Chapter 15
If one were to ask which Breathing Style was the strongest in the world of Demon Slayer, most people would surely answer in unison: Sun Breathing.
Its founder, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, had used it to traumatize the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan, so badly that Muzan hid from the world for a hundred years.
Only after truly confirming Yoriichi’s death did he dare to come out and wreak havoc again.
But if one were to ask which Breathing Style had the highest style points, Thunder Breathing would absolutely rank near the very top.
And the reason was precisely the technique Zenitsu Agatsuma had just unleashed:
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
Before that move appeared, Zenitsu Agatsuma was basically a comedic humanoid creature.
But after that one scene, no matter how pathetic he had been before, Zenitsu’s popularity underwent a complete 180-degree reversal.
With that single moment, he ascended straight onto the "coolest character" rankings.
He had truly achieved the feat of being cool for one second in a season, and making that one second cool enough to carry the whole season.
Not only was it cool, it was also powerful.
Who knew how many demons had lost their heads before they could even react?
Its speed and the sharpness of its sword momentum were difficult to rival throughout the entire world of Demon Slayer.
And Zenitsu’s mastery of this move could be considered top-class across the entire history of Thunder Breathing.
Later on, he would even develop the ultimate technique, Flaming Thunder God, with enough power to cut down an Upper Rank.
Thinking of this, Kiriya’s gaze toward Zenitsu became increasingly complicated.
To call this guy strong was not exactly wrong, but most of the time he was cowardly as hell.
He could even do something like drag a child over to help himself feel braver.
But to call him weak was also wrong.
Once this guy fell asleep, he instantly transformed into a god of war!
"He can only go god mode after falling asleep? That’s way too unreliable."
Fortunately, this guy could more or less be considered a protagonist.
If this kind of ability were placed on Kiriya himself, he estimated the grass on his grave would already be three meters tall.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
Just as Kiriya was immersed in pleasant fantasies about the future, a series of ear-piercing shrieks made his brows furrow.
Looking down, he saw Zenitsu supporting himself with both hands on the ground while retreating again and again, staring at the demon on the floor with a face full of terror.
"Uwaaah! It’s a demon! A demon!"
"Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!"
Zenitsu waved his hands around wildly, looking like the ultimate demon-fearing man.
The Licker-like demon on the ground stared at Zenitsu, truly unable to believe that the one who had killed it was actually this kind of trash!
Humiliating! Too damn humiliating!
It very much wanted to charge over and take another bite, but unfortunately, its current body no longer had the strength to do so.
After screaming for a while and realizing he had not been bitten, Zenitsu finally noticed that the other party’s head had already been cut off. Its entire body was rapidly turning into ash.
Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close. I’m so glad I’m still alive."
As he spoke, this guy actually burst into tears again.
"You’re a grown man. What kind of behavior is it to cry at the drop of a hat?"
Kiriya walked forward and chopped Zenitsu on the crown of his head with the edge of his hand.
"Ow!"
Zenitsu clutched his head and cried out in pain. But after seeing that it was Kiriya, his eyes instantly lit up.
He hugged Kiriya’s thigh and began bawling loudly.
"Thank you so much, Big Bro! From today onward, you are my big brother!"
Obviously, this guy had decided that Kiriya was the one who had dealt with that demon just now, making him his lifesaver.
"Sorry, but I don’t need such an embarrassing little brother."
Kiriya curled his lips.
Dong—
While the two of them were chatting on and off, the sound of a drum rang out.
The scene before their eyes suddenly changed once more.
"Hm?"
Kiriya frowned slightly and calmly observed their surroundings.
"What is it this time?"
Zenitsu hid behind Kiriya and carefully looked around.
Dong, dong, dong—
The drumming grew denser and denser.
The scenery before their eyes changed faster and faster, until Zenitsu became dizzy from looking at it.
His pupils had already turned into spiral mosquito coils.
"What exactly is going on?!" He shouted in discomfort.
"Looks like Tanjiro’s side is fighting quite fiercely."
Kiriya made that judgment.
Otherwise, that demon with the special ability would not be using its power so frequently.
Just as he lifted his foot and prepared to go find Tanjiro, the scenery before his eyes changed again.
A red-haired, red-eyed boy and a demon carrying five drums on its body appeared before them at the same time.
"Tanjiro!" Zenitsu shouted.
"Zenitsu! And Kiriya-san..."
When Tanjiro saw the two of them, he was first delighted, but his expression quickly turned worried.
"Be careful! This guy is strong! He’s a demon with a special ability!"
Kiriya was not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Although his physical ability was decent, his combat strength was difficult to evaluate.
As for Zenitsu... there was no need to mention him.
If they encountered this demon with its special ability, it would be very dangerous.
"You’ve got to be kidding me! We have to face an enemy like this right away? Tanjiro, aren’t you really strong? Hurry up and kill him!" Zenitsu shouted.
"I’m doing that!"
Tanjiro replied. Suddenly, the hair on his body stood on end, and he hurriedly dodged to the side.
It was this instinctive action that saved his life.
