"Have we ever met Aoyama before?"
In a small yet luxurious house, the faint scent of Wisteria incense lingered in the air as Ubayashiki Kagaya lay on his futon, his voice quiet but edged with curiosity. The question had been gnawing at him ever since the Hashira meeting concluded.
Squelch.
Beside him, his wife Amane Ubayashiki wrung out a towel freshly dipped in warm water, the fabric dripping softly after being rid of excess water, before she pressed it to her husband's skin with practiced care to wipe his sweat.
"Is it because of the hostility he displayed?" she asked, her tone calm, though her eyes studied him for the answer.
"If he were truly hostile," Kagaya replied, "he would not have corrected the mistake I made in my lapse of judgment. I would not call it hostility, but rather a sense of caution, as if he was on guard against me."
"A sense of caution," Amane replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "I do not understand it either. Perhaps our ancestors wronged his ancestors once?"
"I do not believe so," Kagaya replied, "Aoyama comes from beyond Japan. Even if his name indicates Japanese ancestry, I do not believe our ancestors ever met. Even if we did, Aoyama appears to be a logical person. Ancestry rivalry should not bother someone like him."
Caution was harder to read than anger. Anger burned openly, predictable in its flare and its aftermath. But caution? It was a shield, one that hinted at layers of thought and experience beneath the surface. Those who carried it had seen much, perhaps too much. Such people could be allies of unshakable resolve, or enemies who struck with precision.
And that, Kagaya thought, made Aoyama worth watching.
"A logical person?" Amane replied with a hint of curiosity. "For someone like you to say such a thing, you must hold him in high regard, dear."
Though Amane said this in a neutral tone, a hint of jealousy could be heard in her voice.
'It took him more than 2 years to regard me as a logical person.' Amane pouted, slightly tightening her grip on Kagaya.
"Amane" Kagaya replied in a slightly helpless tone.
But… in high regard?' Kagaya mused.'Yes… I do suppose I hold him in high regard. After all, after hundreds of years, a ray of hope has finally shone upon us.'
His gaze drifted toward the paper door, where the faint orange glow of the setting sun spilled into the room. The warmth touched his pale face, yet the heaviness in his chest remained.
Please, Aoyama…
Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji.'
~~~~
The sun is a giant ball of fire, constantly burning due to the process of nuclear fission occurring every second, generating humongous amounts of energy and heat. With nowhere to go, the excess energy would be released from the sun in all directions.
And as always, it was the earth below that endured the full weight of its relentless fire.
Today was such a day.
On a cloudless day nonetheless, the sun's rays shone brightly, casting really fucking bright and blinding lights, along with the absolutely blazing temperature, making it a torturous experience even for the humans who had no fear of walking under the sun.
If you didn't get the fancy poetry stuff, then basically, it was really hot today.
However, unlike normal people, the bright sun only fueled the fire within my heart, spreading it to the rest of my body, further invigorating it.
And so, it gave me enough strength to fly.
Flap
High above in the air, Ubayashiki Kagaya's personal crow flew up above as it flapped its wings. However, for some reason, the crow had an extremely weird expression on its face, almost like disbelief.
And I might be the reason.
Because right next to the crow, I was flying beside it.
That's right, I, who had learned how to cause muscle cramps on demand to negate fall damage, now utilized the same concept to fly in the air. Not to mention, Hinokami Kagura's forms complemented my muscle cramps extremely well.
"Hinokami Kagura: Dance"
The first form of Hinokami Kagura acted as a sort of freestyle form. Simply put, while it was made up of slashes, the slashes were not supposed to be followed in order. The user of sun breathing is supposed to create their own set of movements for this form. However, a truly experienced individual wouldn't do so.
And so, combining the multiple movements of Hinokami Kagura, along with my muscle cramps, allowed me to achieve flight. If a person looked up, they would see a giant flaming ball streaking through the air like a meteor.
"Aoyama-Sama," The crow said with a small sweat bead, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, shaking my arms and legs in small intervals in an attempt to atleast relieve some pain from the continuous muscle cramps.
'Damn it, why does this hurt so much?'
"If it hurts, then I recommend discontinuing your inhuman behavior and start walking on the ground?"
"Nonsense"
"It is not 'Nonsense' as you proclaim. I was simply asked by Gyomei-Sama to look after your well-being."
"My well-being?" I asked in confusion, "Why? I don't make stupid decisions, and I'm fine health-wise."
"Gyomei-Sama mentioned something about you jumping off from a mountain."
Ah
At the mention of that event, I nervously averted my eyes and let out a whistle.
"Aoyama-Sama, we are here."
