with them and wait for Muzan to come.

    "The Gifu region...that''s quite far from the Kazusa Province," Mitsuri said, almost whining. The Kazusa Province was located near Tokyo and it was the territory she was assigned to.

    We have been living in the Butterfly Mansion - recently changed due to Shinobu being the leader - for four whole months now so such a distance was a horrible turn of events.

    "Well.." I said, "You have a duty now, as a Hashira. But don''t worry, we will meet again in the New Year and if things go well we won''t have to be apart anymore," I gave her a reassuring smile which she returned back with a hopeful one.

    At most, in a year or two, I would''ve ended Muzan Kibutsuji and wiped out all demons.

    The meeting came to an end not long after but we did not leave the headquarters. Instead, we all stayed for dinner as we celebrated for a moment, the new Hashiras and the new hope.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : This Chapter had no real content so I will offer a deal. I''ll post an extra Chapter if we hit No. 1 ranking.

    Shouldn''t be hard consider the current number one update once a week. So I am not scamming you. ????????

 Chapter 126: To the final destination

    Chapter 126: To the final destination[Seiji''s POV]

    "So that''s how it was," Kanae whispered softly while her dainty fingers travelled around my scalp, gently massaging my head,

    "I am happy for Mitsuri, she deserves to be a Hashira, she worked hard for every ounce of the weight that title carries," Kanae''s praise came from seeing Mitsuri work hard for four months.

    The both of us were in the small veranda overlooking the garden of the Butterfly Mansion. The silver sun was in the sky, its soft light shyly lit up the world yet neither of us needed the light. She was sitting on the futon, her legs dangling down the platform but not touching the ground.

    On the other hand, I was lying on the futon, my head resting on her lap. Her supple thighs made for the second-best pillows in the world (the first obviously being the boobs).

    The natural scent of her body was perfume for my nose, her magical touch soothed every bit of tiredness from my body, releasing knots of exhaustion in my spirit. One thing about Kanae that no one could replicate was the peace and rest I found in her embrace.

    Her presence nearly made me forget I was in a world infested by bloodthirsty demons. Everything was so relaxing and serene when I was by her side.

    Her fingers gently teased my earlobes, bringing an unknown sensation to my ears. It felt like at that moment, I could hear her touch.

    "What else? What do you think about the other new member? Obanai was it?" she asked me but I was closing my eyes and only focusing on the pleasant sensation of her touch so I didn''t see it.

    We were talking about the Hashria Meeting that happened today. I was meant to inform her about what transpired but here I was, unable to even respond due to being so relaxed.

    Misturi was already asleep in her own room. Somehow, someway, Rengoku had convinced her to drink sake to celebrate her promotion so she was drunk and had fallen asleep after the duo finished all of the food in the feast.

    I had to carry her home as she was stupidly drunk. She was not a drinker so she did not know how to hold back.

    "Don''t you go dozing off on me mister, I want to know more," Kanae said and spread my eyelids so that I would look at her.

    "How was the other newcomer?" she asked.

    "He was okay," I said, trailing off as I thought about what more to add. Honestly, I never really thought deeply about it.

    He was a Hashira in the original story, so I was not thinking about whether he was worthy or a good addition to the ranks, as the other Hahsiras did, or what Kanae expected me to think. I just knew that he was the right person to be a Hashira.

    "He has my hatred, similar skills to Giyu and the attitude of Sanemi," I said, describing Obanai.

    "Wow...that''s...an odd combination," Kanae hummed.

    "It is," I said. My thoughts lingered on the Snake Hashira since she brought him up. I wondered, would he be angry if he was aware of the possibility that he could''ve been with Mitsuri? A possibility that I robbed from him.

    I was chucking him basically, although he didn''t know it.

    That was one of the issues I battled for the longest time in my relationship with Mitsuri. I always had the feeling that I was taking her away from the true love she was supposed to share with Obanai.

    Whereas loving Kanae did not give me even the slightest guilt. It felt more natural - like fate was on my side if I loved her.

    But I had long since been over that. Mitsuri herself helped me overcome that issue.

    "Why did you love me Kanae?" I asked suddenly as my mind was on the topic of romance.

    It was a generic question that has been asked countless times between couples, but I still.

    I knew how she loved me. She slowly fell for me throughout our time together and she completely fell for me because I was always there for her, whenever she needed me.

    What I wanted to know was why she decided to go along with that feeling, even when she had many opportunities to stop.

    Why did she fight for it, despite being easier to forget about it?

    "I didn''t realise it until I had completely fallen for you. And at that point, I didn''t know how to live without loving you anymore," she said, "Life had become about loving you. You were a part of my life now, one that could not be replaced or discarded,"

    "Was it by chance?" I asked, playing devil''s advocate.

    "Was it by chance that we breathe?" she asked back for an answer and I thought over the question.

    You had no memory or intention when you first took your breath. But by the time you realized you were breathing, it had become so vital to your life that if you stopped you would''ve died. Yet it was not by accident you breathe either, it was meant to be.

    A question made for a good answer. That was a first. I envy her quick mind sometimes.

    "What about you?" she asked me back, "Why did you decide to love me and jeopardize what you already had with Mitsuir?"

    "...."

    "Was it pity?" she so very slightly stilled when she asked that - as if she was afraid of her own question.

    "You loved me even before I regained my own heart," I began, "I''ve always nurtured a hatred for myself ever since that day when the demon killed my family,"

    "I had forgotten what it was like to even love myself. But I kept on going solely on hope alone, hope that I would find another love and another family," I said and my hand took her hand and held it gently.

    "And you were the first treasure I found, the first fulfilment of my hope. You taught me how to love myself again," I said.

    She needed me. That was the first real thought I had when I first met her. I knew her fate which was to die at the hands of Douma.

    So the knowledge that she needed me was what destroyed the perspective I had of myself as a foreigner. I had no reason to live otherwise. Even without my presence, Tanjiro and others would put an end to Muzan.

    But I felt needed in the case of Kanae''s situation. And my existence became unapologetic from then on.

    In that way, she unintentionally helped me with her existence alone and I love that.

    In my search for a new love and a family, she was the first one I found.

    "I''ve lost enough, I didn''t want to lose anything again," I said.

    I could feel the smile on her face.

    "I understand," she said.

    We stayed like that for the whole night. I did not just let her spoil me the entire night either as we took turns spoiling each other.

    We talked and talked and talked. Sometimes we talked about the old times and sometimes we talked about our future.

    We also did this thing where we told each other what the other could not sense. I told her what I saw, described the beautiful stars in the sky and in return, she would describe what she heard - the whisper of the wind, the sound of crickets and the fireflies.

    In that way, we paint a complete picture of our surroundings. We filled the void in each other.

    Like we always did, since the very beginning.

    The one who needed help and the one who yearned to be needed. We saved each other.

    "Do you get it now? We fit together like a puzzle," I said. S~ea??h the Nov��l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For reasons I was not aware of, Kanae''s eyes started watering when I said that. She choked out a smile, a bitter joy.

    "Yeah," she said, "Our love is not awkward, it is perfect too,"

    I was not sure what that meant but I agreed.

    "Yes,"

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////

    (A week later)

    "Goodbye," I said and kissed her on the forehead.

    "Are you sure you can''t bring me with you?" Kanae asked like a needy child.

    "Unfortunately no," I said. What I was about to face soon would put her in danger, I couldn''t bear to do that.

    In response to my rejection, Kanae gave a small smile still.

    "Okay then...stay safe," she said.

    A chilly breeze blew upon us. Gone was the dry autumn air, the wind carried a hint of winter now.

    I turned to Shinobu and said, "Take care of her, and take care of yourself,"

    "You do know that she is also my sister, right?" she asked while rolling her eyes.

    "But sure, if that makes you sleep easier," she replied.

    "Seiji-nii..." Kanao called me, her eyes were much like Kanae''s, begging me to take her with me but sadly, I can''t.

    "Keep training, like I taught you," I said.

    "Remember, you are going to take the Demon Slayer exam next year," I said and she gave a nod.

    "Okay,"

    The sun was just about rising on the horizon, urging me to start my travel to the Gifu region and to the Kamado family.

    "I''ll be back soon, don''t worry. It will only be a month," I said.

    And with a final farewell, I left the Butterfly Mansion and made my way towards the Kamado family.

    I was a Demon Slayer.

    I reminded myself throughout the journey as I made my way to what could be, my final destination.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : It was too quick so of course it''s late.

 Chapter 127: The Kamado family

    Chapter 127: The Kamado family[Seiji''s POV]

    The children were waiting for me on the road leading up to their house. I had sent a letter to Kie Kamado, informing her about how I intended to spend the winter with them.

    I even got a reply letter that said I was more than welcome to do so. Winter was unforgiving in the Gifu region where heavy snowfall was to be expected every year, and men were the greatest resource in this age.

    So a window like Kie was more than glad to have a male relative to stay with them through the harsh winter.

    Which was why she even allowed the children to wait for me like this. It was not strange for a relative to spend the winter with them. Japan was very family-oriented in this manner.

    "Seiji-nii!!" Nezuko and the younger children called out to me as I appeared in their field of vision.

    "Seiji-san!!" Tanjiro was more formal, however, I could see that he was just as excited if not more than his siblings.

    They all came running at me with their small chubby legs. It was incredible how fast children could get attached to someone, I was with them only for a few days last time.

    So precious.

    "Seiji-san, please let us help you with your luggage," Tanjiro said and took a few bags from the giant load I was carrying.

    Nezuko did the same thing and took a few things of her own to ease the load I was carrying. The rest of the kids were still too young to try and offer help so they just stuck close to my legs.

    What was in the luggage I was carrying you ask? It was mostly spices for food, warm clothes for everyone and Christmas presents for the children. There were other things too like my own clothes and utensils but those were most of them.

    "We meet again, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru," I said their name one by one while giving pats on their head or pushing their button nose. They laughed in childish glee.

    "And little Rokuta," I said and pinched the two-year-old baby who was held by Takeo. Rokuta gave me a weird baby laugh that was a vibrating inhalation.

    With Tanjiro and Nezuko helping me carry my luggage and with the younger children tagging behind us, we went back to the Kamado house.

    Kie herself gave me a warm welcome and immediately served me a piping hot tea. I settled down in the living room and everyone eyed my huge luggage curiously.

    "Huddle up everyone, your cool cousin brought you gifts from Tokyo!!" I declared while opening the bags.

    "Really!!" "Wow!!"

    The mere mention of Tokyo got them excited. Well, anything from the city was a huge deal for country kids. Even Tanjiro was excited despite trying to be mature.

    Speaking of which, I idly noticed the growth of the protagonist. I saw each new strand of muscles he had gained during my absence including the minor bone fractures and callused hands. I could see that he had been working hard. Good.

    I distributed whatever I brought amongst everyone. Even when they were receiving clothes which was not that exciting for kids, the Kamado children showed joyous expressions that made every bit of my effort worth it.

    As I took out everything, I realized that I may have gone a little overboard. I couldn''t help it, money was not an issue for me so I bought anything that fancied me.

    I could see how Kie''s expression shifted with each new gift I brought out. The few gifts were polite and expected but as more and more came out, she was naturally a little uncomfortable.

    She felt indebted.

    Some of the things I bought included toy figures, spinning tops, cards with beautiful illustrations for Nezuko along with paper for origami, a few drawing books and colours, I even bought a few toy swords believing that they''d want to be a cool samurai like me.

    I also got them giant warm sweaters which were different from what they had since it was Western fashion.

    "You didn''t have to buy all of these Seiji-san, it''s too much," Kie said nervously while looking at the children who were engrossed in their own gifts.

    "Please Kie, let me do this. You don''t have to feel uncomfortable at all," I said, soothing her worry.

    Still, she couldn''t quite ease her expression with all the gifts. Others might even suspect that I was going after the hot lonely milf with all the efforts I put in.

    So I made my intention clear, or more like I lied.

    "Ever since my mother passed, you and your children are the only family I have left. Things can get quite lonely," I said.

    "Doing this makes me happy as much as they are," I said and I allowed her to mull over my words.

    "..I understand," she said, "If that is so, please allow me to give you my sincerest gratitude,"

    I smiled in return.

    "Speaking of which, I did not only bring things for the children. I have stuff for you too," I said and went diving back into my bag to pull out the things I''d bought for her.

    It was not a lie when I said that doing this makes me feel good. I feel like Samurai Santa.

    And so, my days with the Kamado family started once more. This time, I would stay with them for a month or so.

    ...

    ///////////////////

    "What are you doing?" I asked one chilly morning.

    It was dawn and the sun had not even risen yet. At this time of the day, the weather was particularly cold. The ground was wet with sparse powder of snow here and there.

    Yet on this morning when a normal human would be at least five layers under a blanket, I saw Tanjiro readying himself to head out with a new jacket I gave him and a basket of charcoal on his back.

    "Ah! Seiji-san, sorry I woke you up," Tanjro bowed his head and apologized quickly.

    "Stupid. You can''t wake me up, I''m deaf," I said.

    "Oh...right,"

    I was usually awake at this hour to watch the sunrise. I loved the sunrise and sunset, they were one of the most beautiful things in the world. So usually, I wake up at this hour every day to witness it.

    Then if I wanted to, I would return to sleep again. I usually never even leave the bed as I could see through the walls andiree the sunrise.

    "So? What are you doing?" I asked again.

    "I''m setting out to the nearby village to sell the charcoal. It''s our family village business," he said.

    I hummed, "You shouldn''t do that, come back inside,"

    "I''m sorry but I can''t do that Seiji-san. The winter is when we have the most customers. I have to sell it or else all our hard work during Summer and Autumn will go to waste," he replied to me.

    "I''ll buy it then," I said with a shrug.

    "Huh?" Tanjiro blinked, "No, I can''t let you do that. If you want, you can take home as much as you need for free,"

    "Not some, I''ll buy all of it," I said.

    "eh.....EHHH!!!!" Tanjiro gasped, "Really? Are you sure?!"

    I smirked, "Yeah, I''m sure. So get back inside, let''s use them to make a heater instead," I said and gestured at him to come back in.

    "Besides, I have better use of your time than you going around selling some charcoal," I said. I need to train him for the future of this world.

    "Thank you so much!!" Tanjrio said and bowed to a right angle but I''d already turned my back so I didn''t see him.

    And see him I must because he ran inside and did the same thing again but in front of me.

    "Enough of that. No need to act like a stranger to me," I said, "Where is your heater? You have hibachi right?"

    "Yes, I''ll take it out right away,"

    ...

    (Later that day)

    "I can''t believe you guys have no kotatsu," I said in disbelief while I worked in the middle of the living room where the table was previously placed.

    "How do you guys get through the winter before? On hopes and dreams?" I said, more to myself because I couldn''t hear whatever they were replying to me as I was busy with my work.

    I think you might have seen it in other anime but a kotatsu was a wooden table covered in a blanket. You put a heat source under the table and trap the heat with the blanket.

    Families would gather around and sit beside the kotatsu and spend the winter together. But for whatever reason, the Kamados didn''t have that. I thought every Japanese family had that. S��arch* The n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    And now here I was, making a Kotatsu for them. Tanjiro and Kie were on my side, eager to help me as I set it up.

    "My husband used to make one for us. But ever since he got sick, he couldn''t do such a thing anymore and it was impossible for me to maintain a kotatsu while having all the kids," Kie explained in my dead ears.

    I could understand that. A kotatsu needed constant maintenance since unlike the modern machines, this one used charcoal for the heat. You could easily burn something if you were not careful.

    It was not too difficult to set up the kotatsu and I finished it with ease. That proved to be quite fruitful later on as the heater was constantly used.

    We would sit around the table to play cards, and board games and use the paper I bought to make Origami. All of which I quickly learned I was a master at.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////

    I came back to the Kamado house after a successful hunt. i had three deers and a pheasant in my hands, this much meat should last a few days at least.

    When I came upon the yard, I saw Tanjrio swinging a sword with his upper body bear. His body was smoking from the heat interacting with the frigid air. His body was covered in sweat even in the cold morning.

    Tanjiro was not alone as his other siblings hung around him. Nezuko was carrying baby Rokuta on her back while she worked on cleaning up a few vegetables.

    The other siblings were running around, playing tag with the new toy store I bought. But all those distractions seemed to not reach Tanjiro as he continued swinging the sword again and again, endlessly.

    Tanjiro had a very big potential as the main character of this world. But...

    Hmm...how should I put this lightly?

    He was awfully ordinary in his talent. Meaning his capacity to learn was high but his rate of learning was extremely sword.

    It was to be expected. After all, while Muichrio became a Hashira in the span of two months, Tanjiro took three years to even take the Demon Slayer exam.

    I think in that regard, Tanjiro was more similar to me than anyone else. He was the type of person who grew after every challenge overcome, a warrior who improved rapidly but only in high-intensity battles where his life was on the line.

    Nevertheless, I did not slack from training him.

    "Seiji-san, you''re back," Tanjiro greeted with a wide gaping smile. He wiped his sweat with his forearm and he continued swinging his sword after I gestured at him to continue.

    I rolled my eyes to the sky above and I clenched my fist.

    Anytime now...

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Double Chapter like promised and that will all be for the week. Next week will start with the fighting.

 Chapter 128: Fate arrives all the same

    Chapter 128: Fate arrives all the same[3rd POV]

    (Location : Tokyo)

    "I am going to miss you very much while I am away dear," said a woman wearing a purple kimono and expensive jewellery that showcased her unspoken wealth.

    "I know, and I will feel the same," replied her husband.

    "Are you sure you can''t come with us? My father would very much like to meet you again, and so would my mother," the woman asked in an almost whiny tone, like a little girl begging for candy.

    The husband smiles, "You know I can''t do that. I have our business to take care of. You go without me, we will reunite when winter recedes,"

    Winter was a time when farmers could rest as crops were harvested and you needed to wait for summer for the cycle to start again. Therefore, traditionally, Japanese people used this time to visit relatives and spend time with them. So even if you were not a farmer, the tradition sticks.

    The woman was doing the same thing. She was going to spend the winter with her parents, but her husband could not join her because he had a business to run in Tokyo. Unlike agriculture, the business world had no moment of rest.

    "Then do I have to go? I can spend the winter with you instead," the woman insisted.

    "I know how much you''ve missed your parents. I would feel bad if you didn''t go just because of me," the husband replied. He communicated gently, not only with the tone of his voice but also with his words.

    "Besides, your parents would want to see their grandson. I couldn''t possibly rob them of that," he said, looking at the little toddler, who was about three years old, sitting on the woman''s lap.

    The woman hummed, not arguing, but she did not like the answer either. In the end, her head dropped a little in defeat, and she hugged her child tightly.

    "Say goodbye to Daddy," the woman said, waving the baby''s chubby little hand. "Daddy we will miss you."

    The man smiled, seemingly with heart but the emotion was as shallow as a foreskin. It was not a real smile, more like the pinching of skin that imitates a smile.

    "I love you," the woman said at last. Her voice came out needy and vulnerable. There was a flicker of hope in the tone that hoped that he would say it back, but it wouldn''t be the first time even if he didn''t. History had let her down.

    The husband popped a vein in his forehead and his tongue pushed the inside of his mouth. Then with barely hidden hesitance, he replied.

    "I love you too,"

    The woman smiled so brightly but the man looked like he ate shit. He seemed appalled that he had just declared affection to a lump of flesh he deemed imperfect.

    The woman didn''t see that. Maybe people had a clue when they coined the saying love is blind.

    "See you soon!!" she said and no sooner the door to the car she was sitting in closed with a loud clanking noise of iron hitting iron.

    And then the car left, leaving the man to remain stranded in his place while he watched them disappear in the horizon.

    "Distasteful," he mumbled after they were gone.

    It was out of necessity and convenience that he decided to live in a city populated by humans. But oftentimes, when the desire to rip them apart became too strong, he would wonder if it was even worth it.

    The only entities that could harm him were long dead. If not for the convenience of human technology for his research, he wouldn''t have bothered.

    He did not feel fondness for his wife. She was just a human, a creature full of flaws compared to his near-perfect self.

    Revolting.

    But then again, the woman - his wife, would not have loved him either if she knew her real husband was dead and was replaced by a millennia-old genocidal demon lord who was about the vilest creature in existence.

    Muzan turned around and walked in the opposite direction from where the car had left. The streets of Tokyo were busy even at night, pulsing with life which brought a sense of satisfaction to him. The growing population was a good thing for him, it meant more prey and it also allowed him to kill a dozen people with barely anyone noticing.

    The streetlights and the noise though, were almost annoying to his sensitive senses. It was like a prickling sensation in the back of his mind. He made his way through the road, people looked at him with recognition as he did so.

    A respectable business with wealth. That was the person Muzan was impersonating.,

    He walked until he reached a different ward entirely, where the eyes of recognition from people stopped. He continued walking until the people got fewer and fewer.

    Finally, he was in a part of the city that had barely anyone left. He made a quick turn to an empty alley. The smell of piss, human shit and garbage made his nose scrunch up.

    Human waste. Such imperfect beings.

    "Nakime," Muzan called out in the empty alley and in the very next moment, the sound of a single string being strummed was heard.

    No sooner than later, the echo was followed by a paper door that suddenly appeared under Muzan''s feet. The door opened and he allowed himself to fall through.

    The sight of infinite rooms shifting and shuffling like the pieces of an endless puzzle greeted him. The dimension was an infinite room that was ever expanding yet contracting at the same time.

    The infinity castle.

    In this dimension, space followed the whim of a subordinated entity. Gravity shifted, right was down, left was down and sometimes up was down. Logic died the moment Muzan stepped into the dimension.

    After less than a minute of falling, Muzan landed in a room where Nakime was sitting. She was a demon who worked directly under Muzan due to the sheer utility of her power.

    The demon had one eye like a cyclops and she wore a loose traditional kimono. Her wet raven hair fell from her pale head and she held a biwa - a Japanese guitar.

    "Lord Muzan," Nakime prostate in front of him, "What can I do for you?"

    Muzan gazed at the demon for a long time, silence stretched and Nakime became nervous. Yet there was not a speck of emotion to be read on his face.

    "Tell me, have done what I told you to do?" Muzan asked, "Have you found the Demon Slayer headquarters, or where the leader, Ubuyashiki is?"

    The Demon Slayer Corps were not a threat to him. They had not been a threat since that man died of old age hundreds of years ago.

    Muzan had tried more than once to kill them completely but they were like cockroaches - difficult to kill. Even if he killed hundreds, even if he killed their leader, there was always another human to take their place. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So he had decided long ago that they were not worth the effort. They were not worth taking his time to exterminate them once and for all. Humans were weak anyway, they could never hope to fight the Upper Moon much less himself.

    But that had changed recently.

    Now they were becoming too annoying in his plans. They had killed his favourites and valued subordinates and although he never had deep connections with them, it was a matter of pride for Muzan.

    Those humans thought they could challenge him.

    Espeically that purple Hashira. He was too certain of himself.

    "Nakime. don''t make me repeat myself," Muzan said once more and a deep pressure erupted from him. The ground cracked and screamed under the pressure of his presence. His killing intent was so thick it was palpable. A feat one could achieve only by killing millions throughout a thousand years.

    He had instructed Nakime to find the hideout of the Demon Slayers while he was busy acting out as a human. His current disguise, a respected wealthy businessman in Tokyo provided excellent advantages so he did not want to destroy that.

    He had a wife and a daughter, so his presence was constantly needed. At least until the wife stopped suspecting him. Therefore he could not afford to act out instantly when he learned that Lower Moon 6 and 5 were killed shortly after Douma''s death.

    But now he had freedom once more. His wife was in another town to spend the winter with her parents. Muzan would dedicate his free time this winter to eliminating the Demon Slayers.

    He would rip out all their roots and put an end to them, once and for all.

    "I have yet to find them, my lord. These humans, they are careful and secretive," Nakime said and she trembled when the pressure on her increased.

    Every single cell in her body was owned by Muzan and right now, they were screaming at her. She felt indescriable pain as each cell ached, blood seeped out from her pores.

    Yet she couldn''t scream. Not when he did not allow her to do so.

    "But..." she gasped out as the pain gave her respite, enough time for her to talk.

    "I have found the clan that you were looking for. the Kamado family!" Nakime said.

    Muzan pulled back his bloodlust and raised an eyebrow at that. The Kamado family was one that he looked for many many years ago. The family was the one Yoriichi was closest to so Muzan wanted to kill them just to spite the only man he feared.

    And also, there was a possibility that someone would emerge from that family, someone who inherited what Yoriichi had. It was an unlikely possibility, especially now after hundreds of years.

    But even if there was only a 0.01 chance of someone like Yoriichi to pop up again, Muzan did not want to give that chance.

    So the death of the Kamado family was a must.

    "Okay, that is acceptable," Muzan said, "Take me there,"

    Nakime clawed herself to her biwa and struck a single string.

    "As you wish," she said and a door immediately opened under Muzan, taking him as close to the Kamado family as she could.

    Even the Infinity Castle had its own limits.

    When Muzan left, Nakmie felt breath coming back to her again. It was strange, she thought she was way beyond the need for air or water but in front of her king, anything was possible.

    ....

    "Useless," Muzan muttered and a cloud of hot air came from his mouth.

    The entire place was covered in a white sheen of snow, the temperature was beyond freezing but Muzan almost missed it. The temperature of the weather barely bothered him.

    He looked around the forest he found himself in. He was annoyed that Nakime did not transport him to the front door of the Kamado family.

    "But I suppose this is fine," Muzan said, his incredible sense spread out and found something kilometers away.

    In the region, there was only one house and Muzan assumed that that was what he was looking for.

    His ears caught the sound of a happy family enjoying dinner. His nose scanned the scent of his targets.

    A man, a woman and five children. They sounded like a happy family.

    Muzan began walking towards the house at a slow and steady pace. Every living creature in the vicinity fled when they saw him.

    Eyes colder than the ice beneath his feet. Muzan was going to put out every annoyance in his life.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Stone

 Chapter 129: The strongest Hashira and the Demon King on equal ground

    chapter 129: the strongest hashira and the demon king on equal ground[3rd pov]

    (the kamado household)

    "thank you for the food!!" everyone said collectively with similar wide smiles on their faces.

    there was food on the table, and the amount and the quality of the food was something an isolated family like the kamado should not be able to afford. but here they were, eating better than most people living in cities.

    today''s main dish was venison.

    the meat was made in different ways, from a stew to roasted in charcoal. they had nearly used the entire meat from one deer for this dinner.

    but that was not the only reason why the meal was so special. eating meat had become the norm since seiji had been living with them. what really stood out in today''s meal was that the deer was not hunted down by seiji but by tanjiro.

    the young boy had come a long way.

    "so good!! big brother the deer you brought back tastes the best!!" takeo, the second son of the kamado family enthusiastically said to his older brother.

    this was a natural behaviour of takeo, he was the greatest glazer of his older brother. although seiji was cool with the scars and being a samurai, in the eyes of takeo, his older brother tanjiro was simply the coolest.

    seiji chuckled to himself, knowing he had brought home fatter and healthier deer but he simply couldn''t compare with tanjiro it seems.

    the young boy scratched his cheek shyly, yet pride overflowed from his smile. he couldn''t describe it in words but he had fed the instinctual desire of a man to provide for his family.

    "i''m glad you like it. although don''t expect to eat it every day as deers are getting quite rare," tanjiro said with a smile.

    takeo nodded and continued eating the food with more vigour and appreciation.

    deers were not getting rare, seiji thought to himself. in fact, winter was usually when they were the easiest to hunt since they ventured around in search of food and predicting their movement was easier from limited food sources and their trail on snow.

    autumn was the rutting season, so most female deers were in the early stages of pregnancy during winter. tanjiro was just too nice to kill pregnant deer so that''s why prey was rare for him.

    kie kamodo also ate her food with an unusual fondness. it was not the first animal that tanjiro caught but it was certainly the biggest. she couldn''t help but feel a sense of motherly pride swell in her heart. she felt that tanjiro was all grown up now.

    "then big brother, can you bring home rabbits next time?" hanako asked with a hopeful tilt of her head to which tanjiro nodded.

    "i''ll try,"

    dinner was always a lovely affair in this age. people were so much more appreciative and grateful for having food on the table, seiji observed.

    the children were also getting fatter, although not too much since every day was filled with doing work or playing outdoors. seiji could only smile at the warm atmosphere, dreaming about what it would be like when he had his own family.

    "i want seconds!" takeo declared and put his bowl forward.

    "me too," hanako followed.

    "me also!" shigeru followed but you could see that he still had plenty of rice left.

    "okay~ here comes seconds," nezuko said, scooping rice and giving them their second share. she also adds a tiny bit to shigeru''s bowl.

    everything was going well, it was like any other evening but everything changed when the smile on seiji disappeared while looking around the house.

    everyone paused, feeling something wrong in the air.

    seiji was the most silent person in the room but his presence was the biggest. he was like the unspoken head of the family at this point so when his constant smile faded into a deep, growling frown, everyone noticed immediately.

    they all watched seiji as he slowly reached for his giant blade that stood in the corner of the room and he laid it beside him.

    "seiji-nii, what''s wrong?" nezuko was the first one to ask. tanjiro noticed sweat falling from his side profile for no reason. it was winter, he shouldn''t be sweating.,

    but something about seeing seiji so serious freaked him out a bit.

    "it''s nothing," seiji said, his eyes glazed over in a faint purple glow that went unnoticed under the light.

    finally, he was here.

    muzan kibutsuji.

    but he was still a few kilometres away and he was coming towards them ever so slowly - like he expected the world to pause for him. seiji determined that there were still a few minutes left before he arrived.

    "raven," seiji called out and the small sparrow which was perching in the cover of the bulb flew down.

    "call for other hashiras, like i told you to," he said and as if noticing the seriousness of the situation, the bird flew out of the window and disappeared into the night.

    seiji blinked a few times before he looked away from the direction he was looking. the others only saw a wall where he looked at.

    "don''t worry, let''s continue eating," seiji said and although feeling a bit unnerved, they returned to their meals.

    children were very carefree by nature so they didn''t think much of it. except for tanjior and kei who couldn''t help but feel was horribly wrong.

    they couldn''t react yet, seiji thought to himself. if he told the kamado family to run to safety, muzan would have noticed and he would have been alerted at the turn of events.

    so seiji did nothing and allowed the demon king to make his way to the house. s��ar?h the n?vel(f)ire.n��t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    after five to ten minutes, he was finally here, like an inevitable death.

    "stop giving me the bony parts, i like the softer meat too," takeo complained to hanako.

    "you are the one who said not to waste any,"

    "yeah, that means you should eat everything, not give me the parts that you don''t like," takeo huffed.

    "stop bickering, here let me eat them," nezuko offered and right then, the main door to the kamado household was pushed open rather forcefully.

    all heads turned to the door except for seiji who continued digging into his food. he already knew who it was.

    they saw a man dressed in a black western suit with a coat whiter than snow hanging on his shoulder. he looked like he was around his mid-twenties and he had raven black hair and a pale complexion.

    he had a stoic face like that of a handmade doll. yet his blood-red eyes with slit like a feline - the ultimate predator - held cruelty that could not be missed. they were eyes that saw only lesser beings or prey.

    a deep chill ran down everyone''s spine. maybe it was the rushing of cold air coming from the open door but they felt numb.

    "ah-are you a visitor?" kie spoke after a long silence, she eyed seiji for guidance but the man simply ate his food.

    the visitor, muzan kibutsuji, followed the sweep of her eyes and his gaze locked on seiji as well. his eyes narrowed, seemingly surprised and cautious at the man.

    the silence was thick, and that was why the clinking of chopsticks from sejiji appeared louder than it was. it covered the entire house.

    a few seconds later, seiji finished his food and he put down his empty bowl on the table.

    "thank you for the food," he said while holding his hand.

    everyone looked at him with bewilderment. even muzan seemed intrigued by his action. they were all wondering why he chose to ignore everything in order to finish his food.

    only seiji himself knew that it could be his final meal. so he finished it with a great deal of appreciation.

    finally, his hand went to his sword.

    muzan''s eyes scrutinized and he studied seiji. from his memories, he recognised the hashira immediately but he was confused as to why he was there. regardless, he scanned the hashira, he felt a sense of distaste when he noticed the human''s deaf ears.

    even among the already imperfect human beings, he was flawed.

    but as those thoughts crossed his mind, the demon king never realized until it was too late,

    that a sword was at his neck!!!

