Mizuki lowered her eyelids slightly and picked up Kochou Shinobu's Nichirin Blade, which had been stuck in the ground.
"Here, let's continue." Mizuki handed the hilt back.
"I am a Demon who has lived for several hundred years. It would be truly shameful if I couldn't even defeat an eighteen-year-old girl."
Although she said that... Kochou Shinobu looked down at her still trembling hands. She knew the gap would be huge, but she never imagined she would lose the courage to fight entirely.
"I'm too weak..." Kochou Shinobu seemed on the verge of a spiritual collapse.
"Are you looking down on me, Shinobu?"
"Eh? No." Kochou Shinobu was startled and quickly shook her head.
Mizuki said seriously, "Before you awaken the Demon Slayer Mark, even if all the Hashira teamed up, they would absolutely not be my opponent."
This was a judgment she made using Tomioka Giyu as the standard for a Hashira.
If she went all out from the start, they wouldn't have any chance to fight back.
Even if there were people stronger than Giyuu among the Hashira, she could not lose.
Unless another Yoriichi was born in this era, but judging by the story's development, it seemed unlikely.
She was already immune to sunlight and Nichirin Blades. Mizuki had absolute confidence in crushing everyone before the Hashira could exhaust her stamina.
All the Hashira... Kochou Shinobu opened her mouth: "Are all Upper Ranks as powerful as Mizuki?"
"How could that be." Mizuki shook her head. "There is a huge disparity even between different Upper Ranks."
Take Douma, Upper Rank Two, for example. In Mizuki's eyes at the time, he wasn't necessarily that powerful; she just wasn't confident in defeating him while still in a human body.
After developing the antidote for his frost poison, if his strength was only what it was when he fought Mizuki back then, his threat level to the Demon Slayer Corps would be manageable.
Besides, that guy is clearly a playboy.
There has always only been one true monster among the Upper Ranks.
To give Kochou Shinobu a clearer understanding of the Twelve Demon Moons's fighting power, Mizuki stated directly, "The current Upper Rank One is my older brother."
"Since becoming an Upper Rank, he has held the position of Upper Rank Chief for hundreds of years without being shaken."
"He is the strongest Demon, second only to Muzan."
Kochou Shinobu remembered what Mizuki had said before, and her eyes widened slightly: "Mizuki was turned into a Demon by him..."
"Yes."
"I don't think I've properly introduced myself to you yet." Mizuki suddenly recalled. "I am the younger sister of Yoriichi, the swordsman of Origin Breathing during the Sengoku Period."
"Mizuki."
Kochou Shinobu's pupils trembled, and her breathing hitched: "The swordsman of Origin Breathing is Upper Rank One?"
"Yes." Mizuki nodded first, then realized Kochou Shinobu might have misunderstood, and quickly corrected herself, "No, that's not right..."
"I have two older brothers, one of whom is..."
Mizuki spent some effort explaining her identity to Kochou Shinobu... "In short, just treat me as Upper Rank One. I believe I won't lose to him."
Kochou Shinobu was still reeling from Mizuki's story, utterly shocked: "I can't believe the swordsman who created the Origin Breathing Technique would willingly become a Demon..."
If you put it that way, it wasn't wrong, as Moon Breathing was indeed an Origin Breathing.
Kochou Shinobu looked up at the sky, closing her eyes slightly: "Let's continue, Mizuki."
Mizuki smiled in her eyes: "Mhm."
"Do you need me to ease into it?"
Kochou Shinobu took a deep breath and opened her eyes: "No, please proceed as you did before."
"Very well."
Full Demonization actually consumes a considerable amount of stamina, but training of this intensity barely affects Mizuki.
When Mizuki displayed her complete Demon form once again, that indescribable aura instantly swept over them, overwhelming everything like a massive wave rushing into the sea.
Kochou Shinobu gritted her teeth tightly, gripping the Nichirin Blade hard with her trembling hands, continuously adjusting her mindset.
An aura, in the end, is not physical pressure; you only need to overcome the fear in your heart... but often, this is the hardest thing to overcome.
Physical illness can be treated with medicine, but worries of the heart cannot.
Kochou Shinobu felt as if she had just been pulled out of the water; her entire body was already drenched before any fighting even began.
Fortunately, Kochou Shinobu was no ordinary person. As a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps and a Hashira, she possessed the courage to disregard her own life and death.
Under her strenuous adjustment, the trembling in her hands slowly stopped, and the heavy pressure on her heart also dissipated considerably.
"Hoo~" Her rapid breathing slowly calmed down. Kochou Shinobu looked up at Mizuki in front of her.
Only then was she able to calmly observe Mizuki... She was too beautiful.
The cold, silver moon hung in the sky behind Mizuki. Moonlight poured down, illuminating her originally snow-white long hair with a faint luster, and coupled with those golden eyes, it highlighted a sense of divinity.
Mizuki tilted her head slightly, her eyes showing a hint of confusion: "Shinobu?"
Why aren't you attacking?
"Ah?"
Kochou Shinobu let out a cute yelp, her face flushing crimson, feeling extremely embarrassed as if she had been caught peeking at someone.
Mizuki was slightly surprised. In her vision, the tension in Kochou Shinobu's tightly coiled muscles had been greatly relieved.
Did she manage to withstand her aura?
Moreover, her heartbeat had quickened.
As expected of a Hashira, awakening the Demon Slayer Mark shouldn't be too difficult.
"In that case, Shinobu, be careful."
Mizuki became slightly serious and suddenly exhaled a white mist from her mouth.
Kochou Shinobu, who was still feeling awkward, had her pupils contract. This Breathing Technique... it was her older sister's Snow Breathing!
Mizuki drew Shura, sweeping a snow-colored arc through the air. She leaned back, raising the sword level with her shoulder, and then a speck of red light flashed from the tip of the blade.
"Snow Breathing Eleventh Form: Crimson Furnace Lighting Snow."
Eleventh Form?!!!
The cool voice pierced Kochou Shinobu's ears. Come to think of it, Mizuki had indeed approached the Master as the successor to Snow Breathing.
It was rumored that Snow Breathing was passed down during the Sengoku Period alongside the Five Great Fundamental Breathings. Could Mizuki be the Snow... Before Kochou Shinobu could finish her thought, a flash of red and white flame quickly magnified before her eyes.
In a moment of urgency, Kochou Shinobu retreated rapidly, her body dancing like a butterfly.
There was no doubt that Mizuki was holding back.
Instead of letting Kochou Shinobu feel the gap directly, pushing her little by little into desperation was more likely to make her reach her limit.
But while holding back, she was also practicing her new Sword Forms.
Sun Breathing was ultimately the Breathing Technique most effective against Demons. Unable to fully utilize Sun Breathing, Mizuki, who decided to commit fully to Snow Breathing, came up with a compromise.
Just like the Ninth Form: Snow Haze, combining Snow Breathing with Sun Breathing could neutralize the negative effects of Sun Breathing, effectively enhancing her ability to suppress regeneration.
Although it was not as effective as pure Sun Breathing, it was at least suitable for her.
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