Creating Star Breathing might have just been a joke, but after mastering the Five Great Breathing Styles, Mizuki had always been searching for the Breathing Technique most suitable for herself.
The creators of the Five Great Breathing Styles all developed their own Breathing Techniques based on their swordsmanship, under the guidance of Yoriichi.
In other words, it wasn't adapting a Breathing Technique to create a Sword Form, but rather adapting a Sword Form to create one's own Breathing Technique.
This was different from later generations of swordsmen who developed new Sword Forms based on existing Breathing Techniques; the first generation did the exact opposite.
Therefore, Mizuki had long begun to ponder the design of her Sword Forms.
The inspiration for her Breathing Technique came from her most proficient Water Breathing and Wind Breathing.
The Sword Forms created based on Water and Wind Breathing Techniques almost perfectly suited Snow Breathing, which inherited the advantages of both Breathing Techniques.
"Snow Breathing, First Form: Tornado!"
As Mizuki's clear, cold voice rang out, the surrounding blizzard howled even more intensely.
A giant white dragon made of wind and snow swept upwards, throwing the demon high into the air.
The biting cold wind, like blades, continuously swept across the demon's body, and in the blink of an eye, countless tiny wounds tore open on its body.
Without giving it time to react, the deadly, clear, cold voice sounded again.
"Snow Breathing, Second Form: Snow - Fluttering Snowflakes."
A flurry of snowflakes obscured its vision. A swordsman, holding a pure white blade and with a strange Demon Slayer Mark appearing on her cheek, ambushed it from within the snowflakes, growing larger and larger in the demon's eyes.
A mark? What is this?
Before it could think, the world spun. When its vision stabilized, Mizuki stood lightly on her toes, her lithe figure inverted in its eyes.
The demon's pupils trembled violently. Had it been beheaded?!!!
Hiss~
Mizuki never showed mercy to such demons. With one sword thrust through the demon's head, it quickly began to dissolve, head and body.
The weather that had originally hindered her breathing ultimately became her aid. The cold air circulated in her lungs, her brain seemed to become transparent, and she felt an unprecedented clarity.
"Hoo~"
Mizuki continued to pant heavily, the sensation of her body's heaviness constantly eroding her will.
If not for the chilling cold air passing through her lungs, she might have already fainted.
With her last shred of will, Mizuki dragged her severely injured body back to the temple and pushed open the broken door of the main hall.
The blizzard rushed in. The girls abducted by the demon huddled in a corner of the main hall, looking at the doorway in panic.
Mizuki let out a long sigh, her vision began to darken, and she collapsed to the ground.
The girls recognized her and rushed over.
Just a light touch, "So hot! Her body is so hot."
A decisive girl, about fourteen or fifteen, quickly helped Mizuki up.
"Quick, close the main door and help her to the corner."
Everyone quickly helped Mizuki to the corner of the wall.
"She seems to have killed that monster."
"What should we do? We can't go down the mountain in this weather, and she has such a high fever. She'll die if this continues."
One girl sat down against the wall, hugged Mizuki into her arms, and called out to the others.
"Come closer, everyone."
Everyone immediately understood her meaning and gathered around, encircling Mizuki.
"Aiko, you come over too."
The girl called Aiko and Mizuki were surrounded in the very center... so warm.
The sleeping Mizuki only felt as if her body was on a warm, soft bed, as warm as lying in bed on a winter morning.
After an unknown amount of time, Mizuki's eyelashes fluttered, and she groggily opened her eyes.
What she saw was the young child in her arms, whose clothes were stained with dried blood, now sleeping soundly.
"Are you awake?"
A gentle voice came from behind her. Mizuki instinctively turned around and realized that she was surrounded by everyone.
They were warming her with their bodies.
Being protected by a group of people, Mizuki felt both touched and a little uncomfortable. She moved slightly, and her body sent signals of soreness.
Is it a side effect of Sun Breathing?
Mizuki adapted quite well to other Breathing Techniques; even forcefully changing Breathing Techniques in the middle of a Sword Form wouldn't cause problems.