    "!!!!!!!"

    something screamed.

    *booooom!!!*

    it was like skipping a cutscene in a video game. the demon king was flung away like a ragdoll. he noticed a cut in his neck, at his arm, his stomach, his heart, his shoulders!

    he was cut everywhere!

    his flying body left a trail of blood that bleeds out like a fountain on the white snow. but the moment he landed on the ground, all his injuries were already healed like they were never there.

    the only thing that remained was a phantom feeling of blades all over his body. muzan immediately got ready for a fight, his senses were heightened and veins popped near his eyes.

    ....

    "tanjiro, take the sword and bring your family to the cave i showed you. stay there until i return or help arrives," seiji said, standing in the place where there used to be a door.

    the whole entrance wall of the house was blown apart completely, leaving a gaping hole in the house.

    "it''s a demon," seiji clarified while turning back and meeting tanjiro''s shaking eyes.

    tanjiro felt blood drain from his face. he had seen demons before, and although they were dangerous and scary, seiji always made them look harmless. but this time, tanjiro could clearly see the seriousness in his eyes.

    he could also feel it in his bones, how powerful that demon was in the brief exchange of glances. he felt his heart turn to ice in his chest.

    but in that moment of fear and panic where his siblings screamed and cried in fear, an unbreakable resolve formed and he burst into action.

    "let''s go!! it''s dangerous!!" tanjiro yelled grabbed hanako''s hand and pulled her up.

    tanjiro ran towards a cupboard that had a sword that seiji had brought with him when he arrived. it was the same weapon tanjiro trained with the past week so it felt natural in his hand.

    "we need to go somewhere safe!!" tanjiro said and kie and nezuko were quick to follow his lead.

    they did not need convincing when they just saw their house blown apart in one single swing. their body also knew instinctively of the danger that had to befall them muzan was not really masking his bloodlust at the moment.

    they grabbed whatever tools they could and ran out of the house from the backdoor.

    ...

    seiji looked away when he saw them leave the house and made sure that no demons were close to the path leading to the cave.

    he had shown tanjiro the cave and instructed him about what to do when they faced danger. so he was not too worried about it, the family would be safe.

    he was sure that muzan wouldn''t go after them either because for the demon lord, killing him was much better than killing the kamado.

    and he was not planning to die soon.

    his purple eyes bore on the demon lord and pierced through every opening. the last time they met, he was too afraid to even take a close look but now his eyes moved uncommanded, piecing out every weakness muzan had as if they were looking at any ordinary demon.

    when he found the weaknesses, his audacious mind imagined exploiting those weaknesses. he killed muzan ten times in his mind, no, a hundred times, a thousand times.

    he could almost see himself carving his hatred on the flesh of the demon.

    "such killing intent, how were you hiding all that malice before?" muzan asked, not at all bothered by the eyes that were stripping down his guard until he looked vulnerable to them.

    getting no repose annoyed him so muzan held out his hand and shot a small blade made of his blood at seiji. the liquid blade flew, easily surpassing sound but they missed seiji by a hair''s breadth.

    "hm?" muzan titled his head, confused as to why he missed before he did a perfect recall in his mind of what happened and realised seiji had moved out of the way.

    yet he moved even before muzan fired his blade - around the time when his mind finished calculating and decided to shoot the projectile. that was why he didn''t notice the first time.

    "interesting," muzan commented with a small curve of his lips.

    it was completely out of his plan to stumble upon the purple hashira and he was upset at his lack of control over the event but he was not angry.

    although it was not his plan, this was a great opportunity to kill his current greatest annoyance. he even shelved the kamado family in his mind and focused on the more important prey.

    seiji did not speak and instead let his actions do the talking. he threw away the sheath of his sword far away - far enough to pose a problem retrieving - and he got into a stance.

    ''not planning to sheath your sword again huh? so you are prepared to die,'' muzan thought of the meaning behind the action.

    that made him lower his guard just a bit. he was assured by the fact that seiji himself did not believe he had a chance.

    but was that really what that action meant?

    or did seiji throw away the sheath of his sword because he was planning to end everything tonight?

    after all, if muzan was killed, every demon under his control would cease to exist.

    amidst the chilling snow and pale moonlight, the strongest hashira and the demon king met in on equal ground.

    the first sound of their devastating clash was the end of fate and the beginning of chance.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [image]

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    author : i need to do some catching up to do on patreon so i can only update one chapter today.

    consider joining my patreon : emmanuel_capricorn

    ...

    if you give me 700 stones though which is unlikely, i will upload next chapter. if you show that much resolve i will do to.

    anyways thanks for reading

 Chapter 130: Introduction

    chapter 130: introduction[seiji''s pov]

    we talked...

    i had so much to say and he was the same.

    and violence was the language we were using.

    *booooomm!!!*

    disgustingly fast. i had never encountered such speed in all my life. to be completely honest, i had not even imagined an entity moving that fast.

    and this was coming from a man who slayed the upper moon 2.

    yet my body moved without command. my mind was simply not fast enough to intend for any action in that gap between milliseconds.

    my eyes glazed over with mystic purple as i took in action muzan made. the sudden tightening of his back leg, the lag of regeneration in his arm and the gritting of teeth, as we locked in a clash, told me that he never expected me to be able to react to his attack.

    his body language told me that he charged at me with the only intention of running through me. he never expected to be pushed back.

    to be frank, i couldn''t blame him because i never expected to be able to react to him as well. i had simply never encountered this kind of speed before so i was just as surprised as he was.

    i was never tested to my limit again after my fight with douma. i guess you never knew how strong you are until being strong is your only option.

    muzan clicked his tongue and pushed himself against my sword, sending us both flying away. my feet sank on the snow and i slid a long distance until i came to a stop.

    the ground was slippery, i observed, that could be a problem.

    muzan started a new chain of action immediately. his shoes exploded, unable to bear the force of his sudden burst of speed as he shot at me like a bullet train. his speed was so ridiculous that i could see his body puncturing the atmosphere and the air screamed while filling the vacuum.

    but although muzan was so ferociously fast, he still moved in slow motion in my eyes and that was my comfort. my body and mind were just still lagging behind, but with the help of my eyes, i could keep up with muzan.

    it was as if my perception was already at its maximum level, waiting for my physique and mind to catch up.

    and so even as muzan came at me with his ungodly speed, i could comfortably raise my sword and swing an arc that completely halted his approach.

    a shockwave erupted, revealing the earth under the snow. his hand wrapped in crimson blood to form claws clashed perfectly with my purple blade.

    "so it was not a fluke," he said.

    it was a strange situation even for me. he was incredibly fast and slow at the same time. i could barely keep up with his attacks, but there was no danger all the same.

    i released the tight grasp i had on my sword and allowed it to bend under his demonic weight. he was caught off guard as his body sailed in the trajectory it was supposed had i not stopped him.

    i gripped my sword in reverse and my body knew to attack at his weakness even without wasting a moment to think. the hilt of my sword was long since it was meant for a two-handed grip. so i slammed the end of my sword at one of muzan''s hearts located in his abdomen.

    the momentum of his body combined with all the force my body could exert. muzan literally folded like paper when the hilt of my sword stabbed his abdomen.

    a shower of blood erupted from his mouth as his heart ruptured inside his body.

    "stone breathing : rupture,"

    there was a beat of silence before a shockwave exploded from the point of contact. muzan was sent flying away like a bullet and he crashed into the forest.

    if you remember, stone breathing had no proper form. the stone hashira of each generation used varying weapons like a mace or hammer so although stone breathing was rigid, it was also quite flexible.

    i was able to create my own forms because of this. the forms of my stone breathing ranged from unorthodox styles of sword-fighting to barehanded attacks.

    "you have no idea how long i''ve been waiting for this," i spoke while getting into a stance.

    "let me tell you how much i hate you,"

    my reply came in the form of a bulldozer made of flesh. muzan emerged from the forest at a much tamer pace but not because he was slowing down. it was because his arms had elongated to a preposterous degree and they were dragging the snow as he crossed the distance.

    he was hidden behind a shower of snow in an attempt to disrupt my sight. he had seen me fight many times from the memories so he knew what my main strength was.

    but he did not know the extent of my abilities, or else he would realize the futility of his effort. i saw different layers of the world constantly when i activated my eyes, i simultaneously saw what the normal eyes were supposed to see, then i saw muzan clearly while looking through the snow, then i saw him without his first layer of skin, and i saw him without the first layer of his flesh and so on.

    they were like different layers of vision overlapping with each other. his strategy was utterly pointless.

    i told him just that with my next attack.

    "water breathing : sixth form," i pushed my sword forward in a quick stabbing motion.

    "drop ripple thrust,"

    i skewered the demon lord in his chest. my long sword allowed me to stab through him without getting into his attack range even with his long arms. i stabbed right through another heart and a brain.

    !!!!

    i noticed almost immediately how my attack never disrupted his flow of action even when it landed. this told me that he was expecting this, it was all part of his plan.

    muzan''s hand grabbed my blade and he did not let go even when his palm started burning from the touch. a crimson layer of blood covered his hand and then with enlarging muscles, he lifted me off my feet.

    it was a strategy hidden in a smaller strategy. he displayed in full his experience that spanned over a thousand years.

    releasing my sword was not an option so muzan was able to fling me towards the forest. my body sailed across the sky and even before i started falling, muzan was already running below me.

    "wind breathing : third form," i spun my body, entering a beyblade state when i began falling from the sky.

    when i was in a state of rapid rotation, it synched with muzan who jumped up and connected both his feet with the trunk of a tree. his body contracted like spring and he remained horizontal on the tree.

    when i finally fell into the forest and fell past the top of the trees, muzan burst into action and so did i.

    "clear storm wind tree!!"

    my body spun rapidly, a green arc of wind blades surrounded my body and i blocked the barrage of attacks that came from all directions. muzan exploded from tree to tree, quickly changing direction and attacking me from everywhere.

    he didn''t bother searching for opponents and attacked every possible inch of me. but he was met with the chilling fact that i had no openings even while in the air. when you achieve as close to perfection as i did in the art of fighting, openings cease to exist.

    my feet touched the ground and i was unharmed. our surroundings were not so much as the trees either turned apart or exploded from the sheer force they withstood from muzan launching himself off them.

    there was no pause in battle. muzan launched himself from one place to another, rapidly changing directions using the trees as a foothold. his speed was unlike anything i had ever dealt with and coupled with the impossible change in trajectories, my instincts screamed at me to run.

    muzan knew beforehand exactly what my style of fighting was. his unimaginable experience backed up those facts and he was fully exploiting my weakness from the start.

    ''fear me, i know your weakness,'' his action seemed to say as his bulletin body brushed past my blind spot more than once yet he did not attack immediately.

    he was poking for a reaction. i was fast in my own right so i could block an attack from a blind spot if i went from inaction to action. but if i were to make a move or leave an opening while taking another action, he would have a certain victory.

    unfortunately for him, this was not the first time someone had taken advantage of my limited sight. douma did too and he did it better.

    so i blurred into action as well, using the trees as a foothold to shoot around just like muzan was. the only way to deal with my blind spot was by constantly moving it.

    ''no, fear me, i know my weakness,'' was my reply as i blurred, even faster than he did with my perfect footwork and movement.

    he had no fitness, he never found the need to acquire such skills because he could power through every weakness. that was the curse of being too strong, you never learned to utilize it properly.

    while he blurred in different directions in the forest, the trees he used as a foothold exploded from the force but mine did not because i was applying the right amount of strength and i did not move in opposite directions. it was almost like i was slipping off the trees just enough to change trajectory instead.

    physics might as well have died there as we moved around each other like unstable forces of nature. but in this situation, i had the advantage because i memorized the forest like the back of my hand. i knew the exact location of each tree from the countless hunting i did in the past week.

    my eyes also saw the world in slow motion and i could predict actions. muzan put me into this situation, threw me into this forest to put me at a disadvantage,

    but i turned it into an advantage.

    the dark forest began lighting up with different explosions of light and shockwaves when we started meeting in a clash. all the animals in the forest fled as we destroyed the forest in our battle.

    trees were uprooted, the earth scarred with craters and everything else ripped apart from our clash.

    our battle imitated a natural disaster at that point and that was only the beginning.

    fighting was a conversation and we were only just about done with our respective introductions.

    in the next moment, it was like we both agreed simultaneously to start fighting seriously. muzan was completely naked, his clothes had long been cut into a million pieces by my blade.

    therefore, i saw it so very clearly when red marks started appearing on his body. they seemed to creep out from his pores and his red eyes burned with demonic power.

    i reply, a demonic mark starts appearing on my body as well. it started from half my face and went down to my neck. they were purple lines that imitate the pattern of computer circuits.

    time slowed down to a slow crawl and i felt my strength go many folds. i was in a different realm of power entirely.

    the moment was so intoxicating that i nearly forgot to hate my opponent. it felt like i was going through another enlightenment.

    if my eyes were not playing with me, i also saw the purple of my sword dull. it looked like the shallowest layer of red was on my blade.

    but i no longer kept that on my mind because a tendril made of blood came my way. in a world that looked like it had stopped completely, the tendril moved fast.

    i took in a deep breath. sear?h the nov��lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ''not yet,'' i told myself. i needed the right time to use sun breathing. if i used it now, muzan could be wary of it and i would find no openings.

    but that''s okay.

    because what i used was not light stuff anymore either.

    "thunder wind breathing,"

    the introduction was done.

    now let''s talk.

    ..

    ..

    [image]

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    author : i just woke up and then saw 1000 stones. bruh

 Chapter 131: Seiji Shigan

    chapter 131: seiji shigan[3rd pov]

    the human was not weak.

    he was not particularly strong either but muzan concluded that the human was far from being a vulnerable prey.

    it was nothing worth a real threat, but muzan could understand now - how this human was killing his upper moons.

    even without his true form, muzas was superior in every aspect which is important for combat. he was faster, stronger, smarter, and more experienced, and he could heal from injuries considered fatal by human standards in the blink of an eye.

    yet somehow, they were fighting on equal ground.

    the human just understood fighting. that was the only way muzan could describe it.

    they shot around the forest like living bullets, razing the trees down and leaving a trail of destruction in the wake of their battle. somehow the weaker and slower human could keep up with the battle.

    no, it would be more correct to say that the human was winning the fight. muzan was simply covering up every mistake he made with his regeneration. thus making the fight equal.

    if not for that he would''ve died ten times over. a hundred times even.

    although impressed, muzan also felt annoyance brew in his heart, which is why in the very next moment, demonic markings started appearing on his body and he felt a surge of his true power in his veins.

    doing that was akin to releasing a handcuff. he felt his power free from the confines of self-suppression, and he allowed it to run wild.

    but in the next exchange, muzan did not find the overwhelming advantage of power. instead, he found that he was repelled by just as powerful of an attack.

    ''demon slayer mark'' muzan observed the markings that appeared on the human. ''a cheap imitation of the demon mark on a human,''

    yorihii was born with it but other humans could acquire it by sacrificing their lifespan over 25. demons faced no such problems because they were practically immortal.

    clicking his tongue in annoyance, muzan manipulated his arm to turn it into a sharp blade and he blitzed at the human. he mowed down the towering trees like they were grass and he came upon the human like an unrelenting force of nature.

    *boom!!!*

    and yet....

    "thunder wind breathing," muzan heard the faintest whisper amid the explosion.

    muzan was aware of the breathing techniques that humans often used to fight demons. but he had never heard of a particular style that combines two elements. so he threw out a tendril made of blood to test the water.

    you didn''t survive hundreds of years without being cautious.

    muzan''s demonic eyes widen and his pupil shook at the scene he beheld. the human blurred into an afterimage. it was so fast that muzan himself was barely aware of it it even after unleashing his full power.

    such raw speed.

    by the time he marvelled at the sheer speed, the attack was already done. the human was already behind him, muzan could feel the heat on his skin. it was like the human teleported in an instant.

    there was no sound, no disturbance in the air nor an image to be seen. by the time muzan''s five brains process what happened, it already happened. he was only just fast enough to know how he was sliced apart.

    the world was even slower to react. it started from the long tendril he shot at the human. the rope of blood was sliced right in the middle and when it finally reached his arm, it carved a nasty circular line.

    the line extended, curving and flowing all over his body before those lines erupted. it was like many zippers materialized on his body and they opened up.

    that day, muzan got to experience first-hand the fastest breathing style in existence, it was easily faster than even the likes of sun breathing.

    to be completely honest, even the human had no control over himself while using the technique and all actions were predetermined.

    "ahhhhhh!!!" a guttural scream erupted from muzan when he felt the searing pain in his body. it was then that he realized the lines on his body were not random at all. they all targeted his vital organs, his five brains and seven hearts.

    only half of them were damaged but that act alone spoke volumes of the danger the human posed to him.

    "you..!!!" muzan chanted with immense hatred and his red eyes burned upon the enemy.

    now muzan changed his mind on how he saw the human. he no longer saw a mortal with adequate strength.

    he saw danger, he saw a threat.

    a human that had somehow mastered violence.

    "seiji shigan," muzan spat out in acknowledgement.

    the last time he called out a human by their name in acknowledgement was five hundred years ago.

    yoriichi tsugukuni.

    and now seiji shigan.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [seiji''s pov]

    "muzan kibutsuji," i cursed out his name in return.

    i felt my body heat up to unhealthy temperatures. it was like i had ten layers of fever, but instead of being sick, it filled me with unmatched vigor.

    i had prioritized only speed in my last attack and it showed. my attack barely did any damage to the demon lord. a cut like that was akin to a scratch to him.

    i was trying to cut through him but i had to resort to craving at his weakness instead. the violent nature of wind breathing still showed though, as muzan''s wound exploded in blood and flesh.

    wind breathing could make a sharp blade violent like a chainsaw.

    right after that, a shockwave erupted. a high-pitched sound that managed to tickle my dead ears, exploded. they could break any glass.

    sound finally caught up to us and it declared my attack way after it was already done. that was one characteristic of thunder wind breathing.

    there was no exchange of attacks after that and we both landed on the ground with a thud. muzan held his stomach and bent over. his wounds were already healed and the markings in his body grew redder and covered more of his body.

    his current appearance was pretty tame compared to what he looked like in the final battle in the manga. his hair was still back and other than the markings and the demonic eyes, there were no flesh configurations yet.

    ''so he is transforming,'' i concluded in my mind when i saw him bending over and his demon marks grew.

    before those thoughts even finished in my mind, my body was already moving. i would be one stupid motherfucker to stay still while he transformed into something i could not fight.

    "storm breathing : first form," i bit out and moved at a speed almost equalling thunder wind breathing.

    "tempest fury!!"

    my body did not resist nor hesitate as i executed the movement like it used to. instead, it was roaring with life, as if encouraging me to use more powerful moves. it was fully embracing what i wanted it to be - a battle machine.

    i did not need comfort, i did not need to store energy for later use nor did i need to care what my own strength would do to my body.

    just fight.

    and i did. the ferocity and the ease at which i moved was a far cry from when i would still every time i use three breathing styles at once.

    this time, i minced the demon lord into tiny pieces of flesh.

    the earth shattered and everything in the vicinity was ripped apart. when i stopped a few meters away i only left a hollow land devoid of life. even the algae undee a layer of snow was sliced apart.

    but muzan somehow remained in one piece.

    i gritted my teeth.

    my attacks landed and i minced him into tiny pieces but his body healed before it could have the chance to fall off. he was already done healing half his injuries by the time my attack was done.

    i see now.

    so that''s why sun breathing and a red blade is needed to finish him. muzan healed far too quickly.

    nevertheless, my attack seemed to piss him off beyond words. i knew this because of my eyes. outwardly, he looked calm and stoic, like my attacks did not even bother him.

    "your attacks are strong but...futile," he said and then i saw his shoulder muscles move as if they were alive.

    his deltoid muscles ripped themselves from their insertion. the muscle elongated and turned into a tentacle that had a blade made of bones at the end.

    the rope of muscle moved like a whip, many times faster than the speed of sound. normal civilians could make a whip move faster than sound so imagine what the demon lord could do.

    it was fast enough to appear like a blur to my eyes. but fortunately, they were predictable. my eyes could predict where they would hit from the beginning of the tentacle when the speed was not as fast.

    i shifted my blade to block the attack and a bright spark was produced. it was so bright that it almost looked like a flashbang. i also noticed my sword chipping at the impact.

    ''not good,''

    then the tentacle blurred into speed and delivered around a hundred strikes in one second. it was an insane speed that could not be put into words.

    i lept away from my position immediately and i was glad to see that the tentacle had a range.

    but that relief was broken and the frustration doubled when muzan burst into speed. my eyes also saw that the other shoulder ripped itself out from his arm to create another tentacle.

    i branded my sword in front of me, its giant length covered much of my body and i was glad i chose a long sword as my main weapon.

    "thunder wind breathing : flash,"

    it was like fireworks happening in the dark and chilling forest. our battle was no longer as destructive as before since we did not focus on power.

    instead, it was now a battle of speed.

    my title as the faster hashira was being tested.

    the quick impact of our clash was so fast that it released constant vibrations that looked like soundwaves. i imagined it would sound like an engine to others, a literal roar of the battle.

    i could feel my body tightening as the battle went on. even a few seconds of the battle was intense enough to wear me down.

    i could only hope that raven had delivered her message and he was on his way.

    that''s right.

    the plan was never to try and defeat muzan alone in the first place. it was not me against muzan.

    this war was humans against demons.

    ..

    ..

    .. sea??h th�� n??efire.��et website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [image]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    author : you doublee the stones. very funny

 Chapter 132: The gathering of Pillars

    Chapter 132: The gathering of Pillars[3rd POV]

    {Toyama Region)

    The Toyama region was home to one of the three sacred mountains of Japan, Mt. Tateyama. The mountain range was like domineering towers overlooking the entire landscape.

    The mountains act like natural walls that stop the cold winter clouds from spreading throughout Japan. It was one of the reasons why it was considered a sacred mountain, people believed that these masses of earth protected them from the frigid winter.

    On the peak of the highest mountain in the region, where the temperature could plummet well below -30 degrees, there sat a man who was built firm like the mountains around him.

    "Namu Amida Butsu," the man prayed while sitting in a lotus position. He held a prayer bead between his palm which he would occasionally roll around in his hand to test if he could still feel them amid the cold. S��ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Namu Amida Butsu,"

    He was the personification of a mountain in human skin. His Demon Slayer uniform and his haori that proudly declared ''Stone Pillar'' was covered in a new layer of snow but other than that, there was no indication that he was in a freezing temperature.

    His body was tight, in a way that showed his skin was barely able to contain the muscles beneath. His body was almost all sculpted muscles without unneeded fat and so thick veins popped all over his body, thrumming with life and seemingly begging for violence.

    In all its glory, it was obvious that his body was bred for war. It was the ultimate tool of violence and destruction.

    But his body akin to that of a god of war was contrasted by his peaceful facade. He had blind eyes, whiter than snow and a kind expression. You could tell from a glance that it was not the face of a warmonger but that of a saint. Buddha perhaps.

    One could only imagine if his body was attached to another head. The world would''ve been in chaotic times.

    The man was Gyomei, the Stone Pillar.

    He took a deep breath and created a vacuum around his nose. His body trembled with raw strength and his muscles bulged like living snakes under his skin. But he remained completely still, showing absolute control over his power.

    Soon after, his body started producing smoke and the snow which was on top of his clothes fell off or melted away due to his increase body heat. He was akin to a volcanic mountain at that moment, ready to explode.

    The hazy smoke only receded after he stopped flexing his muscles and disrupted his breathing pattern.

    "Still not enough," he said soon after when he felt the overall strength of his body.

    The statement was insanity. Anyone in the world would be more than satisfied to wield the power he did. But to him, his strength was nearly not enough.

    It was nearly not enough to protect everyone. It was not enough to defeat his enemies. It was not enough to take the burden of being the strongest from his younger brother.

    This amount of strength was not enough for Gyomei.

    "I need to be stronger, I need to be tougher and I need to be more unyielding," his deep voice penetrated the frigid air.

    "Lord Buddha, turn me into an immovable object between my loved ones and my enemies," he prayed deeply, "So that the people behind me shall be at peace and the enemies that stood before me shall yield,"

    He pressed his hand so hard the prayer beads turned into powder and a map of veins appeared in his hand.

    "Namu Amida Butsu,"

    The sound of air being sucked by a vacuum followed. Oxygen was scarce in such high altitude and cold air. It was a certain death to everyone else but it served as the perfect training ground for Gyomei.

    His muscles tensed and churned with strength. The simple act of producing enough body heat to survive in the freezing temperature put a strain on his body and it was moulding it to be stronger and tougher.

    At this point, he was not comparable to Gyomei in the manga.

    He was so much stronger than his canon counterpart. Even without mentioning how the Upper Moons emerged earlier and the other changes in fate, Gyomei always took the fact that Seiji was the strongest personally.

    He had been the strongest before and he knew the burden that title entailed. That sense of duty and responsibility should never fall on a young soul like Seiji.

    It should be him instead.

    So he was always training like a madman to take the burden back when his canon counterpart remained stagnant.

    The region of Toyama was much like Gifu, covered in snow and winter. There had been no increase in demon activities but that didn''t mean relaxing for Gyomei. It only meant that he had more time to train so here he was, at the highest peak of the mountain range and training his breathing while trying to achieve the Demon Slayer mark.

    It might seem not so wise to try to get your body temperature to increase in such a cold place but Seiji did it in a colder situation - a direct attack of an Upper Moon.

    So he was simulating that in both body and mind, trying to reach the same enlightenment as his young comrade did.

    But his training was interrupted by the sound of a bird flying towards him. That was a curious observation since almost no animal resides in the mountain anymore with the ongoing winter.

    Gyomei stopped his breathing and headed to the lying bird. He allowed the bird to fly close to him and eventually land on his shoulder.

    And then the bird whispered to him a message that froze his body where the freezing temperature failed.

    "Seiji," Gyomei whispered and his frozen body exploded in raw strength.

    The mountain trembled as the Stone Hashira took a giant leap in the air. His humongous body started falling from the edge of the mountain.

    After falling for a few seconds, he landed on the steep side of the mountain and then he started scaling down the towering earth.

    BOOOOOM!!!*

    There was no finesse in his action, only raw power. So as he scaled down the mountain, the thick layer of snow was moved by the shockwaves and they started flooding down as well.

    An avalanche started, just like that.

    Gyomei cared little about that since he knew there were no animals in the mountain Instead, he started scaling down faster and faster. He was like a boulder rolling down the mountain.

    At one point the avalanche grew big enough to become a moving calamity. Gyomei rode on it to scale the mountain even quicker.

    The trees and frozen vegetation were destroyed as Gyomei changed the landscape with each step he took.

    When he finally came down the mountain, he took a small compass out of his pocket and felt the direction.

    He then proceeded to the east. To the region neighbouring the Tomaya region.

    Gifu region.

    He noticed as he made his way towards the east as fast as he could, that the Kasugai crow of Seiji was flying in another direction.

    ''West,'' Gyomei observed briefly, ''That is his territory,''

    It seemed it was not just him but every Hashira nearby that the bird was summoning. Gyomei commended the bird mentally and wished her luck.

    He did not know what the situation was but he knew that if the strongest among them had called for help...

    It must be the gravest of situations.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    Raven flew above the clouds enduring the harsh winter air. She flapped her tiny wings as fast as she could since she knew her partner''s life depended on it.

    She flew to every region around Gifu and sent the message to them. It was a call for help from Seij and one that was serious enough that he believed he might lose his life.

    She went to Gyomei first like she was instructed and now she had just finished relaying the message to the second Hashira.

    ...A Hashira who was somehow even faster than her.

    FLASH!!!

    Tengen was a blur of speed as he manoeuvred through the forest. He had ignored the long winding roads and made a direct line through the forest towards the Gifu region.

    His body cut through the air like an arrow. He knew he had to reserve his energy while travelling so that he could fight when he reached the destination. His shinobi training screamed at him to slow down and run more efficiently.

    But he ignored all that.

    Breathing alone proved to be a challenge at the speed he was going. But he utilized his breathing style to the limit anyway and used the new form he had learned from Seiji.

    At one point he had asked the younger Hashira for how to get faster. And he was introduced to the unique styles taken from Wind Breathing and Water Breathing.

    "Sound Breathing : Seventh form,"

    The Gifu region was around 60 kilometres. Tengen wanted to reach there in ten minutes.

    "Echoing dash,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 133: Seiji vs Muzan (1)

    Chapter 133: Seiji vs Muzan (1)[Seiji''s POV}

    ''How long has this been going on?''

    The tendrils were a blur of speed that my eyes could barely see. What had started with one had now become six as they whipped at me with neverending momentum.

    It was not just their speed either but also their random pattern that made it extremely difficult to see them. There was no system in the action action, each one moved like it had a mind of its own and I suppose that was true considering Muzan had five brains.

    Having five brains meant more than just reducing his weakness. It also allowed him to process information at frightening speed and he was able to control each individual tendril without relying on instinct or muscle memory.

    ''It has not even been an hour yet it feels like forever,''

    The onslaught was straightforward and intense. I always prided myself in my ability to excel in a face-on battle, maybe some might say that I had gotten arrogant. My eyes, my genius and my perfect training had never betrayed me in this regard. If I were struggling with an opponent, it meant that they had tricky abilities or they were exploiting my weakness.

    Never had an entity faced me in my strongest front and dominated me quite like the Demon King was doing. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ''Maybe I should run now. I''m sure Tanjiro and his family are already safe,''

    My thoughts were chopped up. I could barely find time to think of one sentence now and then because he onslaught required all my focus and attention. I didn''t have time to come up with strategies, didn''t have time to ponder on a plan or even despair at the situation.

    Every working part of my brain was focused on the flashing tendrils that were just a blur as I tried my best to stay alive.

    It was the first time my eyes had failed me.

    ''I can''t run. He is infinitely faster than me. My only hope is to wait for the sunrise and that''s,,,,hours away,''

    I didn''t even have time to calculate the time.

    My arms numbed and the number of attacks I was able to block reduced. I was forced to move back - which proved to be difficult when I couldn''t hear. And I dodged as many attacks as I could and stepped out of range from more.

    On the other hand, Muzan was fully covered in Demon marks. He was naked but with the lack of private parts - like a titan. He looked absolutely calm as he strode forward with grace and elegance.

    He looked like he was merely taking a stroll.

    Four tendrils had popped out from his back, the origin and the tip of the tendril had a hard shell made of bones. They were bones sharper than any blade I had ever seen. Muzan also reshaped it every time it was chipped so they remained like a razor.

    And those razor ends shot at me with the force and violence of someone swinging a Warhammer. Our clash produced bright sparks like fireworks. I was being pushed back, my feet sank to the ground with the force of each attack.

    The difference in our overall power was clear. The gap was unfathomable to me.

    But not everything was hopeless because, with the ongoing battle, I believed I had grasped the essence of the Demon King.

    I knew him now.

    Clearer than I''d ever known him. Because you see, fighting was a conversation and he had told me almost everything.

    Muzan Kibutsuji was not a fighter in essence. I guess that was to be expected when you went from a sickly man to the strongest being in the world overnight. There was no skill or experience to be gained on that journey.

    Only Yoriichi was the one who could challenge him and look how much that one instance traumatized him. This showed an immense lack of determination and resolve to be considered a warrior. He had never trained before in his life and that was also why he leaned on to using all his brain to control his tendrils, doing things manually.

    In warrior terms, Muzan was a baby with the power of a nuclear reactor.

    I learned his nature through the battle. He was completely dominating me and yet he never made the effort to end the battle. Instead, he revelled on the superior might he had over me. It was like I reminded him of someone and he was doing this, enjoying the act of dominating me to soothe a wound from long ago.

    And yet even with all the power he had over me, he was always far away. It was why I could move out of range from his tendrils. Even with all the power he had over me, he was scared deep down. It was not caution because people do something if they are cautious. He did nothing except prepare himself to run.

    I noticed his habit of not moving his right arm while he swung his left when he walked. All of his hearts seemed identical to me but from the way he was protecting his right side, I deduced that those were vital than the rest.

    His seven hearts beat together in synch which gave him explosive burst of power. But the flow of blood from that allowed me to predict which part of his body he was going to move next to a certain degree.

    His body was perfection. I could not see any weakness or flaws even when he changed his flesh to suit him in battle. But that perfection made it obvious - the flaw in his fighting style. It was like watching a shit driver on a sports car.

