At this moment, the battle between Busujima Saeko and Giyu Tomioka was still ongoing.
However, Tanjiro, who was watching from the sidelines, was completely dumbfounded.
"Eh?"
After a long while, Tanjiro finally reacted, his voice bursting with intense disbelief. "Mr. Su Yan, you're actually not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Nope," Su Yan replied with a light chuckle.
"..."
For a moment, Tanjiro didn't know what to say.
He had genuinely believed that Su Yan belonged to a secret organization dedicated to hunting demons. He never expected to hear a negative answer directly from the man himself.
Furthermore, his companion was currently fighting an actual member of this demon-hunting corps.
And she was using his family's Hinokami Kagura to do it.
Was this right?
Tanjiro sneaked a glance at Su Yan.
He couldn't help but harbor a sliver of doubt—could this man actually be a villain?
The thick scent of blood that had emanated from the purple-haired woman earlier was so dangerously overwhelming that it made his instincts scream at him to flee. He had never encountered someone so terrifying. Her aura was even more horrifying than that of the so-called demons.
Yet, a person like that had easily and completely concealed all of her bloodlust with just a single word from Su Yan, making it so his nose could no longer detect even the slightest hint of danger.
What about the seemingly gentle Mr. Su Yan standing before him, then?
Was he also using a similar method to hide his true aura?
Was it a mistake to hand over his family's Hinokami Kagura dance to this man?
In that brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Tanjiro's mind, his head feeling as chaotic as if someone had poured wet cement into it and stirred it violently.
"Stupid brother! How could Brother Su Yan be a bad guy?!"
At that moment, Nezuko noticed the conflicted expression on her brother's face and stepped forward. She walked up to Tanjiro, clenched her small fist, and lightly knocked him on the forehead.
Then, she turned back to look at Su Yan and asked, "Right, Brother Su Yan?"
It had to be said that Nezuko was quite clever. After seeing the inner turmoil in her brother's heart, she deliberately used this lighthearted way of scolding Tanjiro to ask Su Yan the question both siblings desperately wanted answered, keeping the tone relaxed.
"Well, you could say that." Su Yan smiled and replied, "At the very least, I'm not a bad guy. If I had to describe myself, I'm really just a normal passerby who happens to have some power."
"At most, I'm just a tiny bit stronger than the Demon Slayer Corps."
As he spoke, Su Yan held up his thumb and index finger, leaving only a microscopic gap between them to emphasize his point.
Nezuko said with a serious expression, "Brother Su Yan, I believe you."
As she spoke, Nezuko didn't forget to shoot her foolish brother a look of disdain.
If it weren't for Su Yan, they wouldn't have even known that their family's Hinokami Kagura dance was such an incredible technique. Besides, given her brother's personality, if the other party really wanted to learn the Hinokami Kagura, they wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble.
Not to mention, they had already finished learning it. Even if he really was a bad guy, what else did their family have left that was worth scheming for?
Why would he bother staying here and pretending to be nice to them?
"Right, Mr. Su Yan, I believe you too."
Seeing his sister's disdainful gaze, Tanjiro scratched his head awkwardly. Realizing the logic in her actions, he quickly spoke up.
"Alright, let's continue watching their battle," Su Yan said with a smile, not bothering to explain further. "Especially you, Mr. Tanjiro. Didn't you want to join the Demon Slayer Corps to do your part?"
"That man is the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. He practices Water Breathing, which is a derivative of Sun Breathing—or as you know it, the Hinokami Kagura."
"For you, this Water Breathing is absolutely the most suitable breathing style to practice right now."
"If you can join the Demon Slayer Corps, that man might even become your senior martial brother."
Su Yan said this not just because Tanjiro learned Water Breathing in the anime. It was because Water Breathing, as one of the five main foundational derivatives of Sun Breathing, was inherently the most suitable breathing style for ordinary people.
Not only did it branch out into numerous other styles like Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing, and Serpent Breathing, but it was also the most widely learned breathing style within the Demon Slayer Corps.
As for Sun Breathing?
Not everyone was Yoriichi Tsugikuni. This breathing style placed a massive burden on ordinary people. Even without awakening a Demon Slayer Mark, as long as one persistently practiced Sun Breathing, they could not escape the fate of a shortened lifespan.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield between Busujima Saeko and Giyu Tomioka.
By now, Busujima Saeko had executed all twelve forms of Sun Breathing. She was slowly beginning to master this so-called strongest breathing style.
Conversely, her opponent, the Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka, was having a miserable time.
'Her sword strikes... they've become even more fluid?!'
Although his face revealed absolutely no emotion, maintaining that same cold, expressionless look, Giyu felt an even greater pressure radiating from Busujima Saeko than before.
To make such massive progress after just learning the breathing style and performing it once...
Giyu couldn't help but think to himself.
'If only she wasn't a demon.'
'With such formidable talent, she probably isn't much inferior to Sabito, is she?'
'If she were human, perhaps she could have become a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps too.'
'I can't let this continue.' Giyu's eyes narrowed.
From the very beginning, he hadn't used his full strength, silently keeping a portion of his attention focused on Su Yan. The woman fighting him was already this strong; he couldn't even imagine the true strength of the man standing nearby who could command her.
Was he one of the Twelve Kizuki?
Or perhaps the legendary Demon King, Muzan?
Regardless, he had to focus all his attention and bring out his full strength to deal with the woman in front of him right now.
Otherwise...
He might...
Lose?!
He would lose to a demon in a battle of breathing styles?!
How could he allow that to happen?!
At the mere thought of it, Giyu's breath hitched.
"Water Breathing! Seventh Form! Drop Ripple..."
Giyu adjusted his breathing rhythm, preparing to unleash the seventh form of Water Breathing at full power to take her down.
"My, my, isn't it Mr. Giyu Tomioka? What a coincidence."
"To think our esteemed Water Hashira would ever look so disheveled."
"How incredibly rare."
Suddenly, a crisp, cool voice drifted through the air.
It not only interrupted Giyu's next move but also caused Busujima Saeko, who was preparing to launch another Sun Breathing form, to temporarily halt her steps.
Everyone turned their gazes toward the source of the voice.
They found that on a tree branch not far away...
A short-haired young woman wearing a haori with a butterfly wing pattern stood gracefully alone.
The girl had short black hair with purple tips, and she wore a butterfly-shaped ornament pinned to the back of her head. Bathed in the moonlight, the petite girl looked just like a butterfly about to take flight.
"Shinobu Kocho?!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]