Almost 0.001 seconds later, several huge cuts appeared where he had originally been standing.
One could imagine that if Tanjiro had been even the slightest bit slower just now, his body would have been sliced into several pieces.
"Wah, so scary!"
Zenitsu hurriedly ran behind Kiriya.
Right now, hiding behind this big shot could give him a sense of safety!
"Let me borrow your Nichirin sword."
Kiriya’s calm voice sounded beside his ear. Then, the Nichirin sword at Zenitsu’s waist was casually taken away by Kiriya.
"What is Big Bro... planning to do?"
A huge question mark appeared over Zenitsu’s head.
"Could Kiriya-san know Breathing Styles too?"
Not only Zenitsu, but Tanjiro also had doubts in his heart.
But he knew this was not the time to ask questions. His best option right now was to continue attracting the demon’s attention and buy Kiriya time.
Then, he witnessed a scene that left him astonished.
"Thunder Breathing..."
Kiriya drew his right leg back into a bow stance and lowered his body slightly.
"That is..."
Zenitsu’s eyes widened. This movement looked somewhat familiar!
"First Form..."
With a click, his left thumb pushed against the guard, and the Nichirin sword slid slightly out of its sheath.
"Can he make it? That demon’s reactions aren’t slow."
Tanjiro was worried.
Several times before, he had charged in to behead the demon, only for the demon to activate its ability and shift the space around, leaving him in a miserable state.
But very quickly, he had no further doubts.
"Thunderclap and Flash."
In an instant, Kiriya’s figure vanished.
A bolt of lightning lit up the dim room.
Crackle—
Click—
The long sword returned to its sheath.
The head of the demon with the special ability shot into the air, its face still carrying a sinister and cold smile.
"So fast!"
Tanjiro’s eyes widened.
What had that been just now?
That lightning-like speed... was that the Thunder Breathing that Mr. Urokodaki had mentioned?
"So strong! And so cool!"
Zenitsu’s eyes were filled with admiration.
If he could also become that strong and that cool, maybe he would have already won over a beautiful girl and become a winner in life.
As for Kiriya, he closed his eyes and carefully savored the scene from just now.
As expected of one of the flashiest techniques in Demon Slayer.
Its effect was indeed powerful.
In that instant, he felt his speed explosively increase.
He was confident that even among Orario’s Level 3 adventurers, anyone careless enough would suffer a huge loss.
With just this move, Thunderclap and Flash, his attack speed could be greatly enhanced.
If he could obtain the legendary original Breathing Style, Sun Breathing, then to what level would his combat power soar?
And after killing those powerful demons, to what extent would his ability values rise?
Thinking of this, Kiriya could not help but feel expectant.
The gaze he used to look at Tanjiro also grew increasingly heated.
And this was precisely Kiriya’s purpose in coming to this world: there were many demons here that could be killed like monsters, increasing his experience value.
Meanwhile, the Breathing Styles of this world could greatly enrich his attack methods and strengthen his power.
It could be said that for his current stage, this place was an extremely suitable dungeon world.
"Ki-Kiriya-san, what’s wrong?"
Tanjiro was startled by Kiriya’s searchlight-like gaze and felt somewhat at a loss.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought of something happy."
Kiriya coughed lightly and quickly changed the topic.
"Let’s first look for the people who were kidnapped here."
Just as the group was about to set out, their footsteps stopped at the same time.
"Someone... is approaching?"
"Boar Rush!"
Along with a rough voice, the wooden door in front of the three was torn apart by a slash.
A person with a bare upper body and a boar-head mask charged in.
His momentum was just like a wild boar charging forward.
’So this guy is here too.’
Kiriya looked with interest at the boar-headed boy opposite them: Inosuke Hashibira.
A reckless boy who liked using jagged Nichirin swords and was always shouting "Boar Rush!"
"A boar-headed monster!"
Zenitsu was startled by the boar-head mask.
"This person... is from the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Tanjiro saw the swords in the other party’s hands.
Although they had been damaged until they were full of jagged edges, he recognized at a glance that they were weapons exclusive to the Demon Slayer Corps: Nichirin swords.
Moreover, the scent on him was normal. It was the smell of a human.
"So he’s probably... an ally?"
Tanjiro was a little uncertain, because this guy’s aggressive momentum did not seem very friendly.
"Hm? What’s going on? Where are the demons here? Where did all those demons run off to?"
Inosuke Hashibira looked around, only to find humans. He immediately became dissatisfied.
"Hey, you stinking demons! All of you, get out here for this great me! I am Inosuke Hashibira, the man who’s going to kill every last one of you! Obediently let this great me chop off your heads and become stepping stones for my growth!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs for a while, yet not a single demon came out.
His temper grew increasingly explosive, and he rushed past them.
Bang, bang, bang—
After several consecutive crashes, all the doors were smashed apart.
Sunlight from outside shone in, adding quite a bit of brightness.
"That direction... there’s the smell of a demon?"
Tanjiro’s expression changed drastically.
"Nezuko!" He shouted, then suddenly rushed out.
"Why are they... all so weird?" Zenitsu muttered.