Mizuki's movement woke the other girls.
"Are you alright now?"
"Thank you for saving us."
Everyone offered words of praise to Mizuki.
The woman sitting behind Mizuki, holding her, gently touched her forehead.
"You had a high fever earlier, but thankfully it has gone down now."
Fever?
She did feel her body was burning hot earlier. That was probably the brain sending erroneous signals in an extremely low-temperature environment, channeling all blood and heat to the brain.
People freezing to death and stripping their clothes is also due to this reason.
"Cough cough~" Mizuki couldn't help but cough twice.
She still felt a slight discomfort in her body.
Mizuki handed the girl in her arms back to them and looked at the weather outside the window.
Night had passed, and the sky had cleared.
"Let's go, I'll take you home." Mizuki pushed herself up from the ground. Although her body was still a little uncomfortable, she could still move.
Hearing the word 'home,' the girls finally relaxed completely and wept, covering their faces.
It was natural for ordinary people to be afraid when encountering such ugly monsters.
Mizuki introduced herself to everyone, calmed their emotions, and then led them down the mountain.
Upon reaching the mountain foot village, the woodcutter sat at his doorway, holding his hatchet, as if he had been sitting there all night.
Seeing figures coming down the mountain from afar, the woodcutter's body trembled, and an irrepressible joy appeared on his face as he hurried to meet them.
He walked faster and faster... then slower and slower... and the joy on his face turned into bewilderment.
The man suddenly rushed forward, grabbing a girl by her shoulders, his face expressing a pleading look: "Where's Akina? Where is she?!"
Mizuki paused, her eyelids slightly lowered.
The girl whose shoulders were gripped by the man's hands mumbled, "Akina... Akina, she was eaten by a demon."
The man seemed to have all his strength drained, collapsing to the ground, his face expressionless, as if he had lost his soul.
Mizuki closed her eyes lightly and turned to leave.
Even if the virus is eradicated, the past pain will not disappear.
The Demon Slayer Corps can eliminate demons, but it cannot soothe pain.
The girl holding the child, during Mizuki's earlier conversation, had given her name as Namiko.
Noticing Mizuki's departure, Namiko chased after her.
"Um."
Mizuki's steps paused slightly.
"Miss Mizuki, thank you for saving everyone."
Mizuki waved her hand without looking back and disappeared into the town... It was only when she was drinking from a stream that Mizuki saw her current appearance reflected in the water.
A peculiar red mark extended from her cheek to her neck, its winding shape adding a touch of allure to her already striking looks.
In her previous life, it would probably have been very popular, but by the standards of this era, it was purely disfigurement.
If she had awakened her Demon Slayer Mark earlier, perhaps fewer people would have sought her hand in marriage.
"Demon Slayer Mark?" Mizuki murmured, gently touching her cheek.
That was something she learned from the Demon Slayer short videos, referred to as one of the 'Three-Piece Set'.
Only by mastering the Three-Piece Set could one qualify to confront the Upper Ranks and Muzan.
These were the Demon Slayer Mark, Transparent World, and scarlet blade.
Yoriichi possessed a natural Demon Slayer Mark and Transparent World, and currently, only Yoriichi could use the scarlet blade.
Although he had explained the technique of the scarlet blade to everyone, no one in the Demon Slayer Corps, apart from him, could achieve it.
The principle of the scarlet blade was to activate the sun's energy within the nichirin blade through immense grip strength, achieving the technique of turning the blade red.
It could effectively suppress demon regeneration and increase lethality against demons.
Currently, only Yoriichi possessed that immense grip strength.
Apart from Yoriichi, no one in the Demon Slayer Corps had mastered any of the Three-Piece Set.
So, theoretically, she could now be considered the second person after Yoriichi to master the Demon Slayer Mark.
Even ahead of Michikatsu.
Recalling her memories after the 'revolving lantern' experience, Mizuki indeed felt an improvement in her physical abilities.
After all, Snow Breathing alone couldn't make her recover instantly.
So, with her awakened Demon Slayer Mark, could she also master the scarlet blade?