Ubayashiki's personal crow landed neatly on a weathered pole. After the Hashira meeting, Ubayashiki had assigned it to guide me to the former Thunder Hashira's estate—an honor, I suppose, though it did make me wonder how often his crows served as personal escorts.
As for my own Kasugai crow?
"Oyakata-sama, please train my crow to speak like yours."
"A simple request"
And so Kasai was away for… lessons.
"Then, I will take off for now, Aoyama-san," the crow said, tilting its head.
"Ah, yes, thank you for guiding me here."
"You need not thank me. I only did my job."
With that, it took to the air, wings slicing through the stillness before fading into the horizon.
"…Come to think of it, I never did ask his name."
Taking in a deep breath, I squinted my eyes as I watched the Kasugai crow fly away. After watching the crow finally leave my vision, I let out a sigh to calm my nerves.
*slam*
And immediately fell down.
*cough cough*
"Agh fuck" I screamed, panting, "Why does it hurt so much!"
"Shit!" I yelled between heavy breaths. Every muscle in my body was knotting up all at once, and the constant cramping was driving me insane. It wasn't just painful, it was the kind of pain that left you questioning your own life choices.
I don't even want to talk about the time I accidentally cramped a muscle in my dick. That was a different kind of hell.
Muscle pain aside, the sheer amount of stamina required to not only stay airborne but to unleash Hinokami Kagura forms the entire time, while also forcing my body to have muscle cramps in localized areas, required an insane amount of stamina.
'How the hell did Tanjiro's dad use Hinokami Kagura the entire night? He must have trained really hard.'
Maybe Gyomei was right about me making stupid decisions.
Calm down.
*swoosh*
Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes as I remembered my lessons from Gyomei.
'While breathing techniques significantly enhance all physical parameters.' Gyomei remarked, 'It is not the only function that it possesses.
With both Repetitive Action and Total Concentration, your senses should far exceed even those of a Hashira's, so when you get injured or exhausted, recede all your senses to the inside of your body.
Smell the damaged part, sense the damaged part, see the damaged part, hear the damaged part. Don't limit yourself to one sense like other Slayers who only possess Breathing Techniques.
Concentrate your breathing and scan throughout your entire body for the damaged blood vessels and muscles. Discard any broken bones; you will only worsen fractures without proper medical knowledge.
It will hurt at first, but when you eventually find them, stanch the vessels and tighten the muscles. Stop any bleeding and heal any exhaustion you possessed before. Once you complete that, you will have completed one of the many steps needed to become a Hashira.'
"Unleash all my senses, recede them in my body, and scan my body."
*fooo*
Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath, I felt the air enter my lungs. I felt the blood flowing in my vessels. I felt the contraction of my muscles, the release of hormones, and the liver cleansing my body of toxic wastes.
'Sense, hear, smell, see.'
In an instant, it was as if my body turned transparent. The beating of my heart became visible to me as I saw all the arteries and veins converge in the middle of my chest. Following the path, the divergence of the arteries and veins, my senses expanded to my entire body.
'Find it, find the source of pain.'
A deep red. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing more than a deep red. The colour of my stomach, the colour of my liver, everything was dyed in the colour of blood.
...
'Found it.'
The muscle near my left thigh looked completely torn, and the vessels surrounding it were shredded. If I could make a face, it would be one full of grimace.
'Breathe, breathe, breathe. Force them together, make them stitch back.'
The muscles inside twitched before clenching. The forced pull pushed all the broken muscle strands together, enhancing recovery. The cut-up blood vessels slowly mended themselves as they strained themselves against the muscles, tightening them up and preventing any internal bleeding.
But I did not stop. Something in my mind urged me not to stop, or I would regret it forever.
'The entire body, feel the whole body, every part of it.'
My brain, my heart, my lungs. Follow the blood vessels, and envision every part of myself. Make a virtual representation of my body.
Feel everything. Every inch of my blood vessels inside my body, every inch of skin outside my body, every heartbeat, every electric impulse, every muscle contraction. Let go of doubt, let go of fear, let go of disgust.
Slowly but surely, my entire body began to unravel in front of me, as if I could see my entire body from above. A white current passed through my body, unveiling all the secrets it possessed.
*clench*
Wishing to experience the extent of this state, I clenched my heart, forcing it to stop. I controlled the release of gastric acids to stop digestion, I controlled the small intestines to stop the process of absorption.
And for a second, just for a second, these processes that should have otherwise been impossible to control by conscious thought, heeded my instruction, and every function in my body, for less than a nanosecond, completely stopped.
