Yuko lowered her eyes slightly and picked up Shinobu's Nichirin sword, which was still stuck in the ground.
"Here. Let's continue." She offered the sword back to her.
"I've lived for several hundred years as a demon. If I can't even handle an eighteen-year-old girl, that would be embarrassing."
She said it lightly—but…
Shinobu looked down at her hands, still trembling. She had known the gap between them would be enormous, but she had never imagined she would lose even the courage to fight.
"…I'm too weak…" Shinobu murmured, sounding as if her resolve were crumbling.
"Are you underestimating me, Shinobu?"
"Huh? No!" Shinobu jolted and shook her head frantically.
Yuko's expression turned serious.
"Before awakening a Mark, even if every Hashira joined forces, none of them could defeat me."
She based this judgment on Tomioka Giyu's strength—treating him as the benchmark of a Hashira's capability.
If she started a fight at full power, none of them would have the chance to counterattack.
Even if there were Hashira stronger than Giyu, she would not lose.
Unless this era happened to produce another Yoriichi… but from the story's development, that didn't seem possible.
She was already immune to sunlight, already immune to Nichirin blades. Before the Hashira exhausted her stamina, Yuko had absolute confidence she could defeat all of them.
All the Hashira…
Shinobu parted her lips. "Are all the Upper Ranks… as strong as you?"
"Of course not." Yuko shook her head. "The Upper Ranks vary greatly in strength."
Doma, Upper Rank Two, for example—Yuko had never thought he was particularly powerful, though she hadn't been confident she could restrain him with a human body.
Now that they were researching an antidote to counter his cold poison, if he was only as strong as he had been during her past encounter, then his threat level was limited.
Besides, that guy was obviously a frivolous hedonist.
Among the Upper Ranks, there had only ever been one true monster.
To make it clearer for Shinobu, Yuko continued bluntly:
"Right now, the Upper Rank One is my older brother."
"He became Upper Rank One centuries ago and has never once been displaced."
"He is the strongest demon under Muzan—second to none but him."
Shinobu remembered Yuko's earlier words, her eyes widening.
"You were turned into a demon by him…?"
"Mm."
"I don't think I've properly introduced myself to you before." Yuko suddenly remembered.
"I'm a swordswoman from the Sengoku era, one of the first practitioners of the original Breathing Forms… the younger sister of Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
"Tsugikuni Yuko."
Shinobu's pupils quivered. Her breath hitched.
"The swordsmen who created the original Breathing Forms… became Upper Rank One?"
"Yes." Yuko first nodded—then quickly waved her hands when she realized Shinobu misunderstood.
"No—no, not him! One of my two elder brothers is the one who became Upper Rank One…"
Yuko spent some effort explaining her background and lineage to Shinobu.
…
"So in short—treat me as if I were Upper Rank One. I'm confident I wouldn't lose to him."
Shinobu was still overwhelmed by Yuko's history.
"To think that someone who pioneered the original Breathing Forms would voluntarily become a demon…"
Well… that wasn't wrong either. Moon Breathing was one of the original Breath styles.
Shinobu looked up at the sky, closing her eyes briefly.
"…Let's continue, Yuko."
Yuko's eyes softened with a smile. "All right."
"Should I take it step by step this time?"
Shinobu inhaled deeply, then opened her eyes.
"No. Please do it the same as before."
"…Very well."
Fully demonizing herself was quite a drain on stamina, but for training of this intensity, it barely affected Yuko.
The moment she transformed again, that indescribable aura exploded outward—vast and overwhelming like a tidal wave crashing into the sea.
Shinobu clenched her teeth, gripping her Nichirin blade despite her trembling hands, forcing herself to steady her thoughts.
Pressure—after all—wasn't a physical force.
If she could conquer the fear in her heart…
But inner fear was always the hardest to overcome.
Illness could be cured with medicine.
But matters of the heart could not.
Shinobu felt as if she'd just been dragged out of deep water—before the fight even began, she was already drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, she wasn't an ordinary person.
As a swordswoman of the Demon Slayer Corps—a Hashira—she possessed the courage to face death.
Bit by bit, she regained her focus.
Her trembling hands steadied.
The crushing weight in her chest lifted.
"Haah…" Her ragged breathing began to calm.
Shinobu finally lifted her gaze to look properly at Yuko—
And only then did she truly see her.
…
Beautiful.
The cold moon hung behind Yuko like a halo.
Moonlight spilled over her snow-white hair, giving it a radiant shimmer.
Her golden eyes gleamed with an almost divine brilliance.
Yuko tilted her head slightly, eyes faintly perplexed.
"Shinobu?"
Why wasn't she attacking?
"Ah?"
A startled, almost adorable sound escaped Shinobu's lips as her face flushed red—like someone caught in the act of staring.
Yuko blinked in mild surprise.
Through her sharpened senses, she noticed something—Shinobu's previously tense muscles had relaxed significantly.
She resisted my aura…?
Her heartbeat had quickened too.
As expected of a Hashira—awakening a Mark wouldn't be too difficult for her.
"All right then, Shinobu—be careful."
Yuko straightened slightly. A faint white breath escaped her mouth.
Shinobu's eyes constricted.
This breathing… this is my sister's Snow Breathing!
Yuko drew her blade—Asura.
In midair, it traced a pale arc like falling snow.
She leaned back slightly, raising the sword to shoulder height.
A single spark of red ignited at the tip.
"Snow Breathing, Eleventh Form—Crimson Furnace Snow."
Eleventh form?!
Her clear, cold voice pierced Shinobu's ears.
Come to think of it—Yuko had introduced herself to the Master as the successor of Snow Breathing.
And Snow Breathing was said to date back to the Sengoku era, descending from the five original Breathing Forms.
Could Yuko be the original practitioner of Snow Breathing—?
But before Shinobu could think further, red-and-white flames surged toward her, rapidly filling her vision.
Shinobu reacted instinctively, retreating at high speed—her movements fluttering like a butterfly in flight.
There was no doubt—Yuko was holding back.
Rather than overwhelming Shinobu instantly, pushing her step by step toward the brink was far more effective for forcing the awakening of a Mark.
But while holding back, Yuko was also practicing new sword forms of her own.
Sun Breathing remained the most lethal style against demons. Since she could not perfectly wield it, Yuko—who had chosen to focus on Snow Breathing—had devised a compromise.
Just like the Ninth Form, Sunflare Snow, by blending Snow Breathing with Sun Breathing, she could mitigate Sun Breathing's drawbacks and increase her ability to suppress demon regeneration.
Though still weaker than pure Sun Breathing—it suited her far better.
---
Currently at chapter 423 for advance chapters
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