    The tendrils were his safe means of attack. Each of them seemed to have a mind of their own as they moved manually and not on previous training so that made it hard to predict them. With six of them, that was almost more than a million combinations of attacks so memorizing them was out of the question.

    What I did notice though was they were not working as one entity. That meant sometimes three tendrils attacked me all at once, sometimes none at all. Those create openings. So it was giving me openings in exchange for unpredictability.

    Unlike what others think, perfection in a fight is predictable. So his unpredictability was due to how far he was from being perfect.

    He was perfect in all but body. A golden goblet with urine.

    I also took note of the fact that he never aimed for my sword. He always went after the part of my body that was furthest from where my sword covered. He was limiting himself to his area of attack by doing that. But I suppose that was just a by-product of each tendril being controlled individually by a brain.

    ...

    Endless amounts of information brew in my head, making my head throb in pain. I had never focused so hard on a fight before and I was glad that I had no one to protect or think about.

    The only problem was that I never got the chance to return the attack. I was given no chance to utilize the information I had.

    Fight was more than just raw power so I had a chance no matter the gap. He might overwhelm me in power but I did the same to him in terms of skill.

    If fighting was a debate, then Muzan was talking with no time limit. I did not have time to rebut as he talked endlessly. His turn was forever.

    What I needed was a moment of respite. I needed even just a few milliseconds of time to think of a plan. I needed a set of movements that was other than defending.

    I needed an ally who could divert Muzan''s attention from me so that I may have a chance.

    ''Had Raven found a Hashira? I sent her out way before Muzan came upon us so help should come soon, right?''

    But until then, I could do nothing but try to survive the onslaught.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Double Chapte

 Chapter 134: Seiji vs Muzan (2)

    Chapter 134: Seiji vs Muzan (2)[Seiji''s POV]

    The battle raged on and I was completely detached from reality.

    Sparse flakes of snow fell from the dark sky, showing that the temperature was below freezing yet I felt my body burning up. It was too hot.

    The surroundings were a map of destruction. The earth had multiple craters, along with deep cracks akin to a cobweb and a deep line, which was a scar left by the swing of my sword. And yet, I had never felt calmer. My mind, my body, and my spirit were in synch during the fight.

    There was a fine line between life and death, and only a few people had been on that line and survived to tell the tale. I fought on that line, Muzan''s tendrils blurred past my body, and the sharp wind from the action was like a blade in it of itself. For the first time in my life, my eyes were not all-seeing, I was not sure if the blades missed or if they had cut an artery and I was to bleed out and die soon.

    Yet there was not a single scratch on me. Not yet. I thrived on the line between life and death.

    I switched between breathing styles like switching between thoughts. I used what best suited me at the moment and what was the most efficient. My brain allowed me to do that. I was like a machine controlled by the most advanced AI��deadly and efficient.

    The level of skill and mastery I displayed were miles apart from Muzan''s. It was proportionate to our gap in raw power.

    I had complete trust in my ability and I had no one to save except for myself. So in a way, it was less intense than the fight I had with Douma but in no way was this battle less uphill.

    It was silent. Awfully so.

    And in the intensity of our fight where the ground opened up and trees fell like matchsticks, the silence had never been more obvious.

    I felt awfully lonely as I danced a dance of death with Muzan, playing at the front door of death.

    But not for long.

    I smiled and my eyes flashed a deep purple when I saw him running straight towards us from a distance.

    "Hmmmmm? Is there something I am missing? What''s so funny?" Muzan said while his tendrils continued battering me from every direction.

    My sword was only a blur and my arms had disappeared as I blocked all attacks. I increased the intensity of my movement and stopped steppinhg back.

    I held my ground.

    The Demon Slayer mark on my body grew and covered more skin. I could feel my body pulling out unknown strength from them like magic. I guess it was true that Demon Slayer marks were spells, like Blood Demon arts, they were supernatural.

    Burning lifespan for power.

    The battle grew fiercer and more destructive as I met every single attack with my blade. The battle was going to reach a new realm but then Muzan stopped.

    The stop was so abrupt that I felt my body groan in pain when the strain disappeared.

    "Haa....haa...haa...." I used Sun Breathing to recover my stamina but I never dropped my stance. I pulled my sword up to my chest, always ready to swing down upon Muzan.

    "That is...familiar," Muzan muttered and right then, I also took notice of my sword.

    My sword used to match the colour of my eyes, shining with a deep purple colour. But that colour had changed.

    What I held in my hand was not a purple blade but a blade that was deep red. It was the colour of human blood.

    I blinked my eyes in surprise. The sword even started releasing smoke as it interacted with the freezing atmosphere.

    It was heat. The constant clash of my sword with his attacks had produced enough friction that my sword was burning deep red.

    "Time and time again you have been reminding me of that man. Perhaps you are a descendant of his but no matter," Muzan said, more to himself than he did to me.

    "Even if that man came crawling out from his grave, it doesn''t matter. I am not like what I used to be, I have grown in strength and power. I am stronger now than I was back then," he said.

    I hummed uncaringly. I did notice minimal thoughts and training in his fighting style but that was negligible. Maybe the growth he was mentioning was due to growing stronger from consuming humans or by age,

    "That is quite enough, I will end it now," he said and then his hair grew. His height became taller and his muscles grew and shrunk down again to be more compact

    I saw his eyes become even more demonic and his teeth became sharp and ready to tear flesh.

    My instincts blared at me. Muzan had finally entered what I assumed was his final transformation. More tendrils grew from his back and they surrounded him like living snakes with a blade for a head.

    He crouched down and load his legs like a spring and that was all I needed to react.

    "Volcanic Breathing : First Form," Muzan foretold his action so I had more than enough time to reply. I threw speed out of the window since I moved before he did and only focused on raw strength.

    "Molten Divide!!!"

    A flicker.

    Muzan teleported in front of me, his tendrils were still on his back, ready to make a million holes in me. But the main attack was his hand which had turned into a blade through flesh manipulation.

    I guess he got overconfident at his increase in power.

    It was like swatting a fly. The moment Muzan was in front of me I brought my sword down and divided him in half.

    My blade glowed red in heat and raw power. Muzan''s body did not protest as I split him apart like wood. My sword went on to divide the earth, it was like a rift to the underworld suddenly opened as the ground shook violently.

    *BOOOOM!!!*

    He couldn''t even scream. I noticed this time with the help of my red blade that Muzan could not regenerate immediately. It gave me time to deliver more attacks but my body protested.

    Every fibre of my muscles felt like they had snapped and I couldn''t even pull my sword out of the ground. And that was when I knew I might have made a mistake.

    The earth was relatively soft most of the time with the level of strength I had. I could form craters on the earth and face no significant problems. But that was different in winter.

    The ground was frozen. The ice particles bind the earth together so when my sword was lodged in the earth, it remained stuck and my exhausted body could not pull it out.

    !!!!!

    I did not want to admit it, but maybe Muzan outsmarted me with this one. Just like how his action was predictable when he loaded up his leg, my action was predictable when I held my sword to my chest. The only attack would surely be to swing down.

    I also noticed that his five brans and seven hearts were perfectly fine in his split body. Not only that, the multiple brains and hearts allowed his separated body to move like two entities.

    The tentacles on his back moved like snakes and they wrapped the body which was sliced in the middle. They bound the body together like a rope so that Muzan could heal more easily.

    A nasty strategy that included him being cut in half. No other demon had the ability nor insanity to pull off such action.

    I reacted immediately, in panic, believing his sword arm would stab me in my stomach. I abandoned my sword and pulled back my abdomen in a way that my body curved like an opposite C.

    But the stabbing motion never came. Instead, his other hand shot up like a cobra striking at its prey.

    His hand found my eyes. I felt a chill run down my spine even though my body-heat was beyond supernatural.

    ...

    ...

    Perhaps the battle had taken a toll on me, more than I thought. Or maybe I had lowered my guard when I saw reinforcement reach the forest.

    I had made a mistake when it mattered the most.

    I screamed.

    And the world grew dark.

    Darkness and silence.

    ...

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    Muzan violently slammed his palm on Seiji, knocking the human''s head with such force that it rattled his brain and fell unconscious immediately.

    The vilest grin spread across Muzan''s split face. It was distorted and grotesque beyond description.

    And then, right as he was about to use his blood demon art and destroy the annoying purple eyes of the human, he lost connection.

    His nerves lost a connection with his hand.

    *Pssst!!*

    The sharpest sound quickly reached his ears because he was so close. His eyes widened and he was stupefied when he saw a red line appear on his wrist and his hand fell off.

    When his hand stopped covering Seiji''s eyes, Muzan was greeted with the chilling sight of purple eyes gazing at him. This time, there was no soul on those purple orbs. S��arch* The N?vel(F)ire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There was no intensity, no hatred, just cold and calculating like some kind of a computer. He realized then that the human was unconscious but his body had moved on its own.

    Muzan quickly collected himself and tried to understand what just happened. Seiji''s sword was stuck so how did he cut him?

    It was then that Muzan saw the shard of the bone blade on Seiji''s hand. He looked at his right arm which he had turned into a blade and he noticed the broken tip where the shard was supposed to connect.

    The human broke the tip of his own blade and used the small shard of a blade to cut off his hand.

    Muzan cursed. It had taken him long to come up with that plan. He had learned a lot from the fight, or to be more specific, he learned a lot from Seiji. Muzan learned from the way Seiji predicted and recognized patterns.

    Muzan had set up the whole thing through effort, catching Seiji off guard but it seemed that he got lucky this time.

    Shortly after, the purple eyes gained light once more. Muzan was about to launch another attack right then but he could not react as everything turned black for him too.

    His head disappeared, reduced to pink mist as it was smashed by a giant flail moving even faster than the speed of sound.

    His body was still separated in the middle, only his tendrils held his body in one piece and he lacked a head. But even so, Muzan thought that maybe humans were not so harmless.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Thanks for reading

 Chapter 135: The two strongest

    Chapter 135: The two strongestAuthor : Double Chapter ????

    _______

    [Seiji''s POV]

    I regained consciousness as quickly as I lost it. A huge sense of relief washed over my soul when I realized I could see Muzan in front of me.

    I had never been so glad to see his ugly face.

    But I did not see his face for long as a flail swung at his head. It was a ball of pure iron the size of a basketball with spikes on it.

    The ball seemed to possess unworldly momentum and the sheer speed at which it moved was just a consequence. The weapon passed through Muzan''s head like it was an illusion.

    Clearly, it was not a mere illusion as I saw his head turn into pink mist the moment the weapon smashed into him.

    With his head completely gone, I could see the person behind him with nothing to block my view.

    "Seiji!!!" Gyomei bellowed.

    His muscles bulged, nearly ripping his uniform. Huge muscular veins the size of small snakes wrapped around his body and bulged over his thick skin.

    His face was raw anger. I had never seen the kind-hearted Gyomei with such expression. You would not believe how someone so soft-hearted could look so monstrous.

    He planted his feet on the ground, and the earth gave up instantly under his feet. The unstoppable momentum of his charge razed the ground and his feet left a small river of violence.

    He continued sliding for a long time even after firmly planting his feet on the ground. Then, he pivoted on his heel and rotated his hip to create centrifugal force, and he controlled his flail again.

    In the next moment, Muzan''s body which was sliced in the middle and held together by tendrils plus lacking a head, was blasted away like a lifeless corpse.

    I kept my eyes on it as his body skipped on the ground like a rock skipping in water, he eventually smashed on a small hill far away.

    I whistled. The scene was as beautiful as the sunrise.

    "Seiji, are you okay?" Gyomei asked immediately as he approached me.

    "Yeah, nice save," I wheezed out.

    It was only when I breathed normally that I noticed the ache in my lungs. I had been using different breathing styles, switching them up like a girl switching dresses in a clothing store. I think I even made new styles and forms while doing so.

    That battle was without a doubt the single most intense fight of my life. I could not even form proper thoughts. Heck, I did not even remember much from the fight.

    It was simply pure adrenaline and instincts. My body was so focused and absorbed by the fight that even when I fell unconscious, it fought on its own. It just goes to show how little I was conscious of what I was doing.

    That was just how strong Muzan was.

    "I got your call for help and immediately made my way here," Gyomei said, I could still see the worry on his face.

    I imagined it would be quite scary if the strongest among you called for help. He could only imagine what kind of monster he would be up against.

    I think this was also my first time calling for help. It had always been the other way around with the Hashiras calling me for help due to my eyes and strength, to the point where I was referred to as the pillar of pillars.

    But now those good deeds have come back for me. I could see from the sheer strain on Giyu''s legs that he wasted no time before rushing here.

    "I''m glad you are here, Gyomei," I said sincerely and maybe there was something in my voice that I couldn''t hear. His eyes widened briefly before he showed a genuine smile, like what you would see from a father or an older brother.

    The soft expression didn''t last long though as he turned his focus to the direction where Muzan crashed. I think he heard something because he immediately became alert.

    Right then, I felt a cold chill run down my spine once more.

    Waves after waves of pure hatred and bloodlust hit us. It was like we were standing on a beach with an incoming tsunami. So tall and destructive that we gave up running altogether and only stared at our demise.

    "Seiji.." Gyomei said, his voice was slow and measured and I could see goosebumps on his skin.

    "What the hell are we up against?"

    I had to admit. The Demon King was a completely different beast when he was angry. The sheer intent for massacre I felt even from this distance was choking.

    "That is Muzan Kibutsuji," I said, putting a name on the monster before us.

    "!!!"

    Gyomei thinned his lips, "You mean, that is the Demon King,"

    "Yes," I said, "He is the source of it all,"

    And then all of the fear and wariness I had seen on Gyomei vanished into thin air. The natural instinct of a living creature, flight or fight was completely ignored.

    It was squashed by the deep emotion that came from his heart. The soul overrides the body at that moment. Instincts were suppressed by an emotion.

    I saw Gymoei burn in unbridled rage, so intense that I was caught completely flat-footed. Who would''ve guessed someone so gentle could bear this much anger?

    If I nurtured immense hatred towards the demon for everything they did, then Gyomei had been flaming rage for it.

    "....I expected as much when I heard a call from you," he said. He looked like he could explode at any moment.

    I could see white smoke, wispy in nature, coming off his body. It was sheer strength materialized.

    Even with my perfect training regime and building a perfect body over the years, my physique could still not compete with his. He was just built on different things other than just human flesh.

    Maybe I would eventually surpass him with another decade of training but for now, he eclipsed me in raw strength.

    "Do you think we can kill him?" he asked. He put much desire on the word kill and again, it was strange coming from him.

    "We will," I answered.

    Gyomei grabbed my sword which was lodged on the frozen earth and pulled it out with a flex of his hand. He passed it to me before we both noticed that Muzan was slowly coming back to us.

    He was like a beacon. His presence was domineering.

    My eyes cut through the distance and saw how his body had almost completely healed. He had fully formed his head by now and the only injury was the one I inflicted. It seemed my red blade was working as it was supposed to at least.

    ''That was too close,'' I thought to myself when I recalled the last attack. I had nearly lost it all right then and there.

    If I lose my eyes, it would be a huge blow to my overall power. I could forget ever killing Muzan. I was over-reliant on my eyes.

    That was a good wake-up call for me, both in terms of my confidence and my fighting style. And I was glad it came without a consequence.

    But...

    It also really fucking pissed me off.

    These fucking demons took my hearing from me, and now they were trying to take my vision. How. Fucking. Dare. You.

    My anger, coupled with Gyomei''s emotional outburst caused me to release the deep hatred in my heart in the form of bloodlust. If Muzan could have such bloodlust and anger due to the simple humiliation, imagine mine.

    Muzan stopped in his tracks immediately.

    "Water Breathing : Eleventh form," I said, utilizing the emotion in my heart.

    "Living''s Malice,"

    It flooded out from my body - the feeling of hatred and killing intent so strong it transcended the psychic plane and manifested itself to the world. It was not just a feeling anymore, they could see it, smell it, hear it and interact with it.

    Muzan stopped on his track, his senses became fully alert and he looked around himself. It felt like the world was against him. The waving of vegetation, and the swinging of a tree branch to the breezing wind, all felt like an attack.

    He was simply rooted in his spot, his mind reacted to even the smallest change in the environment. He felt like those were going to kill him.

    Gyomei was not sure what I did since my intent was not on him. But he knew when to take advantage of an opening.

    He moved like an elephant on crack. Every step he took sent a rumble on the earth as he stampeded towards Muzan with his weapon spinning like the blades of a helicopter.

    "Stone Breathing : First form," he tugged at his chain and then the flail started spinning and became a drill that could make a valley.

    "Serpentine Bipolar,"

    I wouldn''t want to be at the receiving end of the attack. I could see that Gyomei held nothing back, there was no kindness or mercy in his action. He truly wanted to decimate Muzan with every fibre of his being.

    Muzan reacted, but barely. He put his arm together to block but as a result, his arm from his elbow below was ripped apart. The damage inflicted by the flail was like a rasengan, something spinning violently without a stop.

    Muzan''s eight tendrils stood in attention all around him but they never strike Gyomei. They were on guard, they didn''t have the bravery to attack when it felt like everything was out to get him. They merely acted like bodyguards for Muzan.

    Gyomei took full advantage of Muzan''s confusion and started dismantling him in a show of the worst of violence - cruelty.

    A fighting technique had never been so raw and merciless. A burst of shockwave, like a bomb explosion, followed each attack Gyomei made. Muzan could only retreat helplessly, still affected by my killing intent.

    I deemed then that it was my time to make a move. I knew what I was doing would not work on Muzan forever, he would adapt to it and then we would be at a disadvantage.

    My body had recovered in that few minutes of pause. It might not sound like much but for a Sun Breathing user, that was a long break.

    I closed my eyes to remember the feeling I had when Muzan caught me. That time, I was able to move my body even when I was unconscious, almost like Rock Lee''s innate ability of drunken fighting.

    I remember the feeling of helplessness. I remember the darkness and silence. I thought it was over for me then and there. But somehow, I was saved without my own thoughts.

    Yet at that moment, I was much faster and more efficient in my actions. Muzan already held my face but I was able to cut him without his notice and before he could do anything.

    How?

    ...

    I know.

    My mind.

    My goddamn mind was complicating things. It was feeling things, and thinking of unimportant things amid the battle. Even when I tried to focus my whole mind, it was straying away from the fight and onto random things.

    I could focus my mind on the battle but what would be even better was to just stop thinking altogether.

    I had been doing something close to it since the start of the battle. So I did that again, but even more so.

    I put my mind out of the equation entirely.

    When I opened my eyes, my mind was blank. My purple eyes had no light of consciousness as I let my body in charge.

    That didn''t mean that I had no purpose though because I did.

    Immense hatred for the demons. That became my driving force, my sole purpose for existence.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    Seiji shut down all thoughts in his mind. Now his brain was only focused on processing the information his eyes took in. S��ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before his eyes would take in the world and immense information, his mind would take that and take its sweet time to ponder on the meaning and purpose, then it would send it to his body to react.

    And now it was just his eyes, his body. His eyes process the information and the body reacts instantly to that information. A body that had been trained for years to perfection, like a machine with a perfect programme.

    Seiji was like a living machine at that moment. Maybe there was a reason why his demon slayer mark materialized like computer circuits.

    The hatred in his heart was the driving force, killing the enemy was the purpose

    Seiji brought his sword up and vanished from his place, A powerful gust of wind followed his movement and the few trees that remained standing bent towards the direction he was going.

    Faster than ever before, Seiji blitzed past Muzan with his red blade.

    The Demon King screamed, his tendrils that stood guard were all cut off. He did not see the attack coming because everything felt like an attack.

    His echoing voice soon stopped as well because an axe ripped the top part of his face off.

    The battle continued, seemingly in favour of the humans.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Yeah, it''s kinda like ultra instinct but with a glaring weakness and that is his mind is not in control.

    In this state, Seiji is more efficient and stronger but he has no battle IQ.

    Think of it like artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Ai is better at performing tasks, memorization and knowledge but it will always lack human creativity which is the main innovation.

    And Ai knows only what the human knows. So in this state, the fighting techniques are all based on memorization, he can''t come up with new strategies, or forms of attack.

    Thank you for reading and it is double Chapter.

 Chapter 136: Demon King vs Sun Breathing

    Chapter 136: Demon King vs Sun Breathing[3rd POV]

    The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejuma.

    The Sun Hashira, Seiji Shigan.

    These two individuals were the strongest pillars of the Demon Slayer Corp, their strength was leagues above everyone else.

    And right now, they were working together in synch against their greatest adversary, the Demon King, Muzan.

    And at the moment, they were winning.

    "Stone Breathing : Fourth Form," Gyomei roared out the name. His body began to shift and anticipated the series of actions that would follow.

    "Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest,"

    It was one of the most destructive forms he had in his arsenal. He gave his axe and flail an incredible amount of raw power and he guided them towards the enemy, like the master of destruction.

    They were even heavier than they looked so as they sailed across the air, you could feel the force and weight behind them. He grabbed the chain connecting the two weapons and tugged them to change direction when Muzan tried to dodge the attack.

    The attack landed. The flail drilled through Muzan, ripping off the entire left side of his torso. His axe swung down, aiming for the head but Muzan tilted just in time so the axe separated Muzan down his shoulder.

    Seeing Muzan''s broken body as if it were being chewed by a monster, Gyomei only felt unsatisfied.

    He wanted to inflict more damage. He wanted to feel more blood. He wanted to squeeze out more screams of agony from the demon.

    He wanted more bloodshed.

    As a pillar, he had experienced so much. He had seen so much death, he had seen so much evil. Even the orphans he took care of back then, were killed by a demon.

    He was filled with such anger that he didn''t know what else to do except hurt the enemy.

    Even the ways of Buddha could not save him from his own rage,

    He could feel the sound of flesh growing and regenerating. In only a split second, Muzan was able to heal the injuries inflicted like it never happened.

    But with that regeneration, something changed. Muzan made two extra pairs of eyes on his chest and on his back. His ears also retracted on the side of his head, disappearing from sight and his skin turned smooth without pores. His panicked expression and sluggish movement changed and he finally attacked Gyomei.

    The exchange of blows that followed was devastating. The air churned like it would during a storm. The clash between them was an explosion of raw power that combusts the air.

    Sparks flew and Gyomei''s ears rang due to the constant shockwave.

    The exchange did not last long though. It seemed Muzan was getting used to his new form and when he did, the battle turned against Gyomei. He was getting pushed back.

    Muzan''s tendrils snapped to life, loading themselves up to strike. The Stone Hashira could tell immediately that the momentum of the battle was pulled under him as Muzan adapted to Seiji''s technique.

    "Stone Breathing : Third Form," Gyomei took a step back and listened to his screaming instincts this time.

    "Stone Skin!!"

    The moment he activated his form, Muzan''s tendrils disappeared and attacked every opening he had.

    Gyomei was not fast. His body traded raw power for speed. Which is why he used two weapons with a long chain.

    He spun his weapon so quickly that they disappeared. His two weapons at the end of the chain, a flail and an axe were perfectly balanced so as they spun around him, the chains and the weapon would completely cover his body in a protective shield.

    That was the idea of the technique.

    But the tendrils growing from Muzan''s back were simply too fast. The gap between the weapons which was thought to be negligible since it was moving at such speed, was exploited.

    In the span of two seconds, Gyomei found himself marred with cuts all over his body. His haori fell and his black uniform got darker due to the blood.

    It was over. Muzan had finally broken out of the spell from Living Maliace.

    Muzan did this by destroying all his senses other than sight. The feeling that everything in the world was aiming to kill him was gone when he couldn''t feel anything.

    How could he mistake a breeze for an attack when he couldn''t feel it on his skin? How could he mistake the sound of an insect for an attack when he couldn''t hear?

    The only sense he relied on was sight which was the only truth.

    But still....

    *!!WoooooooSH!!!*

    It sounded like a raging fire. Gyomei''s sensitive sense of touch could almost feel searing heat upon his skin.

    "Flame Breathing : Third Form,"

    Seiji, with eyes that had no thoughts behind them, appeared between Gyomei and Muzan. He brought his long sword above his head before swinging down with an arc.

    "Blazing Universe,"

    The arc left a trail of orange fire, the colour of hell. Muzan''s arm and tendrils were cut off instantly. The cut made the Demon King scream in pain.

    Flame Breathing inherited the burning effect of Sun Breathing.

    Muzan immediately propelled himself backwards to create distance. Seiji did not follow, instead, he grabbed the flail and jumped high in the air.

    Gyomei did not need to be told what he had to do next as he stepped on the chain of the flail. The ball of iron suddenly descended from the height that Seiji had taken and it crashed on Muzan like an asteroid.

    "Stone Breathing : Second Form,"

    "Upper Smash!!"

    The weapon grazed Muzan and tore off flesh and skin before it landed on the ground. The earth caved in like it was liquid before it exploded like glass under the smash.

    Gyomei was far stronger than he had ever been or should''ve been. But in the face of Muzan, it was barely worth noticing. He needed to activate the mark if he wanted to stand a proper chance.

    Muzan quickly regenerated his injury and then with immense fury in his eyes, he turned his attention to Seiji who was still in the air.

    "No you don''t!!" Gyomei screamed and tried to grab him but it was too late. Muzan exploded into the sky, aiming straight at Seiji.

    Seiji simply gazed upon the rocketing demon. His purple eyes showed not even an ounce of panic. They were only processing the information and then the body acted on it.

    And so Seiji grabbed his blade by the end and held it like a spear.

    "Thunder Wind Breathing : Unerring Lance," he mumbled in a stoic voice before his muscles pulled and then threw the sword like a spear.

    Muzan eyes winded when the sword flew at him, breaking the sound barrier with a flash that made it hard to see. He had no other sense than his eyes after all so he failed to react.

    The sword pierced him right at his right chest, destroying two important hearts and then he fell back on the ground just as fast as he jumped. The sword pinned him on the ground like paper on a noticeboard.

    The red blade always caused immense pain to Muzan. It was different from getting injured by any other weapon.

    Gyomei moved quickly and wrapped a chain around the hilt of the sword. He pulled it out from the ground, unpinning the demon in favour of getting the weapon back.

    "Here," Gyomei said and gave the sword back. Seiji took his blade which had suffered much damage. The sword was chipped in many places and there was a cracking weakness in the middle. It would surely break at some point during the fight.

    Muzan remained on the ground, completely aghast at the situation. Was he actually losing this fight?

    Impossible!! Unthinkable!!

    He let out a demonic roar and shot at Gyomei. He was fast, so fast that the Stone Hashira had no way to react.

    Seiji on the other hand reacted and got in front of Gyomei.

    "Move!!" Muzan screamed and his arm exploded in grotesque muscles and enlarged into a monstrous claw. He swiped at the purple Hashira and sent him flying away to the side.

    It was fine when the fight was between Seiji and Muzan. The Stone Hashira had tilted the battle in Seiji''s favour!

    So Muzan was determined to take him out.

    Gyomei took a deep breath, "Stone Breathing : Fifth Form!!"

    You could hear the ground rumble with the weight, "Arc of Justice,"

    Gyomei threw both his aze and flail towards Muzan, attacking both sides so that with the chain, it created an arc like a C. The attacks would crush Muzan from both sides and turn him into a paste

    But Muzan suddenly sprouted two extra hands from his back instead of thin tendrils. The giant arms were covered in red blood and the hands were covered in white bones like armour.

    They caught both the flail and axe swinging from both sides in an earth-shattering shockwave. The armour of the hand even managed to crack a bit but other than that, the weapons were stopped.

    The force of the attack from both sides actually cancelled each other as Muzan managed to remain in place.

    Muzan''s new giant hands clamped down on the weapon, keeping their hold even when Gyomei tried his hardest to pull the weapon back. S��ar?h the n?vel_Fire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Veins bulged on his muscles as Gyomei tried to pull back his weapon. But that ended badly for him as the chain snapped.

    His weapon was destroyed.

    "!!!!!"

    Gyomei stood no chance against the speed Seiji could barely keep up with. When he came back to his senses, Muzan''s hand was plunged near his heart.

    Blood came out from his mouth and he felt like vomiting.

    "Die," Muzan declared and pulled his hand out, tearing away a massive chunk of flesh along it.

    That left a gaping hole near Gyomei''s chest but luckily, his heart was not damaged as he had leaned back with the stab. Also, his chest muscles were too big for Muzan to penetrate deeply.

    But crimson blood spilt out like a fountain.

    "Gyomei!!!" Seiji screamed, his eyes showing panic. The body he had put into fighting mode came to an abrupt end as his mind came back to worry and rage.

    Seiji blurred, using Thunder Wind Breathing and tackled Gyomei far away from the demon. Muzan would not allow such a thing though as he immediately shot after Seiji.

    With Gyomei on his shoulder, it was not a contest of speed. Seiji dropped Gyomei on the ground and turned around with his sword just in time for the tendrils to stab a thousand times at them. Seiji was forced to hold his ground and block all the incoming attacks.

    It looked like Muzan was going to overwhelm him and finally end the battle but then something happened.

    Seiji''s red blade caught on fire and this time, it was not the orange fire of Flame Breathing. The fire that wrapped around Seijio''s blade was something much brighter and purer.

    A golden flame that reflects the light of the Sun.

    The air churned and the mood of the battle changed immediately.

    "WHAT!!!!!!" Muzan screamed. Gyomei could hear fear and horror in his voice.

    "Sun Breathing,"

    Finally, Seiji used the breathing style that once drove Muzan to the pits of terror.

    The world seemed to pause at that moment for Muzan Kibutsuji. A sense of fear that felt familiar even after hundreds of years caught his heart.

    His multiple eyes became blind to the situation, he did not see Seiji anymore. Instead, he saw a man with a red mark on his forehead, looking down at him with eyes that saw him like an insect.

    A red blade in hand, and the same brilliant fire around it.

    ''Why did you do it?''

    The voice echoed in his mind and every single cell in his body wanted to run. Every pride was dashed away by fear.

    He was only brought out of his flashback when Seiji made a nasty slice wound on his chest. Muzan returned to reality and he moved back as far as he could.

    ...

    "That..." Muzan mumbled, eyes shaking with fear and his body covered in cold sweat.

    It was a pathetic display but he couldn''t help it. The similarities brought out cursed memories in his mind.

    "How did you learn that?"

    Seiji gave no reply. He simply lowered his stance and got ready to continue the battle. He did not move though, as Gyomei was recovering from the injury.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : So I am tired of these constant cliffhanger. I don''t particularly enjoy them and I tried to ease the blow by posting two at a time.

    But now that the arv is done on patreon, I will so a mass release for all of them tomorrow.

    But in return I will take a break ro stack up on patreon again like I did last time in the Douma arc.

    Thanks for reading my little book!!

 Chapter 137: The greatest Mission

    Chapter 137: The greatest Mission[Seiji''s POV]

    ''So it has come to this huh?'' I thought to myself while staring at my red blade encased in brilliant flames.

    My body had not suffered a direct hit from Muzan but that didn''t mean I was not injured. I could see that many of my muscles had ripped from the strain of my own strength. There was a reason why our brain allowed us to access only 60% of our full muscle capacity - it was to protect us from ourselves. But during this fight, I had accessed all of my muscle capacity and more.

    Bruises also marred my skin, making some parts red while others were purple. I sustained these injuries from being manhandled like a ragdoll by Muzan many times or crashing due to my own speed.

    To top it all off, my body was exhausted beyond belief. Going all out took a toll on even the strongest. The Demon Slayer Mark covered a huge portion of my right torso now, and it was strangely pulsing what I could only assume was magic and it filled me with strength.

    Maybe that was why even though I knew the bad condition of my body, I could not feel it. My own body cast an illusion in my brain, telling me that I could keep on fighting without any trouble.

    Adrenaline flowed through my bloodstream. It was a drug that made me feel like I was unstoppable. It made me want all the smoke.

    "How did you learn that?" Muzan asked me from a safe distance. I studied his expression and quickly understood his emotional state.

    ''Damn Yoriichi, just what did you do to him?'' I couldn''t help but ask when I saw his fearful eyes and trembling form.

    Here I was, fighting with everything I had, pouring all my hate out in the form of violence. I even acquired new things like the red blade and something like Ultra Instinct.

    But all that only manage to piss off the Demon King.

    Yet here he was, nearly shitting himself when I reminded him of the man from five hundred years ago.

    What a menace.