Eventually, my instincts that detected the shutdown of my body, forcibly overrode the conscious thoughts of my brain and restarted all the processes before I died for real.
*whistle*
Immediately, I opened my eyes.
'What is this?'
As I opened my eyes, the world immediately slowed down. It felt as if my spirit had ascended, and I was looking down at my body and controlling it with threads. The world around me turned black, as if the only thing present in the world was me and me alone.
'No, there's someone else here.'
Hesitantly, my "spirit" turned its eyes upward.
'W-what the hell is that?'
It loomed before me, a colossal sphere of fire, burning with the brilliance of a second sun. This was my world, a realm meant for me alone… yet someone had trespassed.
Then, the blazing orb shifted and looked straight at me.
*thud*
"Urgh"
However, as soon as it began, it ended. My red eyes regained their original colour, and my spirit was immediately slammed back into my body.
"That was... the Selfless State?"
The Selfless State is a state of nothingness where one is so focused on the fight that they become completely detached from everything else and can engage in combat without wasteful thoughts and movements.
It is an esoteric and mysterious state of being in which one completely erases their Fighting Spirit, will to fight, bloodlust, anger, hatred, malevolence, drive, and animosity. People who have achieved this state are often mistaken for weaklings due to others not being able to detect any power from them at all.
When combined with Transparent World, it's a complete killer combo.
It's just...
'I can't enter that state again.'
This experience of the Selfless State, and the giant flaming eye, was a complete accident, and I was too shocked to be able to perfectly remember the experience of being in this state.
Usually, Transparent World and Selfless State come as a combo, but you're only able to access them after achieving the Demon Slayer Mark. Considering I still do not possess the mark, I probably possess an incomplete version of Transparent World, which only has the ability of X-ray vision.
'I need to experience that again. I need to awaken my Demon Slayer Mark.'
Internally grimacing at the dirt stuck onto my clothes and my face, I immediately started dusting myself down. While doing so, I looked up to see the former Thunder Hashira's estate, and was immediately awestruck
'What a humongous area.'
So far, I have been to the estates of two Hashira, and yet, I can still confidently say that even both their estates combined would not be as big as the former Thunder Hashira Jigoro's estate.
Before me stretched what could only be described as an entire plain, with a small forest standing quietly at its edge. Far off, almost tucked away from all that open space, sat a humble wooden house—simple, weathered, and probably the actual living quarters.
"This is insane. How rich is this guy?"
Even factoring in that the housing crisis hadn't hit Japan yet, and that World War II was still years away, land prices still shouldn't have been this low. Not in the Taishō era. Yet here the Ubuyashiki family was, owning an entire stretch of open plains and a forest on top of that. The sheer amount of wealth or influence required for that was almost absurd.
*twitch*
A faint twitch ran through my ears as the softest whisper of sound slipped in, barely registering at first. It was very subtle, but more than enough to snap me out of my thoughts in an instant.
"Waaa-"
"Zenitsu, get down-"
"Sensei, please calm down-"
Let's see. There are 3 people present.
The whining sound belonged to a young man. Judging from the constant whining, I assume this to be Zenitsu Agatsuma's voice.
Next was a gruffy voice that most likely belonged to an older man. This voice probably belongs to Jigoro Kuwajima, the former Thunder Hashira.
But the 3rd one?
'That can't be Kaigaku'
But the third voice is one I am unfamiliar with. Logically, it should belong to Kaigaku, but anyone who has ever read the manga or watched the Infinity Castle movie should know that someone like Kaigaku is too arrogant to say something like please or defend Zenitsu from Jigoro's anger.
'Not to mention, I know this voice.'
This voice, who does it belong to? The name is on the tip of my tongue, but for some reason, I just can't recall it.
"Eh? G-g-g-GRAMPS, SOMEONE'S HERE"
'Oh? They found me, huh?'
Even though I expected to be caught by Zenitsu's hearing, I didn't expect to be caught as soon as I stepped down.
Then again, I'm not that surprised. Even if I were to artificially train my senses using Repetitive Action, they will simply never catch up to the ones whose senses were naturally enhanced.
My sense of smell will never be strong enough to smell emotions. While my hearing may be sharp enough to hear a beating heart, it will never be able to discern something like emotion or intent, and my sense of touch will never be sensitive enough to cover an entire mountain. Even my See Through World will one day be achieved by every Hashira.
'That is, if I only limit myself to this world.'
"Thunder Breathing-"
In an instant, dread washed over me, cold and heavy. Every hair on my body stood rigid, my skin prickling as though an icy hand had run along my spine.
'An attack'
My body screamed as instinct took over. in an instant countless thoughts flashed through my mind, shifting from one theory to another.
