Kyoujurou's strength was at an upper-middle level among the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira, far stronger than Kochou Shinobu.
But honestly, among the Hashira, besides the Stone Hashira, no one else gave Mizuki any sense of danger.
Or rather, even the Stone Hashira, without Demonization, it wouldn't be difficult for Mizuki to defeat him, just like Akaza, or even easier.
Because humans are different from demons; they can't regenerate.
Not to mention she was currently in her fully demonized state; it was still too early for everyone to defeat her in this state.
Before activating the Demon Slayer Mark, the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira couldn't compare to the Hashira of the first generation; one could only say that their potential was not weaker than that of the first generation Hashira.
From the previous contact, Kyoujurou's body was still a bit stiff, not fully accustomed to Mizuki's fighting spirit.
A powerful fighting spirit could make people lose their will to fight. The strongest opponents the previous Hashira had faced were merely the Lower Ranks among the Twelve Demon Moons, whose strength was an abyss away from the Upper Rank Demons.
And the survival rate when encountering an Upper Rank Demon was pitifully low, leading to a severe lack of information for the Demon Slayer Corps regarding this group.
Not to mention that Mizuki, when calculated as a fighting force, was far stronger than Akaza, and the fighting spirit emanating from her entire body made it impossible for even battle-hardened Hashira to face her calmly.
Everyone watched Kyoujurou fly backward, their nerves tightening a bit.
Move! My body!
Tanjirou desperately tried to control his trembling wrists, cold sweat seeping from his temples.
This is too much!
They hadn't even engaged in battle; just standing there, no one on their side except Mr. Rengoku could move!
This made Tanjirou deeply understand the true value of what Mizuki called the 'foremost among the Upper Ranks'.
Swish!
Suddenly, Tanjirou's peripheral vision caught sight of a figure darting out.
Who?
To Mizuki's surprise, the second person to adapt to her fighting spirit was Kanao, who had been silent from the start.
Kanao adjusted her breathing, her right hand on her sword hilt, and shot towards Mizuki like a cannonball.
"Flower Breathing, Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Kanao's Nichirin Blade cut two arc-shaped slashes in mid-air, attacking Mizuki from bottom to top.
A clean and precise strike.
Mizuki took half a step back, just enough to narrowly avoid the blade aimed at her throat.
Kanao's eyes widened slightly as she looked up in surprise, meeting the faint smile on Mizuki's lips.
Before she could react, Mizuki, taking advantage of her momentum not yet fully gathered, violently grabbed her collar, like picking up a human-shaped doll, and threw her back.
Tanjirou was struggling to overcome the fear in his heart. Seeing Kanao flying towards him, his body instinctively wanted to dodge, but then the thought of catching his comrade to prevent her from getting hurt subconsciously surfaced in his mind, forcing him to halt his instinctive evasion.
His body and mind gave conflicting answers, resulting in him freezing in place and being sent flying backward by Kanao's impact.
This single move took out three main combatants.
The remaining two... one was shaking like a leaf, and the other was still struggling on the ground.
Mizuki couldn't help but wonder if she was being too strict.
The Hashira could certainly adapt to her fighting spirit, but Tanjirou and the others were still too green.
"Ow, ow, ow~" Tanjirou rubbed his head, and upon noticing Kanao getting up from him, his face instantly turned crimson.
Kanao, however, showed no reaction. After getting up, she and Kyoujurou, who had flown even further, attacked Mizuki together.
Seeing this, Tanjirou gritted his teeth and struggled to get up from the ground.
He couldn't hold them back either.
As he stood up, he surprisingly found that after being hit like that, he was no longer trembling.
His body had regained control?
Tanjirou, delighted, quickly followed.
A hint of praise flashed in Mizuki's eyes. She parried Kyoujurou's blade with her own, forced him back with a reverse swing, then turned and kicked Kanao away.
Tanjirou was about to join the fight with everyone, but as soon as he rushed in front of Mizuki, he found himself alone.
That feeling was much like agreeing with friends to fight a boss in a team battle, only for everyone else to rush in and get wiped out, leaving you to survive until they revive.
The tension was at its peak.
Facing Mizuki's golden vertical pupils, Tanjirou felt as if he was being stared at by some dangerous beast, his body going numb.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth, his body tilted, and his Nichirin Blade spun in the air, erupting with orange-red flames.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bone, Summer Sun!"
A flame-like vortex condensed.
This move was one of the most offensive techniques in Sun Breathing, and also one of the most effective at hindering demon regeneration.
He only intended this move to repel Mizuki, buying time for the others to enter the fray.
However, to Tanjirou's surprise, Mizuki's figure gradually became distorted in his vision.
What?
As Tanjirou was stunned.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow."
Oh no!
The sound of a sword being drawn came from behind him, and Tanjirou turned around in panic.
A dazzling white light flashed before his eyes.
He's going to be cut!
Under high-pressure combat, even knowing it was just practice, the brain would make incorrect judgments. This was precisely the effect Mizuki wanted.
Just at this critical moment, a rough voice sounded from behind Mizuki.
"Hahahaha! Boar Assault!!!"
"Beast Breathing, First Fang: Pierce and Shoot!"
This was a situation where the voice arrived before the person.
Could this guy move now?
Mizuki lowered her waist, flipped and leaped without looking back, landing above Inosuke's head.
Inosuke hastily stopped his charge and looked back.
"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Setting Sun Twirl."
A flash of flame erupted from the blade as Mizuki swung her sword horizontally in an inverted stance.
Tanjirou's heart pounded just watching. Even though it was just practice, Miss Mizuki's every strike was aimed at their vital points.
Miss Mizuki had said she wasn't suited for Sun Breathing, but her mastery of the Sword Forms was clearly far superior to his.
"Inosuke!" After the crisis was averted, Tanjirou didn't dare to linger and quickly thrust his sword towards Mizuki in mid-air.
"Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Solar Heat Haze!"
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form: Beneficent...
Beneficent Radiance was a Sword Form that descended from the sky, an air-to-ground strike.
Oh no!
Tanjirou's pupils suddenly contracted. There was still this move.
Fortunately, Kyoujurou and Kanao had also regrouped, attacking Mizuki from left and right.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
Tanjirou's face instantly lit up with joy: They could do it!
At this moment, Mizuki was performing a Sword Form in mid-air and couldn't leverage her position. Everyone's attacks had completely surrounded her.
"Snow Breathing, First Form: Tornado!"
Mizuki twisted her body, the flames that were about to burst forth were forcibly extinguished, and a pure white tornado suddenly swept through the air, forcing everyone back like a raging blizzard.
Tanjirou's face showed shock.
She forcibly switched Breathing Techniques?!
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