    As is my right as a deaf man, I did not reply to his question. Instead, I lowered my stance and prepared to explode into action at any time.

    I didn''t move though. Time was not my enemy here. The longer this moment of respite went on the better for us. The sunrise drew near, Gyomei had more time to recover and the other Hashira''s would be able to join.

    So I remained in my place, always ready to fight but no longer challenging conflict.

    "Are you not gonna answer me..." he looked like he wanted to call me human but he settled with my name, "..Seiji Shigan?"

    I still gave no reply, only a dry stare.

    "Was it the Kamado family?" he guessed rather quickly. "Is that why you were with them? And why you protect them?"

    Again, I gave no answer. But maybe demons had senses beyond human comprehension. He guessed my answer.

    "I see," he said. His body started changing into a more humane state afterwards. The multiple eyes on his body receded, his tendrils went back into his body and his disfigured arms changed to normal sizes.

    By the time he was done, he looked brand new except for the wound on his chest which I sliced him with Sun Breathing. But that too was slowly healing.

    It was rather frustrating. Muzan was not too dangerous in battle, I know that now. He was extremely powerful but that was very limited due to his lack of training and fighting ability.

    When he fought, he did not have the edge of a warrior. The only thing he had was psychopathic bloodlust.

    Even Douma was more of a warrior.

    But damn was the vermin hard to kill. He had a disgustingly huge amount of power and a slightly lesser version of immortality. Even Yoriichi could only defeat Muzan and not kill him.

    Muzan stood in his place for a long time. I was not sure what he was doing but it hit me when his eyes snapped wide and he turned to the direction of the cave.

    A cave where I had told Tanjiro to take his family,

    "Oh you coward," I bit out in bitter rage as Muzan instantly disappeared from his place and blitzed towards the cave a few miles away.

    *BOOOOM!!!*

    I left a cloud of snow smoke and shot out like a bullet train after him. I used Sun Breathing but that might not have been the best choice as I lagged behind his tail.

    "MUZAN!!!" I roared out in frustration as I couldn''t catch up. At the speed at which we were going, we would reach the cave in just a few seconds.

    I changed my breathing pattern, and my speed dwindled for a moment and that allowed Muzan to create more distance between us. I was about to change my form and use Thunder Wind Breathing but just then, a flash of silver ran past me.

    My eyes widened in surprise as I caught who it was.

    I stared at the back of Tengen Uzui. My eyes read the words written on the back of his uniform

    ''The Sound Pillar,''

    ...

    "Where do you think you''re going!!?" Tengen roared with a smile so flashy that it seemed to sparkle. He was beside Muzan in a blink of an eye.

    "I just got here!!"

    And then an explosion erupted. The shockwave was much bigger than it was supposed to. It was even greater than when Gyomei fought with full power.

    The vibration in the air sent goosebumps through my body and I felt a tingling sensation on my skin.

    Muzan shot out from the explosion. I saw him gritting his teeth in pure frustration as his trajectory took a right angle and he flew to the left.

    Easily breaking the sound barrier, Tengen followed his flying body and danced in a display of flashy swordsmanship and efficiency.

    When he was done, nothing even happened. Only when he stood in one place and took a pose did the world notice his actions and proceeded with the consequences.

    White lines appeared on every tree in the vicinity including Muzan''s own body. In the very next instance, the trees fell into broken pieces and Muzan also bled out briefly, being cut into pieces but he healed.

    Unbelievable, I thought to myself. Tengen''s technique was almost on par with my Thunder Wind Breathing in terms of raw speed. I never knew he had gotten that fast.

    With that, Muzan''s approach came to a stop and he crashed into a tree where he remained crouching down. I quickly reached beside Tengen and stood next to him.

    We stood in a way that we were directly protecting the cave.

    "Don''t let him go behind us, civilians are there," I told him briefly and he nodded with a smile.

    "Sure," he said, "Did you see my flashy entrance?"

    "Sure did," I said, "10 out of 10,"

    Especially with the desperation I felt at that moment, it was the perfect entrance. It was not just about falseness or the cool factor but also the time that determined a perfect entrance and that checked all the boxes.

    "10?" he repeated, dumbfounded, "10!?"

    He jumped in the air and pumped his fist in victory, "I got a 10!!!"

    I didn''t know when it happened either but after Tengen learned that I had the greatest pair of eyes in the world, he made me a judge for his flashiness. Until today, everything he had shown me never surpassed 6. I was quite the critique.

    "I can''t believe this, I got a 10," he continued in disbelief, "Are you sure? You look pretty fucked up to give a good judgement. I wouldn''t want to win on a fluke,"

    "I''m sure," I said with a shake of equal disbelief.

    Who would''ve thought I would have this conversation in front of the literal Demon Lord? My fellow Hashiras were all quite the character, that''s for sure.

    "So, who are we fighting?" Tengen finally said while rubbing his chin. His eyes narrowed at Muzan who remained in a distance. I think he was looking for a mark on his eyes to see which rank of the Upper Moon he was.

    "That''s Muzan Kibutsuji," I said.

    He suddenly froze and then slowly turned to me, "Seriously?"

    I didn''t know why but he didn''t look impressed.

    "Yup," I said with a nod, "What? You imagined the Demon Lord differently?"

    "....I imagined he''d be...flashier,"

    Oh my god. I can''t with these people. I held back a laugh. If he kept up this attitude, I would lose my battle mode and relax.

    "He was quite flashy before I chopped him into a million pieces and destroyed his clothes," I said.

    "I see," Tengen said.

    Tengen''s ears perked up and he turned to the side. I followed his action and did the same and we saw Gyomei walking to us with a gaping red wound on his chest.

    His face was hardened with rage like the last time I''d seen him. He held his axe and flail on both hands while the chains wrapped around his bare torso, seemingly acting as a bandage on his wound.

    He looked like a monster ready for another war.

    Tengen whistled when Gyomei reached us, "Guess I was a little late,"

    He sounded carefree but there was a drastic shift in his mood when he saw Gymoei in that state. It was a mix of anger and guilt from being late.

    He shouldn''t blame himself though. Travelling speed was quite different than the speed at which you can move. I''d assume the forest and rocky mountains stopped him from coming at us full speed. Not to mention the forms of Breathing Styles mostly focused on fighting styles and speed meant short bursts instead of long distances.

    "You are not late Tengen. I''d say you are right on time," Gyomei said. He was a tower of assurance when he was beside us.

    "I can feel it. He is losing his intensity," Gyomei said and gestured to Muzan.

    I could not tell such things with my eyes. He looked virtually the same to me except for the cut mark on his chest. Thus the statement brought me immense relief.

    I sure hoped that after the fight I put up and then the combined assault with Gyomei, it would put a dent in Muzan''s stamina.

    That was the plan from the start. Bear the first full intensity of the Demon Lord and keep him in place while the others gather and then finish Muzan together.

    "Why is he not attacking?" Tengen asked. Muzan simply remained in his place and observed us with red angry eyes. I could see the conflict of thoughts behind them.

    "He is afraid," I said, "For better or worse,"

    Although it sounded cool that we managed to put fear on the Demon King, it also meant more danger to us. A fearful enemy would fight back stronger, and plan harder.

    One of the most important factors that led to the eventual defeat of Muzan in the original story was his carelessness and arrogance. If he had attacked along with the Upper Moon with actual strategies, then Tanjiro and his friends would''ve never stood a chance.

    Right now, Muzan was still shocked at seeing Sun Breathing so he remained in his place without attacking me. Again, how badass was Yoriichi to achieve such things?

    But like I said before, time was on our side.

    *BOOOM!!*

    Just then, a figure landed a few meters away from us. When the dust settled, it revealed a powerful presence that was radiating off righteous heat.

    "I have come Seiji!!" Rengoku yelled to make his presence known.

    His haori, passed down from Flame Hashira to Flame Hashira danced with the chilling wind. It revealed a writing in bold letters.

    ''The Flame Pillar,''

    Muzan turned his head to look behind him it was at this gesture that I noticed the man on a tall tree far away.

    Two eyes shone in different colours but had the same hate in them. Obanai was perched on top of a tree, his hair seemed puffed up like a cobra puffing his head. His white snake hissed hatefully as it wrapped around his neck.

    It was our newest member.

    ''The Serpent Hashira''

    The Stone Hashira, the Sound Hashira, the Flame Hashira, the Serpent Hashira and then there was me.

    All of us were the Hashira near enough to the Gifu region and we had finally assembled.

    We surrounded the Demon Lord from all sides and the scene reminded me of something. The time when the Hashira gathered around him.

    "Are you going to run?" I dared him, "Muzan Kibutsuji,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ..

    "Don''t look down on me, HUMANS!!"

    The change in his form was rapid. This time, it was not like before where he shaped his flesh to suit him.

    He seemed to destroy his whole body from inside out and he rebuilt it, cell by cell, until he became what he wished to be.

    A creature of violence whose only goal was to kill the pillars of Humanity.

    None of us faltered though.

    We pushed through.

    What started off as a battle, now it was the most important mission. of humanity

    The goal was to slay the Demon King Muzan. S~ea??h the ��ovelFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I said I would do mass release but I still kinda want powerstones too since it''s a new week so I am going to ask for that. It will still be mass release but with extra steps. We got 1700 in one day last week so this should not over rather quickly.

    300 stones for next Chapter.

 Chapter 138: Conclusion

    Chapter 138: Conclusion[3rd POV]

    The flash of grey brought destruction and the flash of silver was speed. The flash of lavender was precision at its finest, and the flash of orange was unyielding intensity.

    The forest which hosted a multitude of lives for generations was forced to bear the brunt of the battle. The wake of destruction that followed had killed all life, be it animals, insects or vegetation.

    The greens and the trees were no longer there, shredded into pieces, leaving only a barren land that acted as a battlefield.

    Raw strength reshaped the landscape, sheer speed silenced sound, while precision drew a river of blood and immense heat burned the frigid air.

    And yet overwhelming power stood unfazed.

    "Persistent insects!!" Muzan roared, his anger had reached its peak.

    In his new transformation, he stood nearly ten feet tall, towering over the likes of Gyomei who was beyond seven feet. His arms had turned into deformed flesh of blades and spikes, acting like a whip that could adjust its length.

    A total of six tentacles came out from his back. A layer of armour made of bones covered their origin and their end. His body was covered by a red pattern that left a fire mark over his body. His demonic eyes locked in on the Hashira''s like prey and a jaw with jagged teeth went down his abdomen.

    Muzan swung at them with half-hearted effort and directed his tentacles to strike at them. He was simply too fast for the Hashira, they only dodged his attack through instincts and luck.

    "Flame Breathing : Fifth Form!!" Rengoku swung his sword so rapidly that it created the image of a flaming tiger with the afterimage.

    "Flame Tiger!!"

    Muzan barely gave it attention and so his right hand was ripped off from the attack. He merely cast a side glance at his injury and it healed in an instant.

    "Serpent Breathing : Fourth Form," Obanai lept forward with deadly focus and swung his curly sword horizontally. His blade became snakes and they sliced through Muzan''s neck.

    "Twin-Headed Reptile!!"

    Forget about killing him, Muzan did not give even the slightest reaction as his neck healed before Obanai''s blade fully cut through it. His head never even moved, as if it was completely intangible.

    Obanai gritted his teeth and swerved his body mid-air, escaping the tentacles but receiving lines of cuts on his body.

    "Sound Breathing : Fifth form and Sixth form," Tengen was a blur of silver, travelling faster than sound as he ran around the battlefield.

    "String Performance," He spun his blade rapidly, imitating the blades of a helicopter. The spinning sword created gusts of wind and shockwaves that produced deafening sounds to the ears.

    "Echoing Dash," With such a deadly weapon in hand, he blurred around the battlefield like a ghost. He was a literal dancing death that haunted Muzan and sliced him up at every opening he found. It was without a doubt, the flashiest displace of swordsmanship.

    But then again, he was more like a buzzing fly to Muzan. It annoyed him to no end, but it was not a threat.

    "Stone Breathing," Gyomei declared to the world, His deep voice rumbled like an earthquake.

    His right hand tightened and gripped his flail, slowly turning it into the colour of red due to the sheer pressure his fingers were exerting from his grip. When he felt that the spiky ball of iron was at the appropriate temperature, Gyomei threw it with all his strength.

    A cobweb formed under his foot and the flail flew out with a bright flash. The sound of shattering glass followed as the ball shot out like a cannon.

    This time, it was dangerous for even Muzan. He stumbled on his own footwork, inexperienced but he made up with sheer speed. Muzan got out of the way but not fully as the flail tore off a part of his body. The wound looked like a monster had bitten off his abdomen.

    ''It hurts,'' Muzan popped a vein and he stared hatefully at Gyomei. But still, he did not give the giant the attention he deserved.

    Muzan turned his head to look at someone far away, moving across the battlefield like a hunter circling prey.

    Seiji, the only person in the battle Muzan had deemed to be truly dangerous. To the point that Muzan barely focused on anything else.

    Such was the consequence of fear and Muzan was afraid.

    "Eleventh Form of Sun Breathing,"

    Unlike all the previous attacks, this one caught Muzan''s full attention. His eyes caught the bright yellow colour in the distance, and he immediately got ready to defend.

    "Flame Dance,"

    Due to its nature, Sun Breathing was a powerful weapon against the Demon Lord. It was not the forms or techniques used; Sun Breathing was derived from the sun and was effective against any demon. It had a burning effect, like holy water to evil spirits.

    Coupled with the red blade and the wielder being the strongest Hashira of the generation, it created an entity that even Muzan had to be wary of.

    Seiji blasted towards Muzan like a rocket taking off into orbit. Muzan reacted instantly, bringing his left arm forward to block while his right arm lashed out like a whip. The attack cracked like thunder and it razed the earth as a mere consequence of its trajectory.

    But his effort went down the drain when the other Hashiras - insects to his eyes - attacked him from all sides. Gyomei slashed at Muzan''s left hand, and Tengen girded his spinning blade on the base of his right arm.

    The tentacles on his back were cut off but a strange curving sword that left a white snake as an afterimage. Rengoku suddenly came from below and slashed at the demon''s leg, bringing down the 10-foot-tall demon to normal height.

    "YOU!!!!"

    Seiji blasted past Muzan, leaving two nasty cuts on the demon''s chest and shoulder. Muzan howled in pain. He had constantly moved his vital organs around like blood but Seiji was able to slice them exactly where they were.

    The wounds did not heal, instead, they became permanent marks on his body which the other Hashira could attack and take advantage of.

    ..

    Everything was going as planned.

    The Hashira worked together like one entity, They worked even better than Mzuan''s own tentacles.

    Seiji was Muzan''s ultimate weakness, he was the main weapon. Gyomei had enough strength to harm the Demon King while the rest acted as distractions.

    Unlike what happened in the canon, this time the Hashiras were fresh. They had not just gotten off of a fight with an Upper Moon so they could fight Muzan at their best.

    On the other hand, Muzan was thoroughly handicapped mentally and physically much like how the poison did in the canon. Muzan''s sudden discovery of the Sun Breathing impacted him mentally - unlike in the manga where he had a long time to react to Hinokami Kagura.

    His initial battle with Seiji where he suffered multiple injuries with a red blade and also from Sun Breathing had drained him physically. And unlike in the manage, he had no human flesh he could feed on to regain the lost stamina.

    In a way, the situation was parallel to what should''ve happened, except it happened much earlier and used a different approach to get the same result.

    ...

    Muzan planted his feet on the ground and he spun around like a violent fan. His arms and tentacles lashed out at the Hashira who managed to escape death with cuts and injury.

    Obanai in particular, showed his inexperience and a fatal swing came at his head. But Seiji appeared beside him just in time and pushed him slightly. The swing only managed to scrape his forehead because of that.

    Seiji had been doing such things to other Hashira''s as well. His eyes could predict where an attack was going to hit. He saw a fatal attack even before it happened. He had saved his friends many times by pushing them away slightly when needed.

    That was the luck that the Hashiras had.

    But as a consequence, Seiji''s eyes started bleeding and slowly but surely his vision turned red. His mind had gotten better at processing what he saw and his body also got better at reacting. In the midst of the battle, he was growing in strength.

    Truly, he was a genius of the highest order.

    Nevertheless, that caused a massive strain on his body. The illusion in his mind that he was fine started wearing off, the adrenaline in his blood decreased and each second of the fight demanded more will and grit as the battle stretched.

    "KEEP GOING!!!" Gyomei roared amid the battle and explosion. He was currently the one with the most injuries and seeing him still unyielding sparked fire in the hearts of everyone.

    Repetitive action allowed a person to get increasingly stronger the longer they fought and so, even with injuries, Gyomie remained strong as the battle stretched.

    Seiji too ignored every agony his body screamed at him. He knew that this was the only opportunity he would have. Beyond this, the canon would be so fucked that he could barely use it to an advantage.

    So with his red blade, he blurred in bright yellow at Muzan once more. The other colors followed and they delivered another fatal wound to the Demon King.

    The sound of the battle was mind-numbing, the constant explosion and casual break of sound barrier had caused Gyomei to feel deaf. His ears even bled.

    Obanai felt like he did not belong there. The current battle was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was overwhelming, it was despairing. It was a different realm altogether and only his sheer tenacity and hatred for demons carried him.

    Tengen moved like an assassin, due to his past, he did not need to give in to his emotions to be able to obliterate a creature. So he fought like a cold machine, calm and calculating with each move he made.

    "SET YOUR HEART ABLAZE!!!" Rengoku too needed nothing but his righteous fury.

    These five pillars represented humanity at that moment. They were the manifestation of all the memories of the past generation, the people who fought before them. Muzan found himself baffled at such a prospect.

    ...

    ...

    The thought of running appeared in his mind.

    And it was a huge blow to his pride.

    "!!!!!!"

    Muzan released a shilling scream that released a shockwave. The jagged maw on his abdomen opened up and just when the Hashira jumped at him together, he released a powerful shockwave.

    "LOOK OUT!!!" Seiji barely had time to warn them.

    *BOOOOOOOOM!!!!*

    The shockwave caved the earth and cracks appeared on the ground like they were standing on glass. The spare snow blew away from the shockwave and the Hashiras followed.

    They all flew back, their brain disoriented from the shockwave. Everyone felt their ears ringing, causing them to lose balance as they could not get up even after they recovered.

    Rengoku was the first to notice the blood coming from his mouth. It was then that everyone noticed they had sustained an internal injury that caused bleeding. Many parts of their bones broke or at least cracked from the shockwave.

    Only Seiji remained standing. He was the only one who reacted and also the only one unaffected by the defeating sound of the shockwave.

    "Haaa...haaa...haaa...." It was not the sound of a breathing style. Seiji was panting like an animal, sucking in copious amounts of air like a needy beggar.

    It has been a total of three hours since he fought Muzan and half that time since they attacked him together.

    "I''ll admit you humans are a bunch of persistent creatures," Muzan said. The wounds on his body inflicted by a red blade or Sun Breathing remained as a shallow wound but other than that he was fine.

    "But you have a limit. You get tired, demons do not, you bleed out, demons do not and you suffer from every injury, demons do not," Muzan said.

    "Just give up,"

    "What do you mean?" Seiji asked and wiped away the blood that fell from his eyes like tears. "I can do this all night,"

    "No, you cannot," Muzan said simply, "And your friends definitely cannot,"

    It was then that everyone felt their heart get heavier. Their pulse suddenly became louder and they were fully aware of its beat. They could clearly feel their body weakening with each beating heart.

    Something was happening to them, even beyond what the shockwave did.

    "Each of my of my attacks was laced with my blood. It is like the deadliest poison to the human body," Muzan revealed.

    "Your hope was to drag this battle was it not? To keep me fighting until sunrise. I am limited by time," Muzan said and spread his arm victoriously.

    "But now so are you,"

    They were poisoned and with how things were going, they would die from the effect even before sunrise.

    Seiji gritted his teeth in frustration and looked towards his right, into the horizon. He wondered how long it would take for Shinobu to arrive here.

    There was silence but that belonged to Muzan as he smiled victoriously. But that silence was broken by the flashiest of them all.

    "Guess again," Tengen said as he stood up without any problem.

    "Poison? Sorry, but my father has been feeding me that since I was in my mother''s womb. It doesn''t affect me anymore," Tengen said, bringing his sword up and taking a pose.

    He flashed a sparkling smile even as he was drenched in his own blood. He was bloody insane. sea??h th�� N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    "Demon, you underestimate the will of humans," Rengoku said and used his sword to prop himself up despite all odds.

    "And the tenacity of a blazing heart!!" he roared when he finally stood up. The Demon Slayer mark appeared on his forehead and went down his face. It was the pattern of a burning flame.

    With the intense heat of his body which was like many fevers stacked together, Rengoku was able to fight back the poison to a certain extent.

    ..

    "As if I will let go of the chance to skewer you," Obanai said and stood up right after Rengoku. His face too was covered with Demon Slayer marks.

    He was a true psychopath with nothing to lose in this world. His only purpose was to hurt demons.

    ..

    "A mountain shall not fall from mere poison," Gyomei said and he stood up. There was no Demon Slayer mark to be seen, he was able to stand up because he was just built different.

    His sheer size also meant that the poison took longer to affect him than it did others.

    ..

    Seiji''s jaw relaxed into a smile seeing that. He was not the only one moving forward and fighting beyond his limits. His comrades were always right behind him, and they would rather die than be left behind.

    "Why do you look so surprised?" Seiji began to pick up a breathing pattern - Sun Breathing.

    "No one has forgiven you,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    Swallowing every single pride he had, Muzan did the same thing he had done five hundred years ago. In times of great conflict, people show their true nature.

    Muzan''s true nature was that of a coward.

    The fight was uncertain with no clear victor. But while the Demon Slayers were ready to give their lives to kill him, he was not.

    He couldn''t take the risk.

    ''They caught me off guard and they were prepared!!''

    ''I will slaughter them all next time!!''

    Saying such excuses in his head to soothe his wounded ego....

    Muzan Kibutsuji ran.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Do you think they will let him escape?

    Author : These are long ass chaptees btw. 2700 words.

    Next goal is naturally 600.

 Chapter 139: Desperate Move

    Chapter 139: Desperate Move[Seiji''s POV]

    Muzan Kibutsuji ran.

    He actually fucking ran.

    How hilarious was that?

    "Don''t let him get away!!!" I screamed and all of us shot out after him. We were like sharks smelling blood in the water.

    It was a cowardly move but who were we to judge when we were jumping him? There was no honor in a war and retreating now was his best option.

    He could come at us again, more prepared and with the Upper Moons by his side. He had nothing to gain when he entertained our desire to fight. He was not entitled to it. Muzan Kibutsuji was smart but he was never an actual warrior in the first place. He was a king at best.

    It was not like I did not expect him to run either. I knew he did the same thing with Yoriichi and running again was not out of the option for him.

    Among the Hashira, Tengen and I were the fastest. While I used Sun Breathing, Tengen was able to match my speed so we were the first one to catch up to the Demon King.

    "Running away again? This is getting dull!!" Tengen exclaimed and swung his blade to which Muzan ducked before he returned an attack.

    Tengen lept into the air, dodging the attack but he also fell behind.

    "You are not getting away Muzan, I wouldn''t allow it," I said softly before I burst into a chain of perfectly timed action. My attack took into account everything around us, not just what was but what would be.

    "Sun Breathing : Eleventh Form," My movement was swift, I did not even look forward as I knew beforehand exactly where we would be at the speed we were going.

    My eyes were locked on the three remaining brains and five hearts of Muzan.

    "You''re getting careless!!" Muzan yelled suddenly and his feet sunk to the ground. In the very next moment, a mass of spiky flesh emerged in front of me and before I knew it, my legs were torn off.

    At least, that''s what Muzan saw because right after that my body faded away. It was an afterimage.

    His eyes widened and his instincts screamed. He had just enough time to see me in the air right above him. His body which was always controlled by multiple brains reacted impossibly quickly.

    The same tentacles emerged from his back and pierced through my heart. At least that''s what he saw but that''s not what really happened. My body faded and it was revealed to be yet another afterimage.

    Muzan''s eyes gleamed and he looked to his other side just in time to see me slashing at his neck. His tentacles moved fast and strike at me but it was too late. My blade successfully passed through his neck.

    ...But again that''s only what he saw as it was revealed to be an afterimage. My sword never touched his neck.

    The same thing happened three more times and each time Muzan was slower and slower to react. By the time my real body attacked him, he had absolutely no way to retaliate. His body did not even react, maybe hoping that I''d be another afterimage.

    I was running in front of him and with a swift turn of my hips I turned to face him and I planted my feet on the ground. Muzan blitzed right past me but only a few feet.

    His body fell apart as I had cut off all his limbs while he ran past me.

    "Fake Rainbow,"

    I called out the name of the technique. It allowed me to create seven after images through the manipulation of light and speed. The aim of the technique was the opposite of the saying, ''Never let them see you coming,'' S��arch* The n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I showed him everything and that ultimately led to the same result. The opponent is utterly ignorant of an attack.

    I slid to a stop while Muzan''s limbless body bounced and rolled on the frozen earth.

    "Like I said, you are not getting away Muzan," I said and a few seconds later, everyone else had caught up.

    We surrounded the Demon King, leaving no room to escape.

    He slowly regenerated new limbs under our steady eyes. His regeneration was slow, to the point that he was barely healing at the rate of ordinary demons.

    "Your Sun breathing might not be as overwhelming as Yoriichi was but you sure do know how to exploit its tricks better," Muzan admitted.

    We did not attack him while he was healing because the gaping jaw in his abdomen was open, ready to release yet another wave of shockwave. We were all wary, unsure of what it would do to us if we took a hit from that again.

    He won''t escape us. Muzan managed to escape Yoriichi because he was but one man. But now with the five of us, I was sure that he wouldn''t escape.

    I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Was this it? Was this the end of my journey?

    Would today finally be the day when good triumphs over evil?

    "I don''t want to do this but I guess you left me no choice," Muzan suddenly said and burst into speed.

    He chose a direction where he wanted to run and as it so happened, he ran straight to Rengoku. He easily blitzed past the Flame Hashira but not out of his own ability.

    Rengoku let him pass him.

    "Flame Breathing : Esoteric Art!!" Rengoku roared and he burst into speed, faster than even Muzan''s own.

    Normally, Rengoku could not hold a candle to Muzan in terms of speed but if it was a sudden burst where Rengoku used everything he had, then he could outspeed Muzan who was only running away.

    "Rengoku!!!"

    The Flame Hashira was but a road of orange flames. He shot out like a laser beam, razing the earth with the force of his steps and heat. He left a small river in his wake.

    Even I was left a little speechless. He was so much stronger than when he fought Akaza in the manga. And this time, he even had his own Demon Slayer mark to boost his power.

    The fire around him soon formed the image of an eastern dragon and he blasted past Muzan. His blade easily tore through the flesh of the Demon Lord. Maybe it was luck or perhaps instinct, but Rengoku sliced two hearts.

    For the second time, Muzan fell to the ground. His body was dismembered by the sheer force of Rengoku. It was not a clean cut like mine, more like his body was violently ripped apart by a firestorm.

    We were about to jump at him again but finally, the giant maw on his abdomen released a shockwave that stopped us in our tracks. The earth caved in and cracked like brittle glass while we felt the force spread through our bodies.

    It was a violent vibration that rattled my muscles, organs and bones. Luckily it was not a direct hit so we were fine, it only managed to slow us down.

    Our moment of disorientation was short. Muzan regenerated from his upper body, leaving parts of his body as he ran again.

    We were about to follow his tail once more but all of us were collectively stopped when we heard a strange sound from Rengoku.

    They heard the sound of a demon but I froze because I saw that Rengoku stopped all movement. His muscles became rigid like cement and that made me pause.

    That was now how the human body was supposed to work.

    "...What?" Everyone looked at Rengoku and that was when we noticed an injury he sustained from the Demon King.

    A finger.

    A finger was jabbed right in Rengoku''s neck. No, when I looked closely I could see that the finger stabbed right at his main arteries, like a syringe injection.

    I think my heart fell to my stomach when I looked at the finger. It was Muzan''s finger but unlike every other body part that had been cut off, the finger was without a drop of blood. It was pale and wrinkly.

    ..

    ..

    !!!!!!!!

    I think time stopped for every one of us at that moment. The fleeing Muzan had completely been erased from our thoughts as we watched Rengoku''s eyes turn demonic, taking the shape of a demon.

    No...

    "NOOOO!!!!!!"

    There was a demonic grin on a face that once housed the brightest smile. The eyes that always shone with righteousness burned with evil bloodlust.

    A demon''s claw tore off the haori that boldly declared, ''The Flame Pillar''

    The purest soul was corrupted.

    "RAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

    The demon who was once my best friend released a beastly growl, like a wild animal, and it lunged at me with frightening speed.

    Time stopped for me.

    I did nothing.

    At that moment, something in me just died.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : 1000 stones for next Chapter. We might ens there or I might do another one.

 Chapter 140: No winners in a war

    Chapter 140: No winners in a war[Seiji''s POV]

    My eyes saw everything and this time, I hated that.

    I could see how Muzan''s blood slowly changed his body to a cellular level, how his DNA was tempered and how his humanity was slowly being eroded away, leaving familiar distinction I had seen on demons.

    The image burned itself into my memory. The scene of my best friend slowly turning into what I hated the most shattered my heart in ways I didn''t know possible.

    There was silence and the world was in slow motion. I despaired at that pace and it felt like forever.

    I hated Muzan Kibutsuji for what he did. I cursed him with every fibre of my being.

    But what I despised just as much was me as my body twitched on instinct and I nearly decapitated the demon before me.

    Demon?

    No, my best friend.

    "Rengoku,"

    He lunged at me and I did nothing to stop him. I allowed him to pin me to the ground, his claws gripped my heart, tearing flesh but I couldn''t feel it. Worse pain from within stopped me from feeling anything else.

    Everyone else was shocked, just like I was. They did not know how to react to the situation.

    The demon pulled his hand out of my heart, tearing away a chunk of flesh and the fountain of blood that spewed out painted us red.

    He pulled his hand back and just when he was going to rip off my throat, he was stopped by his other hand. He froze on top of me, his body trembling like there was a war going on inside him.

    He gritted his teeth hard. His jaw buckled and the sharp canines cracked and returned to their normal human shape.

    I watched with wide, unblinking eyes as Rengoku fought an unseen war. I did not know what else to do; I lay unresponsive.

    I only came back to reality when a drop of water fell on my cheek.

    Tears.

    "Seiji..." Rengoku gritted out, his eyes released huge droplets of tears that fell on my face and mixed with the blood.

    "My friend," he said. His pleading look destroyed whatever resolve I had left.

    "Kill me,"

    Oh god, I saw it so clearly. It felt like those words were literally etched on my brain, I felt my mind collapse.

    Why had I never thought of this before?

    In the manga, Muzan is never shown to have the capability to turn strong Demon Slayers into demons, only civilians. I always thought that after a certain threshold of strength, Muzan could not turn someone into a demon without their consent.

    That''s how it was supposed to be. If not, why did he never turn the Hashiras into demons in the manga? He could win the war very easily.

    So why?

    "Please, kill me Seiji. Before I could harm you more," Rengoku pleaded with broken eyes that were both human and demonic.

    "...."

    I didn''t know what to do except remain in my place while I resisted the instinctive urge to cut off his head. My body had been so accustomed to slaying demons that when I saw one, my first instinct was to kill.

    I''m a horrible friend.

    I didn''t move even after a while so Gyomei did. He took a mighty step towards us and with the axe in hand, he swung at the head of Rengoku.

    Gyomei''s face was stone. The scene in front of him might as well be hell. He did not want to kill Rengoku even though he had become a demon. At the same time, I was at risk since I had completely frozen, leaving me beyond vulnerable for Rengoku to kill me on impulse.

    But as the oldest, he thought it was natural for him to make the decision no one wanted to make. Kill Rengoku who had become a demon to save me, as my best friend had pleaded.

    "No!!" I yelled and my body moved to turn over. I pushed Rengoku onto the ground, reversing our position and I blocked the incoming aze with my blade.

    My sword which had lost its bright red colour shattered upon contact with the axe. Gyomei could not stop his attack anymore and the axe buried itself on my shoulder. The majority of the force had been stopped by my sword so I was not cut in half.

    Gymoei was surprised beyond belief and he stumbled back. His axe remained lodged on my shoulder and I would prefer that to stop the bleeding.

