Chapter 56 – The Triggered Alarm
Everything that had just happened before Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes had shaken her to the core.
Her own student… turned out to be someone hiding overwhelming power all along.
With a single slash of his katana, he killed that mysterious man—someone clearly not ordinary. And as soon as he died, his body slowly disintegrated, vanishing into thin air like mist.
Suddenly, the world Shizuka thought she knew felt completely unfamiliar.
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Water Breathing—one of the five foundational breathing styles derived from the original Sun Breathing.
Users of this style wield a Nichirin Blade dyed blue.
Only those with a calm heart, unshaken resolve, and crystal-clear focus could ever master it. Among the various breathing forms, Water Breathing was considered the most graceful and the easiest to begin learning.
Its practitioners created sword slashes that flowed like waves, elegant yet deadly.
However, when compared to Sun Breathing, the gap was as vast as the difference between high school and a doctoral degree—they simply didn't exist on the same plane.
Water Breathing was easy to learn, but mastering it completely was a different story.
Sun Breathing, on the other hand, was akin to trying to grasp the heavens themselves. Even Tsugikuni Michikatsu—Yoriichi's older brother, who later became Upper Moon One: Kokushibō—had failed to inherit it. Instead, he forged his own path: Moon Breathing.
As the old saying goes, "No matter how bright the moon, it can never outshine the sun." Moon Breathing was strong, yes—but it would never reach the heights of Sun Breathing.
The five elemental styles—Water, Thunder, Flame, Stone, and Wind—were created because no ordinary human could endure the intensity of the sun. They couldn't inherit the original.
And so, Tsugikuni Yoriichi guided others, teaching them adapted forms more suitable for human bodies. Thus, the other Breathing Styles were born.
"…But honestly, Water Breathing might really suit Yukino."
Yes. Based on Yukinoshita Yukino's personality, it was a perfect match.
Though she came off as cold and untouchable on the surface, deep within, she harbored a quiet, gentle kindness. That core made her the ideal candidate for this style.
Besides, he had already made a promise to her. With both her breathing technique and swordsmanship in place, the puzzle was finally complete.
"Hey, what the hell is going on? Aren't you going to explain any of this to me?"
Shizuka's voice cut through the stillness, tense and demanding. She stepped closer, eyes locked onto Akira's with a mix of confusion, concern, and disbelief.
As someone connected to powers behind the scenes, Shizuka understood far more than Yukino or Haruno ever could about what had just transpired.
"Shizuka-sensei… if possible, I'd like you to forget everything that happened tonight."
"…Do you really think something like this can just be brushed off? And you! You just killed someone! Do you even realize what that means?!"
"That was just killing someone. And besides, what I killed wasn't human."
Akira spoke calmly, without the slightest hesitation.
Shizuka froze.
The student standing in front of her felt… different now. Off.
Sure, Akira had always been quiet and a bit distant, but she'd never thought of him as a bad kid. In fact, she admired his strong will and sense of responsibility.
But the words she'd just heard… especially the way he said them…
"Just killing someone."
Was that something a high schooler should be saying?
To speak of a life so carelessly, as if it were a number to be discarded… Was this the mindset of an arrogant tyrant? A corrupt politician?
Had her student really become someone who saw himself as standing above the rest of humanity?
"You… Do you even understand what you just said?!"
Despite knowing she couldn't possibly match his strength, Shizuka couldn't hold back her fury.
She clenched her fist and swung it straight at Akira's face.
She wanted to snap him out of it. To remind him that a human life wasn't something you could just take. That no one had the right to decide life or death so casually.
But—
Thud.
Before her punch could land, Akira caught her hand—less than ten centimeters from his face.
"Let go! I need to teach you something vital tonight—how to act like a proper human being!"
"I'm sorry, Sensei. But school's over. And I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to defeat me anyway."
"You've got some nerve saying that to me!"
"I'm just stating a fact."
Shizuka struggled to break free from his grip, but the gap between their strength was overwhelming.
Just moments ago, Akira had defeated Lower Moon Six. That alone had increased his Template Inheritance by three percent—pushing him past the ten percent mark.
Right now, he held about one-tenth the strength of Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Against him, even Lower Moon demons felt like minor pests. Let alone a human like Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"You're a great teacher, Shizuka-sensei. But there are things you shouldn't meddle with. Let me say it again—nothing happened tonight."
"You… You can really kill someone and stay this calm? I truly underestimated you, Yukinoshita Akira."
"I don't want to repeat myself, Sensei."
Akira's mood hadn't soured. In fact, he was still in a relatively good mood. But this wasn't a safe place to linger.
Sure, the fight earlier had been short and clean—no injuries, no corpse. After all, demons turned to ash when killed.
But the traces of blood were still there.
Even though he'd destroyed the surveillance cameras, if anyone passed by and saw the aftermath, things could get complicated.
"Anyway… if you really want answers, go talk to Miss."
"…Haruno? What does Haruno have to do with this?"
"I'll be going now."
With that, Akira turned and walked away.
Tonight's encounter with Lower Moon Six had been a pleasant surprise.
But at the same time… it meant the alarm had been triggered.
To Kibutsuji Muzan, demons were nothing but pawns—tools to seek out the Blue Spider Lily.
But the Twelve Kizuki were different. They were his chosen—each one given a number by Muzan himself, the personal minions of the Demon King.
And some of those Twelve had crossed over into this world alongside Muzan.
Now, with Lower Moon Six dead, Muzan would surely notice.
Especially since Muzan had complete control over his demons—even their thoughts weren't private. Which meant… Akira's existence had likely been exposed.
Still, Akira wasn't too worried.
After all, Muzan was notoriously cautious. At worst, he'd probably just send another Lower Moon or maybe even an Upper Moon to handle it.
Because to Muzan… Akira was just another Demon Slayer who happened to know how to use a Breathing Technique.
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