"Or maybe—"
"You're the demon?!"
Tomioka Giyu stared coldly at Shuya, his right hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw in an instant.
Chaining up a defenseless woman and children? Anyone capable of that was clearly no good—even if he wasn't a demon.
He had to be dealt with.
"Saeko-senpai, he's all yours," Shuya said, turning to the purple-haired woman beside him instead of answering. "Perfect chance for you to test the Breathing Technique you just learned."
"Got it."
Saeko Busujima nodded without hesitation. She rolled her shoulders and fixed her gaze on Tomioka Giyu in the distance.
"Not much of a challenge," she said calmly, "but still better than the zombies we've been cutting down for a year. Consider it a warm-up."
Not just Reizan—Saeko herself was getting bored of slaughtering zombies after twelve straight months of it. The blade had even stopped feeding her extra Nen from those kills later on.
"Weak?" Giyu's eyebrow twitched.
True, compared to the others he really was weak. He'd often thought it would've been better if someone stronger had survived the Final Selection instead of a useless person like him.
But—
What the hell did she mean by "Breathing Technique"?
Was this girl a swordsman trained by one of the former Hashira?
Giyu watched as Saeko slowly walked toward him.
Then his pupils shrank.
Because in the purple-haired girl's hand, a long blade was gradually materializing out of thin air.
"Blood Demon Art?"
His first reaction to that supernatural ability was to assume it was a demon's Blood Demon Art.
At that moment, real anger sparked inside the usually stoic Water Hashira.
A demon who could use a Breathing Style?
She'd said she'd "just learned" it.
That meant this demon had recently killed a Demon Slayer and stolen the technique.
No other explanation for the thick smell of blood in the air.
This wasn't just an insult to the Demon Slayer Corps. It was an insult to the Breathing Styles themselves.
He would kill this demon and make her pay.
Drawing his Nichirin Blade, Giyu adjusted his breathing rhythm.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
He struck first, launching the most basic form as a probe.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
Saeko answered with the First Form of Sun Breathing.
Giyu was testing her.
Saeko, still brand new to the style, used it because the precise breathing rhythm made the forms hard to pull off casually yet. Starting with the First Form and working through all twelve was the fastest way for her to get comfortable.
Clang!
The two blades collided in the night, sending a burst of bright sparks flying.
Only Shuya, watching with Gyo, could see the full picture.
Giyu's blade was wrapped in a thin, flowing water-like aura.
Saeko's blade was covered in flame-like energy.
She wasn't using any of her own Nen abilities. The aura came purely from the Breathing Technique.
She wasn't even using Reizan—just the plain white oak practice sword from the very beginning.
If she had used her real weapon, Giyu probably wouldn't have lasted a single exchange.
Even so, Saeko's attack still put real pressure on the Water Hashira.
"What terrifying strength," Giyu thought as he was forced back, his feet carving long grooves in the dirt.
After steadying himself, he lowered his stance and gathered power while reflecting:
And this Breathing Technique…
It felt similar to his Water Breathing, yet somehow different.
Was it a derivative style? Or was it because of her Blood Demon Art?
Either way, her raw power was clearly greater than his. He couldn't afford to meet her head-on with brute-force forms.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
Giyu exploded forward like a cannonball. His Nichirin Blade formed a massive water-dragon head that roared toward Saeko.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
Saeko smoothly switched forms and met the attack head-on.
Meanwhile, outside the fight…
"Um…" Tanjiro looked anxious as he turned to Shuya. "Shuya-san, what's going on here?"
He was completely lost.
One second Shuya had been counting down, and the next a sword-wielding man had stepped out of the darkness. After just a few words, Shuya's female companion was now fighting him—using the Kamado family's own Dance of the Fire God.
And the way she used it… it looked incredibly powerful!
It was completely different from when Tanjiro performed it.
If Tanjiro's version looked like a ritual dance to worship the gods, then Saeko's version looked like the god himself had descended to dance.
Same movements. Same breathing rhythm.
But in her hands, it felt like this was exactly how the Dance of the Fire God was always meant to be performed.
"You said you wanted to become a swordsman who slays demons and do your part, right?" Shuya asked, glancing at Tanjiro. "That man is Tomioka Giyu, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"The Demon Slayer Corps, as the name suggests, is an organization just like you—people who hold a grudge against demons. They train in Breathing Techniques like the Dance of the Fire God and secretly hunt demons together."
"The Hashira are the strongest members of the Corps."
Tanjiro scratched his cheek, looking hesitant. "Then… why are they suddenly fighting? Aren't you all part of this Demon Slayer Corps? Shouldn't you be comrades?"
Shuya answered calmly, "I don't think I ever said we were part of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Eh—?!"
Tanjiro froze, completely stunned.