    "No one will harm him!!" I roared out. I was forced to face the situation head-on so I pushed whatever emotion I had to the deepest depths of my soul. I could cry later.

    Rengoku was the one to disobey me first as his own hand went to his neck to strangle himself. His claws tore into his neck but I quickly grabbed it to stop him.

    "I said NO!!"

    "You''ll be fine, I will fix it," I told everyone, even me included.

    "I promise,"

    My eyes took in the sight and this time, I actually processed all the information before me instead of just being aghast at what I saw. I could see that although Rengoku had been turned into a demon, it was not a full transformation, that would take a longer time.

    I also see that Rengoku''s humanity was fighting fiercely against the influence of Muzan''s blood. It was fighting back to the point of tearing itself down.

    Rengoku would rather die than become a demon. S��ar?h the ��ov��lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I guess I knew now why Muzan needed consent before turning a Hashira into a demon. They would rather die than transform so it was meaningless.

    If this went on, Rengoku would die. He would remain a human sure but he would die.

    "Stop fighting it!!" I screamed at him.

    They might think that turning into a demon to be controlled by Muzan to hurt your own friends was worse than death but I knew better.

    "I can help you!! I know a cure! So just stop fighting back or you will die!!" I told Rengoku who began struggling under me.

    He did not want to listen. He wanted to die.

    But I wouldn''t allow him to. Not yet.

    I wrestled with Rengoku as he struggled with all his might. He was already a Hashira when he was human so as a demon, his strength increased by many times. I could barely control him as the ground cracked from his struggle.

    Eventually, I put my arm around his neck while I took his back. Then I choked him, cutting air from going to his brain.

    "Stop it!!" I said and tightened my choke. His hand slammed against the ground and even hit my ribs but I did not let go. I pulled out whatever strength I had left and subdued him.

    I choked him until he eventually went limp.

    He was a demon but not fully yet so he passed out. I would say he was only around ten per cent done with becoming a demon. It was frightening how much control Muzan had even with just that.

    My eyes also see that he had not regenerated the wounds he had so that was further proof of his incomplete transformation. It also made me careful as I pushed his limp body off me and laid him on the ground.

    My eyes remained glued to him even after that. The transformation continued but with Rengoku being unconscious, it was happening without resistance. That way he would not die and safely turn into a demon.

    Tengen and Gyomei remained in their place, their faces thoughtful and tragic just as mine was. Just then, Obanai returned to us and he had a deep frown on his scarred lips.

    "He got away using a strange ability," he told us.

    He was the only person who cared little for Rengoku since he was new. So he ran after Muzan despite what happened.

    I clenched my fist as hard as I could. My eyes trembled with frustration and I could feel my body losing strength rapidly. My marks receded and there was silence.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    "He got away this time,"

    [IMAGE]

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    Author : So what do you think? Find the development interesting?

    I think everyone at least asked themselves once, ''What if Rengoku had accepts Akaza deal and become demon? ''

    Share your thoughts. Did Muzan did the right thing or he just created a monstrous enemy? I think Rengoku will easily be the second strongest demon after Kokushibo.

 Chapter 141: Aftermath

    Chapter 141: Aftermath[3rd POV]

    Tanjiro watched in abject horror the landscape of destruction that had once been a forest. He did not have other words to describe the feeling in his chest. How could something that has been for so long be gone in one night, just like that?

    "What happened here?" he asked with a shaky voice, barely coherent.

    There was a young man in front of him, wearing a white haori with black stripes. He had bandages covering his lower face and he had the same words as Seiji written on the back of his haori.

    ''A Pillar,''

    "It was a battle between us and the Demon King. Unfortunately, the enemy manages to escape at the last minute," Obanai answered while leading them.

    Behind Tanjiro was the rest of the Kamado. Their expression was full of confusion and unease. Unlike Tanjiro, they had never even seen a demon before so what Obanai said didn''t even make sense to them.

    Tanjiro gritted his teeth when he heard the reply. He knew a battle had taken place here. He had heard the shockwaves and explosions from miles away. His nose could also smell the sheer blood and violence that had taken place in the battle.

    Even though he was not there, he could clearly feel the ghost of what had transpired. And what happened was beyond human limits.

    Maybe he had asked the wrong question. What he really wanted to know was how it was possible. How could a small number of people compley raze the forest and how could the enemy even survive?

    He knew now that he had gravely underestimated Demons and Demon Slayers. He knew they were strong enough - they could destroy trees with their bare hands. But that estimation was laughable. They were basically a walking army.

    "Careful there," Tanjiro said and helped his younger siblings jump over a huge wound on the earth. It looked like the earth had been sliced open by a hundred-foot blade.

    That was not the only one as marks of destruction littered the place like fallen leaves. The snow could not cover the deep craters and cracks that made solid ground look like glass.

    Even the few layers of snow were decorated in the colour of red. The Demon Slayers bled a lot, but the Demon King was even worse. His blood was everywhere in the forest and Tanjiro could literally smell the evil off them.

    The Kamado family looked at everything in fear. In the span of one night, the region where they lived had virtually become inhabitable. the fact that it was man-made challenged their belief of what was possible.

    Eventually, they came back to Kamdo Compound. It was a small clearing that surrounded their home. They saw many people there and a few new faces.

    The majority of the people wore black clothes that covered thier whole body, even their faces. They looked like ninjas as they swiftly moved around and helped in any way they could. Some of them were cleaning the area of blood, others were wrapping bandages around the injured, and some were making fire and cooking food.

    They saw Seiji who sat on the half-broken veranda with a pretty lady attending to his wound. The Kamado family immediately went to him as he was the only person they knew out of all the strangers.

    "Seiji-nii!!"

    "Seiji-san!!"

    They ran up to him and thier tone was worried when they saw that his whole body was covered in a white bandage. He had been gravely injured, they could tell even with their untrained eyes.

    But what shocked them even more as they got closer was the dull look in his eyes. His eyes looked exhausted and defeated.

    "Seiji-san..." Tanjiro simply stood in front of him, unsure of what to do next.

    "You''re here," Seiji greeted them with the weakest smile they had seen on him yet, "I''m glad to see that everyone is safe,"

    "Nezuko?" He called out specifically and when the girl stepped forward, his smile became a bit brighter.

    "You''re human," he said and chuckled at a joke only he knows.

    "With the confirmation of your safety, I would say this battle was not a total loss on our part," he said with a nod.

    "Are you okay, Seiji-san," Kei, the mother of Tanjiro asked in concern.

    "I''m fine. I suffered no fatal injuries and the ones I did will heal soon. But for now, may I talk to you in private? I have something urgent to discuss with you," Seiji asked to which Kei nodded.

    "Shinobu, please can you take Tanjiro and his siblings inside? I''m sure they must still be in shock after what happened," Seiji asked the lady who was tending to his wound.

    Shinobu seemed not too appreciative of being asked to move away from him but she did not say anything. She got up and gestured at the children to follow her inside.

    Tanjiro and the rest went inside the house, where they saw more of the people who wore the same uniform as Seiji. They were too injured just Seiji, their body was covered with white bandages.

    "Civilian?" A gigantic man with jewels decorating his head asked. He was sitting next to an unconscious man with yellow hair.

    "They are the Kamado siblings," Shinobu said and let the children sit down. She herself went to the unconscious man to check on him.

    "The name is Tengen Uzui, the flashiest Hashira and this short stuff is Shinobu, she''s a doctor," Tengen introduced with a smile. "And our friend here whom we put to sleep so that he doesn''t go berserk and eat everyone is Rengoku,"

    You could hear the forced jollyness in his voice. He was anything but happy at that moment.

    "Sorry for using your house like this, but I''m sure you wouldn''t mind since it is the pleasure of everyone to have me as a guest," he said in a faux arrogant tone while laughing.

    "Things are a little complicated as of now but everything should be fine soon. By sunrise, more reinforcement will come and we will start moving you to the headquarters," Shinobu said curly.

    "Wait, we are moving?" Tanjiro asked.

    "Yes. It is too dangerous for you to continue living here so you will move to the Demon Slayer headquarters at the moment before the master decides to do next,," Shinobu said.

    Tanjiro was silent after that. He contemplated how his life was going to change so drastically after one night.

    He looked over to his siblings and he felt a deep sense of relief to see them. The resolve in his heart tightened and he bowed to the two Hashira.

    "Thank you,"

    After that, they were given warm blankets and food along with the others to keep themselves warm on the cold winter night. The house had a gaping hole in the wall so it was an imperfect shelter.

    By sunrise, they were moved to the Demon Slayer Headquarters.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    "How is it?" Shinobu asked Gyomei while tying the bandage on his chest. Compared to her size, Gyomei was a giant so she literally had to walk around him to cover his wound.

    "I told you Shinobu, I do not mind the pain," Gyomei said, trying to smile but he barely could do it. No one at the moment was in the mood to smile.

    A huge chunk of his chest was torn off so there was nothing much she could do. The Hashira had great control over their body through their breathing style so Gyomei could stop the bleeding. The only thing she could do was sterilize the wound to avoid infection and give him painkillers.

    And yet the giant man would not let her do even that.

    "Just answer me properly, do you still feel the pain?" she asked again. She had given him painkillers but it was hard to determine the correct dose. Gyomei was many times larger than the average human being.

    Gyomei stayed silent for some time before he said, "I will need a little more,"

    Shinobu gave her more doses of painkillers after she was done.

    It was frustrating for her. No, frustration was not enough to describe her feelings.

    She ran to the Gifu region immediately after she got the message from Raven but by the time she reached there, everything was already done. The Demon King had escaped and what remained was her friends who were half dead with injuries and poison while one of them had met a tragic fate.

    Rengoku had become a demon.

    She did not how to react to the devastating news. It was a fate worse than death. It explained the state Seiji was in when she found him. Completely broken beyond just a physical sense.

    She wished she got there in time. She knew she wouldn''t make much of a difference with her level of strength but she would''ve made a difference. Maybe then things wouldn''t end up this way.

    This was why she hated being a doctor. She was tired of only fixing what was broken and being unable to protect.

    She was fated to always be late.

    It was the same when her sister faced Douma.

    "Are okay?" Gyomei brought her out of her thoughts. It was comical that he was asking her that question when he was covered with a bandage.

    "..Yes," she answered.

    "You shouldn''t feel helpless, Shinobu. We are all fighting in our own way. You have a lot of work ahead of you," Gyomei said and he turned his head towards the house where Rengoku lay unconscious.

    She had given him medicine and poison to keep him sleeping for now.

    She turned to look at the house and pondered on whether it would be possible to turn someone back into a human.

    "Yeah, a lot of work," she admitted.

    "Thank you for always looking after us. Without you, we wouldn''t be able to fight our battles a long time ago," Gyomei said.

    "...." Shinobu remained silent but the words made her feel better.

    Although she couldn''t be on the front lines most of the time, it was true that her work mattered. In fact, maybe it was more important than anything else because now they only have her.

    Just then, she saw Sieji run off back to the forest with a woman in his arms. The woman is the mother of Tanjiro.

    "Where is he going?!" Shinobu asked in agast. Seiji was in no state to run off again. She got up and tried to go after him but Gyomei stopped her.

    "He''ll be fine," he said and she decided to trust him. He had likely overheard the conversation and knew the situation was important.

    She sighed but still walked away. She would not go after him but she had other important things to do. S��ar?h the n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Lady Kocho, we have collected blood samples and all the body parts we can find," A Kakushi reported while holding a container that held the remaining parts of the demon.

    "Make sure you don''t reveal them to the sunlight and take them back to the Mansion," she said and the Kakushi nodded before doing as she was ordered.

    Now they had not only blood samples but also body parts of Muzan Kibutsuji. It was great research material that can be used to learn more about demons but mostly for Shinobu, to create effective poison

    Normally, it would be impossible to take parts of Muzan as he had absolute control over his cells. But these were cut off using Sun Breathing and the red blade.

    It was another gain from the seemingly lost battle.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Monday special 500 stones = One chaptee

    Author : I''m not sure what you guys think about getting Muzan''s body part for research since it seemed impossible. But I like to think that when Seiji cut Muzan''s legs off, he also sliced off all the connection Muzan had over that specific body part and thus cannot even control it anymore.

    It would make sense, considering Sun Breathing could inflict fatal wounds and even put permanent weakness on him.

 Chapter 142: Blue Spider Lily

    Chapter 142: Blue Spider Lily[Seiji''s POV]

    "There are demons in this world, creatures that feed on human flesh. They hunt at night, killing people to quench their insatiable hunger. To combat these creatures and protect humanity, our organisation, the Demon Slayer Corp, was created." I began my explanation to Kie Kamado.

    I explained to her in a little detail what demons were, and how they could be killed by sunlight or using a specific blade. Although you might think it was unnecessary, it was needed to soothe her worry.

    Imagine someone telling you demons are real but wouldn''t say their weakness or how to fight them back. At least when she knew that the demons were not all-powerful, she was a little relieved.

    I also informed her about my ranking in the organisation, which is only below the master''s. Then, I explained the main reason I wanted to talk to her in the first place.

    "The demon came specifically to kill your family," I said.

    "What?! Why?" she asked, her face indicating no clue as to why a demon would target them.

    "We found out that your ancestors had a connection with the Demon Slayer Corp in the past. We do not know how since it was so long ago. But I know that the Hinokami Kagura is a sword technique hidden in a dance," I said, telling her things she needed to know from here on.

    "So your family will be moved to the Demon Slayer Headquarters so that we can protect you. The demons will not stop, they will come for you again," I said and after a moment of silence, she nodded.

    "I understand,"

    That was a lie, she did not understand anything. In fact, she was still in the middle of absorbing the existence of demons. But she trusted me so she agreed with whatever I was saying. I guess it was worth cultivating her trust in the end.

    "And please, listen carefully to what I am about to say next. The demon that came for you was not only aiming to slaughter your family but he was also looking for something. Something he was sure that you would know about," I said and gazed intently at her eyes.

    I try not to look so desperate but maybe I failed with the emotions I read on her face.

    "A flower, a blue spider lily. It will allow the demons to fix their only weakness that is the sun," I said and I could see that she knew what I was talking about.

    "Do you know where it is?" I asked and I already knew she knew.

    She stayed silent for a long time, wondering how to reply to my desperate question. There seems to be something complicated in the location of the flower.

    "I-I know where it is..." she finally said.

    "Take me there,"

    I did not even wait for her answer as I scooped her up in my arms. My body ached in protest but I told it to fuck off. I would not rest until I secured that flower until I was sure that there was a chance to help my best friend after I had messed up so badly.

    I ran through the destroyed forest with Kie in my arms. She was my guide, telling me where to go and which mountain to climb. Unlike what I previously thought, the location of the flower was a fair distance away. It required traversing through complicated routes and caves to reach there.

    I was in no shape to move fast so by the time we made it to our destination, the sun was already on the horizon, indicating early morning.

    We came upon a hidden clearing at the edge of a mountain, which could only be accessed through a cave. From here, we could see the land below and the river running down the mountain.

    It was a beautiful place. The sunlight reflected on the water and the white sheen of the snow, making it seem to glitter like jewels.

    And yet I could not spare a moment of respite to enjoy the view. My whole focus was on the only plant in the small clearing. It looked like an ordinary plant except for the few flower buds I saw on them.

    My eyes pierced through the earth and I saw the remains of someone under the plant. I came to the conclusion that this was a grave for someone important.

    I turned to Kie, "Is this it?"

    "Yes. The flower you are searching for, the blue spider lily only ever blooms a few times in a year and that too only during daylight," she informed me.

    I felt reality slap away my delusion which was finding the flower and turning Rengoku back into a human as soon as possible. Of course, it wouldn''t be that easy, I thought to myself.

    "I see," I said. Although it sucked that I couldn''t get the flower now, at least I knew where it was.

    "Do you know when the flower would bloom?" I asked to which Kie nodded,

    "Of course. It has been our family tradition to take care of the flower and to bring our children where at least once in their life to see the flower bloom," she said and I felt a weight lift off my shoulder.

    I can work with that.

    "Thank you," I said and focused my eyes on the flower. I studied the plant as much as I could, trying to see what made the flower different from the rest.

    Muzan and I both lost the battle. He failed in killing the Kamado family or anyone else while I failed in killing him. But at the same time, we both gained something important from the battle.

    Muzan gained information about us from the battle. Now he knew about the Demon Slayer marks and even my Sun Breathing. The next time we meet, he will be much more cautious and dangerous.

    On the other hand, I saved the Kamado family, got the blood of the Demon King himself and found the location of the blue spider lily.

    The flower was a game changer in this world. It could be the key to making a potion that could ever the Demon King back into a human, just like how it turned him into a demon a thousand years ago.

    Or it could be my trump card if I found myself unable to defeat the demons.

    Muzan became a demon by consuming the blue spider lily. Could I do the same if I ate one? Or could Shinobu and Tamayo recreate the potion that turned Muzan into a demon?

    I was not beneath turning myself into a demon if it meant I could annihilate the demons that came from Muzan. I hated him that much now. He bestowed the same fate on my best friend.

    ''But for now,''

    I collapsed on the ground. Kie immediately came beside me and lent her body for support.

    ''I am exhausted,''

    ...

    ...

    ...

    [Two IMAGES] S��ar?h the n??el Fire.n��t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Don''t miss the double update

    Thanks for the stones

 Chapter 143: Aftermath (Muzan’s side)

    Chapter 143: Aftermath (Muzan''s side)[3rd POV]

    *BOOOOOOM!!!*

    Muzan Kibutsuji swung his arm around the infinity castle, breaking hundreds of rooms while thousands were created. The sound of destruction echoed in the dimension.

    His body was filled with veins, and his blood boiled in anger. His heart felt like dynamite in his chest, exploding in on itself.

    It was a frightening display of anger and wrath, but you couldn''t ignore what it actually was at its core.

    A child throwing a tantrum.

    It was a pathetic display of frustration from a coward who ran. His arms returned to human hands when he was satisfied with destroying the room around him. His own fingers dug into his face and he tore it off in a show of bloody gore.

    His injuries healed in one second and he tore it off again. Like that, Muzan kept tearing at himself until blood pooled below his feet.

    It was his way of dealing with his own shape. He wanted to rip off his skin and change his identity in some way.

    But he was met with a cold reality, he could never change who he was.

    ''Youcoward,''

    Seiji''s voice rang in his mind, doubling his shame each time he thought it was going to end. He couldn''t escape the voices in his head.

    He continued his actions for a long time until eventually, he stopped and became unmoving like a statue.

    It was akin to taking a cold shower for him. His mind felt a little clearer after the outburst and he could think over the situation again.

    "...."

    "Theyallhave to die

    ," Muzan said to himself, determining that that was the only way to erase the shame he felt in his heart.

    He could not fool himself as he said ''They all have to die,'' and not ''I will kill them all,''

    "Nakime," Muzan said in anger, turning his blood-red eyes to the woman who had been observing his unsightly display with a stoic face.

    He could not help but take out his frustration on the first victim that he saw, someone he knew for certain could not go against him.

    Muzan cruelly raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. At his gesture, Nakime''s eyes widen, the first emotion on her face since Muzan came into the infinity castle.

    "AHHHHHHHH!!!!" It was a scream of pure agony that was ripped out of her. The sound was oddly familiar to Muzan as it was the same scream he had released a few hours ago.

    A sickening grin spread his lips as he enjoyed inflicting pain on another entity. It was a therapy for his twisted mind. The act of having someone''s life in the palm of his hand soothes his broken ego.

    Muzan allowed her to scream more, and that''s what she did.

    Nakime felt every cell of her body burning in pain. Her nerves seem to go haywire, their main purpose shifts from control to inflicting her the most amount of pain. The pain was intense enough to make her wish she was dead.

    She wouldn''t die though, her ability was too useful for Muzan to lose so he wouldn''t allow her to die.

    "Tell me, Nakime? How did you not know Seiji Shigan was with the family? Are you so incompetent or did you want me to die there?" Muzan asked, putting the blame on her while justifying his own sadistic actions.

    "Didyoubetrayme?"

    ...

    "!!!!!" Muzan''s eyes snapped wide open like a saucer and after a beat of silence, his hand fell off from his wrist. It was a cut so clean that blood did not spill and his own body did not realize until he flinched.

    With that, Nakime''s torture came to an end as she collapsed on the ground. She curled into a tiny ball, her size that of a young child.

    "LordMuzan,"

    *BOOOM

    *

    It was a single step but it felt like an explosion.

    *BOOOM*

    *BOOOM*

    *BOOOM*

    "I think your mind is not in the best state, perhaps the battle took a toll on you," the voice did not ask. It was blunt and it fed its intent on Muzan like a command.

    The Demon King felt his previous anger come back tenfold as he side-eyed the demon who stood beside him. They both faced the opposite direction yet they did not face each other.

    And yet, even with the infinite anger brewing inside him, Muzan did not make a move. The fact that he did not see the attack stopped him from retaliating.

    No, not only did he not see the attack coming, but he did not even feel it. There was absolutely no intent, no sound, and there was no pain from the attack.

    Dying in agony was scary, but to die unaware was chilling in its own right.

    "What do you think you are doing? Kokushibo,"

    "I am stopping my master from doing something irrational while he is in no state to make a decision," Kokushibo stated himself, there was no double, no hesitance.

    Although Kokushibo was a subordinate of the Demon King, it was only on paper. In reality, their relationship was that of a business partner rather than a master-servant.

    This was due to the simple fact that Kokushibo was stronger than Muzan himself. If they were equal in strength, Muzan would be able to retain his position as a master since he had control over his cell.

    But Kokushibo was stronger, even Muzan himself did not know by how much. The gap was enough for Muzan to fear that Kokushibo would be able to end him regardless of control.

    He did not doubt that if Tamayo could escape his grasp, Kokushibo would be able to escape his control and kill him if he crossed him. S��arch* The N?vel(F)ire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Luckily for the Demon King, Kokushibo held his samurai tradition to a certain extent. A samurai obeys his lord regardless of strength.

    In the end, Muzan calmed down his nerves and moved away from the demon.

    "Then I guess you have my gratitude," Muzan admitted.

    Kokushibo, too moved away from his place and went beside Nakime. He carefully helped the demon girl rise up to her feet. With how gentle he was being with her, you would think that she was a human girl made of glass.

    "Are you okay?" he asked, no emotion in his voice except a tinge of real concern that spread across his six eyes.

    "Y-Yes, I''m fine," Nakime quickly gathered back her wit. Her single eye shook, not knowing which eyes she should stare back at.

    "Thank you Lord Kokushibo," she bowed deeply and he accepted his thanks with a noble nod.

    ''Feelings?'' Muzan thought to himself while narrowing his eyes at the two demons before him.

    It would make sense to develop at least a feeling of kinship considering they had been living together in the castle for more than a century.

    Nevertheless, he made a mental note in his mind that Kokushibo cared a little for the demon girl.

    ..

    /////////////////

    "It is surprising that the Demon Slayers of this generation have become strong enough to pose a threat to you, Lord Muzan," Kokushibo said. He was sitting on his own feet a few meters away from Muzan.

    The tension had completely disappeared between them. They had mutual respect for each other to a certain degree, Muzan respected his strength while Kokushibo respected his own promise of serving Muzan.

    Right now, they were discussing about what just transpired a few hours ago. The Hashira were strong enough to fight back against Muzan.

    Kokushibo had thought that their generation was the first and last to be able to do that. His interest was slightly peaked after hundreds of years.

    "They are remarkable for humans but they are not the main threat," Muzan said and made a curious pause.

    ..

    ..

    "A Sun Breathing user lives,"

    Kokushibo literally stilled in his spot when he heard that statement. He carefully judged how to process the sentence and when he was done, his still body became undone.

    And when that happened, immense lust for battle oozed out from the stoic demon. It was a hunger for battle that was never completed.

    Many countries ago, Kokushibo had challenged his own brother but that ended in his defeat and his opponent dying of old age after the battle. After that day, a part of Kokushibo died as well.

    The reason why he became a demon was so that he could surpass his brother in the first place so after his death, life became meaningless for Kokushibo.

    But with the news of a new Sun Breathing user, he thought that it could be a chance to feel alive once more. A chance to finish the incomplete battle.

    It would not be the same as defeating Yoriichi, but defeating his successor was something Kokushibo would love to do.

    Muzan smirked when he saw his reaction.

    Why risk his life to kill someone when he could send someone else?

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : When you can cut off the hand of Muzan Kibutsuji and make him thank you for it, then you are the first Upper Moon Kokushibo

    Join my patreon to read upto ten Chapters ahead!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 144: The will to help

    Chapter 144 - The will to help[3rd POV]

    Kie revealed the location of the Blue Spider Lily to Seiji and also informed him about the exact date and time when the flower would bloom.

    When Seiji finally returned to the Kamado household that had turned into a Demon Slayer Camp, exhaustion hit him like a truck.

    Seiji passed out like a dead man immediately. The price of fighting against the Demon King on equal ground was fatigue beyond anything he had ever suffered before. Shinobu concluded that he would be out for the next few days at least.

    He suffered a nasty wound on his heart where Rengoku had pierced him and his shoulder was also mutilated by Gyomei''s blow. The injuries were luckily not fatal and with Seiji''s superhuman healing, he should be able to recover fully from this.

    It was a miracle that he came out without permanent injuries.

    After his return, the Demon Slayers promptly returned to their headquarters. Seiji and the other combatants who had been injured in the fight were carried to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment.

    The news of what transpired in the Gifu region quickly spread among the Demon Slayer Corp. Many people were involved, so secrecy was never an option.

    The reaction was a mix of horror and joy. The news that the Demon King had fled from their pillars was something the Demon Slayers parade with pride but the experienced warriors knew what that entailed.

    They were in for more trouble in the future. Some people thought the Demon King was merely a myth, and this battle had stripped them of their blissful ignorance. Things were going to get more chaotic in the future.

    The unfortunate fate that had befallen the Flame Pillar on the other hand was tightly held under wraps. Ubuyashiki spared no effort to make sure that the news never spread.

    Nevertheless, the organisation was going through changes with the battle of the Gifu region, now termed the Failed Purge. A sense of unease mixed with excitement filled the hearts of every Demon Slayer.

    With the Demon King himself making big moves, it was clear to all that the war was coming to an end.

    How will it end was the question.

    With the demon''s defeat or humanity''s death.

    That was what scared half and what excited half.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    "Seiji?!"

    Kanae Kocho stumbled more than once as she ran towards the main entrance gate of the mansion. What used to be the unrivalled queen of balance and elegance was now a powerless and stumbling maiden. She was one of the many who had been wronged by demons.

    "Seiji," Kanae called out once more while she got back up every time she fell. Her action seemed helpless and beyond vulnerable at that moment.

    "Sister!!" Shinobu quickly ran forward and caught the blind girl in her arms. She stopped Kanae from blindly stumbling her way to the unconscious man carried on a stretcher.

    "What''s going on? What happened?" Kanae''s unseeing eyes were as expressive as ever. They trembled like stars before tears spilt out uncontrollably.

    "Shonobu, why does he smell of blood? Why is he not speaking to me?"

    "He''s fine, he''s fine. He passed out from exhaustion, that''s all I promise," Shinobu soothed her sister. In a world of absolute darkness, things get scary fast. But the trusted voice of her sister brought calm to her heart.

    "Take Seiji to his personal room and set up IV. You can take the others to the normal ward," Shinobu told the Kakushi.

    With Kanae in her arms, Shinobu followed the Kakuhsi as they went to Seiji''s room. At the moment, Seiji was the one with the gravest injuries. She had stitched the other''s wound but since Seiji disappeared before she had time to do so, his injuries remained open.

    Rengoku was also carried to the ward. He looked completely normal except for the metamorphosis his body went through in his body, unseen. Shinobu had given him plenty of medication to make sure he remained unconscious, both for human and demons.

    When Seiji was lying on his bed, Kanae immediately took his side. Shinobu too gathered the tools needed and she got to work stitching Seiji''s wounds.

    "Cut off his bandages," Shinobu asked her sister who despite her blindness was able to take them off.

    Shinobu could''ve easily done everything herself but she knew her sister wanted to do something lest she would feel too helpless when her love was in need of help right beside her.

    Kanae froze and then trembled when she felt the extent of his injuries.

    "Chest trauma, it''s deep but doesn''t reach his vitals. No evidence of internal bleeding or his lungs collapsing but I''m sure his ribs are either fractured or broken. There is also a severe aze wound on his shoulder. His deltoid and trapezius are completely snapped and his collarbone is crushed. It doesn''t bleed much so I''m assuming no major arteries are snapped," Shinobu quickly analyzed the injury once more for her sister.

    "It''s a wonder how he always gets so lucky with his injuries," Shinobu asked out loud while she proceeded to address the wounds.

    Prediction of movement allowed not only for efficient blocking of an attack but also to ensure that even if an attack did land, it did not harm your vitals. sea??h th�� nov��lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was rare but when Seiji suffered injuries in his fight, he always made sure to suffer the least fatal injuries. Advanced Breathing techniques allowed nigh absolute control over your body including blood flow and organ location so he was able to achieve such a feat amid battle. It was almost second nature even.

    "What happened? What kind of monster can do this to him?" Kanae asked after a while. Her voice held genuine curiosity after she made sure Seiji was going to be fine.

    There was not much in this world that could harm Seiji to this extent. Actually, she thought there was no creature that could harm him to this extent yesterday.

    "The Demon King," Shinobu replied, "Muzan Kibutsuji,"

    Her eyes widen in shock.

    "Seiji somehow ran into Muzan Kibutsuji in the Gifu region. He had been staying with the Kamado family apparently and the children claimed that the Demon attacked them and Seiji protected them," Shoinobu said what she had learned from Tanjiro and the rest while she was babysitting them.

    "The battle did not last more than 4 hours. Seiji held him off for the first hour, Gyomei joined and they fought Muzan for the next hour. The rest two hours, Muzan was forced to bear the onslaught of five Hashiras and in the end, he ran away to survive," she said while her whole focus was on stitching the wounds. The loss of soft tissue was making it difficult to close the wound.

    "What a crazy man I''ve fallen in love with," Kanae could only sigh in the end.

    "I was scared for a moment that I''d lost him and I couldn''t save him like he did me," she said, but the feeling of absolute helplessness did not fade.

    It only became stronger.

    She used to be a Hashira too, someone Seiji could call upon when he needed help but now she was only a blind woman, helpless like any maiden.

    It was frustrating.

    She held his hand with all the warmth that she could give.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    (Mitsuri)

    It''s not fair.

    Not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair!!!

    It isn''t fair!!

    She worked hard and trained extensively despite being a sheltered girl only a few years ago. She risked her life, treading the path of power which was a road for people who had lost everything and thirsted for vengeance. She did it out of love.

    She was a Hashira now. That meant she had reached the highest rank there was to reach. She could rub shoulders with him now, standing as equals. She could protect what she held so dear.

    At least that''s what she thought.

    But distance was a cruel enemy, crueller than the demons themselves, she thought.

    She only heard the news way after the fight was over. She could only go out to help when her love had already suffered whatever it was he should suffer and all risk was over.

    She was just as helpless as ever.

    She immediately left her post and travelled to the Butterfly Mansion when she heard about the news of the battle. Her journey was long and gruelling but she finished it in under a day.

    All throughout the journey, the only thing she could do was curse the world and fate for making her useless despite all her effort to not be so.

    "Where is he?!" she asked the sweeper when she reached the mansion.

    She did not know why she was in a hurry, either. Everything was over now, so it wouldn''t matter if she were gentle and graceful or hurried to the innocent bystanders.

    But the heart did not work on logic.

    "He has been transported to his own room. I suggest you keep it down Miss Kanroji, Lord Seiji is-"

    "Thank you!!" Mitsuri blitzed toward the room immediately. She wiped a generous amount of sweat from her face, vaguely noting that she was covered in sweat.

    Her uniform hugged her body tightly, acting like a second skin due to the sweat. The fabric was torn in many places from the bushes and trees that she bulldozed through on her journey.

    Her skin had no blemish though, as the things that could tear her clothes easily could not leave a scratch on her skin.

    At last, she came upon the room that housed Seiji. She was three days late to the battle but here she was, in all her useless glory, she thought to herself.

    The sight of his sleeping face, pale from clear loss of blood and his weak body wrapped in bandages like a mummy caused her to collapse on her knees.