'Thunder Breathing?'
'Is it Zenitsu?'
'No, he can't be that strong yet.'
'Then it has to be Jigoro.'
'But why is he attacking me?'
"-First Form-"
Shifting all thoughts aside, I immediately shifted my body. Taking in a deep breath, I prepared myself to unleash a form.
"Martial Union: Hinokami Kagura-"
The earth rumbled as a blur immediately rushed towards me as soon as I unleashed my form.
"Thunder Clap and Flash!"
A loud sound akin to thunder rumbled throughout the clearing as a huge lightning bolt dashed at me.
'Fast'
The first thing that popped in my mind as I witnessed an entire group of small lightning bolts dash over to my position.
'What's with that speed? That's so unfair.'
For something like that, my normal vision is nowhere near enough.
'Overcharge.'
'Transparent World.'
The world bled into shades of gray as my Transparent World cut through the streaking lightning. Through the blur, I caught the form of an old man, his eyes wide in shock as he realized I was tracking him, even in the middle of his Thunder Breathing form.
Jigoro moved without hesitation, unsheathing his sword as he neared me. Tiny streaks of lightning crackled from every inch of his body, dancing across his form and searing black lightning-shaped scars into the blade, charring it as it approached me.
"Fake Rainbow"
Unfortunately, the blade never reached me, because as soon as the wooden blade cut through my torso, my body disappeared, turning into a bunch of small, rainbow coloured strips.
*woosh*
Immediately, I appeared just behind Jigoro as I cocked my fist back. aiming to deliver a punch.
However, as if anticipating my action, Jigoro immediately turned around and swung his sword.
"Thunder Breathing Second Form: Rice Spirit"
In an instant, five strikes approached me at the same time. In retaliation, I immediately switched my breathing style from Hinokami Kagura to Flame Breathing and took in a huge breath as I unsheathed my Katana.
"Flame Breathing Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation"
In an instant, I swung my sword in a curved arc, forming a barrier of flames. The five strikes collided with the wall of flames, resulting in small explosions of fire and lightning as they failed to break through the barrier.
"Martial Union: Water Breathing Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust"
While I kept up the wall of flames with my sword, I cocked my fist back as I changed my breathing style to Water Breathing. In an instant, I unleashed the fastest form of Water Breathing.
*whistle*
My arm produced a whistling sound as it stopped just before hitting Jigoro's head-
"Thunder Breathing Third Form: Thunder Swarm"
-as Jigoro vanished before I could hit him.
*woosh* *woosh* *woosh*
Wooshing sounds could be heard all around me as Jigoro reappeared and disappeared at different places in small intervals of time. Every time he appeared, he released a small lightning bolt heading towards me.
Third Form: Thunder Swarm- The user rapidly circles around the enemy and assaults them with a series of wide, arched, lightning slashes from all directions, essentially surrounding them in a vortex of electricity.
Basically, Jigoro had trapped me in a spherical cage with each direction containing hundreds of lightning bolts, just like a lightning tornado.
'So strong.'
Thunder Breathing appeared to be such a powerful breathing style. Possessing overwhelming speed and fatal attacks, it may be the deadliest and most efficient breathing style I have come across yet.
Not to mention-
'A breathing style perfectly made for Demon Slayers.'
Demons are monsters in every sense—overwhelmingly strong, impossibly durable, and blessed with regeneration that borders on the absurd. In game terms, they outclass Demon Slayers in every stat… except one.
Speed.
Demon Slayers will never be as powerful or as durable as demons. Furthermore, demons possess a cheat called Blood Demon Arts that operates completely outside of logic, with some being strong enough to create a nigh-infinite pocket dimension.
So the only thing Demon Slayers can do is be faster than demons. Be so fast that the demons never get a chance to unleash their Blood Demon Arts, be so fast that they never even get the chance to regenerate, be so fast that the demons are unable to hit you with their superior strength.
So, is it not obvious that Thunder Breathing is the most suited breathing style for a Demon Slayer?
'It's just such a shame.'
Witnessing the dome of lightning bolts close in on me without a sense of urgency, I felt a sense of sorrow stir within me.
'The only two somewhat competent Thunder Breathers were still faulty.'
Zenitsu Agatsuma was only able to master the first form of Thunder Breathing, and Kaigaku, though he was able to master every form except for the first form, he was still unable to unleash their full power.
The first form of Thunder Breathing acts as the foundation for the entire breathing style. Kaigaku, who was unable to master the first form, would never be able to unleash the rest of the forms at their full strength.
'A competent Thunder Breather, I wonder how strong they would be as a Hashira?'
