Mizuki once thought she was the protagonist.
After all, isn't it generally accepted that a transmigrator is the protagonist?
But when she was injured by a demon, her lungs severely damaged, forcing her to painfully curl up in bed, sweating profusely and unable to sleep for many nights, and when she couldn't win against Yoriichi no matter what, she understood.
Even if she was a protagonist, she was one in a tragedy.
She was not the protagonist.
Mizuki understood this fact very clearly.
The transmigrator's sense of superiority over the known plot had long vanished.
Therefore, she yearned desperately for this era, holding an immense expectation for the ray of light that was destined to appear in the future.
Should I complete the long-cherished wish that my elder brother failed to fulfill?
She herself wasn't sure how much confidence she had in that statement.
So when Tanjirou actually appeared before her eyes, Mizuki felt the burden on her shoulders lift considerably.
When a streak appeared on her cheek, Mizuki unconsciously realized that she was crying.
Was it tears of joy?
Perhaps.
The figure dancing in the snow like a flame spirit truly allowed Mizuki to see traces of Yoriichi in him.
She silently watched all the Sun Breathing Sword Forms until the Hinokami Kagura Dance was finished. By then, it was approaching dawn, the sky about to break.
Tanjurou finished the Hinokami Kagura Dance, picked up Tanjirou who had run out of the house, while his wife, Kie Kamado, stood smiling on the veranda, holding the still young Nezuko.
The scene was one of familial bliss.
Mizuki suddenly fell silent.
She had forgotten how many siblings Tanjirou had, but there were definitely quite a few, at least four or five... So, should she... remain indifferent?
Rationally speaking, she needed to pin her hopes of defeating Muzan on Tanjirou; in this era, only Tanjirou could use Sun Breathing, and she was merely a half-baked practitioner.
Those who pursue the ultimate path will arrive at the same destination.
Swordsmen who use different Breathing Techniques, as long as they cultivate them to the extreme, will eventually reach the same pinnacle.
However, the fact that Sun Breathing is superior to all other Breathing Techniques is unchangeable.
Even the Moon Breathing, improved by Kokushibou and possessing an unresolvable range, only enhanced its power. The special attack effect of Sun Breathing against demons is something other Breathing Techniques cannot replace.
Moreover, there was Nezuko.
If she truly changed the plot, it might prevent Nezuko from becoming a demon.
Mizuki knew, just by thinking about the ending of this kind of shounen manga, that it would absolutely involve the Kamado siblings—human and demon—cooperating to defeat Muzan together.
But from a personal perspective, she felt uneasy.
Mizuki took two deep breaths.
It wasn't time yet. Tanjirou was still a little kid, and the start of the plot was still years away. She had several years to think about it.
No big deal... Mizuki thought this, turned, left the woods, and walked down the mountain.
After taking two steps, her feet sank into the snow, and she stopped moving.
Mizuki tightened her grip on her Nichirin Blade slightly.
No... that's wrong... Did she really think it wasn't time yet?
Or was she planning to use other excuses when the time came?
Would she say she was tied up with other matters, or that she missed the predicted time by a little bit?
She could just say she didn't make it. After all, she hadn't achieved much in all these years; her investigation into the Upper Ranks had only managed to gather intelligence on Douma.
How few people had she watched die over the years?
Could the deaths of these few people really sway her conscience?
She was still running away.
What exactly was she afraid of?
Mizuki looked back at the happy family walking toward their house.
If she couldn't change anything, then what was the meaning of her coming to this world?
Why did she expend so much effort using the blue spider lily to overcome the sun?
Was it so she could live forever?
That was ridiculous.
Mizuki leaned against the tree, her eyes tightly closed.
She had to change something.
She had barely survived until now precisely so she could change something.
At a certain moment, Mizuki suddenly opened her eyes and walked steadfastly down the mountain.
She would return... Somewhere in the mountains, a stunning orange-red arc flashed, illuminating the night forest.
"Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!"
The arc did not vanish, and another, brighter flame rose.
Mizuki gasped slightly. Stringing all twelve moves together—given her aptitude—and completing the Twelfth Form in three seconds was her limit. Even with Demonization, she could only shave it down to two seconds at most.
Yoriichi could link all the techniques instantaneously; describing the difference as heaven and earth would be no exaggeration.
Moreover... even with her Demonized body, a body adapted to the sun, she still couldn't perfectly utilize Sun Breathing.
The burden on her body completely exceeded the benefits it provided.
For her, pure Sun Breathing was just a side effect.
Mizuki had originally wanted to see if she could scare Muzan with her face.
Given Muzan's temperament, which was even more cautious than Sima Yi's, he might actually be fooled, but if he wasn't, she would be the one to break.
Sure enough, the best method was still to have Tanjirou's family temporarily move. As long as they were all away at that critical time, Muzan would naturally lose his target.
Mizuki let out a long breath, packed her things, and headed down the mountain... On the outskirts of the town below, an intense battle was raging.
Mizuki felt the disturbance from afar. The air was filled with a faint scent of blood and the putrid stench of a demon.
Moreover... the rank was not low.
Was it one of the Twelve Demon Moons?
The aura felt strangely familiar, as if she had encountered it somewhere before.
Mizuki couldn't help but move forward. Only upon reaching the scene did she realize why it felt so familiar.
A red top, and a strange red cloth wrapped around his head.
Douma!
At this moment, his aura was much stronger than when Mizuki first saw him a hundred years ago. His rank was probably no longer just Upper Rank Six.
And the person fighting him was... Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
A red and green butterfly haori fluttered in the wind, and the figure fighting danced gracefully like a butterfly.
Kochou... Shinobu?
Why would she be fighting Douma at this point in time?
Did her existence incite the Butterfly Effect?
She didn't have many memories regarding the Taisho Nine Hashira, as many of them had only made brief appearances at the time. Over the years, Mizuki only remembered those with the most distinct characteristics.
For example, the Flame Hashira, who spoke very loudly. She still remembered his appearance because their whole clan looked the same, and she had occasionally encountered them over the past few centuries.
And Kochou Shinobu, who was petite and used poison... Mizuki suddenly paused. Wait... this height and body type... something feels wrong.
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