    She''d never felt weaker.

    ..

    "It''s okay," Mitsuri eventually heard the voice of Kanae from behind her. Then she felt warm arms hugging her body on the floor.

    If there was one person in the world who could understand her feelings, it was the girl whose arms wrapped around her.

    "We''ll be fine,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    Next time.

    Just one time.

    She wanted to help.

    .

    .

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Stones?

 Chapter 145: Mountain God

    Chapter 145 - Mountain God[3rd POV]

    (A week after the battle)

    Sanemi Shinazugawa was pissed.

    An understatement that couldn''t be helped since there were no heavier words. He was beyond pissed.

    Imagine being the most violent Demon Slayer in the world, he was so efficient that he was a Hashira with the most kill count among the ranks.

    He would use his special blood to make a trail that led to his location. Every demon in the vicinity who smelled his blood wanted to devour him and when they came at him. Taking that as an advantage, he would turn those who came for his blood into mince meat.

    He would slaughter these demons solely because he loved doing it too, not because of anything else. The money, the duty, saving innocents and all that shit came after.

    He was obsessed with killing demons.

    So imagine how angry he was when he learned that he missed the most important battle in Demon Slayer history yet. A chance to fight against the Demon King himself.

    He would give anything to be in that fight. To rename what was now called the ''Failed Purge''. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Had he been there, the Demon King would''ve never gotten away. He was in no delusion that he was stronger than Gyomei or Seiji but he had something none of them did and that was willingness.

    Sanemi would sacrifice his life, his soul and many more just to kill the Demon King. The others were not as willing as he was. They didn''t know it but they were soft. Seiji and Tengen had lovers and to a certain extent, that made them fear death. Their life was no longer solely theirs but also the people they loved.

    Gyomei and Rengoku were too fucking nice. They cared more about saving lives instead of killing demons. When it came down to two choices, they would always choose to save a life than take one.

    Obanai...that kid was way too weak.

    Sometimes, people like him are needed to end a war once and for all. Someone who would not hesitate to do what was necessary to finish off the enemy. Even if it meant people would hate him or question his mentality.

    At least that''s what he thought as he moved around the thick jungle. It was cold and dry as hell but fortunately, the region had no snow.

    Sanemi was not focused on his surroundings since it was daytime. He even allowed his mind to daydream as he made his way towards his destination - a small village nearby. A village which he saved from demons just last night.

    There was no injury sustained from battle but his forearm was bleeding. It was a cut he made himself to lure in demons last night. His mission was to kill the demons plaguing the village but Sanemi went beyond that and hunted down any surviving demons just last night.

    While he was walking, he did not notice the creature that was stalking him.

    ..

    ..

    "Hmmm?"

    Even when he was not paying attention or even if he suppressed it, instincts honed for years never failed.

    Sanemi stopped on his track and because of that, the attack that was predicting his movement flew down right before him, barely missing his nose.

    "Huh," his eyes twitched, not amused when he saw the club that missed his head and smashed the ground. The wooden club was in the hands of a humanoid creature with a boar''s head.

    The boarhead immediately spun into action and Sanemi took two steps back, dodging two swings that aimed at his head and stomach respectively.

    There was no danger for him but the fact that the club was swung with the intent to kill rubbed him in the wrong way.

    "What do you think you are doing?"

    The boarhead did not answer and crouched down with a swing of his club. The attack aimed for his legs but Sanemi stepped back once more, moving out of reach.

    But the boarhead decided to let go of his club mid-swing, sending the wood flying and smashing into Sanemi''s shin.

    "FUCK!!!" Sanemi howled in pain. A clean hit to the shin by a hard object was one of the most painful experiences one could get. It felt worse than being stabbed in your soft tissue.

    Sanemi''s leg jerked up and he held his shin in his hands. He hopped around in one leg in agony.

    "Die FOOD!!" The boarhead took the chance to jump at Sanemi. He clung to his neck and shoulder like a monkey before he jabbed his two fingers into Sanemi''s nose.

    "AHHHH!!!" Sanemi screamed comically before his mouth was covered by the same palm attached to the two fingers.

    The boarhead actually tried suffocating him. It was one of the ways for predators to kill prey. Lions would often cover their prey''s nose with their mouth to suffocate them. The little boarhead was imitating that.

    Sanemi was now pissed enough to not hold back on the boarhead whose body was obviously that of a child. He couldn''t care less if he was abusing a child at that moment.

    He grabbed the kid by the leg and ripped him off his face. Then he flung the kid around like a ragdoll with a face fuming with anger.

    *BOOM!!*

    Snamei smashed the kid on the ground. The boar head that the kid was wearing fell off to reveal the fragile face of a girl. He was taken aback to see that face.

    Sanemi was pissed enough to fight a child but he was still not passed enough to fight a child AND a girl.

    "What the fuck?" his gaze bounced on the child''s tender face and rough body.

    It didn''t match at all! The face had no scars, likely protected by the boar head he was wearing. While the body was small and full of scars that showed a hard life.

    Snamei could not even distinguish the kid''s age. He was only the size of an eight-year-old but appeared much older.

    The eyes of the kid snapped open after being knocked unconscious for a few seconds. Then he proceeded to lunge at Sanemi like a beast again.

    The scuffle went on for a bit. The child had the spirit of a wild animal as he lunged at Sanemi with four legs. He seemed to have no regard for himself, driven mad by hunger.

    "STOP IT YOU DIRTY BRAT!!" Sanemi screamed at the child who wrapped his four limbs around his leg. He pulled at the kid''s hair, stopping the mouth from clamping down on his flesh.

    "FOOD!! JUST LET ME EAT YOU!!!" The kid screamed in return. He was in the middle of trying to taste Sanemi''s leg.

    And much to Sanemi''s surprise and horror, the kid used a breathing style to fight against him. His face changed and his eyes turned into lines due to being pulled by the hair but the kid moved forward and bit down on Sanemi''s thighs.

    "AHHHHHH!!!!"

    Now Sanemi was pissed enough to fight a child and a girl. He grabbed the kid by the neck and tore him off his leg. The kid tore off his clothes due to how hard he was biting.

    With his pants being torn, the rice balls he had in his pocket also fell out and Sanemi picked that up instantly.

    If he considered the kid as a wild animal, it was clear that it was hungry due to the limited resources of food in winter. He could also attribute the fact that it saw him as food due to his blood which was attractive to all predators, demons and animals alike.

    "You''re hungry? EAT THIS!!" Sanemi shoved the rice ball into the mouth of the kid and immediately, he stopped struggling and started eating the food.

    ...

    (Scene Change)

    Sanemi stood in absolute disbelief as the little critter devoured every rice ball he had on him. The child shamelessly finished all the food and after that, he stood up and had the audacity to say.

    "I demand more of those white balls!!"

    Sanemi''s eyes twitched, "I ain''t giving you shit until you answer my question!!"

    "Then ask me these questions, quickly."

    Sanemi popped a vein since he had been asking questions ever since the start. It seemed the boy had not heard anything he said while eating.

    ''Patience.'' Sanemi told himself. Patience was never his strong point and it was why he hated dealing with kids.

    "What''s your name?"

    "Inosuke is Inosuke!!" the boy answered with the widest grin. His teeth were somehow white and almost glittering like Tengen''s.

    "Where are your parents kid?"

    "What''s parents?"

    "huh?" Sanmei narrowed his eyes and asked again, not used to dealing with someone stupider than him, "Mother, where is your mother?"

    Innosuke pointed at the boar head beside his leg and said, "She died a long time ago,"

    Sanemi had so many questions about that but he questioned whether he had the patience to tackle the issue or not.

    "How did you learn breathing style? Who taught you?"

    "What''s that? Can you eat it?"

    In the end, he didn''t have much patience.

    "Just follow me, kid, I''ll take you to someone with patience," Sanemi said and walked away from the place.

    "Wait!! You said you would give me more of those white things!!" Inosuke yelled.

    "There will be plenty where we are going," Sanemi replied and that was enough to convince Inosuke to follow him.

    ..

    ..

    "What do you think you''re doing?!" Sanemi yelled, a few minutes into the journey. He tried in vain to get Inosuke off his shoulder.

    "Big beast carry Inosuke!"

    "Do you think I''m a horse? I am not carrying you!!" Sanemi grabbed Inosuke by the neck and held him in front of his face.

    "But mother carry Inosuke," he said with huffs.

    "I am not your mother either!!" Sanemi threw the boy into the distance to which, Inosuke just howled in excitement.

    "I''m flying!!"

    The joyous yell quickly died though and a crashing sound erupted. This was followed by birds flying away in fright.

    They were chaos every step of the way and it was said that their sound frightened away many animals of their natural habitat.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Mountain God Inosuke finally here.

    You know, I read MHA fics these days and I really want to write one again. Just wondering if people still remember the Symbol of Power? I wrote that four years ago and it was my first serious fanfic that was not one shot or short story.

    I am thinking of rewriting the thing.

 Chapter 146: New Era and players

    Chapter 146 - New Era and players[3rd POV]

    "Come down here right this instance!!" Jigoro screamed in rage while looking up at a tall tree on the hill.

    Actually, the tree was not so tall but his short height made it look like so.

    "NO! I''d rather stay here than swing the sword one more time," A young boy with yellow hair replied with tears and snot on his face. He was genuinely afraid to come down from the tree.

    "If you don''t come down young man, you will stay on that tree the whole night!" Jigroro screamed louder, "I swear I won''t open the door for you!"

    "That''s fine. I will live here now. I will be part of nature, spending my days in one place and resting forever," Zenitsu replied, tightening his hug on the tree so that he could merge with nature.

    "Oh, the demons would love that, wouldn''t they? Sure you will become nature but that would be through becoming demon''s shit! Rest in peace!!" Jigoro said finally before he turned around to leave.

    "Whatever, good luck!"

    "No wait!! You can''t leave me here! You won''t leave me here!" Zenitsu reached out, trying to stop Jigoro as he walked away from the tree.

    "I''m basically your grandson!"

    You would think that after being hit by lighting due to climbing a tree, he would stop but no, Zenistu''s cowardice and laziness defied all expectations.

    "I don''t give a rat''s ass and neither will the demons!" Jigoro waved without turning around.

    In the end, Zenitsu climbed down the tree in such a hurry that he fell down. Hearing that, Jigoro immediately turned around and ran up to the boy he considered a grandson with eyes full of concern.

    "Zenitsu!! Zenitsu my boy are you alright!" Jigoro scrambled in panic when the boy did not move and remained unconscious on the ground.

    No, wait a minute.

    "Damn BRAT!!" Jigoro punched his guts and Zenitsu immediately stopped pretending with a scream of pain.

    "You think you can fool this veteran with your lousy tricks!!" Jigoro raised his walking staff to beat the boy but he slipped the attack and ran away to save his skin.

    "You merciless old goat!" Zenitsu ran while screaming.

    "Why you brat!!" Jigoro followed.

    The chase continued for a few minutes until Jigoro smirked, deciding it to be enough.

    "Thunder Breathing : First form,"

    "Thunderclap and flash!!"

    An explosion erupted from his only leg and Jigoro shot out like a bullet. Zenitsu turned back to see his master coming closer and closer rapidly and with a scream that sounded like a girl''s he shot out too.

    "Thunder Breathing : First Form!"

    *BOOOM!!*

    *BOOOM!!*

    Zenitsu used the same breathing style to run away and the chase continued. They blitz around the forest, leaving cracks of thunder in their wake. One mistake could lead to the end of the race since they were moving so quickly.

    Jigoro had his experience while Zenitsu had his youth and two legs. They were nearly equal in speed as the chase continued until the sun fell low on the horizon.

    This was the type of training Zenitsu required. The young boy was none the wiser about the fact that Jigoro had tricked him into training hard yet again.

    The old man had nothing but a proud smirk throughout the day. After lighting struck Zenitsu, he was the second most talented pupil he ever had. The first place was reserved for the purple boy that he met years ago.

    "Haaa....haaa....haaaa..." Zenitsu breathed like the air was limited resources. He was lying in front of their house and you could see two big lumps on his head from the beating he received from Jigoro.

    Jigoro too could barely hold on. He put on a mask of confidence despite wanting to pass out. That was just how talented Zenitsu was without even trying.

    "Go on, wash yourself while I prepare dinner. We will sleep early tonight!!"

    "Wait really!!" Zenitsu immediately shot up with excitement. It would seem that he was putting on the act of being exhausted again so that Jigoro wouldn''t sentence him to more training after catching him.

    "Yes, we will be traveling North, to the Demon Slayer Headquarters and the Butterfly Mansion. There is someone I want us to meet,"

    An old student whom he heard was injured in his battle with the Demon King recently. It was a long time since he met that scary boy.

    It would also do good for Zenitsu to meet the pillars of humanity. Maybe he would be more motivated after seeing them.

    The war was changing. The Demon King revealed himself and he was even forced to flee in the battle of Gifu - The Failed Purge.

    Humanity had reached a point they had never seen before and the demons would undoubtedly fight back. The creatures of the night would do more than hunt to eat, they would hunt solely to kill.

    In such times, the future generations need to be stronger than ever.

    He looked at Zenitsu who was skipping happily to wash himself near the well. He smiled and thought to himself that at least the Thunder Pillar would not need to worry about the next generation.

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [3rd POV]

    (Infinity Castle)

    When Akaza suddenly found himself in the unfamiliar room of the Infinity Castle, the only thing he could think of was how he was expecting it.

    He had been expecting a summon ever since he heard of that hilarious news about what happened between their master and the humans.

    The humans of this generation had proved themselves again and again to be unlike their predecessors. They were more than just prey they could hunt, they were enemies.

    Although it was a bad situation, Akaza had a hard time thinking so.

    He was filled with nothing but a thirst for battle. He wanted to see these humans which could make Muzan Kibutsuji retreat from a fight.

    Akaza stopped his train of thought when he felt a tug in his brain. It was guiding him to a place where they would meet.

    He jumped on room after room, sometimes staying in place to allow the natural shifting of the rooms to carry him to his destination until eventually, he came upon Muzan and the remaining Upper Moon.

    "Kokushibo...." Akaza spat out when he unexpectedly locked eyes with the Upper Moon 1.

    Kokushibo had never shown himself before but now here he was, standing amongst them with his hands on his sword like an active warrior.

    ''Wait,'' Akaza blinked when he sensed the thirst for battle, similar to his, emanating from Kokushino.

    For as long as he remembered, Kokushibo was nothing but a ball of nothingness and stoicism. He was an unmoving layer of power that he would surpass one day.

    But strangely, Kokushibo felt like a fellow warrior today.

    ... Akazak nearly vibrated with excitement because of that.

    "You have finally gathered," Muzan''s voice emanated throughout the dimension. He was sitting in front of a business table, looking through the papers as if his underlings were not worth his whole attention.

    It was funny actually, that he was trying to act so intimidating after he had run away from humans with tails between his leg-

    The thought alone cost his head. Akaza moved in time to catch his own head as it rolled off his neck.

    "Do not test my patience with your insolence, Akaza," Muzan said, his crimson eyes locking on the demon and bringing him to his knees.

    Akaza felt his entire body burn up like he was drowning in lava. Every cell of his body was not of his own and they screamed at him to remind him that. He was owned by another entity.

    Pain so immense flowed through his nerves. It was enough to drive a sane mind insane.

    But Akaza released absolutely no sound.

    ..

    ..

    Even with such defiance still in his eyes, the pain receded after a few minutes. Muzan raised an eyebrow at his unbreakable will.

    "I hope you show the same spirit against the Hashira," he said idly.

    Muzan''s eyes fell on the Upper Moon once more, or at least what remained of it. The Upper Moon was lacking in number and that was one of his main issues. If he were to attack the humans again, he needed his whole army.

    Kokoshibo, Akaza, Hantengu and Nakime. Those were the only existing Upper Moon at the moment.

    "Listen carefully and heed my command," Muzan began and the four demons could feel every cell in their freezing and obeying his words.

    "You shall set out on a mission to seek out powerful demons to become one of the Twelve Kizukis. Make a new demon, train the existing ones, whatever you do I do not care. It is time we fill our ranks again." Muzan said. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "And from today onwards, there shall be no more Lower Moon. I shall grant my blood to all that could take it, and not only to those who deserve it,"

    Muzan Kibutsuji could have more than six Upper Moons. There were demons in the Lower Moons who were strong enough to absorb more blood from him but all this time he had been favoring quality over quantity. It was a show of his perfectionism.

    But not was not time for such pickiness.

    Now was the time to prepare for war.

    "I shall give you a year. Do not disappoint me,"

    ..

    ..

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I''m in the middle of board exam????????.

    I will update another Chapter soon so give me stones. I don''t think anyone else will write Chapters while facing board exams.

 Chapter 147: Do you know the way?

    Chapter 147 - Do you know the way?[Seiji''s POV]

    (1 week after the battle)

    I watched the stars compete with the dawn. Darkness ended as the sun peeked beyond the horizon like a curious child. Its bright light reflected on the green leaves and the sparkles of dew.

    The black and frigid night was dying, swallowed by the first lights of day. The scene was worth a billion yen. The sunrise symbolizes a new beginning, a new hope and another chance to make things right.

    The scene was a much-needed therapy for me.

    I became increasingly comfortable as the cold, wet roof of the mansion slowly warmed to match my body heat. I felt my muscles relax and get accustomed to sitting after a week of lying in bed.

    The cold winter air numbed most sensations in my wounds, so I did not feel pain. The warm sunlight brushed against my skin, making a nice contrast with the cool air.

    I remained in my place as minutes passed. The sun had fully emerged above the mountain range in the horizon and dawn turned into early morning.

    I finally felt movement beside me. There was almost no disturbance from the action which goes to show how exceptional the person was in the art of movement.

    I saw a familiar black hair when I rolled my eyes to the side.

    "You know, I don''t really like it when my patient who was unconscious for six days suddenly disappeared out of the blue," Shinobu chided softly while standing on the roof beside me.

    "Sorry," I said. "I didn''t want to wake them up, they looked tired,"

    I was talking about Mitsuri and Kanae who slept on a futon beside my bed. They were sleeping so peacefully when I woke up, I didn''t want to disturb them.

    "They''ve been waiting for you to wake up for nearly a week. I''m sure they wouldn''t mind," Shinobu said.

    I hummed.

    I agreed but at the same time there was also another reason why I didn''t bother to wake them up.

    I was not ready to fake a smile yet. I was not ready to lie and tell them that I was fine. I was in no position to soothe their worries.

    Right now, I still feel like a bitch. The phantom of the battle still marked my spirit. Even now, my eyes couldn''t help but move to every movement around the forest, searching for conflict.

    "How are you feeling?" Shinobu asked from the side. A reassuring smile you would see on a nurse was on her face.

    "How do you think I feel after I failed so spectacularly?" I asked back with a sigh.

    "You didn''t fail though? You saved a family and managed to hurt the Demon King to the point of running away," she said.

    "You make it sound like a win but it isn''t," I said and paused thoughtfully.

    "Why not?" she pressed, curious in a way that she wanted to know the source of my problem so she could fix it.

    "Because success is subjective. You may see it as a win but I see it as the ultimate failure. The cost of whatever I achieved was too much," I said and paused.

    If I wanted to save the Kamado family, I could do that by convincing them to move away or telling them the truth from the start. This option was complicated and would cause drama, but it was a safer alternative.

    Hurting Muzan to the point of running away? That was a laughable way to look at it. I just put fuel to the fire and it burned my friend. Now Muzan knew about us, he knew about my Sun Breathing and he knew to be cautious.

    I killed his ego - his greatest weakness.

    I took a risk for the ultimate reward, and I failed spectacularly. I didn''t earn anything, and I didn''t save anyone. I put a dam in front of a tsunami so that it may become a bigger threat later.

    "I failed to kill Muzan, and condemned my friend to the cruellest fate," I said to the girl who patiently listened.

    Her eyes softened. She looked at me with such a gentle gaze that I would have felt better had I stared back, so I looked away.

    "You don''t have to be so hard on yourself. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes," she said while sitting down next to me. Her small hand found a place on my back and she rubbed it reassuringly.

    We all make mistakes. Failure paves the road to success. No one is perfect.

    They are different quotes with the same meaning and I hated them to the core.

    Because why?

    Why must I fail? Why must I make a mistake? Why am I not perfect? Is it inevitable?

    What if I worked every second of the day? What if I tried everything I could possibly do? What if I do everything that could be done?

    Was I still destined to fail? To make mistakes?

    "I can''t afford that," I admitted with a weak voice. I was not even sure if I spoke out.

    "Because I am the strongest. If I fail, what about everyone else?" I asked.

    I was the strongest and I was the only one with the future knowledge. I held the sole responsibility. The saddest thing about that was I had no one to rely on. Not in a way that really mattered. Even in this situation, it is up to me to own up to my failures and fix the mess I had caused.

    Even if others fail, I can''t do the same. Or else I would be too guilty.

    ....

    Would it have been better if I died alongside my family that night? If I had not interfered, things would proceed as fate wills it to be and then everything would be fine. There will be sacrifices but it will end in humanity''s victory.

    What if in my attempt to erase those sacrifices, I make things worse? I would''ve challenged fate only to destroy everything I tried to protect.

    So, would it be better if I didn''t exist?

    Those were thoughts that would shatter any man.

    Failure on the road to success always hits hard. But for me, it hit harder and miles harsher. S��arch* The nov��lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "...."

    "...."

    I wait for Shinobu to talk again. I was not expecting wisdom that could help my situation but I also didn''t expect her to give up. I thought she''d at least try to say something again.

    "You got nothing?" I said with dry humour.

    "Nope. You''re right, you are the strongest," she said, "How should I rebuke that? I''m just a girl,"

    She fakes vulnerability and weakness in her tone. Too bad I knew how badshit insane she was and what lengths she was willing to go for revenge. She was not just a girl.

    "It scared me a bit you know," she admitted, "I thought, if Seiji and four other Hashira''s failed to bring him down alone, do we really have a chance?"

    I smiled at the honesty. That was the effect of being the strongest. You either bring hope or the darkest despair. There was no in-between.

    "But not anymore," she said.

    "??" I raised my brow in question.

    "The blood samples and tissues we collected from the war," she said and a grin spread her innocent face, "They aren''t disappearing,"

    "!!!!!"

    "For the longest time, studying demons was difficult because every mark they left on the world died with them. And the ones we can catch and contain are too weak to be proper research materials. But this time. we finally have ones that did not disintegrate and it is the source itself, Muzan''s cell,"

    ''How?''

    The question reverberated in my head but the answer was obvious. Sun Breathing and the Red Blade

    Somehow, I was able to cut off not the control Muzan had over his body when I sliced him up. It made sense when I thought about how Sun Breathing could leave permanent weakness on his body.

    It destroy the control Muzan had which ultimately made it hard for him to regenerate like the ret of his body.

    "That means we are finally able to create more effective poison for the demons or ways to revert the demonification," she said

    I stood up abruptly, in equal shock and euphoria.

    "Oh god, that''s genius!!" I laughed.

    The only reason Muzan was defeated in the manga was poison. Muzan was given a poison that would revert him into a human and he had to age himself for thousand of years constantly to fight that back. It was hinted that even if he were to survive the battle, he would die from the poison sooner or later.

    They only had that by the end of the manga but now, with my so-called failure, we could get it sooner.

    Suppose a medicine that could revert demons back to humans was created like in the canon. It would be so much easier to deal with the Upper Moon and even Muzan himself.

    It was a new weapon. A new way to fight the demons other than nichirin sword and raw power.

    This could change the whole war and would lead to humanity''s eventual victory.

    I pulled Shinobu by her hand in my moment of hope and joy. She yelped and leaned on me.

    It proved not too wise to lean on an injured man who just woke up. I slipped on the floor which was wet from dew and we rolled down the roof and fell to the ground.

    "You''re crazy!!" Shinobu yelled while I laughed.

    I could see it again.

    Hope and a way to win.

    I knew once more what I had to do. I must travel back to Tokyo and invite- no even force Lady Tamayo into working with Shinobu.

    I felt the world stop pressing me down. Shinobu laid on top of my chest with a blush on her face and I couldn''t help but kiss her head.

    "Thank you,"

    ..

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Join my patreon to support me. The moon tier in specific has 8 advanced Chapter instead of 5 due to my small break so is a steal I guess.

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 148: Butterfly Mansion

    Chapter 148 - Butterfly Mansion[Seiji''s POV]

    "Seiji! What are you doing!?" Mitsuri screamed when she saw me rolling around the ground with Shinobu.

    She wore a loose kimono that was dishevelled from sleeping. The fabric nearly revealed her pink nipples which was oddly lewder than seeing her nude.

    "Good morning Mitsuri!!" I greeted her with a wide smile that I did not fake. She was caught off guard by my jolly mood but she eventually returned a smile of her own - sweeter than mine even when she was not trying.

    "Good morning, Seiji. I wonder if you are going to make sleeping for a week the norm," she said in a huff.

    Shinobu crawled off my body so I stood up and made my way to her. My hands found her huggable waist and I lifted her up on the ground.

    She released a cute yelp when I twirled around.

    "What''s with the good mood?" she asked between peals of giggles.

    "Nothing. I''m just happy to see you,"

    "Liar, if you did you wouldn''t have left when you woke up," she said and I put her back on the ground.

    "Sorry about that. I didn''t want to wake you up from your beauty sleep," I said, and she hummed.

    "You should''ve kissed me to wake me up,"

    "Like sleeping beauty?"

    "Like sleeping beauty." she smiled.

    So I kissed her on the lips. It was quick and soft. "I''ll keep that in mind next time,"

    I left her blushing red when I saw Kanae awake and sitting on her futon, carefully listening to our sounds. I needed to greet her too.

    "...."

    "W-why are you staring!?" Mitsuri asked Shinobu shamefully after I left.

    Shinobu continued staring at her thoughtfully before she put on a fake smile. Her insect-like eyes glazed over with a light from pooling wetness.

    "Nothing, just thinking how sweet that was," she said and giggled at Mitsuri''s fidgeting body. "It makes me jealous. A little bit,"

    "W-What?" Mitsuri was shocked, "Do you have someone you like too?"

    "Yes, actually," Shinobu said and showed her hand in a ''but what can I do'' gesture. "I found him first but two girls came along and hogged him all to themselves just because they have bigger boobs,"

    "Ha!!" Mitsuri widened her eyes and opened her mouth dramatically. "How shameless of them," she looked genuinely offended for her sake.

    "Don''t worry Shinobu, I will beat them up for you," she said with a flex of her arm.

    Shinobu barely held back an explosive laughter. She covered her lips with her fingers to release stifled laughs.

    "Thank you Mitsuiri, that means a lot to me,"

    "Of course! What they did was just unfair," she huffed.

    ....

    "I didn''t hear you getting out of bed at all," Kanae said when I approached her.

    "I can be really quiet when I want to," I said but she didn''t seem to believe that coming from someone who constantly lost the blind games.

    "Your voice sounds lighter than I expected. That''s good," she said. I sat down on the futon and tucked myself under the warm blanket like she was.

    She was wearing a grey kimono as well, similar to Mitsuri''s. Her long legs folded and shivered when my cold legs wrapped around them. Her toes curled cutely to pinch me as revenge for getting her cold.

    "My sister made it sound like you were wounded mentally more than you were physically so I was worried," she said.

    "I was, but I learned how to see things differently, and I am working on fixing everything," I said. However, there was still unease and strain in my heart when I thought about Rengoku.

    The room - my room was not plain and hollow like it used to be after two girls stayed for a week. I found new furniture, like a small table and shelves that held decorations.

    There were plenty of pots with beautiful flowers in them. There was also a potted snake plant to filter the air of the room and act as a natural AC.

    "I see you messed up my room while I was asleep," I joked.

    "You mean fixed right? Now it doesn''t look like the room of madness guy," she said.

    "Well, I had nothing to prove when I have two beautiful women,"

    "Cheeky," she said and I finally found the most comfortable place on her warm and supple thighs. I sanwitched my face between them, face down.

    Would it be weird if I took a big whiff?

    "Stop that, it''s weird," she answered my mental question but I was too deaf to hear her. Her fingers grabbed my hair and contrary to what she was saying, she pushed me down, and my head sank deeper into her softness.

    She used to be more muscle than fat but after she stopped training, she had become significantly softer.

    We stayed like that for a long time. At one point Kanae just hummed and massaged my scalp with her fingers. My hair had grown quite long since the start of winter and I intend to keep them long this time.

    I thought it''d be a nice change of style- who am I kidding? I was letting them grow so that Muzan would have more PTSD when he looked at me.

    "You know, I had a whole speech ready to get you out of your depressive mental state, when you wake up," Kanae said after she turned my face to look at her.

    I turned my head to bury my face once more.

    "You can still say it if you want," I said, my voice muffled in her thighs. It seemed to tickle her as she shivered from the vibration.

    Now she hurriedly turned my face again, her action a little harsher this time. She didn''t want things to escalate or she wouldn''t be able to control herself.

    So I laid on her thighs, my eyes looking up but I never saw her face. It was completely blocked by the mountain on her chest. I only saw her face when she peeked down. It looked like the sun peeking out of a twin mountain.

    This way is better too.

    "You are right, I will say it anyway," she said seriously and started her prepared speech.

    And for what I am worth, I focused on her lips instead of the jiggling goodness right above me. I wanted to listen to what she had to say.

    Soon, I was glad that I did.

    "So don''t you ever question yourself due to your mistakes. No matter how much you blame yourself, and question your purpose, remember that you saved me and I will be forever grateful,"

    That completely crushed the question gnawing at me. Would it have been better if I didn''t exist?

    She is right, even if saving her was the only good thing I did, every second of my life would be worth it.

    She was that precious.

    That was only one part of her speech as well. She had many things to say to me. I guess it was her way of trying to help as much as she could now that she was incapable of fighting.

    I love her to death for that.

    ..

    ..

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "Oh!! Lord Shigan you are awake," A sweeper of the Butterfly Mansion said. The old man had been at this job since before Kanae was the Lord of the mansion.

    "I must say it is reassuring to see you. I''ve heard about the Failed Purge and I was worried you might be in a worse condition after facing the Demon King," he said with a laugh reminiscent of Santa Clause.

    "Still calling me Lord huh? We''ve known each other long enough, just call me Seiji," I said in return.

    "How could I? The least I can do is show respect after all you have done Lord Shigan,"

    He blinked his eyes as if remembering something, "Please, can you wait just a second?"

    He dropped his broom on the floor near the pile of sand and trash before he ran inside the small cabin in the Butterfly Compound. When he came back, he was holding a small net which contained eggs.

    "Here, take this," he said and I took it with a small bow.

    "Thank you," I said and looked at the eggs curiously. They were a bit different from chicken eggs. They were bigger with thicker shells and had a curious blue colour.

    "Those are duck eggs. They should help in your recovery," he said and my eyes softened.

    He did not play a major role in my life but he was always there, practically watching me grow in the mansion.

    "It''s the least I can do after you chase off the Demon King. I''ve never heard such splendid news in over a decade. Although I am curious, what was he like?"

    "Coward," I said and put down my eggs.

    "I''d expect as much," he said, "Anyhow, I''ve taken enough of your time. Good luck in the future,"

    "And to you too," I said with a small bow, rolling a name in my mouth.

    "Mr.Tagashi,"

    He laughed heartily and walked away to sweep some other corner of the mansion. S~ea??h the ��ovelFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I glanced at the eggs in my hand and looked around curiously. Eventually, I spotted a small girl who was hanging clothes on the north side of the compound. She was looking at me curiously so I waved at her.

    She seemed to be shy as she quickly hid behind her hanging blankets and clothes. She was a recent member of the mansion. Aoi Kanzaki if I was not mistaken. She got along with Kanao and only Kanao for now.

    I walked back into the building and walked through the corridors of the mansion. The Mansion was gigantic in size with many buildings connected to each other. I made my way to the main hospital ward of the mansion.

    ...

    "Lord Shigan!!"

    Some of the patients who were lying on the bed flinched like I was a demon and they greeted me. I could see respect and reverence on their faces.

    "Stop it please, you don''t have to be so formal," I said while walking across the room and checking the beds and the few patients lying on it.

    Some of the patients groaned and flopped back on the bed. They had reacted instinctively even with their broken body so when pain returned, they whimpered in agony.

    One glace was enough for my eyes to register their injury. I did notice however that I felt a mild headache when I used my eyes like that again. It seemed I was not in perfect condition yet.