"Let’s go. First, find the kidnapped people, then we’ll go out and regroup with them."
After saying this, Kiriya walked out. Zenitsu hurriedly followed.
Now that the demon with the special ability had been executed, these rooms would no longer keep changing.
So Kiriya and Zenitsu soon found the kidnapped villagers.
They were two young boys, around fifteen years old, their faces still filled with terror.
After being told that the evil demon had already been slain, they finally burst into tears as if they had survived a disaster.
...
By the time the group arrived outside the large house, they happened to run into an intense battle.
The two fighting parties were none other than the boar-headed boy and Tanjiro.
Both sides were among the better rookies.
One possessed beast-like instincts and astonishing flexibility, while the other had solid fundamentals and high comprehension.
For a time, they were actually evenly matched, punching and kicking each other in a lively exchange.
"Hey, stop! We’re not enemies!" Tanjiro shouted.
"Shut up! You’re protecting that demon, so you’re the enemy!" the boar-headed boy shouted.
"Demons are monsters that must be exterminated!"
"She’s my younger sister! She’s the most important person to me! I won’t allow anyone to hurt her!" Tanjiro said firmly.
"You actually treat a demon as family? You’re a freak too!"
The boar-headed boy’s words were fierce, angering the usually good-tempered Tanjiro so much that his attacks became a bit heavier again.
"What should we do? Should we stop them?" Zenitsu asked weakly.
Kiriya raised his head and looked at the sky, discovering that it was already getting late.
If they let these two continue fighting, they would probably have to spend the night in the forest.
"Then let’s mediate a little."
Electric arcs flickered across Kiriya’s body.
His speed suddenly soared, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived between the two of them.
The Sharingan accurately captured both of their movements.
With one hand, he grabbed Tanjiro’s wrist and flung him away. With the other, he swung Inosuke Hashibira in a circle.
Then, a wooden strip rapidly extended from his hand, tightly binding the boar-headed boy.
With a bang, Inosuke Hashibira slammed heavily onto the ground.
However, he did not cry out in pain. Instead, he stared fixedly at Kiriya and continued shouting.
"What the heck was that just now?! Wood actually grew out of your arm? Are you a demon or something?"
"No, that’s not right. There’s no demon smell. Are you some kind of legendary yokai?"
Not only him, even Zenitsu and Tanjiro were so shocked that their jaws nearly dropped.
How could a human arm possibly turn into wood?
"Hahaha! That’s it! Hey, yokai, fight me!"
Even while tied up like a dumpling, Inosuke Hashibira still issued a challenge with full vigor.
"If I defeat you, I’ll definitely become stronger!"
"Yokai?"
Veins bulged on Kiriya’s forehead. The look he gave Inosuke grew increasingly unfriendly.
"Kid, has anyone ever told you that mouth of yours is really foul?"
"Who cares about that? Hurry up and let me go! I’m going to fight you!"
Inosuke Hashibira continued roaring.
Kiriya found him too noisy, so he controlled the wooden strip to extend and seal his mouth.
Then he activated his absorption ability and continuously devoured Inosuke’s stamina, finally making the boar-headed boy quiet down.
"Kiriya-san, is he okay?" Tanjiro asked worriedly.
"Kid, he was just trying to destroy the most important thing to you. Don’t you hate him?" Kiriya asked, somewhat puzzled.
"At first, I was very angry."
Tanjiro scratched his head.
"But after thinking about it, he was probably hurt by other demons too. For someone who has suffered tragedy because of demons, it’s hard for me to truly get angry. Besides, look, Nezuko wasn’t hurt either, right?"
"You really do have a good temper."
Kiriya shrugged.
"Don’t worry, that guy is fine. He was just too noisy, so I made him quiet down for a while."
"That’s good."
Tanjiro finally sighed in relief.
"Don’t worry. Big Bro is such a good person. How could he randomly mess around?"
Zenitsu seized the opportunity to flatter him.
Then, rubbing his little hands together, he said, "Big Bro, that move you used just now... can you teach me? I don’t mean anything else. I just think it’s really cool!"
"Hm?"
Kiriya glanced at Zenitsu.
"Young man, you sure know how to behave. I’d also like to teach you, but you can’t learn this thing."
"How could this be..."
Zenitsu’s face immediately collapsed.
Growl—
Just as he was about to continue fighting for a chance, his stomach had already begun protesting.
Only then did he realize that he seemed to have gone a very long time without eating.
"I’m so hungry!"
"Um... why don’t you come sit at our home?"
A timid voice sounded.
Turning around, they saw three young boys: one older and two younger.
Among the rescued boys, one was family with the two children who had been waiting outside.
Naturally, the three of them were overjoyed to have all survived safely.
To thank Kiriya and the others for saving their lives, they invited them to their home as guests.
"We can’t do much else, but we can still make a meal for our benefactors," the boy said with a determined expression.
After running around for so long, all three of them were somewhat hungry.
So after saying goodbye to the other rescued boy, they simply followed him.
As for Inosuke Hashibira, he was dragged along the entire way by Zenitsu.