The techniques of different Breathing Techniques vary, and interchanging them often leads to counterproductive results.
Whether it was Mizuki's warning when she previously instructed him, or the pain he personally experienced switching from Water Breathing to Sun Breathing, everything told him.
Breathing Techniques cannot be mixed.
But Mizuki had now broken her own rule.
Breathing Techniques really could be mixed.
Furthermore, she wasn't switching after one move, but forcibly switching mid-move, exactly like when he had switched from Water Breathing to Sun Breathing.
But after one move, his body couldn't move, while Miss Mizuki acted as if nothing happened.
Was it because Miss Mizuki was a Demon?
Her body adapted to the flaws of the Breathing Technique.
That statement was correct, but also incorrect.
After Demonization, her body certainly adapted significantly.
But Mizuki was forcibly using Sun Breathing, and her lungs were currently in turmoil.
Fortunately, her regeneration kept pace with the damage, so there was no substantial impact.
To be honest, none of the combined attacks from the four people were truly effective.
Kyoujurou's offensive was much fiercer than the others, but only relatively speaking; compared to Mizuki, she felt no great sense of danger.
Even in this training battle, which wasn't aimed at reducing enemy numbers, Mizuki remained calm and composed.
Even the combined efforts of four people couldn't create a good attacking rhythm; instead, they were suppressed by Mizuki alone.
This was the suppression of fundamental stats. The Demonized Mizuki was on a different level than them; the gap in strength and speed was too vast. Without awakening the Demon Slayer Mark, they were simply inadequate.
However, as the fight continued, Mizuki felt that something was slightly off.
What was it?
One, two, three, four... She counted the people. It turned out one was missing.
Turning her head to look again, Zenitsu's body wasn't shaking anymore, but the hand holding his sword was still trembling incessantly, just swaying around on the side.
Mizuki couldn't help but twitch her eyelid. *Enjoying watching from the sidelines, kid?*
She deflected the group's encirclement with a single strike and flashed forward.
Tanjirou, realizing this, quickly shouted towards Zenitsu: "Zenitsu! Look out!"
"Huh?!"
Zenitsu, holding his sword with tears in his eyes, suddenly felt a blur before his vision; Mizuki had already arrived in front of him.
Zenitsu swallowed hard and looked up.
Mizuki raised her long sword high, aiming mercilessly for his head with the momentum to cleave him in two.
At that instant, Mizuki noticed through her Transparent Vision that Zenitsu's heart rate and pulse were rapidly increasing, instantly reaching and exceeding the conditions required to activate the Demon Slayer Mark.
Keep in mind that the others she was suppressing and attacking, no matter how great the pressure, had not yet met these conditions.
Unexpectedly, Zenitsu achieved it instantly. Was it that easy?
Nan Tatian?
This thought couldn't help but flash through Mizuki's mind.
But... "Ah~"
Zenitsu immediately rolled his eyes white, a puff of white air drifted from his mouth, and he completely collapsed, falling fast asleep.
Mizuki's sword hadn't even fully swung down, let alone touched him. It was tens of thousands of miles away, the level where he couldn't even manage a fake injury scam.
...
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Mizuki silently turned around: "Let's continue."
"Ah, yes."
It was simply baffling.
Mizuki hadn't taken two steps when Tanjirou pointed behind her and said: "Miss Mizuki, Zenitsu is awa— ah no, he's asleep, but he's up."
As everyone knew, Zenitsu was usually at his best when he was asleep.
Mizuki didn't need Tanjirou's reminder; she already sensed the movement behind her.
She looked back to see Zenitsu swaying as he stood up, his eyes tightly shut, bubbles still blowing from his nose, his body low, and his hand placed on the scabbard, adopting an attacking posture.
It must be said, this scene was truly ridiculous.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Zenitsu transformed into a golden flash of light, his speed pushed to the limit, displaying a composure and calmness he lacked when awake.
Unfortunately, the enemy was the fully Demonized Mizuki.
That seemingly insurmountable speed was, in reality, only slightly faster than a turtle.
Mizuki slightly turned her body, casually reached out, pinched the back of the sword, and backhanded him—man and sword—towards Tanjirou.
Why me again?!
Tanjirou's expression changed, and he quickly reached out to catch Zenitsu.
Now, the attacks from the five people became more frequent, the range wider, and they were harder to deal with.
But Mizuki felt no pressure at all. Her movements remained so graceful that the others couldn't track her. Even Zenitsu, the fastest among them, couldn't graze her, which weighed heavily on their hearts.
This was still Miss Mizuki guiding the situation. If she were seriously attacking at full strength, could they truly withstand a single blow?
Was the effect of the Demon Slayer Mark really that significant?
It wasn't enough to simply meet the conditions to perfectly activate the Demon Slayer Mark; it was best to have the prerequisite of Demon Slayer Mark Resonance.
This battle left everyone parched. Mizuki appropriately adjusted the intensity and speed of her attacks based on the varying physical conditions of the group.
Simply put, when fighting Kyoujurou, she applied greater pressure.
The reverse was true for the others.
As a result, after this battle, even the perpetually enthusiastic Kyoujurou was too exhausted to speak.
But the others did not activate the Demon Slayer Mark in one go, unlike Kochou Shinobu.
Mizuki was not surprised. Facing fear alone and facing fear as a group were two different concepts.
Moreover, the conditions for Tanjirou and the other two were inherently slightly insufficient.
Kyoujurou likely hadn't interacted with her much, and the Demon Slayer Mark on Mizuki's face served as the infection medium.
The reason Kochou Shinobu succeeded on the first try, besides meeting the physical conditions, was likely related to her constant contact with Mizuki.
But it wasn't a big problem. If once wasn't enough, they would try a few more times. As long as the pressure was applied correctly, activating the Demon Slayer Mark wasn't difficult.
"That's enough for today."
Looking at the struggling group on the ground, Mizuki exited her Demonization state. She then grabbed the charging Zenitsu, removed his Nichirin Blade, shook him violently twice, forcibly restarting him, and tossed him onto the ground.
"Nani? An earthquake?" Zenitsu jolted awake, before he could figure out what happened.
"...My body hurts so much!!!"
Zenitsu rolled around on the ground.
Hearing Mizuki's words, Tanjirou, who had been trying to struggle to his feet, decisively gave up.
He rolled over and lay on the ground, panting heavily.
He was too exhausted.
He felt like he was about to die.
Inosuke also lost his usual energy and collapsed next to Tanjirou.
Kyoujurou calmed his breathing and spoke with difficulty: "We are truly indebted to you."
"Not at all." Mizuki gently shook her head.
Kyoujurou scratched his head. *She really is ridiculously strong.* She fought against their attacks for an entire morning without even disrupting her breathing.
Kanao supported herself and walked over to Kochou Shinobu.
Kochou Shinobu smiled warmly and handed her a cup of tea: "You worked hard."
"Thank you."
"How do you feel?"
"Very powerful."
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