    I stopped at the furthest bed away from the entrance. The bed was located just beside the exit of the room.

    "I know you," I said to the young man lying on the bed. I remembered him because he was even younger than me.

    "You came last time with a broken toe," which he stubbed while running from a demon apparently. Must''ve hurt like a bitch.

    "Ah, that''s me. I didn''t think you would recognize me Lord Shigan," he said. He had dirty blond hair and was a user of the Thunder BReathing.

    I tried to recall his name and quickly realized he hadn''t told me before so I asked, "What''s your name?"

    "Sazasuka,"

    There used to be a point in time when I did not want to learn the name of lower-ranked Demon Slayers, fearing that I would grieve when I heard about their demise which was very possible. But I had grown past that.

    "What are you here for, Sazasuka?" I asked since I could not see injuries on him.

    "...Diarrhea," he said and blushed in complete shame.

    I could barely hold back my laugh. Before he stubbed his toe and now diarrhoea. He had the strangest reasons to be here.

    Although diarrhoea was not that rare when I thought about it. Many had to rely on the forest for food during long missions and if you didn''t know what you were doing, you could get sick easily. He was young and inexperienced so I could understand.

    It was why I always preferred meat in my missions. You could not go wrong with freshly hunted meat.

    "So that''s why you sleep on the bed near the exit even when it''s far away from the rest of your comrades," I asked and he nodded in shame.

    "Get well soon," I said and took out one duck egg from the net.

    "Here, should help you recover," I said and tossed the egg at him.

    "Don''t eat it raw or else your case will be worse," I said and walked out of the ward.

    I continued my journey to the southernmost room of the Mansion. The place was significantly more isolated and there were storage and water tanks here. I knew exactly where to go courtesy of Kanae.

    I walked inside a room that used to be a storage for old medical equipment but it was now renovated to be a normal room which was clean but very plain.

    "Shibi.." I called her when I saw her standing beside a table that had a microscope and a few tubes and glasses that had blood samples.

    My eyes drifted to the bed in the room and I froze when I saw the sleeping Rengoku.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE(Warning NSFW) ]

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    Author : I have but two words.

    Stones!! Patreon!!

 Chapter 149: Not so peaceful recovery

    Chapter 149 - Not so peaceful recovery[Seiji''s POV]

    After a week had passed, there was no longer humanity in his form. My eyes searched in vain, analyzing every pulsing cell for a bit of humanity but I found none.

    He was a demon, in every sense of the word.

    I hated that.

    I hate that I hated that.

    My absolute hatred for demons worked against my intention. Every single part of me other than my heart was utterly disgusted just looking at him.

    I''m a horrible person and a worse friend. I couldn''t help it.

    I released a shivering breath. I realized then that my lungs ache due to the lack of breath.

    "I guess we need to work on that," I said to myself. I had been fanning my hate for demons all my life and I found no reason to fix that issue. It even became my main source of strength.

    But now I had a reason to stop. A reason to become sane again.

    I slowly approached Rengoku, stopping only when I was right beside him. I leaned down cautiously and got close to his sleeping face.

    "It''s you, right?" I asked and reached out my hand to touch him. I hesitated for a second before my fingers pressed his pale and cold face.

    My hand continued to caress his face and with every second of contact, I realized that he was still my friend. He was still the Rengoku I knew, just in a different form.

    As a warrior who trained his body all his life to kill demons, I untrained myself to see the person before me for who he really was. I learned to see in a demon the human they were before.

    The demon on the bed was not the one who took my family, he was not the one who threatened what I held dear, he had nothing to do with it.

    It was just him. Rengoku.

    My friend.

    "Are you okay?"

    The words seemed to be an awakening call to my trance as I retracted my hand quickly. I flinched back a bit.

    "Yes, I''m fine," I said, shaking my head to clear my messy thoughts.

    "How is he still sleeping?" I turned to her and asked curiously.

    Demon regeneration meant that they could not only heal external injuries but also poison in their body. It was for this reason that no other poison other than wisteria worked on them.

    Normally, they could never be put to sleep for long either. No matter how much dosage you use, it could be enough to knock out a whale, you couldn''t put demons to sleep for long.

    "It''s a new type of....medicine that I made from my research," Shinobu said while gesturing to the table beside her. It had the blood and tissue samples of both Muzan and Rengoku.

    "I see, that makes sense," I said and turned back to Rengoku.

    It would also make sense if he just never woke up. I remember that Nezuko slept a lot when she first became a demon. I think she was asleep for years at one point.

    "It''s good that he remains asleep," I said. It was better this way, until we made a cure or until the Blue Spider Lily Blooms.

    If he woke up, it could jeopardize the location of the Butterfly Mansion and I was certain that Muzan would waste no time pulling up with all the Twelve Kizukis if that happened. So I''d prefer him asleep and unconscious.

    "Do you think you can find a cure?" I asked her to which she stayed silent for almost a minute, seriously contemplating my question because she did not want falsehood.

    "I can, but it will take time. A long time," she admitted.

    ''That''s why we need Tamayo,'' my mind said immediately. Shinobu was a genius but the most she ever did was try to create better poison to kill humans, she never needed to find a cure to turn demons back into humans.

    On the other hand, Lady Tamayao had time to study and experiment for hundreds of years.

    I must go find Tamayo immediately after I recover my strength.

    I stayed in the room for the whole day, contemplating my future plans and facing my problem head-on. By the time I left, I noticed the burden of my heart lessen.

    The bitter hate in my heart changed for my friend.

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    (The next day)

    "Where is it!! Where are the promised white balls?!" The speaker was a boy smaller than his age due to starvation and lack of proper nutrition. He had the skin of a boar''s head on his head.

    "RICE!! RICE!! ITS RICE!! How many times do I have to tell you that?!" A familiar face yelled back with equal vigour, Sanemi.

    "MICE!!" the boy bellowed, with all the confidence in the world.

    "It''s RICE!!" Sanemi corrected again.

    "LICE!!"

    "RICE!!"

    "eyes?"

    "R-I-C-E."

    ...

    "....."

    The boy seemed to be in deep thought. You could almost hear gears shifting into place inside his head. Then something clicked.

    "Snow pebbles," he said eventually.

    "That was not even close!!" Sanemi yelled in frustration. I saw his blood pressure rise sharply and his veins bulged.

    "AHHH!! rice, mice, dice, nice- I don''t care!! Just give me my food!!" the boy yelled back, steam coming out from his boar nose.

    *BONK!!*

    Eventually, Sanemi snapped and bonked the poor boy on his head. The boy''s head smashed into the ground and for a second, I was worried but the boy bounced right back.

    "Self Defense : Hog-quake!!" the boy inhaled air sharply and jumped at Sanemi like a wild beast. We were all surprised by that because the boy had used a breathing style, the question was what.

    A chaotic scuffle ensued between them. True to its name, the boy shook Sanemi''s head to make him dizzy. His small stature cling to his body like a wild monkey and Sanemi had a hard time tearing him off.

    "...."

    "...."

    "What the fuck," I could only say as the event took place in the courtyard.

    Kanae who sat beside me on the veranda laughed out loud and asked, "Is that your friend?"

    "Nope," I denied fast, "Must be Shibi''s,"

    "Nope, never seen him before in my life," Shinobu denied fast too. She looked up from the book in her hand and smiled in amusement.

    "I thought I would have a peaceful healing session but I guess it couldn''t be helped. The idiot brought home an idiot,"

    "I heard you scar-face!!" Sanemi screamed.

    We laughed.

    ''But Innosuke huh?'' I thought to myself while looking at the small boy.

    Interesting.

    ..

    ...

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Double Chapter cuz this one is smaller than my dick

    Sear?h the Nov��l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 150: More guests?

    Chapter 150 - More guests?[Seiji''s POV]

    "A lost kid in the jungle who could somehow use a unique Breathing Style," I said thoughtfully, digesting the information I read off Sanemi''s lips.

    "Was that why you brought him with you?"

    "He was starving too," Sanemi said, "Food is scarce in winter, a kid had no business staying alone in the forest. As you can see, he is already quite thin so I thought it best to bring him with me,"

    That was unexpectedly kind of Sanemi, people must think. Well, people did not know he had one of the biggest hearts among the Hashira. A big heart that was twisted and wounded a long time ago but it still had room for kindness.

    Kanae sat beside me, leaning on my shoulder while her fingers intertwined with mine in assurance of my presence. Shinobu sat on the opposite side, a few feet of distance between us. She was reading a book about biology in light of her research but now her eyes were focused on Sanemi and the boy.

    "That''s unexpected. I thought he was your child or something," Shinobu commented in amusement and he replied just like she expected.

    "The fuck? How old do you think I am? And this kid looked NOTHING like me," he said, the kid blew out steam from his nose and nodded. They were in synch.

    "So then what are you planning to do with him? Are you going to train him, take him in as your first Tsuguko perhaps?" I raised an eyebrow. I never really expected Sanemi to find Innosuke, nothing of the sort was mentioned in the manga so this must be a butterfly effect.

    I wondered what he was planning to do with him.

    "I-...." Sanemi tried to speak but words caught on his throat. He was speechless for a few seconds before I quickly caught on to why.

    "You...You were not trying to dump the kid here and leave, were you?" Sear?h the Nov��l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Of course...not," More yes than yes. I could see that he never thought this through and now that he did, it seemed unreasonable to drop a kid he himself found in the forest into another hand.

    He should have the responsibility since he took the kid with him.

    "What do you think this is? An orphanage?"

    "I said I didn''t try to do it!!" Sanemi snapped sharply, "But I don''t understand your problem, you have Kanao, Aoi, and Muichiro and I heard even the Kamado kid is going to come here, what''s one more?"

    "One more?'' I asked with a raised eyebrow before my gaze shifted to his back. Sanemi, confused looked beside him and quickly noticed the absence of the kid he brought with him.

    "What the?!" he looked behind him, just in time to see Insoku running along the tall fence, chasing our cat.

    "Don''t run food!" Insokue was perfectly balanced as he ran in the small line that was the top of the fence.

    Our poor cat, on the older side, ran for its life after nearly a decade of safe domestication.

    We all watched, speechless in our own way.

    "That''s at least a dozen kid''s worth of trouble," I said. Sanemi was fuming and he quickly chased down Insokue, held him by the back of his neck and put him back in his previous place.

    "Come here," I said with command in my tone before Inosuke could bark back at Sanemi.

    The young boy stilled at my voice, he turned to me and stared. I did not move my gaze as I penetrated through the mask and stared directly at his eyes.

    The staredown took a long time. Inosuke remained frozen but as time went on, you could see nervous sweat on him, even his boar head.

    In the end, the boy obediently came up to me and stood before me in a docile posture. On my part, I could only praise his instinct.

    "Take off your mask," I said and the boy froze once more.

    "Don''t bother, he never wants to take the mask off. Trust me, I''ve asked," Sanemi commented at the back.

    But contrary to what he said, Insokue swiftly took off the mask.

    "WHAT!!" Sanemi fumed.

    When the boar mask was taken off, it revealed a delicate face that looked even younger than his body. He looked like a cute baby still even tho I knew that he was not.

    The skin on his face was impeccable, unblemished by the rough forest due to wearing the mask consistently during his life.

    "What does he look like?" Kanae tugged at my hand when she felt the atmosphere and I gave a brief description to her before I spoke to the boy again.

    "What''s your name?"

    Inosuke''s dolly face finally pinched into an emotion. It was a rough expression that did not befit his elegant face.

    "Inoskue is Inosuke!" he said.

    "Okay, how old your you?"

    "I don''t know,"

    "Well..." I said and my eyes shone purple even during the day. It was true that the boy did not know his age since he never had real parents so I looked it myself.

    "You''ve turned twelve," I said.

    Insokue was nearly two years younger than his fellow generation Demon Slayer - Zenitsu and Tanjiro. But even still, Insokue right now looked even smaller and younger than his age.

    I guess puberty had not hit him yet and his rough living conditions situation had not supported much growth.

    "Inoskue is twelve years old!!" he declared with a smile.

    I chuckled, "I see. Then can you tell me where you learned how to fight like that? Where did you learn how to do.." I stopped and perfectly replicated his breathing style but I did it with such force that you could hear the rushing of air from my nose.

    "..that?"

    For the record, Insokue showed surprise on his face. His eyes widened and he just stared in awe for a while before he grinned like a fox.

    "Inosuke saw the animals do it and made his own!" he said and that aligned with what I know.

    "So he created the breathing style himself?" Shinobu asked with a surprised blink, "Without an instruction?"

    "Seems like it...scary talent," I said.

    I took a closer look at his body and noted its extraordinary build. He was starved but his tendons and bone structure were leagues superior to a normal human. I deemed his potential to be easily Hashira level.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to take him as a student instead?" I met Sanemi''s eyes, "Or have you not noticed it?"

    "Of course, I''ve noticed it," he scoffed but he did not answer my actual question. He fell into a thoughtful silence instead.

    "What is it?" Kanae whispered curiously. She could no longer see so she needed often to be informed of what was happening.

    "Other than being talented, the Breathing Style that Inosuke created, is awfully similar to Wind Breathing," I whispered back but it was still loud enough for the Shinobu to hear as well.

    "We don''t have to discuss it right now, you can go clean up and rest first," I said after the silence stretched too long. Sanemi grumbled in agreement and I yelled inside the mansion.

    "Aoi!!!"

    It did not take long for the young girl to come to me. She was similar to Inosuke''s age but she was slightly bigger than the jungle boy.

    "Take Sanemi and Insoku inside, give them food and show them the bathhouse," I said to which Aoi nodded and gestured for the two of them to follow her.

    "Behave Insokue and don''t break anything," I told the boy to which he put on his mask and breath out steam for an answer.

    They walked away but before they got too far, Sanemi turned back to me and said.

    "It''s good to see you well Seiji,"

    I smiled.

    ..

    ..

    ////////////////////////

    The morning rolled around and the afternoon came before we even realized it. The Mansion was a little more chaotic than usual since three Hashiras were there.

    Everything remained the same for us but it was the other residents that were uneasy. The weight of a Hashira was heavy to them and seeing three at one place was amazing for them.

    Insuke finally got the rice he craved so badly and after eating enough till his stomach was bloated like he was pregnant, he fell asleep like a log in the guest room.

    On the other hand, Sanemi came out, looking more civil than you would expect with the green kimono. We all had lunch together, me, Sanemi, Shinobu and Kanae.

    Unfortunately, Mitsuri had gone out for duty early at dawn. She stayed with me for the whole week that I was out so now that I woke up, she had to deal with her stacking duty and mission.

    Kanao was nowhere to be seen, rarely visiting the Mansion like I used to when I first became a Demon Slayer. She was on a constant journey, mission after mission.

    We talked about the current event and the battle that took place. Although they had heard it many times from the others, they wanted to hear my side of the story.

    Sanemi in specific wanted vivid details on how the Demon King fought. How his swing felt, how strong was he, how fast were his attacks and so much more. I was the only one who could answer his curious questions.

    Shinobu could not stay long with us though she she went back to do her research after she checked the patients.

    "So your sword is broken? Do you intend to visit the Swordsmith village to get a new one?" Sanemi asked.

    It was an easy matter to repair a broken sword but mine was broken beyond salvageable. I was planning on going there myself, apologize to Hatori for breaking the masterpiece he crafted.

    When I first got the sword, I was confident that the sword would slay Muzan Kibutsuji. The sword was that perfect. But it met its end not from Muzan but from Gyomei''s axe when I saved Rengoku.

    Another reason why I wanted to go there myself instead of sending Raven was to retrieve Yorichi''s sword, either to forge my new sword or to give it to Tanjiro. I would decide what to do when I look at the sword.

    I would like a new design for my sword too.

    "Yes, I shall visit the Swordsmtih village in the near future,"

    There was so much I wanted or had to do so going there myself was a must. But I would do so only after I went to Tokyo and talked to Lady Tamayo.

    "Lord Seiji," Aoi came and interrupted our conversation with a bow.

    "What is it?"

    "You have guests,"

    I quirked an eyebrow. I was getting more visitors?

    ..

    ..

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I just finished another exam and I have more breathing room again with the gap. Thanks for reading

    Check out my patreon and join to read ahead.

 Chapter 151: Idols to strive for

    Chapter 151 - Idols to strive for[Seiji''s POV]

    Guests?

    I rarely had guests.

    Actually, I never had guests before.

    "Should I let them in?" Aoi asked.

    "No, I''ll come," I said and got up from the floor. Kanae and Sanemi were curious and were half waiting for me to say who it was.

    But even I did not know who it was so I followed Aoi to the front door. When I reached the courtyard, I saw someone I was definitely not expecting. Since Aoi came to inform me, I knew it was not a Hashira so I thought it might be Hatori or another swordsmith.

    Turns out I was wrong.

    "Ohohoho, I can''t believe my eyes! You are all grown now, aren''t you young man?" A short man who looked even shorter due to his one-leggedness was standing in the courtyard.

    I smiled after my initial surprise and replied to him in kind.

    "Ohohoho, and the old man still lives!" I said and had to dodge his cane that flew right at my head.

    "Shameless brat! You are on active duty, I should be the one saying that!" he bellowed.

    "And you are, what, ninety year-" I continued with a smile but I stopped when I saw the person next to him. My eyes narrowed at him instantly and he cowered down like a turtle in its shell.

    I was about ninety-nine per cent sure that was Zenitsu. But that was not enough to warrant a sharp reaction, was it? The reason why I paused abruptly was his inhumane nervous system.

    My eyes were beyond human capabilities. I could see radiation, air movements, x-ray etc. Humans have a kind of small electric current running through their bodies. It was what connected never to the nerve.

    But in normal humans, these were not actually connected. they were more like electromagnetic signals. By that standard, Zenitsu was no longer human because he had a real electric current connecting his nerves at all times.

    This current was also very strong in his body. Supernaturally strong.

    Interesting, most interesting. It was a unique biology much like Mitsuri''s or Gymoei''s.

    From what I was seeing, I could only assume that he must have insane reaction and reflex.

    "It''s good that you did not finish that sentence. It appears you do have some respect for your teachers after all," Jigoro said, taking my silence for hesitance to disrespect him.

    "I''d never disrespect Japanese ancient artefacts," I said and he faked a glare before we both ultimately laughed at our small banter.

    "Bwhahahaha, truly, it''s good to see you again Seiji boy. I was afraid of visiting a half-dead man, but I guess the rumours exaggerated your injuries," he said.

    Actually, the rumours were true but it was just that after getting the Demon Slayer Mark and Sun Breathing, I could heal at a rate beyond human limits.

    I stepped down from the veranda and took a lower ground. Then I initiated a bow that was low enough for a student to a master.

    "Glad to see you healthy as well,"

    Jigoro was all teeth. He was especially into these traditional manners. He even killed himself in canon because of his student''s choices. That was how much these things meant to him.

    "I''ve brought someone with me today. Zenitsu Agatsuma," he said and gestured to the young boy standing beside him, "He is my current student,"

    "And Zenitsu, this is Seiji Shigan. The strongest user of Thunder Breathing in History and also the current strongest Demon Slayer," Jigoro gestured to me with unexpected praise in his tone. There was also a healthy amount of pride.

    "The strongest huh," Zenitsu showed shyness mixed with fear in his body language, "Is that why he is so scary?"

    "Bwahaha no, he just has really mean eyes," he said and then whispered the next part, "Don''t tell him that though, he thinks they are cool,"

    "I saw that,"

    "Of course you did!!" Jigoro barked.

    "You must be tired from your journey, please do join us for lunch," I said and Jigoro perked up immediately and so did Zenitsu.

    "You don''t have to ask me twice!!"

    And so our numbers grew. Shinobu continued to be holed up in her room, unaware of our new guests and I let it stay that way. I didn''t want to disturb her.

    Zenitsu was very meek and ate his food quietly. He was the only kid in a room of adults so that was to be expected. Jigoro had much experience and he was curious about our current situation.

    He was a former Hashira so we did not withheld any secrets from him. He even had useful advice about our next operations. He knew the lands better than most of us and told us suitable places to station demon slayers.

    That was one of the few improvements that we made. Instead of answering calls after people already died, the Demon Slayer Corp was working on stopping demons before they could do harm.

    After lunch was over, we went to the training ground. Sanemi was burning for a fight and I did not mind doing some stretches. I knew Kanae wanted none of that but she also understood me.

    When you were with your teacher and junior, you just had to show off for a bit.

    ..

    ..

    /////////////////////

    [3rd POV]

    "What the hell is this!!" was all Zenitsu could say to the scene before him.

    *Boom*

    *Boom*

    *Boom*

    Even the training ground of the Flower Mansion was not quite prepared for the intensity of Wind Breathing and Thunder Breathing. The Kocho sister''s fighting style was gentle and elegant so the ground reveal the difference between that and the two most violent breathing styles.

    Seiji and Sanemi were a blur of motion to the human eye. A flash of purple and green if one looked closely. They met in a clash of wooden swords and both the earth and air quaked in equal terror.

    Funnily enough, Seiji suffered almost no injury to his legs so he could move without much trouble. His speed might as well be undisturbed at the level they were fighting which was definitely not their best.

    He held a wooden katana in his left hand as his right arm was still unusable. But his left was just as good as his right. Perfect body control did that but there were still some issues mentally.

    Sanemi was not really trying either. He limited himself only to two breathing forms as he matched the intensity of Seiji.

    It was a sparring. The only thing they focused on was their technique. To everyone''s surprise, Sanemi was almost as good as Seiji in the art of Wind Breathing. A competition had brought him to a new level of strength just like every other Hashira.

    "I thought he was injured! Is that not why we came here in the first place? To visit a patient," Zenistu couldn''t help but ask his master.

    "Oh, he is injured all right. Don''t be so surprised brat, at this level they are only stretching their limbs instead of actually fighting,"

    That was an insane concept Zenitsu could not wrap his head around. But it was not as insane as one thing.

    "No fucking way you were a Hashira on their level!!" Zenitsu declared and he received a bonk in return.

    "I was known as the Roaring Hashira in my prime! This is nothing," Jihgoro huffed proudly.

    The sparring session continued and it was climbing an inch higher and higher in intensity with every second. The wooden blades were barely holding on at this point and they both had to find ways to reduce the stress on their weapon.

    That meant there was a lot of misdirection of force which in turn resulted in the ground being cracked all over.

    "Look closely at that Zenitsu. This is the level of strength you should be aiming for if you really want to be strong enough to protect yourself and your family," Jigoro said, using the opportunity to teach his student. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Often times it is through experiencing the end goal that the path becomes clear in life. Zenitsu watched in a meaningful silence afterwards, absorbing the display of the pinnacle of strength.

    "It''s coming to an end," Jigoro said and not a second later, the two met in an explosive clash that sent them both sliding to the opposite side of the training ground.

    They lowered their stance and locked their muscles, charging raw power.

    "Wind Breathing : Third Form,"

    "Thunder Breathing : First Form,"

    Both warriors exploded out at the exact moment. Seiji timed the moment just right by predicting Sanemi''s action. With a similar starting point, it became evident who was faster.

    A single step.

    After Sanemi took a single step, Seiji was already finished covering the entire length of the training ground.

    "Thunder Clap and Flash,"

    Sanemi on his part was not surprised though, such speed was to be expected from the fastest Hashira. But similar to how Seiji eclipse him in speed, Sanemi eclipse him in something else.

    The force that took Seiji the entire training ground to generate, Sanemi did it after a single step. As a consequence, when Sanemi planted his second step the ground became cobwebs.

    "Clear Storm Wind Tree."

    *BOOOOOM!!!*

    The collision was hidden by a cloud of smoke. The silence after the shockwave was deafening. The battle no longer ensued and left a big hole in the dimension, like the sun suddenly disappeared from the sun.

    When the smoke cleared, you could see Seiji with a bare torso. His clothes were ripped apart by the wind blades. Sanmei''s on the other hand faced no such consequence but his sword was broken in half.

    If this were a real fight, Seiji would be sliced apart, and Sanemi would lose his head because his sword failed to block the attack.

    The sparring session was a conclusive draw.

    "Not bad," Seiji commented and relaxed his body.

    Sanmei did the same but with a way more pissed expression. In his mind, he couldn''t even beat a sick man.

    Seiji''s eyes shone with intensity. He did not voice it out but the form which Sanemi just used was a little different. In truth, it was never Seiji''s intention to end things in a draw.

    ''Beast Breathing,'' was the conclusion Seiji came up with.

    Sanemi was affected by Innosuke and his unorthodox technique. This could snowball into something big. Like Snamei making a new Breathing style even more powerful than Wind Breathing.

    He had the perfect example of Seiji and Inosuke after all.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Exam is finally over and I am fully back!!

    Double Chapter!!

 Chapter 152: Training youngsters

    Chapter 152 - Training youngsters[Seiji''s POV]

    (The next day)

    It had been three days since I woke up and I was still recovering before I set out to complete my objectives. I felt better every day and I should be able to go out soon.

    "So what can you do?" I asked the young boy in front of me. I did not know why but he seemed very uncomfortable around me. His body language was all over the place.

    Maybe it was because I pulled him out of bed and brought him to the training ground so early in the morning.

    "I-I can play the shamisen very well?" he said, unsure.

    I blinked owlishly.

    "Cool but not really since I''m deaf," I said. The shamisen was a Japanese guitar basically,

    "Master told me that. I can''t imagine what it will be like since I have really good ears," he said, his body language all over the place again. It was hard to read him, "I''m sorry,"

    I forced myself to smile since I seemed to unnerve him so much, "You don''t have to be so nervous around me kid, I am not like the old man. I won''t force you to train if you don''t want to,"

    "Really?" he perked up.

    "No," I dropped mercilessly. His shoulder slumped in disappointment

    "I''ve heard a lot about you from Jigoro and I know how you never give your during training. So today, we will find the answer to my question, ''What can you do?''" I said and brought out a stick.

    Zenitsu was one of the most talented characters in the Demon Slayer Cast. I would argue that he was as talented as Muichiro himself considering he never gave it his all in training ever since the start. Heck, he was holding himself back so much that his unconscious state was stronger than him in the beginning.

    Imagine Zenitsu with Tanjiro''s hard work.

    I won''t allow such things this time around. I realized after taking pupils that I really like polishing gems like him.

    And he was a gem like no other. Especially now that I saw first hand how special his physique was. He was not only talented but had a special body like Gyomei and Mitsuril

    I would force him to his full potential if I must.

    This is child abuse and I won''t deny it.

    "See this?" I asked and showed him the stick I had in my hand. The stick was thin and long, it was the type of stick that would inflict incredible pain while also barely harming the body.

    With the flexibility of the stick, it almost seemed like a whip. I gave it a few swing and it released a whistling sound as it cut the air.

    "From today this will be your worst enemy. I will use this to discipline whenever I see that you are holding back and believe me....." my eyes shone at him, "I will know when you are holding back,"

    "Eeep!!" he all but shrinks like a rabbit.

    "B-But what if I get seriously injured?"

    "That''s why I don''t use a bigger stick and don''t worry, even if you suffer minor injuries, the Butterfly Mansion is a hospital," I flashed him the classic smile that gave off evil vibes.

    "I''ll give you ten seconds," I offered kindly, "Run,"

    And run he did. Zenitsu wasted no time blasting away from me. He left with the loud roar of thunder that didn''t really bother me but it bothered everyone else in the mansion.

    "Thunderclap and Flash," he was a yellow streak of speed when he ran out of the main gate of the mansion.

    "Not bad at all," I thought to myself while gazing at his retreating back. He really needed to be more refined, his talent was carrying him too much.

    I could tell with my eyes that he was not thinking about the techniques at all. His mind was only panicking and thinking about how scary I was. He moved on raw instinct of what felt right but even with that, he was able to execute a form many would take years to perfect.

    "Ten," I said and blitzed right after him. Another impressive feat I noticed was him perking up at my words and curing out.

    "Damnit he lied! It''s only five seconds!!"

    He was already around half a kilometre away when he heard me. I would never understand such supernatural senses. I could not tell what made that tick even with my eyes.

    Anyway, the chase started and when I eventually caught up to him. His first training began.

    His first training, where he was not holding back and was really pushed to the limit because my eyes saw when he was and he would receive the meanest smack from my new favourite stick.

    ..

    ..

    ..

    ///////////////////

    (Four days later)

    It has been officially a week since I woke up. My body was nearing perfect condition except for the two major injuries I suffered. Those would take another month or so to return to normal. Growing new tissues and connecting torn muscles was a hassle even with super regeneration.

    My days in the Butterfly Mansion were not peaceful, to say the least with our two new residents.

    "Hahahaha weak boy, you should give up already!! You stand no chance against King of Beast Inosuke," he said while doing push-ups with Mitsuri sitting on top of him.

    His weak and frail body had put on healthy muscles and after getting good food, he was shooting up in height. In another month or so he should be the same size as Zenistu if not bigger.

    "Shut up!! If it was Miss Kanroji sitting on top of me, I would beat you no problem!!" Zenistu barked back. He was doing push-ups as well but this time I was the one sitting on top of him.

    "Then you can forget about winning because she will not be sitting on you again," I said while bonking his head with THE stick.

    The last time Mitsuri sat on him, he looked way too happy. He might be thirteen years old but I didn''t like it. Call me insecure, but I didn''t care. I didn''t like what I didn''t like and one of them was a thirteen-year-old sexualizing my fiance.

    Speaking of sexualizing, "The one that gave you your new uniform, what was his name again?" I asked Mitsuri who was smiling at the motion of moving up and down. She considered it a fun ride it seemed.

    She pouted when she heard my words, "I told you before I am not telling! I can tell from your face that you will do mean things to him,"

    I won''t deny that, not even one bit after I saw Mitsuri wearing her canon dress when she came back from her mission. Her old uniform was torn from hurriedly running to the Butterfly Mansion when she heard of my injury and she ordered a new one.

    The only thing was that the new uniform came with a massive boob window and the tailor somehow coaxed Mitsuri into wearing them, saying things like I would like it since I love staring at her boobs so much.

    Indeed I like looking at them but what I didn''t like was others ogling too. I made sure to burn that thing as soon as she returned. It was also why she was staying in the Mansion with us and not out on a mission. She couldn''t take one until she got her new uniform.

    "Mean things are the least he deserves after what he did," I huffed.

    "No!! I''m sure there is a reason why he thought you would like the new style. He is just a kind grandpa," she insisted.

    An old man? Made sense. Mitsuri was a kind soul and she was even kinder to children and old people. She thought everyone was like her.

    Clearly, she hadn''t read the doujins I''ve read. Old men were the biggest menace after the ugly bastard and foreigner.

    "You''re too sweet for the world Mitsuri," Kanae announced her presence. I hadn''t seen her so I was taken aback when she was beside me.

    "You should wear those things only for your husband to see," she said with a coy smile and bent down to lay on my lap.

    I did not let her try for long. I scooped her up and put her on my lap instead. For the record, my feet were on the ground so that Zenitsu did not collapse under the new weight.

    "You smell good," I said, putting my nose all over her causing her to giggle.

    "I just took a bath, guess you like the new soap," she said.

    "I do,"

    We had our usual lovey-dovey moment while Zenitsu suffered hell beneath us. A quick flick of my stick made sure he kept doing his push-ups though. I could see from the build-up of lactic acid that he was not at his limit yet.

    "This is not fair..." Zenitsu choked ou and his body shuddered under our weight.

    "I met two of the most beautiful women I had ever seen and turns out they are both your girlfriend. How can you have two while others struggle to find one? This is so not fair," he had said, Kanae told me.

    "Hey.." I said and flicked my stick at his shoulder.

    "I get to have all this because I am strong. If you get as strong as me, girls will be all over you," I said.

    He turned his head at an impossible angle to stare at me.

    "A-Are you serious?"

    I was taken aback by the intensity in his eyes, "I know so,"

    And then his eyes turned white. The whole vibe of the training ground changed as everyone looked at Zeinsitsu in surprise.

    You could almost see a white aura rolling off his body. His muscles tensed up and soaked out raw strength. My eyes widened when his breathing pattern turned perfect, just the way I taught him.

    Adrenaline pumped new strength into his body and he continued doing push-ups like a madman. Before it was like a peaceful rocking chair but now sitting on him was like a rollercoaster.

    I guess I found a better motivation than the stick.

    "No way! How is that possible!!" Insouke roared while trying to match his speed.