"Martial Union: Water Breathing Sixth Form: Whirlpool"
*woosh*
I bent slightly, shifted my weight, and lifted my right leg. With all my strength, I spun in a full circle, my foot sweeping around in a tight arc. Water surged outward from the motion, forming a solid ring around me. The wall of water caught the incoming lightning bolts head-on, stopping them before they could reach me.
After stopping his attack, the clash fell silent for a heartbeat. Jigoro and I locked eyes, neither of us moving.
Finally, I opened my mouth.
"Why the hell did you randomly attack me?"
"I thought you were a demon."
...
Hah?
"A demon in broad daylight?" I yelled. "You gone senile, old man?"
"Watch your mouth, brat!" Jigoro snapped, waving his cane. "I saw a giant flying ball of fire—excuse me for thinking a demon was attacking. I didn't know it was you that was somehow flying."
"That's..."
I wanted to fire back, but he wasn't wrong. How else would anyone react to a giant flaming ball barreling toward their home?
"You're something else, boy," Jigoro remarked, ignoring my question, relaxing his body as he withdrew his wooden sword.
*sizzle* *thud*
Jigoro glanced at his sizzling wooden sword and immediately discarded it with a sigh, muttering something like Not again.
"You...saw me," Jigoro remarked, turning towards me with wide eyes.
"I saw you?"
"Yeah… I felt your gaze on me," Jigoro said, tapping the side of his head. "When I use Thunder Breathing, the world around me turns to a blur.
When I'm in the middle of my attacks, sight is almost worthless. But after decades of practice, I've acquired a sort of "sixth" sense that lets me sense my surroundings.. It tells me where everything is… even you. That's how I was able to feel your gaze on me."
"Is that so?' I murmured, "That just sounds like instinct."
"Hey brat, don't insult my techniques," Jigoro remarked as he slammed his cane on my head.
*thud*
"Agh," I remarked, nursing my head, "What the hell, old man? There was no need to beat me up because of that."
"Beat you up?" Jigoro scoffed, "That was just a light tap. Back in my day, if we insulted our teachers, we had to endure lashings. Youngsters like you don't know the struggles we went through."
There is no fucking way this guy just said that.
"But I don't understand how you saw me!" Jigoro immediately screamed. "Thunder Breathing focuses entirely on speed, and the first form is supposed to be the fastest form. I don't understand how you were able to see something going faster than sound."
"It's because of my eyes."
"Your eyes?" Jigoro remarked.
"Mhm, I possess a special pair of eyes," I said, pointing to my eyes. "Through them, I can perceive the world much clearly than most people."
"Like Flower Breathing, huh?" Jigoro remarked, scratching his chin, "I suppose that makes sense."
Jigoro was quick to accept the fact. After all, his student Zenitsu possessed an exceptional sense of sound, and the Stone Hashira practiced a buddhist technique that amplified all senses.
Wait, Stone Hashira? Amplified senses?
A lightbulb went off above Jigoro's head.
"But wait, are you Aoyama Yuito Daichi?"
"Uhm, yes?" I answered with confusion. "How did you know?"
"This generation's Oyakata-Sama delivered a message to me regarding you." Jigoro said, "You're here to learn Thunder Breathing from me, are you not? Something about learning all five breathing styles?"
"Ah, right," I nodded, "I plan on combining the five main breathing styles to make a breathing style with all benefits and no weaknesses."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just derive a breathing style suited for you, instead of going through the trouble to learn all five basic breathing abilities?"
"It would be yes," I nodded, "But while that would be easier, it wouldn't be as strong. Even though the path I take is long, the results at the end are more than worth it."
"Is that so?" Jigoro commented.
"That explains your strength then." Jigoro remarked, turning around, "I heard from Oyakata-Sama that you defeated the current Flame Hashira. I suppose for someone like you, defeating an old retired Hashira with a prosthetic leg won't be much effort."
Again with this damn misinformation.
"I admit I was a bit doubtful at first," Jigoro continued on "A mizunoto beating a Hashira sounded delusional. But after seeing your skills just now, and the fact that you were able to switch between three different breathing styles without suffering any physical backlash, it is more than enough proof required.."
"Listen, I didn't defeat the Fla-"
"Gramps, are you alright?"
"Sensei, are you fine?"
Both of us turned around towards the source of the sound.
Immediately, a yellow blur slammed into Jigoro.
"Waa G-gramps, who's that guy?" Zenitsu wailed, pointing over to me, "And why was he fighting you?"
"Calm down, Zenitsu."
However, I paid no attention to Zenitsu's crying and remained steadfast on the third individual.
"Itsuki?"