"How is this possible…?"
Shinobu stared at Shuya standing calmly in the sunlight, completely unchanged, and the words slipped out before she could stop them.
"Saeko-senpai, we're done here," Shuya called out, not bothering to answer her.
Saeko immediately broke off her fight with Giyu and returned to his side. She stood next to him, both of them bathed in the warm morning light.
"So, how did it feel?" Shuya asked her.
"It was okay," Saeko replied after a moment. "But the fighting style feels pretty rigid."
"Rigid, huh?" Shuya nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I noticed the same thing."
From the short sparring session, it was obvious. Breathing Techniques were way too restrictive. You had to follow exact breathing patterns and stick to specific forms to get the most power out of them. That took away all the flexibility a real fight should have. Once you learned a style, you were basically locked into its forms.
Battle should be free.
Especially for someone like Saeko, who lived for the thrill of combat and slaughter. Forcing her to stick to set moves would feel like wearing a straitjacket.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had been an absolute genius for creating a system that let ordinary people fight demons and flip from prey to predator. But while Sun Breathing opened up an entire path, it also boxed every swordsman who followed it into a narrow lane. They could only use their life energy in very specific, instinctive ways. At best, they might tweak a few forms to suit themselves. That was it. No real freedom.
No one ever reached the kind of control a real Nen user had.
The upper limit for a Breathing Style swordsman might not even match the baseline Yoriichi had when he first created Sun Breathing.
"Why…?" Shinobu muttered, watching the two of them chat like she wasn't even there. "Why aren't you affected by sunlight at all?"
"Because we're not demons," Shuya answered with a small smile.
He had stopped Tanjiro from explaining earlier for three reasons.
First, he wanted to test the actual power and limits of Sun Breathing in real combat.
Second, dawn was only minutes away—nothing proved the point better than standing in sunlight right in front of them.
Third, in any world, strength speaks loudest. Showing a portion of their power was the fastest way to earn respect—especially from Hashira who sat at the absolute peak of human ability in this world.
Win-win-win.
"This…" Shinobu blinked, momentarily at a loss. She turned to Giyu. "Tomioka-san, can you please explain what's going on?"
After all, she had only assumed Shuya was a demon because of Giyu's warning. Add in the way Shuya had deliberately provoked her by mentioning her sister's name, and she had charged in without thinking.
Giyu ignored her question and pointed at the silver chains in the shadows, where Kie and the boys were still bound. "What about them?"
"Oh, them?" Shuya answered casually, like it was nothing important. "They're demons."
"Then why haven't you killed them?" Giyu asked.
At that, Tanjiro and Nezuko hurried over.
"You can't!" Tanjiro stepped forward. "They were turned into demons, but they're still my family!"
"I see… How tragic," Shinobu said, her usual gentle smile returning. "Your own beloved family, reduced to man-eating demons."
She took a light step toward the chained Kamados. "In that case, allow me to give them a merciful dose of my poison. They'll slip away without feeling a thing."
Tanjiro moved to block her. "I won't let you hurt my family!"
"Shuya-san~" Nezuko immediately latched onto his arm, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes.
Shinobu tilted her head. "Sir, since you can use a Breathing Style, you must understand what demons are, right?"
This was the difference power made. After seeing what Shuya and Saeko could do, Shinobu couldn't just act without considering his reaction.
"I do," Shuya said evenly. "But while others might have the right to kill them, the Demon Slayer Corps does not."
Giyu frowned. "Why not?"
Shuya gave Tanjiro a gentle push from behind, moving him in front of Giyu. "Because for the last four hundred years, the Kamado family has been the ones preserving Sun Breathing—the style created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni—for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"If you want to kill his family, maybe you should hear what the current heir of Sun Breathing has to say first."
"That's right!" Nezuko puffed out her chest, still clinging to Shuya's arm. "Shuya-san and Saeko-nee just used the Dance of the Fire God they learned from my brother!"
"I see…" Giyu's eyes widened slightly.
If it really was the legendary strongest Breathing Style, then everything made sense.
He hated demons as much as anyone, but unlike Shinobu—who had watched her sister die in her arms—he was able to stay calmer in situations like this.
"This is above my authority," he said after a moment. "If you're willing, I'd like you to come with us to meet our leader."
"The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps? Sure," Shuya answered without hesitation.
He had zero interest in the Corps itself or its mysterious leader, but he was very interested in Tamayo—the doctor who could create a drug to turn Nezuko back into a human. If he could recruit her, and combine her skills with the Blue Spider Lily, she might be able to develop something that stopped demons from craving human flesh.
That would make using Muzan's blood for longevity far more practical.
Besides, he didn't have a better way to find her right now.
"Have you made up your mind?" Shinobu asked, sounding a little disappointed. "Looks like nothing I say will change anything."
With Giyu on the other side, she stood no chance alone.
But if the Demon Slayer Corps could gain access to the strongest Breathing Style… the day they could finally avenge her sister might finally be close.
She looked at Shuya. "Sir, I've been wondering about something since earlier. May I ask you one question?"
"Why do you know my sister's name?"
"Miss Kocho…"
A mischievous glint appeared in Shuya's eyes. The corner of his mouth curved into a playful smirk.
"If I told you I was actually your sister's ex-boyfriend… would you believe me?"