    "I''ve seen this before! It''s like what happens to my uncles every autumn! So strong and violent," Inosuke commented. Autumn was the rutting season for boars, I observed.

    I guess it was true in a way. Zentisu was doing all this for girls. Like how all male animals fought to death sometimes for girls.

    "By the way Zenitsu, you remember my sister Shinobu?" Kanae said and even though he did not stop, he listened to her voice.

    "How can I forget such a beautiful girl? She has a permanent place in my mind ever since I laid my eyes on her," he said.

    "She used to have a massive crush on Seiji,"

    And then an earthquake.

    The push-up intensified.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : Can I get stones!! 500 and I upload another one!!

    This week there will be no missed days. Updates will be consistent again since I''m on holiday.

    .....

    *SPOILER*

    The best time to join the Patreon. There is full 10 advanced Chapters and we''ve already sucesfully covered the Seiji vs Kokushibo arc!!!

    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

    Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 153: The legacy lives on

    Chapter 153 - The legacy lives onYou guys barely reached the goal lmao. You reach 500 stones while I am updating a new one. Good luck and more stones please.

    ...

    [Seiji''s POV]

    "It''s time,"

    On this particular morning, I was as naked as the day I was born. I had just gotten off from a bath which I took at 3 am in the morning for no particular reason at all.

    I quickly rummaged through the wardrobes and took out my uniform. It was the same one I wore in my last battle, thanks to Kanae, who patched up the broken fabric for me.

    The clothes were a little raggy and worn out, but the way they were cleaned and ironed showed that they had been taken care of with love. I spread the clothes out and examined them closely under the bright yellow light.

    My eyes easily detected the imperfections in how it was sewn together. Those imperfections in the fabric were literally tugging at my perfectionist self but I could not find it in my heart to feel annoyed. Instead, those imperfections lit up something warm in my heart.

    Kanae was an exceptional tailor who could fix my uniform just the way I liked, But ever since she lost her eyes, she had difficulties. But even still, she insisted on fixing my uniform and I even had to wait an extra day so that she could complete her work perfectly.

    "The colours are not even matching," I said in amusement under a closer look. More likely than not she had asked people if the colour was the same.

    Although the colours were the same, they had different shades. If you looked closely, you could see which part of the uniform had been patched up and fixed.

    It should be ugly but my eyes narrowed at those fondly.

    I wore my uniform while unknowingly humming a happy tune. I fixed the haori on my shoulder and then strapped a katana on my waist.

    I stopped for a moment again and looked at the sword. It was Mitsuri''s katana, the one that she had before I gifted her her current whip-sword.

    It was pink in colour and the hilt had a very cutesy design. The sheath also had sakura petals imprinted for an extra flair.

    Mitsui loved this sword very much, to the point that she kept it safe even after not using it. But she had gifted it to me after learning that my swordsmith had not finished making my sword.

    I stood in front of the mirror, admiring myself upon my reflection I had never felt more dressed and good looking, I swear no one had better drip than me because I was dressed in love.

    I made my way out of the room as quietly as possible. And I was just as stealthy when I went into the bedroom.

    It was dark and had more warmth than my previous room due to the human presence. My eyes discard the darkness and see normally.

    I walked beside Mitsuri and Kanae''s bed and planted a chaste kiss on their faces. Mitsuri was still waiting for her uniform but it would be delivered today.

    "You''re going?" Kanae asked softly after I kissed her cheek.

    "Yes," I answered although I told them already last night.

    "Good luck Seiji," she said in a drowsy voice before she snuggled back to sleep.

    I always leave early in the morning because I hate saying goodbyes.

    Goodbyes were one of the most awkward things and more often than not I did not like what it implied. So I usually prefer leaving early before they wake up.

    After I stole a kiss from them I went out of the mansion.

    The cool air of dawn caresses my pores, sending weird goosebumps through my body. The time for rest and healing was over, now it was time to get back to work.

    I did not wait for sunrise and humped over the wall of the mansion. Then I ran through the forest and made my way to my first destination.

    Lady Tamayo.

    Tokyo.

    ..

    ..

    //////////////////////////

    When I reached Tokyo, it was around noon. I walked through the bustling city with curious eyes that were searching for anything suspicious.

    I was certain that Muzan would not be in Tokyo anymore and I couldn''t find him here, much less during the day but I couldn''t help it. Instead of finding the Demon Lord, I found myself admiring the rapidly growing city.

    The contrast between villages and the city was such that it was unbelievable. It was like going to a completely different world and not only a few kilometres. There were new buildings erected and new streets remodelled everywhere.

    It was the year 1923 and it was a time in human history when things were changing rapidly with the end of the Industrial Revolution. You could also see the other changes in the form of political banners.

    The Taisho Democracy Movement was at its peak. There were many banners and advertisements about the movement. The people were thirsty for political reforms due to the modernization of the West.

    Although I never really paid attention to these things, coming back to the city reminded me of when and where I was. My life should not end with the demons, I had to be audacious and start thinking about my future after the war.

    The nuke was still looming in my future as well. Fuck

    It was still daytime so I did not go to meet Lady Tamayo immediately. I came to the conclusion that she would prefer to be visited at night. In the same manner that I would prefer visitors during the day since I was human.

    For the time being, I made my way to the Dojo where I learned Kendo during my younger days.

    ''Noma Dojo,''

    There it was. It felt like lifetimes ago since I had been here although it had only been five years or so. The Dojo was located in the central ward of Tokyo. Kendo was a massive sport during this age alongside Sumo. This was because it had not been long since the end of the Samurai laws.

    Real samurai were also still alive under the government law. They were old now but they were still alive and promoting the sport of Kendo as a shadow of samurai culture.

    When I went inside, I noticed that the students were far fewer. I did not have time to look around for long as someone called out to me in recognition.

    "Shigan!!"

    It was my Kendo Master. His eyes were wide in disbelief upon seeing me and he came running.

    "Sensei," I bowed down.

    "I can''t believe I am seeing you, my boy. Its been years," he said

    "Indeed, I have been missing the Dojo a lot during these years," I said, causing him to laugh.

    "I don''t doubt that," he said and gave me a look over and smirked, "You look like you''ve seen better days,"

    "I have," I said while scratching.

    We continued a pleasant conversation and he guided me around the Dojo. He introduced me to the new students and surprisingly, their eyes lit up in recognition after they heard my name. I guess I was still a big name in the Kendo community.

    He also showed me the new improvements they had made in their equipment, the new space and the few winning trophies they earned in the national tournament.

    "Unfortunately, we never had another champion after you. The tournament last year was close but we ended up second place," he said.

    We stood in front of a shelve with a glass window. Inside were neatly arranged trophies and medals, Mine was at the very centre of the decoration and it was also the largest. I saw myself smiling in the reflection of the glass.

    "So, what brings you here to my Dojo after all these years? Please don''t say it is because you missed it," he said.

    Truly, there was no reason why I came here. I had nothing else to do and I thought it would be a good pass time to visit here and relive old memories.

    "it wa-" I passed mid-sentence as an idea suddenly came to mind. I took a few more seconds of silence to ponder on the idea before I decided with a grin.

    "Actually, I returned because I have something to show you sensei," I began in a mysterious voice.

    "During the years I was away, I was travelling. You can say that during my travels I have made some...discoveries," I said.

    "Hmm, like what?"

    "Can we get a private room for a demonstration?" I asked and although he was confused he complied with my request

    He could guess that it might be some new technique from the way I wanted to be secretive. The Dojo itself had secret sword arts after all -which by the way I copied after seeing him do once a long time ago.

    "Follow me," He led me to his private training room, away from prying eyes and that was when I showed him.

    "Are you ready?" I asked while feeling the weight of the shinai in my hand. It was a wooden sword used in Kendo.

    "Go ahead," he shrugged, stepping away to give me space.

    So I began.

    I sucked in a huge amount of breath, pronouncing that action more than necessary. My chest expanded to inhumane proportions and then I exploded.

    I was moving faster than the eye could see. I was a blur of action in his human eyes. Then in a second, I sliced at the wooden dimming in front of me.

    *CLANK!!*

    Wood met wood. It was not even my intention but the wooden dummy was cut in half by wood.

    It was an impossible feat. One that was enough to knock my sensei down on his ass.

    "T-That w-was...that was.." he stuttered. His eyes were shaken in absolute shock. He had never seen such extraordinary feats before, he thought it was impossible.

    "That''s the utilization of breathing patterns. By inhaling huge volumes of air in specific patterns and making sure to get maximum oxygen through your blood, you can achieve strength beyond human limits," I explained.

    Then I faced him while he was still on the ground. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I want to share this technique with you and I want you to pass this down to the next generation as well. I call it...."

    A moment of suspense

    "Steroid Breathing,"

    Of course, I was not stupid enough to share one of the five major breathing techniques but Steroid Breathing was my own creation. And it was not OP enough for me to care if others got their hands on it.

    He straightened his posture on the ground and kneeled in front of me like a student reversing our position

    "Please teach me, Sensei,"

    ...

    .,,

    And so the legacy of Steroid Breathing continued.

    [IMAGE]

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Author : I don''t know if you remember but Seiji always entertained the idea of exposing the demons and demon slayers to the public, Consider this a step towards that.

    I want people to know of what went down, especially during the modern times. They would survive in a way more than just Zenitsu''s story

 Chapter 154: Tamayo in the Demon Slayer Corp

    Chapter 154 - Tamayo in the Demon Slayer Corp[Seiji''s POV]

    It was not that difficult to find Tamayo''s hideout.

    I thought I would have some difficulty finding the hidden space even though I had perfect memory since it was Blood Demon Art and all. But as it turns out, it was as simple as finding any other house.

    I didn''t notice at first that the place was hidden since my eyes penetrated all falsehood. It was the opposite situation for me, I found the place first instead of finding out it was hidden.

    The place stood out a bit since it had such a big courtyard. It should be impossible for such free land to exist in an urban city like Tokyo but here it was, a small manor with wide free space in the middle of the city.

    It was too big to be called a house yet it was not big enough to be described as a mansion.

    I walked right through the front door. There was no obstacle to block my entry. They were risking their whole safety by being hidden which I found to be absolutely stupid.

    But at least they seemed to have some sensors because the moment I stepped in, I saw Yushiro jump in his place from inside. His face was full of alarm and he immediately moved to the window to assess the situation.

    "Hoy! It''s me!!" I waved when the green-haired demon peeked out from a window.

    I saw his shoulder drop and relief flood his body. He opened the window fully and yelled out in a rather pissed tone, "Ever heard of knocking or notifying people beforehand!!"

    "I sent a letter but the mailman couldn''t find your address for some reason so it''s not my fault!!" I joked while crossing the yard and entering the manor.

    "Thanks for having me~" I walked right in.

    I looked around at the familiar interior and found nothing of change. Maybe it was because demons live for a long time but they seem to be allergic to change. Being practically immortal rids them of humanity''s hurry to grow and change, to experience things before it all ends.

    Why hurry when you can live forever?

    Yushiro ran down the stairs and narrowed his eyes at me. He would''ve looked more intimidating had he not stumbled on the last few steps.

    "What do you want?" he asked, rather rudely might I add. He did not even address me formally which looked a bit weird since everyone around me was usually so respectful.

    I hummed, "I didn''t hate you as much last time," I observed with interest, ignoring his question.

    "What?" he blinked owlishly.

    "Don''t get me wrong, I still find you revolting and your aura is tickling my killing instincts but I no longer want to vomit at just the sight, if that made sense," I said.

    Demons were beings that should not exist. They were outside of the natural order and my eyes noticed that more than any other eyes. If they were not perfectly imperfect like Muzan Kibutsuji, all demons looked hideous to me.

    Kind of like a fruit with furs. Fruit by itself had no ugliness and furs were beautiful on animals. But if a fruit had furs that would be disgusting, imagine a hairy apple.

    Demons were kind of like that to my eyes.

    But clearly, that disgust had been dialled down after Rengoku became a demon and I spent much time looking at him every day, staying by his side since after I woke up.

    "Are you calling me ugly?" he asked, looking taken aback and offended.

    "Not you in specific, but what you are. Anyways, please lead me to Lady Tamayo or should I go to her room by myself?"

    His glare did not die down but he did lead me to her room. He knew how strong I was so he knew full well that he couldn''t kick me out or something.

    He knocked on the door when we reached her study room, "Lady Tamayo, he is here again. The deaf Hashira,"

    There was a short pause before a voice came from within, "Let him in,"

    Yushiro opened the door for me and as I walked in, he had a message.

    "I''ll keep an eye on you. If you hurt or threaten Lady Tamayo..." he said and my eyes locked on him with a small glint of killing intent.

    He grits his teeth and his eyes show veins but he finishes, "...I will make sure you regret it,"

    I reeled back at his sheer determination. It should not be downplayed how dangerous I felt to demons. My killing intent was a build-up of years and years of absolute slaughter of his kind. I was sure that every demonic instinct in his body was screaming at him to run.

    Heck if he had Muzan''s blood, it would go wild, especially after my last encounter but the boy stood his ground. Love surpassed all logic.

    And what a sad love he cherished.

    In the canon manga, Yushiro falls in love with Lady Tamayo after she saves him from an illness by turning him into a demon. But the woman he fell for was a broken woman. Lady Tamayo was a widow who could not forget her husband and children. She did not reciprocate the boy''s love and even used it for her revenge.

    And yet Yushiro was all but too willing to help her avenge her husband and children. What was even sadder was that Yushiro survived the final battle while Lady Tamayo died, never even acknowledging his feelings.

    He spent lifetimes without her. He would paint her portrait to try and keep her alive in his memory, waiting for her to be reborn so that he could love her again.

    "I''ll keep that in mind," I gave a nod and entered the room.

    Inside, I found Tamayo sitting in front of a table of research. Her eyes were looking through the microscope and she pulled back with a smile.

    "Do take a seat Lord Shigan," I did so, "So what brings you to my humble abode?"

    "I''m sure you''ve heard of what happened," I said and she straightened her back at the mention. She pushed away from the microscope so that she could face me.

    "I did. Defeating the Demon King himself is one of the most important achievements the Demon Slayer Corp has made in five centuries. People wouldn''t stop talking about it," she said.

    "Is that all you''ve heard?"

    "Should I have heard more?"

    "I suppose not, since you are not in the Demon Slayer Corp," I said and leaned back on the uncomfortable chair which was too low for me. Clearly, it was made for a lady, not a two-meter dude built like a Greek god, heh.

    "This is good because I get to see your face while announcing it," I said with a grin and she raised an eyebrow.

    "Do tell, I am infinitely curious," she said and leaned in close.

    "We managed to get blood and tissue samples from Muzan Kibutsuji and they are still preserved even now," I said and I ocked on her face to see her reaction.

    Instead of the shock or surprise which I was hoping for, her face scrunched up in scrutiny. A person could not have looked more incredulous.

    "You tell no lies but I find that hard to believe," she said before explaining her reason.

    "Even I, after centuries of research, am not able to preserve Muzan''s blood without his consent. The Demon King has absolute control over his cells, the best we can get is the diluted version of the Upper Moon which is mixed with their DNA," she said.

    "Did you bring said samples with you? If not, I find it hard to believe the statement. Please do forgive my suspicion," she said with a respectful bow.

    "..,," I pulled back and leaned on the back of the chair, "You know I expected more fun from your reaction,"

    "Sorry to disappoint you," she said, unimpressed.

    "No need to apologize Lady Tamayo because you are right. It is impossible to preserve Muzan''s cell in any other circumstances," I said.

    "Other circumstances? So what''s the exception in this one?" she asked, curiosity was back. sea??h th�� Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Muzan was cut by a swordsman with a demon slayer mark, who wielded a red blade and used the purest form of Sun Breathing," I said and I finally got the reaction I was waiting for.

    She was stumped, in more ways than one.

    The three things I mentioned were all curve balls to her. They were tools she knew could harm the Demon King but she could never get her hands on them. But amongst all that, one thing caught her attention.

    "Sun Breathing?" she asked with a shaky breath. I realized then that I had not told her about that even though we were partners.

    "I learned it from the Kamado family who was passing down the technique in the form of a traditional dance, the Hinokami Kagura," I said and her eyes widened.

    She was an old entity who lived long enough to know the connection Yorrichi had with the Kamado family. So she knew instantly that my statement was true. Perhaps it was far-fetched but it was true.

    She took around five minutes to process my words. She asked me a few other things regarding that, confirming the truth in my statement. Her mind worked in a slow and detailed way that did not miss any flaw.

    "But then you come to me, empty-handed while knowing full well how much Muzan''s blood would help me in my research. So what do you want from me?" she asked.

    Here it was, "I want you to join the Demon Slayer Corp,"

    She did not seem all too surprised by that request, "Curious. The last time we met you made it clear that you were okay with being partners, only you and I. You also state that my help would only be a convenience rather than a necessity in killing the Demon Lord,"

    She was way too observant for her own good.

    "So what changed?"

    "The Hashira did not get away without loss in the ''Failed Purge''," I said, "My friend, Rengoku. He is the Flame Hashira of this generation and he had turned into a Demon,"

    "....."

    "....."

    Her eyes literally sparked and it was a telling sign that she finally put together the puzzle. Why I was here, why I needed her, and that included all the advantages and disadvantages of the situation.

    "So you want me to find a cure to turn him back to a human or at least, make him like us, - demons outside Muzan''s control," she said and I nodded.

    "There is a very intelligent girl in the Demon Slayer Corp. She is making breakthroughs every day but if you work together, I think you can find the solution sooner," I said in an attempt to downplay how much I needed her.

    She saw right through my attempt and offered a kind smile.

    "Okay, I will do as you request," she said and I was caught off guard by how easy it was.

    I was expecting her to exploit my need if I was honest. It need not be much but she could take advantage of the situation. Perhaps she could ask for autonomy, more protection, and even full control over the research or something.

    Heck, I was thinking that she would request she kill Muzan with her own hands in return for her service. Sure I could have forced her to join and threaten her but the point stands.

    She was a good person, more than I gave her credit for.

    "Don''t look so surprised," she chuckled.

    "We are partners after all,"

    Indeed.

    "Yushiro!!" she called out and the boy, true to his words, was just outside the room so he came in immediately.

    "Please pack our luggage, we are moving,"

    "As you wish Lady Tamayo,"

    I guess that was the first objective completed.

    ..

    ..

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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    Patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn

 Chapter 155: All six eyes on him

    Chapter 155 - All six eyes on him[Seiji''s POV]

    After the whole ordeal was done, I had the whole night to myself.

    I could take the chance to get a good night''s sleep and rest my body after the long journey. The Kocho sisters would absolutely love that idea.

    Orrrrr....I could go out at night, and search for some demons to kill because goddamn it has been long since I killed one. It had been quite some time since I was in Tokyo, I was sure there would be a demon around here preying on missing people. Sear?h the N??eFire.��et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So I did just that. I left the manor and gave Lady Tamayo and Yushiro time to get ready for the journey back to the Butterfly Mansion. Meanwhile, I went out of the city and did a lap around the outskirts of Tokyo.

    To my horror, I could not find easy prey even after an hour of searching. My purple eyes covered many miles radius with a glace but even then, demons seemed mythical. I could not find anything.

    I did not give up though.

    "Did you find any?" I asked the sparrow flying above me. She finally returned after almost an hour of disappearing on the horizon.

    "...." Raven looked unimpressed as hell but she nodded.

    "Great, lead the way girl!!" I exclaimed and she flew west. I measured my breath and followed right behind her tail.

    It took half an hour of constant running before my own eyes caught the sight of a demon on the horizon. The demon was staying in an abandoned temple located on the side of the old road.

    A long time ago, the path used to be one of the ways to travel to Tokyo and the temple was for travellers to rest and worship God while they were on a journey. But the road was mountainous so it was abandoned a long time ago in favour of wider roads that could carry cars and carts.

    It took another ten minutes before I reached the temple.

    "Thank you Raven, you are the best," I said, scratching the side of her head when she landed on my shoulder.

    Her eyes were dead and glaring but she did raise her beak a little high in the air. Her lungs were inflated with pride too. She was the best fucking Kasugai crow of the best fucking Hashira and she knew it.

    She flew off my shoulder to perch on a tree near the entrance gate of the temple while I walked up the steps.

    It was dead in the night, an hour or less before midnight. Most animals had slept by then except the nocturnals. I saw a few owls and a bunch of crows hanging out on the top of the gates and roof of worn-down structures. Clearly, they were here for the leftovers.

    Too bad there won''t be leftovers after I sliced the demon''s head off with a nichirin blade.

    The owls hummed a creepy melody but that fell on deaf ears. I walked inside the temple, maybe a little too enthusiastic when I was supposed to be wary and afraid. The contrast shocked the demon to the point of not attacking immediately.

    I frowned, pretending to not notice her for a few more seconds before impatience took over.

    "You can jump at me now, I promise to be surprised," I said while looking up at the ceiling.

    On the ceiling where woods interconnected to form the roof, a snake woman was hanging upside down. Her hair was pale like snow, her skin was a slight shade of red - pink - and from her waist down she was a snake with deep red scales.

    She hissed at me, her tongue flickering like a dagger in her mouth while razor-sharp teeth the size of her fingers bared at me. My eyes could see the small tubes on those fangs, dripping with acid poison that would more than likely turn my insides into soup if I was bitten.

    She quickly unwrapped herself from the wood in the ceiling and fell on me. I wasted no time taking a step back and she slammed on my previous position.

    "No way!! That caught me off guard," I tried my best to imitate a surprised exclamation but maybe it was not that good, she fumed and slithered towards me.

    ''She is a high-ranking demon,'' I observed immediately while dogging her attacks. She swiped her hands towards me at a stupidly fast speed - enough to imitate a real snake bite. Her fingers were blades instead of flesh, ready to tear muscle and bones.

    But an odd thing I noticed was that although her speed and strength were that of a high-ranking demon, she moved like an absolute amateur. To become a powerful demon, demons needed decent combat experience and accomplishment, less Muzan wouldn''t give them more blood.

    Or if you become a high-ranked demon by consuming humans, that would require you to consume lots of humans over the years. That was a sure way to attract Demon Slayers so if you could do that for years, it meant you were strong.

    But the snake demon in front of me had the skill of a low-rank demon but the power of a high-ranked demon.

    Curious.

    Strange.

    "Tell me, how did you get so strong? You clearly didn''t earn it," I asked and finally pulled out my sword and clashed against her claws at lightning speed.

    A rain of sparks lit up the old abandoned temple, shining light on the old manuscripts and statues. She did not reply to my question obviously but I had a feeling that it was not because she didn''t want to.

    "You are barely conscious," I said after a few more seconds of observation. Her red eyes continued glaring at me hatefully and with the intention of devouring me.

    That totally sucked the joy out of dragging this fight. If she was not conscious, that meant she wouldn''t feel despair.

    So with a quick draw of my sword, I turned the snake demon into hundreds of fine pieces while she was lunging at me. The bloody gore spilt on the floor of the temple like a monster chewed on her and spat her out.

    Her blood and spatter of flesh showered me but that quickly burned out into ash shortly after it was killed.

    "I''m assuming whatever you did to get that strong, cost you your consciousness. You couldn''t take that kind of power," I continued after her death.

    It was truly a curious observation. Don''t tell me Muzan has been going around strengthening his demons after our fight as a way of preparing for the war.

    That would be hilarious.

    "Hmmm?" my eyes flashed and I saw the eyeball disappear later than the rest. I was not certain but that was not a part of the demon.

    I shurrged, deciding to wait for what happened next instead of investigating further. I went out of the temple and enjoyed the silver rays of the moon.

    ..

    ..

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    [3rd POV]

    (Infinity Castle)

    "I found him,"

    Nakime said after Kokushibo appeared before her. She had manipulated the dimension so that Kokushibo''s room connected with hers and became one.

    "Thank you Nakime, for doing me this favor," Kokuhsibo said sincerely with a small bow.

    Nakime had the faintest blush on her cheeks. She did not have to do it, she did not have to try and search for Seiji Shigan, it was not even her master''s order.

    But after Kokushibo asked her so earnestly, she found herself giving everything to find the purple Hashira. She put more effort into it than all the time she did a mission for Muzan combined.

    The work paid off as she found Seiji Shigan for him.

    "No need to thank me Lord Kokushibo. This is just a part of my assignment. The Upper Moon has the power to ask for my assistance in completing Lord Muzan''s task," she said but still, Kokushibo''s eyes had the same gratitude.

    "Can you continue keeping an eye on him? And please open a door for me when the opportunity arises," he said.

    "I''m dying to meet him,"

    It was not a good idea to expand such resources, her blood demon art is not infinite. The other Upper Moons needed her help too in their own works. But she justified her action by saying he was the Number 1 and all.

    "I shall do as you ask,"

    The opportunity came the next night.

    She opened the door leading to Seiji Shigan for the first Upper Moon.

    ..

    ..

    [Mr Aura himself]

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 Chapter 156: The biggest challenge

    Chapter 156 - The biggest challenge[Seiji''s POV]

    We left for the Butterfly Mansion the moment the sun set on the horizon. At first Lady Tamayo was going to bring a whole lot of unnecessary things to the journey but I stopped her.

    For every piece of equipment she might need, we could get it for her. After I told her that our luggage was cut down by ninety per cent. Turns out, demons did not need clothes, or other utensils like toothbrushes and the like. I knew that, just never thought about it.

    In the end, our luggage was a bunch of books and important notes along with the samples Lady Tamayo had collected over the years. They secured other important materials in the hidden mansion.

    The journey was much slower than when I was travelling alone but it was still decently fast since demons could not get tired.

    We spent most of the journey talking to each other. I was curious about what it was like to be a demon to prepare myself in case Rengoku had to be woken up as a demon.

    I learned many interesting things. But still, there were no personal things spoken in the conversation. It was boringly professional.

    We walked on foot along the trail, walking at the same speed as normal carts would. We encountered a pack of wolves and one demon while we were on our way.

    It was around 2 am in the morning when I stopped for the first time in our travel.

    "What''s wrong? Why are we stopping?" Lady Tamayo asked.

    "I can''t continue with you from here onwards. Follow Raven, my Kasugai crow will lead you to the Butterfly Mansion," I said.

    The place where we stopped was the exact location where we had to go off the trail and separate from the main road. The Butterfly Mansion was still very much a hidden location even though it was kept as secret as the Ubuyashiki Mansion or Swordsmith Village.

    "Why can''t you lead us?" Yushiro asked with narrowed eyes.

    "Because we are being followed," I said and their eyes widened.

    "...since when?" Lady Tamayo asked in a hushed voice, caution all over her tone.

    "I don''t know. I checked not long ago and noticed it," I said. I was checking if we had anyone following us right as we were about to part from the main road.

    "I understand. We will leave this to your hands while we go on ahead," she said and nudged at the reluctant boy, "Let''s go Yushiro,"

    Maybe he had not trusted me yet and thought I was leading them into a trap. Honestly, they had no reason to be suspicious of me, we were not equal, and if I wanted to I could kill them anytime anywhere, why would I bother with traps?

    Raven flew right above the tree lines and led them to the Butterfly Mansion. Meanwhile, I remained in my place, my eyes glued on my half-pulled-out katana. I looked at the shiny reflection so that I could see behind me.

    "So it''s me you are after," I mumbled with amusement. The one following us did not go after Lady Tamayo even when she disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

    I thought the demons might be after her but I guess it was me all along.

    "Interesting," I said.

    In the very next second, a wind blew upon me, tousling my long hair and making my haori flutter. And then I disappeared with the next gust of wind.

    I used Mist Breathing to move at incredible speed while also hiding my presence. I turned around and all but flew towards the one following us.

    Finally, I could see who was following us and it was not a who but what.

    A single eyeball.

    I recognize that.

    It was Nakime''s blood demon art.

    Did I change the canon that much? Nakime only sneaked upon the Demons Slayers before the final battle. But here she was, already doing everything to uncover our hidden hideouts.

    The eyeball was almost a kilometre away from us and I reached it before the count of ten.

    My hand moved in a blur and I caught the eyeball in my hand. I stared at it with my purple eyes, gazing at the connection on it. If I followed the trail of connection it would lead me to Nakime, I think.

    Or maybe not.

    I crushed the eyeball right after that.

    "....."

    .....

    "I have to warn the others about this," I said after a long silence of contemplation. I was mid-motion into turning around and going after Lady Tamayo before I froze from a sound.

    It was more like a ruffle of vibration on my skin before something inside me screamed. I did not know what it was saying but it screamed so loudly that I trembled.

    A strumming of a string.

    At the corner of my eyes, I saw a door opening from the trunk of the tree. I craned my neck and I felt cold sweat on my face when I saw who walked out.

    His presence was a silent storm. An unseen weight pressed against my chest like a thousand invisible hands. I could tell at a glance that the Upper Moon One was in a league of his own, even superior to Muzan if my instinct was to be trusted.

    Kokushibo.

    The Upper Moon One did not speak at first, he didn''t need to. His towering frame seemed to blur at the edges, like a figure not fully tethered to this world. His six eyes, arranged in a pattern too unnatural to be anything but a mockery of humanity.

    Each eye bore the kanji for "Upper-Rank One," and they glowed in a sickly blend of crimson and gold. I could feel those eyes stare at me, unblinking.

    They analyzed me from head to toe, seeing through me for all that I was. I thought I was the perfect warrior but I found new flaws in myself when I followed his gaze.

    Such terrifying eyes, they made me feel naked. Is this what others feel when I observe them in a similar way? It was a horrible feeling.

    The sclera of his eyes, black as the void, only magnified the unsettling intensity of his gaze. His long, dark hair flowed past his shoulders, moving ever so slightly despite the stillness of the night, as though it had a life of its own. Maybe it did.

    Fear gnawed at my heart and what a feeling that was.

    When was the last time a demon truly terrified me?

    When I fought against Muzan, I feared the chance of death. I did not fear the Demon King. But this time, I was afraid of the demon in front of me, it went beyond the fear of death.

    "I''ve wanted to meet you ever since your fight with my Master. But I didn''t expect to see you quiver."

    The forest seemed to shrink around me, the towering trees now mere whispers against the overwhelming presence of the strongest demon.

    Without a doubt, he was about the most incredible thing I had laid my eyes on.

    And at that point, I finally realized what the screaming was. It was a scream to fucking run.

    I should run, shouldn''t I?

    I couldn''t fight this perfect abomination. It was unlike the situation with Muzanm where I had a solid plan and backup and was not recovering from an injury.

    I had almost zero chance of winning in this situation. It was laughable how fucked I was.

    But strangely, my legs did not move even when I told them to. I found myself deeply intrigued by my own fear and the entity that stood in front of me that caused me to tremble.

    "Heh..." I released a rush of air from my mouth, halting a Breathing Style that almost came instinctively.

    "Sorry for that, it''s been a long time since I felt fear from an entity," I said and after my words, I stilled. There was no longer a quivering bone in my body.

    "And I think I know why I am afraid of you," I said, "You are a warrior, aren''t you? Unlike that coward called Muzan,"

    If Muzan was like looking at the vast ocean that could drown you or wash you away with a tsunami, Kokushibo was a blade at your neck, already digging into your skin.

    The ocean was logically far more powerful with greater potential for destruction but if you find yourself in both situations, you would always fear a blade at your neck more.

    I think the difference was in precision, Muzan could kill you but Kokushibo will kill you.

    Or maybe it was just my warrior instinct being biased. Normal people would fear Muzan more.

    "You claim to fear me but you no longer tremble. Tell me, have you despaired already?" he asked me with unblinking eyes. S��ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But this time, my eyes shone purple and stared unblinking at him too. I pierced him with my gaze, striping him down piece by piece just as he did me.

    "Never," I answered.

    "Good. If you did, then this encounter would''ve been disappointing," he said and then continued speaking.

    He talked but with his body this time. There was no killing intent, but the sword he swung had every intention to cut me.

    Forget about his perfect form and perfect cut. His intention and will itself were so precise they were like swords themselves.

    It was one thing to swing a sword with the intent to kill, but to swing a sword with no other intention but to cut...that was nothing short of a miracle. There was no personal feeling or desire.

    It was a step above Selfless State.

    I really should run. The risk of me escaping was low since he seemed much faster than me and he had Nakime. But I would still have a better chance of escaping than winning this fight.

    But instead, I stayed and replied.

    ..

    ..

    [IMAGE]

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    Stones